《My In-laws are Obsessed With Me》 Chapter 1 ¡°I heard that Viscountess Verdi was criticized by her in-laws for being unable to conceive, and that she was told to find a mistress right to her face.¡± ¡°My goodness, I heard that too! But I heard the one who is actually impotent is her husband.¡± ¡°My goodness, I heard that too! But I heard the one who is actually impotent is her husband.¡± ¡°You think that¡¯s bad? My close friend got married recently, and apparently her in-laws got involved and tried to tell her how to take care of her husband in bed! ¡°Oh my!¡± The ballroom. The ladies, mouths covered by their fans, were excitedly gossiping about that one topic. I, who had somehow got caught up in all of this, was doing nothing but sipping champagne. ¡°It¡¯s been five years since I got married, but they still check my dresses every day. They declare that I cannot bring down the dignity of the earl and come to inspect them each morning.¡± ¡°I have to report how much my husband eats each day. At this rate, they¡¯ll ask me to check how many grams of sauce was on the meat he ate.¡± Underneath the fancy chandelier. The ladies, dressed beautifully, looked at each other and shared a long sigh. All were united in their stormy expressions. Just because a woman and a man marry each other out of love doesn¡¯t mean that love alone can help them. The in-laws. Although they are technically family, one¡¯s relationship can never be as close as a true family. The wives who had just sighed looked over at me, who had not said a word this whole time. ¡°Your Royal Highness Lapileon, you haven¡¯t said anything.¡± As if those words were a trigger, everyone¡¯s eyes widened as they watched me. Their flickering pupils clearly said, ¡®you spill some tea, too¡¯. ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a year since you got married?¡± It had already been a year? I hadn¡¯t even realized. ¡°The Lapileons still have the early Grand Duchess, Gloria.¡± ¡°Wow, she¡¯s still healthy?¡± At the mention of Gloria¡¯s name, everyone started trembling as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°To make things worse, His Excellency is quiet. At least our husbands are full of affection¡­¡± ¡°To think that she has to deal with His Excellency and Madam Gloria¡­¡± ¡°Oh my, now that I think about it, doesn¡¯t the Lapileon family also have Sercia?¡± ¡°Ah! His Excellency¡¯s older sister¡­!¡± Excuse me. I still haven¡¯t said anything yet. Why are you all looking at me with such pitying eyes already? I looked slowly at the ladies who were chattering amongst themselves. After putting down the empty champagne glass, I finally spoke. ¡°It¡¯s true that Grand Duchess Gloria and Lady Sercia are there, and that His Excellency is quiet.¡± Everyone started tutting and offering words of pity. On their faces were sympathetic smiles that said ¡®at least I¡¯m better off than her.¡¯ These people, who only felt superiority when they put someone below themselves. These people, who felt relief to see the suffering of others. They were a given at a gathering like this. As I was about to speak, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. ¡°I finally found you, wife.¡± A familiar scent and black hair tickled my cheek. ¡°W-we greet His Excellency¡­!¡± At the sight of my husband whom they¡¯d called cold only a moment ago, everyone hurriedly offered their greetings. However, my husband, Theodore Dane Lapileon, didn¡¯t even spare them a glance, and hugged me in his arms. ¡°I looked for you for ages. If I don¡¯t see you for even a minute, I feel so anxious that I can¡¯t breathe.¡± At his small complaint, I pushed his cheek away with my palm, as I always did. ¡°It tickles, and there¡¯s too many people watching, so get off me.¡± As I said that, a small child popped up from the right. ¡°Your Excellency! Mom says it tickles! Hurry and get off of her!¡± It was the heir of Grand Duke Lapileon: my legal son, Celphius Sultan Lapileon. The child pulled at Theodore¡¯s uniform, trying his best to pull him away from me. ¡°Yes, what kind of shameful act is that? Theo.¡± A red-headed woman easily removed Theodore from me, before tutting her tongue at him. Then, she smiled widely before spreading her arms wide towards me. ¡°Sasha! I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°¡­Older sister Seci. You get off me too, it tickles.¡± It was Theodore¡¯s older sister, Sercia Jane Lapiileon. ¡°Where is it itchy? I¡¯ll scratch it for you!¡± *TL/N: Itches and tickles is the same word in Korean. Behind Sercia, who had me tightly in her arms, popped up a tiny girl even smaller than Celphius. ¡°S-sister. Hug me too!¡± One of Theodore¡¯s only surviving blood relatives, Violet Lapileon. ¡°Violet, haven¡¯t I told you that you should address her as Her Royal Highness and not sister?¡± Theodore¡¯s uncle, Finneas Gun Lapileon. And lastly¡­ ¡°Why are you making such a fuss in the ballroom?¡± ¡°M-Madam Gloria!¡± It was Gloria Em Lapileon, the early Grand Duchess, who was very healthy, in spite of her white hair. At the sudden appearance of the Lapileon family, the faces of the ladies whitened, and they couldn¡¯t seem to lift their heads. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to attend balls at this age.¡± Gloria made her way to my side and sighed dramatically as she grabbed my arm. I smiled slightly as I supported her. ¡°You¡¯re still so healthy.¡± ¡°Whenever I show up, everyone¡¯s so busy trembling in fear. What about this oldie is so scary?¡± said Gloria, clicking her tongue as if chastising the ladies in front of her. As she had said, everyone in the ballroom seemed to have turned our way the moment she entered. ¡°Sasha,¡± Gloria called me affectionately. ¡°Hurry and choose if you don¡¯t want us to follow you like this,¡± she continued, laughing slightly. ¡°Should I give you a mine, or perhaps Lapileon land? I already told you I would give you whatever you want, since you saved us.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t need anything.¡± ¡°If you really don¡¯t choose, I might end up giving you the entire Lapileon duchy.¡± Everyone gasped after hearing what Gloria said. I could feel their admiring gazes on me. I looked at my in-laws, who were standing around me so staunchly that it seemed they could part the Red Sea, with a ruined expression. ¡®¡­But I need to file a divorce.¡¯ My problem is that my in-laws are too obsessed with me. * * * While all other living things came alive in the springtime, I was dying. My husband, Siph, sat next to me and asked ¡°Does it hurt?¡± in a worried tone as if he had been waiting for this day. ¡°If you think you¡¯re going to die, then just die. Why are you still breathing and clinging to this life?¡± My husband who had promised that he would love me. My love who said he would make me happy. There wasn¡¯t a trace of the Siph who would smile shyly in front of me. ¡°Sasha?¡± His lips, which had once given me happiness¡­ ¡°Just die already.¡± Killed me. ¡°You have to die for the inheritance to be mine. I have a mountain of debt. You love me, don¡¯t you? So, you can do me this small favor and die, right?¡± Siph moved the hairs that were stuck to my sweaty forehead. I wanted to get up and slap that thick face. But strangely, my body would not listen. ¡°You can¡¯t move, right?¡± Siph smiled as if he had seen right into my mind. ¡°That¡¯s because of the curse. They said that I could kill you with this. It¡¯s expensive, but it was the best option to kill you without leaving any evidence.¡± Your gray hair and those bright eyes haven¡¯t changed at all. But inside, you¡¯ve changed. A teardrop that had been caught on my eyelash rolled down my cheek. At that moment, the bedroom door opened, ¡°Is she still alive?¡± And I heard a voice dripping with disappointment. I got goosebumps all over my body. ¡®How did I get here?¡¯ When I looked around in dismay, I saw my stepmother and my sister Reina, who was not related to me by blood. ¡°Like your father, your lifeline is quite long.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with those eyes. He was the one who looked into your lifeline.¡± They were my family that had always smiled so kindly at me. My one and only family, that cried when I was having a hard time and rejoiced when I was happy. ¡°If he had written a will promising you the inheritance, this situation wouldn¡¯t be happening¡­ what a shame.¡± Her words were thick with greed, and she looked different from usual, her red lips turned up into a snake-like smirk. ¡°We could have had a good mother and daughter relationship.¡± ¡°Mom, does this mean we¡¯re going to be rich?¡± Reina giggled. Although she was someone that my stepmother had brought in from outside, I had truly considered her to be my sister. Siph approached Reina and wrapped his arms around her waist. And as if telling her she was lovely, he kissed Reina¡¯s left cheek. ¡°Of course, my princess. You had a hard time, right? That will all end today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Siph. I believed in you.¡± What? Reina was calling my husband¡¯s name in a sickly sweet manner. My lower lip began to tremble. The sound of my heart racing spread through my entire body. It can¡¯t be? This isn¡¯t¡­. It¡¯s not what I think it is, rightt? As if Reina had read my thoughts, she whipped her head around and looked at me. Then she threw her head back and cackled loudly. ¡°Did you really think that Siph was your husband?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Siph married you because I asked him to, my stupid sister. He pretended to love you!¡± As if he were tasting sweet honey, Siph kissed the back of her neck. He smiled in support of Reina¡¯s words. Reina tugged hard on Siph¡¯s hair and scoffed. ¡°How stupid. You didn¡¯t know that we were all waiting for the day you would die.¡± There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. He definitely loves me¡­! However, in the eyes of the man who was hugging Reina as if she were precious, I did not exist. It was a three-person play from the beginning? The husband I loved, the stepmother who loved me, and my amiable sister. All of it? My heart was bitter. I felt trapped and frustrated. I was so angry that I thought it would be better to just bite my tongue and die. ¡°After you die¡­¡± My stepmother approached me as I laid, immobile, with a small cushion. ¡°We¡¯ll use your inheritance well, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Without a change in her expression, she pressed the cushion to my face. I couldn¡¯t breathe. I could see Siph and Reina lounging on the couch as they watched my stepmother who was killing me without an ounce of guilt and me suffocating. Even after I die, I will never forget this. Tears of anger spilled. My vision began to get darker. And, in pain, the last thing I heard before I died was the echo of Reina¡¯s laughter. . . . I died. No, I thought I would die. But I came back to life. On top of that, I came back to the past after I received my inheritance and before I married Siph. I don¡¯t know the reason why I¡¯m alive again. But if this is my opportunity, I won¡¯t let it pass. ¡°I need to protect my life and inheritance.¡± I can¡¯t report people for things that haven¡¯t happened yet. However, I won¡¯t act like they think I will in this life. ¡°I¡¯ll take what they want. I¡¯m going to thoroughly trample them and make them bow under my feet.¡± In order to do that, I need someone that will protect me and my inheritance. I need someone that can give me that kind of power. ¡°I¡¯ve come to make a deal with Your Excellency.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°¡­ Exactly one year. Marry me for one year.¡± For a conversation discussing marriage, the tone was rather light. To the person sitting opposite of me, it may have been out of the blue, but to me it was my sole lifeline. ¡°How interesting.¡± A man with a jaw-droppingly beautiful appearance looked at me from the opposite sofa, his chin propped. He had hair as dark as the night which swallows everything and eyes as red as blood. He was so tall that even with heels I had to look up at him and he had such broad and built shoulders that just looking at him felt dangerous. His uniform fit so tightly that you could see the outline of his muscular arms and thighs through it. ¡°What do you want?¡± He was the rumored Grand Duke Theodore Dane Lapileon. In the past, the Lapileon family was the first to be granted the title of Grand Duchy in recognition of its contributions to the late Emperor and expansion of the Caster Empire. After that, they were the house that stood on the front lines when war erupted or when rebellions arose. That¡¯s right. I will use this man to get what I want. When he bent his upper body, it looked like his uniform was in danger of ripping because of his muscles. ¡°Since it¡¯s the first time we¡¯re meeting, you didn¡¯t come here because you love me. And you must have heard the rumors about me floating around in the noble circles, so you didn¡¯t come here looking for love either.¡± He catches on quickly. It¡¯s annoying. ¡°You must have come here looking for something else, so don¡¯t waste time and say it.¡± If looks could kill, then his gaze could kill a million times over. ¡°The reason I came here?¡± When I remembered my death again, my body began to shake, but I clenched my two fists. ¡°¡­ My stepmother, my younger sister, and my former lover are going to murder me.¡± ¡°It looks like you had a nightmare, my lady.¡± I could just punch- No, I need to calm down. I need that man. ¡°After they kill me, they¡¯re going to take my inheritance.¡± He let out a low chuckle after hearing my words filled with certainty. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about things that haven¡¯t happened yet. I did hear that you received a large inheritance, but it looks like you have many worries ¨C most likely baseless.¡± Yes, how nice would it be if, like he said, my worries were not based on evidence? But to me, it¡¯s not baseless. It is something I genuinely experienced in the past. ¡°Although it was a funny offer, let¡¯s pretend it didn¡¯t happen.¡± Grand Duke Lapileon, obsessed with blood and war. This Grand Duke, calling it treatment, sent his heir, Selphius Sultan Lapileon, to the countryside and didn¡¯t even look after him. Thus, the rumor that he was a barbarian spread. He was forced to marry a lady that had persistently followed him but divorced after barely a month. After receiving a huge alimony, his former wife disappeared, and in came the rumors that Grand Duke Lapileon was a horrible man. It was rumored that he did not visit his wife once. ¡°Just as you don¡¯t need my inheritance, I don¡¯t have interest in property nor a man so uninterested in women that he doesn¡¯t spend the first night with her.¡± ¡°It would be good for you to return to your estate and drink a warm glass of milk.¡± He¡¯s the man that I need. Although his personality being horrible is a downside. While mocking me, Theodore stood up from the sofa to pull the bell rope. Yes, I already knew you were this kind of jerk. Grab. I ignored his patronizing gaze and held onto his hand. ¡°Your Excellency needs a second wife by now.¡± The reason he had left the land of the Grand Duchy and was staying at his residence in the capital was simple. To remarry for appearances. ¡®He was definitely having a hard time right around now because the Emperor was trying to make him marry a young Princess.¡¯ Theodore looked down at his hand in mine, frowned, and pulled away. Because of how quickly he moved, his finger got scratched on my ring and started bleeding slightly. But it seemed that Theodore didn¡¯t even notice. Perhaps it¡¯s not women that he doesn¡¯t like but physical affection? Looking at Theodore¡¯s slightly pale face, I apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for grabbing you like that.¡± ¡°¡­Any more conversation is a waste of time. Go back, young lady.¡± Although Theodore had a fierce expression like a predator, I was strangely unafraid. Even if I give way here, I¡¯ll face death. While subconsciously fiddling with the ring that had hurt Theodore, I smiled slightly. ¡°Will the emperor think the same?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the emperor trying to push for a wedding with the young seventh princess? If not me, you¡¯ll have to marry a young princess who is still attending the academy. Are you okay with that? Theodore narrowed his eyes. ¡°How do you know that?¡± How do I know that? Because I¡¯ve already heard and experienced all of that in the past. ¡°Do you still want me to go back, drink warm milk, and fall asleep?¡± I intentionally smiled sweetly before gesturing towards the sofa on the other side. Theodore¡¯s face hardened into stone. After glaring at me for a long time, he finally sat down once more. Yes, I knew he would agree to my suggestion if I brought up the princess. In the past, he abhorred the marriage to the royal family. I smiled slightly as I saw Theodore acting exactly as I had guessed he would. ¡°What cursed bastard let that rumor spread? I need to sew his lips together.¡± Theodore angrily undid the buttons that were tightened around his neck. Hearing how ferocious his voice was, my shoulders shrank slightly. ¡°Let me correct you. To be exact, it isn¡¯t the young seventh princess, but the fourth princess.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The person the emperor is trying to force me to marry is the fourth princess, Princess Dahlia.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± Huh? In the past, it was definitely the young seventh princess, wasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s Princess Dahlia? Isn¡¯t Princess Dahlia the one who was born so weak that she couldn¡¯t even leave the sickbed? To make things worse, in the past she was an unlucky princess who couldn¡¯t defeat the illness and died in the end. Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Theodore nodded as if in understanding. ¡°I heard that she got better and out of bed.¡± No. It was definitely the young seventh princess. I even remember how the young seventh princess said ¡®I don¡¯t want to marry a scary mister like that¡¯ and cried her eyes out at a social function. After reviewing my memories, I brushed them aside, since it didn¡¯t matter which princess Theodore was supposed to marry anyway. ¡°Then you¡¯ll need me even more.¡± As his long eyelashes fluttered, a shadow fell across Theodore¡¯s red pupils. Seeing his face full of contemplation, I changed my attitude from earlier and pointed at him. ¡°One year.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°After that, let¡¯s have a divorce.¡± Chapter 2 Although Theodore didn¡¯t reply immediately, he didn¡¯t refuse as firmly as he had earlier either. ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to acquire a second wife anyway? In that case, it would be in Your Excellency¡¯s best interest to choose me.¡± The emperor wanted to have the talented Theodore below him forever. That¡¯s why he was stubbornly pushing for his marriage to a princess. In the end, Theodore would have to quickly marry any woman in order to avoid that marriage. ¡°I doubt that Princess Dahlia offered a one-year contract marriage like me. Furthermore, if you treat the princess disrespectfully, His Majesty will be angry, so you can¡¯t even ignore her.¡± The atmosphere was as cold as a winter icicle. ¡°You were confident because you came knowing everything.¡± Theodore wrinkled his forehead, deep in thought, as he tapped the armrest with his fingers. ¡°What do you gain from marrying me for one year?¡± ¡°All I want is to move in a way that goes against what my family is thinking. They think of me as a well-groomed pet.¡± At my metaphor, Theodore couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter. ¡°Rather than a well-behaved dog, you¡¯re more like a lion that can tear another¡¯s throat out.¡± A lion that can tear another¡¯s throat out. He¡¯s not wrong.. Since I¡¯m going to tear those three¡¯s throats out and dispose of them. Theodore looked amused at my resolute expression. ¡°Are you certain your family is going to kill you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you think it¡¯s a lie. I¡¯m not going to bother you about that, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± The heavy silence sank and pressed down on my shoulders. As if I had just gone through a long drought, the inside of my mouth was dry. ¡°¡­I need some time to think.¡± Nice, he fell for it. ¡°I can¡¯t give you that.¡± I gave a yell of delight in my head. To say that he needs some time to think means that he¡¯s already convinced, at least halfway. If I give him time to think here, he might find a different option. I need to finish this, short and sweet. Let¡¯s finish this in one go. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to wait for Your Excellency¡¯s response. Please decide now.¡± I let go of the ring I had been fingering at and took a deep breath. Pretending to be calm, I took a cookie from the plate in front of me and took a bite. Maybe it was because I was a little less nervous, but it was pretty sweet. Once I ate my second cookie, Theodore finally spoke. ¡°No matter how much I think about it, I think we should pretend this didn¡¯t happen¡­¡± It was at that moment. Before Theodore could even finish his words, my body felt weird. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Like a sandcastle meeting a wave, I lost all strength in my body and collapsed. ¡°Ugh!¡± Then, as if I was being choked, I was suffocating. My upper body fell forward unattractively as my face met the carpet. ¡°My lady!¡± Theodore¡¯s voice sounded far away. It felt as if someone had lit a fire inside of me as the burning pain spread throughout my body. ¡®Why, why¡­?¡¯ I had felt this pain before. This was the same pain I felt when my stepmother killed me. ¡®Am I dying again?¡¯ As if someone blocked my mouth and nose, I couldn¡¯t breathe. Yes, just like when my stepmother suffocated me to death with a cushion. ¡°Damn it! My lady!¡± To the sound of Theodore¡¯s rough curses, I died again. * * * ¡°Someone died again.¡± ¡°Be quiet. If you speak carelessly, you might be next.¡± Heavy rain was pouring. Two workers, wet from the rain, dug at the ground in a manner that showed they were familiar with it. Rumble! Boom~! The dark sky lit up, and the sound of the land cracking in half filled the air. In the atmosphere which felt like a ghost might appear, the workers quickened their pace. Rumble! Boom~! It was at the moment the second lightning struck. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± From the fresh air that filled my lungs, I screamed as I opened my eyes. As I raised my arms from the wet ground, the workers threw their shovels in surprise. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s a g-ghost!¡± After throwing their shovels, they started running towards Theodore, who was watching from above the hole. ¡°S-she came back to life!¡± ¡°She got a new life when the lightning flashed!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a witch! There¡¯s no doubt about it!¡± Hearing the workers spit words like machine fire, I got up, causing the dirt on my dress to fall down. ¡®Were they going to bury me into the ground while I was still alive? I almost got buried alive!¡¯ As I got hit by the pouring rain, I let out a dumbfounded laugh and made eye contact with Theodore, whose forehead was wrinkled. After seeing the workers who were still frozen in fear, he gestured with his hands. Then, the butlers that were waiting behind him took the two people away. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I definitely couldn¡¯t breathe and thought that I was going to die. When my eyesight turned dark, I was sure I was going to die, once again. However, I had opened my eyes once more. Theodore¡¯s pupils wavered slightly. He looked surprised, as if he was experiencing this for the first time. He agitatedly whispered to himself, ¡°That¡¯s weird, how did she get up?¡± What? How did I get up? This crazy bastard. ¡°Are you perhaps asking me how I got up when I should have patiently lied in the ground and waited to get buried?¡± At my angry response, Theodore tilted his head and crumpled his face. While I was considering whether or not I should throw the shovels that were left behind by the workers at him, Theodore reached out his hand to me without hesitation. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to actually get buried, come out from that hole first.¡± ¡®You were the one who tried to bury me!¡¯ I furiously thought, glaring at him. Due to how deep they had dug the hole, there was no way I could get out by myself. ¡®He was really making sure to bury me properly.¡¯ Biting my lower lip tightly, I grabbed his outstretched hand. ¡°You need to explain properly, or I¡¯m going to call the royal guards and report you for attempted murder.¡± When I grabbed his hand, Theodore pulled me out of the hole with ease. Then, he placed his outer clothes over my head. ¡°Let¡¯s talk when we get back.¡± I followed Theodore, who swept his wet hair behind him. Once we entered his study, the butler came in, almost as if he¡¯d been waiting for us, and brought us a big towel before leaving. ¡°At the end, you definitely ate a cookie with your hand.¡± I nodded, using the towel to pat my wet hair and body dry. ¡°Yes, is there a problem with that?¡± Did he poison the cookie? Seeing my attitude, Theodore stopped drying his hair and showed me his hand. ¡°Do you see this wound? This is from when you grabbed me.¡± I looked at his wound. It was the wound my ring made when I tried grabbing his hand and he hurriedly moved away. ¡°¡­How are the two related?¡± ¡°I might be able to agree to your proposal.¡± What? What is he saying all of a sudden? This bastard, did he go crazy after he failed to kill someone? Theodore, who had dropped the towel on the desk after haphazardly drying himself, walked towards me. As his big figure stood in front of me, his shadow fell over my face. ¡°I apologize, but since this is an important issue, let me try once more.¡± ¡°Try what¡­¡± Before I finished speaking, Theodore took the pen in his hand and scratched his palm hard. With the sound of his ripping skin, the scent of blood filled the air. ¡°What are you doing¡­ ugh!¡± And without a warning, he brought his bloody palm to my nose and mouth then pressed down. At his sudden action, I gasped in surprise, causing the scarlet blood to drip into my mouth. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± As soon as I did that, the same pain I had experienced earlier ran through my body. ¡°You¡­ mother¡­fucker¡­¡± I died again. . . . ¡­No, I thought I died. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°As expected, you woke up.¡± As soon as I sat upright, I made eye contact with Theodore, who was sitting with his chin on his hands in a relaxed manner. ¡°What? I¡¯m still alive?¡± I definitely felt like I died, but strangely, I didn¡¯t. ¡°Just what are you? Why did I feel like I was going to die from the pain, but still¡­ No, why did I die and then come back?¡± At this point, nothing could stop me. ¡°There is a curse on the Lapileon family.¡± A curse? Suddenly, a curse? It¡¯s a familiar word. Before I died, Siph definitely said that he put a curse on me. But why would the topic of a curse come up here? I asked why I kept dying. An unidentifiable uneasiness fell over me. Red lights in my head began to sound and yelled at me to run away. ¡°Those who carry the blood of the family in them are born with poison in their bodies. Our immunities against poison in general are strong, so even if we were to drink your average poison, we wouldn¡¯t die.¡± What? What kind of crazy talk is this? The Lapileon family curse? I never heard about this in the past! ¡°It¡¯s possible to kill someone with just a few drops of blood.¡± A few drops of blood? Wait. ¡°My ring scratched you and drew some blood, and I touched the ring. Then with that hand, the cookie¡­.¡± T-then was the thing I ate earlier poison? This jerk really thought he killed me and was seriously going to bury me in the ground? Even while seeing my shock, Theodore spoke nonchalantly. ¡°But surprisingly, the lady did not die. Just like now.¡± Theodore stood up from the chair he was sitting in and approached the bed. ¡°You found out about my family¡¯s secret.¡± I didn¡¯t even ask! You just blabbed on your own! Wait, why is he just freely telling me secrets no one else should be knowing? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ He¡¯s going to try to bury me alive again? Or maybe this time, actually kill me? ¡°I-I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± Frightened from the dangerous atmosphere, I fled to a corner of the bed. Theodore coldly scoffed while looking at me who ran away with all my power. ¡°R-really, it¡¯s the truth!¡± I came here to save myself from my family, but am I going to end up dying here instead? I began to desperately shout and pretended not to hear while covering both my ears. When I did that, Theodore got on the bed. And without giving me a chance to escape, he lightly grabbed my wrist. I unconsciously took a short breath when I saw his beautiful face so close to mine. ¡°My Lady.¡± From between Theodore¡¯s wounded fingers came the smell of blood. ¡°Exactly one year.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You have to be my wife.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± He¡¯s not trying to kill me? With a suspicious face, I tried to read Theodore¡¯s expression. Although I originally thought he was trying to calm me down to kill me after, I didn¡¯t think that was the case anymore. ¡°¡­Why are you accepting my proposal all of a sudden? Is it because you¡¯re sorry for trying to kill me?¡± ¡°As if. If we go into the details, I didn¡¯t try to kill you. The person who made the wound and the person who ate the cookie were both you, My Lady.¡± If you had told me, that would¡¯ve never happened in the first place! ¡°¡­Do you know how most people react when they find out about the curse?¡± As soon as Theodore pulled my wrist he¡¯d been holding on to, there was a small gust of wind. Due to our distance which had shortened in a single moment, I felt strangely nervous. ¡°Most people get scared and run away.¡± Theodore dropped his gaze. Seeing his long and fine eyelashes sink, my jaw unknowingly dropped. ¡°As soon as just our fingertips touch, they become terrified and beg me to let them live.¡± Due to the stagnant atmosphere, I almost asked him to let me live. ¡°Or they suddenly feel superior since they know such a unique secret. As if they¡¯ve suddenly become something, they feel special and sympathize with me, pouring devoted love towards me.¡± With a murderous face, Theodore spoke as if he was chewing thoroughly. ¡°My ex-wife was like that.¡± Is he talking about the ex-wife who received a huge alimony for the divorce? ¡°But they soon open their eyes to reality. The thing is, humans actually bleed quite often. If they get a paper cut from reading a book, if they fall, if they get hurt while cooking, or¡­¡± He smiled shallowly as he looked at the wound on his finger. ¡°If they get cut on a ring, like this.¡± I felt nervous, as if I was standing on thin ice at the middle of a deep lake. Being unable to speak, I tightly bit my stiff lips. ¡°And from then on, they start going crazy because they hate even being in the same space.¡± Ah, I didn¡¯t really want to know stuff like this. I didn¡¯t want something complicated like this. I was just looking for a way to survive. Changing his expression, which had become cold and rigid, Theodore let go of my wrist. ¡°My ex-wife used my secret she somehow found out as a weakness, and asked me to marry her. Then she ran away, claiming she was scared. She received a huge alimony in order to keep the secret. Although she knows that if she carelessly says something, she¡¯ll die, so she probably won¡¯t.¡± ¡®Stop saying such scary words with an expression that looks like you¡¯re talking about the weather!¡¯ The blood in my face drained away. Theodore, who had been whispering to himself, quietly turned to look at me. ¡°This secret is why I was trying to reject your offer, My Lady¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cancel it,¡± I said firmly, raising my hand before he could even finish speaking. I have to cancel it. I had no idea he had such a crazy secret. The most important thing to me is ¡®safety¡¯. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t live with a man whose whole body is a weapon, whose single drop of blood could kill. And let¡¯s say I¡¯m not dying because of his blood right now, but who knows if that would change one day? I can¡¯t. I absolutely cannot. ¡°What a shame.¡± Even at my refusal, Theodore didn¡¯t seem at all surprised. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll let you even after you found out about my family¡¯s secret?¡± For a second, it seemed as if his red eyes were filled with madness. I lowered my head slowly. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s spend the next one year well, wife.¡± I think I¡¯m screwed. Chapter 3 TW // mentions of suicide if you need to, when the mention of a girl with golden hair shows up, skip to ¡°it¡¯s a relief she left, right?¡± take care of yourselves, and have a great rest of your day^^ ¡°Here¡¯s the wedding invitation.¡± As I put forth the invitation, the three faces in front of me filled with horror and shock. ¡°A wedding invitation? What are you saying all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°Older sister! You¡¯re getting married to Sir Siph?¡± ¡°W-wait a second, Sasha. We should discuss marriage together first. Are you proposing to me all of a sudden?¡± My stepmother and my younger sister Reina, as well as the person I¡¯d loved, Siph, were looking at the wedding invitation with different expressions. But, as if they were rehearsing lines from a play, they were all in sync. It seemed that all three of them thought it was obvious that I would get married to Siph. Well, it had been like that in the past. I had never tried to leave Siph and couldn¡¯t have imagined being with a man who was not Siph. ¡°We¡¯re not going to hold a formal wedding; we¡¯ll just go to the temple and read our vows.¡± ¡°Sasha, I want to have a fancy wedding with you.¡± Who said I was going to get married to you? Siph, as ambitious as ever, grumbled as he opened the wedding invitation that I¡¯d placed on the table. His face paled as soon as he read the contents. ¡°Older sister, when did you prepare a wedding with Sir Siph? You should¡¯ve told us!¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s Sir Siph, I think I can entrust him to you. You made a good choice.¡± Pretending to be kind, the two of them smiled and turned to look at the wedding invitation in Siph¡¯s hands. Then, Reina suddenly stood up. ¡°W-what is this¡­¡± It seems they¡¯ve all read the contents now. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and laughed. I was the happiest I had ever been. ¡°Yes, I decided to get married to Grand Duke Lapileon.¡± In the end, I decided to get married to Theodore, since it wasn¡¯t easy to find a man who fulfilled all the conditions like he did. I turned to look at Siph, who was frozen in place as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. This bastard. This is all because of you. So now¡­ ¡°Siph, let¡¯s break up.¡± You¡¯re out of my life. ¡°Older sister! What are you¡­! The person you love is Sir Siph! Did you forget?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t forget.¡± When I died, my inheritance went to my husband Siph, and you said that the three of you would live happily with the money. How could I forget? With my money, Siph probably gifted you bags and shoes while smiling, right? If I could act in parallel with the way I feel, I would go and rip the dress you¡¯re wearing to shreds, Reina. ¡°¡­Sasha, did I do something wrong? Why are you acting like this?¡± ¡°Siph.¡± ¡°Yeah, Sasha. It¡¯s me. It¡¯s me, Siph, the man you love.¡± ¡°Can you get out of my house?¡± And if possible, get out of my life as well. I got up, smiling mockingly at the three frozen people. ¡°Sasha!¡± Siph grabbed desperately at my arm as I turned. A shiver went down my spine as if a bug had touched me. When I pushed him away, he fell onto the ground. ¡°Siph! ¡­ Sir Siph, I mean!¡± Reina called instinctively before helping him up. ¡°Older sister! How can you push someone like that? Are you a thug?¡± It was so absurd that I couldn¡¯t even laugh. ¡°Pershati, why are you acting like this? I think you¡¯re feeling sick. Did you fight with Sir Siph? If not, how about the two of you go on a trip together?¡± As I saw my stepmother, pretending to be caring, Siph, pretending to be hurt, and Reina, comforting him, I felt a burst of anger. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that I considered these people to be my family.¡¯ Although I wanted to slap their faces right now, I swallowed down the desire and clenched my fists. Then, I lifted my shaking cheekbones into a forced smile. ¡°Listen carefully, everyone.¡± I scanned the three people. ¡°From now on, I will not allow the entry of outsiders into my residence. This includes Sir Siph.¡± *** Time passed quickly, and soon, the day of our wedding came. Since none of us had anything to gain from putting it off, we chose the earliest day possible. Siph, who had been a regular soldier, lost the right to take the test to become a royal guard, which only nobles could take, since his wedding with me had been ruined. ¡®This is just the beginning. I¡¯ll make you lose much more in the future.¡¯ After reading the wedding vows, Theodore asked me in a low voice, ¡°Is it really okay to just read the vows?¡± ¡°Do we need anything else?¡± ¡°This is a contract relationship, but if my lady wants, I¡¯ll hold the fanciest wedding in the empire.¡± It seemed that he wasn¡¯t satisfied with the few sentences that the officiant had recited earlier. A marriage with no one watching or congratulating. I thought for a moment and then shrugged while grinning. ¡°Just convert the cost to money and give it to me after the year is up.¡± I don¡¯t need a formal wedding anyways. It would be better to receive it after the divorce! Money is king. Money will never betray me. ¡°Are you already thinking about your alimony a year ahead? How meticulous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± ¡°And your luggage? Is it arriving today?¡± ¡°I finished packing this morning, so it should have arrived at the estate by now.¡± We began walking to where the carriage was waiting for us. But before we could even take a few steps, as if they had been waiting for us, someone stopped us in our paths. ¡°Grand Duke Lapileon.¡± She surprised me. A girl with golden hair whipping around her face looked at me with dark green eyes filled with jealousy and rage. It was a face I had seen somewhere before. While I was furrowing my brow and searching through my memories, Theodore let out a sigh and finally spoke. ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± Sorry, what? A princess? Shocked, I looked at the two back and forth. Now that I looked more closely, there was no doubt that I¡¯d seen that face at the inauguration ceremony and during imperial events. The Fourth Princess, Dahlia Ina Castor. Back then she had appeared weak and sick, but she seemed completely fine now. It looked like the rumors that she had truly recovered were true. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Did you really get married to someone other than me?¡± In contrast with her cute appearance, the girl who blocked our path was glaring and chewing on her lip. It looked like in her eyes I didn¡¯t even exist. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for the day I could meet you for so long. Why aren¡¯t you marrying me? Do you think that someone that loves you the same way I do exists?¡± Dahlia came even closer. In her green eyes, there was longing for someone that I didn¡¯t know. Dahlia muttered sadly, as if she were about to cry. ¡°We had finally met. I became the most perfect lady for you and there was nothing blocking us.¡± I thought that it was marriage that the emperor had pushed, but Dahlia wanted it? Anyways¡­ Was Dahlia always like that? In my memories she was a cute and innocent princess. As I stood there blinking in confusion, Dahlia put her hand on Theodore¡¯s left cheek before he could avoid her. ¡°I even sent you my suicide note to tell you that if you didn¡¯t marry me I would die. Did you not see it?¡± What? Did I hear wrong? Suicide note? Has she gone crazy? Slap. ¡°What are you doing.¡± At the sudden contact, as if it were unpleasant, Theodore quickly took Dahlia¡¯s hand and roughly threw it off. He hit it hard enough that the back of her hand began turning red. But Dahlia, her red lips twisting upwards, kept smiling. ¡°If you¡¯re not beside me, then there¡¯s no reason for me to live here anymore. You¡¯re my man, and mine only.¡± Goosebumps rose all over my body. She was crazy. You could tell in one glance. Dahlia, who had been rumored to have gotten better, was not in her right mind. How could a person change so quickly in a moment? I had been staring at the two blankly, but belatedly came to my senses. One of the reasons Theodore agreed to have a contract marriage with me must have been that he didn¡¯t want to be involved with a princess like this. Then I should also do my job well. I slowly creeped between the two people and linked arms with Theodore. As soon as I did, Dahlia, as if she was a predator who had her prey stolen, looked at me with glimmering eyes. D-don¡¯t look at me like you¡¯re going to stab me. ¡°Your Highness, my apologies.¡± Although she was a bit scary, I held it in and smiled brightly. ¡°My husband morbidly hates when someone other than me touches him.¡± Dahlia looked at me with a glare like a dragon spitting fire. That¡¯s too scary! Cold sweat dripped down the back of my neck. ¡°O-Oh my, your hand is very swollen. Your precious body¡­! You should quickly go see the doctor!¡± So, go home already. Since I said that with the meaningful tone used for kicking guests out, she must have understood, but Dahlia stood still as if she were rooted to the ground. ¡°What are you?¡± Dahlia stomped over to me with her teeth clenched. Her eyes were filled with rage and confusion. Ack, why is she getting closer to me? As soon as I took steps back out of surprise, Theodore moved in front of me and blocked my front. But Dahlia¡¯s attention was still pointed at me. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Obviously, I¡¯m here because I married him. ¡­is what I wanted to say but I held it in and shut my lips tightly. If I said that, it felt like she would immediately rip my mouth apart. It was just for a moment, but Dahlia looked like a different person. ¡°You can¡¯t be here¡­!¡± Just at the moment when Dahlia was about to yell. ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s so loud that even if I didn¡¯t want to, I could hear it all.¡± An unfamiliar voice interrupted, along with the sound of a carriage stopping. When I lifted my head, an unknown lady stared down at us indifferently with her chin in her hand, which was resting on the window of the carriage. ¡°If a report that Your Highness was seen trying to coerce another woman¡¯s man was spread, it would be quite unpleasant for you, ho ho.¡± The lady, as if mocking, giggled quietly and covered her mouth with a fan. ¡°People will soon begin to gather. Will you really be okay if you keep chasing after someone¡¯s husband here?¡± Looking around, people who recognized us had started to glance in our directions. However, Dahlia seemed as if she didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s gazes. ¡°Well, of course. You came to interrupt me again.¡± Dahlia, still keeping her gaze on me, extended her hand and muttered words I couldn¡¯t understand. The behavior was so bizarre and strange that I got goosebumps again. ¡°¡­?¡± But that was all she did. From the atmosphere, I thought she would pull out a sword and stab and kill me right there, but no matter how much I waited, she didn¡¯t do anything else. Theodore, the lady in the carriage, the people watching, and I all tilted our heads in bafflement. ¡°¡­Damn it.¡± Even Princess Dahlia. As if something that she wanted wasn¡¯t going as planned, she scrunched up her face and lowered her hand. Looking at her own hand with confusion, Dahlia muttered. ¡°Remember this well.¡± She spoke with resentment in her voice. ¡°Without you I have no desire to live. I do not wish to lend you to someone else twice. You¡¯ll come to know that you need me too, and if we¡¯re not together then we will both suffer.¡± I felt danger, as if I was looking at a person who had lived thousands of years in miserable demise. This was not an expression that a princess in the flower of her youth should have. After leaving behind words that were impossible to understand, Dahlia swept past us and disappeared into the crowd. I let out a shallow sigh and turned to my savior in the carriage. Who is she? As soon as we made eye contact, she smiled brightly. ¡°It¡¯s a relief she left, right?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, yes¡­¡± As soon as I nodded awkwardly, Theodore, from beside me, introduced her with furrowed brows. ¡°She¡¯s my older sister.¡± ¡­huh? What did he just say? Who? Older sister? ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°You told me you were reading your vows today. No matter how simple you said your wedding would be, I thought it would be sad if there was no one to congratulate you.¡± Gosh, s-sister? Now that I saw it, she had an almost eerily similar face to Theodore. ¡°You can¡¯t already be giving your wife a difficult time with that thing attached, Theo.¡± To call the Princess ¡°that thing.¡± I had already seen her calmly snub the crazy princess, but her personality really was fiery. When the carriage door opened, a tall lady with bright red hair that flowed to her waist wearing a wide hat with fancy detailing on the brim came down. ¡°Nice to meet you, Pershati. I¡¯m Sercia Jane Lapileon. Call me Seci.¡± She had an unapproachable aura. ¡°I¡¯m Pershati Jihar¡­ no, Pershati Lapileon.¡± Sercia smiled, handing me the bouquet of flowers she had brought from the carriage. ¡°Are you done with your vows, Theo?¡± ¡°Theo¡±, she called him. I almost burst out laughing at the cute nickname that did not suit him at all. ¡°We already finished a while ago.¡± Theodore didn¡¯t react to it; it seemed like he was used to being called in such a way. ¡°Darn¡­ I wanted to congratulate you and even brought flowers. I don¡¯t know if my timing was good or late.¡± Sercia¡¯s shoulders drooped, seeming disappointed that she had missed the vows. ¡°Thank you for helping us earlier. Truthfully, I was scared.¡± ¡°Oh my, really? If that¡¯s so, then that¡¯s a relief. If you¡¯re on your way back to the estate, I¡¯d like to take you there¡­ Would that be alright, Pershati?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes!¡± As soon as I nodded, Sercia pushed Theodore out of the way and offered me her hand. After I took it and got into the carriage, the other two entered behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you would marry this guy, Pershati.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Sercia.¡± ¡°Look at that. He has no manners calling his elder sister with only her first name. If this kid Theo acts like a bastard, just tell me. I¡¯ll pull out his fingernails and toenails.¡± What? Finger¡­. What? Did I hear wrong? Looking at my dumbfounded face, Sercia said ¡°oh my¡±, laughing and fanning herself. For no particular reason, I began to covertly check to see if my fingernails were still intact and laughed awkwardly. ¡°I heard that our family¡¯s curse doesn¡¯t work on you?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Even so, it¡¯s best to be careful. Our family¡¯s real curse is that we hurt others around us. Even if they¡¯re people we care about. It¡¯s a really cruel curse.¡± Her words had weight, as if she was speaking from experience. In an effort to calm her worries, I smiled more brightly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Even after I ingested the Grand Duke¡¯s blood twice, I still¡­¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Crack. The sound of the carriage¡¯s armrest echoed. My mouth closed automatically. Did I say something wrong? ¡°Did Theo give you his blood?¡± Huh¡­ is that something she didn¡¯t hear about? I discreetly glanced at Theodore, who had turned away with his palm over his eyes. When I didn¡¯t answer, Sercia turned to Theodore and cursed at him. ¡°You bastard.¡± Excuse me¡­dear sister? t/n ?? ¡°I told you not to go around doing things like that. Do you need to be imprisoned in the dungeon for a month to regain your senses?¡± ¡°It was an accident.¡± Yeah, it was most certainly not an accident. I wanted to interject, but I felt like my finger and toenails really would be removed, so I shut my mouth tightly. Who would have thought that The Theodore, rumored to love blood and violence, would be so obedient. I could never have imagined it. Sercia stared at Theodore disapprovingly, then looked at me with apologetically and said, ¡°If this brat does something that ridiculous again, contact me anytime. I¡¯ll leave him half-dead.¡± Chapter 4 As I nodded my head, still in shock at her words, Sercia suppressed her anger and let out a sigh. ¡°Theo, why didn¡¯t you have a wedding? Everyone was waiting for one.¡± ¡°Well, this is the second one, anyway,¡± Theodore said carelessly as he looked out the window. Sercia glanced over at me to watch my reaction. ¡°That might be the case for you, but it¡¯s Pershati¡¯s first time¡­ Pershati, I apologize. He¡¯s rather antisocial, so he¡¯s a bit inconsiderate about things like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it.¡± In truth, it wasn¡¯t my first. I frowned, thinking of my marriage to Siph in my previous life. Sercia, who had seen my expression, looked at me in pity. ¡­She must have thought I wanted to say ¡®to be honest, I wanted to hold a wedding¡¯ by my expression. ¡°She said it¡¯s fine. This is something we agreed on.¡± ¡°How is that something you agreed on? That¡¯s something Pershati obviously yielded for you. If you keep acting like this, I¡¯ll tattle on you at the family meeting.¡± ¡°Hah, so this is why you wanted to return to the residence with us.¡± Family meeting? I quickly ran through the Lapileon family members in my head. ¡®Who was there?¡¯ I had heard many times that there were many ruthless people in the Lapileon family at tea parties. However, perhaps because I was never that interested, I couldn¡¯t think of anyone. ¡®There¡¯s no way that the entire family is filled with only people like these two, right?¡¯ Although I had only imagined it for a second, I got goosebumps. There¡¯s no way I can survive through a jungle like that! Knock knock. As I was shaking my head, the carriage came to a sudden stop. Then, the horseman knocked on the carriage door and spoke courteously, ¡°Master. We have arrived at the residence of Your Excellency Lapileon, but because there seems to be a disturbance, we cannot go in.¡± A disturbance? Now that I think about it, it does seem like there¡¯s something happening. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sticking my head out the window, I saw two people fighting at the entrance of the residence. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± It was Siph and a young boy. ¡®What is that crazy bastard Siph doing here?¡¯ And who is that young child he¡¯s arguing with? As I looked at Theodore with surprised eyes, he stood up inside the carriage. ¡°Sercia, you should go. We need to go catch a buzzing pest.¡± ¡°Do as you wish. I¡¯m here to greet Pershati, not you, anyway.¡± Clicking his tongue, Theodore opened the carriage door and got out, before offering his hand. As I was about to take his hand, I turned around to look at Sercia, who was still poised gracefully. ¡°I¡¯m really grateful for what you did earlier. Thank you for the carriage ride here as well.¡± After all, you have to express your gratitude for the things you¡¯re thankful for. Sercia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at my thanks, before smiling widely in satisfaction. ¡°Pershati, I really like you. I¡¯ll come to meet you formally soon.¡± After nodding, I accepted Theodore¡¯s hand and got down from the carriage. As the carriage left, Theodore, who had been staring at the two people arguing, asked coolly, ¡°Is that someone you know?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the person I used to love and the person who is trying to kill me.¡± ¡°Ah, the one you said would try to kill you for your inheritance.¡± As we approached the residence, the argument got even more heated. ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just once! Let me meet her! I know you¡¯re in there, Sasha!¡± ¡°Do you think this is somewhere a common soldier like you can come and make such a fuss?¡± ¡°I need to meet Sasha!¡± ¡°Is it because you¡¯re uneducated? You have no respect for nobles.¡± One of them was definitely Siph. But I had no idea who the small boy confronting him was. ¡°And by ¡®Pershati¡¯, you¡¯re talking about the person who will soon be the Grand Duchess. Show some respect. There¡¯s a limit to how much I can tolerate.¡± ¡°Sasha! It¡¯s me, Siph. Sasha! Come on out!¡± This leech-like bastard. Figures, though; if he loses me, he¡¯ll lose a rather large inheritance, so of course he¡¯s desperate. Theodore stopped me as I rolled up my sleeves and started to approach Siph. ¡°I¡¯ll resolve this. You are now my wife, as well as the Grand Duchess of Lapileon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can do this¡­ But who is that child?¡± Theodore wrinkled his forehead, as if he¡¯d just noticed the child. ¡°¡­It seems that Selphi is back.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Selph? By Selphi, does he mean¡­ ¡°Young Master Selphius?¡± The heir of the Lapileon family, as well as the child they said Theodore had sent away to the countryside and failed to look after? That child was Selphius? They said he was left in the middle of nowhere, so what was he doing here arguing? In the moment of shock after I had been about to stop the quarrel, I heard the child¡¯s cold voice aimed at Siph. ¡°It seems like you want to die. If your wish is death, I can certainly fulfill that for you.¡± And in the blink of an eye, something happened. ¡°This is for the crime of disparaging the Lapileon Duchy.¡± Selphius took out his earring, made of a crimson ruby, and used the pin at the end to prick his finger. Bright red blood instantly dripped from it. ¡°¡­Crap!¡± Knowing what that meant, I couldn¡¯t help but swear before quickly running in front of Theodore. ¡®This crazy bastard certainly deserves death, but I thought this was a secret of the family!¡¯ Siph, who didn¡¯t even know that he had nearly died from what Selphius had just done, turned his head at the sound of my voice. ¡°Sasha!¡± As Siph discovered me and smiled brightly, Theodore grabbed Selphius¡¯ finger. ¡°Y-your Excellency¡­!¡± As though he had not known that we would suddenly arrive, embarrassment spread across Selphius¡¯ face. I approached him quickly before tying a handkerchief around his wound to avoid further bleeding. ¡°W-wait a second, my blood is¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Selphius was frightened seeing my hand touch his blood. Ignoring the situation, Siph put a hand on my shoulder and laughed, like he knew I would appear. ¡°S-sasha, let¡¯s talk. Hm?¡± Theodore¡¯s face crumpled like paper into a chilling glare as soon as Siph¡¯s hand touched my shoulder, before viciously wrenching his hand off of me. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re touching so carelessly?¡± ¡°Aaack!¡± I could feel the murderous energy radiating off of him. It felt as though he would kill Siph right then and there. ¡°L-l-let go of me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re speaking informally. I heard you were a regular soldier. Do knights no longer receive education about proper etiquette towards nobles these days?¡± Theodore kicked Siph¡¯s calf hard, causing him to fall to his knees. As I watched this silently, Siph reached for me. ¡°S-sasha! Help me!¡± He seemed certain that I would help him. How laughable and foolish. ¡°Don¡¯t show your face to me again.¡± ¡°Sa¡­ sha¡­.!¡± ¡°Was ridding you of the privilege to take the royal knighting exam not enough?¡± In a second, Siph¡¯s face filled with rage. ¡°If you appear in front of me like this or say my name one more time, I¡¯ll thoroughly destroy you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re curious, come again. I¡¯ll let you know what more you can lose,¡± I said, injecting each word with venom before turning away. * * * After we entered the residence, Theodore and Selphius said they needed to speak privately and left for the study. Only after dinner time passed did the two come out. However, only Theodore came to the dining room. ¡°Where¡¯s the child?¡± ¡°He said he wouldn¡¯t eat. He must¡¯ve been upset that I scolded him.¡± Theodore let out an exhausted sigh before sitting across from me. He looked down at the food, which had gone cold. ¡°I¡¯m going to send Selphius back to the countryside, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I looked upwards in the direction of Selphius¡¯ room before asking: ¡°How old is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s turning nine this year.¡± ¡°Is he Your Excellency¡¯s child?¡± His marriage with his ex-wife had definitely been his first marriage, and rumor had it that he hadn¡¯t spent a night with her. Not to mention, they divorced within two months of their marriage, so there was no way a child of that age could be theirs. Theodore, who had been pouring himself some red wine, paused. ¡°Although it¡¯ll only be for one year, you should know since you¡¯re a Lapileon now. Selphius is my brother¡¯s child.¡± Ah, that¡¯s why they look so similar. ¡°Then what about your brother? Did he go somewhere? Is that why Your Excellency is taking care of him?¡± ¡°My brother is dead.¡± Oh gosh. I gasped as he spoke calmly, like he was telling the story of some distant acquaintance. Theodore, spinning the wine glass in his hands, continued. ¡°My sister-in-law left Selphius when he was very young. She¡¯s not the type of person to come back, so I adopted him as my heir.¡± S-so there was a backstory like that. The Lapileon family truly had an extraordinarily high number of secrets. I had never imagined that there would be a story like this. Reading the atmosphere, I distracted myself with my bowl of soup and stirred it forcefully before standing up. ¡®I can¡¯t stand this awkwardness any longer.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll go up first.¡± I hurriedly rushed to the floor that my bedroom was on and saw a flustered maid holding a tray in front of the room. As I approached, the maid noticed and lowered her head. ¡°I-I greet the Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°What are you doing here? Whose room is this?¡± During the tour of the residence that the butler had given to me earlier, he hadn¡¯t said anything about this room, so I had thought it was empty. ¡°Ah¡­ this is Young Master Selphius¡¯s bedroom.¡± I looked from the tightly-shut door to the food the maid was holding in her hands. ¡°I brought his dinner, but he isn¡¯t opening the door.¡± It seemed that he was very upset. No wonder, since he got scolded for several hours right after arriving in the capital. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to him. You can go down.¡± ¡°Pardon? B-but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I took the tray from her and pointed my chin at the maid, telling her to go down. Without a choice, she left. I kicked the closed door hard with my foot. Bang bang. However, there was no response from inside. Bang! I kicked the door a bit harder this time. Then, the door opened furiously. ¡°Who dares to kick the door like¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Hi? Um¡­ Selphius.¡± Although I was unsure if it was okay for me to call his name without permission, it would be weird to call him Young Master after I¡¯d already had the wedding. ¡°You¡¯re at an age where you¡¯re still growing, so you need to eat.¡± I pushed the dumbfounded Selphius to the side and stubbornly made my way into the bedroom. ¡°¡­Wait.¡± As soon as I put the tray down onto the table, Selphius closed the bedroom door and approached me. ¡°I didn¡¯t greet you properly earlier, right? I¡¯m Pershati¡­¡± ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Hm? Wasn¡¯t he angry that he got scolded? Selphius scanned over my body before speaking in a low voice. ¡°Please let me know beforehand if you feel like you¡¯re about to die. I¡¯ll call the doctor.¡± How would I know if I¡¯m about to die and let you know beforehand? Is this the innocence of a child? I smiled gently and patted Selphius¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Okay. If I ever feel like I¡¯m dying, I¡¯ll tell you for sure.¡± In that instant, Selphius¡¯s pupils widened. His lips, pale from biting, opened and closed silently and he pulled away quickly. ¡°D-did you just touch me?¡± Huh? Does he not like being touched? I lowered my hand, which had halted in midair, before tilting my head. ¡°Were you unhappy that I touched you without permission? I¡¯m sorry. Then I¡¯ll leave your food here, so eat it¡­¡± ¡°Do you not know anything?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The curse of the Lapiileon family.¡± How could I not know? If it had been hidden from me, this marriage would be a fraudulent scheme. ¡°Of course I do.¡± ¡°You knew, and you still touched me?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± Selphius¡¯s face hardened into stone. In the child¡¯s red eyes, there was no emotion whatsoever. ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You might die.¡± Is this concern or a threat? ¡°If that¡¯s advice, I¡¯ll thank you for the thought.¡± ¡°Do you think you have nine lives or something? Do you think His Excellency the Grand Duke will look upon you favorably if you treat me well?¡± So it was a threat. I didn¡¯t know how to respond, so I just smiled. In response to my silence, Selphius continued. ¡°You should escape while you still can.¡± ¡°Escape?¡± ¡°If you need money, I¡¯ll give some to you in secret. Escape from this hell.¡± A self-mocking, cynical smile dawned on Selphius¡¯ face. Didn¡¯t they say he was nine years old? That smile was not one a child should bear. ¡°Hey¡­ Selphius. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡­Since for unknown reasons, I haven¡¯t died despite drinking blood ¨C as of now. Although I tried to explain, Selphius wouldn¡¯t listen to me. He opened the closed bedroom door and gestured for me to leave. ¡°If you don¡¯t plan on escaping, then don¡¯t pay attention to me again.¡± Wow. Who would have thought he wasn¡¯t the heir of the Lapileon family. His actions were exactly like Theodore¡¯s. ¡°Okay. Thanks for the advice.¡± Clenching my teeth, I left Selphius¡¯ bedroom. After watching me leave without a word, he muttered under his breath so quietly that I could barely hear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for scaring you earlier.¡± Bang. As soon as the words had left his mouth, he shut the bedroom door with a stone-cold face. ¡®Did he just apologize or not?¡¯ I stared at the closed door in front of my eyes. Then, I heard a maid calling me from behind. ¡°Your Highness the Grand Duchess, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having a staring contest with the door.¡± ¡°Pardon? ¡­Doesn¡¯t the door not have eyes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I lost¡­ Why are you calling me?¡± She giggled as if I had said something strange and continued. ¡°It¡¯s your wedding night. I¡¯ve prepared your bath, so please follow me.¡± Chapter 5 What do you mean by my wedding night? This had not been in my plans. Besides, Grand Duke Lapileon wasn¡¯t interested in women, and there was even a rumor that he didn¡¯t spend the night with his previous wife! Alone in the bedroom, I glanced around awkwardly. Sniff, sniff. The maids had used so many petals when I had bathed earlier that I could still smell the scent of flowers on my skin. ¡°I think this one is too thin, too.¡± I rummaged through several slips, all of them revealing. But there was no one in the room to answer me. ¡°¡­I¡¯m just going to sleep, so why did they weave flowers into my hair?¡± And why are my lips so red? Although I tried to take the braided flowers out of my hair, it was impossible to do by myself. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a low sigh. ¡®Should I just say I¡¯ll sleep in one of the spare rooms?¡¯ I nodded my head urgently as I skimmed my hand across the wide bed. I had better escape this room first. As I turned my body, the door of the room opened, almost like it had been waiting for me. And a cool scent, familiar yet unfamiliar, filled the air. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Theodore, wearing sleepwear made of a similar material to mine, ran a hand through his wet locks of hair. Seemingly surprised to see me in the room, Theodore stopped in his tracks and stared at me. ¡°W-were you surprised? T-the maids pushed me in here, saying that it¡¯s our wedding night.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I-it might be better to tell them we¡¯re using separate rooms. Today, I will use an empty room, so sleep well, Your Excellency.¡± I quickly walked towards Theodore and tried to leave. However, as soon as I passed him, he reached out his hand and closed the door with a thud. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Hearing Theodore¡¯s voice right above my head, my whole body froze. His breathing came heavily from behind me. Swallowing back my trembling voice, I pretended to be calm and spoke. ¡°I-I heard Your Excellency doesn¡¯t spend the wedding night¡­¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± At his question, I turned around in shock and found myself looking Theodore straight in the eyes. He was much closer than I had envisioned. ¡°T-the rumors¡­¡± ¡°You believe those empty rumors?¡± Gulp. I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat. Because of how his sleepwear didn¡¯t hide anything, my eyes had no choice but to lower. Theodore, who had been staring a hole into me for a while, turned around first. ¡°If rumors that you and I spent our wedding night together spread, no one would doubt our relationship.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°And after our one year contract ends, I can pretend that I miss you and avoid a forced marriage from His Majesty.¡± He was right. Theodore needed a plan to ensure that what had been happening before wouldn¡¯t start again after our divorce. ¡°So while we¡¯re married, we won¡¯t be sleeping in different rooms. Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t plan on touching you without your consent.¡± ¡°Then how should we sleep? I can use the sofa¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll sleep on the bed.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Without thinking, I gasped loudly, looking towards the bed. ¡°Are you going to sleep on the floor or the sofa for a whole year? If you want, you can do that.¡± ¡°Of course that¡¯s¡­ not it.¡± ¡°Since the bed is wide, I¡¯ll use this side, and you can use the other. If you¡¯re really that uncomfortable, you can put cushions in the middle. But if you don¡¯t even have that much trust in me, we might as well get rid of our agreement. Isn¡¯t trust the basis of a contract? After all, we¡¯ll be posing as a couple for the next year.¡± With a nonchalant tone, Theodore carelessly ruffled his damp hair with one hand. ¡®He seems fine. I must have been the only one who was surprised.¡¯ Frankly, Theodore¡¯s words were obvious. I should¡¯ve been prepared for these kinds of situations when I had asked him for a contract marriage. I had no way of knowing what issues would come up, whether those were now or in the future. ¡®He¡¯s right. Without this level of trust, we can¡¯t have a contract marriage.¡¯ With a collected expression, I nodded and climbed into bed. There was a definite difference in the comfort of this bed compared to those I used in Zahardt County. ¡°Sure. I was thinking the same, to be honest. We¡¯re in a contract relationship, so this level of trust is a given. I¡¯ll use this side, and Your Excellency can sleep on that side,¡± I said, sticking to the edge of the bed. ¡°We¡¯re married, so stop calling me ¡®Your Excellency.¡¯¡± ¡°Then what should I call you?¡± ¡°Whatever you want.¡± Whatever I want? After thinking for a moment, I nodded readily. ¡°Okay, Theodore.¡± Yeah, what? You told me to call you whatever I wanted. Theodore, who had sat down on the bed, raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°That. Are you going to sleep with that in your hair?¡± He gestured to the flowers woven into my hair. ¡°Ah¡­ I tried taking them out earlier but I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Turn around.¡± What? My heart started racing. Theodore, who had shifted closer, reached for my back and started extricating the flowers from my hair. ¡®He¡¯s more gentle than I thought. I assumed he would just roughly pull at my hair.¡¯ ¡°Ah¡­ thank you.¡± While thinking about how an unfamiliar man was touching my hair, I was nervous. Maybe it was because the maid had called this our ¡°wedding night¡±, but my throat kept feeling dry. ¡°It seems that Sercia likes you.¡± ¡°It seems so, although I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she likes. When people find out about the curse, they usually run away. There¡¯s never been someone who didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Ah, is that so? As I nodded, Theodore spoke calmly as he continued to carefully remove flowers from my hair: ¡°She hasn¡¯t laughed after losing her family, but I saw her face brighten for the first time in a while.¡± ¡°She lost her family?¡± ¡°Sercia is the worst victim of this curse.¡± I wonder whether it was because of his soft voice, or because I was tired from the day¡¯s events. Or maybe it was because of the feather-like hands brushing through my hair. Although I tried to avoid it, I began to feel drowsy. ¡°Without knowing that she had a tiny cut beside her fingernail, she happily made a dish for her husband and child.¡± Theodore¡¯s voice became quieter, as if it were a lullaby. ¡°She had only gone outside for a moment, but her husband and child eating the food had already died.¡± Now that I think about it, I remember seeing Sercia sobbing and making a disturbance in the past. ¡°She refused to see anyone for a whole year. Because she kept on hurting herself and saying that she wanted to die, there were times when she was forcibly tied to her bed.¡± My heavy eyelids fluttered shut. ¡°Since then, Sercia keeps people at a distance. That¡¯s also one of the reasons she started her business. She really wanted to meet you when she heard that the curse didn¡¯t work on you.¡± My body slipped back by itself. My head, which had fallen backwards, rested against something sturdy. ¡°¡­¡± The silence was still. Gentle hands carefully laid me down on the bed. And my mind succumbed to a deep darkness. * * * ¡®You have to die for that inheritance to be mine. Sasha, you love me, so die for me.¡¯ Siph, whose lips had always given me happiness, killed me. ¡®Did you really think that Siph loved you? Get a grip, Siph is my man. He just got married and pretended to love you for your inheritance.¡¯ Reina, who had laughed brightly and mocked me from Siph¡¯s arms. ¡®It¡¯s your father who shortened your lifeline. If only his will hadn¡¯t left the inheritance to you¡­¡¯ And my stepmother, who had approached me with a cushion in her hand. ¡®What a shame, we could have become a good mother-daughter pair. After you die, we¡¯ll use the inheritance well, so don¡¯t worry.¡¯ She took that cushion and pressed it to my face. And I couldn¡¯t even move a finger. ¡®Why? Didn¡¯t I already die and come back to life? So why again?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. I couldn¡¯t tell whether this was a dream or reality. All I could think about was that I wanted to live. ¡®Save me.¡¯ I reached out a hand full of desperation into the air. My breath was blocked and a raspy sound came from my throat. ¡°Ugh¡­. kugh¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to die. I want to live. Someone, save me. ¡°¡­! Pershati!¡± As I was struggling and sinking into the depths of the ocean, someone grabbed my hand tightly. ¡°Pershati!¡± A voice calling my name. The person who pulled me out of an abyss of despair. I weakly let out the breath that I had been unable to let out earlier. My slip was damp with sweat. It seemed that as I had moved around in my sleep, the blanket had covered my nose and mouth. Through my fuzzy vision I could make out a pair of blurry red eyes. They were like the rising sun, a candle lighting up the darkness. ¡°Are you hurt somewhere? You couldn¡¯t breathe. Should I call the doctor?¡± Within the darkness, the only thing I could rely on were those burning red eyes. ¡°¡­My family. They killed me.¡± Still half asleep, I desperately grabbed onto him and begged. ¡°Please¡­ save me.¡± My words slurred. My vision slowly lost light. ¡°I want¡­ to¡­ live.¡± I whispered the words repeatedly, before sinking into the shadows once more. * * * Early dawn, when the sun hadn¡¯t yet risen. The continuous rustling sound that kept waking me up was making me tense. ¡®It¡¯s hot.¡¯ Strangely, my body felt sticky and sweaty. Why? I distinctly remembered going to sleep refreshed after a flower bath. I furrowed my eyebrows and instinctively searched for a cool place. Tap. Something close by caught my hand. ¡®What is this?¡¯ It was hard, but warm and soft. This texture was definitely something I was familiar with. ¡°Someone¡¯s skin¡­?¡± Why is a person next to me? Should there be someone next to me? My chest filled with worry, my eyes opening on their own. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on waking you up.¡± But what I saw were well-built, defined muscles. My hand was touching the defined groove of an abdominal. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Theodore looked at me while laying down, one arm stretched out. I paused. He was undressed, wearing nothing but a thin cotton robe covering his bottom half. ¡°Ack!¡± I inhaled a short breath, immediately sat up, and crawled backwards. ¡°Wh-why are you here wha-!¡± Theodore was laying casually in the space where I had been a moment ago. T-this crazy-! H-how did I fall asleep yesterday? As I was running away backwards, something hit my hand. Turning around it was the flowers that were in my hair last night. That¡¯s right, last night he said he would take it out and then I fell asleep. I think I had a dream in the middle but I couldn¡¯t really remember it. Its contents seemed to put me in a bad mood. With my brow furrowed, I subtly looked down at my clothes first. There was no sign that my slip had been taken off. ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± Theodore sat up. Startled at his sudden movement, I moved further away on the bed and threw out my hand. ¡°There! Say it from there.¡± ¡°I was going to talk to you yesterday, but you fell asleep first, so.¡± ¡°The contract doesn¡¯t include a couple¡¯s night, right?¡± ¡°How about listening to what I have to say first?¡± ¡°W-wait. Don¡¯t say anything!¡± I was so confused that I covered my head with both arms. They said he had no interest in women, let alone the wedding night. Was that really a false rumor? With a pale face I bit my chapped lips. Theodore lifted one leg, resting his arm on it, and spoke. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking right now, but it¡¯s not that.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t raise your leg!¡± I was shaken and threw a blanket at Theodore. When he lifted his leg, the thin cloth that had barely covered his bottom half had failed its duty and lost its purpose. ¡°It¡¯s going to be morning soon, and the servants will come in.¡± Theodore calmly looked out the window. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on convincing them that we spent our first night together while we¡¯re on opposite sides of the bed, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± At Theodore¡¯s words, I followed his gaze out the window. The sun was rising in the distance. When I realized my mistake, my face flushed hot. ¡°R-right¡­ If you had said that in the beginning, I wouldn¡¯t have misunderstood.¡± ¡°Who was the one that told me not to speak?¡± ¡°¡­I was also thinking about everything. It¡¯s just that I was surprised because I had just woken up.¡± Theodore rested his back on the headboard indifferently. After covering his legs with a blanket, he spread his long arms. ¡°Come here.¡± He patted his arm and spoke calmly after extending it. Well, it¡¯s the day after the first night, so sleeping close together would be a good image. ¡°¡­Then, please excuse me.¡± I slowly approached his side and I carefully laid next to him with my arms out, leaving as much distance as possible. I¡¯m never doing something like this again. I could hear his heartbeat through the arm I was resting on. ¡°If you¡¯re going to stay that far, then there¡¯s no point for us to be like this.¡± With exasperated eyes, Theodore stared at me and then pulled me into him. ¡°Ack!¡± Without meaning to, my breath caught. ¡°It won¡¯t be for long, so endure it even if you hate it.¡± His skin was touching my cheek, hand, and my whole body. I became breathless from such intimate contact with someone who was virtually a stranger. Theodore nonchalantly covered me with the blanket. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up when the servants come in, so pretend to be asleep.¡± His breath was so close to me that I momentarily lost track of thought and shut my eyes tightly. As if time had stopped, silence blanketed my surroundings. ¡°I can¡¯t breathe.¡± I couldn¡¯t stay still because I kept being aware of Theodore¡¯s firm arm wrapped around my waist. ¡°Stop moving.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ticklish.¡± Even if I tried to be calm, my voice shook. In an effort to get me to stop moving, Theodore hugged me tighter, but it became even more uncomfortable, making me move around more. ¡°Did you have a nightmare yesterday?¡± ¡°What?¡± A nightmare? I tilted my head at the sudden question. ¡°I don¡¯t remember, why? Did I snore? Or did I grind my teeth? Sleep talk?¡± ¡°No. You moved around, so that¡¯s why I asked.¡± What the heck. A useless question. Knock, knock. As soon as I started grumbling, the sound of the door could be heard. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Theodore squeezed me tight and then said, ¡°Come in¡± loudly. As soon as he did, the door opened abruptly, like they had been waiting there. ¡°Your Grace, Grand Duke, good morning. I came to¡­¡± The voice that came into my ears was not that of the maids that I had anticipated. It was a familiar voice. Startled, I instantly lifted my head from where I had burrowed it into Theodore¡¯s chest. ¡°S-Selphius!¡± There, Selphius stood with his mouth agape. Chapter 6 After hastily covering Theodore with the blanket that had been on me, I shouted, ¡°T-This is a misunderstanding¡­!¡± As I was about to explain the situation, several maids came rushing in from behind Selphius to serve us for the morning. Seeing that, Theodore grabbed my waist as I was about to stand and pulled me back down. Tenderly holding me in his arms, he said, ¡°You should wash up first since you¡¯re sticky from sweating all night.¡± With a shocked expression, I buried my face in Theodore¡¯s chest before frantically waving my hands at Selphius. ¡®This crazy bastard, this isn¡¯t something you should be showing to a child!¡¯ The unfamiliar scene unfolding in front of Selphius¡¯ eyes caused his jaw to drop, before his expression hardened. ¡®No! Nothing happened!¡¯ I tried mouthing to Selphius. But before I could deliver this message, the butler covered both of Selphius¡¯ eyes with his hands. After I made eye contact with the butler, he gave a sly but pleased smile. ¡°Young Master, come this way. I¡¯ve prepared milk with honey.¡± After winking at the two of us, the butler took Selphius and left the bedroom. ¡°I¡¯ll come again once the day breaks, huhu.¡± You guys are going where? Come back! I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not what you think! Come back! * * * Breakfast felt like I was sitting on thorns. The only sound was the sound of tableware clinking on the table. Theodore must have finished eating, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin before telling Selphius, ¡°I¡¯ll have them prepare the carriage for you, so return to the place you used to be.¡± ¡°¡­If it¡¯s because I entered your room without knocking this morning, I apologize. I won¡¯t do that again,¡± Selphius apologized obediently, so that it¡¯d be difficult to tell him to return. He probably did not want to return to the countryside, where he had previously stayed. But Theodore was firm. ¡°It¡¯s unrelated to that. This is not the place you¡¯ll be living at.¡± I glanced at the two people, who had a strange atmosphere to them. ¡®I¡¯m going to have indigestion at this rate.¡¯ Does Theodore dislike Selphius? Is Theodore sending him away because he doesn¡¯t even want to see him? Then what was the point of adopting Selphius and appointing him as his heir? Although I was curious, this wasn¡¯t something I could presumptuously ask about. ¡®The Lapileons will handle Lapileon affairs.¡¯ I¡¯m going to be leaving in one year anyway. Sighing, I picked at the salad on my plate. ¡°¡­ant to,¡± Selphius mumbled quietly, head bent. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to.¡± Selphius lifted his head, eyes full of poison. ¡°Well, I guess you want to enjoy your honeymoon period and not see someone like me.¡± No, we don¡¯t have a honeymoon period to enjoy. Don¡¯t get us wrong. ¡°Since Your Excellency the Grand Duke didn¡¯t like me anyway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like a child, Selphi.¡± If he¡¯s nine years old, he is a child. Talking back to them in my head, I quietly put my fork down. In this kind of situation, even drinking water would give me indigestion. Selphius, who got angry at Theodore¡¯s calm reaction, pushed his chair back and stood up. ¡°If you were going to throw me away, why did you bring me?¡± Selphius¡¯ voice was shaking. Looking closer, his tightly clenched fist was shaking as well. ¡°If you didn¡¯t like me, you shouldn¡¯t have appointed me as your heir.¡± Looking carefully, it wasn¡¯t poison in his eyes but tears. ¡°I, too¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I, too, want to live here!¡± Selphius shouted, before stomping off to the second floor. Bang! The sound of Selphius¡¯ bedroom door slamming closed rang through the residence. Silently looking at the shaking chandelier, I turned my head. Then, I reprimanded Theodore, who was holding his forehead with an annoyed expression. ¡°You could¡¯ve talked to him after the meal. He didn¡¯t even eat yesterday¡¯s dinner properly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best if Selphi goes to the villa as soon as possible.¡± Theodore expressed the same sentiment shortly, before standing up. ¡°I need to go to the royal guard examination as a judge, so¡­¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to send Selphius off?¡± At my question, Theodore stopped mid-sentence and clenched his lips. ¡°It¡¯s fine if he stays a bit longer, but it¡¯s probably been a while since he met his family, too.¡± Theodore swept his neat hair towards the back. Clucking his tongue, he straightforwardly said, ¡°Selphius possesses the strongest poison in our family. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s still young, but depending on the condition of his body, there will be a big influence.¡± ¡°¡­what kind of influence?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s in bad condition, it will start hurting and he¡¯ll suffer because of the poison in his body.¡± Sighing, Theodore stood up from the chair. Then, he firmly spoke in a manner as if there was nothing more to be said. ¡°For Selphi, he needs the fresh air and a countryside villa where there aren¡¯t many people.¡± Ah, so the rumour that he was a barbarian who sent Selphius to the countryside without taking care of him was false. Although his words were a bit cold, Theodore¡¯s expression was softer than usual. ¡°I see you care for Selphius.¡± ¡°¡­Tsk, what nonsense.¡± ¡°You can just explain it to Selphius that way. It seems that he thinks you dislike him.¡± Theodore lowered his gaze. There were several emotions in his eyes you could see through his eyelashes. ¡°Just let him hate me. That would be better.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than hating himself for having the curse.¡± After he finished speaking, Theodore turned his body. Then, he left for his study with the butler to prepare to leave the residence. In a second, I was left alone in the dining room. I looked towards the second floor¡¯s stairs, which Selphius had gone up from, and the study, which Theodore had gone into. ¡®If he plays the role of being hated, then I¡¯ll probably have to play the role of comforting him.¡¯ After all, he¡¯s still a young child. Even if I leave the Lapileon affairs to the Lapileons, I can¡¯t leave him with such a scar. Getting up, I started towards the second floor. As I started up the stairs, I heard the very loud noise of something shattering. ¡®Argh, seems like he¡¯s going at it. He¡¯s exactly the same as that ill-tempered Theodore.¡¯ Letting out a sigh, I went up the stairs before noticing the trembling maids standing in front of Selphius¡¯ bedroom. ¡°Were you chased out?¡± At my question, the trembling maids nodded. ¡°The Young Master¡­ hurt himself while throwing the ornaments on the table.¡± ¡°T-the Young Master¡¯s hand is bleeding quite a bit¡­ but he started yelling at us to leave.¡± ¡°We came out without treating him.¡± His hand¡¯s bleeding? Staring at the firmly closed bedroom door, I told the maids trembling in fear, ¡°Go bring me some cold water, medicine, and bandages.¡± At my order, the maids snuck glances at each other. But as if they thought this was their chance, they hurried down the stairs without another word. Shortly after, a maid came with bandages, medicine, and a glass of water. Receiving these things, I ordered the maid to leave before standing in front of the door. Knock knock. ¡°Selphius.¡± There was no response. ¡°If you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯m going to kick it open like last time.¡± Still no response. ¡°I might even break it? ¡­Although it might be my foot that breaks.¡± Click. ¡°Are you crazy? You can break the door, but why would you break your innocent foot?¡± As soon as I finished speaking, Selphius quickly opened the door with a dumbfounded expression. How cute. ¡°My foot is innocent, but so is the door. And I was joking. I don¡¯t plan on breaking anything.¡± After saying that, I pushed my way through the crack of the door, then Selphius frowned. ¡°Get out. I¡¯m not in the mood to joke.¡± ¡°I heard you hurt your hand and that it¡¯s bleeding a lot.¡± The bedroom was turned upside down. It seemed that he had broken a glass cup, as there were pieces of glass littering the floor, splattered with red blood. I looked at Selphius¡¯ hand as he wrinkled his eyes. Feeling my gaze, Selphius quickly hid his bleeding hand behind his back, then hid his face as he grinded his bottom lip. ¡°Leave.¡± Seeing the mess he had made of his room, it seemed that he was very hurt by what happened earlier. Although I understood Theodore, I also completely understood Selphius¡¯ perspective. Selphius was still only nine years old. It¡¯s obvious that a nine-year-old child would want to rely on and stay with their guardian, even when staying away would be better for them. ¡­Although it seemed that Theodore was oblivious to this truth. Putting the tray down on the table, I offered a cup of water. ¡°Drink.¡± Frowning, Selphius unconsciously took the cup. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Water.¡± Taking a sip, Selphius¡¯ face crumpled. ¡°It¡¯s cold, right?¡± ¡°What¡­!¡± ¡°I wanted you to get a grip after drinking cold water. Have you gotten a hold of yourself now?¡± Taking the cup from Selphius¡¯ hand, I put it back onto the tray. ¡°If you don¡¯t say your thoughts directly, no one will know. Nothing will change by throwing a tantrum like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If what you want is to stay here, then say it. I will also talk to His Excellency and¡­¡± ¡°Who are you to ask him for me?¡± Selphius¡¯ voice was sharp. He glared hostilely at me. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re my mom?¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say for a second. Since Theodore adopted Selphius, he was legally his father. And since I married Theodore, I was legally Selphius¡¯ mother. However, I couldn¡¯t reply to Selphius¡¯ question. As if knowing that I wouldn¡¯t be able to reply, Selphius laughed emptily. ¡°You don¡¯t think of me like that either. So why are you so interested in me, when we¡¯re total strangers?¡± Who would be able to say that he wasn¡¯t the heir of the Lapileon family? Making people speechless was truly their specialty. ¡°Worry about yourself, who has to stay in this residence. Don¡¯t worry about someone like me.¡± Selphius, who spoke in an incredulous tone, turned his body away from me. ¡®Should I smack the back of his head?¡¯ Holding back my rage, I gulped down the cold water that Selphius had drank earlier. Let¡¯s drink cold water and get a grip. Calm down, your opponent is a child. Downing it all in one go, I grabbed Selphius¡¯ bleeding hand without hesitation. Selphius froze like a statue. ¡°What¡­!¡± ¡°Do I have to be someone to you to interfere?¡± Horrified, Selphius tried to pull his hand from my grip, but I didn¡¯t let go. ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough if I want to treat you?¡± Taking a handkerchief out, I wiped Selphius¡¯ bloody hand by force. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like there was any glass stuck in his hand. ¡°I just want to be on your side, so can¡¯t I?¡± Squeezing some medicine onto my finger, I spread it onto Selphius¡¯ wound. In case it might sting, I didn¡¯t forget to gently blow onto it. As soon as my breath touched his wound, Selphius¡¯ squirming stopped like magic. ¡°¡­but why are you trying to be on my side?¡± With a sinking voice, Selphius stared at his hand, which now had medicine spread onto it. ¡°Like you said, I¡¯m an outsider, so I¡¯m not allowed to interfere.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But I still want you to be happy for every moment. So that¡¯s why I¡¯m doing this much at least.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± After spreading the medicine thoroughly, I wrapped Selphius¡¯ hand with some bandages. Although it was done a little messily, it was better than nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t do this in the future. There¡¯s nothing you can gain from hurting yourself,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Breaking things because you¡¯re angry is a bad habit.¡± ¡°¡­Who¡¯s the one who tried breaking the door?¡± ¡°You broke things, but I didn¡¯t.¡± Up close, his face was filled with many complicated emotions. It was an expression that seemed unsure of whether he should laugh or cry. ¡°Oh? Your lips are bleeding. Biting your lips is also a bad habit.¡± I should tell Theodore to be careful of his actions in front of the child. After applying medicine on my pinky finger, I tapped Selphius¡¯ lips carefully. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what my blood is?¡± ¡°I told you I know everything.¡± ¡°So how can you act like this?¡± Selphius quietly looked down. ¡°How can you see my blood and not run away?¡± I suddenly thought about the words Theodore told me last night. The words saying that Sercia liked me because I didn¡¯t do anything. That people usually tried to run away, and that there was no one who only just sat still. It seemed like Selphius was thinking the same. ¡°Aren¡¯t you disgusted by this curse?¡± ¡°All wounds are like that. Not disgusting, but painful.¡± That¡¯s all. I just honestly said what I felt, but Selphius¡¯ lips started trembling. ¡°And I¡¯m¡­¡± Someone who won¡¯t die even if I drink the blood. Was what I was about to say, when¡­ ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± I suddenly felt something weird in my body, and my legs began to give way. In order not to fall, I grabbed Selphius¡¯ shoulder tightly. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± I couldn¡¯t even hear Selphius¡¯ panicked voice properly. This feeling. I knew it all too well. Since I¡¯ve already experienced it twice! With pain in my heart so strong that it felt like I would soon die, I looked from Selphius¡¯ bleeding lips to the cup of water. ¡®Damnit!¡¯ It seemed that earlier when Selphius drank from the glass, the blood on his lips got mixed into the water. And I drank that. ¡®Why would you foolishly drink that water?! Rather than getting a grip on your mind from drinking the water, you¡¯re actually going to lose your mind by drinking that water!¡¯ My vision became blurry. ¡®I was so cool earlier! Dying like this is so embarrassing! I can¡¯t! Don¡¯t die! Don¡¯t collapse!¡¯ Although I tried to get a grip on myself, I had already lost control of my body. ¡°W-why are you acting like this?! Hello?!¡± No, don¡¯t be shocked. I¡¯m going to wake up soon, okay? Although I tried to say that, I couldn¡¯t say anything because of the pain in my throat. I felt waves of pain spreading throughout my body. My body, which had lost all strength, fell onto the floor past Selphius. ¡°Y-Your Highness the Grand Duchess!!¡± I could feel Selphius tearing up and shaking my body. ¡°D-don¡¯t die! Please don¡¯t die!¡± No, I won¡¯t die. ¡°Go¡­ The¡­ Theodo¡­¡± Go bring Theodore here. I won¡¯t die! I tried opening my mouth but the only sounds that came out were sounds of agony. ¡°Your Highness the Grand Duchess!¡± And listening to Selphius¡¯ wails, I died again. ¡­No, I fainted as if I was dying. ¡®Damnit.¡¯ Chapter 7 - I Died and Came Back to Life ¡°Waaahhh¡­¡± Who¡¯s bawling and wailing so loudly? I awoke to loud cries stinging my ears. ¡°She¡¯s dead, hngggg¡­ I killed herrrrrr¡­.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not dead.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so dumbbbb, waahhhh¡­¡± Is ¡®dumb¡¯ referring to me? After I came to, it became clear who was crying so loudly. Stealthily opening my eyes, I saw Selphius, bawling at my side with his head lowered. ¡°Hiiiic¡ª l-let¡¯s make a pit and bury her¡ª hiiiic¡ª in a sunny place, wahh¡­¡± It might have been because he actually tried to dig a trench, but Selphius was holding a shovel covered in dirt. ¡®What a scary father and son.¡¯ As I turned my head, I made eye contact with Theodore, who stood leaning on one leg with his arms crossed behind Selphius. ¡°You¡¯ve awakened.¡± His face was contorted in anger like a monster¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯ve committed a nonsensical deed.¡± I could hear the sound of teeth grinding. ¡°Was experiencing death twice not enough? Or is the feeling addictive? Ah, maybe you¡¯re the type that enjoys pain?¡± ¡°Hey, i-it¡¯s not even drugs. How would pain be addictive?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that desperate to die, I can kill you myself.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t consume his blood because I wanted to¡­ I really had no idea.¡± Ugh, I feel so wronged. At the sound of my voice, Selphius, who had been crouched on the floor sobbing, lifted his head frantically. His eyes and nose were completely red and swollen from how long he had cried. ¡°Y-You¡¯re alive?¡± ¡°I told you she wasn¡¯t dead,¡± Theodore comforted Selphius plainly, setting his hand on his shoulder. Seeing Selphius repeating the same question to me with shock written all over his face, I could barely hold back a laugh. ¡°B-But you definitely ate my blood¡­!¡± ¡°She did, indeed, very recklessly.¡± With a haggard expression, Theodore grabbed his forehead. Looking between the two of them, I got up from where I had been laid down. As if seeing a ghost, Selphius backed away, frightened out of his wits. ¡°Hi, Selphius.¡± ¡°H-H-How are you alive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little special.¡± Seeing how calmly I greeted him, Theodore smirked. ¡°Hah. What about your body? Are you in pain anywhere?¡± ¡°There are no issues. It doesn¡¯t hurt anywhere, and I feel refreshed, as if I slept well for the first time in a while.¡± Maybe I have the constitution for poison? I can¡¯t believe I feel so energized after fainting from poison. As I began to stretch, Selphius wiped away his tears and snot with his sleeve before mumbling agitatedly, ¡°You definitely ate my blood¡­¡± He seemed to still be in disbelief. Theodore sighed loudly before roughly loosening the cravat that had been wrapped tightly around his neck. ¡°It¡¯s unclear as to why, but my poison didn¡¯t work on her either.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°And it seems that your poison is the same, Selphi.¡± ¡°S-So the curse doesn¡¯t work on her?¡± ¡°Yeah. Our curse doesn¡¯t work on her.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°You¡¯re seeing living proof right in front of you.¡± At Theodore¡¯s words, Selphius stood up from his awkward place on the ground and sat on a nearby chair before scanning over me. ¡°Are you perhaps¡­ not human?¡± Damn, he¡¯s treating a human like a ghost. ¡°I¡¯m human, Selphius.¡± Silence fell. Pulling a chair from afar between Selphius and I, Theodore sat with his arms crossed before reprimanding me. ¡°Even if you haven¡¯t died from our poison yet, I would prefer it if you weren¡¯t so careless around us. Although you recovered after ingesting my blood, what would you have done if you had died due to Selphi¡¯s?¡± ¡°It was an accident.¡± ¡°Do you speak knowing that this tiny accident could have taken your life?¡± Since he spoke only the truth, I couldn¡¯t say anything in response. I bit my lip hard, like it was covered in honey. ¡°Always remember: actions that might be inconsequential elsewhere could endanger you here.¡± As I nodded in reflection, Theodore turned to Selphius. ¡°Your actions will directly affect someone else¡¯s life. That¡¯s the risk, and yet you¡¯re still not being cautious?¡± ¡°T-That¡­¡± ¡°I heard that you cut yourself. What if the other maids died because of that blood?¡± Selphius dropped his head. His shoulders sunk pitifully, as if he knew that he had made a grave mistake. ¡°Get up. There¡¯s no need to delay this for any longer. I¡¯ll prepare your carriage, so go down to the countryside.¡± Theodore probably didn¡¯t want Selphius to unwittingly cause someone¡¯s death and live in guilt for the rest of his life. ¡®Although it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand his judgement¡­¡¯ I turned back and looked at Selphius, who met my eyes. He looked just like a puppy left out in the rain as he got up from his chair. Perhaps it was because of the mistake he had made, but this time, Selphius didn¡¯t object to going. Theodore opened the door and called the butler, ordering him to prepare the carriage and Selphius¡¯ belongings. Selphius looked as if he had given up on everything. That image of him kept bothering me, and before I realized, I had already opened my mouth. ¡°Since he made a mistake, won¡¯t he need someone to watch over him?¡± The two people turned to stare at me at the same time. ¡®Lapileon affairs should be left to the Lapileon family.¡¯ However, strangely enough, I couldn¡¯t stop my words. ¡°Selphius is still young. If he made a mistake because he didn¡¯t know any better, then the responsibility shouldn¡¯t be on him¡­¡± I calmly looked at Selphius, who donned a confused expression. Then, I turned to look at Theodore, who was next to him. ¡°¡­It¡¯s your fault, Theodore, for not teaching him properly.¡± Theodore narrowed his eyes, frowning. As if warning me to stop, Theodore¡¯s red eyes filled with ire. Even so, my spirit was unyielding and unwavering. ¡°If you¡¯re planning on locking Selphius away in the countryside for the rest of his life, then sure, send him away immediately. Lock him up and make sure he never meets other people or visits the capital.¡± As I spoke, Theodore¡¯s face twisted scarily. ¡°But does your decision even take Selphius¡¯s opinion into account? You don¡¯t have power over his entire life just because you adopted him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do as you please under the pretext of protection, Theodore.¡± At my last words, Theodore¡¯s expression shifted. As if he had suddenly been hit, Theodore stared at me, mouth parted. ¡°If you wish Selphius to one day be the confident heir to the Lapileon name¡­¡± Theodore turned his head to look at Selphius, who stood next to him. But Selphius was still looking at me. ¡°Don¡¯t send him away. Instead, teach him how to adapt to situations and make no mistakes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you need to do for Selphius.¡± Is it okay for me to do this? I¡¯ll be leaving in a year, so is it really okay for me to interfere like this? Doubt kept stirring up from within. Nevertheless, I felt like I would regret it for the rest of my life if I let that child go. A heavy silence fell. The quiet made it hard to open one¡¯s mouth to speak and made the inside of my mouth dry. Just as I was about to speak, Selphius, who had been as still as a mouse playing dead, boldly grabbed Theodore¡¯s sleeve. And in the most respectful and courteous tone I had ever heard from him, he began. ¡°I apologize. I will guarantee that a similar circumstance does not occur again.¡± Theodore raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­I will never cause trouble again.¡± ¡°Selphi, you¡­¡± ¡°I will be careful not to stray into Your Excellency the Grand Duke¡¯s sight. If it is your wish, I will even eat in my room.¡± Without caving, Selphius solemnly and strongly told his opinion. Theodore closed his lips firmly and turned my way, the cause of all this. What, bud? What are you going to do about it? ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lock a child up, but rather let them grow freely with care.¡± Then, I deliberately smiled brightly and clapped. Theodore let out a low sigh before grabbing his forehead. ¡°Do you speak knowing that if Selphi stays, you¡¯ll be the one in the most danger?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Why am I in danger? ¡°Selphi¡¯s poison is the strongest among us. There¡¯s no definite assurance that an accident like today¡¯s won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no definite assurance that you¡¯ll survive again.¡± His words weren¡¯t necessarily wrong. However, I would only be an unwelcome guest here for a year, while Selphius was a family member he would need to live with moving forward. And I had been planning on enduring situations like this from the start. ¡°I can be more careful. I¡¯m prepared to accept that.¡± As I clenched my fist with a resolute expression, Theodore stared at me dazedly, though he quickly fixed his expression before turning. ¡°Selphi.¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± ¡°Is there anything you would like to bring from the cottage?¡± At Theodore¡¯s inquiry, Selphius¡¯s jaw dropped before he quickly shook his head. ¡°N-No! You can throw it all away!¡± ¡°Seeing how you speak with conviction, it seems you¡¯re confident you won¡¯t be found out by others, Selphi.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ yes!¡± At Selphius¡¯ eager tone, Theodore shook his head as if he had no other choice. He then gestured to the butler behind him. ¡°Prepare anything Selphi will need in his bedroom. From garments to furnishing, make sure they¡¯re all new.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I cancelled all of today¡¯s plans, so there¡¯s nothing to do. What an absolute mess.¡± ¡°Then you should be thankful for me.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen Selphi listen to someone¡¯s words so well.¡± What? With a dumbfounded expression, I looked back and forth between Theodore and Selphius. This is him listening to me? Do you have bad vision? ¡°It¡¯s just as Sercia said. The more I look at you, the more I¡¯m amazed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always had immeasurable charm.¡± ¡°You thought that was a compliment?¡± ¡°Who else has these strengths?¡± As if admitting defeat, Theodore stuck out his tongue. Then, after muttering ¡®might as well take a nap for the first time in a while¡¯ under his breath, he turned and left the bedroom. The butler in front of the door gave me a stealthy thumbs up, smiling. ¡°Young Master, come this way. We¡¯ll call a tailor to take your measurements. I¡¯ll also bring a furniture catalogue, so pick out the ones you like.¡± Selphius¡¯s face was tinged with excitement. The child tried hard to maintain his composure as he walked. However, I could almost see a tail wagging behind him. ¡®How cute.¡¯ Selphius, who had been following the butler, suddenly turned to face me. Then, with a curt voice as always, he spoke. ¡°Call me Selphi from now on, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ears reddening, Selphius ran out of the bedroom. ¡®He¡¯s so cute.¡¯ * * * The next day. An uninvited guest came to visit in the early hours. ¡°Pershati, were you never going to invite us if we didn¡¯t come see you ourselves?¡± ¡°Why would I do so if I didn¡¯t want to see you? I have to desire your presence in order to invite you.¡± It was my step-mother and Reina. ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason for your visit?¡± ¡°Is this a place we¡¯re not allowed to visit? How petulant of you.¡± ¡°Older sister, have you met with Sir Siph?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s what you came to ask about?¡± They really are tactless. How could you visit a married woman and ask about her ex-boyfriend? With a face full of pity, I tutted my tongue. ¡°Reina, I knew you lacked smarts, but I wasn¡¯t aware that your memory was this bad. I broke up with Siph.¡± ¡°I asked because I already knew! You haven¡¯t met Sir Siph since then?¡± ¡°Why should I be concerned with someone I already broke up with?¡± At my cold response, Reina put both hands to her mouth, feigning shock. ¡°Older sister, why are you being so heartless?¡± ¡°Me?¡± If I were really being heartless, I would have thrown you out of the residence without even letting you in. It seems you¡¯re still blissfully unaware. ¡°You were together for a long time. You even considered marriage.¡± ¡°We did.¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve forgotten, but when Dad died, Sir Siph was the one who comforted you and helped you cope through it all. Is it okay for you to repay his kindness like this?¡± At Reina¡¯s words, I stopped in the middle of raising the teacup to my mouth. He comforted me? Kindness? If you had an ounce of humanity, you wouldn¡¯t be saying that while dawning such an innocent expression. If I hadn¡¯t been trying to keep my cool, I would¡¯ve poured boiling-hot tea onto that face. ¡°Really?¡± As soon as it seemed like I was listening to her words, Reina got excited and started nodding fervently. ¡°Really! When you were struggling, Sir Siph was the one who helped you!¡± ¡°Then you date him.¡± Reina¡¯s bright smile faltered. My step-mother, who had been listening to our conversation silently beside us, paled, giving me a surge of joy. ¡°I¡¯m already married, and I¡¯ve been so happy that I haven¡¯t even had the chance to think about my ex these days.¡± ¡°O-Older sister. Don¡¯t you pity Sir Siph?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s so pitiful, then you can reuse him. I¡¯ll give him to you.¡± Although you¡¯ve already been meeting him for a long time now. You were probably planning to lie and make it seem that after my death, you had comforted each other in your grief and fallen in love that way. ¡°Ah, and in case people think you¡¯re cheating with my ex-boyfriend, I¡¯ll set things straight with them.¡± ¡°W-What? Ch-Cheating?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they know I threw Sir Siph away, and that he has no relation to me whatsoever. So don¡¯t worry about it and date Sir Siph if you so choose, Reina.¡± Chapter 8 - Is There Something You Don’t Like? Reina¡¯s face reddened from humiliation. Right as a silence fell over the living room, my stepmother cleared her throat. ¡°Don¡¯t paint me as the villain, Pershati. I didn¡¯t come to fight with you.¡± ¡°If bringing up someone¡¯s ex while they¡¯re happily enjoying their honeymoon isn¡¯t an attempt to start a fight, then what is it?¡± ¡°You got married so suddenly. It¡¯s just regrettable we weren¡¯t able to proceed with the proper formalities, since we were so surprised at the news of your marriage.¡± ¡°Formalities?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What are the formalities that you, Mother, should have proceeded with at my wedding?¡± As I narrowed my eyes, my stepmother, seemingly embarrassed, fanned herself while avoiding my gaze. ¡°Ahem. Did you know that when a bride is married, she¡¯s supposed to be given a dowry?¡± ¡°What? What, gold?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re being taken away from your family, they should express their sincerity for who raised you up until now. But what¡¯s this?¡± She clicked her tongue, her anger seeming to grow as she spoke. ¡°This is no different than being looked down on.¡± ¡°They¡¯re looking down on me?¡± My stepmother, thinking I was agreeing with her, put down her fan and gently took hold of my hand. ¡°I felt like you were being looked down on and it made me unhappy.¡± ¡°What makes me even unhappier is you holding my hand right now.¡± I spoke in a displeased tone and withdrew my hand coldly. Even in such a tense atmosphere, like thin ice, my stepmother was insistent. ¡°Pershati, why don¡¯t you understand where I¡¯m coming from? You don¡¯t know how lonely and empty the estate is now that I¡¯ve lost my eldest daughter. I still visit your bedroom sometimes.¡± ¡°So to fill that emptiness, you came to receive a dowry?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it feels like the Lapileon family is looking down on you¡­¡± ¡°Are you doing business with me as an asset?¡± I hit the bullseye. Both of their faces instantly paled. ¡°S-Sister! Why do you say it like that?¡± ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t have enough money. Is your wealth in decline, Mother?¡± ¡°We were only thinking of you¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We were just worried you were being ignored!¡± I became tired watching them conjure up excuses like rapid-fire. Letting them be for entertainment would end here. ¡°In my opinion, the ones looking down on me are you two.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know who the Grand Duchess of the Empire is?¡± Their shoulders flinched. ¡°You forget who you sit across from, your chins raised so high you don¡¯t know they point to the sky. I¡¯ll ask you once more. Who are the ones looking down on me? At my question, their chins lowered. That¡¯s right. This is the reason I offered Grand Duke Lapileon a contract marriage. Seeing them rendered speechless, I felt refreshed. ¡°Go back, Mother. This is the last time I will meet with and listen to you while staying polite.¡± ¡°Pershati! We¡¯re your family! How could you do this?¡± My stepmother raised her voice while speaking in an anguished voice. Reina, as if to show her sadness, took out her handkerchief and dabbed away her tears. ¡°Your sad act won¡¯t work on me, so stop.¡± ¡°Pershati!¡± ¡°Would you like to return to your residence with dignity? Or would you like to be dragged out by the guards?¡± My stepmother clenched both of her fists tightly. After her mask of pretending to be a kind and pitiful mother was taken away, all that was left was a face filled with loathing and contempt towards me. ¡°Sister, what about Sir Siph? He is just too pitiful. Can¡¯t you at least let him take the Imperial knights¡¯ evaluation exam? He¡¯s still someone who was by your side when you were having a difficult time. Shouldn¡¯t you do one last thing for him?¡± ¡°Reina.¡± ¡°I heard that the judge for the evaluation was His Royal Highness the Grand Duke! Then, Sister, can¡¯t you request it? Hm?¡± She¡¯s still pushing for her lover. She must think that if Siph becomes an Imperial knight, then something will change. But that can¡¯t happen. ¡°Reina.¡± ¡°Yes, Sister.¡± ¡°Go and tell Siph.¡± ¡°Huh? What should I tell him? Just tell me!¡± Reina¡¯s face brightened instantly. What an idiot. Did you think I would simply let myself be taken advantage of? ¡°Tell him to live quietly without making a fuss if he doesn¡¯t want to lose the rest of what he has.¡± At that, there was no more conversation. ¡°You¡¯ll come to regret what happened today. Just you wait.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see who regrets it more.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s over just because you received the inheritance?¡± I scrunched up my face, as though I had drunk bitter medicine. I had expected them to find another way to try for the inheritance, since they couldn¡¯t get me to marry Siph. It was just as I thought. ¡°Why are you bringing up my inheritance?¡± ¡°You know that if you¡¯re ineligible for succession, you need to cough up the full value of the inheritance, including what you¡¯ve used, right?¡± They must have really been trying to use their brains. ¡°Just you wait.¡± They got up abruptly, seeming to know that I wouldn¡¯t go along with anything else they said. Without even a knock, the door suddenly burst open. ¡°¡®Just you wait.¡¯ What I heard just now¡­ was that directed toward the Grand Duchess?¡± Selphius, tilting his head arrogantly, walked over with a tap on my shoulder. At his sudden appearance, my stepmother and Reina bowed their heads with dumbfounded expressions. ¡°I never imagined that I would ever witness someone telling the Grand Duchess to ¡®just wait and see¡¯ in my lifetime.¡± ¡°Y-You must have misheard.¡± ¡°¡­You?¡± Selphius¡¯s face, which had just been smiling, hardened as fast as a plaster cast. Selphius, who had spent his entire life growing up as the arrogant Young Master of the Grand Duchy, could not be looked down on. ¡°You speak informally.¡± Selphius growled coldly. His demeanor was completely different to when he spoke with me. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Selphi.¡± I drank my tea calmly, as if a mere onlooker of the situation. ¡°I-I was not thinking¡­¡± My stepmother eventually surrendered in a voice as small as a worm wiggling by. Selphius walked to my side with his short legs and spoke flatly. ¡°You should not be apologizing to me, but to the Grand Duchess herself.¡± Ahh, he received such impeccable training on family etiquette. I don¡¯t even have to do anything. ¡°You¡¯re not apologizing?¡± Selphius¡¯ domineering tone pressured an apology. They were in the Lapileon estate, and the two people in front of them were the Lapileon Young Master and the Lapileon Grand Duchess. They lowered their heads slowly. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Saying such a thing to the Grand Duchess. You should be thankful. The sole reason you are being left alone is the Grand Duchess¡¯ kindness.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Your Royal Highness, shall we send them on their way?¡± Selphius continued his role solidly until the end. As soon as he indicated with his head that he was asking me, he waved his hand dismissively in a gesture which said ¡®go away quickly¡¯. After the two of them had departed, Selphius and I left the drawing room feeling refreshed. ¡°By the way, your family is really something else.¡± ¡°Did you hear everything from the start?¡± ¡°Vaguely. I have pretty sharp ears. If they come again, please call for me. I¡¯ll make it so that they can¡¯t even show up.¡± It felt like I had made a reliable ally. I smiled and nodded. ¡°Should I ask the kitchen to make a chiffon cake so we can share it?¡± At my question, Selphius stopped walking. No matter how good his acting was, a child was still a child. His stateliness from earlier disappeared, and it looked like hearts were dripping from his eyes. ¡°Where is Theodore? Let¡¯s call him and eat together.¡± ¡°His Royal Highness is away visiting the Imperial palace.¡± ¡°The palace? Why?¡± ¡°Some time ago, there was a celebration congratulating our victory in the war. As a result, there will soon be a festival celebrating the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty called for him, saying there were things to discuss before the festival.¡± It was said that Theodore was a huge factor in winning the war because of the curse. If he wiped even a drop of his blood on his sword, those with even a slight scratch would all die. ¡°A victory festival¡­Theodore probably doesn¡¯t even want one.¡± All the rumors about him enjoying war, blood, and killing were all lies. At least, that was the way I saw it. Because of the curse of his blood, he has no choice but to utilize it. Because his entire body was a weapon. Next to me, Selphius furrowed his brow as if remembering something unpleasant. He spoke after fixing his expression. ¡°In the countryside where I was living, many children lost their parents to the war. So I don¡¯t like war.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If the nation has become this powerful, then they should stop now. Why does the Emperor have such greed¡­¡± ¡°Selphi.¡± I quickly stopped Selphius, who was about to say something against the Emperor, and glanced around. There were guards on duty in the surroundings, as well as maids and servants working. If news that a grievance was expressed about the Emperor in the Grand Duchy, there was a chance that rumors of treason would spread. It was best to be careful. ¡°I understand how you feel.¡± With a bitter smile, I patted Selphius¡¯ head. Although Selphius mumbled ¡®stop it, why are you petting me?¡¯ with a bright red face, he didn¡¯t avoid my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s eat cake together. Selphi.¡± * * * As soon as night fell, Theodore came back with a tired countenance. He approached with a dark expression and inquired after me. ¡°The butler informed me that your family visited.¡± ¡°They did.¡± ¡°Are you alright? There weren¡¯t any issues?¡± It seemed like Theodore asked me without much thought, but having someone genuinely worry about me was a new experience. It was a curious feeling. After nodding reluctantly, I quickly changed the subject. ¡°I heard from Selphi ¡ª the capital is going to hold a celebratory festival for you soon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s completely unnecessary.¡± As I thought, he didn¡¯t like it. Although it seemed that he hated it more than I expected. ¡°Do you not like war? Or do you not like attention?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like either.¡± Seeing how he answered without even the slightest bit of hesitation, it looked like he really meant it. According to the rumors, Theodore was a ¡°bloodthirsty warrior¡± who enjoyed war, blood, and killing, but¡­ There wasn¡¯t a single thing true about the rumors. ¡°Do you happen to know anything about the rumors about you? ¡°What are they like?¡± ¡°They say you love war, blood, and killing. I heard that you were a barbarian who didn¡¯t even pay attention to your only heir after sending him off to a remote residence.¡± And I also heard he didn¡¯t complete his first wedding night, but let¡¯s not tell him that. Even at my straightforward words, Theodore¡¯s expression was unchanging. He was calm as if listening to a story about someone else. ¡°Then, did you believe them?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you correct the rumors?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like someone is deliberately speaking ill of you. If life was based on rumor alone, you would be the worst person in the world.¡± That¡¯s right. Unless someone was purposely spreading rumors, they shouldn¡¯t have been this harsh. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the gaze of the world, so it doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯re being cursed at like a devil?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And frankly, they aren¡¯t wrong.¡± Theodore¡¯s lips curled into a self-mocking smile. With his gaze lowered and a stony, expressionless face, Theodore mumbled quietly: ¡°How could there be anyone worse than a man whose body possesses lethal poison?¡± I scowled at Theodore¡¯s self-loathing. I even had the sneaking suspicion that maybe the horrible rumors came from Theodore himself. I didn¡¯t bring it up to create such a heavy atmosphere! In an effort to lighten the mood, I raised the pitch of my voice playfully. ¡°I think you might have to care now.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re married to me now. Since you¡¯ve become my reliable support, if you get caught up in weird rumors, then I¡¯ll be in a bad situation too.¡± Theodore didn¡¯t have an answer. No, more accurately, I don¡¯t think he knew how to respond. ¡°Ah, right. I heard you went to the Imperial palace. Did you meet Princess Dahlia?¡± As soon as I finished my question, a murderous look crossed Theodore¡¯s face. My goodness, what¡¯s the matter? His expression was so cold it felt like he really could kill someone. ¡°That princess¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s definitely insane.¡± ¡°What? Did something happen?¡± My concern rose unintentionally because he spit out his words so angrily it seemed he had been holding them back behind his serious face. Did she do something weird again? My uneasy worry became a reality. ¡°She wrote a pledge in her own blood.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Did I hear wrong? What? She wrote what? My mouth hung open out of shock. She really is one of those ultra-rare crazy bitches. ¡°J-Just what did she write?¡± ¡°That part is a bit weird.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She did write something, but it was in a language no one could recognize.¡± Theodore scowled as he remembered what had happened. ¡°It looked like an ancient script. On top of that, they said she wrote secretly every night.¡± ¡°She wrote a pledge in her own blood every night?¡± Goosebumps formed all along my arms. Something definitely went wrong while she was recovering. Because of her disease, Dahlia did not receive proper education. She never went to an academy. Due to her difficulty with outsiders, she didn¡¯t even have a common tutor. And yet she wrote a blood pledge in an ancient text? There were many strange details. But the shocking news didn¡¯t end there. ¡°When she burned the blood pledge, she said she needed to burn it with my hair and approached me with a knife.¡± At Theodore¡¯s words, I stood up abruptly. ¡°W-Were you hurt?¡± ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t be able to block that? She approached me from behind, so I just pushed her away. His Majesty couldn¡¯t even say anything.¡± She¡¯s even crazier than I had thought. I remembered Dahlia¡¯s murderous gaze boring into me from the day I left the temple. I should definitely avoid her. ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s stop talking about that. I don¡¯t even want to think about it again. More importantly, here.¡± Theodore shuddered, then took something out and handed it to me. ¡°I almost forgot.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s article¡­ No, to state it more accurately, the newspaper that was almost released tomorrow. It won¡¯t be released anymore, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± I unfolded the newspaper Theodore handed me. At the very top was news about Princess Dahlia. My eye was immediately drawn to the article written just below it. [Grand Duchess ¡®Pershati Lapileon¡¯! Abandoned a Commoner and Reached for Power!] Chapter 9 What I saw first was a familiar name. I couldn¡¯t help but frown at the provocative title. The article stated that after Zahardt County had declined in wealth, I threw away the normal soldier Siph and married Duke Lapileon. In other words, it was content meant to slander me. ¡°What in the world is this?¡± I checked the journalist who had written the article. Memorizing the name ¡®Ash¡¯, I crumpled the newspaper in my hand. ¡°The article is rather offensive, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s vicious.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve used my influence to ensure that it won¡¯t go out in tomorrow¡¯s newspaper, so don¡¯t worry. However, this article has quite a lot of detail about you and your ex-boyfriend.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°My step-mother or Reina¡­ or Siph. One of those three leaked information.¡± ¡°Yes. Although the information isn¡¯t even valuable enough to be published, I thought you should know what your family is up to.¡± Crumple. I wanted to tear up the newspaper in my hands. ¡®Was this what they meant when they said I would regret what I did today?¡¯ Biting down harshly on my bottom lip, I let out a long sigh before apologizing to Theodore. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. In the end, it was my fault that we became the subjects of gossip. If I could meet the journalist who wrote this article, I would explain it to them myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already confirmed the reporter. The name is an alias, and because they¡¯ve been submitting their articles to the paper anonymously, their identity is unknown. It is said that they don¡¯t receive payment for their work and only send articles once in a while like this.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± Being a journalist for such a newspaper was usually for those who were badly off and needed a means to make money. They would find dirt on others and either report it in the tabloids or get paid not to by those whose secrets were revealed. It was a dangerous job that you could be killed for. But to think they wrote anonymously without receiving any payment? ¡®Then for what reason would they write articles in the first place?¡¯ I grabbed my forehead, perplexed because I couldn¡¯t understand. Theodore calmly looked down at me. ¡°They probably wrote this article to damage the reputation of the Lapileon family.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s my responsibility.¡± Theodore took the crumpled up newspaper from my tightly fisted hand. He ripped it to shreds before throwing it into the trash can. ¡°They used you as a target in order to attack the Lapileon family.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°The Lapileon Duchy has many enemies.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If even a small incident occurs, our opponents pounce in like hyenas to try and benefit. Things like this will occur countless times in the future.¡± While I stared at him with wide eyes, Theodore gazed listlessly at the scraps of paper fluttering around in the garbage can. ¡°Like you said earlier, you are now a lady of the Lapileon family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mostly a formality, though.¡± ¡°Yes; formally, you are my person. So to others, you are my weakness.¡± Theodore kicked the bin filled with ripped newspaper with the heel of his shoe. ¡°Those who want to kill me may continue these evil deeds.¡± He probably meant I should be cautious to an extent fitting to his position, right? I took his advice to heart and nodded. Theodore seemed to like my response. He nodded and began unbuttoning his shirt in order to wash himself. Normally, this was something your servants would help with, but Theodore always undressed and dressed himself. It was because of his curse. Although he knew that mere contact wouldn¡¯t harm others, Theodore avoided contact with others as if it were a crime. However, his habits seemed to improve after he found out that I wouldn¡¯t die. ¡°Have you met with a lawyer about the inheritance? I heard that your family might sue you for the rights to it.¡± ¡°I was planning to search for one soon.¡± Theodore had completely removed his shirt. It seemed like he didn¡¯t even mind that I was next to him. Embarrassed, I lowered my gaze to the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll narrow it down to a few trusted individuals and tell the butler, so go get a consultation.¡± ¡°I was planning on looking into it myself¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re tight-lipped and capable people. If you know them, it¡¯ll be helpful in the future.¡± It would certainly be better than just looking for someone random. I quietly said my thanks and nodded. As if things were finished with my acknowledgement, Theodore shrugged his shoulders and left the bedroom to wash. After confirming that the bedroom door had closed, I fell back onto the bed and tried to sleep. * * * Deep in the night, Theodore opened his eyes to the sounds of someone moving around. ¡®Is this a habit?¡¯ To think that he would wake up to the sound of someone else. This was something he¡¯d never experienced in his life. Theodore, who had sat up reflexively, turned his head. It had already been several days. Next to him was Pershati, who was sweating, perhaps from a nightmare. ¡°A nightmare again? Isn¡¯t she tired of it?¡± Theodore, who mumbled briefly, got up. As the belt of his robe loosened, his muscles shone under the moonlight. His body was covered in toned muscles and scars that showed his long history with the battlefront. ¡°Save¡­ Save m¡­¡± Theodore looked down at Pershati, who was moaning. This had been happening every night since their first day together. However, it seemed that she didn¡¯t remember it when she woke up in the morning. ¡°No one is killing you.¡± Theodore said with a low voice, hazy with sleep. But the reply he received was still the same plea for someone to save her. ¡°Whew.¡± Letting out a sigh, Theodore pulled down the blanket around Pershati¡¯s neck. This was a symptom that always appeared when the blanket rose to her neck. She would beg for someone to save her and would sometimes be unable to breathe properly. ¡°What a terrible sleeping habit.¡± At first, he had considered ignoring her and sleeping, but as the sounds continued on into the night, he couldn¡¯t. And if he let her be, she might actually choke to death. ¡°I¡­ want to¡­ liv¡­¡± Theodore, who was now lying on his side, supporting his head with his left arm, gazed calmly down on the sweating Pershati. At this point, he was quite curious. Theodore muttered quietly. ¡°Who on earth is killing you?¡± What kind of nightmare is she having? To be begging like this every night, who is she dying at the hands of? ¡°Is it the family you said that is trying to kill you?¡± But as usual, the only response he got was a plea to save her. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he reached out his right arm. ¡°How annoying.¡± With that, he gently took hold of Pershati¡¯s trembling hand. Holding someone else¡¯s hand first was rather unfamiliar to him. ¡°I¡¯m not killing you. And since it¡¯s written in our contract, I won¡¯t leave you to die either.¡± Whenever Theodore grabbed her hand, Pershati strangely stopped shaking uncontrollably. Her breathing would calm down shortly afterwards and she would stop moving around. Her cries for someone to save her also ceased, and she slept peacefully as if having a good dream. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± Theodore mumbled softly, looking down at their intertwined hands. The warmth of another person¡¯s body was strange and foreign to him. It felt like his temperature was rising just from touching another¡¯s hand. ¡°In this place, no one would dare touch you without my permission.¡± Pershati¡¯s breathing gradually stabilized. ¡°So please rest assured and sleep.¡± After watching Pershati fall into a deeper sleep for a long time, he slowly closed his eyes. * * * The day was bright. Before the morning dew on the leaves had even dried, bad news arrived at the residence. ¡°Extra, extra!¡± It was the newspaper article Theodore had prevented from being published. It seemed that after they found out its publication was blocked, they had hastily prepared and distributed it on cheap paper. It was an article that was word-for-word with the content they had seen yesterday. ¡°How vile.¡± With a single sheet of paper, the mood at breakfast soured. Theodore stared at the paper with fierce eyes harsher than a winter blizzard. ¡°It seems they wanted to spread their bullshit no matter what. In any case, your complexion isn¡¯t looking very good. Did you not sleep yesterday?¡± ¡°¡­No. You must be mistaken.¡± Was that so? Since I had already seen it yesterday, it did not have a major effect on me. In contrast to my moderate reaction, Selphius, fork in hand, slammed the table with a bang. ¡°Who dares to start a fight with the Lapileon family? We should investigate in detail and dig into who did this.¡± ¡°Good idea, Selphi. And while we¡¯re digging, we should dig into that person¡¯s stomach.¡± Looking back and forth at the two of them so in tune, I sighed loudly. ¡°Selphi, don¡¯t slam the table. And you shouldn¡¯t say those kinds of things. ¡­Theodore, you should be careful about what you say in front of Selphi too.¡± ¡°Your Highness the Grand Duchess, they are obviously trying to provoke our family. We definitely need to find¡­!¡± ¡°I get it, so hurry and eat your carrots. I told you not to be picky, didn¡¯t I?¡± The moment I stabbed a carrot he had pushed to the side of his plate and offered it to him, Selphius closed his mouth tightly. Theodore mercilessly crumpled the extra in his hands. ¡°Whoever did this found out that I blocked the article¡¯s publication and distributed it themself. They probably spread it throughout the entire capital. They¡¯re clearly showing ill intent, so you should be careful as well.¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m usually someone who lives in worry and anxiety, so I¡¯m careful about everything.¡± Theodore¡¯s face filled with doubt. It seemed like ¡®You?¡¯ was written all over his face. What, why? With narrowed eyes that showed he didn¡¯t believe me, he looked me up and down before continuing. ¡°Your personal lady-in-waiting will arrive today.¡± Since I had become the Grand Duchess, I had opened applications for my personal lady-in-waiting. ¡®Although there was only one person who applied for the position¡­¡¯ ¡°Is it really okay to choose a lady-in-waiting like this?¡± The Lapileon household seemed as if it were draped in a veil. They avoided hiring new servants and were especially careful about letting in outsiders. This was all to ensure that the Lapileon family secret wouldn¡¯t be revealed. But to think that they would choose a lady-in-waiting whom they didn¡¯t even know well and bring her into the household. Theodore nodded in response to my question. ¡°Then do you expect us to let you, the Grand Duchess, go around without a lady-in-waiting? When you¡¯re alone, they¡¯ll be a companion you can talk to, and they¡¯ll be on standby otherwise, so it doesn¡¯t matter. The other maids who work at the residence were hired in the same way.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. And just in case, be sure to take them with you whenever you go out.¡± ¡°¡­How nice. It feels like I¡¯m getting a friend.¡± As soon as I finished my sentence, Theodore got up from his seat without even touching his plate. ¡°I¡¯m going to the newspaper company now.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± With a determined face, Selphius stood up after Theodore. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Your Excellency. I can¡¯t just let a bastard who prattles on without knowing his place go free.¡± With that, the two walked briskly out of the dining room. Looking at Selphius¡¯ plate, I gave a defeated smile. ¡°He ran away because he didn¡¯t want to eat the carrots.¡± On Selphius¡¯ plate were the carefully picked out carrots. * * * ¡°Hello, Your Highness the Grand Duchess!¡± A young lady grabbed the hem of her cute lace dress and curtsied to me, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll be serving the Grand Duchess from now on! I¡¯m Rebecca Knights!¡± With orange hair braided into two and a face covered in freckles, it was the lovely young lady of the Knights Barony. ¡°It must have been tough to travel such a long distance.¡± I heard rumors that because the Knights¡¯ wealth had recently declined, they would follow anything you said without question. That was why she was the sole applicant for my personal lady-in-waiting, in spite of the scary rumors about Theodore which discouraged everyone else. From what the butler told me, her reputation didn¡¯t seem bad. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Pershati Zaha¡­ no, Lapileon. I¡¯ll be in your hands from now on.¡± ¡°Please speak comfortably with me, Your Highness. You can just call me ¡®Rebecca.¡¯¡± With a good-natured personality, she seemed like a very sociable lady. The way her nose scrunched up when she smiled was particularly charming. ¡°Okay, there won¡¯t be much work to do. You just need to assist me when I travel and sometimes be a companion I can talk to or drink tea with. And when I¡¯m with my family, I¡¯d prefer to spend time alone with them, so I would prefer if you could leave then.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡± Rebecca seemed fairly smart. In my past life, I had spent all my time with Siph and Reina and had not had a single friend. Although she was younger than me, it felt nice to have a friend. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the room that you¡¯ll be staying in. If it¡¯s alright with you, can I lead you there?¡± ¡°Oh my, really? Thank you so much!¡± Smiling brightly, Rebecca picked up her luggage and followed me. ¡°Is that bag all you¡¯ve brought?¡± ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t have much to bring because we sold everything of any value at our house!¡± Aren¡¯t you telling a sad story with too cheery of a smile? ¡°I¡¯m so happy that I became Your Highness the Grand Duchess¡¯ lady-in-waiting! Honestly, I never imagined I¡¯d be chosen! I thought a more qualified lady would be selected¡­!¡± Yup, it was because you were the only person to apply. ¡°While I was traveling here, I saw the capital in the midst of preparing for the festival! It was so marvelous!¡± ¡°Is that so? I haven¡¯t gone out, so I wasn¡¯t aware.¡± ¡°Really? When the festival starts, you should go with me! It must be because it¡¯s an official festival that¡¯s being funded by the imperial family, but the scale is completely different from before.¡± It was clear she was nervous from how she was chattering on without stopping. Since those who are nervous talk a lot¡­ ¡°I heard this festival is to celebrate how His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency Duke Lapileon led the empire to victory! Did you know? Of course you knew! I think it¡¯s so cool!¡± ¡®Or maybe her personality is originally like this¡­¡¯ After leaving the garden, I passed the stables and entered the annex. Watching Rebecca, who didn¡¯t stop talking all the way down the long hallway, I awkwardly laughed. ¡®I should¡¯ve just asked the butler to guide her.¡¯ Letting out a light sigh, I opened the door to what would be Rebecca¡¯s room. ¡°This is the place you¡¯re going to spend your time from now on.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Rebecca¡¯s mouth, which had been noisily jabbering on, closed in a moment. ¡°Do you like it? I tried to prepare it so you wouldn¡¯t be uncomfortable¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect! It¡¯s even larger and nicer than my room back home!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± Rebecca went and bounced on her bed and even opened the window wide, looking outside. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness the Grand Duchess! I must truly be a lucky person!¡± I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something to be so grateful for. At her excessive praise, I smiled awkwardly. Then, Rebecca seemed to recall something, as she let out a gasp. ¡°Oh, I saw something weird on my way here.¡± ¡°Something weird?¡± Rebecca took out a crumpled paper from the front pocket of her bag. ¡°This¡­¡± It was the ¡®extra¡¯ that we had seen this morning. ¡°On my way here, I saw this spread all over the streets, so much so that they covered the pavement. And there were many posted on the walls as well.¡± ¡°To that extent?¡± ¡°Yes, I brought it because I thought Your Highness the Grand Duchess should know about this too.¡± I crumpled the extra that Rebecca had given me in my hand. So that meant anyone staying in the capital had definitely read this at least once. ¡®As Theodore said, they¡¯re clearly showing their ill intent.¡¯ It was at the moment when I was grinding my teeth, thinking about how I should be careful with my safety. ¡°Madam.¡± The butler, who had knocked twice on Rebecca¡¯s open door, came to find me with a complicated expression. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°A visitor has come.¡± ¡°A visitor?¡± There shouldn¡¯t be anyone coming to visit me, though? As I tilted my head, red hair fluttered in behind the butler. ¡°Pershati.¡± It was a smiling Sercia. Chapter 10 - I Definitely Won’t Die ¡°S-Sercia?¡± What are you doing here, Sister? Walking over with her long legs, Sercia smiled very welcomingly at me, who was taken aback. ¡°S-Sercia. Why are you¡­¡± ¡°I came after seeing the extra. Were you very surprised, Pershati? I¡¯m here now, so don¡¯t worry.¡± No, I¡¯m surprised because of you. Catching my breath, I attempted to quell my erratic heart. ¡°You came after seeing the extras plastered throughout the Capital?¡± ¡°Yes, I came to the Capital because I had business at the upper end and got shocked seeing the extras plastered everywhere. Which bastard dared to do this? Once I catch him, I¡¯ll stuff hardened steel into his mouth, and¡­¡± ¡°S-Sercia. Calm down.¡± My face paled after seeing her say such scary words with a pretty smile. Since it seemed like she was getting angry on my behalf, I quickly comforted Sercia. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°No.¡± Sercia shook her head firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not fine, Pershati. The whole Capital is talking about you. I despise it when ignorant people gossip about others.¡± Sercia¡¯s scarlet pupils burned with rage. ¡°And isn¡¯t it obvious that a natural beauty would meet a lot of men? They¡¯re making such a fuss over one person, to even write an article about that. Tsk.¡± ¡°S-Since Theodore and Selphi went to the newspaper agency, things will settle down soon. ¡­Rebecca, can you prepare some tea for the sitting room?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Rebecca, who was overwhelmed by Sercia¡¯s dignified aura, couldn¡¯t say anything properly before quickly placing the luggage down and running outside. ¡°We happen to have a nice tea flavor right now. Would you drink it with me, Sercia?¡± Sercia readily agreed to my offer. Like sisters, we walked side by side and went to the sitting room. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t bother you by visiting so suddenly.¡± ¡°Not at all! I had nothing to do, so I was thinking of having tea time anyway. Regardless, drinking together is more enjoyable than drinking alone.¡± ¡°Pershati, even every word you say is pretty.¡± As soon as we entered the sitting room, the aroma of sweet tea and savory cookies filled the air, thanks to Rebecca running around to prepare for us. ¡°It smells quite nice.¡± Taking a seat on the sofa, Sercia looked at Rebecca, who was pouring tea. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this person before. Is she new?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. This is Lady Knights, who came to serve me as my lady-in-waiting.¡± As soon as I introduced her, Rebecca greeted Sercia. Humming to herself, Sercia crossed her long legs before waving her fan. ¡°Young Lady, serve the Grand Duchess properly.¡± ¡°P-Pardon?!¡± ¡°I like her very much, you see.¡± Sercia spoke softly like butter, before smiling. ¡°If you don¡¯t serve her properly, I¡¯ll scold you, okay?¡± I could tell she was teasing Rebecca from her mischievous voice, but it seemed that Rebecca couldn¡¯t tell as she stood frozen, speechless, on the verge of tears. Why¡¯s she acting like that? Is she surprised because of Sercia? Is she that scary? Grabbing the hems of her dress, Rebecca bit her lips tightly. I quickly comforted Rebecca as I saw tears building up in her eyes. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Like a child on the verge of crying, Rebecca pouted her lips and nodded. ¡°S-Seeing M-Miss Sercia so suddenly surprised me¡­¡± Rebecca¡¯s voice trembled unattractively. Patting her shoulder, I sent her out of the sitting room. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Return to your room to rest. Sercia and I will stay here and talk.¡± Sniffling and catching her breath, Rebecca gave her parting greeting before leaving the sitting room. ¡®Rebecca must be weak-hearted.¡¯ Pitifully watching Rebecca leave, Sercia tilted her head to the side as if pleading not guilty. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Pershati.¡± ¡°I know. Today¡¯s her first day, so she must¡¯ve gotten surprised before she was able to adjust. I¡¯ll comfort her later¡­ Anyhow, I hope the tea is to your liking.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s tasty to you, it¡¯s tasty to me, Pershati.¡± I definitely must have misheard her talking about hardened steel. She¡¯s such an angel! I probably misheard her talking about fingernails and toenails last time as well! How could such a kind person say something so scary! ¡°So Theo and Selphi went to the newspaper agency?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ they did. I think they went to find out more about the person who wrote the extra.¡± ¡°Darn. Even if they go, it¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I just came from the newspaper agency. I tortured them, but seeing how they didn¡¯t reveal anything, they truly know nothing.¡± ¡­Huh? I think I just heard something scary. She¡¯s smiling so prettily, like sunshine¡­ Is something wrong with my ears? ¡°Whoever dared to touch you needs to know their place. Whoever did it, when they get caught, I¡¯ll scatter their limbs across the entire continent.¡± No. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my ears. I dumbfoundedly stared at Sercia, who spoke without hesitation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the extra for now. This is related to the Lapileon household, so we won¡¯t just let it be.¡± ¡°By not letting it be¡­¡± ¡°Pershati. How do you think we¡¯ve hidden the truth about our curse until now?¡± Sercia laughed captivatingly, like a forbidden golden apple that you couldn¡¯t simply pretend never existed. ¡°Nobody dares to speak lightly about the Lapileon household.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Since those who speak rashly about the Lapileon family disappear without a trace.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Don¡¯t smile so prettily while saying such things! ¡°Nobody in the Capital. Not even a young child can speak about you, Pershati.¡± I suddenly recalled all the notorious stories I had heard about the Lapileon family in my previous life. ¡®I heard those who spread rumors about the Lapileons disappear the next day without a trace!¡¯ ¡®I heard there¡¯s even a torture room in the basement of the Lapileon residence.¡¯ ¡®Shush, if you talk about the Lapileon family, you¡¯ll disappear from this Empire.¡¯ At the time, I laughed it off thinking it was nonsense. But why do I feel like those rumors are true now? I laughed brightly in order to hide my nervousness. Taking notice of my awkward smile, Sercia tapped her teacup twice before switching the topic. ¡°This tea is so delicious! As expected, your taste is outstanding.¡± ¡°T-Thank you.¡± ¡°To be honest, I wanted to see how you were doing after that day, but I held myself back because I didn¡¯t want to disturb the two of you. It¡¯s annoying when the husband¡¯s side of the family comes and goes as they please. Today is an exception though.¡± She was even thinking of things like that. Seeing how she was overflowing in consideration compared to her earlier scary words, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡®Tell me, are you scary or kind?¡¯ Either way, I could tell that she, who was now my family, would not hurt me. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Come visit whenever you feel like it. I¡¯ll always have tasty tea prepared for you, Sercia.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± At my invitation, Sercia widened her eyes like a surprised rabbit. It was strange to see how her eyes opened in surprise in contrast to her usual laid-back self. ¡°Sercia? What is it?¡± Was the tea actually bad? ¡°¡­Oh, really?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you asking me to visit again, Pershati?¡± Did I say something wrong? As I nodded slowly, Sercia flusteredly placed her hands on her burning cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s my first time being invited for the second time. Usually, after inviting me once, they tell me not to come again.¡± Sercia laughed embarrassedly. ¡°Thank you, Pershati. I¡¯m happy.¡± Seeing Sercia so happy like an innocent child, I absent-mindedly stared at her. Then, I suddenly was reminded of a memory from before I regressed. ¡®Oh yeah, I¡¯ve seen Sercia before.¡¯ Sercia had lost her family. Yeah, I¡¯ve definitely seen her before. It¡¯s just that she looked so different from how she does now, it never occurred to me that they could be the same person. At the funeral I visited, Sercia wasn¡¯t smiling as she was now. During that time, she was dressed in black, motionlessly crying, like a person with death by their side. When her dead husband and child were lowered into the ground, she dived into the hole, saying she¡¯d get buried with them as well. When a noble claimed she was the one who¡¯d killed them in order to obtain the inheritance, she¡¯d choked them with the intent to kill. All of what I remember of Sercia is completely different from now. ¡®So she went through that kind of thing.¡¯ At the time, when I¡¯d heard rumors of a wife who¡¯d killed her family, I¡¯d thought nothing much of it. ¡®It must¡¯ve been harder for her because of the rumors.¡¯ I stared at Sercia, who was happily talking about how she would buy delicious cookies the next time she came. Compared to the crying face of a desolate person who had given up on life, her face now was much more vibrant and suited her well. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful when you smile, Sercia.¡± At my sudden compliment, Sercia stopped talking and blushed. ¡°H-Huh? I think you¡¯re more beautiful than me, Pershati¡­¡± ¡°Seeing you smile makes me feel good. So keep smiling.¡± ¡­Always smile happily. At my words, Sercia¡¯s expression immediately distorted. It was a strange expression that wasn¡¯t a smiling face nor a crying one. Sercia, who was trying to hide her convulsing lips, turned her face to the window. A warm sunlight that made flowers bloom shone into the sitting room. ¡°Pershati, don¡¯t you find me¡­ um, us, scary?¡± Fidgeting with her fingers, she dropped her head unconfidently. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m scared when you talk about putting hardened steel into people¡¯s mouths,¡± is what I wanted to say, but I swallowed it. ¡°Even if our blood doesn¡¯t make you die, we can still kill other people.¡± ¡°Mistakes and murder are two different things.¡± From my firm answer, Sercia took a sip of her tea. There was a brief silence. ¡°Pershati¡­ Do you want me to laugh?¡± ¡°Yes, laughing makes one feel good. Both the person laughing and the person seeing it.¡± At my very standard answer, Sercia had a faint smile before closing her eyes gently. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the third person to tell me that.¡± ¡°The third?¡± ¡°Yes, before you¡­¡± Tucking her hair behind her ear, she sadly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s what my husband and child said to me.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I never thought I would hear that from you, Pershati¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I have. I¡¯ve completely forgotten about that.¡± After sorrowfully telling me that, she rubbed her teacup with her thumb. ¡°He was a good person, and we were a happy family. You¡¯ve never seen him before, but my child¡­¡± Sercia must¡¯ve been recalling memories, for she laughed quietly. ¡°¡­was truly like an angel.¡± Her voice shook. ¡°Since the curse in my family gets passed down when the men marry and have a child, my child luckily grew up without having anything to do with the curse.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To be honest, my past is quite unfortunate. My father passed away early on because of the curse, and my mother, who was left alone, wasn¡¯t able to handle my brother and me. Because of that, growing up, we lived in a locked warehouse where light couldn¡¯t reach us. As Sercia started talking about her past, I held my breath. ¡°Mother called us monsters who killed humans.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s the truth, anyway.¡± Sercia laughed calmly. Looking downwards, I could see her detached, scarlet eyes. ¡°I get where she was coming from though. Before she was a ¡®mother,¡¯ she was a human. She could die at any moment because of us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Although she wanted to shower her babies with love, she couldn¡¯t. How pitiful. It must¡¯ve been because of her guilt, but she took her own life.¡± I had no idea what expression I was making. How could something like this happen? How could she just laugh about it? ¡°I think it was from then on that I stopped laughing. Since it felt like I didn¡¯t have the right to after being the cause of my mother¡¯s death.¡± I was rendered speechless. I couldn¡¯t even give a word of passing condolences. Selphius and Sercia, who were still kids, were thrown away by their own mother. The thought that the Lapilieon curse wasn¡¯t the poison in their blood, but the fact that it didn¡¯t allow them to be happy struck me. ¡°Listening to my past must be boring, right? That¡¯s when I met my husband.¡± Sercia didn¡¯t cry but laughed. ¡°Even when I pushed him away, my husband didn¡¯t change. When he found out everything about me, he told me to laugh happily. Saying that he¡¯d make me laugh, or whatever¡­ He was quite an idiot.¡± She was calm, as if there were no more tears left for her to shed. I wonder how long it took her to reach this point, where she could bring this topic up so calmly. ¡°Everyone next to me ends up dying.¡± Sercia took a sip of her tea. Her hand kept trembling, as it had been before. ¡°If they hadn¡¯t met me, they would¡¯ve lived more happily¡­ It might¡¯ve been better if I hadn¡¯t been born at all. If I didn¡¯t exist, that person wouldn¡¯t have met me, and my child wouldn¡¯t have had to die.¡± ¡°Sercia!¡± I quickly opened my mouth that I¡¯d been keeping shut. Although my voice cracked, it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°¡­Sercia!¡± I called her name for a second time. Then, I leaned over to firmly hold Sercia¡¯s shaking hand. Surprised by my sudden touch, Sercia hurriedly tried to remove her hand. But I just held on more tightly with both of mine, as if I was trying to save her from falling off of a cliff. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I was able to meet you. I want to get to know you more. He must¡¯ve been the same.¡± ¡°Pershati.¡± ¡°I want to see you laughing much more in the future. Look, Sercia.¡± I lifted our tightly grasped hands into her gaze. ¡°I won¡¯t die, Sercia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking right in front of you and even holding your hand. Sercia, you don¡¯t know how beautiful your laugh is, do you? That person, as well as your child, probably want to see you laugh beautifully.¡± So don¡¯t say something like that. After spitting the words like rapid fire, the sitting room fell silent. Looking at my resolute expression, Sercia looked quite dazed then started laughing quietly. ¡°You¡¯re quite resolute, Pershati.¡± After seeing how Sercia didn¡¯t seem not only sad, but as if death was hovering over her, I¡¯d moved based on a burst of emotions. ¡®To think I just suddenly grabbed her hand!¡¯ Embarrassed, my face turned red like a tomato, but I didn¡¯t let go of her hands. ¡°I-I apologize for suddenly grabbing your hand.¡± ¡°It¡¯s much more comforting than a hundred words. You¡¯re the first to grab my hand like this, other than that person.¡± Lightly shaking the hand that was grasped in mine, Sercia laughed brightly. She shone just like the sunlight. ¡°Pershati, I liked you since the first moment we met. I have an eye for people, you see. You¡¯re too precious to be marrying someone like Theo.¡± With a much more relaxed expression than before, Sercia took out the small ring that was on her own finger and gave it to me. ¡°If that bastard Theo ever treats you badly or you need my help, just call me. Pershati, no matter where you are or what situation you¡¯re in, I¡¯ll come to you.¡± ¡°This ring¡­¡± ¡°I have a Revlon Wine business.¡± Oh my god. By Revlon Wine, she meant¡­ It¡¯s an extremely high-class wine that nobles, and even the royals, enjoyed drinking. Because of its unique ingredients, flavor, and scent, they said that if you tasted it once, you would never be able to forget it, as if you were addicted. It was a wine that, due to its high demand, was very expensive and difficult to procure. Even I, who didn¡¯t enjoy wine, knew of it¡ª that¡¯s how famous it was. ¡°This ring has the crest of the Revlon Wine engraved on it. It¡¯s something that only I have, so it¡¯s the same as my face.¡± ¡°Then why are you giving it to me¡­¡± ¡°Pershati, I¡¯m giving it because it¡¯s you. If you want to meet me or if you¡¯re in a situation where you need my help¡­ or even if you need to use me. It doesn¡¯t matter when, so take this ring out with you. ¡°T-This ring?¡± ¡°Our business works with all the businesses that are in the empires within this continent. Since all nobles and royals are interested in us, no one can touch you recklessly.¡± Then isn¡¯t this an amazing ring? Is it fine for me to receive such a precious thing? ¡°If you show this, no one will be able to easily touch you. Unless they want to have the entire continent as their enemy, that is.¡± I fidgeted with the ring in my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll always be on your side, Pershati.¡± What a reliable ally. ¡°And from now on, you can just call me ¡®Seci¡¯. The family all call me that.¡± ¡°¡­Then please call me ¡®Sasha,¡¯ Seci.¡± The sunlight that shone on Sercia was brilliant and warm. ¡°Alright, Sasha.¡± She smiled beautifully. Chapter 11 - A Crime that Nobody Saw Everything was as Sercia said. Although Theodore and Selphius looked through all sorts of newspaper companies, they couldn¡¯t find a single person who knew anything about a reporter named ¡®Ash¡¯. And the extras completely disappeared from the Capital the following day, as if it had never existed or been gossiped about. Nobody mentioned the extras nor did they make sarcastic remarks to me. I could feel firsthand the power of the Lapileon family. ¡°I¡¯ve talked with every newspaper company to not write any more articles or extras about you, so something like this won¡¯t be happening again.¡± You talked with them? Are you sure you ¡®talked¡¯¡­? ¡°I¡¯m ashamed that you were hurt like this because of the Lapileon family.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. And I don¡¯t think I was hurt. If anything, I like it.¡± ¡°You like it?¡± ¡°Through this incident, everyone will clearly know that I¡¯m a person of the Lapileon family.¡± As I timidly laughed, Theodore gazed at me. Then, instead of talking, he offered me the pudding that had been set in front of him. ¡°Eat it.¡± All of a sudden? ¡°Theodore, you¡¯re not going to eat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°¡­Even though you devoured two of them yesterday?¡± ¡°My taste buds changed today. Eat.¡± So suddenly? W-Well, if you say so¡­ ¡°T-Thanks. I¡¯ll eat it well.¡± Nodding briefly, Theodore chewed on the crumbly baguette and stared at Selphi. ¡°Selphi.¡± Selphius, who flinched in surprise, gripped the pudding in front of him, alert. ¡°This is my pudding.¡± ¡°Not the pudding¡­ Are you going to continue to stay in the Capital like this?¡± At Theodore¡¯s question, Selphius dawned a shocked expression as if he¡¯d been struck by lightning and put down his dessert spoon. ¡°¡­Are you going to chase me away again?¡± Crumpling his face, Selphius looked down at the pudding in his hands. He passed it to Theodore and asked, ¡°If I give you this, will you not chase me away?¡± ¡°No.¡± Pushing Selphius¡¯ pudding away with his hand, Theodore raised an eyebrow crookedly. ¡°It¡¯s not about the pudding¡­ If you¡¯re going to stay in the Capital, we¡¯ll have to register you for the Academy.¡± ¡°The Academy?¡± As if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was listening to, Selphius pinched his own cheek. ¡°Ouch¡­ This isn¡¯t a dream?¡± ¡°You kept talking about how you wanted to go to the Academy, so that¡¯s what I thought, but I guess not. Then I¡¯ll get you a tutor¡­¡± ¡°No, no! No!¡± Shouting loudly, Selphius stood up from his seat. The child¡¯s face was full of excitement and thrill. As if he couldn¡¯t believe it on Theodore¡¯s words alone, Selphius stared at me. ¡°A-Am I really going to attend the Academy? Really?¡± Seeing him like that, I couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°Yeah. You really are.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± At times like this, he really seems like a kid. ¡°But¡­ Why so suddenly? Your Excellency the Grand Duke always opposed me attending the Academy.¡± ¡°To be honest, I still think like that. Selphi, if you make a single mistake by being careless, our whole family could meet disaster.¡± With a displeased expression, Theodore laid out his grievances. ¡°Before, you almost killed the Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°T-That was a mistake.¡± ¡°And once, you couldn¡¯t control your emotions while arguing and bled at the entrance of the residence. This happened twice.¡± ¡°Th-That!¡± Selphius was at a loss for words. He, who had been happy, suddenly lost his spirit and his shoulders drooped downwards. ¡°Since we¡¯re sending him to the Academy, let¡¯s send him on a good note¡­ Selphi, the reason we¡¯re letting you stay in the Capital isn¡¯t to create a new prison for you to stay in.¡± Locking Selphius up in the Capital residence was no different from the countryside. ¡°¡­.But.¡± Selphius slumped back into his chair. ¡°What¡¯ll happen if I hurt someone like His Excellency the Grand Duke said?¡± ¡°Yeah? Then Selphi, are you going to live the rest of your life without other people? Do you want to go off to some distant island where no one¡¯s around?¡± Selphius shook his head as he stabbed the salad in front of him with a fork. ¡°Selphi, you didn¡¯t hang around others in the countryside until now. That¡¯s why you need to learn how to live among everybody else from now on.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you going to live alone for your entire life because you¡¯re cursed?¡± Theodore, who had gotten angry while dissenting about sending Selphi to the academy, had eventually given way because of this question. Since, regardless, we need to live together. ¡°Furthermore, you¡¯re the heir who will continue this household. That¡¯s why you, more than anyone else, need to learn how to endure and be careful. I lightly tapped Selphius¡¯ shoulder, who looked listless. ¡°And in the rare case that an issue occurs and you bleed, it¡¯s fine as long as they don¡¯t consume it. Normal people don¡¯t see blood and want to consume it.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Instead, promise me to always carry a handkerchief and styptic medicine with you. Also promise that in the case you ever bleed from an injury, to immediately apply the styptic medicine and wrap it with the handkerchief before coming back.¡± *TL/N: Styptic medicine is medicine that stops bleeding. With a much brighter face, Selphius nodded his head passionately. Theodore, who was listening to the conversation with his arms crossed, massaged his forehead. ¡°You heard her, Selphi? Be thankful to the Grand Duchess. She¡¯s the one who actively pushed for you to attend the academy. Theodore¡¯s gaze, which was aimed towards me, was hot rather than stinging. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll really be careful. I¡¯ll be good! I won¡¯t run, and instead, walk very lightly!¡± Ignoring Theodore¡¯s hot gaze, I looked towards Selphius¡¯ plate, which was still far from empty. ¡°Hurry and eat your breakfast for now.¡± And don¡¯t avoid the vegetables. I put the vegetables that Selphius had pushed to the edges of his plate onto a fork. With pained sounds, Selphius began a staring contest with the vegetables. ¡°Did you decide which academy Selphi will be attending?¡± ¡°Noble families usually attend Delfanil Academy, so it¡¯d probably be best to send him there.¡± ¡°So did you attend that academy as well?¡± At my words, Theodore stopped what he was saying and closed his mouth. His face was filled with affliction. ¡°I didn¡¯t attend an academy.¡± ¡°Huh? Then¡­¡± Suddenly, I thought of the past abuse Sercia had told me about. She said she¡¯d lived in a storage room with no light. ¡®Oh yeah, Sercia said she was abused by her mother when she was young. Then did Theo too¡­?¡¯ Seeing his face crumpling from recalling an unpleasant childhood memory, I quickly changed the subject. ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m meeting the lawyer you introduced me to today.¡± The conflicted expression on Theodore¡¯s face disappeared. After a moment of silence, he stared at me before briefly repeating. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m planning on going to the lawyer¡¯s office today.¡± ¡°Going? Why?¡± Selphius furrowed his eyebrows, as if he couldn¡¯t understand at all. ¡°If you need something from them, just tell them to come. Why would Your Highness the Grand Duchess go personally?¡± I would¡¯ve never guessed that reply. ¡­You high-ranked, powerful heir. It was obvious he couldn¡¯t understand. After all, others came to him his entire life, so he never had to move somewhere himself for work. ¡°I wanted to go out with you to the office, Selphi¡­¡± At my words, Selphius¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°With me?¡± ¡°Yup. I wanted to drop you off at the academy you¡¯ll be attending so you could explore it beforehand. And I was planning on visiting once I finished my conversation with the lawyer.¡± It almost seemed like there was a tail wagging behind Selphius¡¯ back. ¡°Now that I think about it, sometimes it¡¯s a good idea to visit people too. Check that the carriage¡¯s wheels are in good condition while we¡¯re at it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. And since it¡¯s dangerous to go out alone, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Him being so easy to read was cute to death. ¡°Then hurry and eat without leaving any leftovers.¡± Once I pointed at the plentiful vegetables left on his plate with my eyes, Selphius¡¯ lips resolutely protruded before lifting his fork. ¡°If it¡¯s too much, you don¡¯t need to take care of Selphi. I can take him to the academy¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re busy preparing for the festival. It¡¯s a festival happening in the Capital hosted by the Imperial family, so there must be a lot you need to prepare for.¡± Theodore didn¡¯t reply. That silence was an answer in itself. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I feel reassured if I go out with Selphi.¡± Although we were a contract couple to an extent, I could do this much. After I smiled widely, Theodore tightened his lips into a straight line, before handing a baguette to me. ¡°Why a baguette¡­.?¡± ¡°Eat it.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t this your breakfast?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t eat baguettes.¡± Weren¡¯t you happily eating a baguette earlier? Pushing his own baguette and pudding to me, Theodore silently only ate salad. * * * ¡°Your Highness the Grand Duchess, this is so difficult. I¡¯m not sure what it means.¡± As soon as we left the lawyer office, Rebecca grabbed her head, shaking it. ¡°To be honest, same.¡± I get that I¡¯m competent, but law terminology is just too difficult. The part that I did understand was simple. There are three circumstances in which my step-mother and Reina can sue me for being ineligible for the inheritance. The first was falsifying the will, the second was if I¡¯d used the will as a means to blackmail someone, and the third was if I¡¯d murdered my father. Although all three circumstances were not true, I had no way of telling what the others would sue me for, so it was better to be safe than sorry by preparing beforehand. ¡°Rebecca, please check on my family often. If something¡¯s strange, tell me.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to do that!¡± Looking at Rebecca burning with passion, I awkwardly laughed. Rebecca had said that after one amasses a big fortune, even if you were on good terms with your family, your relationship with them could go astray. To Rebecca, whose family¡¯s wealth had declined rapidly, it seemed like she had experienced that before. ¡°Now we¡¯re going to meet Young Master Selphius, right?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Then, should we go see His Excellency the Grand Duke¡¯s statue before we go to Young Master Selphius?¡± ¡°Statue?¡± There was a statue of Theodore here? Seeing my widened eyes, Rebecca looked at me with an incredulous expression. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Since this festival is celebrating His Excellency the Grand Duke and His Majesty the Emperor, two statues were built in the plaza!¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± ¡°Did His Excellency the Grand Duke not mention it?¡± There¡¯s no way we would talk to each other about something like that. ¡°M-Maybe I did hear about it¡­¡± ¡°His Excellency the Grand Duke will be sad! You¡¯re still newlyweds!¡± Slyly laughing at me, Rebecca pulled my arm. ¡°This way, Your Highness!¡± I have to act like I am Grand Duchess Lapileon to others, so¡­ I should go see it, shouldn¡¯t I? Following Rebecca, I walked towards the plaza. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t far off from the lawyer¡¯s office. When I got there, there were floods of people in the plaza, and everyone was concentrated in one place. ¡°Everyone must have come to see His Excellency the Grand Duke¡¯s statue since he¡¯s such a cool person!¡± To say that¡¯s the reason, isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s reaction strange? And there are far too many people¡­ I can¡¯t even see the erected statue. Sensing the strange atmosphere, I made my way through the people. My footsteps stopped at the middle of the plaza, where the statue should have been standing. ¡°What is this¡­¡± My face hardened to stone. Rebecca, who was following behind me with a smile, quickly changed to an expression of shock, before shouting. ¡°W-Who dares to do this to His Excellency the Grand Duke¡¯s statue¡­?!¡± Shattered pieces of Theodore¡¯s statue littered the ground. It was wrecked to a point that you wouldn¡¯t be able to make out who it was. It was obvious someone had destroyed it on purpose. ¡­Is this the work of the person who wrote the extra about me? Staring at the fragments underneath my feet, I told Rebecca, ¡°Rebecca, call a worker right now and tell them to get rid of this mess.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I got it!¡± ¡°And call the guard as well.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Rebecca was quick-witted. Without hesitating at my firm commands, she started running. Those who had gathered to see the broken statue glanced at me and slowly started to leave. Just you wait. If I catch you¡­ Shortly after, the guard that Rebecca had called came running. ¡°G-Greetings to Your Highness the Grand Duchess!¡± ¡°Since His Excellency the Grand Duke¡¯s statue is broken, make sure nobody can come near here.¡± Seeing Theodore¡¯s broken statue on the ground, the guard was so surprised he choked. ¡°I-It definitely wasn¡¯t like this when I was patrolling in the morning¡­!¡± Then someone must¡¯ve broken it later in the day. ¡®In such a large plaza, a place where masses of people pass through, they were able to break the statue without anyone knowing?¡¯ Feeling a strange sense of disharmony, I tilted my head. Regardless of what the situation was, I had to dig further in what happened during that time frame. ¡°You must find and arrest the criminal who broke the statue of His Excellency the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With a loud reply, the guard quickly set up a barricade so that no one would be able to enter the plaza. After watching him do that, I returned to the carriage and headed off to the academy, where Selphius was waiting for me. * * * ¡°Children often lose their sense of time and forget appointments when having fun.¡± What am I doing here? ¡°If you wait a little bit longer, they¡¯ll run out excitedly.¡± ¡°I heard they can start living in dorms starting from grade seven, right? Once they do, things might become more lax.¡± ¡°My daughter hates dorms, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to send her to one.¡± I definitely only came to pick Selphius up. ¡°I never thought that I would meet Grand Duchess Lapileon here. I heard rumors that the Young Lord had come to the capital¡­ Will he be attending Delfanil Academy?¡± ¡°Oh my, then he and my child can become friends.¡± ¡°I heard you received an incredible inheritance, as expected!¡± Why isn¡¯t Selphius coming to the place we promised to meet at¡­ ¡°Everyone, calm down. Look at her, poor Grand Duchess Lapileon is trembling because she¡¯s overwhelmed.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right¡­ As expected, Her Highness Princess Dahlia is so thoughtful.¡± ¡­and why is Princess Dahlia here instead?! Surrounded by several noble wives, I saw Dahlia who was smiling more delicately than usual. As soon as we made eye contact, Dahlia covered her mouth with a fan before kindly smiling. ¡°It seems you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°N-No, not particularly¡­¡± ¡°The young princess goes to this academy, and I promised to come pick her up today.¡± Young princess¡­ She must be talking about the Seventh Princess, who Theodore married in my previous life. Ugh, I just had to get stuck between these wives waiting to pick up their young children¡­! ¡°There was something I¡¯ve been wanting to give to you, Grand Duchess Lapileon, so things worked out.¡± But I want to reject it though? Although Dahlia¡¯s voice was kind, her eyes were full of poison. As if she had been waiting for this day, she gave me something for everyone to see. ¡°¡­This is?¡± ¡°An invitation.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Seeing that I wasn¡¯t accepting it, Dahlia pushed it into my hand, smiling. ¡°I wanted to invite you to the Palace.¡± Chapter 12 - The Savior’s Appearance She had to be crazy. Why would this be given to me? The invitation that had been shoved into my hand felt heavy. ¡°Wow, you should¡¯ve invited us too.¡± ¡°An invitation from Her Highness the Princess¡­ I¡¯m so jealous.¡± The noble wives congratulated me with gazes of envy. If you¡¯re so jealous, you guys go instead! ¡®What excuse can I give to refuse this invitation?¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to get involved with Dahlia any more than I already was. But no matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn¡¯t think of a suitable answer. I glared at the invitation in my hands. ¡°It seems that Grand Duchess Lapileon doesn¡¯t appreciate the invitation. You haven¡¯t said anything.¡± ¡°Thank you for the invitation. I¡¯ll visit later, after checking my schedule.¡± Later. Maybe in about 30 years? I¡¯ll probably go at least one time before I die! Dahlia crinkled the sides of her eyes and smiled as she approached me. ¡°Since your body is so precious, you shouldn¡¯t do it yourself if you¡¯re busy. Just let the lower ones do it for you.¡± ¡°I can decide that for myself quite well.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then you shouldn¡¯t be so busy. When will that ¡®later¡¯ be?¡± I could feel her strong desire to select a date today. ¡°To be honest, my body condition hasn¡¯t been the best lately, so I can¡¯t give you a definite answer.¡± ¡°Oh no, what a shame to hear your body isn¡¯t well. Then I must invite you to the palace even sooner. We have quite talented doctors at the palace, you see.¡± ¡°No. When ill, it¡¯s best to rest at home.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re sick, you must receive treatment from the best doctors in the Empire.¡± ¡°Who knows what disease it is? If it¡¯s infectious, it¡¯d be a terrible inconvenience if it spread to Your Highness the Princess, so I must be cautious.¡± ¡°If it was infectious, you wouldn¡¯t be going around like you are now. So it seems that¡¯s not the case.¡± Our battle continued endlessly. Seeing how she was trying to invite me at any cost, I strengthened my resolve to not go even more. ¡®If I go, I¡¯ll die!¡¯ An alarm kept ringing inside of my head. And just as Dahlia¡¯s smiling red mouth was about to open again, ¡°Your Highness the Grand Duchess!¡± I could see Selphius approaching quickly as he called me loudly from afar. He ran to my side and stuck closely to me, his wary gaze aimed at Dahlia. ¡°I greet Your Highness the Princess.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. It would¡¯ve been fine if you came a bit slower. What a shame.¡± Preparing for the worst, Selphius put his hands on his red ruby earrings. ¡®Just what is he about to do?!¡¯ After I saw him repeat the actions that he¡¯d taken in his fight with Siph, I pulled him back in surprise. ¡°Selphi, just what are you¡­!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°If you keep doing this¡­ Huh? What?¡± I was about to start scolding him, but was taken aback and fell speechless at his concern. ¡®Why is he suddenly asking me if I¡¯m okay?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t reply easily because I didn¡¯t know the meaning behind his question. Selphius wrinkled his forehead in frustration at my silence. ¡°Your Highness the Grand Duchess. I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re okay, and if you¡¯re not hurt anywhere.¡± ¡°Oh my, if someone heard, they¡¯d think I was bothering Grand Duchess Lapileon. Nothing happened, Young Lord Lapileon.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking Your Highness the Princess, but Her Highness the Grand Duchess.¡± At Selphius¡¯s sharp actions, I shook my head at him in surprise, motioning at him not to. ¡®Why are you so on edge! The person you¡¯re talking to is a crazy psycho!¡¯ Selphius shouldn¡¯t know that we¡¯re on bad terms, though? Not to mention, he probably doesn¡¯t know she¡¯s a crazy princess since she¡¯s smiling right now. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I simply gave Grand Duchess Lapileon an invitation.¡± Even at Dahlia¡¯s reassurance, Selphius turned to me for confirmation. ¡°Is that the truth?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I did receive an invitation.¡± It wasn¡¯t wrong. Since she had yet to do anything today. ¡®For now,¡¯ that is. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Then that¡¯s a relief.¡± Selphius dropped the hand that had been holding the ruby earrings, before mumbling quietly so only I could hear. ¡°I was taken aback by how scared Your Highness the Grand Duchess¡¯s expression was from afar.¡± So that¡¯s why he ran here and was so wary of Dahlia. Was my expression that bad? ¡°If someone is bothering you, just tell me.¡± I looked at Selphius through narrow eyes. Then, grabbing both his hands so he wouldn¡¯t be able to touch his earrings, I whispered to him. ¡°You haven¡¯t already forgotten my words from this morning, right? Selphi.¡± ¡°I do remember. However.¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°If someone dares to bother Your Highness the Grand Duchess, I won¡¯t let them be. It¡¯s alright if I live in the countryside by myself for the rest of my life.¡± I could feel Selphius¡¯ sincerity. At the child¡¯s unconditional faith, I was shocked into a loss for words. After confirming there wasn¡¯t a big problem, Selphius looked around at everyone. Then, as if wanting everyone to hear, he spoke loudly. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the residence, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.¡± It seemed like he was warning everyone that he was there at my side, so no one should touch me. ¡®Seeing him growl, even though he¡¯s so small, makes him seem like a cat¡­ No, maybe a cute dog?¡¯ Regardless, it was clear that thankfully enough, he had the intent to save me from this hellhole. As I was nodding my head in assent and was about to leave, Dahlia stopped me. ¡°It¡¯s the first time the Grand Duchess has been out in a long time, so why don¡¯t you go first, Young Lord Lapileon?¡± No! Too bad! I¡¯m going back with Selphius! ¡°No, I¡¯ve been waiting for Selphi, and he¡¯s here now¡­ So it¡¯d be best if we took our leave. Let¡¯s go, Selphi.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your first time out in a while, so stay a bit longer. You don¡¯t seem sick today, so let¡¯s go to a delicious tea house in the area and drink some tea together.¡± As Dahlia smiled and tried to approach me, Selphius blocked her quickly. ¡°Her Highness the Grand Duchess has rejected you already, so I¡¯ll take her back to the residence.¡± Dahlia¡¯s eyebrows flinched. Looking down at Selphius, her eyes lost their color and became cold. ¡°¡­How lucky of you, Grand Duchess. Like a flower in a greenhouse, it seems he¡¯s preciously protecting you.¡± Dahlia¡¯s voice dropped a tone. Although Selphius didn¡¯t know the situation, he must have gotten a brief sense of the atmosphere, for he didn¡¯t budge an inch. ¡°That¡¯s because the Grand Duchess is a precious person who must exist in our family.¡± Dahlia¡¯s face crumpled up erratically, seemingly losing her wits after hearing him refer to me as a ¡°precious person¡±. ¡°His Excellency himself told me to make sure that not a single bug gets in her path.¡± ¡°¡­A bug.¡± Dahlia bit her lower lip harshly, causing a drop of blood to form. It seemed her patience had reached its limit. ¡®Who knows what that crazy bitch will do!¡¯ It seemed like she might hit someone at any moment. Selphius was blocking my way, so I quickly hugged him and hid him behind me. It was then. ¡°It seems you were all here.¡± The voice of a person with the ability to resolve this situation rang through the air. At his sudden appearance, the noble wives covered their mouths with their hands and bowed their heads, while Dahlia took a step back. ¡°It seems we meet again, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Your appearance was like that of a savior,¡± Dahlia mocked as she watched Theodore, who came to my side, and Selphius, who kept looking at her warily. ¡°Wow.¡± After glancing at Selphius and I, he casually stepped in front of us, hiding us behind his back. Standing behind his wide back, my unease melted away like snow. ¡°To make such a fuss just because of one invitation. If I invited the Grand Duchess twice, my head might go flying.¡± Looking around at the noble wives around her, she laughed. ¡°It might even seem like I¡¯m harassing the Grand Duchess.¡± As if warning her, Theodore looked down at her as he spoke in a low voice. ¡°There¡¯s no way the wise princess would ever harass the Grand Duchess in a place where everyone could see, right? Although you might be able to do that if you met with her separately.¡± At the direct shot, Dahlia gave a chilly smile. Her red lips closed tightly. The noble wives who were watching did the same. With his appearance, the atmosphere was resolved smoothly. ¡°If you have anything else to say, please do so now. Since it¡¯s difficult for both my wife and I to give you time.¡± Instead of replying, Dahlia stared at Theodore with a deep gaze. That gaze must have been uncomfortable, as Theodore crumpled his face. ¡°Since it seems there¡¯s nothing, we¡¯ll take our leave.¡± ¡°¡­Take your leave.¡± As soon as Dahlia gave her permission, Theodore turned his body, as if he¡¯d been waiting for it. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, both of you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Selphius removed himself from my arms. Then, he promptly jumped onto the carriage that I had arrived on, and closed the door with a slam. ¡°I¡¯ll return first with the carriage that the Grand Duchess rode here in, so the two of you take your time and return in His Excellency¡¯s carriage.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± I locked eyes with Selphius. He smiled with a satisfied expression. No, you don¡¯t have to! Don¡¯t be considerate of me! Before I could even reach out to him, the coachman started driving the carriage at Selphius¡¯ order. ¡®Damnit.¡¯ Although I watched the carriage that was getting further away with an astonished expression, the carriage did not return. ¡°Let¡¯s take our leave too.¡± A calm Theodore opened the door of his carriage and reached out a hand to me. At his actions that weren¡¯t anything special, the noble wives started exclaiming ¡®Oh my, oh my!¡¯ Of course they would. Since Duke Lapileon had never escorted anyone until now, although that was probably because he had been avoiding physical contact. ¡®Hah, I¡¯m tired.¡¯ I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Giving up, I grabbed my forehead with one hand, and Theodore¡¯s hand with the other, getting onto the carriage. Dahlia just silently watched this series of actions. Shortly after, the carriage started off safely. Only after we had left that scene did I open my mouth, which had been clenched tight in fear. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± ¡°Your lady-in-waiting returned to the residence first. Seeing that you didn¡¯t arrive even though you¡¯d left first to pick Selphi up, I came to check on you.¡± Rebecca, nice one. ¡°What did you discuss with the Princess? Nothing strange like getting your hair cut happened, right?¡± Instead of responding, I stared at the invitation that was still in my hands. ¡°It must be because others were at the scene, but she didn¡¯t do anything. All she did was invite me to the palace.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be best to burn that invitation.¡± ¡°Eh, is it okay to burn an invitation from the royal family?¡± Taking the invitation from my hand and putting it into his pocket, Theodore snorted. ¡°They won¡¯t know whether I burned it or not, so who cares?¡± That was true. After I nodded in understanding, Theodore asked. ¡°I¡¯m asking just in case, but you weren¡¯t planning on actually going, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go even if you push my back and tell me to go. I hate going towards my death, you see.¡± ¡°How wise¡­ Something like today might happen again.¡± If Selphius attends Delfanil Academy, there might be more incidents where I bump into the Princess, just like today. ¡°If you dislike it, we can switch Selphius to a different academy.¡± Although it was an attractive offer¡­ After considering it for a while, I shook my head. ¡°I heard all prestigious families go to this academy? Then our Selphi has to go there.¡± ¡°Will you be okay?¡± ¡°We can ask Rebecca to send and pick up Selphi. If I don¡¯t go to pick him up, it¡¯ll be fine. Send him to Delfanil Academy.¡± I couldn¡¯t let Selphius give up on the things he should be enjoying because of that crazy princess! ¡°Will you be okay?¡± ¡°If Princess Dahlia has truly made up her mind to keep meeting me, it won¡¯t matter if we switch academies.¡± Theodore nodded, seemingly agreeing with what I said. ¡°But still, if your mind changes at any point, let me know.¡± ¡°I will.¡± He was surprisingly quite considerate of me, seeing how he was planning on changing the academy of the heir of this family just for me, even though I was only here because of a one-year contract. ¡®He¡¯s quite different from the rumors.¡¯ Absent-mindedly, I stared at Theodore¡¯s face. The thought that his menacing-looking face must have played a role in spreading those rumors came to mind. Even though he was just staying still, he gave off such a dirty impression. His chin was sharp, his nose was sharp. Even his eyes were sharp. Was he a saw blade, or what? Look how menacing his face appeared. Even those red eyes¡­ ¡°Why do you keep looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Ack! Your face looks menac¡­ Ah, no no!¡± Surprised at how suddenly our eyes locked, the thoughts in my head came out of my mouth. ¡°¡­Menacing?¡± Theodore wrinkled his brows. Crossing his arms, he stared at me carefully. ¡°You¡¯re not talking about me, right?¡± I was. ¡°No way. So¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°So, um¡­¡± ¡°So, um?¡± Head, work. Brain, think. ¡°The person with a menacing face¡­¡± ¡°The menacing face?¡± ¡°¡­Is the lawyer that I met today!¡± It was a laughable excuse. ¡°Lawyer?¡± ¡°Y-You know how I met a lawyer today. His face was much more menacing than I thought it¡¯d be.¡± But I had to make it believable. I made excuses with all that I could, although Theodore just kept listening with an apathetic expression. ¡°So? How was your conversation with the lawyer with the menacing face?¡± Phew, it seemed he believed it somehow. ¡°Um¡­ The law terminology was difficult, so I don¡¯t remember it that well, but we discussed situations where your inheritance gets cancelled.¡± ¡°Falsifying the will, blackmail, or murder?¡± ¡°Oh, you know it well?¡± ¡°¡­Was your family talking about that?¡± As I nodded, Theodore spoke with a cold voice. ¡°They¡¯re quite impressive, in a sense.¡± I thought so too. As if he understood, he let out a low sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s a skillful lawyer, so he¡¯ll be of help to you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The carriage was filled with silence. I felt fatigue rush over me suddenly. Hearing the constant sound of the wheels turning, I looked outside the window at the quickly passing view. ¡®When I return, I should sleep a bit.¡¯ It was when I was thinking this that Theodore spoke. ¡°I heard from your lady-in-waiting.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°That you sorted out the wreckage of the statue?¡± ¡­Rebecca. Why did you tell him that? I was trying to avoid telling him so he wouldn¡¯t get upset. ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t the one who sorted it out. I just ordered them to sort it out.¡± ¡°Thank you for saving me some trouble.¡± Even though he¡¯d heard that his statue had been desecrated, Theodore was calm, as if it was someone else¡¯s issue. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± ¡°Worried about what?¡± ¡°His Majesty¡¯s statue was fine, although it was next to yours. It¡¯s only your statue that was destroyed.¡± ¡°So?¡± So? Wait, did he have no awareness? Or did he simply lack the ability to understand? ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried, since someone acted out of ill intent for you?¡± ¡°Did you worry about me?¡± ¡°Who? Me?¡± Ha, gosh! ¡°Do I seem like I¡¯d worry about you?¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± I swear, should I just hit him on the head? As I was wondering whether or not I should form a fist, pretend I¡¯m crazy and just hit him once, Theodore spoke. ¡°I told you last time.¡± ¡°You told me to hit you last time?¡± Whoops, my mistake. Theodore stared at me with a gaze wondering what kind of nonsense I was spouting. So focused on thinking about hitting him, I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°That the Lapileon family has many enemies. I definitely told you.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m used to stuff like this. It¡¯s not something to make a fuss about.¡± To think he¡¯s used to being threatened. How ironic. ¡°So what has to happen for you to make a fuss and be surprised?¡± Theodore, who had been indifferently staring out the window, turned his head at my question. The sun must have begun to set, for Theodore¡¯s face was aglow with a red tone. ¡°Who knows.¡± ¡°I swear¡­¡± ¡°If you ever get hurt or threatened, I¡¯ll be sure to make a fuss.¡± The sky that had been painted by the sun eventually lit my face in red as well. ¡°As if.¡± ¡°For real. Trust me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m moved to tears.¡± After our short exchange, I rested my chin on the windowsill and watched the passing scenery. The whole world was colored in red. Chapter 13 - Delicious Things Are Filled With Poison Theodore¡¯s statue was replaced with a new one in the square. Perhaps it was because the security was particularly strict now, but thankfully enough, no one damaged it even after several days. ¡°Today, Sercia sent us some lobster.¡± Looking at the lobster that was too big to be considered breakfast, Theodore laughed as if at a loss for words. As soon as he did that, the butler cut it into bite-size pieces and placed it onto Theodore¡¯s plate. He then nodded and good-naturedly responded, ¡°She visited a port city for work and personally sent someone to deliver it early this morning because she thought of the Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°Last time it was sheep, before then it was financiers, and the time before then¡­ what was it?¡± TL/N: Financiers are a type of French bread. ¡°Beef,¡± Selphius replied, taking a piece of lobster meat and putting it into his mouth before chewing. ¡°Oh, yeah. It was beef¡­ Thanks to you, all of us are enjoying these luxuries.¡± Each time Sercia visited a new area, she sent me its specialty product. Smiling, I put a piece of lobster meat into my mouth. The chewy yet soft meat melted on my tongue. ¡°It¡¯s so good!¡± I couldn¡¯t help my surprised exclamation from coming out. Rebecca laughed and scrunched her nose as I widened my eyes and covered my mouth with my hand before she filled my cup with water. ¡°Apparently, because it¡¯s so fresh, the kitchen is also preparing it so you can enjoy it raw! Eat lots, Your Highness!¡± When I usually ate with the family, it was just us and the butler while everyone else who¡¯d serve us was sent out. But after the recent arrival of so many delicious ingredients, Rebecca began waiting on me so I could eat with ease. Eating something so tasty made me feel pretty good. Even Theodore and Selphius were enjoying this morning. I had a strangely good feeling that everything would go well today. ¡®I wish it was always like this!¡¯ It was a flawless morning lacking nothing. ¡°¡­?¡± That is, until now. ¡°Huh?¡± The tip of my tongue suddenly started tingling. Feeling something strange, I stopped eating and frowned. I tried rolling my tongue inside of my mouth. ¡°Huuuh?¡± It felt weird and stubby, as if it wasn¡¯t my tongue. ¡°What is it?¡± Theodore noticed something was wrong and stopped eating to ask. My tongue, which had felt stubby, could no longer move. It happened in a single moment. Before I could even be surprised, that feeling spread throughout my entire body. Clang! The fork and knife in my hand fell onto the floor with a sharp sound. ¡°Your Highness?¡± Selphius¡¯ eyes widened as he stared at me. I was absurdly used to this feeling. ¡®Ah, again? Why did it have to happen now? Who was it this time?¡¯ I quickly stared at them while complaining to myself. It seemed like I¡¯d ingested one of the two¡¯s blood, but neither appeared to be bleeding from the outside. ¡®My lobster¡­!¡¯ And I¡­ ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°¡­Pershati!¡± ¡°Your Highness!¡± ¡°Kya! Your Highness!¡± After crying out, I banged my head on the table and fainted. * * * The entire Lapileon household was turned inside out after seeing Pershati suddenly lose consciousness and faint. Rebecca ran, saying she¡¯d call a doctor, and Theodore quickly moved the unconscious Pershati into the bedroom. Pershati let out rough breaths on top of the bed, as if tortured by the pain. At the sight of that, Theodore hurriedly scanned his own body. He was checking if he had any wounds he wasn¡¯t aware of, but there were none. ¡°Selphi!¡± After he finished the inspection of his own body, Theodore roughly called for Selphius. He then thoroughly scanned over Selphius, who¡¯d followed him. ¡°I¡¯ve already checked, Your Excellency. There¡¯s no problem.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Theodore who was used to stuff like this. As soon as Pershati collapsed, Selphius had already checked his own body. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Selphius walked by Theodore and approached the suffering Pershati. ¡°Your Excellency, calm down. This is unlike you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Her Highness woke up even after ingesting our blood, which is much stronger than normal poison.¡± After sitting on the chair next to the bed, Selphius reached to grab Pershati¡¯s hand before hesitating. ¡°So she¡¯ll be fine this time as well, and wake up.¡± In the end, Selphius¡¯ hand, which had been hovering in midair, was unable to grasp Pershati¡¯s. It was the innocent consideration of a child, just in case, Pershati would be in more pain if she touched him because of the poison in his blood¡ªthough there was no way that would happen. Theodore roughly swept his hair up at Selphius¡¯ logical words. Pershati¡¯s complexion was so pale that you could notice it even from a distance. ¡°And the doctor?¡± ¡°The Grand Duchess¡¯ lady-in-waiting went to call him.¡± ¡°¡­The symptoms are the same as when she consumed our blood, but it¡¯s definitely not our blood, right?¡± ¡°Neither Your Excellency nor I are bleeding anywhere. There¡¯s no way it was us.¡± ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s an issue with the food?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± With a tearful face, Selphius looked up at the angry Theodore. His lips trembled anxiously. ¡°Even if there was poison in the food, we wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it¡­¡± He was correct. That was the only benefit in having the curse of poison in their blood: no matter what deadly poison they consumed, they wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it. That was why they were in this situation. Biting down hard on his lower lip, Theodore kicked the desk with his foot. ¡°Damnit! Just when is the doctor coming?¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was heard. Theodore ran out of the bedroom and reprimanded the running doctor. ¡°Your steps are so slow!¡± Then, he took the heavily-breathing doctor by the nape of his neck before roughly throwing him to Pershati¡¯s side. ¡°O-One moment¡­ Y-Your Excellency¡­¡± ¡°Do something¡ªanything¡ªnow.¡± Facing someone who seemed ready to kill him on the spot, the doctor rapidly took the medical gloves out of his bag without even greeting him. ¡°I-I¡¯ll take a look.¡± The doctor carefully examined the precarious Pershati, who was breathing weakly like she was on the verge of death. Tilting his head, the doctor started glancing over at Theodore. ¡°A-Ahem. T-The Grand Duchess¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and examine her.¡± He didn¡¯t have a good feeling. Theodore, swearing lowly at the doctor, crooked a finger at the butler. ¡°Uncle Finneas should be in the Capital right now because of the Extra incident from a few days ago. Find and bring him right away.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± Being commanded to find and bring someone no one knew the whereabouts of was outrageous. However, the butler nodded and exited the bedroom quickly. After confirming that he¡¯d left, Theodore called Selphius this time. ¡°Selphi.¡± ¡°Y-Yes?¡± Selphius, who hadn¡¯t been able to take his eyes off of Pershati, replied with a worried expression. ¡°Go down and make sure they don¡¯t throw out any of the food or ingredients from today¡¯s breakfast.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already called the knights and made sure they banned all entry into the kitchen, so don¡¯t worry about that. Just in case, I also ordered them to ensure the chef didn¡¯t escape.¡± Theodore looked at Selphius with surprise. Then, he lightly patted the child¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re better than me. Not sending you back to the countryside was a good decision¡­¡± Even at Theodore¡¯s compliment, which was very rare to hear, Selphius didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°Will the Grand Duchess be okay¡­?¡± ¡°The doctor will examine her. Since the butler went to go find Uncle Finneas, let¡¯s just wait.¡± ¡°¡­Your uncle is in the Capital?¡± ¡°The Extra incident from before was probably resolved so cleanly because of Aunt Gloria¡¯s work. If Aunt Gloria is in the Capital, then Uncle Finneas is definitely here too.¡± ¡°G-Grandmother is in the Capital?¡± ¡°Probably. The only person who could resolve something regarding the Lapileon family so neatly is Aunt Gloria.¡± Watching the two conversing quietly, the doctor approached while clearing his throat. ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I think the Grand Duchess has been poisoned.¡± Probably. Although it was the expected answer, hearing it firsthand from the doctor gave Theodore a nasty feeling. He ground his teeth. ¡°We need to detoxify it before her condition worsens¡­ And to do that, we need to find out what poison it is. The symptoms are in the preliminary stage right now¡­ s-so¡­¡± Seeing the pathetic doctor rambling, Theodore¡¯s red eyes shone with lunacy. ¡°Get to the point.¡± ¡°S-So¡­¡± ¡°In one sentence.¡± ¡°I think I need more time.¡± Theodore laughed slowly as if at a loss for words. While his hand approached the handle of the sword hanging from his waist, the doctor began spitting out excuses. ¡°B-Because there are still signs of paralyzation, and the only symptom I¡¯ve observed is losing consciousness in a single breath, I-I think it¡¯ll take time n-narrowing down w-what kind of p-poison it is¡­ T-Thus, we need to wait for the secondary symptoms of the poison to show up in order to know exactly what kind of poison was used¡­!¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡± Theodore ended up unsheathing the sword at his waist. Reflecting the light from the chandelier, the sword shone onto the paling face of the doctor. ¡°You¡¯re going to wait until the Grand Duchess¡¯ symptoms get worse in order to find out the traits of the poison?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± ¡°And if the Grand Duchess dies in that process, are you just going to report her death as caused by, oh, this poison?¡± ¡°S-So¡­¡± The doctor was busy following the sword in front of his nose, which was moving as if performing a sword dance, with his eyes. Selphius spoke while pityingly watching the incompetent doctor¡¯s inability to provide a decisive answer. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for your Uncle as well.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± As soon as he heard the command, Selphius shot out of the bedroom like an arrow. The doctor watched him with envious eyes because he, too, wanted to flee the bedroom. To think he¡¯d be stuck with the Grand Duchess, who had almost no hope for survival, and the Grand Duke, who was trying to save her at all costs. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°P-Pardon?¡± As he blankly stared at the wide-open bedroom door, he suddenly tilted his head to stare at Theodore, who was blocking it. ¡°Go save my wife.¡± The sword in his hand seemed to be signifying that if he couldn¡¯t save the Grand Duchess, he wouldn¡¯t be leaving this bedroom alive. Knowing he didn¡¯t have a choice, the doctor turned his body and trudged wearily to Pershati¡¯s side. She was on the verge of life and death. He had to do something. * * * The sun slowly set. Pershati faced several crises. Whenever that happened, the doctor became lost in contemplation as he sweated profusely and did all that he could. Well, to be honest, he could no longer tell if she was alive or dead now. The doctor glanced at her as she lay on top of the bed. It¡¯d been a long time since her pained body movements had stopped. It¡¯d also been a long time since her slowing breaths could no longer be heard. Her body, which was lying down with a pale white face, didn¡¯t move at all. He¡¯d sat for several hours reading books about poison, experimenting with various methods whenever he came across something with similar symptoms. However, there was no improvement. He¡¯d even force-fed Pershati a medicine to make her vomit so she¡¯d throw everything up, but that alone didn¡¯t solve anything. The doctor sweat profusely while reading the last page of the book. ¡®She won¡¯t live. She might even already be dead.¡¯ The doctor closed his eyes tightly as he watched Pershati, who¡¯d lost the liveliness in her complexion a long time ago. Pershati dying meant that he, too, would soon die. He wiped the tears welling up in his eyes with his sleeve as he closed the book. And right when he turned his head to beg for his life¡­ The sound of footsteps running up the stairs echoed through the residence. It was followed by wail-like shouts calling for Theodore. ¡°Y-Your Excellency! ¡­Your Excellency!¡± It was Selphius running up the stairs. Selphius gasped for air after he¡¯d run around so much that his hair and clothes had become dishevelled. ¡°I-I found¡­ huff huff, a-and brought him.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a big shadow was cast behind the child. ¡°Theo.¡± A nice-sounding baritone voice of a middle-aged man filled the air. It was a man of a similar height to Theodore. At his appearance, Theodore mumbled lowly. ¡°¡­Uncle.¡± Finneas Gun Lapileon. He was the Lapileon family¡¯s doctor. ¡°Let¡¯s greet each other properly later.¡± Patting Theodore lightly on his shoulder, Finneas passed him and walked toward the bed Pershati was on. Then, he spoke words that gave the despaired doctor hope. ¡°I¡¯ll look after her from now on, so you can take your leave.¡± As soon as Finneas finished speaking, the doctor picked up his medicinal bag and hurriedly left the bedroom. Looking at Pershati¡¯s face, which was not only pale but also devoid of any liveliness, Finneas began moving quickly. He took out a small scalpel from the bag he¡¯d brought with him. After disinfecting Pershati¡¯s index finger with a cotton pad, he moved the scalpel toward it. Chapter 14 As if I were spitting out a breath that I had compressed, I regained consciousness. ¡®Ah, I feel like I¡¯ve immediately come to my senses because of the smell of alcohol which stings the nose.¡¯ As soon as I opened my heavy eyelids the bright dazzling light of the chandelier hit me. At the bright light piercing my eyes I scrunched my forehead unconsciously. After I raised my hand and blocked the light I looked around. ¡®It¡¯s the bedroom.¡¯ What happened last? I remember eating the delicious lobster that Sercia had gifted and then feeling my tongue tip tingle and my throat became dry, and I lost consciousness along with pain. ¡®Did I eat someone¡¯s blood out of the two again?¡¯ Seeing how I¡¯m lying in a bed I haven¡¯t died yet. As soon as I rolled my tongue around back and forth making sure that it was moving properly I heard an unfamiliar voice. ¡°You¡¯ve awoken.¡± Startled by the unfamiliar low voice I turned my head and there was a man i had met for the first time smiling brightly at me. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ No matter how much I stared at him he was not someone that I had seen even in the past. And there would be no way that Theodore or Selphius would let a suspicious person into the estate. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself later. ¡­How is your state? Can you talk?¡± Talk? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you try and follow my finger with your eyes?¡± While smiling he raised his long ginger and moved it right and left. Without knowing the reason I moved my eyes back and forth following his finger. ¡°Good. Can you clench and unclench your fist? And move your toes.¡± ¡°I think everything is good.¡± Only after carefully checking that even my toes can move he nodded his head. ¡°Luckily it seems the detoxification went well. And it looks like you don¡¯t have paralysis, it¡¯s good.¡± Detoxification? I tilted my head. ¡°Do I need detoxification?¡± Even though I¡¯ll probably wake up on my own after eating blood after soe time? At my question the man smiled. ¡°Were you not going to detox after eating poison?¡± ¡°Poison?¡± Did I not eat the two people¡¯s blood? I continuously blinked my eye with a confused expression. Come to think of it, why did they call a doctor if I fainted after I ate blood? ¡°¡­since you¡¯ve been forcibly woken up your throat will be swollen and your stomach will have a lot of pressure on it. I¡¯ll prescribe medicine so please take it twice a day. I¡¯ll leave medicine with the butler.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I think he may be a doctor but¡­ his face looks similar to Theodore. ¡°And in order to collect some blood there is a wound on your index finger. I had to check that the antidote was correct before I fed you it through your blood.¡± Now that he mentions it there is a bandage on my finger¡­ So that¡¯s why. I had thought that I had hurt it when I had fainted. ¡°Thanks to your help¡­¡± ¡°No. Out of the antidotes that I had there was not one that would completely treat you. In truth, it was not possible to figure out even what poison you ate. It¡¯s almost like the curse put on the family.¡± Curse on the family? ¡°I used medicine that can neutralize the poison as best as I can. It¡¯s really a relief that you¡¯ve woken up. ¡­put medicine on your finger in the morning and evenings and in order for it to not get worse, please change the bandage. I apologize for injuring you without your permission.¡± ¡°Ah, no. It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to do alone so request Theo to help you.¡± Theo? Did he just call Theodore Theo? Talking about the family curse, and calling Theodore ¡®Theo¡¯. I stared at the man with narrowed eyes. The black hair and red eyes look very familiar. ¡°¡­Are you related to Theodore? Are you of the Lapileon family¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. My introduction is late. I am Finneas Gun Lapileon. Please just comfortably call me ¡®Finn¡¯. Gasp, as expected he was a person of the Lapileon family! As soon as I tried to sit up in surprise, Finneas while smiling kindly lightly pressed my shoulder down. ¡°Don¡¯t get up. Since your body hasn¡¯t recovered.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m Pershati Lapileon,¡± ¡°I know, I heard from Theo, and I heard from Selphi, and I heard about you often from Seci. Especially Seci, she sends letters about you to the point that it¡¯s annoying.¡± Ah, sister Seci¡­ Embarrassed, I covered my eyes with my hands. I heard Finneas laughing gently from close by. ¡°There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Seci who doesn¡¯t smile, Selphi who was always prickly, and Theo who never let people close to him. You¡¯re a good change. ¡°I-It just somehow came to be like that.¡± ¡°That;s right. Even though it ¡®somehow came to be¡¯ it¡¯ll have big meaning to the people who are accepting it. You don¡¯t know how surprised I was that Theo and Selphi, who especially don¡¯t move for other people, were going around looking for me.¡± Theodore and Selphi did? They were looking for him for me? They didn¡¯t look like people who would ever do that. ¡°Theo putting on that surprised of an expression, really¡­ ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°I saw it for the first time.¡± What? The first time ever? ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem as if you believe me.¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± If you¡¯re born in the Lapileon family are they born with the skill of being quick witted? Why do they catch on so quickly. ¡°But it¡¯s true. Theo isn¡¯t a kid that worries that much about others or himself.¡± I can really understand him not worrying about himself. Because no matter what happens he is stoic and acts like it¡¯s nothing! ¡°Especially Theo that child coming to find me frantically for someone else is something that I could have never imagined. ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± It¡¯s probably not even once or twice that he¡¯s seen me faint. Why did he go and find him so frantically? Is it because I¡¯m under a blanket? It felt like my face was heating up I continuously fanned my face with my hand. ¡°If you get hurt there are many people who will jump about so you¡¯ll have to be careful in the future. ¡­Please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll call for Theo and Silph.¡± As soon as Finneas left the bedroom, silence quickly fell over the room. Luckily, it seems as if there aren¡¯t only scary people in the Lapileon Family. Anyways. ¡®Did I really eat poison?¡¯ I thought that I had obviously collapsed after eating the two¡¯s blood. Because the sensation of fainting and waking up had been the same as that time. While I scratched my head with a confused expression the bedroom door burst open. When I turned my head Selphius stood there with a wild expression. ¡°Selphi.¡± ¡°Y-Your Highness.¡± As soon as I called the child¡¯s name, he ran over to the bedside as if he¡¯d been waiting. ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? If there¡¯s anyone that hurts even just a little bit you have to tell us. Do you understand? Are you fine now?¡± ¡°Ask one question at a time. I¡¯m not in pain, my body is a bit sore but it¡¯s bearable, and I think I will become better now.¡± As if strength in Selphius¡¯s legs left he sat down heavily in a chair while continuously saying, ¡®It¡¯s a relief, it¡¯s a relief.¡¯ Suddenly biting his wobbling lips hard he furiously rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. ¡®Why is he crying?¡¯ As I thought their reactions are too strange for it to be that I had eaten of the two¡¯s blood. I looked at Theodore who walked behind Selphius slowly with an expression asking for an explanation. As if something had happened in that time Theodore¡¯s face looked paler. He spoke with a low voice. ¡°You ate poison.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the blood of one of you?¡± I asked promptly. Since there is a possibility that Finneas may have been mistaken. Theodore will probably now say, ¡®That¡¯s right you ate blood again!¡¯ right? There¡¯s no reason for me to collapse other than having eaten someone¡¯s blood. There¡¯s no way that someone would have mixed in poison and tried to kill me. However the reply that came to me was different from what I had expected. ¡°No.¡± ¡°See I told you I ate blood¡­ what?¡± ¡°I believe that you ate actual poison and not our blood. We didn¡¯t even spill even a little bit of blood from our bodies. Just to make sure we checked even the underneath our fingernails but not a single drop of blood appeared.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definite that someone put in poison.¡± Theodore¡¯s voice, which was speaking lowly, sounded cold. No matter what I think it seems like I actually ate something poisonous. ¡®Gasp, then I really almost died?¡¯ I obviously only thought about waking up after eating blood, I didn¡¯t even think that someone was really trying to kill me. ¡°W-Why? Who?¡± I don¡¯t understand just who and for what reason put poison into my food. After hearing that someone had intentionally put poison in, my anger flared up for a moment. ¡°Just what jerk did it? Did you catch who did it?¡± The chef made the food themselves. And the main dish lobsters were sent Sercia herself. The other side dishes were probably bought separately at dawn but, it¡¯s a difficult environment for poison to be brought in from outside. Either it was done by someone on the inside, or there¡¯s an accomplice within. It¡¯s one of the two. ¡°Was I the only one to have eaten poison? You said that there was poison within the food. Selphi, are you okay? Theodore, what about you? ¡°Because we are cursed we have an immunity to all poisons. Even if there was poison in the food we would not have died.¡± Hearing how I was the only one to have experienced that pain, it¡¯s the silver lining among misfortune. But the person who put poison in definitely did not know about the Lapileon Family¡¯s curse. They definitely hoped after eating that food Theodore, Selphius, and I would die. Thinking about that it feels as if curses will burst out on their own. As soon as I just barely held back those for Selphius¡¯s sake, Theodore, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility.¡± The first words that he spoke as if they were just barely squeezed and spit out were not even asking if I was okay, or a funny joke. He who always said that he would protect me who had become his person like it was habit blurted out his guilt because he could not protect me. ¡°Like Sekphi said, we are not affected by poison. But you are different.¡± Theodore stared down at my bandaged finger with a deep gaze. ¡°I overlooked it. So everything is my responsibility.¡± After those words, Theodore fell into silence once more. Because that silence felt like an apology he was sending to me, my shoulders felt heavy. Having no other choice but to press down my surging anger, I sat up. Although Theodore dissuaded me, telling me I shouldn¡¯t get up yet, I shrugged him off, and got up. ¡°Did you catch the perpetrator who poisoned the food? And confirm the food that was poisoned?¡± ¡°¡­Mashed potatoes. A bird that flew in during the middle of the investigation ate some mashed potatoes and then died immediately on the spot.¡± Heok, instant death? What the hell? T-That could¡¯ve been my future! ¡°The assistant chef said they bought the potatoes themselves early this morning at the market.¡± ¡°And what about the assistant chef? Did you investigate them?¡± ¡°They left saying they had something to do before breakfast, and has yet to return.¡± Caught you, you bastard! Then it¡¯s highly likely that the assistant chef bastard is the one who did this. They poisoned the food and then escaped from the murder scene! ¡­Although it didn¡¯t end up being a murder scene. ¡°I sent someone to their house, but they¡¯d already organized things there a long time ago. It seemed like nobody had lived there for a while. They might have been planning this for a long time.¡± Theodore quietly dropped his gaze. Behind his long eyelashes I could see a silent fury and contempt towards himself within those red eyes. ¡°And if they¡¯ve been planning this for a long time, their goal was probably me. Since back then, neither you nor Selphi were here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You got caught up in my business. That¡¯s why it¡¯s my fault.¡± I quietly watched Theodore, who endlessly reproached himself. Just like when he¡¯d fought with Selphius, it seemed like he was hoping I¡¯d hate him. ¡°Listen well, Theodore. You are not the offender but a victim.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°The bad person is the assistant chef who poisoned the food and ran away, and not you. There was no way you could have known.¡± ¡°But this is all because of¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re acting liek this because you want to be hated, then stop. Since I have no plans on hating you.¡± Had I been sitting for too long? My stomach felt sick and my head was slowly starting to spin. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, but the bastard who poisoned the food and ran away¡­ Ugh.¡± As I retched, Finneas, who had been standing in front of the door, noticed quickly and approached. ¡°Are you okay? I told you it¡¯d be too much for you to sit up yet. How¡¯s our stomach? Do you feel like you¡¯re going to vomit? If you do, don¡¯t hold it in and just throw up, that¡¯s better.¡± ¡°¡­Right now, it¡¯s okay, but if I sit up any longer, I might really vomit.¡± As I pursed my lips and managed to reply with a suppressed voice, Theodore slowly helped me lie down on the bed. ¡°You might be dizzy and feel nauseous because you consumed all of the antidote at once. Don¡¯t move around too much.¡± I nodded quickly at Finneas¡¯ words. After lying down on the bed, it felt like my queasy stomach relaxed a bit, and it relieved me. As expected, you should listen well to a doctor¡¯s words. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you have to be sorry about, but if you still feel sorry, there¡¯s just one thing you have to do.¡± ¡°¡­What is that?¡± ¡°Bring me the bastard who made me like this. Since I¡¯ll kill them myself.¡± ¡°But.¡± ¡°If you keep talking back to me I¡¯m going to vomit on your clothes.¡± It was only then that Theodore closed his mouth in a straight line. Although it seemed like he had lots he wanted to say, it appeared he was holding it in. Watching Theodore and I, Finneas who was standing next to us smiled gently. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be careful for a few days. Theo, take good care of Her Highness the Grand Duchess from beside her.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Selphi, let¡¯s take our leave. The Grand Duchess needs to rest.¡± Selphius nodded, but couldn¡¯t remove his worried gaze from me. He seemed to have been very shocked by my near death experience. Finneas skillfully lured and comforted Selphius, whose eyes were teary, and left the bedroom. As soon as they left, the bedroom was filled with awkward air. ¡®What are we supposed to do if only the two of you leave so suddenly?¡¯ Clearing my throat, I tried to change the atmosphere by speaking up. ¡°What you said on the carriage that day was real.¡± ¡°What I said on the carriage?¡± ¡°You told me you¡¯d get scared if I got hurt or fell into danger.¡± TL/N: ?? can mean ¡®surprised¡¯ or ¡®scared¡¯. In the original scene they¡¯re referencing right now, it was translated at ¡®surprised¡¯, but ¡®scared¡¯ is more fit for the current situation. After remembering what I was talking about, Theodore opened his red lips slightly. ¡°Did I say that?¡± Argh, pretending not to remember. ¡°Yes, you said that you¡¯d be so worried for me, so worried that you wouldn¡¯t know what to do if I died.¡± ¡°I only said I¡¯d get scared, when did I say¡­¡± ¡°Oh? So you do remember.¡± As I calmly pointed at him with my finger, Theodore closed his lips and turned his head. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t believe you back then. So seeing that Your Excellency truly got scared, I was a bit touched.¡± ¡°¡­I was scared?¡± ¡°Yes, am I wrong?¡± ¡°Ha, who said that?¡± ¡°Then were you not scared?¡± At my question, Theodore hesitated, before turning his head to avoid my gaze. ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t too scared. I was just curious what was happening since it seemed like you were poisoned in the middle of our meal together.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get scared at something to this degree.¡± ¡°To say that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t your face too haggard right now in comparison to this morning?¡± Feeling at his face, Theodore sighed lightly. He must have realized his excuses made no sense, as he knitted his eyebrows and wiped his face with his big hands. ¡°But I heard you looked desperately for Sir Finneas for me? Sir Finneas told me.¡± ¡°He really told you all sorts of things¡­ It wasn¡¯t me, but Selphi. I was just staying still.¡± ¡°Regardless, I lived because of you. Thank you.¡± Smiling and shaking my hands, Theodore stared at me like I was a weird person, and frowned. Then, he pulled the chair closer and sat down, pulling the cravat that was tight around his neck free. ¡°How can you say you¡¯re thankful to me?¡± ¡°Then should I say I¡¯m sorry and apologize?¡± At my joking tone, the atmosphere that had been frozen quickly melted. Running a hand through his hair, Theodore laughed. ¡°You are more fascinating the longer I get to know you. Isn¡¯t it normal to be scared and cry, or cling and beg to be saved if one goes through this kind of situation?¡± ¡°You¡¯re complimenting me for being brave, right?¡± ¡°Ha, just look at you.¡± ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a relief that no one other than me got hurt or sick.¡± ¡°You¡¯re worrying about other people in a situation like this?¡± At Theodore¡¯s nag-like fury, I answered seriously. ¡°I would have gotten very scared if you got hurt, too.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah, for Selphi too, of course. So isn¡¯t it great that only I got hurt? But anyway, this was probably to kill you, right? The statue incident from last time, too. There are so many people who hate you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know which bastard it is, but when I catch them, there¡¯ll be a lot of work to do.¡± With a cold expression like the frost of winter, Theodore grinded his teeth. ¡°I feel the same.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say since you got hurt because of me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I knew you¡¯d ensure that I wouldn¡¯t die.¡± Theodore showed a rare dazed expression. It seemed like he was unsure of how to reply. ¡°Why are you so surprised? Have you forgotten about our contract?¡± I spoke smiling, after having burst into laughter at Theodore¡¯s dazed expression. ¡°Our contract was to protect my inheritance and life, so that I won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So I¡¯m not too worried. Since you¡¯ll save me anyway.¡± Chapter 15 What was most important was that I didn¡¯t die. It was why I¡¯d proposed the contract marriage to Theodore in the first place. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± You were asking me that now? After we¡¯d already spent several nights in the same bed? ¡°Someone once told me that if we didn¡¯t have much trust between us, we wouldn¡¯t have had a contract marriage to begin with.¡± That was what you¡¯d said. You. After I replied, it seemed Theodore was lost in thought about something. He soon sorted out his expression before rising from the chair. ¡°For the time being, Uncle will be staying at the residence. The person who examined you earlier is my uncle, you see.¡± ¡°Sir Finneas? Is he staying here because of me? I feel like I¡¯m being too much of an inconvenience to him¡­¡± ¡°Uncle himself said he wanted to do it. He was fascinated after hearing the Lapileon family curse doesn¡¯t work on you. He wants to personally observe you.¡± ¡°Observe me?¡± Nothing would really change from observing me, though. ¡°Uncle is the Lapileon family¡¯s doctor. To be exact, he became a doctor to find a cure for the curse¡ªno, the poison.¡± ¡°A cure for the curse?¡± ¡°Since the curse is dependent on toxicity, it seems he thought he could find some kind of antidote.¡± Theodore must have been tired, seeing as he rolled his neck before continuing to speak like the topic was unimportant. ¡°Unfortunately, he has yet to find a cure.¡± They¡¯d been trying various methods to cure the curse, then. ¡°He¡¯s been researching poison for his entire life, so he¡¯s superior even to the palace doctor in that area. He¡¯s also the person who will be able to monitor your condition the best.¡± ¡°If Sir Finneas is okay with it, I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s better for me if he stays here to examine me anyway, since I¡¯ll be able to recover quicker.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re in any pain, speak whenever.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Knock knock. While our conversation was wrapping up, I could hear the sound of knocking on the bedroom door. Theodore walked over and opened it. Through the open door, I could hear a familiar voice. ¡°Ah, I-I greet Your Excellency the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I-I heard that Her Highness the Grand Duchess woke up, so I came to greet her.¡± It was Rebecca. Well, Rebecca had been at the scene, so she must¡¯ve been very surprised. However, Theodore was standing in front of the door as if he was facing a trespasser. Even though Rebecca had revealed why she was visiting me, he didn¡¯t show any signs of moving aside. I let out a low sigh at the situation. ¡°Can you let Rebecca in?¡± I could hear Rebecca¡¯s nerve-wracked breaths from behind Theodore¡¯s wide back. Despite my request, Theodore stayed put, staring at Rebecca for a long time. Then, he slowly and ever-so-slightly moved his body so one person could just barely pass through. ¡°The Grand Duchess currently needs to rest. Quickly state your business and leave.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, I-I will do so!¡± Through the tiny crack between the door and Theodore, Rebecca managed to squeeze into the room. She saw me and teared up as she ran to my side. ¡°Your Highness! H-How is your body? Are you still hurt?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. You were also very surprised, right, Rebecca?¡± As I warmly caressed the back of her hand, Rebecca must have lost strength in her legs, for she sank to her knees next to the bed. ¡°I-I was so scared that something bad would happen to you¡­¡± She must have remembered that moment, because she couldn¡¯t control her emotions and started crying. My heart felt weak seeing Rebecca, who had always smiled and been bright, crying. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m alive. I didn¡¯t die.¡± The one who was going to die was that trash bastard who¡¯d fed me poison. Ugh, just wait until we catch you. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness.¡± Rebecca, without even wiping the tears that dripped down her cheeks, apologized as she tightly grasped my hand. Did everyone who came into this residence catch the ¡°this is all my fault¡± disease or something? Every single one of them, I swear. ¡°Rebecca, what is there for you to be sorry about? Were you going to ingest the poison instead of me or take my place and be in pain? There¡¯s nothing you need to apologize about. Don¡¯t cry.¡± I comforted Rebecca by patting her shoulders. The girl who had been crying started bawling her eyes out. ¡°Wahhhhhh, I-I¡¯ll attend to you betteeeeer, don¡¯t be hurt.¡± The one who should be receiving comfort is me, who¡¯s sick, so why am I the one constantly comforting others? Still caressing Rebecca¡¯s shoulders, I was about to pass her a handkerchief when Theodore approached and wrenched us apart. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± As if protecting me, Theodore was standing with his back to me. He didn¡¯t respond to my flustered question. ¡°I remember telling you that the Grand Duchess needs to rest. If you cry loudly next to her, the Grand Duchess might get a headache. Leave.¡± Theodore, who rattled on calmly, stared indifferently at Rebecca, who was bawling on her knees. To dismiss her, he flicked his wrists like he was shooing away a chicken. In the end, Rebecca¡ªwhile mid-wail¡ªcouldn¡¯t even wipe her tears before she was chased out of the bedroom, crying as if bidding me farewell. As soon as she left the room, Theodore resolutely closed the bedroom door. After that, he came to my side while I watched all of this with a vacant expression. ¡°Until you fully recover, and until we catch the criminal, it would be best to be cautious of people who aren¡¯t me.¡± Just what was he saying? Avoiding my bewildered expression, he laid down on the sofa. It seemed he was planning on sleeping there tonight. * * * ¡°You¡¯re finally eating today.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve waited for this day.¡± After I finished preparing myself, I left the bedroom. Nothing much had changed in the past few days. If there was one thing that changed, it was that Theodore told me to use the wide bed for myself since I was sick, forced his body to fit on the sofa, and slept there. As a result, I was able to sleep restfully and comfortably. Because of Finneas¡¯ opinion that I shouldn¡¯t eat anything that could upset my stomach for one week, I wasn¡¯t able to have anything I could chew¡ªI¡¯d only eaten soup. However, today was the day I could finally eat normal food. ¡°Did His Excellency go to the dining room first?¡± ¡°Yeah, he woke up at dawn and went to the office to work. He¡¯ll probably come from there to eat.¡± ¡°His Excellency works so much.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since the war ended, so there¡¯s a lot he has to take care of.¡± After responding lightly to Rebecca¡¯s words, I had just started going down the stairs when I crossed paths with the butler. ¡°I greet Her Highness the Grand Duchess. Are you on your way to eat?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°I was on my way to give you an invitation that arrived for Your Highness. Should I leave it in your bedroom?¡± An invitation, all of a sudden? ¡°Who sent it?¡± The butler formed an awkward expression in response to my question, before replying with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s an invitation from Princess Dahlia.¡± Surprised at his words, I gasped loudly. I heard something I shouldn¡¯t hear in the morning. Dahlia? Why would Dahlia send an invitation to me? No, it was obvious even if I didn¡¯t read what it said. She¡¯d invited me earlier in front of the Academy, but since I didn¡¯t go, she¡¯d sent it again! I stared silently at the invitation in the butler¡¯s outstretched hand. I was afraid that if I took it, I would really end up meeting Dahlia. ¡°B-Burn it.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°Burn the invitation.¡± ¡°Your Highness, you can¡¯t carelessly burn an invitation from the royal family.¡± Theodore had told me he¡¯d burned it, saying there was no way they¡¯d know, so why couldn¡¯t I?! ¡°I didn¡¯t see it, then. Say it got lost on the way.¡± ¡°Princess Dahlia¡¯s exclusive knight gave it and left, so we can¡¯t say it got lost, Your Highness.¡± Why was she so thorough? Staring at the outreached invitation for a long time, I shook my head. ¡°Then tell them I¡¯m sick. Tell them I¡¯ll be sick for life because of the poison I consumed a while ago.¡± After babbling on a bit, I hastened my steps as if I was escaping from Dahlia¡¯s invitation. To think I¡¯d hear Dahlia¡¯s name so early on in the day¡­ ¡®I should be careful today.¡¯ Rebecca yelled while hurriedly following after me. ¡°Please go slowly, Your Highness! You¡¯ll fall.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no stones or anything, so if I fall, I¡¯m just an idiot, Rebe¡ªah.¡± Stupidly enough, as I was laughing in Rebecca¡¯s direction, I almost fell. Luckily, thick arms wrapped around my waist¡ªotherwise, I would have fallen face-first onto the marble floor. ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no stones or anything, so you¡¯re just an idiot since you fell.¡± ¡°I-I tripped.¡± At this point, I would¡¯ve known it was Theodore even if I hadn¡¯t heard his voice. He lightly set me down to my original position and looked around with a suspicious gaze. ¡°You weren¡¯t dizzy because your body hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet, were you?¡± I shook my head rapidly. I shook it using my hands, feet, and everything I had. ¡°If you¡¯re sick, you don¡¯t need to push yourself. We can send up some soup to the bedr¡ª¡± ¡°I really almost fell just because I tripped!¡± Was he crazy, asking me to eat soup again? My tongue refused! ¡°To be honest, I received another invitation from Princess Dahlia. That¡¯s why I almost fell while escaping.¡± ¡°Did you burn it?¡± ¡°I asked him to burn it, but the butler said I can¡¯t.¡± I spoke like I was telling on the butler for his atrocious act. Since Theodore naturally assumed the position of my escort, Rebecca left us. ¡°I¡¯ll burn it.¡± ¡°Blaze it up so not even a trace remains, please.¡± While speaking with a strong will, I calmly entered the dining room with Theodore. The entire family was waiting for us. Finneas lightly greeted us. ¡°Your Highness, good morning. How¡¯s your body?¡± ¡°Good morning, Sir Finn. Thanks to your daily care, I¡¯m truly fine now. I even walked in the garden with Rebecca yesterday, and my body was completely fine.¡± ¡°Still, don¡¯t push yourself. There¡¯s nothing wrong with always being careful.¡± After nodding toward Finneas, I stared at the brunch in front of me. I couldn¡¯t help myself from salivating. As soon as Theodore sat down at his spot with a displeased expression, the maids started filling his personal plate with food. ¡®Looks yummy.¡¯ I almost drooled. Once I composed myself, I held up a fork. It¡¯d been so long since I¡¯d last felt the touch of a fork. ¡°I¡¯m saying this in case you¡¯re worried, but from now on, everything you eat will be tasted by the maids beforehand. All purchased ingredients will be personally examined by the butler and the Grand Master of the Lapileon Duchy. It was the same for the soup you ate this week. The food you eat will never have poison in it again, rest assured.¡± Look at this verdant salad. If I put it in my mouth and chewed it, it would be crunchy, right? It would taste very fresh and healthy. My gosh, look at that juicy meat! If I put it in my mouth, the juice would explode with a bang and start a party, right? ¡°Eat slowly so you don¡¯t get indigestion.¡± Theodore was apparently speaking in front of me, but there was no way I would hear it. Nodding offhandedly, I lifted the seasonal fruit salad to my lips. And right when I was about to put it in my mouth¡­ ¡°Sasha!¡± I heard a familiar voice. When I turned my head, I saw Sercia, whose face had become a teary mess. ¡°S-Seci?¡± ¡°Sercia.¡± Not only I, but Theodore, Selphius, and Finneas were all surprised by her sudden appearance. Sercia took a step closer to me after everyone reacted. ¡°I heard you ingested poison. Are you okay now? I wanted to run here right away, but the ships weren¡¯t sailing, so I was late. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine now, Seci.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the criminal who fed you poison? In the torture room? Prison? The execution grounds?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± ¡°Theo, tell me. Where are they? They¡¯re not dead yet, right? If not, I¡¯ll go and step on their face with my sh¡ª¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t caught them yet.¡± Theodore, wiping the corner of his lips with a napkin, looked down and responded quietly. A sudden silence fell. Sercia¡¯s cold voice spoke lowly, overshadowing the silence. ¡°You haven¡¯t what yet?¡± Her voice was so murderous that I could feel goosebumps running through my entire body. ¡°You didn¡¯t catch them yet? You still haven¡¯t caught the criminal who dared to try killing the Grand Duchess of Lapileon?¡± As if she was about to kill Theodore on the spot, Sercia picked up the tableware off of the table. Selphius casually took another bite of the food, like he was used to this, before standing up. Giving me a hand movement telling me to keep eating, he dragged Sercia out of the dining room. ¡°Come here, Sercia. I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± ¡°Selphi, what Aunt doesn¡¯t understand is¡­ Is this something you should have to explain? Isn¡¯t this something we should resolve with fists instead of words? No?¡± Sercia¡¯s voice slowly faded away. I was greatly relieved and let out a large sigh in surprise. Looking at me, Theodore furrowed his brows before getting up from his spot right away. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be surprised about. I¡¯ll deal with Sercia, so you just finish eating.¡± ¡°D-Deal with?¡± Just what kind of dealing was he going to do? If he left right now, I thought he was going to get stabbed. My pupils shook as if an earthquake had occurred while watching Theodore¡¯s back get further away from me. Staring at the place the three people had disappeared, Finneas spoke in a calming tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t actually kill.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Who won¡¯t kill who? Sercia won¡¯t kill Theodore? Or Theodore won¡¯t kill Sercia? I stared dazedly at Finneas, who continued eating nonchalantly as if this kind of situation was normal to him. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m here if it seems like they¡¯re going to die, so it¡¯s fine. Hurry and eat before the food cools down. You have to eat well to heal.¡± I bent my head to look at the food on the plate in front of me. It was too beautiful to ignore. ¡®They¡¯ll worry, so let¡¯s just eat one bite before following them.¡¯ Thinking that, I took a big bite, but the taste was much better than I expected. To think chewing food would be such a happy thing. ¡®Just one more.¡¯ It was so good. As expected, humans needed to eat. ¡®Okay, last one.¡¯ Not eating such a tasty thing was a sin, a sin. ¡®Well, there¡¯s a very talented doctor right here, and there¡¯s no way siblings would actually kill each other, right?¡¯ Since it had come to this, I fixed my posture and focused on eating. When my stomach was sufficiently filled, I could feel Finneas¡¯ gaze staring at me from across the table. ¡°I have something I want to ask you, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Does the family curse really not work on you?¡± It must have been difficult to believe since everyone who met me seemed to ask me this question. Well, it wasn¡¯t easy to believe. ¡°Yes, we confirmed it with Theodore and Selphi¡¯s blood. All three times I came back to life and didn¡¯t die.¡± With a fairly serious expression, Finneas nodded his head. ¡°To be honest, I became a doctor to try and cure the family curse. However, in addition to being unable to find a good cure, I couldn¡¯t even find a way to get rid of the occasional pain.¡± The occasional pain? Not only did the poisonous blood flow through their body, but they also went through pain? ¡°I don¡¯t know how this may sound, but¡­¡± Finneas stopped speaking and caught his breath. He was probably searching for the right words to express his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s okay, speak.¡± ¡°Your existence alone is hope to me right now, Your Highness.¡± Chapter 16 I was his hope? I¡¯d never done anything worthy of that, though? Blinking both my eyes, I stared at Finneas, who was smiling faintly. Sercia had definitely complimented me so much that things had gotten exaggerated. ¡°Um, I think there¡¯s some kind of misunderstanding¡­¡± When I was about to correct Finneas, the area behind the door the three people had disappeared into became noisy. Soon afterward, I could hear Sercia¡¯s gruesome scream. My eyes widened with surprise as I stared at the closed door. ¡®Are they really fighting with the intention of killing someone?¡¯ Finneas laughed embarrassedly like he was thinking the same thing. ¡°They don¡¯t usually fight each other with death as the end goal, but it seems their emotions are particularly strong today.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let a murder occur. Let¡¯s go stop them.¡± To think he¡¯d mention murder so calmly¡ªhe was truly a Lapileon. I followed Finneas while thinking useless things. When Finneas walked and opened the door, red hair snapped in our direction. Surprised, I reflexively stepped back. ¡°Seci?¡± It was Sercia who¡¯d run into Finneas¡¯ arms. ¡°Uncle!¡± Sercia¡¯s voice was shaking like a surging wave. As I approached, I could see that her face was pale in fright. ¡°Selphi¡ªSelphi!¡± Hearing Selphius¡¯ name come out of Sercia¡¯s mouth, my body reacted automatically. I ran past them and left the dining room. ¡®Something definitely happened!¡¯ As I approached the living room, I saw Theodore¡¯s back view. He was kneeling on the marble floor. The situation in front of me was shocking. Selphius, who was so pale he seemed like he¡¯d been drained of all blood, was flailing with pain. ¡°Sel¡ªSelphi!¡± I could smell the scent of blood when I ran to Theodore¡¯s side. The blood Selphius had thrown up was painting the floor, which was enough to make me dizzy. ¡°W-What happened?¡± Grabbing at his chest, Selphius groaned in pain. I reached out to hold Selphius, who was collapsed on the cold marble floor, but Theodore firmly dissuaded me. ¡°Leave him. If you move him, it¡¯ll hurt more.¡± Compared to me, who was aghast, Theodore was calm. He watched composedly as his nine-year-old young nephew¡ªno, adopted son¡ªwas flailing around in pain. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°W-Why is this happening? Did someone poison him? I thought you said you have immunity to poison!¡± After seeing Selphius¡¯ pretty face covered in red blood, my leg started shaking anxiously. I shook the innocent Theodore¡¯s shoulder hard and yelled at him to do something, anything. Meanwhile, Theodore looked up at me with a flat gaze. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be surprised about.¡± ¡°How can you say that when the child has¡­!¡± ¡°This is normal for us.¡± What? ¡°What are you talking about? Normal?¡± ¡°I told you our blood is poisonous.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The poison is so strong that it eats away at our intestines. If your body is weak, it can¡¯t stand the effects.¡± It seemed like he was criticizing me while he stared at me with an ever-calm expression, saying ¡®haven¡¯t I always told you this?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s how my brother died.¡± In response to Theodore¡¯s words, I could feel my heart plummeting like a wave of a deep sea. I¡¯d just thought they were cursed with poison. I had never once thought that the curse was actually eating away at their insides. ¡°There are several babies who lost their lives from it before they could even take their first steps.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t surprise us anymore.¡± Theodore, covered in a cold sweat, stared at Selphius¡ªwho was writhing grotesquely¡ªas if he just hoped the pain would end soon. ¡°W-Why¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Theodore had a self-mocking, cynical smile. He spoke with a low tone just as cold as his expression. ¡°I¡¯m also curious.¡± With a crooked smile, he clenched his fist. He clenched it so tight that the button of his sleeve popped off. ¡°Why does it have to be us? Why does it have to be poison?¡± I couldn¡¯t easily open my firmly-closed mouth. I felt like I was only now truly facing the dormant curse of the Lapileon family. ¡°I told you Selphi¡¯s blood has a particularly strong toxicity even for us, right? Whenever the condition of his body worsens, this kind of stuff happens.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I sent him to the countryside.¡± I bit down hard on my bottom lip. I was the one who¡¯d made Selphius live in the Capital, even if Selphius had also wanted it. I should¡¯ve dissuaded him. Instead of taking Selphius¡¯ side, I should¡¯ve just stayed still and not done anything. ¡°Aaack!¡± Selphius screamed in agony like he was dying. When I lifted my lowered head, I could see him staring at me with bloodshot eyes. His red lips moved weakly. ¡®What was he saying?¡¯ It was difficult to read the lips of a child in this wrecked state. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on Selphius¡¯ lips. ¡®I,¡¯ ¡®am,¡¯ ¡®okay.¡¯ ¡°¡­!¡± A child who was vomiting blood was staring at me and telling me he was okay. At that moment, I moved impulsively. I got past Theodore and quickly ran toward Selphius. I took my handkerchief out and crumpled it, putting it inside of Selphius¡¯ mouth. Then, I shifted Selphius¡¯ head onto my thigh. Luckily, he must¡¯ve lost all strength, seeing as he didn¡¯t protest my movements. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Theodore, who followed me, urgently snatched my blood-covered hand. ¡°Did you already forget? This isn¡¯t blood, it¡¯s poison.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no telling how dangerous it may be when it¡¯s vomited like this, yet you recklessly¡ª!¡± ¡°Regardless, the child is hurting, so I can¡¯t just watch and leave him be.¡± ¡°I already told you. No matter what you do¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless? I know. But¡­¡± As I glared at Theodore roughly, he closed his lips firmly. ¡°What if he bites his tongue because of the pain? What if he flails around and hurts his head? I can at least help him so none of that happens!¡± I yelled and pulled my wrist free from his grasp. Then, I unhesitatingly grabbed Selphius¡¯ hand, which was also covered in blood. I could hear footsteps coming from behind Theodore. It was Finneas and Sercia. It seemed Finneas had been delayed after going to get his medication bag from the guest room in the separate building. ¡°Selphi¡­!¡± Finneas, who¡¯d run here, practically threw his bag on the ground and pulled out two corked glass bottles. Given the circumstances, it must have been Selphius¡¯ medicine. There was no time to waste. The louder Selphius¡¯ cries got, the more patience I lost. ¡°Please, quickly¡­¡± ¡°I boiled the roots and plants of dried moonflower grass. It lessens the pain of the burning cold.¡± ¡°Is it medicine? Does he get better after consuming it?¡± Finneas shook his head in response to my question while measuring and combining the two liquids from the bottles. ¡°All this does is lessen the pain. There¡¯s no medicine that can cure it.¡± To think there was no cure. Those words were like lightning in a clear blue sky. I hugged Selphius, who was flailing in pain, closer to me. Observing my expression, Finneas smiled bitterly before handing me the bottle of medicine he¡¯d finished mixing. ¡°I told you. Not only was I unable to find a cure, but I also couldn¡¯t find a way to lessen the pain.¡± Was this what he was talking about regarding pain? The ¡°periodic pain¡± was this? Biting down hard on my lips, I took the bottle of medicine from Finneas¡¯ grasp. My blood-covered hands trembled. Selphius was still in pain on my knee. The hand holding the bottle of medicine trembled so much that it looked pathetic. No matter how hard I tried, the trembling didn¡¯t stop. Then, a big and rough hand softly covered mine. ¡°It¡¯s still better than not giving him anything.¡± It was Theodore¡¯s hand. While covering my hand in his own, Theodore took the handkerchief out of Selphius¡¯ mouth. The handkerchief, which had been white, was now blood red. Theodore opened Selphius¡¯ mouth as if he was used to it. He then poured the medicine through his lips. The bitter scent of the dried herbs filled the air. It must¡¯ve tasted bitter as well since Selphius¡¯ forehead crumpled each time he swallowed. Selphius also must have been used to this kind of situation, though, seeing as he didn¡¯t reject the medicine and just kept drinking it. ¡°Selphi, it¡¯s okay,¡± Theodore said. Although he drank all of the medicine, the situation didn¡¯t change, just as Finneas had said. Selphius kept vomiting blood and crying out in pain, and there was still nothing to be done. All I could do was comfort Selphius, who was suffering through the pain alone, and tell him it would be okay as if I was casting a spell. * * * ¡°Is he okay now?¡± After being in pain for half a day, Selphius eventually fainted as if falling asleep. Theodore carried Selphius in his arms and moved him to the washroom. Then, he personally washed the child¡¯s blood-covered body and changed his clothes before laying him down on the bed. ¡°Since he¡¯s experienced it once before, he¡¯ll be okay for now.¡± After watching Selphius¡¯ pale face for a while, I secretly placed my index finger under his nose. Luckily, he was breathing. ¡°It¡¯d be best to allow Selphi to rest. Let¡¯s have an hourly patrol.¡± Theodore nodded at my suggestion. After gently brushing Selphius¡¯ hair, I left the bedroom. It was only after I left the bedroom that I felt myself relaxing. The moment my body¡ªwhich had been tense with nervousness throughout the ordeal¡ªrelaxed, I could feel everything aching. I must have been very surprised by what had occurred, for as soon as I calmed down, I immediately lost strength in my legs and fell to my knees. Theodore, who¡¯d followed me out, took a knee in front of me and met my gaze. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Was I okay? At that question, my lips started trembling. ¡°Selphi.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I-I thought he would die.¡± There was no way I¡¯d be okay. I¡¯d thought Selphius would die in front of my eyes. There was no way I¡¯d be okay after seeing that. I was covered in blood and hadn¡¯t even been able to clean myself yet. While watching me silently, Theodore spoke calmly. ¡°You were reckless.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°When he¡¯s in that state, it¡¯s best not to approach him. Even you have a risk of dying. Despite me telling you that, you not only touched his blood but also hugged him¡ªhow reckless can you be?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However¡­¡± Theodore slowly outstretched his hand, wiping Selphius¡¯ blood off of my cheek with his thumb. ¡°You were cool.¡± For some reason, I got the impression that he was faintly smiling. My anxious fear disappeared instantaneously. Although I felt like crying, I held it in. Theodore changed his expression as if nothing had ever happened before grabbing me and helping me up from the floor. ¡°You should wash up first. You know that everything on your body right now is poison, right? Unless you want to see some corpses, you should wash on your own today.¡± True. Though it wasn¡¯t dangerous to me, it could be deadly to others. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± Looking down at my blood-drenched dress, I nodded. There was no way I could personally wash this dress or order someone else to, which meant I had to burn it. After thinking about that, the bloodied living room came to mind. ¡°What should we do about the living room? Selphius¡¯ blood should still be there.¡± My worry must have been for naught, for Theodore guided me to the bathroom as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°I made sure no one would come near the vicinity of the living room while I was conversing with Sercia, so it doesn¡¯t matter. Today, the butler will replace all of the furniture in the living room. He probably already burned the original furniture and dealt with the floor himself.¡± Everything had been dealt with very quickly. It was like they¡¯d already expected this to happen. ¡°It¡¯s not the first or second time this has happened, so don¡¯t worry.¡± The fact that he was saying that this wasn¡¯t the first or second time it¡¯d happened so nonchalantly made my heart ache strangely. Did the entire Lapileon family always die like this? ¡°Your lady-in-waiting wasn¡¯t there either. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I stopped walking and stood still. Theodore, who had been escorting me, also stopped. ¡°What is it?¡± Approaching me with a questioning gaze, he glanced at my legs. ¡°Did you lose strength in your legs again? Can you walk?¡± If this was the case for everyone in the Lapileon family, it would be the same for Theodore. ¡°Theodore, when did your brother pass away?¡± He must have figured out the meaning behind my question right away. Theodore moved his gaze away from my legs to look at me. ¡°Are you worried I¡¯ll die?¡± I¡¯d never thought about someone dying in front of my eyes. ¡°Now that I think about it, you also said that if I ever got hurt or was in danger, you¡¯d be scared. Looking at your face, you have a scared expression right now.¡± Theodore was making small talk, which was very unlike him. After he realized I wasn¡¯t reacting to it, he crooked his finger towards himself while smiling weakly. ¡°You wanted to ask when he died, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°He died when he was my age.¡± Chapter 17 As the sunlight shone glaringly onto my eyes, I gave up on lying down and got up. ¡°The sun has already risen.¡± In the end, I couldn¡¯t sleep a wink before the morning had come. Rubbing my sore eyes, I started my day a little earlier than usual. I could barely remember how I¡¯d gotten back to the bedroom yesterday. When Theodore said that his brother had died when he was the age that Theodore was now, I was lost for words and didn¡¯t know what to say. Watching me like that, Theodore calmly said ¡°let¡¯s wash up and sleep early today. Tell the butler to deal with the dress. I have a lot to do, so I¡¯m going to spend tonight in the study,¡± before disappearing. After that, I hurried to wash up so that nobody would see my blood-stained state, and once done, crawled into my bed. I thought I¡¯d feel more comfortable since there was no one next to me to worry about, but the large bed unexpectedly felt lonely. ¡®Since I woke up early, I should get ready and go see Selphi.¡¯ Although I hadn¡¯t heard that anything had happened during the night, I thought that confirming it for myself would put my mind at ease. I grabbed the bell rope next to the bed and pulled it. Shortly after, I heard a knock. ¡°Come in,¡± I said while turning my stiff neck, to which the heavy bedroom door opened. The morning attending maids and Rebecca came in together. As soon as Rebecca saw me, she ran toward me with a worried face. ¡°Your Highness!¡± ¡°Ah, Rebecca. Yesterday, I¡­¡± ¡°I heard you were very sick yesterday! Sir Finneas told me. Are you okay?¡± I had been worried about what kind of excuse to give Rebecca, but it seemed that Finneas had given a suitable excuse. And since it was the opinion of a doctor, there was no reason to suspect. ¡°I must have been tired.¡± After giving a brief excuse, I patted my face with the warm towel the maids had brought. As the warmth spread across my face, it felt like all of my worries from last night were disappearing. ¡°Is it because of the poison from last time?¡± With a long face that looked like she was about to cry at any moment, Rebecca mumbled, ¡®my poor Grand Duchess¡¯. I put on my dress with the help of the maids, before smiling toward the sad-looking Rebecca. ¡°Yesterday was really because I was tired, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t be able to go to the festival, it¡¯d be best to rest at the estate for now. His Excellency will understand.¡± After I finished putting the dress on, Rebecca guided me to sit in front of the dressing table, before picking an ornament. ¡°The festival?¡± I mumbled quietly, to which Rebecca¡¯s hand stopped, turning to stare at me with a surprised expression. ¡°¡­Did you perhaps forget again?¡± I¡¯d completely forgotten about the festival. Oh yeah, a festival was opening, right? Instead of replying, I smiled ambiguously, to which Rebecca¡¯s jaw dropped in astonishment. ¡°Did you truly forget? His Excellency will really be upset this time!¡± ¡°I was pretty out of it since I was sick. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°His Excellency the Grand Duke is the hero of the festival!¡± ¡°I know, I know. I can just start getting ready for it now. When does the festival start again?¡± ¡°Today! It¡¯s already started!¡± Ah, it had already started? As I smiled embarrassedly, Rebecca sighed, before picking out a necklace that would look good with my dress. ¡°What if His Excellency gets mad? I heard he¡¯s really scary when he gets angry.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason he¡¯d get mad at me, so it¡¯s fine.¡± We¡¯re just in a contract relationship, anyway. There was no reason he¡¯d be upset or even get angry that I¡¯d forgotten. At my certainty, Rebecca stared at me with a strange expression for a while. Then, she spoke with a tone of fascination. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t know your relationship would be this good.¡± ¡°Our relationship is good?¡± Was Rebecca¡¯s vision bad? Maybe she needed glasses. ¡°You know how the rumors surrounding His Excellency are all over the place. And there¡¯s even the rumor that he¡¯s not interested in women¡­¡± Looking around, Rebecca bent her waist to whisper something quietly into my ear. ¡°And I heard he has a hobby of killing people.¡± Yeah, I heard that rumor too. The rumor that he enjoyed massacre. Just what kind of crazy bastard made such a false rumor? Just see if I catch you, I¡¯ll sew up your mouth¡­! ¡°That¡¯s why I was so surprised when I saw His Excellency the Grand Duke treasuring you so much, Your Highness. And when I heard that you two use the same bedroom, I almost bit my tongue.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not to that extent.¡± Smiling while trying not to get our relationship exposed to Rebecca, I changed the topic. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me enough for today, Rebecca. I¡¯m going to go see Selphi.¡± ¡°Young Master Selphius?¡± ¡°Yeah, I want to see if he slept well last night.¡± Although it was a bad excuse, Rebecca nodded in understanding. ¡°Since Young Master Selphius is only nine years old, he probably needs Your Highness¡¯ help.¡± ¡°My help?¡± Why would Selphi need my help? He always did well on his own, though? I was just going to check whether Selphi was hurt anywhere. At my question, Rebecca responded as if the answer was obvious, while waving her hand. ¡°Well obviously since he¡¯s at the age where he still needs the warmth of a mother.¡± ¡°The age where he needs the warmth of a mother?¡± ¡°Yes. And you said he¡¯s going to attend the Academy soon. It¡¯s natural for things to be scary when you first try them. Most children rely on their parents a lot. Even I did when I first went to the Academy.¡± Is that so? I thought back to Selphius when he¡¯d first looked around at the Academy. ¡®I don¡¯t think he looked that scared, though.¡¯ ¡°Then I¡¯ll be in the annex building, so call for me if you need me! Oh yeah, especially when you have anything you¡¯re curious about the festival!¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Thanks.¡± After Rebecca and the other maids left, I walked by myself to Selphius¡¯ bedroom. Stopping in front of the bedroom door, yesterday¡¯s memories started flooding back, and it felt like I could smell blood from somewhere. ¡®It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s probably sleeping.¡¯ Clenching my fists, which were trembling in nervousness, tightly, I knocked gently against the door. Knock knock. There was no response. The inside of my mouth dried. Knock knock knock. This time, I knocked a bit louder. However, it was still quiet inside. It felt like my heart was about to plummet to the ground. ¡®Did something happen overnight?¡¯ As soon as that thought flew through my head, my body moved first. I quickly opened the bedroom door, and ran in while calling Selphius¡¯ name loudly. ¡°Selphi!¡± Even at my bellow, the bedroom was silent. After that, I could hear the light breaths of a child and the sound of birds chirping. I stared at the bed that Selphius was sleeping on with a dazed expression for a long time, watching the tranquil scene in front of me. Unlike yesterday, his face had a healthy complexion, at which my shoulders relaxed. ¡®Is he okay?¡¯ With a worried expression, I slowly walked towards the bed. I could hear the loud and regular breaths of Selphius. That sound brought me a sense of equilibrium. ¡°What a relief.¡± It seemed he was okay now. Subconsciously, I reached up to Selphius¡¯ forehead and caressed his bangs. His temperature seemed normal too. ¡®I won¡¯t wake him up today, but just let him sleep properly.¡¯ With a sigh of relief, I removed my hand. After watching Selphius for a while longer, I turned my body. The moment I was about to start walking away, I heard the bleary voice of someone who hadn¡¯t fully woken up yet. ¡°¡­Mom?¡± With that short word, I stopped my steps as if a rope had been tied to my feet. When I turned my head to look at the bed, I could see Selphius, who was staring at me with half-opened eyes. I couldn¡¯t respond with ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯. Like a rooted tree, I couldn¡¯t move, and just stared down at Selphius silently. Shortly after, Selphius, who¡¯d woken up, opened his two eyes wide. Then, as if in shock, he got up from the bed quickly. ¡°W-What did I just say¡­?¡± ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°W-Why is the Grand Duchess here?¡± ¡°I was wondering whether you slept well last night, and also wanted to see how your condition was, Selphi.¡± ¡°My condition? What about my¡­ Ah.¡± It seemed his memories of yesterday¡¯s events had returned, for Selphius stopped speaking. ¡°¡­Oh yeah, that happened yesterday.¡± Selphius knitted his brows. Then, he avoided my gaze and turned his head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Surprised at his suddenly changed expression, I rushed to his side. I put my hand on his forehead, and checked his temperature first. ¡°Are you hurt somewhere?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like he had a fever. Instead of responding, Selphius bit on his bottom lip as if he was enduring pain. ¡®Is he hurt again?¡¯ ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll call Sir Finneas.¡± ¡°No!¡± As I tried to leave the bedroom, Selphius rapidly grabbed my finger. Then, surprised at his own actions, he flinched before letting go. Selphius mumbled with a tiny voice. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not hurting anymore.¡± ¡°Really?¡± At my question, Selphius nodded slowly. Then, he started to suddenly throw furtive glances at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?¡± ¡°It must have disgusted you yesterday, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for dirtying your dress. I tried to hold it in, but on days like yesterday, blood just comes out regardless of my will.¡± Even after having been in so much pain yesterday. He was still concerned that I would¡¯ve been surprised, that I would¡¯ve been disgusted by him. At this, I felt myself choking up. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Selphi, I can buy another several of those dresses. I have lots of money.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°What¡¯s more important is that you¡¯re not hurt.¡± Crouching down, I looked eye to eye with Selphius. Then, I outstretched my hand toward him. ¡°Shall we go to eat breakfast together?¡± Selphius stared silently at my outstretched hands. Then, his face crumpled into an expression that was neither a smile nor a cry. ¡°Are you hurt, Grand Duchess?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m fine. Ah, I think my hand hurts right now, though?¡± Smiling as if at a loss, he grabbed my hand. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go wash, and then let¡¯s go together.¡± Our linked hands felt especially warm. * * * ¡°What the?¡± As soon as Selphius and I entered the dining room together, everyone¡¯s attention was focused on us. Ignoring them lightly, Selphius escorted me to my seat, even pulling it out for me himself. ¡°My goodness, Selphi.¡± Sercia started clapping toward Selphius with a touched expression. ¡°After being in a lot of pain yesterday, you¡¯ve finally become a human, Selphi?¡± She¡¯d been so worried while tearing up yesterday, but now¡­ ¡°Are you still hurting somewhere, maybe?¡± Sercia kept giggling while speaking in a teasing tone. Then, she reached out to touch Selphius¡¯ forehead, as he was sitting next to her, and switched back and forth with her own forehead. With an annoyed face, he coldly pushed Sercia¡¯s hand away. ¡°Put your hand away.¡± Sercia, touching her swelling hand, stared at me with a surprised expression. ¡°¡­He¡¯s still the same as ever to me, though? Sasha, how did you do it? How did you tame this fussy kid?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t really do much.¡± At Sercia¡¯s question, I put down the silver spoon I had lifted to eat soup. Selphius, who saw this, frowned. ¡°The Grand Duchess needs to eat, so stop bothering her. And how am I a fussy kid?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re fussy, and a kid.¡± ¡°Then you must be a bad-tempered drunkard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re bad-tempered and always drunk on wine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I run a wine business and have to taste test them.¡± ¡°Regardless.¡± ¡°Do you want to see what a bad temper really looks like, Selphi?¡± The two kept bickering as if they were friends. Selphius started lightly ignoring Sercia¡¯s words by turning his head, to which the bickering came to an end. After their conversation came to an end, Theodore, who¡¯d been enjoying brunch, nodded in agreement and spoke up. ¡°Selphi has never escorted someone before. Did you find his weakness or something?¡± At Theodore¡¯s brief sentence, Sercia furiously turned her head. Then, she spoke in a cold tone. ¡°Theo, watch your mouth.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°My Sasha isn¡¯t the type of person to use someone¡¯s weakness. If she was that kind of person, she would¡¯ve already spread rumors about our family¡¯s secret, don¡¯t you think?¡± At Sercia¡¯s aggressive tone, Theodore slowly shook his head, before mumbling to himself quietly. ¡°¡­Ha, from how I see it, it¡¯s not just Selphi she¡¯s tamed, but Sercia, too.¡± tl: youj; pr: youj Chapter 18 I? Tamed? Tamed who? Those scary people? Argh, don¡¯t say something that¡¯ll cause trouble! Waving my hand at Theodore, I ate my soup and pretended not to have heard anything. It was noisy at the dining table. Finneas, who had been silently smiling until now, pacified everyone. ¡°Okay, everyone, calm down. Why is it always so noisy when we gather? Selphi, how¡¯s your body?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. The Grand Duchess hugged me so that I wouldn¡¯t bang my head, and put a handkerchief inside my mouth so I wouldn¡¯t bite my tongue, so compared to the other days, my condition is good.¡± ¡°Your Highness, you took the appropriate measures. Your reaction speed is quite outstanding.¡± I¡¯d just acted as had come to mind. Don¡¯t look at me with such a proud expression. As everyone stared at me, I could feel a sense of pressure. It was embarrassing that I was getting such a big compliment for such a small action that I¡¯d done. Smiling awkwardly, I spoke to Theodore in an attempt to change the conversation. ¡°I-I heard the festival started today.¡± ¡°Ah, right. I almost forgot.¡± He¡¯d almost forgotten? Theodore¡¯s reaction was quite calm, despite the festival being for him. ¡°I should¡¯ve started preparing beforehand, I¡¯m sorry.¡± When Theodore was about to speak, another three people started speaking first. ¡°Sasha, why are you apologizing over such a trivial issue? It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right. There¡¯s no need for you to apologize, Grand Duchess. The Grand Duke isn¡¯t interested in the festival anyway.¡± ¡°Theo will probably understand, Your Highness.¡± I definitely apologized to Theodore, but strangely enough, I received an answer from elsewhere. Laughing silently while watching the other three¡¯s reactions, Theodore shrugged his shoulders, as if at a loss for words. ¡°If I don¡¯t accept your apology, I think I¡¯ll become the bad guy. There¡¯s no need for an apology. Just as Selphi said, I have no interest in the festival.¡± True, Theodore wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would be interested in festivals. After talking about the festival, Theodore rested his chin on his hand and stared at the brunch atop the table. ¡°Since His Great Majesty loves attention so much, it¡¯s gotten annoying for me too. And there¡¯s even a parade on the last day of the festival. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re caged monkeys or something.¡± After complaining for a bit, Theodore frowned languidly. Then, after picking out the fruits from the salad, he placed them on my front plate indifferently. ¡°He said it was in order to raise the morale of the citizens, but it¡¯s so obvious that he¡¯s just doing it for attention.¡± Seeing how he was undisguisedly taunting the Emperor, I hurriedly looked around. Luckily, there was only the butler and us in the dining room. Not to mention, the family seemed to be accustomed to Theodore¡¯s rebellious comments. ¡°I thought it was good riddance when someone destroyed that stupid statue, but he already rebuilt it so soon.¡± Theodore frowned while speaking in a tone that sounded like he was grinding his teeth. ¡®So he didn¡¯t like the statue.¡¯ And that¡¯s why he hadn¡¯t had much of a reaction when I¡¯d told him the statue had gotten destroyed. ¡°If you destroyed it, you might as well destroy it again. Why aren¡¯t they destroying it this time?¡± Theodore clucked his teeth, seemingly hoping for the statue to get destroyed again. As he did so, he was absorbed in picking out fruit and placing them onto my plate. ¡®That¡¯s enough, it¡¯ll spill.¡¯ I shared the fruit that was piled like a mountain on my plate with Selphius. Selphius, who¡¯d been looking upset as more fruits had disappeared from his salad, started excitedly eating like a baby bird. ¡°Anyway, you have to attend the parade too.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Me? Why did I? I wasn¡¯t the hero of the war? I stared at Theodore with a dazed expression. With his chin rested in his hand, he lazily tilted his head. ¡°Did I not tell you?¡± ¡°This is my first time hearing of this.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Stop nodding with such a calm expression. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just tell you now. You need to join me on the parade on the last day of the festival, so prepare yourself.¡± Should I just hit him? Sercia, who had been listening to our conversation, pointed her thumb at Theodore as if reading my mind. ¡°If you want me to break Theo¡¯s leg, just say the word, Sasha. I¡¯ll help you.¡± Theodore covered his face with one hand before sighing loudly. ¡°Ha, Sercia. Didn¡¯t you say you had to leave now? I thought you came mid-work.¡± ¡°Why are you trying to send me away suddenly¡­ Heok!¡± In the midst of her sentence, Sercia gasped loudly in surprise before standing up. Then, she started shouting loudly to herself before getting ready to leave in a rush. ¡°Look at me! Those bastards will let the price be negotiated down if not for me! That¡¯s a wine that we can make 30 times the market price for!¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not just a bad-tempered drunkard; you¡¯re a scammer,¡± Selphius mumbled to himself, leaning his chin in his hand. At that, Sercia clenched her teeth before grabbing him by the hair. ¡°This is business. The world of adults that a little kid like you would never understand.¡± Then, Sercia turned her head and gazed at me. I could see her concern for me in her red eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sasha, I wanted to stay with you if I could, but this is really important for my business, so I have to go personally.¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m grateful just for the fact that you came. And thank you for the presents you¡¯ve sent until now, we ate them well.¡± ¡°Hearing you say that makes me so happy. I¡¯ll send more, so eat them well. Don¡¯t give any to Theo or Selphi, okay, and just eat it yourself, Sasha. Ah, is there a food you like, by any chance? Or something you want to eat¡­¡± At our lengthening conversation, Theodore let out a sigh before jutting his chin out at the door. ¡°You still haven¡¯t left, Sercia?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always had a hard time stuck between such a heartless younger brother and a fussy nephew, Sasha.¡± ¡°Butler. Prepare the carriage so that Sercia can depart right away. And get her bags so that she doesn¡¯t even have to visit the annex.¡± ¡°Sasha, is it okay if I sew his lips together? I feel like I have to get permission first.¡± These siblings truly fought with their all. Sercia, who had been bickering with him for quite a while, checked her watch and must have realized she was truly late, for she ended her conversation there. ¡°I really need to leave. The fact that Uncle¡¯s here must mean that Miss Gloria is in the Capital, right? Tell her I¡¯ll go visit her once I finish up with my business.¡± ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry. Take care of your body. You have the medicine and the dried moonflower grass, right? Isn¡¯t it about time for that day to come, Seci?¡± ¡°Of course I did. It¡¯s the equivalent of my life. I need to have this to feel at least somewhat reassured.¡± The time for that day to come? Hearing those words, I subconsciously flinched. Just imagining Sercia dripping blood made me panic. It felt like the ground beneath my feet was sinking. ¡®No, let¡¯s not think of the worst-case scenario.¡¯ I hurriedly shook my head and put on a straight face. Then I waved to Sercia, who was leaving, with a brighter smile than I¡¯d ever given her. ¡°Come over for tea next time, Seci. Really.¡± It was a request that she not be hurt, that she be fine and alive until then. As if she understood what I was saying, Sercia smiled back. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely come for that, Sasha. And when I come, I¡¯ll drag the bastard who spread the extras and the bastard who fed you poison as presents.¡± N-No. I¡¯ll reject that. Just catch them and give them to the police. As I stood to send Sercia off, Theodore took his own cake and placed it in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ll send Sercia off, so you just eat this¡­ Let¡¯s go, Sercia.¡± ¡°Wow Theo, to think you¡¯d send me off. What¡¯s up? You usually don¡¯t even spare me another glance.¡± ¡°Go run to the carriage right now.¡± The two bickering people slowly disappeared. After watching the backs of the two people who were unexpectedly similar, I turned my head to stare at the table in front of me. In front of me were two plates; one that was piled with a mountain of seasonal fruit salad, and one with a chocolate cake. * * * ¡°Pardon? You¡¯re attending the last day of the festival¡¯s parade, Grand Duchess?¡± ¡°Yes, apparently so.¡± Rebecca, who had been enjoying tea time with me, hurriedly put down her teacup at my affirmative response. Then, she started tapping a finger against the table, as if fretting about something. ¡°What are you doing, Rebecca?¡± Ignoring my question, Rebecca narrowed her eyes while focusing on something. ¡®Has she thought of something important?¡¯ The silence filled the air for quite a long time. Relaxedly staring at the clouds in the sky, I asked Rebecca. ¡°Rebecca, what is my family doing these days?¡± They were so silent that no particular report about them had come in. They were definitely planning on trying to steal my inheritance, so it was strange. Rebecca, who had been fretting about something that I didn¡¯t know about, replied quietly to my question. ¡°There¡¯s nothing special. They just attend meetings with other noble wives. They seemed to have hired a lawyer to come up with a reason for your ineligibility for the inheritance, but it¡¯s probably not going to be easy. After all, which lawyer would want to make Your Highness the Grand Duchess into their enemy?¡± That was true. Then for now, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry. I sipped my tea, leaving Rebecca alone because she was lost in thought. Shortly after, Rebecca stood up from her spot with a resolute expression. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve decided!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go out!¡± What? So suddenly? Rebecca wasn¡¯t just enthusiastic, she was blazing furiously. I couldn¡¯t understand why she was burning with enthusiasm so suddenly. ¡°Why are we going out so suddenly?¡± And going out suddenly was a bother. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about all of the dresses, hats, and accessories you have, Your Highness, but I think it won¡¯t stand out in the parade. We need something a bit more intense!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what it was about? It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s not intense, since I¡¯m not the protagonist of the parade anyway.¡± I laughed while enjoying my tea. However, Rebecca took my teacup away from me and put it down on the table, before firmly replying. ¡°No. Both nobles and commoners will all get to see Your Highness the Grand Duchess on that day. You must be more beautiful and radiant than ever before!¡± ¡°Then we can just call a tailor and get measured for a dress, or choose from the catalogue.¡± ¡°You need to see the path the parade will be on beforehand, Your Highness! If you know beforehand, it¡¯ll be much easier!¡± That was true. Seeing that I had no plans on getting up at all, Rebecca pushed me by the chair and urged me to go out. ¡°O-Okay, let¡¯s go out, let¡¯s go.¡± In the end, I got up from the chair against my will. Before following after me, Rebecca asked the maids to get the carriage ready, and told them to contact the boutique shop to keep all of the dresses, shoes, hats, and accessories as they were. * * * ¡°If someone saw me, they¡¯d think that I was the protagonist of that day, Rebecca.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re also one of the protagonists, Your Highness. You¡¯re the Grand Duchess of Lapileon!¡± Rebecca smiled widely in my stead, unaware that I was only the Grand Duchess in appearance. Laughing awkwardly, I exited the store after having done all that needed to be done with Rebecca. We purchased not just a dress, but several other things for the parade. Since we¡¯d ordered for them to send all the things we¡¯d bought to the residence, our two hands were empty. Maybe it was because it was the first day of the festival, but there were a lot of people out to enjoy it. I could even see a few nobles whose faces I was familiar with. Thinking about how everyone was enjoying a festival that was for Theodore, I felt strange. ¡°Now we just have to ride the carriage and take a lap around the path the parade is going to be on, right?¡± I asked while boarding the carriage, to which Rebecca firmly nodded her head. ¡°Yes, I heard that the path of the parade has been blocked off to outsiders until the last day! I let them know ahead of time that Your Highness was going to go!¡± ¡°Thanks, Rebecca.¡± As the carriage started to move slowly, Rebecca, who had her hands tightly clenched to each other, went on. ¡°The dress Your Highness wore earlier looked so good on you, Grand Duchess. On that day, everyone will definitely praise you a lot.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t to that extent.¡± ¡°No! You were truly so pretty. I thought an angel had descended! My heart is pounding just thinking of the day when everyone will get to see you, Your Highness.¡± She must have been nervous again. I laughed lightly as I watched Rebecca speaking at a faster pace than normal. The carriage continued on and entered the path of the parade that the guards were guarding. The guards, who saw the emblem of the family engraved on the carriage politely greeted us, before giving way. ¡°So it¡¯s here!¡± I peered through the carriage window in order to look at the parade path, when suddenly¡­ Thud! ¡°Kyaa!¡± Along with a loud noise, the carriage suddenly stopped in its place. Rebecca, who was frightened, screamed before holding onto me. I, too, quickly grabbed onto the carriage handle so I wouldn¡¯t fall over. ¡®What happened all of a sudden?¡¯ I uprighted my body before looking out the window. We were still far away from our destination, and had only just gotten through the beginning portion of the parade path. Before I could finish analyzing the situation, the coachman knocked on the carriage door. ¡°Your Highness, there was someone collapsed on the road, so I stopped the carriage in a hurry. I apologize.¡± ¡°¡­Someone?¡± There was someone collapsed on the road? It was an absurd sentence. Glancing at me with a taken aback expression, Rebecca quickly opened the carriage door. Then, she peeked out the carriage and confirmed, before turning to look at me. ¡°Your Highness, there¡¯s truly someone collapsed out here!¡± There was someone collapsed on the road? Was it some drunkard? It was my first time experiencing something like this. I sighed while getting down from the carriage. ¡°Didn¡¯t they say this road was blocked off to outsiders because it was the parade path? So how is a person collapsed on this ro¡­¡± In the very center of the road that we were on. ¡°Why¡¯s he there like that?¡± A blonde-haired man was collapsed and blocking the road, as if on purpose. I was so astounded that I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°What kind of person collapses in the very middle of the road so purposely?¡± Chapter 19 The man¡¯s head was shoved into the ground, so it was difficult to see his face properly. The horseman, who had come around the side of the carriage, bowed his head to me in a hurry before responding to my muttered words. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m experiencing this, too.¡± Letting out a laugh, I squinted my eyes at the man from afar. From this distance, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t bleeding anywhere, and his clothes were clean as well. It didn¡¯t appear as though he¡¯d been hit or stomped on by someone. So why was he on the ground here? ¡°¡­Is he pretending to be unconscious?¡± With a suspicious expression, I gestured to the boy with a slight nod of my chin. As I did so, Rebecca got down from the carriage before covering her mouth in surprise. ¡°Heok! No way! Who would pretend to be collapsed in a place like this? This is an area outsiders are forbidden from entering!¡± Was that so? But still, the situation was too unbelievable. After observing the man a bit longer, I turned my head and spoke to the horseman. ¡°Call an officer and help him get home safe. I think today isn¡¯t good after all, let¡¯s go back for now.¡± Although I felt sorry for the man, I didn¡¯t want to get swept up in something unnecessary. I was busy enough with my own work. Giving the horseman the signal to return, I began to board the carriage again. As I was about to step inside, Rebecca put on a resolute expression and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s pitiful to leave him like that, I¡¯ll go a little closer and see if he¡¯s hurt!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can just call an officer to help him.¡± ¡°But still, he might be in critical condition right now. What will we do if something bad happens because he receives first aid too late? I¡¯ll go check!¡± Rebecca clenched both of her fists tightly. However, unlike her brave words, her hands were shaking. Grabbing Rebecca¡¯s hands, I stopped her from walking and shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s best to wait for the officers. Rebecca, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to go yourself. He might be a bandit.¡± ¡°A-A bandit?¡± ¡°Yes. Recently, I¡¯ve heard of people who pretend to be collapsed, and when someone gets close, they take them captive and steal the valuables from their carriage.¡± At my words, Rebecca¡¯s eyes widened tremendously. Looking back and forth between the man and I with shocked eyes, Rebecca replied with a small voice. ¡°B-But how would a bandit dare to come on the parade path? When it¡¯d be so easy to be caught!¡± ¡°That may be the case, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. Not to mention¡­¡± ¡°Not to mention?¡± ¡°It¡¯s suspicious that an outsider came in and has collapsed here so blatantly.¡± After watching the blonde man with narrowed eyes, I took a step back. ¡°So let¡¯s just report it. The officers will take care of the rest.¡± It was right when I was about to tell the horseman to turn the carriage around once more, having comforted Rebecca. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As if begging for us not to leave him like this, the man let out a repressed grunt. Surprised, I stared at him with suspicious eyes; but there was only the sound of his heavy breathing, with no attempts to move. ¡®As expected, it¡¯s strange.¡¯ It¡¯d be best to leave quickly before I got swept up in something annoying. ¡°Let¡¯s turn the carriage around and go back. And on the way back, let¡¯s report to the officers that someone¡¯s collapsed here.¡± After letting the horseman know, I tried to board the carriage once more. However, the horseman chased me in a hurry, awkwardly calling after me. ¡°Um¡­ Your Highness.¡± What was it this time? ¡°As this is a one-way path for the parade, I cannot turn the carriage around.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If we want to go back, we have to follow the route until we loop around.¡± What? What had he just said?! ¡°Since the carriage can only go forward¡­ If we want to go forward, we have to deal with the person on the ground.¡± In other words, that meant we had to either run that person over or move him aside ourselves, right? I stared at the man in frustration before letting out a light sigh. Then, I turned to the horseman with a pitiful expression. ¡°Then we have no choice.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Move that aside.¡± The horseman, surprised at my command, widened his eyes. Then, he pointed at the fainted man with a trembling hand. As if asking, ¡®are you talking about him?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re the one who said the carriage can only go forward, and not backwards.¡± ¡°C-Correct.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to move that person aside. We can¡¯t exactly run him over with the carriage.¡± And since it wasn¡¯t like Rebecca or I could move him ourselves, although I felt bad, there was no choice but for the horseman to do it himself. ¡°Y-You¡¯re saying to just move him to the side of the road?¡± ¡°Yes¡­? Would you rather run him over?¡± ¡°No! How could I! That¡¯s murder!¡± At my question, Rebecca hurriedly shook her head. I repeated, ¡°then there¡¯s no choice but to move him,¡± and gestured at the boy with my chin. ¡°U-U-Understood.¡± In the end, the horseman approached the blonde man slowly with a dissatisfied frown. Draaaag. The wind blew lightly as the traces of the boy¡ªno, man¡ªbeing dragged were carved onto the dirt path. As soon as his body was moved, his face, which had been practically cemented into the ground, was revealed. He was a pretty good-looking man. It was even more suspicious that he was attractive. To think that such a fine-looking man would collapse on the street. My disbelief slowly grew. ¡°Since the path is now open, let¡¯s hurry and leave.¡± As I said this, the horseman carefully put him down. And at that moment. As if he had been waiting for this moment, the man¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Aaaaack!¡± Blue eyes that were cool like a clear lake, yet deep like an ocean, startled the horseman and caused him to scream loudly before falling backwards. ¡°W-Where¡­¡± The man, who was breathing irregularly, sat up while looking at his surroundings. Then, after his gaze found me, he flashed a bright smile. ¡°So you¡¯re the one who saved me.¡± No, I was just about to abandon you on the side of the road before leaving, actually. Seeing how he was speaking such nonsense as soon as he got up, he must have been crazy. ¡°I distinctly remember that I collapsed in the center of the road.¡± So you do know what an inconvenience you¡¯ve been. ¡°You moved me aside in case I might get hurt.¡± No, I just removed you from my path. ¡°How kind of you.¡± With a touched expression, the blonde man stood up. He rose so normally that it made me even more skeptical that he¡¯d been unconscious. ¡°I truly don¡¯t know how to repay this favor.¡± The blonde man, now standing, brushed off his dust-covered clothes with his hands. Then, he passed by the horseman, who was sitting on his butt, and stopped in front of me. ¡°As you can see, I have nothing on me, so I can¡¯t give you anything right now. If you let me know your name, I will definitely remember and repay you.¡± Upon inspection, his two legs and two arms were fine. His handsome face, too, had no trace of being hit and was shining. No matter how much I looked, he didn¡¯t seem like the type of person to get beaten up by someone. Looking at the blonde man with narrowed eyes, I asked him a question. ¡°Why were you collapsed out here?¡± ¡°I came to watch the festival but got dizzy because there were so many people. I tried to find somewhere less crowded, and at that moment I lost consciousness.¡± Almost like he¡¯d been waiting for me to ask this question, the man answered readily and with a cryptic smile. Judging by his manner of speech and the clothes he was wearing, he wasn¡¯t a commoner. However, he was too polite to be a merchant. ¡®Is he a noble?¡¯ However, no matter how much I stared, his was a face I¡¯d never seen before. Seeing that I had no reply, the blonde man continued smiling and asked again. ¡°May I know your name?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention to save you, so there¡¯s no need for you to repay me.¡± And because of that, there was no need to give him my name. I gave him a tight-lipped smile with the intent to end the conversation there. I then spoke to the still-surprised horseman, who had remained on the ground. ¡°Let us take our leave. You¡¯re not planning on spending the night here, are you?¡± The horseman, who had been dazed as if he¡¯d seen a ghost, jumped up and brushed off his pants. He ran over and comforted the horses, who were surprised by the sudden stop, and checked the carriage for damage. After confirming that the horseman was looking over the carriage diligently, I turned. Rebecca was rooted to the spot; she must have been shocked by the horseman¡¯s scream earlier. ¡°Are you okay? Were you surprised?¡± ¡°A-A little bit.¡± Rebecca put a hand on her chest and took deep breaths. Rebecca was getting surprised often these days because of me. I felt a little apologetic toward her. ¡°Let¡¯s board the carriage and rest a bit.¡± I grabbed Rebecca¡¯s hand and was about to get on the carriage when the blonde man moved faster than the wind. Before I could blink, he appeared in front and blocked my path. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable just seeing you off like this.¡± He moved so fast in such a short amount of time that it was suspicious. He had almost certainly received training before. ¡°Even if you leave, please let me know your name¡­¡± ¡°Get out of my way right now.¡± Rebecca was stunned and was in this condition because of you! ¡°I have no intention to harass the savior of my life. I¡¯m just so thankful I want to repay¡­¡± ¡°And you think that blocking someone¡¯s path is repaying them?¡± The man tightened his lips at my sharp voice. However, he still showed no signs of getting out of my way. ¡°Should I report to the guards that you came into an area that is forbidden to outsiders and are now blocking my path?¡± ¡°This is a place that outsiders can¡¯t enter? How surprising.¡± Unlike his words, the man maintained his calm smile. At his reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°This is the parade path. There should have been guards out front.¡± ¡°No, when I came in, there was no one guarding it. If there was, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to come in.¡± That was true. Just how did this person get here, then? Rebecca must have relaxed after observing him, because at this point she chimed in. ¡°He must have been lucky and came in when the guards were rotating shifts, so they missed him.¡± Lucky? I laughed at Rebecca¡¯s words, dumbfounded. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can call this lucky or unlucky¡­ Anyway, Rebecca, are you a little better now? You seemed pretty shocked earlier.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± When I called Rebecca¡¯s name, the man who had been smiling toward me turned his gaze to her instead. ¡°Rebecca?¡± The man called her name. ¡°Rebecca Knights?¡± Rebecca flinched; she must have been surprised that the handsome blonde man even knew her family. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I was unsure earlier, but it really is you. Can¡¯t you tell? It¡¯s me.¡± The handsome blonde man smiled again. Rebecca glanced at me while shaking her head that she didn¡¯t know who this person was. ¡°It seems you don¡¯t remember me. Well, a lot of time has passed. Plus, I did leave for another country to study.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Adeus Fotchen.¡± Rebecca blinked, calling the handsome blonde man¡¯s name with some awkwardness. ¡°A-Adeus¡­ Fotchen?¡± ¡°Yes. Did you really forget?¡± The handsome blonde man¡¯s eyes wrinkled as he smiled gracefully. ¡°Your childhood friend.¡± Chapter 20 Her childhood friend? Rebecca must not have known either, for her eyes widened like full moons. ¡°C-Childhood friend?¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Adeus crinkled his eyes as he smiled, though it looked suspicious. ¡°We played together a lot when we were young.¡± ¡®Was he someone from the Fotchen Viscounty?¡¯ All I¡¯d heard before I regressed was that they had to sell their estate and villa in order to pay off their gambling debts. ¡®Was there such a young man in the Fotchen Viscounty? I thought they only had a daughter who was going to have her debutante this year.¡¯ I scanned Adeus with narrowed eyes. Then I turned away my gaze, regarding it as insignificant. After all, it was common for nobles to have illegitimate or hidden children. As I was doing so, the two continued talking about their memories of the past. ¡°I used to tease and bother you often.¡± Instead of responding, Rebecca remained silent, eyes darting back and forth. Then, with a frozen expression, Adeus put a hand on Rebecca¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rebecca, do you truly not remember me? That makes me sad. We were so close.¡± As soon as he finished talking, Rebecca¡¯s mouth widened, having remembered something. Then, she pointed a finger at Adeus with a happy expression. ¡°Y-You¡¯re Adeus!¡± ¡°Yeah, do you remember now?¡± Rebecca rapidly nodded up and down. From what it looked like, it was true that they had been childhood friends in the distant past. ¡°To think I would meet you here, Rebecca.¡± ¡°I-I know, right? It¡¯s been so long.¡± It must have been awkward to meet her friend for the first time in a while, for she dropped her gaze and smiled faintly. After they finished greeting each other, silence fell once more. ¡°I¡¯ll greet you formally. I¡¯m Adeus Fotchen, of the Fotchen Viscounty.¡± Putting a hand on his chest, he bent his waist forward in a polite bow. In the blue eyes that glanced upwards at me was a joy that I could not understand. As soon as Adeus finished greeting me, Rebecca came close to me and whispered into my ear. ¡°He¡¯s my childhood friend. We often played together when we were younger, but it¡¯s been a long time since I last saw him.¡± So that¡¯s why it had seemed so awkward. ¡°I¡¯d heard that you¡¯d gone to the Capital, but I never thought we¡¯d meet like this.¡± ¡°I-I also never thought I¡¯d see you here.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since I returned from my studies abroad.¡± With a strange smile, Adeus¡¯ eyes flicked to the carriage behind us. ¡°Rebecca, you¡­¡± No, to be exact, it seemed that he was looking at the crest engraved on the carriage. After lingering on the carriage with narrowed eyes, Adeus smiled and looked away. ¡°It seems the rumors you went to the Lapileon Duchy as a lady-in-waiting are true.¡± ¡°Huh? Yes¡­¡± Rebecca glanced at me before nodding. It seemed she was being careful in talking about me since I was present. Adeus¡¯ gaze returned to me. ¡°So you must be Her Highness, the Grand Duchess Lapileon.¡± Adeus grinned cheekily, as if he was just confirming something he already knew. I couldn¡¯t treat him coldly anymore after learning he was Rebecca¡¯s friend, so I smiled politely and nodded. ¡°I received the help of an outstanding person.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to feel burdened by. I¡¯d only been moving you to the side because you were blocking the path of my carriage.¡± ¡°Regardless of your intention, you saved me from getting run over by a carriage. To me, you¡¯re a savior.¡± Adeus¡¯ smile appeared devious to me. His foreign blue eyes sparkled in amusement. ¡°To think I kept saying I would repay you when you were the Grand Duchess Lapileon.¡± Adeus must have found this situation funny, for he laughed out loud. ¡°Not even knowing my place, I almost became a rabbit pretending to be the king of a mountain without a lion.¡± [Tl Note: A Korean saying that is equivalent to the English saying of ¡°When the cat¡¯s away, the mice will play¡±] ¡°I¡¯ll receive your feelings thankfully.¡± That was enough conversation. After I¡¯d talked a bit I moved to the side with the intent to walk by Adeus, who was blocking my path. However, Adeus followed me and blocked my path once more. ¡°Instead, if ever a day where Your Highness needs my help comes, come find me, and I¡¯ll stand on your side and help you, regardless of what it is.¡± ¡°Regardless of what it is?¡± ¡°Yes. Even if it¡¯s to kill a person.¡± What? Unlike his cruel words, Adeus was still smiling as bright as the sunlight. The dissonance made me feel uneasy. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need that kind of help, so again, I¡¯ll just accept your feelings.¡± Even if it was to kill a person? Was he crazy? I had no idea what his intentions were behind his words, which made me uneasy. Removing the smile from my face, I moved to the side with a rocky expression. Again, I was planning on passing by Adeus. However, he tenaciously blocked my path once more. ¡°Oh no, did that make you feel uncomfortable?¡± Adeus spoke with an innocent tone, but it was as if he¡¯d looked into my mind. This situation must have been amusing to him, for the smile on his face remained. ¡°It was a metaphor of sorts. I just wanted to display my firm will to help Your Highness, even if it¡¯s something of that extent, so please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Even as he said this, Adeus didn¡¯t move away from my path. Watching his brightly grinning face, I could feel annoyance start to boil up. ¡°Okay. If ever the day comes when there is not even an ant at my residence to aid me, and I need your help instead, I¡¯ll make sure to call for you.¡± That was to say: a day where I would need his help would never come. Even though he understood what I meant, Adeus¡¯ expression remained unchanged. His smile didn¡¯t waver, as if it had been drawn onto his visage. ¡°Then, are you returning to the residence now?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± If you know, please move aside. However, even after my response, Adeus continued blocking my path. ¡®Then I have no choice but to make him move.¡¯ I adopted the expression I¡¯d seen the people of the Lapileon Duchy wear. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for you to move out of my way?¡± With the same kind of arrogance and ridicule as them, I barked at Adeus. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re obstructing? Can you handle it?¡± Good, that was perfect. At my ice-cold questions, Adeus kept his composure while looking from me to Rebecca, and then to the carriage. Then, as if making a joke, he asked an optimistic question. ¡°If I get out of your way, can you drop me off?¡± ¡°What?¡± Now, what kind of nonsense was this? Me? You? Why? However, my scary expression crumbled in an instant. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that this place is one where outsiders can¡¯t enter, Your Highness?¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Then if I go out by myself, it will be revealed that the guards let someone come in, right?¡± Right, even if he¡¯d said there had been no guards when he¡¯d come in, there would probably be guards when we went out. ¡°I¡¯ll be punished if I get caught by the guards, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­So?¡± Adeus, who mumbled the end of his sentence, locked eyes with me before speaking in a light tone. ¡°So when Your Highness is leaving, can¡¯t you take me with you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Oh no, my response came out before I could think. Adeus must have been surprised at my immediate response, for his smile disappeared from his face for the first time. Gosh, if someone is asking for a favor like that, I should at least consider it. Consider, consider¡­ ¡°Yup, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Even after thinking about it, I didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Did you just reject me twice in a row?¡± ¡°Somehow that indeed happened.¡± At my crisp apology, Adeus must have found something humorous, for he laughed while clutching at his stomach. His laugh was quite a pretty sight, but I still had no plans of taking him with me. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about getting punished, I will speak to the guards. Because you are Rebecca¡¯s friend, and¡­¡± And since I felt just a bit sorry that I was going to leave him behind. But there was no need for me to finish the sentence. ¡°Anyway, I can just tell the guards that one of my people is coming out later, and to not punish you.¡± ¡°Do you really dislike the idea of taking me, even for such a short period of time?¡± They say silence was affirmation. I didn¡¯t respond. At that, Adeus pointed toward Rebecca with his finger. ¡°I want to talk with my friend Rebecca whom I met for the first time in a while, too. Can¡¯t I?¡± This was a bit difficult to reject right away. When I turned to look at Rebecca, I saw that she was still avoiding eye contact out of awkwardness. He must have noticed that I was staring at Rebecca, because Adeus turned to look at her as well. ¡°Rebecca, don¡¯t you want to catch up with me since it¡¯s been a while?¡± Hearing Adeus¡¯ question, Rebecca lifted her pale face. Then, after staring back and forth between him and me, she nodded with a slight tilt of her head. ¡°Yeah.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to talk to Adeus and was reading my face, or if she wanted to keep Adeus from an awkward encounter and was asking me for help. Her response was ambiguous. ¡°Rebecca, do you want him to come with us too?¡± In the end, I asked Rebecca again. In response, Rebecca dropped her head and fiddled with her fingers before responding in a mumble. ¡°Y-Yes. O-Of course, as long as it doesn¡¯t bother you, Your Highness¡­ But if it does bother you, it¡¯s alright.¡± If Rebecca wanted to talk to him, I had no choice. It wouldn¡¯t take long to get out of this parade path anyway. I turned to look at Adeus. As if already knowing what I was about to say, his eyes shone with anticipation. ¡°Then¡­¡± And right when I was about to tell him that we could return together in the carriage¡­ I heard the clear sounds of horse hooves from behind me. The sounds that were far away approached in haste. ¡®That¡­¡¯ Soon, a black horse fluttering its impressive mane ran toward us. ¡°So this is where you were.¡± The black horse that stopped in front of us had Theodore riding it. ¡°¡­Theodore.¡± ¡°Your Excellency!¡± At Theodore¡¯s sudden appearance, Rebecca called him in surprise. Theodore looked at me slowly. After confirming that I was fine, he took in the stopped carriage, Rebecca, and then Adeus. Completely forgetting that I¡¯d been in the middle of a conversation, I approached Theodore. Even Adeus couldn¡¯t block my path this time. ¡°W-What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I received the report that you came here to prepare for the parade. And because it¡¯s best to properly prepare for the parade that we¡¯ll be attending together, I came to aid you.¡± Speaking with a calm tone, Theodore turned his sharp, shining red eyes. Furrowing his eyebrows, he stared at Adeus for a long time. ¡°But it seems there¡¯s an uninvited guest here.¡± Getting off of the horse with ease, Theodore approached Adeus. It was clear from Theodore¡¯s face that he was displeased. ¡°Who are you? Nobody can enter here without my permission, and I don¡¯t remember permitting anyone but my wife to enter here.¡± The smile on Adeus¡¯ face, which had been steadfast until now, disappeared entirely. Well, if there was someone who could stand face to face with Theodore and smile, they either had no liver, had a swollen liver, or were just crazy. [Tl/n: In Korea, having no (or a swollen) liver is a metaphor for being fearless or reckless.] ¡°I asked who you were.¡± Theodore demanded once more, as Adeus had given no response. His low voice was brutal. The atmosphere turned heavy. Standing tall while looking at Theodore, Adeus finally opened his mouth. ¡°I greet Your Excellency the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t my question. Do you have bad hearing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Adeus Fotchen. A person of the Fotchen Viscounty. And¡­¡± Adeus turned to stare at me, who was standing next to Theodore with a calm appearance. ¡°The Grand Duchess and I¡­¡± ¡°You and the Grand Duchess?¡± ¡°Are in that kind of relationship.¡± Hey, you crazy bastard. Why am I in ¡®that kind of relationship¡¯ with you?! If someone hears that, they can only assume one kind of relationship! Chapter 21 Theodore¡¯s frown deepened. He tightly clenched his fist, as if he was about to punch Adeus right now. No, as if he was about to kill him. I quickly intervened before Theodore committed murder. ¡°It¡¯s our first time meeting today!¡± At my shout, both Theodore and Adeus¡¯ gazes turned to me. One person was burning with rage, enough so that he would be able to burn this place down right now, and the other was relaxed and at ease, despite being the one to have created this situation. ¡®Should I have run him over with the carriage earlier?¡¯ I clucked my tongue before telling him what had happened. ¡°I was in the carriage when I coincidentally came across him, collapsed on the road.¡± ¡°To put it precisely, Her Highness saved me.¡± ¡°To put it even more precisely, I moved him to the side, since we couldn¡¯t just run him over. And it wasn¡¯t me, but the horseman who did that¡­ Although I¡¯m in the midst of regretting that right now. Perhaps I should have just run him over with the carriage.¡± ¡°But thanks to you, I was not hit by a carriage.¡± ¡°And apparently he¡¯s Rebecca¡¯s childhood friend.¡± ¡°We have known each other since we were young, and we¡¯re very close. Rebecca can prove to you that I¡¯m not a weird person.¡± As soon as Adeus finished speaking, Rebecca rapidly nodded. ¡°I think he came in here by mistake when the guards were changing shifts. I was worried he¡¯d get in trouble with the guards when he went out, and Rebecca said that she wanted to talk with him more, so I was about to give him a ride in the carriage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a person who is ready to give my life to Her Highness the Grand Duchess, who saved me.¡± As soon as I finished each sentence, Adeus would add to it like an author¡¯s comment. After listening to our disconnected conversation, Theodore knitted his eyebrows in a displeased manner. ¡°What did you mean by ¡®that kind of relationship?¡¯¡± Unlike just earlier, Adeus spoke insincerely and with a dry expression. ¡°It just meant that as Her Highness saved me, I have to repay that favor, and that I can obviously lay down my life for her.¡± What kind of meaning was that? Why was he deciding that on his own? As if lost in thoughts, Theodore tilted his head. Then, as if something came to mind, he spoke in a low and menacing voice. ¡°Ah, you said you¡¯re the son of Viscount Fotchen? Yes, I¡¯ve heard of you.¡± His voice had ridicule mixed in it. ¡°A son that Viscount Fotchen brought in from the outside, right? I heard that he secretly sent you to another country because you¡¯re a hedonist who can¡¯t live without alcohol or women.¡± As I¡¯d thought, the reason he hadn¡¯t been known publicly was that he was Viscount Fotchen¡¯s illegitimate son. He hadn¡¯t gone abroad to study, but rather because he couldn¡¯t be handled. ¡®Even if he had seemed suspicious, he didn¡¯t look like a libertine.¡¯ Rather than a libertine, he seemed like a scammer. ¡°It seems you know about me well, Your Excellency Grand Duke Lapileon.¡± ¡°I do know you. How could I, someone who also lives while avoiding high society, not know of you? I heard you¡¯re famous abroad too. There¡¯s even a rumor that someone proposed a bill prohibiting you from approaching a lady within a 300-meter radius.¡± At Theodore¡¯s sarcastic remarks, I opened my eyes wide in surprise. I had thought that he looked quite pretty, but to think he was such a philanderer that a law would be proposed about him! Instead of refuting this, Adeus stared deeply at Theodore with cold blue eyes. ¡°You said you were afraid of getting punished for accidentally coming in here? I¡¯m the one who decides that punishment, so I¡¯ll let it go. Instead.¡± As if to show him, Theodore wrapped an arm around my waist, and away from Adeus¡¯ vicinity. ¡°Don¡¯t come within a 500m radius of my wife.¡± W-W-Was he crazy?! I was wondering what he was going to say! Completely surprised, my face started heating up. My waist, which Theodore¡¯s big hand was touching, froze stiffly like a wooden doll. Theodore, who noticed that, turned his body to stare at me face to face. ¡°We¡¯ve come all the way here, so we should do what we have to do.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± As soon as the word came out of my mouth, Theodore grabbed my waist with his two hands. ¡®What was he about to do?¡¯ Theodore flexed his arms, before lightly lifting me up. Surprised at suddenly getting lifted into the air, I let out a small gasp. ¡°Relax.¡± Theodore spoke calmly, before sitting me onto his own black horse with care. Surprised at suddenly being placed on top of a horse, I froze. The feeling of the horse¡¯s temperature and thick skin underneath my palm made the inside of my mouth dry up. ¡°Have you ridden a horse before?¡± Shake shake. I had never ridden a horse, even before I¡¯d regressed. Although I was an expert at riding carriages. As soon as I shook my head, Theodore nimbly got on behind me. Then, as if hugging me in his arms, he reached around me to grab the horse¡¯s reins. The man¡¯s sturdy arms and firm muscles that I could feel behind me made me gulp back my dried spit. ¡®How can a person¡¯s body be this solid?¡¯ You could mistake it for a rock. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Did he hear the sound of me gulping? He must¡¯ve thought I¡¯d frozen in fear, for Theodore softly comforted me. Of course, it was a little scary since I was sitting side-saddle due to my dress. ¡®If I fall, I¡¯ll probably get really hurt.¡¯ The top of the horse was higher than I expected. It was high enough that I would definitely not be able to get down by myself. After glancing below my feet, I grabbed Theodore¡¯s arm with two hands tightly. His arm didn¡¯t shake whatsoever. Theodore, who had been watching me in silence, spoke icily to Adeus. ¡°Esteemed son of Fotchen, you said you wanted to talk with your friend, right? Talk as much as you¡¯d like, we won¡¯t bother you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It would be even better if you did it outside of the parade path. I¡¯ll say this again, but outsiders are forbidden here.¡± At Theodore¡¯s menacing gaze, Rebecca repeatedly nodded with surprised eyes. Then, she hurriedly pulled Adeus¡¯ arm. ¡°O-Of course! We¡¯ll talk outside! W-We definitely won¡¯t bother the two of you!¡± ¡°Good.¡± However, unlike Rebecca, Adeus kept staring at us with a stiff expression. No, to be exact, he was glaring at Theodore, and not me. ¡®Is he pissed because Theodore called him a hedonist earlier?¡¯ But still, glaring at a Grand Duke¡¯s face like that was a bit¡­ ¡°The son of Fotchen¡¯s face will get holes in it.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± When I turned my head at Theodore¡¯s sulky words, I stared straight into his red eyes. He must not have liked something, for his face was frozen like a stone statue. He had definitely mumbled something earlier, but I¡¯d been so lost in thoughts that I hadn¡¯t heard it properly. ¡°Pardon? What did you say just now?¡± The two eyes in front of me blinked. Instead of responding, Theodore lifted the reins, and the horse started to move slowly. At the horse¡¯s sudden movement, my body locked up and I stared in the direction the horse was walking. ¡°W-Where are we going? Why is the horse moving?¡± My unbalanced upper body wobbled. At that, Theodore moved his hand and quickly wrapped it around my waist. He pulled me close so that I was tucked in his arms. ¡°Didn¡¯t you come to see the parade path? Since you¡¯ll be with me on that day anyway, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to practice like this.¡± Since the fact that I¡¯d come here to examine the procession route beforehand had been revealed, I felt kind of embarrassed. ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t me, but Rebecca who said we should come see it.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s say that is so.¡± ¡°For real.¡± ¡°I heard you bought a dress, shoes, hat, and accessories for the parade, though?¡± ¡°That was also Rebecca¡­!¡± ¡°Then sure, let¡¯s say that is so as well.¡± If someone saw us, they¡¯d think I was really excited about the parade. Unlike earlier, Theodore seemed to be in a good mood. Although I couldn¡¯t see his face, his voice was much more excited than only minutes ago. ¡®Is he pleased from teasing me?¡¯ A part of me wanted to tell him to get rid of the hand on my waist¡­ But if I did, it felt like I¡¯d fall off of the horse, so I couldn¡¯t. After complaining in my head, I heard a shout from Adeus from behind us. ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m excited about our next meeting. I¡¯ll wait for the day you call for me.¡± No, don¡¯t be excited and don¡¯t wait! I won¡¯t call you! I won¡¯t meet you! Although I wanted to turn my back and tell him this, the horse I was on kept going forward. I was scared that if I turned my head, I¡¯d lose my balance, so I just pretended I didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°It¡¯s quite noisy.¡± Adeus¡¯ shouts faded slowly as Theodore increased the horse¡¯s speed. ¡°You said there¡¯s nothing between you two, but he said he¡¯s excited and waiting.¡± ¡°Being excited and waiting is a one-sided thing that is not reciprocated, so there is nothing between him and me.¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Theodore, who had been wanting to say something, firmly closed his lips. What? Why are you stopping what you were saying and making me more curious? As if leaning back into Theodore¡¯s embrace, I tilted my head and stared at him. ¡°Why are you trailing off in the middle of your sentence, leaving me wondering?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking this in case.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is he your new lover?¡± Suddenly, my body swayed. I was so lost for words that I almost fell off of the horse. If Theodore hadn¡¯t instantly grabbed my waist, I definitely would have broken a leg or arm. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to hide it from me. There were a lot of people there earlier, which is why you might have been unable to say anything, but it¡¯s just the two of us now, so you can speak honestly.¡± I could feel Theodore¡¯s arm around me tighten. ¡°Since there was the incident where you were poisoned last time, I stepped forward because I thought it was best to be careful before the perpetrator is caught. If my actions somehow harmed the relationship between the two of you¡­¡± Theodore, who had been rambling on his own, shut his mouth as if displeased. ¡°¡­But there¡¯s still a lot of time left in your contract with me. How upsetting.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªexcuse me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to come between the two of you, but as I said earlier, the Fotchen son is of bad quality. If you¡¯re not in a deep relationship yet, I recommend thinking about it a bit more.¡± ¡°Listen to me.¡± ¡°But when did you start meeting? I know that he went abroad when he was quite young, and didn¡¯t come back to the Empire for quite a bit¡­ Ah, of course, I¡¯m only asking because I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡­ Um¡­ Ah, I feel like I should know to some extent so that I can prepare for the future. That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m asking.¡± It was definite that this bastard, Sercia, and Selphius were all of the same bloodline. How were they all the same in that they didn¡¯t listen to what others said and only spoke their own mind? With an indifferent face, I waited for Theodore to finish airing his thoughts. Theodore spoke for quite a long time about Adeus¡¯ past, how many ladies he¡¯d dated at the same time, and about his life. He repeated the same words over and over, until he finally quieted down. ¡°Did you finally finish what you wanted to say?¡± Before I knew it, we¡¯d completed the circle and had come to the end of the parade path. Theodore nodded with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I told you earlier, right? There¡¯s nothing between us. He¡¯s not someone I¡¯m planning on making my lover, nor do we love each other. I really met him for the first time today.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°And right now I don¡¯t plan on meeting anyone, during the period of this contract or even after it.¡± After going through that with Siph, there was no way I¡¯d want to date someone. And even if I did meet someone, I would definitely suspect them and have a hard time because of the scars I had received. ¡°I see.¡± After nodding shortly, Theodore stopped speaking and dismounted. As soon as the arms and embrace that had been supporting me disappeared, my body tensed up once more. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here so don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Theodore, who seemed to be in a good mood, grabbed my hands and guided them to hug his shoulders. When my body weight was naturally shifted downwards, Theodore lifted me in his arms and gently placed me down on the ground. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± Only when I stepped on the ground did I realize that we were too close together. As our warm breaths mixed together, I hurriedly escaped his embrace. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t like touching other people.¡± He¡¯d definitely glared at me as if he¡¯d kill me when I¡¯d grabbed his wrist the first time we¡¯d met. Theodore took a step closer to me, before speaking calmly. ¡°At the very least, you won¡¯t die because of my curse. Then it¡¯s fine.¡± It was a bittersweet voice. Whenever I was on the verge of forgetting it, that curse broke in between us. Now that I thought about it, since it was a curse, there must have been someone who cast the curse for the first time¡­ If I could, I wanted to go find that person and take it up with them. Just why, for what reason, and with what right did they make these people have to live with this pain? Theodore returned to me after leaving the path to return the horse he¡¯d borrowed to the guards. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Where to, so suddenly? At the tilt of my head, Theodore spoke with a placid voice. ¡°It¡¯s the first day of the festival. Since we¡¯ve come all this way, it¡¯d be a shame to just go back. Let¡¯s enjoy the festival and then go.¡± Enjoy the festival? And not with just anyone, but Theodore? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say these kinds of things were annoying? You said you hated it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s annoying, and I hate it, but since it¡¯s already started, there¡¯s no other choice. Not to mention, I¡¯ve never gone to a festival in my entire life. I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be bad to try and enjoy it at this opportunity.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± He¡¯d never enjoyed a festival during his life? ¡°You¡¯ve never come to a festival?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Not once?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Not even when you were younger?¡± How could that be? Especially in the Capital, where festivals occurred for even the littlest things! ¡°I couldn¡¯t go out when I was younger. When I got older, I avoided heavily populated places because of the curse, and because of that I¡¯ve never gone until now.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you be able to go out when you were younger? Were you locked up or¡­ Ah.¡± I suddenly recalled when Sercia told me about how when they were younger, they had been abused and locked up. ¡®I keep forgetting.¡¯ These people, who had clearly sacrificed things that they should have enjoyed. I reached out and tightly gripped Theodore¡¯s hand, laughing brightly. ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll enjoy all of that today. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll make it so you have proper fun today!¡± Chapter 22 The morning was bright. Just like every other morning, I woke up because of the surrounding noise. Rebecca and the maids had come into the bedroom and were moving around, waiting for me to open my eyes. Glancing furtively to the side, I noticed that as usual, Theodore had awoken first and had left. Seeing how he always cleanly got ready and departed before I woke up, the thought that he was very diligent came to mind. ¡°Good morning, Your Highness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a happy morning, Your Highness!¡± Receiving everyone¡¯s greetings, I sat up on the bed with vigor. As soon as I got up I could feel a pain in my waist, causing me to grab at it and furrow my brows. ¡°Ugh.¡± A contorted moan slipped out. My waist was on fire. ¡°Y-Your Highness, are you okay?¡± ¡°My waist, my waist hurts.¡± Well, it would be strange for it not to hurt. After running around like that yesterday, we¡¯d completely conquered the entire festival. We had properly enjoyed ourselves, as if we were relieving a matter of eternal regret. But because we¡¯d run around so aggressively together, both my legs and waist hurt. Stretching up toward the sky, I relieved my stiff body. Then, I felt something strange. ¡°What the, why are you all so quiet?¡± As if they¡¯d all made a promise, everyone¡¯s lips were firmly closed, and they were staring at me without moving a muscle. While I was scanning everyone with a confused expression, Rebecca, looking embarrassed, asked. ¡°Y-Your Highness, t-then should I prepare a hot bath for you to relax your body?¡± ¡°From the morning? Why?¡± ¡°That¡­ After a woman and a man spend a wild night together, your body may be stiff, so I heard it¡¯s good to relieve it with hot water.¡± A woman and a man spend a wild night together? Now that I looked closely, the expressions on their faces as they looked at me seemed somewhat pleased. It was only then that I realized just what exactly they were misunderstanding. ¡°N-No! It¡¯s not like that!¡± Although I stammered a rapid denial, it didn¡¯t seem like any of them were planning on believing me any time soon. Some maids laughed brightly before saying they had to prepare some warm bath water, and even left the bedroom. How embarrassing to feel so ashamed this early in the morning! Grabbing my painful waist, I hopped out of bed. ¡°Enough with the nonsense, hurry and dress me!¡± Stop staring at me with such a delighted and proud expression! I really can¡¯t let any careless words slip in this household, honestly! Noticing my red face, Rebecca ran towards me with a fan and started fanning me. ¡°Rebecca, did you have a nice conversation with your friend yesterday?¡± Thinking back, I realized Theodore and I had played around until so late last night that I hadn¡¯t even heard how it had gone. At my question though, Rebecca¡¯s shoulders flinched. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± It seemed as if she was saying otherwise. The word ¡®hedonist,¡¯ which Theodore had mentioned the day before, came to mind. ¡°That bastard didn¡¯t do something bad to you, did he, Rebecca?¡± ¡°Pardon? N-No, it¡¯s not like that! It was just so awkward yesterday that I felt like dying. To be honest, I wanted to follow Your Highness yesterday and escape.¡± Rebecca had a complicated expression as she shook her head. Well, if it was a friend you hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, it could definitely be awkward. ¡°Were you actually close when you were younger?¡± ¡°Yes, that was truly the case when we were children. His mother was a commoner, you see. Viscount Fotchen brought him up in secret. There probably aren¡¯t many people in the Empire who know he exists.¡± ¡°I also thought that the Fotchen Viscounty only had a daughter.¡± After hearing Rebecca¡¯s account, something seemed strange. ¡°Not many people in the Empire know of him? Even though His Excellency knew?¡± ¡°Well that is¡­ Perhaps it¡¯s because His Excellency does a lot of foreign politics, so he heard the rumors?¡± Ah, I see. That could be the case. As I nodded, Rebecca spoke of her past as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°When there were other people around, he could barely even talk properly, so I helped him a lot. If not for me, he was an idiot who couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± Huh? Who? Adeus? I stared at Rebecca with a dazed expression. Rebecca, who was lost in her memories, was smiling as if remembering the old days. ¡®He hadn¡¯t looked like that at all, though.¡¯ It¡¯s not that he was bad at speaking, but rather he was so good it left me speechless¡­ Well, of course, you would be different as an adult than you were as a child. ¡°I had only heard rumors after he was chased abroad, and haven¡¯t seen him since, though.¡± Rebecca mumbled bitterly, and as if hating even the thought of it, she shook her head. ¡°Ah, gosh. They said the items we purchased yesterday would arrive today! If you¡¯re not busy, do you want to try putting them on?¡± ¡°Alright, sure. I have nothing much to do today, so I¡¯ll stay at the estate.¡± When I nodded in Rebecca¡¯s direction, the girl smiled brightly in excitement. After finishing all preparations, I left the bedroom. ¡°But the Lapileon family is truly on such good terms.¡± ¡°Hm? Why are you mentioning that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just fascinating. Usually, it¡¯s uncommon for the family to eat together after sending all of the maids and ladies-in-waiting away. Going as far as to say that the butler, Baha, is enough to help with eating.¡± Flinch. At Rebecca¡¯s wondrous mumbles, I tried my best to maintain my calm. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s also unusual for family members to be this close!¡± Well, it was quite a big deal. When nobles ate, they almost never asked for there to be no attendants to help them. ¡°Then Your Highness, I¡¯ll see you later!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After saying goodbye to Rebecca, I headed toward the dining room by myself. When I entered, I didn¡¯t see Selphius or Theodore, but just Finneas sitting by himself. ¡°Your Highness, good morning.¡± ¡°Sir Finneas. Did you sleep well? Where are Theodore and Selphi?¡± ¡°Selphi woke up just now, so he¡¯s still getting ready, and will come down. As for Theo¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Before Finneas could finish speaking, I heard Theodore¡¯s voice from behind me. When I looked up, tilting my head back, I came eye to eye with Theodore. Tap. The back of my head bumped into his stocky chest. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Unlike me, whose waist and legs were throbbing, he seemed completely fine. Was this the difference in our stamina? Theodore turned his gaze from me to the butler, and spoke lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t need breakfast today. There¡¯s some business I need to take care of urgently, so prepare the carriage. I¡¯ll leave right away.¡± ¡°Where are you going without even eating breakfast?¡± At my question, Theodore turned his gaze slowly down to me once more. Through his long eyelashes, I could see my face reflected in his half-closed red eyes. Theodore stared at me for a long time without saying anything. ¡°I received a report that the residence of the perpetrator who poisoned you has been identified.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± That bastard! ¡°Seeing how they erased their traces so that not even a mouse or bird could find it, they are either experienced or working in an organization.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just my guess, but I don¡¯t think they did this on their own, and instead are working with people who share the same purpose.¡± So it wasn¡¯t just one person who tried to poison me¡­ no, to be exact, tried to poison and murder the entire Lapileon family, but an organization? I was at a loss for words. ¡°Do you remember the incident where someone spread an article with malicious content about you?¡± ¡°How would I forget that?¡± ¡°That journalist is different from the average person in that they hid their tracks, so we weren¡¯t able to find them in the end. Just like right now.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, to some extent. They might be in the same group, so we have to head out now before they erase their tracks and disappear once more.¡± Theodore, who reached out his hand, lightly tapped my forehead with his thumb. He tapped it as if he was touching a feather, so much so I could barely feel him. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely catch them and make them kneel in front of you.¡± Leaving these final words, Theodore turned and left the dining room. I stared at where he had stood for a long time before touching my forehead, where Theodore¡¯s thumb had been. ¡°Theo¡¯s not going to war or anything, so you don¡¯t need to stare with such a mournful expression, Your Highness.¡± Oh yeah. It hadn¡¯t been just the two of us there. Finneas¡¯ firm voice, which I heard from behind me, startled me, and I sat back down. ¡°W-What do you mean by ¡®a mournful expression¡¯? It¡¯s just that he said it might be an organization, so¡­ I was just worrying for him on a person-to-person basis.¡± ¡°Sure. And it¡¯s not a bad thing for a couple to worry for each other. It¡¯s not something to be embarrassed about, either.¡± Finneas tilted his chin and smiled, as if pleased. No, don¡¯t smile. Not only were we not in that kind of relationship, but I also wasn¡¯t worrying for him as one would worry for their husband! I felt embarrassed for no reason, causing my face to blaze up, so I gulped down some water to cool off. ¡°Oh by the way, I confirmed with Your Highness¡¯ blood that I collected earlier, and it definitely seems like the curse of everyone in our family doesn¡¯t work on you.¡± The curse didn¡¯t work. So it really was like that. I nodded my head and carefully spoke the theory I¡¯d thought of. ¡°Might it be that it doesn¡¯t work on me because I¡¯ve already died before?¡± As soon as I tossed out my question, Finneas donned a strange expression. Then, he stared at the empty cup of water in front of me and asked me seriously. ¡°Was that perhaps not water, but alcohol, Your Highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯m completely sober right now.¡± If someone heard, they would think I was a drunkard who was absolutely plastered! I¡¯d recently thought about why the curse didn¡¯t work on me. Could the reason be that I had already died at Siph and my family¡¯s hands and regressed? So it was actually that I had already died, and my body too, had died¡­ Now that I thought about it, it made sense why Finneas might have mistaken me as someone who was intoxicated. Who would be able to believe I was sober while hearing a story that I had died and returned to life as I traveled back in time? ¡°Were you asking seriously?¡± Finneas inquired, hesitantly, to which I nodded my head vigorously. Of course I was serious; I had even thought of stabbing myself with a sword to see if I would die or not. Finneas laughed awkwardly and tried his best to formulate a diligent answer. ¡°Since you¡¯re speaking with me and eating, you¡¯re definitely alive, aren¡¯t you, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Then is my blood the blood of a living person? And not of a dead person?¡± ¡°O-Of course.¡± After hearing Finneas¡¯ reply, I gave a sigh of relief. Luckily enough, it didn¡¯t seem that I had a dead body. ¡°Did you have a bad dream or something? You seem quite surprised, should I give you some calming medication?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± If I¡¯d thought I could fix this by taking medicine, I would have consumed all of the medicine that was good for the body in the world. Finneas surveyed me with a worried expression. Well, I did just ask him if I was a dead person, so there was no way he¡¯d think of me as perfectly fine. And right when I was wondering what excuse I should give him, Selphius entered the dining room. He was wearing the Delfanil Academy uniform as he awkwardly and stiffly walked in and sat down. ¡°Selphi! My goodness, it looks so good on you.¡± ¡°Selphi, how pretty.¡± Today was Selphius¡¯ first day at Delfanil Academy. At both of our compliments, Selphius turned his head with an embarrassed expression. ¡°¡­It¡¯s all the same clothes, so there¡¯s no need to say that.¡± Selphius, who must have felt embarrassed and awkward at the fact that he was wearing a uniform, spoke bluntly. However, Selphius¡¯ bright red ears told the truth about the child. ¡®He¡¯s so cute.¡¯ ¡°Is His Excellency yet to arrive?¡± ¡°Theodore had something to do, so he left first.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Selphius let out a sigh of both relief and disappointment. After the incident where Selphius had vomited blood, Theodore had once again disagreed with his attendance at the academy. In irritation, he said we should either send Selphius to the countryside or let him stay at the residence. Because I knew he was saying this for Selphius¡¯ sake, I couldn¡¯t easily refute him. Since I, too, had regretted the fact that I¡¯d kept him here after seeing Selphius spit up blood. However, Selphius did not change his mind. He stated that if his vomiting of the blood was the reason he had to return to the countryside or stay in the residence, then not just him, but everyone in the family with this curse, should have to do so. Then, he said that he couldn¡¯t become Theodore¡¯s heir while living trapped in his shadow. His words weren¡¯t wrong. However, Theodore was resolute. I was truly at a loss for how I could convince him again, but an unexpected assistant easily resolved the situation for us. ¡®Theo, you were the same when you were younger. When you lived locked up.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®Just like now, you wanted to go out, and Miss Gloria allowed that. That¡¯s why you could grow to be like this.¡¯ ¡®¡­Uncle.¡¯ ¡®If you think about your childhood, won¡¯t you be able to know what Selphi needs right now?¡¯ He meant that Theodore, who had lived locked up when he was younger, would know Selphius¡¯ feelings better than anyone else. With Finneas¡¯ kind convincing, in the end, Theodore allowed Selphius to enroll in school. ¡°From now on, Sir Finneas will always take you to the Academy. And he will also go pick you up when it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a kid.¡± ¡°But we just want to do that for you.¡± Selphius huffed and pouted his lips, but didn¡¯t refuse. Although he snuck furtive glances at me, he didn¡¯t say anything else. Although I could drop him off too, I didn¡¯t want to go and bump into Dahlia; just thinking of it made me sick. Even now, we were receiving an invitation almost every day from Dahlia. There was no need to provide Dahlia with a pretext to meet me and bring me to the palace. ¡®Should I just relax, stay at the residence, and read a book today?¡¯ I rested my chin on my hand and looked at the nice weather outside the window. Chapter 23 Upon finishing breakfast, Finneas and Selphius left for the Academy. I, on the other hand, walked through the garden with nothing to do, before going to the residence¡¯s small library to kill my boredom. ¡®I¡¯ll read this and that.¡¯ Taking out some books I wanted to read and placing them on a small cart, Rebecca, who was following after me, asked carefully. ¡°Since the weather¡¯s nice, what about reading outside?¡± ¡°Outside?¡± ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re okay with it, Your Highness, I¡¯ll prepare some tea and refreshments underneath a big tree with shade from the bright sunlight.¡± That didn¡¯t sound bad. Taking one more book out, I nodded. ¡°Then please prepare a pie that¡¯s light to eat, as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare some apple pie.¡± Rebecca seemed overjoyed that she could escape the library, which suggested that she did not enjoy reading. Rebecca exited the library with steps full of excitement and a bright smile. Laughing loudly, I walked toward the last bookshelf. As I did so, a thick book caught my eye. It was the family tree of the Lapileon Grand Duchy. It reminded me of the story of the first Grand Duke Lapileon, who started as a normal soldier, rose to the position of General, and in the end received the title of Grand Duke and a requisite territory. ¡®During the war, he severed the heads of several nation¡¯s kings, and offered them to the Emperor, as well as the heads of rebel force soldiers¡­ He made many contributions.¡¯ The family tree must have continued from then on. ¡®It¡¯s probably okay for me to look at it, right?¡¯ I carefully reached out my hand and turned the first page. As I did so, the first thing I saw was a slightly faded portrait. ¡°¡­Theodore?¡± I couldn¡¯t even help myself from calling Theodore¡¯s name when I looked at the faded portrait. The face drawn on the portrait was so similar that for a moment I mistook it for Theodore. It was scarily similar. However, underneath the portrait was not Theodore¡¯s, but another name. Lightly brushing the first Grand Duke¡¯s name, of which the ink had been smudged, I mumbled quietly to myself. ¡°Einhardt Orpe Lapileon.¡± Ugh. As soon as I said his name, my head started ringing. Was it because I¡¯d been among the books for too long? I pressed my temple to try and relieve the headache when I heard steps behind me. When I turned my head, I saw the butler knocking on the library door. The butler must have been surprised when he saw my crumpled face, for he rapidly approached. ¡°Your Highness. Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Sir Finneas still hasn¡¯t returned yet; should I call for him?¡± ¡°No, my head just hurt a bit. I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Goodness, Master doesn¡¯t use the library much, so it must not have been properly cleaned. It feels like I can smell the old, dusty scent. I¡¯ll make sure to order them to clean it today so not a single piece of dust remains.¡± Nodding my head, I glanced at the book in my hand. I got the feeling that the first Grand Duke¡¯s portrait, which was facing me, was watching me. After staring at First Grand Duke Einhardt¡¯s eyes, I closed the book with no hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s heavy, so I¡¯ll organize it for you.¡± ¡°Yes, thanks.¡± I handed over the Lapileon family tree to the butler. Then, my gaze naturally went to the invitation letter in the butler¡¯s hand. ¡®That¡­¡¯ Recognizing who had sent the invitation letter right away, I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Another invitation letter came?¡± ¡°Yes, I brought it because His Excellency isn¡¯t here right now. Should I leave it on His Excellency¡¯s desk? It was an invitation letter from Dahlia, who seemed not to tire. As I outreached my hand, the butler handed the invitation letter to me. After breaking open the seal to open the invitation letter, neat handwriting filled my eyes. [My beloved Grand Duchess Lapileon.] And not the Grand Duchess Lapileon that you want to kill? [The Grand Duchess, who has refused my invitations to tea parties, marriage congratulatory parties, salon memberships, and even personal invitations to strengthen our friendship.] I¡¯d only read the first sentences of the invitation letter, but I could feel incredibly murderous energy coming from it. [The amazing Grand Duchess, who rejects me saying that your body hurts all over whenever I invite you.] Hm. The next sentence was also quite murderous. At this point, wasn¡¯t it an invitation to duel, rather than simply an invitation? [I guess I should be understanding, as it seems that whenever Your Highness leaves the estate, you catch some kind of illness.] Oh, so she understood? Was she finally planning to give up on bothering me? However, the following sentence made me forget all dignity as my jaw dropped. [So this time, I¡¯m not inviting you; I¡¯ll simply go to the Grand Duchess¡¯ estate myself.] ¡°Just what kind of ¡®commoner-will-become-the-Emperor¡¯ nonsense is this?¡± I meant that since a commoner could never become the Emperor, it was absolute bullshit. At my response, the butler must have been curious, for he leaned his head over. ¡°What is it?¡± Ignoring the butler¡¯s words, I read the next sentence with trembling eyes. [If you have really just thrown out my invitation letters without reading them, you probably won¡¯t be reading this either. Or perhaps, you read them and still ignored them. Regardless, this invitation letter is not an invitation, but a notification that I will be visiting your residence.] Ah, what is this? The thought that it was a relief I had read it today, instead of Theodore just burning it without reading it, came to me. If we hadn¡¯t known that this was the contents of the letter, we could have been ambushed without expecting anything! I quickly let the butler know before I read the next sentence. ¡°Send a response that I¡¯m sick to the Imperial Palace immediately. Say that I¡¯m in such a bad condition that I can barely move a finger, nor can I walk. So tell her not to come.¡± Then, I quickly read the next sentence. At that moment, I threw the invitation letter onto the ground with a disgusted expression. [Ah, by the way, by the time you receive this invitation letter, I¡¯ll have arrived at the Lapileon estate.] The butler, who had been about to leave the library, picked up the thrown invitation letter from the ground and surveyed me. Before the butler¡¯s lips could open, a polite knock came at the library door. ¡°Your Highness.¡± Creak. Like a wooden doll, my head turned stiffly. The maid who had knocked on the door bowed politely before saying something horrifying. ¡°Her Highness Princess Dahlia has arrived at the residence.¡± W-What the fuck. My face paled as if I couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°D-Did you tell her I¡¯m here?¡± At my question, the maid¡¯s eyes darted back and forth. Then, she nodded her head and spoke with a trembling voice. ¡°She asked about your body¡¯s condition, so I told her you were doing well.¡± Damn it, screw it all¡­ ¡°We finally meet.¡± PR Note: Dang, Dahlia finally got the jump on Sasha. Chapter 23: The Crazy Bitch of This Area Is Me! Upon finishing breakfast, Finneas and Selphius left for the Academy. I, on the other hand, walked through the garden with nothing to do, before going to the residence¡¯s small library to kill my boredom. ¡®I¡¯ll read this and that.¡¯ Taking out some books I wanted to read and placing them on a small cart, Rebecca, who was following after me, asked carefully. ¡°Since the weather¡¯s nice, what about reading outside?¡± ¡°Outside?¡± ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re okay with it, Your Highness, I¡¯ll prepare some tea and refreshments underneath a big tree with shade from the bright sunlight.¡± That didn¡¯t sound bad. Taking one more book out, I nodded. ¡°Then please prepare a pie that¡¯s light to eat, as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare some apple pie.¡± Rebecca seemed overjoyed that she could escape the library, which suggested that she did not enjoy reading. Rebecca exited the library with steps full of excitement and a bright smile. Laughing loudly, I walked toward the last bookshelf. As I did so, a thick book caught my eye. It was the family tree of the Lapileon Grand Duchy. It reminded me of the story of the first Grand Duke Lapileon, who started as a normal soldier, rose to the position of General, and in the end received the title of Grand Duke and a requisite territory. ¡®During the war, he severed the heads of several nation¡¯s kings, and offered them to the Emperor, as well as the heads of rebel force soldiers¡­ He made many contributions.¡¯ The family tree must have continued from then on. ¡®It¡¯s probably okay for me to look at it, right?¡¯ I carefully reached out my hand and turned the first page. As I did so, the first thing I saw was a slightly faded portrait. ¡°¡­Theodore?¡± I couldn¡¯t even help myself from calling Theodore¡¯s name when I looked at the faded portrait. The face drawn on the portrait was so similar that for a moment I mistook it for Theodore. It was scarily similar. IMG HERE However, underneath the portrait was not Theodore¡¯s, but another name. Lightly brushing the first Grand Duke¡¯s name, of which the ink had been smudged, I mumbled quietly to myself. ¡°Einhardt Orpe Lapileon.¡± Ugh. As soon as I said his name, my head started ringing. Was it because I¡¯d been among the books for too long? I pressed my temple to try and relieve the headache when I heard steps behind me. When I turned my head, I saw the butler knocking on the library door. The butler must have been surprised when he saw my crumpled face, for he rapidly approached. ¡°Your Highness. Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Sir Finneas still hasn¡¯t returned yet; should I call for him?¡± ¡°No, my head just hurt a bit. I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Goodness, Master doesn¡¯t use the library much, so it must not have been properly cleaned. It feels like I can smell the old, dusty scent. I¡¯ll make sure to order them to clean it today so not a single piece of dust remains.¡± Nodding my head, I glanced at the book in my hand. I got the feeling that the first Grand Duke¡¯s portrait, which was facing me, was watching me. After staring at First Grand Duke Einhardt¡¯s eyes, I closed the book with no hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s heavy, so I¡¯ll organize it for you.¡± ¡°Yes, thanks.¡± I handed over the Lapileon family tree to the butler. Then, my gaze naturally went to the invitation letter in the butler¡¯s hand. ¡®That¡­¡¯ Recognizing who had sent the invitation letter right away, I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Another invitation letter came?¡± ¡°Yes, I brought it because His Excellency isn¡¯t here right now. Should I leave it on His Excellency¡¯s desk? It was an invitation letter from Dahlia, who seemed not to tire. As I outreached my hand, the butler handed the invitation letter to me. After breaking open the seal to open the invitation letter, neat handwriting filled my eyes. [My beloved Grand Duchess Lapileon.] And not the Grand Duchess Lapileon that you want to kill? [The Grand Duchess, who has refused my invitations to tea parties, marriage congratulatory parties, salon memberships, and even personal invitations to strengthen our friendship.] I¡¯d only read the first sentences of the invitation letter, but I could feel incredibly murderous energy coming from it. [The amazing Grand Duchess, who rejects me saying that your body hurts all over whenever I invite you.] Hm. The next sentence was also quite murderous. At this point, wasn¡¯t it an invitation to duel, rather than simply an invitation? [I guess I should be understanding, as it seems that whenever Your Highness leaves the estate, you catch some kind of illness.] Oh, so she understood? Was she finally planning to give up on bothering me? However, the following sentence made me forget all dignity as my jaw dropped. [So this time, I¡¯m not inviting you; I¡¯ll simply go to the Grand Duchess¡¯ estate myself.] ¡°Just what kind of ¡®commoner-will-become-the-Emperor¡¯ nonsense is this?¡± I meant that since a commoner could never become the Emperor, it was absolute bullshit. At my response, the butler must have been curious, for he leaned his head over. ¡°What is it?¡± Ignoring the butler¡¯s words, I read the next sentence with trembling eyes. [If you have really just thrown out my invitation letters without reading them, you probably won¡¯t be reading this either. Or perhaps, you read them and still ignored them. Regardless, this invitation letter is not an invitation, but a notification that I will be visiting your residence.] Ah, what is this? The thought that it was a relief I had read it today, instead of Theodore just burning it without reading it, came to me. If we hadn¡¯t known that this was the contents of the letter, we could have been ambushed without expecting anything! I quickly let the butler know before I read the next sentence. ¡°Send a response that I¡¯m sick to the Imperial Palace immediately. Say that I¡¯m in such a bad condition that I can barely move a finger, nor can I walk. So tell her not to come.¡± Then, I quickly read the next sentence. At that moment, I threw the invitation letter onto the ground with a disgusted expression. [Ah, by the way, by the time you receive this invitation letter, I¡¯ll have arrived at the Lapileon estate.] The butler, who had been about to leave the library, picked up the thrown invitation letter from the ground and surveyed me. Before the butler¡¯s lips could open, a polite knock came at the library door. ¡°Your Highness.¡± Creak. Like a wooden doll, my head turned stiffly. The maid who had knocked on the door bowed politely before saying something horrifying. ¡°Her Highness Princess Dahlia has arrived at the residence.¡± W-What the fuck. My face paled as if I couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°D-Did you tell her I¡¯m here?¡± At my question, the maid¡¯s eyes darted back and forth. Then, she nodded her head and spoke with a trembling voice. ¡°She asked about your body¡¯s condition, so I told her you were doing well.¡± Damn it, screw it all¡­ ¡°We finally meet.¡± tl: youj; pr: aila; qc: youj join us on our discord here if you¡¯re interested! Aila: Dang, Dahlia finally got the jump on Sasha. Youj: ah @ dahlia¡­.. interesting headache to the pic of theo¡¯s ancestor though¡­ i¡¯m getting sus vibes from that and thinking maybe they were lovers reincarnated Chapter 24 Sweat dripped down my spine. Dahlia, who was right in front of me, had an icy cold expression on her face. It felt like she would pour steaming hot tea into my mouth the moment I opened it. ¡°Why are you standing there frozen? I want to bother you.¡± Dahlia looked around as if surveying prey in front of her eyes. I was frozen stiff like a rabbit in front of a hunter. But I quickly fixed my expression and shook my head. Telling her not to bother me would definitely be an act of love bombing toward Theodore. Although I wanted to just tell her to do as she wished, I was tied to Theodore by a contract. Theodore had made a contract with me because he wanted to avoid marriage with the Fourth Princess. Thus, I couldn¡¯t let the Fourth Princess stay by Theodore¡¯s side. TL/N: I had no idea what love bombing was, so I had to search it up, but it¡¯s basically when you act overly affectionate to influence or manipulate the other person. In this case, telling Dahlia not to bother her is kind of like begging for attention or trying to make Theodore protect her ¨C an act of love bombing. ¡®Let¡¯s chase her out of the estate first.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like saying ¡®he¡¯s my husband, so don¡¯t touch him!¡¯ would even work with her. If it did, she wouldn¡¯t have come here in the first place. I casually scanned the table. Then, I stared at the thick apple pie. Seeing my gaze change, Dahlia turned to the apple pie as well. ¡°Do you want to eat some apple pie?¡± At my random question, Dahlia must have been astounded, for she laughed in ridicule. Ignoring her laughter, I stood up from my spot and started cutting the apple pie with the knife myself. Dahlia sat on the sofa and was scanning me with a gaze that said, ¡®did she really go insane?¡¯ One piece on my plate. One piece on Dahlia¡¯s plate. ¡°Is now the time to eat that?¡± Dahlia, who couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, spoke up. ¡®Do you think I¡¯m sharing this with you so we can happily eat this together?¡¯ I swallowed the words that had come all the way up to my throat and passed Dahlia¡¯s plate to her. Dahlia shifted her gaze quickly from the apple pie plate to me. ¡°You¡¯re not taking it? It¡¯s not too sweet, so it should be tasty.¡± ¡°Why? Did you poison it?¡± I wish I could poison it, really. ¡°Do you take me for a fool? If Your Highness the Princess was poisoned and died in this confined room, it¡¯s obvious I would be suspected as the perpetrator. I would never poison you here.¡± Then, I smiled brightly. Dahlia scanned my face with a suspicious gaze. Then, she must have realized that what I was saying was true, for she outstretched her hand to take the plate. And then. ¡°Oh no!¡± As I got up from my spot, I dropped the apple pie atop Dahlia¡¯s dress. The thick apple pie left an even bigger stain on Dahlia¡¯s dress than I¡¯d been expecting. ¡°What should I do?! It¡¯s such a pretty dress, too! But my hand slipped!¡± There was no way it would end with just the apple pie. I needed something strong to send her out of the estate. I floundered around, pretending to be shocked, before sweeping my hand toward the teacup on the table next to Dahlia. The teacup, which slipped from the table, completely soaked Dahlia¡¯s dress and rolled onto the carpet. ¡°Oh no! This hand is at fault!¡± Although my exclamation was obviously an act, who cared? Dahlia, whose dress had become a mess in a split second, scrunched her eyebrows. ¡°You¡­¡± This time, it truly felt like she would kill me. I batted my eyelashes as if truly concerned, carefully concealing the knife I used to cut the pie behind my back. ¡°Since the dress has been ruined, it would be best to return soon. If other people see the Empire¡¯s Princess in this kind of state, you¡¯d lose face.¡± Dahlia, whose face was crumpled up in fury, crushed the apple pie on the carpet with her shoe before standing. She was probably picturing that apple pie as me. Seeing her stomp on it with murderous intent caused goosebumps to go down my spine. ¡°Ha, is it because your blood is different? The actions of the two sisters are completely different.¡± Sisters? At Dahlia¡¯s low mutters, I frowned. Staring at Dahlia¡¯s murderous gaze, I opened my mouth. ¡°Are you talking about Reina? Do you know her?¡± ¡°I know her.¡± With an annoyed expression, Dahlia swept back the hair that was falling onto her face and laughed at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Your younger sister came in as my lady-in-waiting a few days ago.¡± What? What was she talking about? ¡°Since I am recovering from sickness, I need someone to talk with, no? Your sister said she heard the rumors about how I wanted to marry Grand Duke Lapileon and wanted to help me, so she came to me on her own two feet.¡± Reina, was this what you¡¯d managed to come up with? ¡°She hates you just as much as I do, quite impressive.¡± No wonder she had been quiet these days. Since both Theodore and I did not entertain high society, we had no idea something like this had happened. ¡°But what relationship is your sister and your ex-fiance in?¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°She asked me to permit your ex-fiance to take the Imperial Knight promotion exam. Your sister did, that is.¡± Reina asked that for Siph? Wow, she truly never missed a single opportunity. Well, just in case she wasn¡¯t able to steal my inheritance, she needed another kind of insurance. ¡°What, you already knew about their relationship? How boring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s someone I disposed of, anyway. It¡¯s her business whether she picks up and uses something I threw out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re as boring as ever.¡± Dahlia clicked her tongue. ¡°But I always like new changes. I¡¯m planning on passing him and assigning him to Sir Lapileon.¡± So Siph would end up joining the Imperial Knights in the end, how annoying. He¡¯d once again received the items that I had finally managed to take away from him. Dahlia started cackling when she noticed my glare. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± And as Dahlia was sneering, I¡¯d been thinking that it was noisy outside the room. Sure enough, the door opened suddenly, without even a knock. Dahlia lit up after seeing Theodore enter. ¡°Ahim¡­!¡± Huh? What had she just called him? Ahim? At this unfamiliar name, I could feel my fingers throbbing. ¡°Ah¡­¡± But that was also brief. As soon as Dahlia made eye contact with Theodore, she firmly closed her lips. Her eyes, which had lit up as if sunlight was beaming through, filled with an unknown disappointment. ¡°¡­Sir Lapileon.¡± After fixing her expression, Dahlia smiled brightly like a dishevelled flower. Theodore, who had entered the room, paused to look at the two of us before approaching me quickly. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Pardon? Me? At my flustered expression, Dahlia, who had been staring at Theodore¡¯s back, started laughing as if in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t you see the state I¡¯m in? The one who was affected is not that woman but me.¡± However, Theodore continued to ignore Dahlia¡¯s words and repeated his question. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± I was the one who got her, though. This should be visible at a glance. I slowly shook my head. I could hear Dahlia muttering complaints of ¡®I¡¯m the one who was affected¡¯ in the back. ¡°Princess Dahlia.¡± Theodore tightly clenched his jaw before calling Dahlia¡¯s name. ¡°I definitely warned you, but it seems you¡¯ve forgotten.¡± He glared at Dahlia with an icy expression, so cold as if a blizzard was brewing. Standing crookedly, Dahlia smiled calmly. ¡°I definitely told you not to approach my wife.¡± Yes, good job! His low rumbling voice sounded like a beast growling and roaring because his territory had been invaded. ¡°Am I the bad guy in this again?¡± ¡°For what reason did you come here?¡± ¡°Stop acting so scary. I didn¡¯t even touch a single strand of hair on that woman. I just sat in front of her like this. It¡¯s me who something happened to if anything. Look at my dirty and messy state.¡± ¡°I definitely told you not to even look at her.¡± Theodore¡¯s voice was permeating in rage. However, even in this situation, Dahlia seemed to be enjoying conversing with Theodore. ¡°Really? I guess I¡¯ll have to do as you say. Since you said not to look at that woman, I¡¯ll just look at you.¡± It felt like walking on thin ice. Theodore, whose face was crumpled up, pulled on the bell rope. As he did, the maids that had been waiting outside rushed in. ¡°Get rid of all of this.¡± As soon as they came in, he gave his order, pointing at the tea and snacks on the table, as well as the teacup at Dahlia¡¯s foot. Glancing around, the maids approached to get rid of the tea. However, Dahlia interrupted the maids, grabbing my teacup that was on the table. ¡°I¡¯m going to go after having some tea. Drink with me, Sir Lapileon.¡± ¡°In that state?¡± ¡°So what? Since my dress drank tea and got soaked like this, I should drink too.¡± At this point, it wasn¡¯t love but an obsession. I should have sent her away before Theodore had come! However, Theodore lightly ignored her, as if unconcerned with Dahlia¡¯s words. ¡°The guest is going to leave, so prepare the carriage.¡± Although the order for Dahlia to leave had been given, she seemed to be indifferent. In the end, Theodore stepped forward and harshly pulled the teacup out of Dahlia¡¯s hand. Then, the maids took the tea and snacks and escaped from the room as if running for their lives. ¡°This is too much to a guest, and the Empire¡¯s Princess at that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you are the Empire¡¯s Princess that I have not taken out my sword yet. You should be very grateful that you were born a princess.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Have you been working hard to get ready for the parade? If you encounter any difficulties, let me know. I¡¯ll let His Majesty know.¡± ¡°We will not be letting Your Highness the Princess into the estate ever again. I¡¯ll let the workers know, so do not come here in vain.¡± ¡°Come visit the Palace often. I¡¯d rather see you than her. Then there will be no need for me to come here.¡± ¡°And stop sending invitation letters. This estate has enough firewood to last us through the winter, so we don¡¯t need any more fuel.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t visit the Palace often, I¡¯ll come again.¡± ¡®Wow, they¡¯re really just saying what they each want to say.¡¯ Even though their conversation did not flow whatsoever, Dahlia seemed excited. She even bounced both legs back and forth. However, she must not have been able to stand the feeling of being damp, because Dahlia got up from the sofa. ¡°I think I smell.¡± ¡°You just noticed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the apple pie and tea on the dress. Even though I originally came after cleaning myself very well¡­¡± Dahlia cast a terrifying look at me, who was standing behind Theodore. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the state I am in, I could have conversed with you a bit longer. She said not to bother her, and then did such a cute deed.¡± Theodore shifted so that he was hiding me behind his broad shoulders. ¡°Fine, I understand, so stop staring at me so scarily. I¡¯m going to leave. My head hurts from how sweet my dress smells, you see.¡± ¡°Since you are an uninvited guest, I won¡¯t guide you out.¡± ¡°How cold. Sure, it¡¯s all right. It does not matter, since you need me, and when the time comes, you¡¯ll naturally come to find me. She has already completely forgotten, anyway, so I¡¯ll wait until then patiently.¡± Dahlia smiled a wide, creepy grin before turning her body and leaving the room. ¡®Did she finally go?¡¯ As if a storm had wrecked the room, the carpet was a complete mess. With a dazed expression, I stared at the door Dahlia had exited through for a long time. Only when it seemed that Dahlia wasn¡¯t returning did I lose the strength in my body and collapse onto the sofa. Theodore, who also turned his gaze away from the door, looked me over. ¡°After receiving the letter from the butler, I came immediately. You¡¯re really not hurt anywhere, right?¡± His appearance did seem different from usual. So he¡¯d left while he was working and had run here. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. There was no violence.¡± Theodore, who had been scanning me with narrowed eyes, came to my side and knelt on his left knee. Then, he carefully and thoroughly looked me over. Because of his muscles, his tight clothes stretched as if they were about to rip. ¡°I told you. The Princess is a crazy dog. Make sure there are never situations where it¡¯s just the two of you ever again.¡± ¡°If she did something, I was going to fight her back! She¡¯s younger than me. And she was lying down until just recently because of her illness. If we fight, I¡¯ll definitely beat her in strength.¡± ¡°How unsurprising.¡± ¡°And didn¡¯t you see the state of the Princess earlier? That was a masterpiece that I made.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not trying to show off the fact that you attacked with mere pastries and liquid, right?¡± After confirming that there was really nothing wrong with me, Theodore stood up. ¡°You have a talent for surprising people.¡± ¡°Were you surprised?¡± ¡°The other person was the Princess, would I not be surprised? Even if that woman had murdered you here, the Emperor would take her side.¡± Well, she was his daughter who had gotten up and recovered from her illness for the first time, so what wouldn¡¯t he be willing to do for her? Was that why she was in such high spirits? ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that provokes her. And if possible, don¡¯t meet with her. If you think you¡¯re going to meet, at least wear the mithril armor. I¡¯ll lend it to you.¡± ¡°The mithril armor? Am I going into war or something?¡± ¡°No, actually, if something happens, just meet her with me. I¡¯m someone who has to protect you. I cannot just stand and watch as a person of the Lapileon family gets treated like this. From now on, for any meeting related to Princess Dahlia, do it with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± ¡°What?¡± After breathing a little heavily, I became okay. I rose from the sofa. ¡°Our contract is one that started because you didn¡¯t want to marry the Fourth Princess in the first place. It¡¯s my contractual duty to ensure that you don¡¯t meet with the Fourth Princess.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you die while trying to fulfill your contractual duties.¡± ¡°Hey, I won¡¯t die! ¡­Ah, right. Earlier, Princess Dahlia said something weird.¡± ¡°Something weird?¡± As I made to leave the room, Theodore followed. ¡°She asked me if I knew who she was.¡± It was weird. Who living in this Empire wouldn¡¯t know who Princess Dahlia was? ¡°And she said that I had forgotten everything.¡± No matter how much I thought, there was nothing I¡¯d forgotten. My memories were whole. Well, it could have been some meaningless nonsense. But why did she say that? Lost in thought, Theodore, who had been following me, nodded before responding. ¡°I¡¯ve heard those same words before.¡± ¡°Pardon? You too?¡± ¡°After looking into it, I found out that she said something similar in the Palace, about whether or not two people there remembered her.¡± So other than Theodore and I, she¡¯d said something similar to two other people, too? As expected, it was definitely nonsense. ¡°Everyone is thinking that the Princess hasn¡¯t completely recovered her senses yet.¡± ¡°I think so too. It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s completely recovered yet.¡± ¡°She¡¯s definitely not in her right mind.¡± We walked side by side through the long hallway. Then, I remembered something else Dahlia had said earlier. ¡°Apparently Reina¡­ that is, my younger sister, went into the palace as Princess Dahlia¡¯s lady-in-waiting.¡± ¡°¡­I had no idea.¡± ¡°I only found out just now too.¡± ¡°It seems like your family doesn¡¯t miss even the slightest of opportunities.¡± ¡°I agree. And she said that she would accept my previous fiance into the Imperial Knights.¡± ¡°By your ex-fiance, you mean the man who made a fuss at the entrance of the estate before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I never wanted to see Siph become a member of the Imperial Knights and brag about it. Crinkling his eyes, Theodore calmly spoke as if reading my mind. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. If he gets accepted, what changes? I¡¯m the one in charge of them all. Just let her try and pass him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make him work until he realizes where hell truly is. He probably won¡¯t last more than a month before leaving on his own two feet.¡± Only after seeing Theodore¡¯s serious expression did I feel a bit reassured. The me of now was different from the me of the past. I would not let them hold onto any of the things they had from before I regressed. Never. Chapter 25 After escorting me to my bedroom, Theodore returned to his workplace. He told me that the reported hideout of the perpetrator who poisoned me had turned out to be empty. He left the estate, suspecting it to have been a false report. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± As I draped myself over the sofa while grumbling, Rebecca quickly approached me and lightly massaged my shoulders. ¡°Is this okay? Were you very surprised?¡± ¡°Yeah. Super surprised, even.¡± It must have been because I¡¯d met Dahlia, but I¡¯d lost all strength in my body. Staring at the books displayed on the table, I waved a hand at them. ¡°Please return these to the library. I don¡¯t even have the energy to read.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll return them.¡± ¡°And when you come back, please bring me a hot chocolate. I think I¡¯ll need to drink something sweet to recover my strength.¡± ¡°Then should I also bring the apple pie you couldn¡¯t eat earlier?¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head as soon as I heard Rebecca¡¯s question. Even just the mention of apple pie made me think about Dahlia. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to look at apple pie.¡± I shook off the goosebumps spreading across my arms and tutted my tongue. Rebecca smiled at that before leaving the bedroom with an armful of books. ¡®Reina became Dahlia¡¯s lady-in-waiting, I see.¡¯ Thinking about it made my head throb. ¡®She¡¯s going to become more big-headed.¡¯ Seeing as Dahlia had now become the closest ally of the Emperor¡¯s beloved Princess, who received his unconditional love, she must be walking around with her nose in the stratosphere. Tl/n: An expression meaning she¡¯s really full of it. ¡®I was thinking how strange it was that she¡¯d been so quiet as of late¡­ Turns out, she was secretly planning this.¡¯ I tapped my thigh with my index finger. It was widely known that Princess Dahlia was obsessed with Theodore, who was married. Reina would do anything in her power to get them together, because then I¡¯d be cast aside by Theodore and she could stick Siph to my side again. ¡®I won¡¯t fall for it twice.¡¯ Even just thinking about it made me fume with rage. I clenched my hands into fists and managed to calm my anger down. Soon after, Rebecca came in carrying a tray with a cup of hot chocolate and an egg tart. ¡°When you¡¯re tired, it¡¯s best to replenish your sugar levels.¡± As expected, she truly knew how things worked. After flashing her a pleased smile, I lifted a fork. When I tasted the egg tart?¡ªwhich seemed to melt in my mouth?¡ªall of my rage, worry, and anxiety melted like butter along with it. ¡°Rebecca.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness! Is the egg tart tasty? Should I bring another?¡± ¡°Apparently my sister became Princess Dahlia¡¯s lady-in-waiting.¡± Rebecca whipped her head up. As she blinked, I could see the horror, fear, and astonishment written on her face. ¡°Whaaaat?!¡± Rebecca shouted uncharacteristically loudly. She must¡¯ve been surprised at her own volume, for she clapped both hands onto her mouth, but her rage was still not easily calmed. ¡°M-My goodness. What did you just say?¡± ¡°Yeah. I had the same reaction when I first heard it, too.¡± ¡°H-How did those two meet?¡± That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. It was already annoying and a headache to think of them separately, so how much more rage would they induce as a pair? ¡°You didn¡¯t know either, right?¡± ¡°I truly didn¡¯t! This is my first time hearing about it! No such rumors were spreading throughout high society¡­ If I knew, I obviously would have reported it to Your Highness as soon as I could!¡± ¡°Rebecca.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being honest! Please believe me!¡± She must have thought I was interrogating her, seeing as she kept proclaiming her innocence with a wronged expression. ¡°Rebecca, calm down.¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± It seemed her eyes were wet?¡ªshe must have been really surprised. I lifted my hand and comforted her by touching the back of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not scolding you. Apparently she was selected a few days ago, so the rumors probably haven¡¯t spread yet. I understand why you didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± ¡°Are there no particular rumors about my mother?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s been borrowing from here and there, so she must be lacking in money¡­ It seems she¡¯s having difficulty with funding.¡± How carelessly had she been spending money to justify her already needing to borrow more? As I tutted my tongue, Rebeca wiped her eyes before carefully opening her mouth. ¡°Your Highness, can I offer something?¡± ¡°Offer what?¡± ¡°My friend we met that one time.¡± Friend? While I tilted my head in confusion, Rebecca sat on the sofa next to me and continued speaking. ¡°Adeus Fotchen, I mean.¡± Ah, that strange man. I narrowed my eyes and nodded. ¡°Adeus knows a lot about high society. He also has a heavy mouth and doesn¡¯t spread secrets, so I thought it¡¯d be good if he became Your Highness¡¯ eyes and ears.¡± He had a heavy mouth? It had seemed lighter than a feather. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he someone who couldn¡¯t go out in public? How does he gather information about high society¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s always alcohol and women near Adeus¡ªin other words, noble wives. And, at places with alcohol and noble wives, there¡¯s a lot of good information.¡± Oh yeah, he was said to be a famous libertine from when he was abroad studying. ¡®Of course, wherever alcohol and noble wives are involved, there¡¯s bound to be good information.¡¯ I thought for a bit before shaking my head. ¡°I don¡¯t trust him. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s suitable to use as someone who¡¯ll be my eyes and ears.¡± Rebecca was the same. Though I¡¯d assigned her to surveil my family, I still didn¡¯t completely trust her. ¡°But he¡¯ll be really helpful.¡± ¡°Later. I¡¯ll think about it later, when I really need help.¡± Hearing my firm response, Rebecca tightly closed her mouth and stopped pursuing the topic. *** In no time, the finale of the festival¡ªand the day of the parade¡ªhad arrived. ¡°You seem nervous,¡± Theodore said slowly from his leisurely position on the other side of the carriage. I sighed loudly, pressing the palms of my hands against my cheeks, which were stiff with nervousness. ¡°It¡¯s my first time being in front of so many people.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to worry. Everyone thinks it¡¯s an honor just to see the faces of the family who have the public confidence of the Empire.¡± ¡°Your confidence is incredible.¡± ¡°Yes, and rightly so.¡± The carriage we were to ride at the parade was specially created to have both sides wide open. It was definitely made with the intent to show off the two of us riding it. I sneakily stuck my head out. At the front of the parade was the military band, and behind them were the Emperor, Crown Prince, and Prince, who were riding dashing horses. After them was Princess Dahlia, who was inside a carriage. We went after them. ¡®Reina came with her, I see.¡¯ Next to Dahlia sat Reina, as if it was obvious that she should be there. Originally, ladies-in-waiting were not allowed to sit next to a princess, but it was clear that she¡¯d sat there on purpose to make a statement. To provide evidence for my theory, Reina sneered quite widely when our eyes met, clearly showing off. ¡®Why I oughta¡­!¡¯ While I was considering grabbing her by the hair once the parade ended, Reina turned her head to Dahlia like she was saying something before standing up from her spot. Then, she approached me. ¡°Hi, Sister.¡± Reina waved her hand and smiled. ¡°I thought I should let you know, Sister. You probably already noticed, but I¡¯ve become Her Highness Princess Dahlia¡¯s lady-in-waiting.¡± ¡°It suits you very well.¡± It was the gathering of crazy bitches, so it was the most perfect role of all. ¡°Siph will also become one of the Imperial Knights soon. Her Highness the Princess said she would make it happen.¡± ¡°Siph? Since I¡¯m not there anymore, have you decided to just openly date him now?¡± Reina frowned at my jeer as if she was surprised. How foolish. ¡°Well, it¡¯s none of my business¡­ but I hope he becomes an Imperial Knight as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Pfft, what? Do you suddenly feel ashamed about Siph, or something?¡± ¡°Gosh, why would anyone feel ashamed for throwing away unusable trash, Reina?¡± I glanced at Theodore with the smile of a winner. ¡°Since my husband is in charge of the entirety of the Imperial Knights, if Siph gets in, he can undergo some harsh training and be reborn as a human. I¡¯ll help him start his life anew.¡± Reina¡¯s face paled. When she was about to speak, the loud drumming that indicated the beginning of the parade rang through the air. ¡°What are you doing? The parade is starting. Return to your place.¡± After I waved her away with my hand, Reina bit her lips, turned her body, and went back. With the sound of a loud trumpet, the parade began. The carriage started forward slowly, and I put on the smile I¡¯d practiced and looked around. As we passed by, the people who¡¯d come out to watch cheered and waved their hands. ¡°I understand why you said you hated becoming a spectacle.¡± ¡°It feels like, at least right now, you can understand the feelings of a bird trapped in a cage and unable to fly, no? I can.¡± With his arms crossed, Theodore leaned back comfortably and stared at me with a frown on his face. His determination to not look at anyone else was evident. ¡°Wave your hand to the people, too. They¡¯re saying hi to you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I didn¡¯t do anything that deserves their thanks. I didn¡¯t want the war, anyway.¡± ¡°But in the end, they¡¯re still thankful.¡± Ignoring my words, Theodore crossed his long legs and closed his eyes. Seeing his slightly raised eyebrows, it was clear that he greatly disliked this situation. Oh well. ¡®I should wave my hand, at least.¡¯ Ignoring my facial muscles, which were slowly hardening, I worked hard to wave both left and right. Those who received my greeting cheered. There were even some who shed tears. Passing by those people, the carriage very slowly moved at a snail¡¯s pace. The boring parade that made me feel like I was an animal attraction continued. ¡®I hope this ends soon so I can go rest.¡¯ If I had to do a parade like this two or three times, I¡¯d probably go with my eyes closed, just like Theodore was. We were only halfway done, but I was already sick of it. Even as I sighed, I continued to smile and wave at the people who had gathered for us. Around when our carriage had reached the midway point, a man wearing a hooded robe ran onto the middle of the parade path with a throng of people following. They must¡¯ve taken advantage of the guards being preoccupied with trying to control the crowd. ¡°Huh?¡± Why were they suddenly on the parade path? That was dangerous. I couldn¡¯t understand what the man was trying to do. ¡°Theodore, there¡¯s some person over there¡­¡± At my voice, Theodore opened his closed eyes. When I was about to talk about the man, something happened. ¡°So many people died because of the war. What kind of bullshit honor are you talking about?!¡± After the man shouted that, he instantly unsheathed his sharp sword and quickly charged toward our carriage. Without any hesitation, he cut the rope connecting the horses to the carriage before forcefully kicking the horses¡¯ butts. ¡°Hiiing!¡± The horses who were no longer attached to their reins ran forward through the crowd. The procession immediately became a mess, and screams were in the air. There were many people either getting stomped on by the horses or kicked by their back legs. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± Our carriage, which no longer had horses, lost its balance and tilted forward. Surprised by the sudden situation, my body followed the unbalanced carriage and almost made me fall flat on my face. ¡°Pershati!¡± However, Theodore quickly grabbed a hold of my waist before I could fall. Unexpectedly, I ended up being held in his sturdy embrace. He held my waist with one hand; with the other, he grabbed onto the carriage and raised his head. Theodore¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent. ¡°You.¡± When I followed Theodore¡¯s gaze, I found the man in the robe stopped in place, watching us. He slowly took off his robe. The man¡¯s face was clearly revealed. The eyes that were shaking with lunacy were familiar. ¡°¡­!¡± It was the kitchen assistant who had poisoned me. He hadn¡¯t shown himself until now, so why had he crawled here with his own two feet? He must not have even seen my shocked expression, since his eyes were fixed on Theodore. While lifting his sword, causing the blade to sparkle, the man yelled loudly so everyone could hear. ¡°We, the rebel forces, will dethrone the Emperor and Grand Duke Lapileon, who began the war!¡± Rebel what? What did he just say? Rebel forces? ¡®That person was a member of the rebel forces?¡¯ Even my surprise was temporary. Before I could say anything, the sunlight suddenly reflected on the man¡¯s shining sword that he raised prior to charging at us. ¡°Pershati!¡± Theodore reflexively held me tightly in his arms. He turned his body as if to protect me. It seemed that he was so fixed on the idea of keeping me safe that he didn¡¯t even think of taking out his sword. ¡°Die, Grand Duke Lapileon!¡± N-No! Watching the crazy expression of the charging man made me reflexively tug on Theodore¡¯s back. Bam! However, Theodore¡¯s leg was faster. After hugging me in his arms so that I wouldn¡¯t get hurt, Theodore forcefully kicked the man¡ªwho was holding his sword up high in the air¡ªin his abdomen region. The man¡¯s body unattractively flew backward with a loud noise. ¡°¡­Did you think I¡¯d be afraid of a mere sword like that?¡± His chilly voice alone could make one¡¯s knees shake. The man who was on his back ground his teeth before getting up again. ¡°My family died because of you!¡± When the man lifted the sword into the air once more, someone quickly ran into the confused throng of people. Then, they kneed the man in the back, pushing him down. ¡°Ugh!¡± The man¡¯s body was being unpleasantly shoved into the ground. ¡°It¡¯s an assassin! Protect His Majesty the Emperor!¡± ¡°Protect His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess!¡± The Imperial Knights finally got a grip. Voices shouting for the protection of the royal members rapidly filled the air. At the same time, a terrified person¡¯s scream filled the air. ¡®What is this¡­?!¡¯ With the boisterous screams and shouts coming from here and there, I felt dizzy. But of them all, I could clearly hear the voice of the person who had apprehended the man by kneeing his back. ¡°You can¡¯t do that here. It¡¯s a crime.¡± It was a familiar voice that was soft, yet firm. He made sure that the man would be unable to move with his quick and nimble reactions. Then, he looked at us before laughing charmingly. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere, Your Excellency the Grand Duke and Your Highness the Grand Duchess?¡± As the wind blew, his blonde hair¡ªwhich was as dazzling as gold¡ªfluttered attractively. Theodore made a face before hiding me, who he was still holding in his arms, behind his back. ¡°Young Lord Fotchen.¡± The man who was smiling and who had immediately apprehended the rebel¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a relief you¡¯re both safe.¡± ¡­was Adeus. ¡°It seems you two owe me your lives.¡±