Chapter 51
Reconciliation
It had already been three days since she last saw Cassel. Even Noah and the servants seemed to sense something was off—everyone was carefully watching Riena’s mood. But no one dared to bring it up openly.
Riena pretended to be fine, but the truth was, she wasn’t fine at all.
She would wander the parlor, wondering if Cassel might be in his room, even pressing her ear against the connecting door, trying to eavesdrop.
On the fourth afternoon, Amy—who had been pretending not to notice—finally snapped and handed Riena a letter, clearly upset.
“I didn’t think the Duke was like this, but he’s really too much.”
“Huh?”
“No matter what happened, how could he not come to see you for days? He’s skipped both breakfast and dinner with you!”
As Riena took the letter, she instinctively tried to defend Cassel.
“I’m the one who said we should take time to think things through. He’s probably respecting that.”
“Even so!”
Apparently not convinced, Amy raised her voice.
“He should at least try to comfort you. Just because you told him not to come doesn’t mean he really shouldn’t! Who even takes that literally?”
Somehow, Amy getting angry on her behalf eased some of the resentment Riena had felt toward Cassel.
Riena asked playfully, a small smile sneaking into her voice.
“You think so?”
“Of course!”
“How do you know so much, Amy?”
Amy proudly straightened up.
“All thanks to books.”
“Books?”
“Yes! Romance novels are all the rage in the capital right now!”
“Really?”
“Yes. Should I bring you a copy too, my lady?”
“Sure. Sounds like it might be fun to try.”
Once their conversation ended and Amy left the room, Riena turned to the letter in her hands. As expected, it was from Raul.
With slightly trembling fingers, she opened it. The familiar handwriting was concise.
It began with:
“I’m not angry with you, so there’s no need to apologize.”
Then came his response to her question.
In summary, Raul said there was no particular conflict between him and Cassel. They had been somewhat distant as children, but nothing serious—and since then, they hadn’t had any face-to-face interaction.
He only vaguely remembered glimpsing Cassel from afar when he visited the palace to meet the Emperor.
Everything remained unclear. But that dream from a few nights ago kept bothering her.
“Ugh, I don’t know anymore…”
She had spent the entire day overthinking, and before she realized it, it was already dinner time.
Taking Noah by the hand, Riena descended to the dining room—only to be startled.
Cassel, who hadn’t shown up for days, was already seated.
“Uncle!”
Noah, clearly delighted, let go of Riena’s hand and ran to him.
“Are we eating together now?”
“Yes.”
Cassel lifted Noah and seated him beside him. Then he nodded slightly toward Riena.
Riena wanted to say something to him—but no proper words came to mind. So, she quietly took her seat.
The meal was eaten in near silence. Riena couldn’t even taste the food—her thoughts were a chaotic swirl. Cassel seemed no different. He focused only on helping Noah eat and barely touched his own food.
Still, Noah was so happy the three of them were together that he chattered more than usual.
After the meal, Riena asked a maid to take Noah.
“Would you take him to his room?”
“Yes, my lady.”
She waited until Noah was completely out of the dining room before turning to Cassel.
“Have you had time to think?”
“…Yes.”
“Then shall we talk in the study?”
A nearby maid cautiously asked,
“Shall I prepare tea?”
“No, I’m fine. You?”
“I’m fine too.”
“Since the Duke says he’s fine as well, there’s no need. Just keep people away from the study for a bit.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Riena headed toward the study, glancing back to ensure Cassel followed.
Once seated across from each other at the small table in the study, neither of them spoke.
Normally, Riena would’ve broken the silence first, unable to bear it. But this time, she didn’t feel like it.
About ten minutes passed before Cassel finally spoke.
“Amy came to see me earlier.”
“Amy?”
Only then did Riena realize why Cassel had suddenly shown up. Amy must have given him quite an earful.
“She really didn’t have to…”
“No. Thanks to Amy, I realized something I hadn’t considered.”
“And what’s that?”
“I was planning to stay away until your anger subsided. But now I see—I didn’t fully understand your feelings.”
Riena stayed silent, listening.
“Instead of taking time apart, I think it’s better that we talk. That’s why I came.”
So he was finally ready to talk about what had happened?
Riena cautiously asked,
“Then will you tell me what happened with Raul? He said he doesn’t recall any major conflict with you.”
“…”
“Though of course, there could be something he’s forgotten. Maybe something happened between you two while I was away for a bit as a child. Childhood memories often fade, after all.”
Even then, Cassel remained silent on that matter. Instead, he responded with something else.
“I admit I acted out of line that day. Raul was your guest and your friend, and I was rude. It wasn’t respectful to you either. I’ll offer Sir Verna a sincere apology for my discourtesy. And if you’d like, I’ll formally invite him to dinner.”
He was clearly drawing a line.
Calling Raul “your friend”… So he didn’t consider him a friend himself.
‘Well, Raul felt the same,’ Riena thought.
When she mentioned “Coward Cass,” Raul hadn’t seemed particularly pleased. Only after Riena brought it up did he go, “Oh right, there was a kid like that.”
“So you’re really not going to explain?”
“I’m sorry. I want to be honest with you about everything, but just this once—I can’t.”
“…”
“However, I promise it won’t happen again.”
Still, nothing had been resolved. But Cassel’s sincerity made her waver.
He was even willing to apologize formally to Raul. Was there any reason to press further?
Perhaps if she pushed, she’d only end up hurting Cassel more.
Riena sighed.
“Fine. Thank you for agreeing to apologize to Raul. But there’s one thing I still don’t understand. Why did you ask me if I trusted him? What did you mean by that?”
She recalled the dream from a few days ago.
Raul’s betrayal—when she had trusted him more than anyone.
She had dismissed it as just a dream, but after reflecting on her conversation with Cassel, something didn’t add up.
He had spoken as if he knew what would happen in her dream.
‘Maybe I dreamed that because he planted the idea in my head,’ she wondered.
She wasn’t sure which came first—the dream or Cassel’s words. But she needed answers.
“I’m sorry.”
“You can’t tell me that either?”
Riena looked disappointed, prompting Cassel to elaborate.
“No matter how much you trust someone, they could still betray you. I know you’ve known Sir Verna a long time and rely on him, but you never know what might happen.”
“So you were just warning me to be cautious, just in case?”
“…That’s one way to put it.”
As if she were some naïve child.
Cassel’s face was serious, but his words were clearly dishonest.
Out of sheer defiance, Riena replied sharply,
“Isn’t the same true for you?”
“…”
“If we’re being technical, I’ve known Raul much longer than I’ve known you. He’s my childhood friend and my father’s trusted student, so I followed him without hesitation. But by your logic, I shouldn’t trust you either.”
“You’re right.”
He answered firmly.
“I will never betray you—but even so, you shouldn’t place blind trust in me.”
Riena deflated. Oddly enough, had he insisted, “You can trust me, I’m not like Raul,” she might have distrusted him more.
But instead, he told her not to trust him.
A cruel thing to say to someone who had chosen to follow him.
It stung—but strangely, it also made him feel more trustworthy.
A complex blend of disappointment and reassurance settled in her chest.
