CHAPTER 77………………………….
“Is he trying to avoid answering?”
That was the first thought that crossed her mind the moment she heard Ricardo’s question.
“You know Auguste is a sociable person, right? His kindness was something he showed to everyone, that’s all.”
“That’s true.”
For some reason, it didn’t feel like the answer Ricardo had been hoping for.
But for Linaria, it was the best answer she could give at the moment.
‘In the end, he’s not telling me how I should respond to Auguste.’
Without hearing the answer she wanted, Linaria stepped down from the carriage.
The butler came out and greeted them with impeccable courtesy.
His demeanor was so businesslike that it didn’t feel like he was Ricardo’s biological mother at all.
Ricardo, too, treated her not as a “mother” but as a “butler.”
‘There’s something I’m missing here.’
It hadn’t even crossed her mind that Ricardo might have a partner in this.
And maybe there wasn’t just one traitor hiding inside Obel.
‘This might be bigger than I thought.’
Linaria’s gaze grew cold.
After arriving at Obel Castle, she had a light meal alone in her room, sketched out some plans, and must have fallen asleep early.
The reason she said “must have” was simple.
When she opened her eyes, she was in an unfamiliar place.
“…?”
Her nerves were already on edge from sleeping poorly these days, between adjusting to a new bed and keeping an eye on Ricardo, the traitor.
Her drowsy mind quickly sharpened.
The first thing that greeted her was a night sky full of stars.
‘…What is this?’
Suppressing her confusion as much as possible, Linaria looked around and soon realized she was in the castle’s garden.
Not an unfamiliar place after all.
She had only failed to recognize it right away because it was dark.
And then she realized something even more important.
“Kaas.”
She was being carried in Kaas’s arms.
He had been holding her securely and walking when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Cradled like a princess, Linaria lifted her head.
She was met with his flustered expression, unable to hide his embarrassment.
“What… are you doing right now?”
Unless her memory had somehow been distorted, Linaria was certain she had fallen asleep in her bed as usual.
That left only one explanation for this situation.
‘Kaas deliberately picked me up from bed and brought me out to the garden while I was asleep.’
There was no other possibility.
“Kaas.”
Linaria called his name again.
He wouldn’t have done something like this without a reason.
But instead of answering her question, Kaas clamped his lips shut and averted his gaze.
His golden eyes darted off toward the distance, as though he had no idea what to do.
‘I’d sooner believe this was all just a dream.’
She was startled awake and running on sheer willpower.
Her head throbbed like it was about to split apart.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, about to press him further when—
“Ricardo! Ricardo!”
The butler’s voice rang out.
Without stopping to think, Linaria immediately acted.
She wrapped her arms around Kaas’s neck and pulled herself tightly against him.
Startled by her sudden move, Kaas swallowed hard, his throat bobbing.
“Don’t make a sound.”
Linaria whispered softly, her lips brushing close to his ear.
Her breath made the fine hairs on his skin stand on end.
Feeling his muscles tense, Kaas quickly nodded in obedience.
Then, using his wits, he slipped behind a tree, hiding them from sight.
Not far away, Ricardo’s voice could be heard.
“It’s late. What if someone wakes up from the noise? Please lower your voice.”
His tone was just as curt as when he spoke to Linaria.
‘Ricardo and the butler are supposed to be mother and son. I’d thought their relationship seemed overly formal for that…’
She needed to know what they were talking about in secret at such a late hour.
That was the only way to expose the traitor.
“Be nice to Miss Alicia.”
“I thought we settled that matter earlier today.”
“Ricardo.”
The butler’s voice wavered as she called his name.
“I’m your mother.”
And then she broke into tears.
It was the complete opposite of the way she always hid their relationship in front of others.
“Mother.”
At last, with a small sigh, Ricardo addressed her as such.
He didn’t say much else, only trying to soothe her until her sobs gradually subsided.
“Miss Alicia is a good woman.”
“I know that.”
“Then why won’t you hurry and marry her? You know she’s waiting for you.”
“…”
“Before I die, I want to see you married, but it doesn’t seem likely.”
“Don’t say such things. Please.”
It was hardly the kind of conversation you’d expect between mother and son.
“As heir, I simply need to be more cautious.”
“You’re my son before you’re an Obel. After your father passed, and then when I helplessly sent Emily to his side too… when you left for Obel, do you know how much I suffered?”
“…”
“Tell me, is Obel more important to you than your own mother?”
“Of course not. I’ll contact Miss Alicia myself. Please, Mother, go back inside now.”
“Ricardo, don’t forget—I’m your only family.”
“Of course, Mother.”
With that, Ricardo’s footsteps faded as he escorted her away.
“Put me down.”
Only when the sounds had fully disappeared did Linaria speak.
When her feet finally touched the ground again, her expression was conflicted.
‘If what I just heard is true, then the butler—Ricardo’s mother—wants him to marry Alicia.’
But Ricardo clearly had no intention of doing so.
‘And in my past life, I never once heard news of his marriage.’
If she could exploit this to drive a wedge between them…
“Ah.”
Her thoughts were cut short when Kaas pulled her back by the shoulders.
“Careful.”
She looked ahead at last—and found herself inches away from colliding with a tree.
She’d been so lost in thought about Ricardo that she hadn’t noticed.
Thanks to Kaas, she narrowly avoided the mishap.
‘I just woke up, my mind isn’t working right. I need some sleep before I can think this through again.’
There was no way to kill Ricardo overnight.
No plan formed in this state would be any good.
Only after pushing those thoughts aside did Linaria notice her feet were stinging.
‘Why do they hurt so much? Ah…?’
Looking down, she saw her bare feet—she hadn’t even put on slippers.
Scratched and scraped, they were a mess, and even bleeding.
Puzzled, Linaria tilted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…”
But once she became aware of the pain, it nagged at her constantly.
She was cold, her feet hurt, her head throbbed, and now that her tension was fading, drowsiness returned.
The temptation to be carried by Kaas again, like before, suddenly welled up inside her.
But with the last shred of self-control, she held the words back.
As she hesitated, Kaas bent down slightly, looking concerned.
“Liri, is something wrong?”
“…Carry me again.”
The words slipped out at last.
Kaas’s eyes widened in surprise.
His bright golden gaze trembled, and the reply that came was—
“I didn’t hear you.”
There was no way he hadn’t heard when she’d said it right in front of him.
Realizing she’d just made a childish request, Linaria’s face flushed crimson.
“Forget it. I’ll walk on my own.”
She tried to brush past him, but Kaas desperately grabbed her.
“I’m sorry. I got greedy.”
“…”
“I just… wanted to hear you say that again.”
The moment she tried to turn her back on him, anxiety had consumed his heart.
Maybe that was why his voice trembled faintly.
“I belong to you. But you treat me as if you want nothing from me… and I grew greedy. Please forgive me.”
Until now, there had only ever been one thing Linaria wanted from Kaas.
To crush Maximilian.
And even that, she had never said outright.
She had hardly ever asked for anything directly for herself.
If only she had ruined and defiled him like the other slaves, maybe then—
Then her heart wouldn’t be pounding so wildly at a single word of hers.
And Kaas might never have known what it meant to feel desire.
That thought flickered through Kaas’s mind.
