CHAPTER 83………………………
#murmur, murmur—
People looked flustered when Alicia’s sudden marriage announcement was made.
Most people already knew that there had been marriage talks between them.
But the place where she announced it now was important.
The person who hosted this gathering was neither Alicia nor Ricardo.
It was Rinaria.
And yet the guest Alicia unilaterally announced a marriage?
“Miss Alicia, we knew you were in talks with Lord Obel…but is this really something to announce here?”
“She must have discussed it with Princess Obel beforehand.”
“Of course. They’re not blood siblings, but they grew up together — there’s no way she didn’t know. She probably invited us on purpose to tell us this.”
Those reactions came up immediately.
“So that’s why she asked me to hold this gathering in the first place.” Rinaria quickly glanced at the steward’s face. He looked calmly composed, as if he had expected this.
In the end, Rinaria had effectively provided the setting for the two to announce their marriage.
“A—Ricardo, please come here.”
Alicia beckoned to Ricardo.
Maybe because many eyes were on them, Ricardo moved toward Alicia as if pushed from behind.
‘It really looks like Ricardo had no idea,’ Rinaria thought.
Alicia, Alicia’s parents, even Ricardo’s mother — everyone seemed to know about this. But it made no sense that Ricardo himself didn’t know.
‘He kept postponing the marriage, so the Fletcher household and the steward must have conspired to move things forward.’ Rinaria thought. They’d even tried to use her in the process — bold, she could only think.
Rinaria glared at the would-be couple with displeasure.
Whatever Ricardo’s reasons for delaying the marriage, there was no way he could refuse Alicia here and now.
‘This is a matter of Alicia’s honor.’
If he said no, Alicia would look like a liar and her future marriage prospects would be ruined. Ricardo would be called cold-hearted, would be slandered for a while, and the Fletchers would completely turn their backs on him.
Since there had been marriage talks earlier, going along with it seemed the safest choice.
“Miss Alicia.”
“I know I surprised you by speaking so suddenly. But why put it off any longer? I even prepared these rings as proof of our marriage.”
Alicia showed the ring on her left ring finger.
And Ricardo’s left ring finger wore an identical ring.
Ricardo appeared to have no idea about that either.
Seeing him go rigid, switching his gaze between the two rings, made it obvious.
But whether he knew or not, he was wearing the ring — there was no denying it.
‘We tried to find someone cooperating with Ricardo, but they’d already set a proper trap over there,’ Rinaria thought. There could be no variable in such a situation.
Just as Rinaria was thinking how to handle them—
“This was a surprise joke for the honored guests here today.”
Ricardo removed the ring and spoke.
He looked like someone who had never made a joke in his life.
“I think many of you were very surprised. Since this is my sister’s first time hosting a gathering at the estate, we prepared a special prank.”
“…….”
“Please take it as a joke and enjoy the gathering tonight.”
Who would ever play a joke like that? The atmosphere in the banquet hall turned icy.
Even as Ricardo stepped down from the stage and left the hall.
“Ricardo!”
Sophia seemed so shocked she called to him not as a steward but as his mother. Pale-faced, she chased after him.
Alicia, left alone, was stunned.
“That was supposed to be a joke…?”
“Then what about those rings…?”
People began whispering about Alicia.
Hearing those whispers, Alicia’s expression contorted as if coming to her senses.
“Ricardo, how could you—”
Tears welled up in an instant.
She could easily have collapsed right there as thick tears streamed down her face.
But no one stepped forward to comfort her.
Since Lord Obel had denied the marriage announcement, her status plummeted.
“Alicia!”
Countess Fletcher, looking ashen, hurried to Alicia.
Alicia was led away by her mother, looking like a tragic heroine.
‘It’s ruined.’
Cleanup fell entirely to Rinaria.
Meanwhile, Ricardo, who had walked briskly ahead, only looked back after he reached a quiet spot.
His mother was following him there.
“Did you give me that ring for this reason? You asked me to wear it today, insisted I wear it?”
“Ricardo. You were planning to marry Miss Alicia anyway. So I— I just—”
“Mother.”
“…….”
“I will not marry.”
He spoke firmly.
“The Duke is only just recovering. It won’t help for me to rush into marriage now.”
“If he’s ill, you can’t, and if he’s better, you can’t either! Those are all just excuses, aren’t they?!”
“Yes. They’re excuses.”
“…….”
“When we were struggling, Duke Obel looked after us. I still owe him that gratitude, so I can’t think about marriage for the time being.”
“Ricardo. You should live your own life too.”
“But the match you want, Countess Fletcher, is not a choice I want — it’s a match you want.”
Until now Ricardo had rarely opposed her wishes. Sophia found herself speechless.
“This is my fault. I should have made my intentions clear from the start.” Ricardo exhaled quietly.
“If I cannot choose a bride by my own will, I will marry for the family’s sake. So please, Mother, stop taking unnecessary actions.”
“Does that mean you care more about Obel than you do about your mother?” Sophia choked up.
For a moment, Ricardo’s resolve wavered.
He had watched his mother’s sorrow for almost his entire life and had always done his best as the only family she had left. That indecisiveness may have been toxic.
“Of course you are important to me, Mother. I also respect Duke Obel greatly.” He added, “I know the reason you wish for my marriage to Miss Alicia is because of my sister.”
“Ricardo.”
“When my sister passed away, the Fletchers — who had lost a child around the same time — comforted you sincerely. You want to become ‘family’ through me, I suppose.” Ricardo understood his mother.
“But please remember, Duke Obel also took care of us even while he was ill.”
“…….”
“I will never betray him.”
“…that’s what Duke Obel told me!”
Anna blurted out.
Rinaria had ordered Anna to watch who Ricardo met and what conversations he had throughout the day.
She’d attached someone to monitor Ricardo’s every move on her behalf: to see whom he kept close, whether someone hid dark intentions, and so on.
Anna had unintentionally overheard the mother-son conversation.
‘He said he didn’t want to betray his father?’ Rinaria snorted inwardly and turned to look at Kaas.
“How about Alicia’s side?”
When the banquet hall fell into ruin, Rinaria had secretly told Kaas to follow Alicia.
“Did she say anything unusual?”
“That woman talked to her family, and what they said was odd.”
“Odd?”
Kaas, unlike Anna, didn’t mimic tones; he simply reported Alicia and the Fletchers’ conversation matter-of-factly.
“…so—”
By the time Kaas finished, Rinaria’s expression had grown serious.
“I heard that the death of Ricardo’s close sibling long ago wasn’t an accident but murder. It was done over some superstition about the divine beast Obel.”
Alicia had mentioned the circumstances at the time, begging her parents that she would die and become married to Ricardo — which is how they had heard about it.
It was shocking.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen the divine beast Obel.’ It was assumed that people with the family’s crest could be near and see a divine beast, but she had never seen Obel while beside her father — even though she’d been spending more time with him recently. She hadn’t even seen it near Ricardo, which already felt strange.
‘It’s not like what happened with Ignas where the clan head’s body hosted the beast.’
That much she was certain of.
So why couldn’t she see the divine beast Obel?
Whatever the secret, one thing was clear.
‘Saying a child was killed out of fear of being eaten by a divine beast and holding a spirit marriage is nothing but an excuse.’
Rinaria had seen and even conversed with two divine beasts herself. They weren’t Obel, but it was enough to know that divine beasts are pure beings.
‘The whole idea that divine beasts devour human souls was nonsense from the start.’
It was merely a baseless story born of fear.
Alicia returned home in tears and spent another day holed up in her room without eating.
Her carefully maintained “perfect lady” image was shattered — it wasn’t surprising she’d be despairing.
The nanny, who worried and came to check on her, was shocked.
“I’m going to die.”
Alicia had said that.
She had said something nearly identical not long ago.
If she had cried and said she would die as she had then, the nanny wouldn’t have been so surprised.
“This time, with Ricardo.”
When she mentioned Ricardo, a smile played at her mouth.
