Chapter 61
“Lost your way?”
When I repeated the words in confusion, the Countess nodded.
“This mansion is twisted into a maze because of my magic. I’ll undo it for a little while, so please bring Duke Creyman here, Miss Feirunt.”
“But will you be alright alone?”
I asked anxiously, and she replied with a smiling face.
“Of course. The Duke said it himself—this room is the safest place in the entire mansion. Don’t worry about me, just go.”
Her confident expression made me nod.
“Then please wait. I’ll be right back.”
“You might run into someone, so take this with you.”
What she handed me was a mask. I stared at the butterfly-shaped mask for a moment, then set it on my face—“set” was a more accurate word than “wore.”
Before leaving, I looked at the Countess again. She tilted her head slightly.
After a moment’s hesitation, I carefully spoke.
“You can call me Siela.”
Among nobles, offering one’s name was a gesture of closeness.
It meant I wanted to become closer to her. Understanding my intent, she blinked in surprise, then gave me a bright smile and answered.
“Alright, Siela. Go on. I’ll be waiting.”
“I won’t be long.”
I immediately left the room and rushed down the corridor.
‘But why is it so quiet?’
After that explosion earlier, not a single sound could be heard.
‘I don’t think anything has happened to the Duke, but…’
I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. All I could think about was hurrying to fetch him.
Just as I rounded a corner—
Thud.
I collided with someone coming from the opposite direction and was knocked backward by the impact.
“Careful there. Are you alright?”
A languid, gentle voice fell on me, yet it sent a chill down my spine.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
A man wearing a mask stood there. Behind it, violet eyes fixed on me. Strands of gleaming platinum-blond hair peeked from beneath.
‘That looks familiar…’
“Hm, you don’t seem like a maid working here. Are you one of the ball’s guests?”
He curled his lips into a smirk. A faint scent of herbs lingered in the air.
‘From that cigar?’
He held a cigar between his lips; the fragrance must have come from it.
Violet eyes, platinum hair, and a cigar.
A name surfaced in my mind.
‘Vincent.’
My heart froze. Why on earth was Vincent here?
‘I mustn’t let him know who I am.’
If he discovered I was the one who had wrecked the auction house, I wouldn’t die an easy death.
I turned my head to avoid his gaze and forced my voice into a calm tone.
“Yes, I attended the ball but lost my way and was trying to find it again.”
‘Could that explosion earlier have been his doing?’
If it was Vincent, it was entirely possible. Because he was…
‘The Empire’s most powerful genius magician.’
The thought made my body tremble. I clenched my fists tightly.
Vincent’s gaze bore into me—I could feel him scrutinizing me.
‘Don’t tremble.’
He didn’t know it was me yet. I had to stay composed. I raised my face with a pleasant smile.
“I was already flustered from being separated from my companions, then that loud noise startled me even more. I didn’t notice anyone was here. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Hm.”
“If you’re fine, could you perhaps tell me which way leads back to the ballroom?”
I flashed the most innocent smile I could muster.
He stared at me for a long time, then extended a finger.
“Go that way.”
“…Thank you.”
I carefully straightened from my bow, making sure my breath didn’t falter.
He watched me all the while.
I couldn’t guess why Vincent was here, but the feeling it gave me was ominous.
‘Countess Shimore’s room is warded by magic. If the worst happens, that should buy us some time.’
Just as I was about to hurry off to bring the Duke, his voice stopped me.
“Wait.”
I heard his footsteps approaching. Soon he was right before me, bending down to peer into my face.
“You look familiar. Haven’t we met somewhere before?”
Flinch.
My heart jolted, but I forced a bright laugh.
“I’m not sure. I just have one of those common faces.”
“Hm, is that so. Well, never mind. What I’m looking for seems to be over there.”
With a dismissive wave, he acted as though he’d lost interest.
I quickly slipped away. My chest pounded at the thought he might follow me, but thankfully he didn’t.
Once free of his line of sight, I hurried across the garden.
At its edge, I finally saw the man I had been seeking.
“Your Excellency!”
“Siela?”
Creyman spotted me and rushed over. Panting, I explained.
“You didn’t return, and I was worried something might’ve happened.”
“I tried to go back, but somehow I kept circling the same spot. Likely magic at work. But why did you leave the room?”
“Countess Shimore thought you must be lost, so she asked me to fetch you.”
“She did… Nothing happened in there?”
At his question, my body stiffened. Then I looked up sharply and said aloud:
“I saw someone suspicious on my way here. We need to get back immediately.”
The Countess might be in grave danger right now.
“How odd. I clearly sensed a protective barrier around the room. Why drop it now, when she must know I’m here?”
Vincent smiled smoothly as he removed his mask, revealing his striking features.
His gaze settled forward. There sat Countess Shimore in her wheelchair.
“I didn’t want to waste any more time. But you’re too late. What you’re looking for is no longer here.”
The Countess let out a sardonic laugh, as if mocking him. Vincent’s expression hardened.
“So you know what I came for.”
“You seek the ring set with that special magic stone. But your effort is wasted. The ring is no longer in my possession.”
“You’re saying the Shimore family’s seal is no longer on your hand?”
“If you doubt me, try your detection spells.”
“You think I don’t know about the nullification magic placed on that ring?”
“Then go ahead and kill me to see for yourself.”
Countess Shimore’s icy stare met his. Vincent’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“You don’t think I’ll do it?”
“I’m dying anyway…”
She sneered, meeting his gaze. In response, Vincent began stepping closer.
The Countess closed her eyes.
While speaking with Siela, she had sensed an intruder enter the mansion—someone far too powerful for her to handle.
She knew instantly what the intruder sought. If victory was impossible, then at least the object had to be kept safe.
So she had given it to Siela and sent her away under pretense of fetching the Duke. Then, to lure him, she had undone the barrier and released her magic.
‘And waited for death.’
When she learned of her terminal illness, Countess Shimore had shed tears of joy.
Finally, she would rejoin the ones she loved.
Most of all, she could be freed of her guilt.
‘Because she had learned the child still lived.’
She had never anticipated the rebellion. Though she often exchanged letters with Seredia from her fief, Seredia had never once mentioned it—not even her pregnancy.
Just as she was about to set off for the capital upon hearing of the uprising, a parcel arrived.
Inside was a pendant and a letter. There was no sender, but she recognized at once who it must be from.
[If I’m right, then by the time you read this, everything will already be over.]
The letter, sent just before the palace fell, revealed shocking truths.
Near the end of her pregnancy, Seredia had realized the Emperor’s brother, Ioman Hesser, was plotting to seize the throne.
In her fear, she judged it impossible to flee with a newborn. So she faked a stillbirth, and secretly altered the child’s appearance with magic before sending the baby away to a remote province called Freet.
The letter begged her to use the pendant to find the child.
Countess Shimore had wept as she rushed to Freet, but the child was gone.
From that day on, guilt consumed her.
But then—
—“The child is at my orphanage.”
The child had lived.
Knowing that freed her from her crushing guilt. With a good guardian now, she had nothing left to worry about. She could face death in peace.
If only one regret remained—
‘If only I could have seen the child once more.’
She longed to hold the child, pat their back, and tell them they had endured so much. To let them know how deeply their mother had loved and tried to protect them.
‘Still, once they receive the pendant, they’ll understand.’
That was enough.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll kill you. Farewell.”
Vincent stretched out his hand toward her. Countess Shimore steeled herself for death.
But at that moment—
“Stop!”
The door burst open and a breathless voice rang out.
Countess Shimore slowly opened her eyes to an unexpected sight.
Siela stood there, mask half-slipped, sweat dripping down her face. Beside her was Duke Creyman.
Siela glared at Vincent and warned:
“Don’t you dare, Vincent.”
