Chapter 39
‘To think she’s thrown me into trouble again like this.’
The memories of everything I’d gone through up until now came flooding back, making my stomach churn with anger.
If the archive manager had destroyed the documents under Vanerinne’s orders, he would’ve confessed that she had accessed them long ago. That meant someone else had used another’s hands to read the documents, then pinned the blame on the manager.
‘He must have been utterly blindsided.’
Just imagining the poor manager being reprimanded for something he didn’t do left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘Truly killing two birds with one stone. Tarnish Cerulean’s name and ruin the wedding in one go.’
As I stared at Vanerinne, who was basking in everyone’s attention in the middle of the garden, the people around us murmuring restlessly, Cerulean asked quietly beside me,
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
“You look oddly calm.”
“…So you noticed.”
Truth be told, I had been half expecting this. Some part of me was sure Vanerinne would use that incident again to trip me up. That’s why I’d come today prepared—with countermeasures of my own.
I glanced sidelong at Cerulean with a faint smile.
“And you, my dear husband, surely have a reason for keeping quiet about the missing documents even though you’ve known for three days, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Cerulean nodded slightly.
Just then, a woman with a small yet solid frame rose abruptly from her seat, the deep navy of her dress rippling as she stood. Her clear, ringing voice cut through the crowd.
“Who dares bring baseless gossip to sour such a joyful occasion?”
It was none other than Kalima.
Her tone was bright yet commanding as she continued, spitting out words like sharp, clean strikes.
“If you were so concerned, you could have quietly spoken to them before the ceremony. But no—you chose to announce it here, in front of everyone. Is it because you believe the only way to claim Lord Cerulean is by dragging others down? I, for one, don’t believe Lady Florin is such a petty woman.”
“Who—who do you think you are!”
Lady Florin shot up from her seat, her face pale with fury. She stormed toward Kalima as if she might slap her across the face, but when their eyes met, her expression froze.
“L–Lady Potentia!”
The name made me blink wide-eyed.
Potentia?
The House of Potentia was one of the oldest and most distinguished in the Empire—just like the Dukedom of Luc. Both the current Duke and his heir were renowned as monster hunters.
Lady Potentia? Could she be that youngest daughter who never leaves the estate?
Before I became a reporter, rumors said the young Lady Potentia had locked herself away, refusing to see anyone. No one really knew anything about her.
And she’s been Kalima this whole time?!
So much for being reclusive—she’d just been running around under another name!
I jabbed Cerulean lightly in the ribs, utterly exasperated.
“What is going on? You told me she was just a mercenary!”
His reply was infuriatingly calm.
“She is a mercenary. She quit being a knight.”
“You said she quit because she wasn’t promoted—”
“She’s the youngest daughter of Duke Potentia. Do you think anyone would be foolish enough to send her to the front lines? Her father never wanted her to become a knight in the first place.”
“Why not?”
“That’s… a private family matter. Even I don’t know.”
“….”
Fine. Maybe he couldn’t know everything about her. But still—she’d fooled me completely!
Without even lying outright!
At least everyone else seemed as shocked as I was.
Kalima’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked around at the crowd’s gaping faces, then laughed brightly.
“It’s been ages since I’ve attended a public event. And I see that courtly society is still as bloody as a battlefield. Perhaps even worse—at least on the battlefield, we don’t swing swords so carelessly.”
She’d just called them out for spreading rumors, and she’d done it beautifully.
The crowd fell silent, wary and tight-lipped. Then Vanerinne stepped forward with an elegant, poisonous smile.
“It has been a while, Lady Potentia. But I don’t recall the Duke of Luc sending you an invitation.”
There was unmistakable venom in her voice. Yet Kalima only smiled sunnily, unfazed.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand, Duchess. I came with an official invitation—graciously offered by my dear friend, Miss Edel Azhian.”
Vanerinne shot me a look full of thinly veiled disdain, as if to say you foolish girl. It was the first time I’d ever seen her openly display hostility in public—which meant she’d judged this a situation where she could.
I leaned toward Cerulean and whispered, “Did something happen between those two? I’ve never seen Kalima this blunt before.”
His reply nearly made me doubt my hearing.
“They’re cousins. They’ve never gotten along.”
“…What?”
Two people who looked nothing alike—cousins? My mouth fell open.
I never would’ve guessed.
Cerulean’s voice remained utterly impassive, his expression calm amid the chaos.
“She admired the Duke greatly. Her desire to be a knight was merely an excuse to stay close to him. She doesn’t care if she’s called a mercenary—as long as she can serve him.”
Suddenly, I remembered the day she’d first shown up at my house.
“Wait… even when she offered to guard me—”
“Yes. She accepted because it gave her a chance to see him.”
“But she literally ran away last time!”
I recalled the day we’d run into the Duke at the park—Kalima had vanished like a ghost, leaving me alone to face him.
If she admired him that much, shouldn’t she have stayed?
Seeing my incredulous look, Cerulean added quietly,
“She was probably nearby. Watching.”
“Ah…”
I couldn’t even deny it—she had appeared suspiciously fast that time at the dressmaker’s.
Realization dawned on me, and I let out a tiny gasp.
So that’s it!
Kalima’s unexpected entrance had completely derailed the hostile momentum that had been building against me.
Still, Lady Florin pressed on, her voice sharp. She was clearly Vanerinne’s chosen attack dog.
“Even if Lady Potentia claims friendship with Miss Azhian, there’s still no proof she isn’t guilty of attempted murder. The disappearance of the investigation records remains suspicious.”
Kalima’s eyes narrowed, her tone smooth.
“And who, I wonder, told you that the records had vanished?”
“Wh–What? I—well…”
Lady Florin faltered. Kalima flicked her fan lightly, her voice unhurried and graceful.
“Imperial investigation records are notoriously difficult to access. Where did you hear such a thing, Lady Florin?”
At that, Lady Florin’s face crumpled with unease. She hesitated, then forced herself to glare defiantly.
“A–Are you accusing me of lying?”
“No. The records did disappear.”
“…Pardon?”
The sudden agreement stunned everyone, Lady Florin included. Kalima smiled serenely.
“But a copy remains.”
A copy of the supposedly lost investigation report.
Kalima took a few leisurely steps forward, continuing,
“After my dear friend’s engagement to Lord Cerulean was announced, several troubling incidents occurred. I suspected someone was trying to harm her—so I made a copy of the records myself.”
“Who would go so far as to erase imperial records just to frame Miss Azhian?!” Lady Florin cried.
Kalima’s smile deepened.
“Who knows? Perhaps that person truly wields such power—or perhaps I’m mistaken. Though… doesn’t the former seem far more likely now?”
“…”
She’d handed them just enough truth to make them doubt everything else—and left the judgment to the crowd.
A masterful move.
I’d always known she was eloquent, but seeing her handle an entire audience so gracefully left me in awe.
I could almost feel the shift in the crowd’s mood.
Kalima covered her smile with her fan and glanced at me, her eyes twinkling.
Without her saying a word, I knew it was my turn. I returned her look with a grateful smile and began to speak.
“On the day of that incident… I lost my mother.”
That day, when chaos consumed the Imperial Palace—
I wanted those people, who’d ignored my pleas and forced a false confession, to hear it now.
To see the weight of their own sin.
“I was being interrogated by an imperial investigator and couldn’t go home. My mother went out looking for me through the night streets… and she was taken by a Loar.”
They had as good as killed her. Intentional or not, their actions had led directly to her death.
My mother was gone. And I was no longer the same person I’d been that day.
“If I were truly the culprit, what could I possibly have gained? I am the one who most desperately wants the real criminal to be caught.”
My voice carried through the silent garden. The wedding venue fell still, everyone listening.
For the first time, I felt certain—the shadows of the palace would no longer haunt me.
But still… this was supposed to be our wedding, not a public hearing!
The accusations had been cleared, yes, but could this really be called a successful ceremony now?
Maybe I should improvise—say that Cerulean held me and we fell in love through hardship or something—just to change the mood?
But would this man even play along with such a line?
I was lost in thought when—
Crash.
A chair toppled over with a loud thud.
The man who had suddenly risen to his feet was none other than—
“Your Grace?”
—the Duke of Luc.
