Chapter 43
“Yes, nice to meet you. But may I ask why the young master of the Gyeff family is here?”
I asked with suspicion, and his long, narrow eyes behind his glasses curved into a smile.
“If you’re free this evening, would you like to have dinner with me? My father would like to meet you.”
Why would the Marquis Spiegel want to see me? He should know I’m engaged to Prince Claude.
What’s his real intention?
Seeing that I was hesitant, Petro pushed up his glasses and smiled slyly.
“Oh, don’t feel pressured. But I think what we have to say might be a beneficial offer for you. Of course, we’re not forcing you.”
Even though I didn’t know exactly what he was trying to say, but certain words stood out clearly—pressure, offer, force, burden.
He was clearly trying to soften some negative terms.
Whatever his plan was, I had no intention of walking into a lion’s den.
“I don’t think I’ll have time. As you can see, work at the factory is quite busy.”
I hinted at a refusal, and Petro’s eyes immediately sharpened.
He tilted his chin up arrogantly and looked down at me as if I were some overconfident little pup.
As if I should be falling over myself with gratitude just because the second most powerful man in the Empire had summoned me.
But you see, I’ve learned my lesson in my past life—I won’t obey wicked people just because they hold power. That got me killed last time.
“Tell Marquis Spiegel this for me: if he wants to talk, he can come in person. Oh, and of course, I’m not forcing him.”
I gave him a bright smile as I said it. His arrogant eyes visibly twitched.
“If you insist, I’ll deliver your message exactly as you said. Good day.”
He bit his lower lip in frustration and stormed off.
I could hear his heavy, angry footsteps, and I smiled inwardly.
Petro Gyeff.
If he’s planning revenge, he’d better act fast.
Because I remember where I saw him in my past life.
He was lying among a pile of corpses, dressed in expensive clothes while everyone else was in rags.
I couldn’t confirm his identity at the time since the family crest had been removed from his clothes, but his sharp chin, slanted eyes, and full lips stood out.
I tried to take a closer look, but royal knights suddenly appeared and started burning the corpses, so I had to retreat.
Luckily, I had already taken a blood sample from him and brought it to the lab.
After studying it day and night, I tracked the origin of the plague—he was the one who first brought the disease from the western continent. His blood also contained a high level of deadly poison.
Judging by the circumstances, it seemed Marquis Spiegel used and discarded his own son.
It’s suspicious, too, that the one who profited the most from the plague was the Marquis. He made a fortune selling the cure.
If the past repeats, Petro will go to the western continent this winter by his father’s orders—and die there from the disease.
That means he has only a few months left to live.
Bang! The sound of Petro slamming the door rang through the factory.
His emotional reactions and inability to hide his feelings explained why his father found it so easy to use and abandon him.
As I stared at the closed door, I recalled the scene I saw in the crystal orb.
Petro was walking arm-in-arm with Rachel, entering an old woman’s house.
The moment I saw it, I knew—he would be the key to Rachel’s downfall.
And possibly even the Marquis’s.
I needed to act quickly, before Petro died, to uncover the truth.
But he wouldn’t confess anything unless I had undeniable evidence.
Then I remembered the old woman’s house in the orb.
Yes, that rundown area, the blue rooftops clustered together—it looked so familiar.
“Lady, aren’t you leaving? We’re heading home.”
Luan’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I pretended to organize the papers on my desk and replied, “You go ahead. I’ve got some things to finish up.”
“Should I come back to pick you up? It’s already dark outside.”
Worry filled Luan’s eyes.
“No, you don’t need to. I won’t be long.”
“Alright. Please don’t overdo it. Come back early, okay?”
He waited for my confirmation.
“Okay, I’ll finish quickly. Don’t worry.”
Even after I said that, he kept glancing back as he walked out.
Once everyone had left, I locked the door and headed to the herb storage room.
I pulled out the crystal orb I had hidden away—the one Chandler had recently replaced after the previous one broke during my engagement ceremony.
Thankfully, the recording chip inside was intact, or I’d have lost everything.
I carefully held the orb with both hands and pressed the button to replay the scene.
Elsewhere…
“Alvin.”
A low voice echoed in the room.
“How is Lady Aselin?”
“She’s safe, just as I reported an hour ago. With all due respect, Your Highness, perhaps now is the time to go see her—”
“Not yet. It’s not time.”
Claude bit his inner lip hard as pain surged through him.
The leather sofa squeaked as he clawed at it in agony.
“You’ll collapse at this rate, Your Highness! I’ll send a message to Lady Aselin right away to ask for more medicine—”
Claude’s freezing glare stopped Alvin mid-sentence.
Alvin flinched but stood firm.
“If not a message, how about just sending someone to the duchy to fetch the medicine? We won’t tell her anything. The physician’s medicine isn’t working, and I’m afraid something terrible will happen if this continues.”
“And announce to everyone that I’m secretly in contact with her? Let the Emperor know?”
“At this point, even Emperor Brefni must’ve lost interest. After a month of spreading rumors, no one doubts that you and the lady are completely estranged—”
“No. Brefni is a bastard! Once he bites, he never lets go!”
Claude gritted his teeth, gripping a glass so tightly it nearly shattered.
The look in Brefni’s eyes during the Founding Festival—when he stared at Aselin like a predator spotting prey—Claude knew instantly.
Brefni planned to use Aselin against him.
“Other than assigning a shadow knight to protect her 24/7, you are not allowed to act. If anything happens to her because of your stupidity, I’ll tear you apart!”
Crash! Claude threw the glass to the ground.
“…Yes, Your Highness. Understood.”
Alvin ran out.
Claude staggered to his feet, but dizziness struck him hard.
He collapsed, clutching the medicine cabinet for support.
Pain burned through his chest, making it hard to breathe.
He couldn’t move, barely able to gasp for air.
As time passed, a face formed in his mind.
Aselin Rondinella.
His seizures had grown worse since she left. Even during the days he took her medicine, the attacks didn’t stop.
And now, during the seizures, he had started hallucinating.
He would see her…
“I’ll apply the medicine for you.”
She smiled warmly.
Claude would reach out to her.
But just as he was about to touch her, she vanished like smoke.
Then he’d see Alvin and the servants crying and holding him down.
That’s when he realized…
He had almost thrown himself out the window.
it’s backkkk. thank youuuu