IVHMH 04

Chapter 4

Depending on his answer, the woman’s life or death could be decided.

Of course, this time would be an exception.

Even if Tirzen refused, Kais still intended to take the woman with him.

“Imagine if Roena had gone outside and gotten into an accident. What if no one helped her?”

“That would never happen. She always goes out with an escort.”

“Use your imagination a little! What if something like that did happen?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Kais let out a sigh of exasperation at the half-hearted reply.

It wasn’t an answer that came from picturing Roena in such a situation. It was the kind of response one gives when tired of nagging—”do as you please.”

Kais roughly brushed back his hair, soaked and dripping onto his forehead.

“I really don’t get what part of you His Majesty sees fit to make you the Crown Prince.”

“That makes two of us.”

Tirzen replied indifferently and continued walking, leaving Kais behind.

Grumbling to himself, Kais walked toward the tree and lowered the unconscious woman.

“It must’ve been too cloudy to see the branch.”

The branch was at just the right height to snag someone riding a horse.

Though he had taken her down from the tree, there was no way to properly mount her on a horse again.

With a sigh, Kais lifted her as she was and transferred her onto his horse.

There was no other option since she was unconscious.

“Her horse must be around here somewhere.”

He looked around, but there wasn’t even a shadow of a horse in sight.

‘Her family’s servants will probably come looking for it later.’

This much kindness, he thought, should be more than enough.

He hurried to catch up with Tirzen, who had gone ahead, and only managed to do so once they reached the Grand Duke’s estate.

Roena, who had been standing by the window, jumped excitedly at the sight of her brother riding in.

“Brother’s back!”

“Miss Roena, no! Please wait inside.”

The maid beside her tried to stop her, but she was too late.

Dodging the maid’s grasp, Roena bolted outside.

“Brother!”

Seeing his sister run toward him, a smile blossomed on Tirzen’s usually expressionless face.

As Roena ran to him, he dismounted, and she jumped straight into his arms.

“It’s raining—why are you out here?”

“What about you? You could’ve just stayed out overnight.”

“I sleep better at home. You’ll get soaked—come on, let’s go inside.”

“Okay.”

As Roena turned to head inside, holding her brother’s hand, she noticed Kais following them and stopped in her tracks.

“Kais has company?”

“Picked her up on the way.”

“What? Picked up a person? From where?”

“The forest. But don’t worry about that—go inside before you catch a cold.”

But Roena, her face full of curiosity, didn’t move.

Because Tirzen disliked visitors, it was extremely rare for outsiders to enter the Berato estate.

No matter the reason, this was certainly unusual.

“Let’s go.”

Urged forward by her brother’s hand on her back, Roena finally went inside.

Even as she did, she couldn’t stop looking back at the woman in Kais’s arms, curiosity still burning in her eyes.

A strange ceiling came into view.

‘Where am I?’

It wasn’t the Mares estate where I had lived, nor Gustao’s house after marriage.

‘Since I’m dead, this must be the afterlife.’

Turning my head while lying down, I looked around the room.

Everything was unfamiliar yet oddly familiar.

Sunlight streamed through the windows. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze. The walls were covered in antique wallpaper.

“Seems like the afterlife isn’t much different from the real world.”

There was one difference: I could move freely now.

I could move both my hands and feet—my entire body without any restrictions.

As I wondered whether there was a guide to this world, the door opened and a maid entered.

“You’re awake. Your clothes were soaked, so we changed them. You are at the residence of His Grace, the Grand Duke of Berato. If you need anything, please pull the bell cord. I’ll bring you something light to eat.”

I was confused by what the maid said.

‘Berato estate? Even in the afterlife, do we live separated by family lines?’

‘Then where do I belong? More importantly, where are my parents?’

‘It’s been more than ten years since they passed, but if we’re in the same world, shouldn’t I be able to see them?’

There were so many questions I wanted to ask, I didn’t even know where to start.

“Has the guest woken up?”

A girl of about fourteen or fifteen entered the room.

“Roena…”

It was Roena, Princess of the Empire and sister of Crown Prince Tirzen.

Gustao had once said even she would die soon.

‘To think that bastard killed such a small, fragile girl—he’s definitely going to hell!’

I bit my lip and swallowed my anger.

“Have you met the Crown Prince?”

“Huh? You mean my brother? He got here before you, so yes.”

Roena tilted her head, puzzled.

Hearing that she’d already seen her brother brought some relief.

I just hoped that she hadn’t felt the same fear and resentment I had in her final moments.

Judging by her peaceful face, maybe she hadn’t even known she was going to die.

Roena walked over and placed a hand on my forehead.

Her touch was warm.

‘How can I feel warmth?’

“You had a high fever yesterday, but you’re fine now.”

Roena smiled as she pulled her hand away.

‘Was it a dream?’

I could still clearly remember the devilish smiles of Gustao and Leticia.

‘Was all that really just a dream?’

I couldn’t tell anymore if everything until now had been a dream—or if this moment was.

“Why am I here?”

“You seemed to have had an accident in the forest yesterday, so we brought you in.”

The reply came from the doorway.

I remembered the brown-haired man—Kais Wint, Tirzen’s right hand.

“…May I have a mirror?”

“Of course. A lady must always maintain her beauty, after all.”

Kais jokingly left the room and returned with a small mirror.

I was scared to look, so I closed my eyes for a moment.

“Don’t worry. You look beautiful,” Roena said reassuringly.

When I opened my eyes, I was shocked again by the reflection.

For the three months I had lain unconscious, all I’d had was thin soup.

My last memory of myself was sunken cheeks and hollow eyes.

“This is me…?”

Even as I stared, I couldn’t believe it.

Back then, always anxious because of Gustao, I had a dark, gloomy look.

But the girl in the mirror now had bright, lively eyes, and her fair skin glowed with clarity.

Everything was confusing, so I cautiously asked Roena a question.

“Can I ask how old you are?”

“I’m fifteen.”

“…!”

Roena, the Princess of Berato, was five years younger than me.

If this wasn’t a dream, then I had gone back five years in time!

“What family are you from, miss? Your family must be worried. I’ll contact them.”

Kais knelt to match my eye level and asked kindly.

“Mares… Ellicia Mares.”

“Oh dear! You’re Lady Mares. Your brother’s death was truly tragic.”

“My brother’s death?”

My adoptive parents’ son, Kalix, had died in the war five years ago.

Right after that, I was ordered to marry Gustao.

“No matter how sad you are, you shouldn’t ride around recklessly. That forest isn’t a safe place for horses.”

“…I was on a horse?”

“That’s what we’re assuming. You were hanging from a branch.”

Though it happened just yesterday, to me, it felt like something from five years ago—so the memory was fuzzy.

I did remember riding out after Kalix’s death.

But I never met Kais, nor had I ever been inside the Berato estate.

“Let’s get you something to eat first. I’ll have someone bring food.”

Roena, seeing how confused I was, tried to care for me first.

Just seeing her alive, right in front of me, made my heart swell.

After Tirzen was appointed Crown Prince, Roena always joined me whenever I visited the Empress.

She had lost her parents early and relied solely on her brother, so when we met in the palace, she treated me like a real sister.

I could still remember her pouting about not having a debutante ceremony before becoming a princess.

Overcome with emotion, I reached out and hugged her.

‘Thank you for being alive.’

I buried my face in her hair.

Tears of joy flowed endlessly down my cheeks.

Roena was startled when Ellicia suddenly hugged her tightly, but she didn’t resist.

Like herself, Ellicia was also small.

Compared to her brother Tirzen, her embrace was tiny, but it was warm and comforting. Ellicia even smelled like their late mother.

Leaving the two girls holding each other, Kais quietly left the room.

He entered Tirzen’s study, where the prince sat deeply immersed in a book.

“She woke up just now.”

“I see.”

The response was indifferent.

Even if he had said, “She just died,” the reaction probably would’ve been the same.

“Aren’t you curious what family she’s from?”

“Not at all.”

“Tsk.”

Even the sound of Kais clicking his tongue didn’t pull Tirzen’s eyes from the book.

Kais, hoping for at least a bit of reaction, perched on the desk and took the book from his hands.

“She’s the Mares family’s lady.”

“So?”

Tirzen leaned back in his chair—clearly uninterested, but giving a silent “say more if you want” kind of air.

“She’s one of the candidates His Majesty is considering for Crown Princess.”

“That’s just something he’s thinking about. Why should I care about what hasn’t even been made official?”

“Becoming Crown Princess means marrying you, you know.”

“Not interested.”

Whether he meant he wasn’t interested in marriage or in the candidate herself, it was unclear.

Maybe both.

If he refused the position of Crown Prince, Tirzen likely wouldn’t care about marriage at all.

‘If there was another way to get an heir, he probably wouldn’t even bother with a Crown Princess.’

By late afternoon, a carriage from the Mares estate finally arrived.

Despite the young lady spending the night out after an accident, only a coachman was sent—no maid.

Tirzen stayed in his study, never showing himself. Kais and Roena saw her off.

The coachman only nodded while staying seated—he didn’t even get down.

That scene made Tirzen frown as he watched through the study window.

The Mares family was one of the Empire’s top noble houses.

Even though he didn’t know Ellicia personally, he had heard plenty about her.

Rumor had it the Duke and Duchess of Mares, her adoptive parents, were incredibly devoted to their daughter.

“Guess not all rumors are true.”

Some are exaggerated, twisted, or even deliberately fabricated.

Whatever the case, the way she was treated didn’t match someone cherished by their family.

Her status must’ve been such that even a mere coachman could treat her so casually.

“One of the Crown Princess candidates, huh…”

There were two names in the running.

Ellicia Mares and Delina Shuton.

Both were from ducal families—but neither was appealing.