Chapter 57
“I was the one in charge of Maersen.”
Rivie leaned back leisurely against the unmoving carriage and cast her gaze out.
“One of those obedient dogs who were desperate to crawl into my bed?”
“Yes. One of your followers. He was a noble from the South and a classmate of the Crown Prince at the academy. He was competent enough that you entrusted him with Maersen.”
“Hmm, did I?”
It was a situation she had encountered countless times. Rivie closed her eyes halfway and let out a lazy yawn.
“Annoying. Handle it as you see fit.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Edmund didn’t even bother asking if it was a waste of talent. If she couldn’t even remember the person, it meant her interest was long gone.
Rivie liked Edmund’s unquestioning obedience to her every word.
“He worked hard, but it was too fast. Not that I’m disappointed, but to lose Maersen in an instant like that… There’s no way the Crown Prince did it alone. Who helped him?”
“The North Duke’s side provided military support. Because of the siege of Maersen, the nearby lords are expected to submit formal complaints.”
“That haughty woman sent her troops herself? Even though she knew she’d be criticized? There must have been a deal.”
“I thought so too. But there’s one strange thing. It wasn’t just the army—Her Grace personally went down to Maersen herself.”
“She went herself?”
Rivie, who had been yawning with half-closed eyes out of boredom, suddenly opened her eyes wide. Her sharply upturned eyes twisted dangerously.
“Yes. She seemed to have a very clear motivation.”
“A motive…”
A memory flashed through Rivie’s mind—one person she had left behind in Maersen. Her red, plump lips curled into a sleek smile.
“Shuruel, of course.”
Edmund gave a slight nod, as if he had already guessed it.
“Aha! That cheeky little thing. I thought she was playing saint, holed up in that borderland, but she managed to win over the Duke in the meantime!”
“There’s no other basis for speculation. But considering how often the Duke visited the place where Shuruel stayed, it seems safe to assume their relationship is more than casual.”
“How adorable. Hiding such a delicious secret all this time. No wonder she chose to be drugged and tamed like a dog so willingly. Turns out, there was someone she wanted to protect, that idiot.”
She thought Shuruel was a docile lamb, but perhaps she had grown into a wolf that at least knew how to protect what was hers.
Unable to suppress her laughter, Rivie thought back to when Shuruel had come to visit her just before leaving Razan.
“No sane person would do this. Even if you lost your memory, he was someone you loved dearly!”
“Since when did you start caring so much about my affairs, Shuruel? My dear, foolish little sister. I’m tired of you now.”
“Do you really not remember anything? You cherished him so much…”
“Was that little love affair really so traumatic? If the Crown Prince crumbled over that, maybe he wasn’t fit for the role in the first place.”
“I thought you’d changed. I believed it. But you’re still the same—playing with people’s hearts. Is memory really such a huge difference?”
“Oh dear, poor Shuruel. So I was sweet when I’d lost my memory? Who knows, maybe even that kind face was just an act—just like I am now.”
“…Please, sister.”
“I don’t want to hear any more. If you keep interfering, I won’t let it go. Consider this your warning. If you don’t like it, run back to the North with your tail between your legs like before.”
“So that’s how it is, huh…”
In her gentle eyes, there had been a flash of venom—so much like her own. Shuruel truly was blood of Arphin, no doubt about it.
To Rivie, Shuruel was nothing more than family by blood.
An annoying little puppy who always got in her way and barked “No” at every turn. She hadn’t killed her only because they shared blood. There was never any affection involved. Who would’ve thought she’d become such a nuisance?
“Haha, this is getting fun. How did the Crown Prince find out about Shuruel and the Duke? He must’ve used that connection as bait to get the Duke’s support. Otherwise, no way would that Duke have moved just for a personal favor.”
“There may be another helper.”
“Another?”
“Yes. Do you remember the Marchioness of Ballandier’s adopted daughter?”
Rivie immediately recalled the unpleasant woman she had encountered at the ball.
Other than her rare black hair and black eyes—unusual for Razan—she was a plain woman, thin like a dried twig. Still, for some unknown reason, she left a familiar impression that scratched at Rivie’s nerves, making her all the more irritated.
“Erdia… That wench is by the Crown Prince’s side?”
At the thought of the humiliation she had suffered at the ball, Rivie’s expression twisted. So the rumors swirling in Razan hadn’t been just rumors.
“Their engagement is already treated as fact. The Marchioness is happily shopping for bridal gifts at the Four Gates Market. They’ve been seen together often after the ball… and she went to Maersen with him as well.”
“If she was involved even in something like this, then their relationship must be quite deep.”
“That’s my assessment as well.”
Rivie absentmindedly bit at her fingernail as she fell into deep thought.
In her mind, only Erdia’s voice, begging her to remember, and the image of her disappearing with Khalid remained.
“That woman… there’s definitely something about her.”
That inexplicable familiarity—and the uncanny sense of déjà vu that came crashing down even after just a few words exchanged.
It was as if her very soul rejected the woman. Even if that woman showed her loyalty and proved herself more worthy than anyone else, Rivie knew she would never be able to accept her.
The instinctive aversion was so disturbing, she couldn’t forget it no matter how hard she tried.
Rivie had only ever felt that eerie sense of wrongness once before.
“Ha!”
She laughed in disbelief, but her lips didn’t even twitch upward.
Tick, tick… It wasn’t until her nail was completely shredded that she finally lowered her hand.
Over her divinely blessed beautiful face, a chillingly murderous glint passed through her eyes.
“That wench—it’s her.”
Just thinking about it made her grind her teeth in rage and tremble all over.
Erdia—that woman was the very soul who had stolen her body.
With that thought, everything finally made sense.
The way she looked at Khalid at the ball. The knowledge of Shuruel and the Duke’s relationship, something only the parties involved could know.
‘If she was truly the kind older sister Shuruel spoke of, it’s possible they shared such secrets.’
So she had known. That’s why—
Rivie’s chest heaved with fury, but her mind was racing fast and clear.
“I need to confirm it.”
“Just give the order.”
“Let word of what’s happening in Bellanive reach the Crown Prince. Or that wench. Either one. They’ll both find out anyway.”
“Are you sure? If they realize, Bellanive could be… dealt with.”
“I don’t care. What’s more important is getting the confirmation I want.”
She crossed her arms and tapped her fingers in a steady rhythm, clearly not hiding her irritation.
“…The favor of the North never lasts long. If the Duke is involved with Shuruel, chances are she’s siding with the Crown Prince.”
“Shall we work to drive a wedge between them?”
“You know the Duke wouldn’t fall for such tricks. Northern pride is a headache. Don’t poke the hornet’s nest.”
Edmund quietly waited as Rivie deliberated.
“Just in case, send a message to the South.”
“As you command.”
Before long, the familiar Arphin estate came into view outside the carriage window. The yellow adonis flowers that had once filled the garden after she got her body back were long gone.
The days when just seeing a yellow flower made her grind her teeth in rage were over. Now, only a directionless fury kept piling up in her chest.
No matter how much she tore apart the things that woman had achieved with her body, her anger would not subside. Even if she crushed every cherished emotion and memory, it wasn’t satisfying.
The fact that she had her body stolen for five whole years by something she couldn’t even identify had left a permanent scar on her pride.
But then—
“She came crawling back on her own.”
Rivie’s golden eyes, blessed by the gods, reflected a meaningful light as they looked past the mansion. Slowly, a smile crept across her lips.
Finally. A way to erase the blemish on her pride had arrived.
* * *
The Maersen incident was swiftly dealt with thanks to the exceptional abilities of the Crown Prince and the Duke.
However, because the Duke herself had led the army to Maersen, nearby lords flooded them with protest letters, forcing both of them to stay longer than planned.
Since they had to respond to the complaints and justify their actions, Khalid remained for a few more days, and the Duke couldn’t leave easily either, due to matters involving Shuruel. Officially, they claimed they were listening to the lords’ grievances for the greater good.
The situation was settling peacefully, yet my heart felt heavier and more drenched with each passing day.
Maybe… I just wasn’t cut out for lying after all.
