Chapter 123
“Lady Rosebellia, your reading speed keeps getting faster.”
“Is that so?”
Indeed, as Hudro said, I had gotten better at skimming through the records. It wasn’t that I had truly mastered a technique; I was more like reading everything that came my way without much thought.
If anything, it was a short-term skill born from impatience.
I had found the clue about the “Promised Land,” so now all that remained was the clue about the “Light of Life.” But records that might relate to “light” in connection with the gods were nowhere to be seen.
“You’ve been staying in the village for quite some time, haven’t you?”
“Yes. That’s probably why I keep feeling rushed.”
The servant from the Elizer family had left the village two days ago. As soon as Hilda told me that the servant had returned alone to the duke’s mansion, I sought out Linat.
‘Shouldn’t the deputy have gone to the duke’s mansion as well?’
‘I chose to stay behind.’
‘And what if the duchess actually pushes through with a political marriage while you’re here?’
‘…It doesn’t matter. Fulfilling my duty is more important to me.’
I could understand feeling responsible for one’s mission. That, I could get. But this wasn’t just any mission—it was about his own marriage.
‘It doesn’t matter? This is your own marriage we’re talking about. Are you really okay with someone else deciding it for you?’
‘Lady Rosebellia, do you want me to leave this place?’
Even if Linat left first, I still had five people to guard me: Hilda and four knights of the personal guard. That wasn’t a small number.
‘I’m saying it’s fine if you leave, Deputy… you have five guards.’
‘…His Highness the Crown Prince entrusted Lady Rosebellia to me before departing. So at least here, I should remain by your side. Please allow me to stay.’
‘I’m not trying to force you out…’
At that moment, Linat looked at me as if waiting for my permission. With slightly furrowed brows, he even looked desperate.
‘I think I overstepped. Our values are probably different… Do as you wish, Deputy.’
‘Then I will stay.’
I faced the stubborn wall before me and simply smiled. Even if I read Rosebellia’s memories, I couldn’t fully understand all the values and common sense of this world.
Different was just… different. If you couldn’t understand it, you simply accepted it.
After Finn, the servant of the duke’s mansion, left, Linat, who had seemed somewhat awkward these past few days, quickly returned to his usual self—the polite, familiar demeanor he always showed me.
Having pushed aside the book I had just finished, I reached for the next pile. It was then that the book I had been gripping with both hands slipped from my grasp.
“Sir, are you alright?”
“Oh, yes. I guess I relaxed my grip a bit too much.”
“Are you overexerting yourself?”
“No, really, it’s fine.”
I sighed as I looked at the book lying awkwardly on the table. Since yesterday, my aura had been unstable, and this morning it had started acting up again.
I couldn’t stay here forever.
I reminded myself of that as I opened another book. I held it down with my arms and flipped the pages with the back of my hand. The sensation in my fingertips would return soon enough.
“Sir!”
Hudro, who had been reading across from me, called out in an excited voice.
“What is it?”
“Take a look at this.”
Rising from his seat, he quickly thrust the opened book toward me.
“So, there were no problems with making the medicine, right?”
“No. The fire broke out in the servants’ quarters, and fortunately, there was no major damage, but…”
As Dylan trailed off, Evelyn looked around casually. She gestured to Sophia, who was still in the reception room.
“Sophia, you should leave too.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After Sophia closed the reception room door behind her, Gale scratched his cheek in confusion.
“Why are you sending Sophia out?”
Sophia, who had earlier denied taking the medicine, now wore a bracelet she hadn’t had before. The gems were large and of the highest quality, comparable to her usual jewelry. It must have been extremely expensive.
For a moment, suspicion flared in my mind, but when she insisted it wasn’t hers, I tried to believe her. I reasoned that I had merely miscounted the medicines before…
Yet the sight of that bracelet rekindled my lingering doubt.
‘A bracelet I haven’t seen before, Sophia.’
‘I found it in my room, so I assumed Your Majesty had given it to me… Did She not?’
Her brazen excuse made Evelyn smile. If Sophia touched the medicine again, Evelyn planned to strike her down herself.
“What happened at the mansion? You said the damage wasn’t severe.”
“Yes. Only the building burned; not a single servant was hurt. But Gale’s aunt, Mari, is missing.”
“Gale?”
Dylan gave a brief explanation about Gale and mentioned that he had planned to teach her soon.
“So the aunt they held as a hostage is dead, I presume?”
“Due to her mobility issues, it seems likely. The fire was so large that her body could not be recovered.”
“If she knew our family’s secrets, we either needed to fully bring her onto our side or remove her entirely.”
“Your Majesty, please leave the decision regarding Gale to me.”
Evelyn placed the teacup down and smiled wryly. Dylan seemed to care deeply for Gale.
“I wondered why you came to me first… It seems your father objected.”
Dylan lowered his gaze, not denying it.
“Yes. Making medicine alone would be difficult, so it’s good to have someone trustworthy. I’ll speak to your father; make sure you bring her onto our side.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Ian stood by the window, gazing at the night sky. The soft moonlight fell gently over his face.
He closed his eyes and recalled that day—when, at Rosebellia’s suggestion, he had stood atop the castle wall, facing the breathtaking view. And more beautiful than the scenery was Rosebellia herself.
With her eyes closed and a languid smile, she seemed beyond the mundane world, even beyond this world itself—strange and mysterious.
‘If I hadn’t held her, she would have drifted away with the moonlight. At that moment, I felt entranced…’
Ian sank into the sofa. His dark eyes fell on the ring adorning his finger.
Since returning to the capital, each day felt like a battle. He suppressed his desire to run to her and focused on what he needed to do.
‘I was supposed to meet Gale tomorrow.’
Running his fingers over the ring with care, Ian lifted his head. Tomorrow, he would uncover the secrets connecting the Riley family and the Red Spring, as well as the secret behind the poison they had carefully crafted.
‘It’s important. But is it really okay for me to go deliver this?’
He shook his head slightly, as if trying to stop himself from thinking.
‘I told myself to wait, so I should wait.’
He pressed his eyelids down to push back the torrent of emotions swelling within him.
“The situation is getting dangerous…”
The secret of the scented mask lay in herbs banned by the Empire. If Rozana’s guess was correct, they had indeed acted illegally, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to destroy the Riley family.
The key was uncovering what they had done with the Red Spring and revealing the secret of that poison.
‘Even if I persuade Sophia to testify, can that punish them?’
Even adding Gale’s testimony would not be enough. They needed indisputable evidence—proof that no one could deny, even if they tried.
The tapping on the sofa arm stopped. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, but the corridor was silent. No inner thoughts were conveyed.
‘Has Her Majesty arrived?’
Ian glanced at the office door and rose.
‘I thought I heard footsteps approaching.’
Perhaps the hallucinations were multiplying.
Straightening his partially tilted head, he let out a hollow laugh and turned—just as the door burst open.
Before he could fully turn, something was thrust into his arms. Over the unpleasant energy that had filled him rose a refreshing calm.
“Rose? Am I dreaming?”
If not a dream, was he seeing things on top of hearing hallucinations?
“It’s not a dream. I’ve returned to the capital.”
He blinked rapidly. Nothing changed. The familiar scent, the warmth in her presence—all remained.
The only person who could calm the chaos in his world, the only one he could remain with in that calm—Rosebellia.
Ian exhaled and hugged her tightly against his shoulder.
“Is it really you?”
Merely seeing her made his lips twitch involuntarily. Ian smiled, realizing the full power she held over him.
The worries in his mind, the hallucinations that tormented him—all became meaningless in her presence. Nothing he possessed mattered in comparison.
“Did you miss me?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know the answer?”
Rosebellia’s eyes curved playfully as she looked up at him.
“Remember what I said before you left the capital? That I’d appear exactly when you missed me so badly you could hardly stand it.”
‘Of course, there are times I miss you unbearably… but somehow, every time, you appear right before me?’
He nodded as if to say he remembered perfectly.
“At first, I was puzzled and amazed that you appeared like magic. But eventually, I felt so happy. I wanted to give you that feeling too. I don’t know if I missed you so badly I couldn’t bear it…”
Ian, eyes full of affection, pressed his forehead against hers.
“I missed you so much I couldn’t bear it. If you hadn’t come, I would have found a way to see you.”
Rosebellia chuckled softly and kissed his chin. Even a small kiss tightened every muscle in him.
A low groan escaped him as he slowly lowered his gaze. When their eyes met, laughing and warm, a dull pressure spread through his lower abdomen.
