Chapter 32
“I found her.”
The Emperor let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of Rainier’s expression. He looked at his son with a face aged by illness.
“Then when are you planning to return to your position?”
“Soon.”
The Emperor’s hardened expression softened when he saw Rainier’s face. It was as if he could see the face of the woman he had loved most reflected in his son.
Perhaps because his eyesight had deteriorated significantly with age, the Emperor often saw the face of Rainier’s deceased mother whenever Rainier smiled.
“Will you return before I die?”
“Of course.”
Rainier sat down beside the Emperor. The Emperor glanced at the bed that tilted slightly toward his son and chuckled. Then, he reached out his hand.
Rainier, seated at the bedside, didn’t avoid his father’s hand.
The Emperor gently stroked Rainier’s cheek with his thin hand.
“You’ve suffered so much because of me.”
Rainier didn’t answer. He simply closed his eyes. Perhaps because the Emperor had been bedridden for so long, his hand felt very warm. Rainier liked the warmth passed from his father.
“Just as I promised your mother, I’ll pass the throne to you.”
At those words, Rainier gave a wry smile.
“You’re late, Rayla.”
As soon as Rayla arrived, she spotted Siber waiting for her in front of the carriage. With her arms crossed, Siber glared at Rayla as if holding something back.
“I’m tired. Let’s talk later, sis.”
“Aren’t I tired too?”
Rayla was already exhausted, and the thought of another round with Siber made her irritable. On top of that, she hated this situation.
Sonnet, in the original story, was one of the male leads who loved Siber. Although he eventually came to despise her once he learned she was of common birth, he was one of those regretful male leads.
In the end, he was just another foolish man who cried and begged for her.
Which meant he could easily take Siber’s side in this situation too.
“Why did you give Lady Bardel Rockfell the exact same dress you gave me?”
“Aren’t you the one who tried to copy my dress and failed?”
Too afraid to touch the Heart of the Earth, gifted by the Empress, she was dragging the conversation back to the dress again.
“As I said earlier, that dress doesn’t suit either you or Lady Rockfell. Why would I copy your dress? It wouldn’t even fit me.”
“What?”
That part was actually true. Rayla didn’t have the graceful figure her sister Siber had. Rather, she was more mature and curvy.
“Well, if you’ve put on as much weight as you have, you probably couldn’t fit into my dress anyway.”
“Rayla’s not fat—she’s curvy. And being stick-thin like a twig isn’t much to brag about either.”
Rayla was stunned into silence when Sonnet stepped in on her behalf.
“Lady Siber, were you really trying to humiliate your sister over a dress? You always seemed so supportive of Rayla… How could you?”
“T-That’s just because I panicked!”
Rayla was surprised too.
In the original, Siber’s shameless confidence had always been what made the male leads fall for her.
“Then you should apologize.”
“Huh?”
“Shouldn’t that come first? Even if she’s your sister, you almost humiliated her in front of everyone. An apology should be your first step.”
Rayla looked at Sonnet, wondering why he was doing this. As their eyes met, his previously cold gaze toward Siber softened into something warm and gentle.
Siber saw that shift too, her eyes widening as her expression changed. Then she spoke, sounding genuinely remorseful.
“…I wasn’t thinking straight, Rayla. I really thought you were doing it again and misunderstood.”
“…Sis.”
“I’ll admit this time wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
After apologizing, Siber quickly turned to look at Sonnet. But Sonnet was too busy looking at Rayla to notice.
Seeing this, Rayla was now certain: Siber had found a new target.
The apology hadn’t come from guilt—but from strategy.
“I was harsh too. I’m sorry, sis. I think I got a little too excited going out after so long.”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s both forget about it.”
Rayla wanted to grit her teeth at those words, but she forced a smile—because Sonnet was watching.
“Sure.”
With that, Rayla passed Siber and headed to her room.
Sonnet silently walked beside her, holding her hand all the way to her door.
Meanwhile, Rayla was becoming increasingly suspicious of the medicine Rainier had been giving her. In the past, walking this much would’ve left her bedridden for days.
Now, her ankles and calves only ached slightly.
As soon as they reached her room and she opened the door, Sonnet spoke.
“Rayla.”
“Yeah?”
“I’d like to stay by your side until you fall asleep. Would that be okay?”
“Nope.”
She rejected him immediately, suspecting he was only being kind for the same reason Hugo had been.
“I’d prefer if we did that after marriage. We haven’t even had the engagement ceremony yet.”
“…Right. Sorry, I got ahead of myself. I just wanted to see you as you fell asleep…”
“It’s fine. Good night, Sonnet.”
Before he could say anything else, she went inside and shut the door.
Then she called Catherine, took a bath, and ended her long, exhausting day.
Rayla slept soundly and defenselessly. Rainier stood by the canopy bed where she lay.
“Ha…”
He stood beside her in his pajamas.
“So you fell asleep like this?”
He sighed as he watched her softly breathing.
“Having nightmares again, miss?”
She didn’t wake at the sound of his voice. But her tense expression eased, as if the unpleasant dream had faded thanks to it.
“I told you someone tried to kidnap you today.”
Rainier spoke as if scolding her, but she remained deeply asleep.
“Yet you haven’t increased the guards, and you’re sleeping with the windows open.”
He found her carelessness ridiculous as he approached the window and shut it.
Then he checked the terrace door and all the windows to make sure they were locked. Finally, he looked back at her and said:
“Sweet dreams.”
He stepped out of the room and pressed the button so the door would lock from the inside.
With a soft click, the door shut.
And Rayla fell into a deeper sleep, once again dreaming that strange dream.
The next morning, as Rayla opened her door to head to the dining room—
“Lend me your dowry. Right now.”
“Why are you talking about money first thing in the morning?”
Hugo was arguing with Siber on the staircase.
“Lend it to me now. Our trading company needs urgent funds.”
“You have to give me a reason if you want me to lend you money.”
Rayla knew that Siber was annoyed simply because she didn’t want to lend him anything.
She paused halfway through opening the door, staying still instead of stepping out. Gesturing at Catherine behind her to stay quiet, she pressed a finger to her lips.
Catherine looked flustered but nodded, stepping back.
Catherine always seemed to melt when Rayla smiled playfully.
“One of the ships from the Idun Merchant Guild sank.”
“Again? Didn’t one already sink before? Isn’t this the second time?”
Siber’s startled voice prompted a heavy sigh from Hugo.
“Keep it down. People will hear.”
Why they were even discussing such things on the staircase in the first place was beyond her.
Rayla found it all very pathetic.
But Hugo had no choice. Siber had been about to leave, and if he let her go, he might not get another chance. He knew if he asked her to go upstairs, she’d flatly refuse.
So he’d spoken out of desperation.
“Isn’t that a sign something’s wrong with your guild? How does a ship sink twice?”
“There’ve been no issues until now. That’s how we kept building our wealth. You know how prosperous the Ronald family is.”
That was the past. Two of the Idun Merchant Guild’s ships had sunk. Strangely, both times had been due to typhoons, yet there were no casualties.
Which was even more suspicious.
Normally, when a ship sinks, there are very few survivors. News of a wreck usually comes late.
But not with the Idun ships. Not only had they sunk, but every crew member had survived. It was as if a rescue ship had been waiting for the accident.
“Still…”
“Trust me this time. If you lend me your dowry, I’ll double it.”
“How can I believe that? You said two ships already sank.”
“Two out of a hundred—those odds aren’t terrible.”
Even Hugo found it odd. But it had been natural disasters, and he figured a third time was unlikely.
“I’ll be on the ship this time. So don’t worry.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Hugo sounded confident.
He couldn’t afford any more losses. If shipments kept getting delayed, even Eclair, their hard-won establishment, would have to shut down.
“Invest your entire dowry. I swear on the name of House Ronald, I’ll double it for you.”
