~Chapter 55~
“Hm?”
“I am… not a good partner, at least because of scandals, am I?”
Dylan had once been the baroness’s lover.
At the time, the summary trial had become widely known, and Dylan’s name had often come up—for bad reasons.
“Miss already has many enemies. There’s no need to add another scandal…”
“Well. Actually, bad rumors are surprisingly useful.”
In high society, people didn’t look down on Camilla so much as avoid her.
And in truth, the baron was pleased by her notoriety, saying it suited the Mowin family well.
If it made the baron let his guard down, a little infamy was a cheap price.
Camilla smiled softly.
“If you’re okay with it, I want you to be my partner.”
Dylan stared at her blankly for a moment, then smiled calmly.
“Yes. It would be an honor, miss.”
‘To be honest, I never thought much about Dylan.’
She had thought he was merely the baroness’s lover—but learning he was from the Everett family made her think he must have lived a difficult life.
She had trusted him because he was from Everett.
But now, he was loyal to her, and truly worried about her.
For five years, Dylan had stayed by her side as her guard, helping her countless times.
Sonya and Dylan had both remained with her all this time.
Thinking of that made Camilla’s chest tighten.
In truth, Camilla’s plans never included her own safety.
She had spent five years running toward revenge—not happiness.
And she knew that the way she lived would also put those who helped her in danger.
Was she pushing people toward death just because she had once saved their lives?
That thought made her realize—
‘This… is guilt.’
An emotion she had long crushed as unnecessary to her goal.
Camilla closed her eyes, then slowly opened them.
She took Dylan’s hands in hers and whispered,
“All right. Please take care of me at the party, Sir Dylan.”
Just then—
“What are you doing right now?!”
Sonya burst into the lab holding reagents, her face pale as she looked back and forth between them.
“Ah, Sonya.”
For several years now, Sonya had been learning medicine directly from Camilla and was working as her assistant in the lab.
Seeing Camilla and Dylan looking close, Sonya shouted with sudden urgency.
“I—I’m good at my job too, miss! If I try, I can even be a partner!”
Camilla burst out laughing.
Thud. Thud.
“Mari! Where are you, Mari—!”
Ares stormed through the hallway and kicked open the door to the underground torture room.
Behind the prison bars, a thin maid working there asked clumsily,
“Y-yes…? W-what is it, master?”
Mari—who once smiled brightly with freckled cheeks at the ducal house—was no longer the same.
Her speech was slow, her face dark with fear.
With hunched shoulders, she was carrying corpses that had rotted down to bones in the underground prison.
“Tch, the smell. Are you not even wrapping them properly in cloth?”
Ares kicked Mari violently.
Crash!
Ignoring the pain from falling, Mari threw herself flat on the floor and trembled.
“N-no! I-I’m sorry! I wrapped them! B-but the smell—!”
After being kidnapped by the Mowin family, Mari had been drained of all information and was now used like Ares’s personal servant.
It had long been revealed that she was connected to the Empress Dowager, but after learning what happened at the ducal house, the Empress Dowager abandoned her.
So all Mari had left was loyalty to cruel Ares—and work in the dark.
Ares snorted.
“Whatever. More importantly—do you remember the letter Amelia secretly sent me through you?”
“Ah…! Y-yes!”
At the mention of Amelia and a letter, Mari’s eyes widened.
Lady Amelia—the Rose of the Capital, protected by the Empress Dowager.
Just when people thought she had fallen from favor, she became the Marchioness of Churello last year and rose again as the capital’s flower.
Mari had met her once at the secret arena while following Ares.
Even though Mari wore her hood low, Amelia recognized her instantly.
‘Mari… that is you, right?’
‘Y-yes…?’
As a child, Mari had once visited the Empress Dowager’s residence with her mother—and Amelia remembered her face.
Lifting her half-mask slightly, Amelia smiled with her eyes.
‘Nice to see you. Are you working at this arena?’
If her identity had been exposed, Mari would have been disposed of.
As Mari trembled, Ares stepped in front of her.
‘What is it? Is there a problem with my servant?’
Saved unexpectedly, Mari’s eyes widened.
In truth, Ares only acted because it would be troublesome to find a replacement servant.
But to Mari, he shone brighter than a prince.
‘…That voice. Hmm. The golden tongue of Escalus society, isn’t it?’
At those words, Ares sensed danger.
Lowering her voice, Amelia whispered sweetly,
‘I didn’t know this arena belonged to the Mowin family.’
‘Should I kill her?’
The mistress of the Churello house—second only to the ducal house in power.
For a moment, Ares considered silencing her forever.
But as if she had anticipated his thoughts, the hooded person beside Amelia released killing intent.
‘Heehee. There’s no need to threaten us.’
At that, the hooded figure withdrew their killing intent.
Amelia placed her finger over her lips and whispered,
‘And don’t worry. I have no intention of telling anyone what I learned today.’
‘How can I trust that—!’
Amelia glanced sideways at Mari.
‘But could you let that child continue working here tomorrow? I have something to send.’
With that, Amelia quietly left.
After that, no rumors about Mowin spread.
But the next day—
Mari returned from the arena and handed Ares a parchment letter.
It read:
[Do you have any desire to become the master of the crow?]
The master of the crow.
A phrase meaning the ruler of the underworld.
In other words—an offer to devour Baron Mowin and take control himself.
It showed clear understanding of Glamis’s power structure—and who truly ruled Mowin.
‘Ha. She’s completely insane.’
Thinking that, Ares shoved the letter aside.
He didn’t burn it, intending to use it for a counterattack if Amelia ever spoke about Mowin’s darkness.
But now—
After meeting Camilla, Ares’s rage boiled over, and the letter tempted him.
He had done everything the baron ordered.
Yet the baron clearly favored different people.
In Glamis, Camilla was favored more.
As a father, the baron favored Nina far more.
‘I even abandoned my aunt for this family!’
Believing it would make him a true family member, he hadn’t defended her at the trial.
He had chosen the baron over his own blood.
And what had that earned him?
Grinding his teeth, Ares stomped the floor.
Mari gasped in fear, but he didn’t even look at her.
‘I can’t accept this.’
He remembered Camilla—who gently questioned him about business only when it suited her, but never kept him close.
“How dare she say that bastard is better than me…!”
Thinking of Camilla choosing his aunt’s leftovers over him made his teeth grind.
From childhood until now, he had treated her well.
‘Ungrateful, damn woman.’
“Ares smiled darkly.
“Amelia. I need to hear what that woman has to say.”
He turned to Mari.
“Mari. Get the message to Amelia—no matter what. Tomorrow, at seven, at Marquis Churello’s sponsored event.”
