Chapter 50
“Me?”
I couldn’t picture it at all—the crown prince of Kasus setting Russell up?
Russell, unable to hide how troubled he felt, turned to me.
“You must have heard that rumor before coming to Glacies Castle, right?”
The worst and most chilling of all the rumors surrounding Russell.
He’s talking about the claim that he executed his former fiancée.
But I knew Russell wasn’t someone who killed people so recklessly.
My chest churned, but I nodded as calmly as I could.
“I heard it.”
Seeing my reaction, Russell slowly continued.
“She accepted my proposal and willingly agreed to become a puppet duchess. She was strangely kind and easy to talk to.”
His voice, however, was cold—so cold that it felt like he held not a shred of sympathy for someone who used to be his fiancée.
“So I didn’t doubt her. I never imagined my fiancée was a spy.”
Crunch.
I heard Russell’s teeth grind.
When he realized every bit of kindness she showed him was a lie… he must have felt truly betrayed.
With a dry tongue, I touched the roof of my mouth and listened quietly.
“Normally, she should’ve been imprisoned in the underground cells, then transferred to the capital for trial. But she… attempted to break out by herself.”
“She tried to escape?”
Russell nodded slightly.
The thought alone was unbelievable.
Glacies Castle was where Russell lived—and the knights guarding the place were all exceptional.
“She hid an emetic between the cracks and swallowed it the moment the guards relaxed. And when she freed herself from her restraints… a tragedy happened. Every guard watching her had their necks twisted.”
Their necks… twisted?
She really had been a spy sent from Kasus.
I felt a horrible heaviness inside me, but Russell continued speaking.
“Since people died, I had no choice but to act personally.”
“But still… execution was too—”
“It was necessary.”
Russell’s voice was colder than the northern wind.
“I had to protect my people. Once there were casualties inside the castle, it became my responsibility.”
A chilling air settled.
He truly believed that incident had been his fault.
“So as a warning to Kasus, I executed her where they could see clearly. When I came to my senses, the capital already thought I was a madman… Kasus stayed silent, but I know who was behind it.”
“The crown prince?”
“Yes.”
Russell let out a low sigh.
“The current king of Kasus is too old to make proper decisions, so the crown prince is the one truly ruling. I only met him once, before everything happened.”
I fell deep into thought.
This meant the crown prince—who had sent the spy and thrown the capital into chaos—was practically about to ascend the throne.
“His Majesty will want to appoint me and you as envoys to resolve this. And through that, I’ll gain favor with him.”
“What else do you want from him?”
Frater asked anxiously.
“There is something. I’ll tell you both when the time comes.”
“…All right.”
I felt Russell glancing at me. I silently nodded, showing him I trusted him.
Frater was the first to leave.
“Then I’ll inform His Majesty that you will attend tomorrow’s audience.”
“I’ll go as well.”
“Russell! Wait.”
I reached out and caught the edge of his sleeve. Russell paused and turned back toward me.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
Should I ask? What if he doesn’t know anything?
Now that I was about to, fear rose in my throat. But since I had already grabbed his clothes, I couldn’t back out.
Gathering courage, I asked:
“When… when were you in the slums?”
“Since I was very young, until I became an adult. I had to track down every last one to complete my revenge.”
As expected… strange.
From what he said, he’d been in the slums since childhood. So why didn’t I know him?
“How old are you now?”
“I don’t know my exact age. My late mother never told me.”
“Then… did your mother have a particular saying she always repeated?”
There were words—words someone always told me in my previous life. Words that gave me courage more than any magic could.
“‘It’s okay even if you’re weak. As long as you have courage, you can take one more step forward.’”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. My mother never said anything like that.”
There was no hesitation in Russell’s voice. Meaning he wasn’t lying.
I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
“I see… I’m sorry.”
If I didn’t hold back, I was going to cry.
Maybe that person only exists in my memories. And since Russell didn’t know them, it proved my past-life memories weren’t complete.
It’s been twenty-three years… they could very well be dead.
As I stayed silent, Russell came closer and sat on the bed.
He gently touched my cheek.
“Someone said that to you?”
“Yes. Someone very precious. But… I never even got to say goodbye. I only remember that they were in the slums, but if even you don’t know them… then there’s nothing to be done.”
“So that person was the one who told you about the slums.”
“Yes.”
After hearing my answer, Russell stood up and headed for the door.
“I’ll look into it personally. But…”
Just before closing the door, he murmured softly:
“Don’t expect them to be alive.”
“…Okay.”
The door shut with a soft click—and only then did my tears finally fall.
As I wiped them endlessly, someone opened the door again.
“Uh… Lady Piana, may I— What?! Why are you crying?!”
“It’s nothing.”
You never change, Asha. Always dramatic.
Asha quickly shut the door and rushed over, chattering anxiously about whether the duke made me cry.
When I denied it, she hesitated uncertainly.
Eventually, I was the one who gave in.
I explained what happened. Asha tilted her head.
“You met them when you were very young, and you haven’t met since? Then… they might have passed away.”
“Yeah. You’re right… I didn’t even think of that.”
“That’s not foolish at all! And His Grace will definitely find them for you!”
Asha… unfortunately, no. Back then, once someone entered the slums, leaving was nearly impossible.
Even if Russell finds them… they won’t be the same person I remember.
Even if they were alive, twenty-three years had passed. I was no longer who I once was. And they likely weren’t either.
“By the way, why did you come so late at night?”
“Oh. Th-that’s…”
Asha scratched her cheek and whispered timidly:
“I came to apologize properly… since I did deceive you.”
“Yes. You did deceive me.”
“W-what?”
Asha stuttered in panic.
“So this is your punishment. Come here.”
“Ow!”
Flick!
I flicked her forehead, and she let out a dramatic groan.
Serves you right.
If nothing else, I had always been confident in my flicking skills—even in my past life.
“Everyone seems to think I’m some saint for forgiving Russell. They’re wrong. I can hold grudges too.”
“B-but Lady Piana…!”
“This conversation ends here. I’m tired and want to rest.”
Asha let out a pitiful whine.
“Are you sure you’re not going to punish me more?”
“You said your orders were to protect me, right? And without you, I wouldn’t have been able to move forward. So let’s call it even.”
“Even…?”
Asha couldn’t hold back and burst into giggles.
“What’s so funny?”
“If you want, I can stand guard all night!”
“Go ahead.”
Honestly, Asha was probably the only person in the world who would be happy to stay awake all night.
She scampered away, her footsteps loud and excited.
“Good night, Lady Piana!”
She blew a little puff of air before leaving. Wrapped up tightly in my blankets, I finally drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
A peaceful night passed.
And dawn arrived.
