~Chapter 92~
Even in the imperial palace, Renia had been bold—but never this much.
Now she looked as if the reins were completely gone, unstoppable.
Her attitude pricked at Adrian’s nerves.
He couldn’t figure out what had caused her change, and that made him restless.
But he hid it and said coldly,
“Tell me what happened at the palace.”
“Ah.”
She nodded, as if just remembering. Every move carried confidence and leisure from some unknown source. Folding her hands, she laughed as though something delighted her.
“Well, that morning Regiana herself came to me. Said she had something to tell me.”
She acted so casually, as if there hadn’t been days of absence, as if they had met just yesterday. Adrian almost wondered if he were still at the palace.
“Wasn’t she foolish?”
That one line brought him back to reality.
She looked at him as though asking for agreement, but Adrian ignored it. He answered stiffly,
“So?”
“So I dragged her to a deserted place and left her half-dead.”
“You didn’t kill her?”
“She wasn’t as easy as I thought.”
Renia eyes glinted coldly, then softened into a bright smile as she looked up at him. In her gaze lingered excitement and anticipation.
“But I did gain something.”
Like a child showing off a toy, she exaggerated her gesture and pulled something out.
A ring. A signet ring carved with a family crest.
It was the ring of Troxia.
Adrian’s face hardened.
“…So you finally got it.”
“That’s right. Thinking of all the trouble I went through, I’d say it’s even late.”
She tucked the ring away again. Adrian couldn’t tear his eyes from her hand.
“So, what now?”
“Well, let’s see…”
Renia tilted her head as if to think.
“I’d love to rush to Troxia right now and see the dragon.”
“….”
“But until Regiana Troxia is dead, I can’t.”
Because the dragon’s mana still belonged to Regiana Troxia.
“Taking it now would be useless.”
“I know that. But why haven’t you killed her yet?”
Renia replied calmly,
“The key is already in our hands.”
“A key that’s useless as long as she lives.”
“Now, now, don’t be impatient, Your Highness.”
“….”
Adrian frowned in frustration. By now, Duke Hertio must be holding his lover in his arms, seething with rage—yet she told him not to hurry.
Suddenly he recalled the duke’s warning.
“Hasty advice only brings ruin, Your Highness.”
“One day, Your Highness will regret the words you spoke to me.”
And those arrogant eyes.
That woman he cherished so much had been left half-dead—what was the duke doing now?
Adrian bore no grudge against him, but…
He wanted to see the duke’s reaction. To imagine that lofty face collapsing thrilled him.
But the tastiest things are best saved for last. The duke’s despair would be Adrian’s sweetest toast.
“Oh, that reminds me, Your Highness.”
Renia called suddenly, as if recalling something forgotten. Adrian snapped from his thoughts.
“What is it?”
She sat down in the chair in the room—the very chair he had just vacated.
Adrian, angry, opened his mouth to scold her, but she clapped her hands lightly.
“There was something I wanted to ask you. I nearly forgot.”
“…Ask me?”
Adrian didn’t even realize she had cut him off. Renia smiled brightly.
Today she was acting strange. Adrian felt uneasy around her. He couldn’t name it, but something about her grated.
If it were someone else—even Duke Hertio—he would have been on guard. But this was just a maid. His pride wouldn’t allow him to treat her as a threat.
He hid his discomfort and replied stiffly,
“Normally, I wouldn’t bother answering a common maid. But for once, I’ll indulge you.”
“How generous.”
Ignoring her sarcasm, Adrian moved toward the wine table. With the chair’s back between them, he couldn’t see her face, nor she his.
He lifted the glass. The red liquid glowed by the firelight—red like that woman who had collapsed that day.
Just as he raised the glass to his lips, Renia’s voice pierced the air.
“Did you tell her about me?”
“…Wha—”
Startled, he reflexively drank the wine.
She continued,
“She knew. That I wanted revenge. My goal. Everything.”
Her tone was casual, but Adrian could hear the sharp edge underneath. He forced a blank face.
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He swallowed hard and answered late. Strangely, not seeing her face gave him relief.
“At the party… did you meet Regiana Troxia?”
“No.”
“Really?”
Her pressing tone made Adrian slam down his glass.
“…You dare. Do I have to hear such words from you?”
“If you’re offended, I apologize.”
She lowered her head smoothly.
“But things must be clear.”
“….”
He filled his glass again.
“Then where did she hear it from…?”
Her muttering reached his ears. He answered calmly,
“Duke Hertio must have his own people working for him.”
She nodded easily.
“That makes sense. The two of them are practically one.”
“….”
Adrian said nothing, only drank. She went on,
“To kill Regiana Troxia, we need to separate her from Duke Hertio. Is he dangerous?”
“Well, he avoids the front lines…”
He forced a calm tone, but he realized he was tense.
Tense? Before a maid? Impossible.
He clenched his fist. Renia was only a tool. A tool must bend to its master, not the other way.
“Before going into the underground, we must deal with him.”
Hearing her plan, Adrian downed his wine in one gulp.
He was the future master of the empire. He couldn’t let a mere tool shake him.
“Why not seize the dragon first, then deal with them?”
He set down his glass and stepped toward her.
“No. As long as Regiana Troxia lives, the dragon’s mana won’t be mine.”
“In the underground chamber?”
“Did you forget? All the mana there belongs to her. We must never let her go down there.”
“This isn’t allowed, that isn’t allowed. What’s left, then?”
Adrian snapped irritably.
His mother would soon reach Troxia, and time pressed him. Yet Renia acted as if she were on holiday.
“Isn’t there something else Your Highness should worry about first?”
Her voice drew his eyes back to her. She sat with her legs crossed, looking up at him without the slightest respect.
He wanted to punish her insolence, but curiosity won.
“What should I worry about?”
“Your mother, of course.”
“….”
“Soon, you’ll have to kill her. Can you do it?”
She asked with a mocking smile.
For a second, Adrian hesitated.
He had been so focused on the dragon and Duke Hertio that he had almost forgotten.
To kill my mother…
That was the whole reason he had allied with Renia. The purpose that brought him here. But now that the moment drew near, it felt unreal.
Renia waited for his answer.
Adrian forced an icy tone.
“Pointless worry.”
“Is that so?”
“When the time comes, the first blade in my mother’s throat will be mine.”
“Then I needn’t worry.”
She turned her head away.
Adrian suddenly wondered—was she delaying because she doubted she could defeat Regiana Troxia and Duke Hertio?
Otherwise, why sit here by the fire, instead of striking while they were unguarded?
Almost as if she had read his thoughts, Renia replied—
