~Chapter 28~
‘What’s wrong? Spending the night with a man who loves me—this is something even the goddess of abundance, Vessia, would bless. Wouldn’t it be greedy to keep this beauty all to myself?’
‘Rivier!’
‘Your Highness, accept it already. Whoever I spend my nights with is no longer any of your concern.’
Cold sweat ran down Khalid’s back. Rivier’s snake-like gaze filled him with disgust, and that disgust led to intense memories flooding back.
The memories began to tighten around his neck, suffocating him.
He instinctively tightened his grip on Erdia’s wrist, almost painfully.
Erdia trembled slightly, likely from the pain.
Only then did Khalid realise he had unconsciously gripped her wrist tightly, and he loosened his hand, murmuring indifferently as if nothing had happened.
“I’ve just learned today that I can call such horrific memories ‘nostalgia.’”
“When love fades, the brightest memories turn into the most horrific ones. I’m sure His Highness, the greatest lover of the empire, knows that.”
As the conversation continued, Khalid’s discomfort and disgust deepened.
He tried not to meet her gaze, but his heart twisted in reaction, as if it were drawn instinctively.
The voice he had longed for, the face that used to smile at him, was the same. Yet, despite everything, he had managed to endure up until a moment ago. He hadn’t looked directly at her, but he hadn’t avoided or turned his back either. So why now?
Suddenly, Erdia’s gaze, looking directly at him, caught his attention.
Her unwavering gaze was still holding him within her large, dark eyes.
Perhaps… these sparkling black eyes reminded him of the woman he once loved, and that’s why he couldn’t bring himself to feel okay.
He rarely thought about the past when looking at Rivier. But of all times, it had to be now, the memory right after their broken engagement. It could not have been worse.
Even after five years, his heart remained unchanged. The scars that couldn’t be erased only grew deeper, causing him more pain, and Khalid was overwhelmed with exhaustion.
At that moment, Erdia quietly pulled her wrist away and turned towards Rivier, stepping forward.
Her small shoulders didn’t tremble even a bit, standing straight and firm.
“The best solution to painful memories is to forget them. If you can’t forget, covering them with new memories is another method.”
Looking directly at Rivier, Erdia spoke, as though trying to protect Khalid.
He regretted not being able to see her face while she spoke with her back turned.
‘…Regret? Why?’
Even as he thought this, he instinctively stepped aside to look at her face.
Looking down, the vacant expression had disappeared, replaced with a determined glint in her eyes.
“Covering them up.”
As he repeated Erdia’s words in his mind, Khalid slowly shifted his gaze.
Rivier smirked, but her eyes were colder than ever. It seemed Erdia’s words had gotten under her skin.
For some reason, Khalid found it difficult to look at Erdia’s face for too long. An uncomfortable feeling swelled within him, and his heart raced erratically.
Though he had almost had a panic attack just moments ago, this time it felt completely different. His head cleared.
“Not a bad method.”
“Are you saying that His Highness the Crown Prince intends to put a ring on it after the recent fuss over engagement?”
“Is there any law against it?”
“Are you really saying that in front of me?”
“So, is there any law against it?”
“Ha!”
Watching Rivier burst into laughter, Khalid couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable satisfaction.
It was the first time in years he had seen that distorted expression.
It wasn’t the way he wanted it, but for a brief moment, his heavy heart felt a little lighter.
He let the fleeting satisfaction go and quickly shifted the conversation back on track.
Rivier, who looked like she had just been insulted, bit her lip, but he paid her no mind. Instead, he naturally placed his hand on Erdia’s shoulder as if escorting her.
“Then I’ll take that as a rejection of the invitation. Let’s talk separately, shall we? Is that alright?”
His tone was polite, but his eyes conveyed that he didn’t want her to refuse.
“Sounds good!”
The answer came back much brighter and more positive than expected. The pressure he had been feeling evaporated instantly.
He felt embarrassed for thinking of ways to convince her to accept.
Even though the brief satisfaction of having struck a blow at Rivier faded, an unfamiliar discomfort filled his heart again.
Why did he feel this way towards someone he had just met?
Khalid took a deep breath and walked a half-step ahead of Erdia.
Yet, despite walking ahead, his attention was still drawn to her presence behind him.
This strange feeling was unsettling, but he couldn’t help but feel relief that, as Zerman had hoped, they had successfully laid the groundwork for their plan.
Though Rivier’s suspicion would remain, if she focused on Erdia’s connection with him, it was just as they had hoped. They wanted to keep her in the dark about the ongoing investigation for as long as possible.
It was shaping up to be a good cover.
While he was using Erdia in plain sight, he knew that, with how much the Marquis seemed to care for her, this could smooth the process of securing his cooperation.
It should have been nothing to feel uncomfortable about. But for some reason, he felt that discomfort intensify the more he thought about using her.
It was an odd feeling.
The sound of Serel’s soft breathing as she slept peacefully in the carriage was soon interrupted.
After they had boarded, the Marquis of Valandier, who had been sneaking glances at Khalid, cleared his throat and spoke up.
“Ahem, so what did you and His Highness talk about?”
“The Marquis… or rather, Father, requested a private discussion.”
“A meeting with me… what do you think of it?”
“I should do it. His Highness mentioned our engagement, so he’s clearly looking for something.”
“You mean, he needs my help.”
“Yes. If a man with deep wounds, someone who would shudder at the thought of being linked to me, is taking such a risk, it must be connected to the Joubert Merchant Group.”
After looking out the window to collect his thoughts, Erdia turned to the Marquis.
The Marquis stroked his beard and slowly nodded in understanding.
“Rumors have circulated that the Joubert Merchant Group, which rose rapidly last year, has powerful backing. That’s why even if they act arrogantly, no one confronts them directly. Recently, there have been requests to find a merchant group that can do business with Joubert’s group. It must have been His Highness who requested this.”
“That’s right. Even the Merchant Union must have anticipated their backing. They don’t want to get involved. So, His Highness needs your help even more.”
The Merchant Union wanted to avoid becoming entangled in power struggles. Especially when dealing with the next emperor. In such situations, whether one is good or bad didn’t matter—the losing side would never rise again.
Merchants cared only about profit. Without certainty of victory, they would continue to observe from the sidelines.
Only someone like the Marquis, renowned in commerce, could directly negotiate or stand against such powers.
The rumors of an engagement were certainly a distraction to draw Rivier’s followers. But unexpectedly, Khalid had fallen into it.
The Marquis had expected that, if Khalid needed his power, someone from his side would eventually contact him. But the fact that the Crown Prince had come directly asking for an engagement was a surprise.
He was, of course, delighted. After all, this would give him a chance to see the prince up close.
But the internal turmoil he would endure while facing him was another matter.
“Do you have any idea what His Highness plans to do with Joubert’s Merchant Group?”
“I have a slight idea. Though it’s still just speculation, it might be connected to something Rivier did in the past… or something far worse.”
The Marquis’ expression darkened.
It made sense, given that Serel, who was quietly sleeping, had once been a victim of one of Rivier’s past atrocities—human trafficking.
