Chapter 108
“G-Grandfather…?”
Riena blinked in confusion, unable to understand what Roland had just said.
“Riena! Are you okay?”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
While Reheim checked on his sister, the furious Duke Cassius shouted at his father.
“What do you mean what am I doing? That’s what I want to ask, you brat!”
Roland, far from shrinking back, shouted even louder and swung his cane.
“Of all things you could do, you bring some commoner orphan girl into the family and call her your daughter?”
“That’s ancient history…”
At that moment, Riena—still sitting on the ground—let out a trembling voice.
“Grandfather… why are you suddenly saying this to me?”
She grabbed the hem of his trousers and pleaded.
“You always called me your little bunny and doted on me.”
“Little bunny my foot. More like a rabbit brat—no, a leech.”
The harsh tone shocked Riena. Her face turned pale, and the hand clutching his trousers fell away.
“That’s going too far!”
The Duke of Cassius shouted, genuinely unable to understand.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You were the one who kept coming to Cassius Castle to see my daughter even when I told you not to!”
“Don’t even bring up those days! It’s disgusting to think I ever cherished such a lowly thing!”
Roland trembled with rage and glared at his son.
“This must be some kind of black magic! I must have been brainwashed all this time!”
“What kind of ridiculous excuse is that?!”
“Wake up! If I’d been in my right mind, do you think I would have doted on some commoner girl?”
“….”
Edmund fell silent.
Roland’s words and actions were absolutely unacceptable, yet what he had just said strangely aligned with doubts Edmund himself had begun to feel recently.
The Roland Cassius he knew was not someone capable of sincerely loving others.
And a commoner with no blood relation at that?
At least to the duke, Roland’s current attitude—treating Riena with disdain—felt far more like the man he knew than the way he used to dote on her.
Then why had Roland cherished Riena so much before?
And why had his attitude suddenly changed now?
“Please stop!”
As if to scatter those suspicions, Riena cried out.
“I understand why Grandfather is speaking harshly to me.”
She staggered to her feet, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“He went through so much these past few days just trying to grant my wish to obtain that mine.”
Seeing his daughter in such a pitiful state made the duke’s heart ache—and at the same time left his mind blank.
“Quiet, you monster!”
A desperate shout snapped him back to his senses.
Roland was slowly backing away from Riena as if wary of her, even though she was only crying helplessly.
“Trying to bewitch me again?”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you been bewitching me for over a decade?”
“Grandfather, no matter how angry you are, please don’t say things like that. It hurts my heart.”
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
“You truly cared about me, didn’t you?”
“I said get away!”
In the end Roland abruptly turned and headed toward his carriage.
“Just you wait! Someday I’ll expose your wicked true nature!”
Before leaving, he shouted one last thing at his son.
“Edmund! If you don’t want the Cassius family I raised to collapse, throw that thing out of the house immediately!”
And with that, Roland Cassius disappeared from the sight of the three of them.
“Don’t cry, Riena.”
Reheim handed his handkerchief to his sister.
“Has Grandfather gone senile? Talking about black magic and brainwashing… He seems mentally unstable. Don’t you think so, Father?”
“….”
The Duke of Cassius gave no answer.
Glancing sideways at him, Riena murmured sorrowfully,
“It’s okay. I’m used to being hated.”
Both the duke and Reheim looked at her in surprise.
“I had forgotten because I received so much love from you and Brother in the Cassius family. But thinking back, I endured much worse situations than this.”
She was talking about her time at the orphanage.
“So I’m fine, Brother. Compared to the days when my birth parents abandoned me and the orphanage director mistreated me, this is nothing.”
“Riena…”
Seeing his sister speak calmly in such a sad voice—even with a faint smile—made Reheim’s throat burn. The duke felt the same.
The cheerful and bright young lady of the Cassius family sometimes revealed a shadow like this from her childhood.
Whenever that happened, the family would imagine what terrible hardships such a small child must have endured and feel their eyes grow moist.
What was I thinking all this time…
Self-loathing surged within Edmund.
He regretted ever suspecting that Riena might be hiding another side of herself—and that it might harm the Cassius family.
How could he have even thought that?
Riena was the daughter he had raised for so many years.
His head felt numb again. He didn’t want to entertain any more troublesome doubts.
“Father.”
After receiving comfort from Reheim, Riena approached the duke and gently leaned against him.
“I’m still a little sad.”
This was another habit she had whenever something painful happened—seeking comfort like a child.
“You’ll comfort me, right?”
“Of course.”
The duke stroked his daughter’s hair.
“Come on, let’s go home quickly and—”
“Wait!”
A furious voice interrupted the tender moment.
“Duke! Step away from Riena immediately!”
The man who appeared at the palace gate was the Empire’s First Prince, Mikhail Petus Asteroth.
“Mikhail! Why are you here?”
“Riena, a palace attendant told me what happened to you.”
He quickly approached and pulled his lover’s arm away from her father.
“I heard the former Duke Cassius treated you terribly. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. There was just a small misunderstanding with Grandfather.”
“A misunderstanding? How is insulting you and pushing you a misunderstanding?”
“That’s…”
Mikhail hid Riena behind him and glared at the Duke of Cassius.
“Duke, since Riena has been treated like this by the Cassius family, I can no longer treat you as my future father-in-law.”
“Don’t talk to my father like that!”
“Please stay quiet, Riena.”
Edmund frowned.
“Your Highness, please release my daughter. This is a family matter.”
“How disappointing! How can you dismiss domestic violence as merely a family matter?”
“Domestic violence…?”
“Didn’t you see what your father did to Riena?”
Since Roland had indeed done wrong, Edmund had nothing to say.
“From now on, I will protect Riena.”
“That won’t be possible!”
“Why not? My imperial palace is far safer than that household.”
“My father simply won’t be allowed back to the estate. And Riena herself wishes to remain with the Cassius family.”
Riena nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. Now isn’t the time for me to leave home. Mikhail, thank you, but maybe next time—”
“Idel Wallace is at the imperial palace.”
“What?”
“She entered the palace yesterday. Apparently there are matters to discuss regarding the magic-stone mine.”
“….”
“You’ve wanted to meet that woman for a long time, haven’t you? I’ll arrange it for you.”
The Duke of Cassius hurriedly tried to stop his daughter.
“Don’t even think about it. Nothing good will come from you meeting Idel.”
“Father…”
“You and my father caused her trouble just a few days ago. Don’t tell me you still haven’t given up on the mine.”
Riena looked between the duke and Mikhail, then shook her head.
“That’s not it. I just want to talk with my sister-in-law one more time.”
“Riena!”
“I’m sorry. But don’t worry. I’ll just see her and come straight back home.”
“I can’t allow that—”
Mikhail blocked the duke as he tried to grab his daughter.
“Stop. If you interfere any further, I’ll consider it disrespect toward the imperial family.”
Once Mikhail said that much, even the Duke of Cassius could not continue resisting as a subject of the crown.
“Your Highness, please return my daughter!”
“Quite bold for someone who stood by during domestic violence.”
“Don’t speak to my father like that!”
The two of them turned and walked into the imperial palace.
Riena glanced back at her father and brother several times, but she did not stop walking.
The Duke of Cassius stood staring blankly at the palace gate for a long time.
He realized that his daughter had not repented for any of the wrongs she had committed.
Meanwhile
“So that’s what happened.”
After hearing Laura recount the commotion at the palace gate, I tilted my head.
We were in the imperial palace annex, a place prepared for guests temporarily staying at the palace.
Laura had volunteered to serve me and moved here as well.
“It was complete chaos. Even the palace attendants who saw it were whispering about it.”
I had asked Laura to watch Roland because I was curious how the drastically changed man would behave.
I didn’t expect him to change that much.
In the mining village, after hearing the divine beast say that I might have used my blessing while speaking with Roland, I formed a hypothesis.
That my blessing had somehow interfered with Roland’s mind.
To confirm what kind of interference it was, I asked the Imperial Knights for help and spent the entire night interviewing him.
Gradually, the outline became clearer.
Roland only reacted strangely when I said the same words I had before—telling him to come to his senses.
“If you truly love Riena, you shouldn’t indulge all of her whims like this!”
“Ugh… stop… stop…!”
He would stare blankly, then sometimes clutch his forehead like someone suffering from a headache.
Eventually he even thrashed around and tried to swing his cane, forcing the knights beside us to restrain him.
Around dawn, the old man suddenly spoke with an expression of realization. His eyes were clear.
“That’s right! Why did I dote on such a lowly creature so much? Disgusting!”
…Unfortunately, clear eyes did not mean a pure personality.
Still, one thing had become clear.
My blessing seemed capable of partially erasing the love others had been drawn into by Riena’s blessing.
So… what should I do now?
Just as I was thinking about that, someone came to the annex to see me.
“Her Majesty the Empress wishes to see you.”
It was Countess Mashireng, the chief lady-in-waiting.
I couldn’t ignore the empress’s summons, so I followed her to the empress’s palace.
A moment later, when we arrived, the empress spoke.
“Idel Wallace, would you consider meeting my nephew, Young Lord Birod, with marriage in mind?”
It was an unexpected proposal.
