Chapter 156………………………………………..

“W-what are you talking about? Breaking up?”

Riena stared at her lover, convinced she must have misheard—but Mikhail’s face remained cold.

“It means we’re ending our relationship here. From this moment on, you and I are nothing to each other.”

“Do you think I asked because I didn’t understand? Why are you suddenly doing this?!”

“You really don’t know the reason?”

“I don’t!”

“A prince can’t continue dating a fraudster who has trampled the pride of the Empire.”

Mikhail suddenly twisted his expression and covered his face with his hand.

“Besides, quite a lot of my personal funds went into founding the Baby Rabbit Merchant Guild. Some people are even openly saying that I might have been involved in this investment fraud.”

“M-Mikhail…”

“I was already falling behind Terrence, and now this has pushed me even further away from the throne. Even if it’s proven that I had nothing to do with the fraud, the fact that I dated you for nearly ten years will follow me like shackles.”

“Why are you talking like that? Don’t tell me you also believe I committed investment fraud?”

“Then you didn’t?”

“Think about it logically! Why would I do that? I’m a duke’s daughter. If I did something like that, I’d lose far more than I’d gain.”

Instead of responding, Mikhail looked toward the investigator standing behind him.

“Haven’t you explained it yet?”

“I apologize, Your Highness. The suspect has been uncooperative since yesterday, so we haven’t reached that part yet.”

After bowing to the prince, the investigator turned to Riena.

“Witness questioning has already been conducted with the Cassius ducal household yesterday. It seems your relationship with the family had been strained for about two months.”

Mikhail briefly added,

“That’s why she stayed in my palace.”

“And a few days ago, the conflict worsened to the point that you ran away when the Cassius family tried to hospitalize you.”

“W-wait a moment, that’s because—!”

“Weren’t you planning to make a big score before your relationship with the Cassius family completely ended and then leave the Empire?”

Again Mikhail chimed in.

“Coincidentally, around that time our relationship had also soured. Our engagement was indefinitely postponed. Ha… I should have ended it back then.”

Riena shook her head violently.

“No! I was imprisoned by my uncle!”

“Stop it already. Why would Isaac Cassius imprison you? It’s well known that he dotes on his niece terribly.”

“O-obviously for money! He wanted to impersonate me and pull off a scam!”

“The one who needed money wasn’t him—it was you, Riena. Because of your contract with the temple, the Baby Rabbit Merchant Guild has been running deficits from buying expensive magic stones.”

“I could have recovered the losses soon!”

“How? Even the warp gate project you were preparing so ambitiously has become uncertain due to your conflict with that man named Kice.”

“Th-that…”

Riena’s legs trembled as she failed to continue.

She was finished.

Only now did she realize that because she had been so shocked by the disownment, she had treated the fraud accusation as less serious.

Because she was innocent.

Because she had never committed such a scam.

She had foolishly believed that with help from Mikhail and other powerful figures, her innocence would eventually be revealed.

But—

Everything was turning against her.

From an outsider’s perspective, Riena had countless reasons to commit fraud.

Isaac, on the other hand, had none.

Thinking that if she lost here it would truly be over, Riena released her divine power with all her strength.

“Mikhail… please believe me. I really didn’t do it…”

Staggering toward him, she leaned against his body.

“Think about the person you’ve known all this time. Do I look like someone who would do something like that?”

Whenever Riena showed weakness like this, Mikhail had always been desperate to do anything for her.

And now she even used her secret weapon—tears.

She was confident he would immediately change his mind.

“Could you step back?”

…What?

Mikhail pushed her away lightly.

Riena stared at him in confusion.

“To be honest, regardless of the disappointment I’ve felt toward you lately, I can’t say I’m certain you’re not capable of fraud.”

“Mikhail! Do you know me that little?”

“I know you, which is why I say that. You committed all kinds of corruption back when you were with the Iber Merchant Guild.”

“Why bring up the past now—”

Riena, who was about to shout back, quickly glanced at the investigator.

You idiot, Mikhail!

Elliot had already taken the fall for that incident and made it seem like it was his doing.

Why bring it up now?

Even though the investigator’s gaze had grown sharp, Mikhail continued speaking without concern.

“Riena, you once said you never make deals where you lose money. Was investment fraud the only way to recover the losses from running the Baby Rabbit Merchant Guild?”

“Stop it! Do you really distrust me that much?”

“Yes. I do.”

“How can you say that? You said you loved me. You said I was more precious than anything in the world!”

“…Was that really love?”

Mikhail’s face and voice were filled with pain.

“Do you know what rumors are spreading outside? People say you used dark magic to manipulate the Cassius family and many others—including me.”

“D-dark magic?”

“What frightens me is that it’s hard to deny. When it came to you, I could never judge things rationally. Even I thought my love for you was strangely intense. And then it vanished in an instant.”

“That’s nonsense! Search everything around me if you want! You won’t find any proof that I used dark magic!”

At that moment, a good idea flashed through Riena’s mind.

“Right! Gather a lot of people and investigate what kind of power is flowing through my body in front of them. If I used dark magic, there should be traces of evil mana left, right?”

But the power she possessed was clearly divine power—a noble force born from faith in the goddess.

If it became known that she had such divine power and that she was chosen by the goddess, public opinion would surely change.

“You tried so hard to win my father’s favor, yet you still don’t understand his nature?”

But Mikhail only gave a bitter smile.

“If we did that and even the slightest sign appeared suggesting you used dark magic, how do you think the people would see us?”

“What?”

“They’d say the legitimate prince, a ducal house, and countless high nobles were all manipulated by your dark magic. It wouldn’t end with just your death.”

“No! That’s not true! I have divine—”

“Stop dreaming. If my father decides the rumors about dark magic can’t be ignored, he won’t expose you publicly. He’ll wait until public attention fades and quietly dispose of you.”

“I was chosen by the Goddess Miela! The power flowing through me is divine power!”

At Riena’s sudden declaration, Mikhail’s eyes widened.

“…You really should have listened to Duke Cassius and gotten treatment at the hospital.”

But the only response she received was being treated like a madwoman.

The investigator also shook his head with a dry laugh.

“That’s enough. What’s the point of talking with you right now?”

Mikhail turned away from Riena’s tear-stained face and walked toward the door.

“Wait! I’ll tell you everything you wanted to know!”

Riena shouted at his back.

“You wanted to know how I could predict the future so accurately, why my intuition is so good! The truth is I was chosen by the goddess—”

“I did want to know. But now I’m not that curious anymore.”

Looking at the woman he once loved, a single tear fell from Mikhail’s eye.

“I’m too tired to care about things like that anymore, Riena. After loving you, all that remains are wounds.”

With that, he ended things completely.

* * *

My residence in the detached palace.

“Ahh.”

I lightly patted my slightly bulging stomach.

“The temple food was surprisingly light and delicious. I think I ate too much.”

Terrence, who was holding me in his arms, suggested,

“Then shall we go for a walk together?”

“That sounds a bit troublesome…”

We had just returned from the temple.

There were two main reasons we went there.

First, to lay the groundwork for exposing Hersiso, Riena’s spy secretly planted in the temple.

Second, because the person Terrence helped arrange for me to meet was someone affiliated with the temple.

The conversation with that person had gone well, so Terrence and I had eaten the meal provided by the temple and returned in a lighthearted mood.

“Ah, whatever. I don’t want to move anymore today~”

I buried myself deeper in Terrence’s arms and looked up at his face.

Actually, ever since we left the hospital earlier that day, there had been something I wanted to tell him, but I hadn’t found the opportunity.

“Terrence.”

Carefully watching his reaction, I spoke.

“Isaac and I aren’t involved in any way. I’m saying this in case you misunderstood.”

Terrence’s eyes widened at my words, then curved into a crescent smile.

“I know. Would it be arrogant to say that I know you better than anyone else?”

“No. You’re right.”

Suddenly I realized that answer filled me with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

If I had never met Terrence, I probably would never have told anyone that I was a possessor—someone whose soul had transmigrated.

Even if I became close to others, I would always feel like an outsider.

The past two years I spent in the Cassius household had been like that.

Even though I had a good friend like Laura, I never fully grew attached to this unfamiliar land.

But now I had Terrence.

Being beside him today made even the boring temple feel pleasant.

Could such a miracle happen again?

For a while, we silently gazed at each other.

“Terrence, then do you know what I’m thinking right now?”

“Hmm… that I’m handsome?”

“I always think that. I was thinking that I’m glad I told you my secret.”

If I hadn’t gathered the courage back then, the relationship we had now wouldn’t exist.

And at this moment, I decided to take another step forward with courage.

“Can I give you my answer to the confession you made to me before?”

For a moment, surprise spread across his face as he opened his mouth to speak.

But there was one thing he overlooked.

Even though I had asked, I had no intention of hearing his reply.

I simply leaned forward—

and kissed him.