Chapter: 6
Seria roughly threw the adoption papers she had been holding onto the table.
She couldn’t even tell anymore whether the expression on her face was a smile or a glare.
“How could you do something like this without even telling me?”
“If you want to kill the Crown Prince, you need to get close to him first. And for that, you need the right status, don’t you?”
“You’re telling me to take on the name Belvat…?”
Every time she looked at Theodore’s shameless face as he casually said such things, rage boiled up inside Seria.
It was bad enough that she was joining hands with her enemy—but becoming family?
An unbearable humiliation.
No, this was practically a betrayal of her fellow Argentians.
Seria lowered her head deeply.
“Once you become a Belvat, you won’t be able to avoid being branded a traitor. But that’s only on the surface.”
“……”
Theodore glanced at the unresponsive Seria and continued.
“If you succeed in your revenge, you won’t be a traitor—you’ll be a hero. A hero who revives Argenta.”
“Who… said I wanted to be some kind of hero?”
The biggest reason Seria accepted Theodore’s proposal wasn’t her burning desire for revenge, nor some grand ambition to reclaim territory.
It was to find Serion.
She didn’t want to be a hero.
In the first place, what kind of hero has no choice and is cornered like this?
Seria slowly raised her head and looked at Theodore.
“Go on. What exactly do I have to do to kill the Crown Prince?”
“As the documents say, you were adopted into the Belvat family five years ago. I took you in as a war orphan and hid you in the countryside to keep you out of sight.”
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped her at the unnecessarily detailed backstory.
She couldn’t even guess how much he had prepared in advance.
“You’re about to come of age, so you’ll go to the capital and make your debut in high society. Then you’ll blend in among the Antithesia nobles and, in the end—”
“Get close to the Crown Prince and kill him when he lets his guard down?”
“Exactly.”
Theodore smiled as if he was pleased that she finally understood.
His plan seemed meticulous yet careless at the same time.
After all, its success depended entirely on Seria.
Even she wasn’t confident—so how could he be so calm about it?
“For the plan to work, your effort is essential. From now on, you’re no longer ‘Seria Argenta’—you’re ‘Seria Belvat.’”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I took you in. You suffered through the war, but grew up bright and without lacking anything. You need to act like an Argentan who’s close to me.”
Close to Theodore.
Just being in the same space as him made her stomach twist.
Seria covered her mouth in disbelief.
“First, we need to sort out how we address each other. I’ll call you by name, so you should call me—”
“Hey.”
“‘Hey’ and ‘you’ won’t do. Just call me older brother.”
The moment Theodore finished speaking, a gust of wind exploded between them and the table flew across the room, crashing into the wall.
Theodore let out a small exclamation as he looked at the shattered table.
Seria’s face was filled with murderous intent, as if she might fling him away just like that table.
“Then call me ‘Theo.’ Calling me Theodore sounds too distant for close siblings, don’t you think?”
Theodore jerked his chin, signaling her to try it.
“Ha… Th-Theo…”
“Good.”
Theodore nodded in satisfaction.
“Shall we move on to the next part? Come in, Elena.”
When Theodore raised his voice, the door leading to the next room creaked open.
“Well, you’re still alive, Theodore.”
The woman who entered looked to be in her thirties.
With long, sleek black hair, she gave off an oddly sensual aura.
At the appearance of this unfamiliar figure, Seria tensed.
“Oh my, no need to be so wary. I’m on your side, Princess.”
“How do you—!”
“This is Elena Ruin. You could say she’s one of the few people I trust.”
An ally?
If Theodore said she was trustworthy, it was probably true.
But Seria’s instincts warned her.
This woman was no ordinary person.
Seria continued to stare at Elena warily.
“That’s a harsh evaluation.”
Elena smiled softly and ran her hand through Seria’s hair, examining her closely.
Was that the scent of flowers? No… herbs?
A strong, complex fragrance emanated from Elena.
Seria unconsciously wrinkled her nose.
“Your hair is badly damaged. It seems like it was originally light blonde. You dyed it on purpose to hide it, didn’t you?”
“Th-That’s… yes.”
Perhaps because of Elena’s strange presence, Seria instinctively used polite speech.
Seeing that, Theodore snorted.
“If you have a color you want, tell Elena. If the Belvat’s adopted daughter shows up with that kind of hair, who knows what rumors will spread.”
“As if I had a choice in some run-down monastery,” Seria shot back, glaring at him.
How was she supposed to act close to someone like him?
The future felt bleak.
“Now, now. Let’s both calm down.”
Elena hurriedly stepped between them.
Then she curved her eyes in a gentle smile and leaned close to Seria.
“So, Princess, what color would you like your hair to be?”
“I…”
She couldn’t answer easily.
In her heart, she wanted her original hair back.
But Seria’s hair color was rare.
Unlike Antithesia, where blondes were scarce, all Argentians were blonde.
And among them, Seria’s platinum-blonde hair was especially distinctive—she might be exposed.
“Only Elena and I in Antithesia know the real Argenta princess’s face.”
Theodore spoke as if reading her thoughts.
“No matter what color your hair is, no one will suspect you’re the Argenta princess.”
“That’s right,” Elena agreed.
At that, Seria’s heart fluttered.
She hadn’t looked properly in the mirror for a long time.
Hiding her golden hair—Argenta’s pride—had been miserable.
And now she didn’t have to hide it anymore.
She was still anxious, but more than that, she felt excited.
“Then… I want it back. My original hair color.”
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Very well, Princess. Shall you come with me for a moment?”
“Pardon? Where to all of a sudden—”
Elena took Seria’s hand and gently pulled her up. Seria stood and followed her naturally.
“Don’t worry. She won’t try anything. I’m holding her lifeline, after all.”
Theodore waved casually.
“Oh, how hurtful. When you say things like that, it makes me sad. Now, Princess, this way…”
Elena seemed unfazed by whatever Theodore said.
If he could even say “lifeline,” then he must have leverage over her too.
Still, Elena didn’t lose her composure and brushed off his obvious threat.
Seria glanced sideways at Elena’s expression as they walked together.
* * *
Elena seated Seria in a plush chair and opened a trunk nearly as big as herself, rummaging through it.
Inside were glass bottles filled with various medicines and bundles of unprocessed herbs.
That explained the herbal scent.
She seemed to be an apothecary.
“It’s a bit messy, isn’t it? I meant to organize it, but someone rushed me, so I just brought it as is. Ah, found it.”
Elena placed a bottle filled with yellow liquid on the table and put on gloves.
Could she really return to normal with just medicine?
It was fascinating—and suspicious.
Seria poked the bottle with her finger.
“I’ll use this to remove the patchy color. If it stings, let me know.”
“Yes.”
Elena poured some onto her gloved hand, rubbed it in, and began applying it to Seria’s hair.
The sticky, cold sensation made goosebumps rise on Seria’s neck.
Elena gently combed through her hair as if soothing her.
How long had it been since someone brushed her hair like this?
Seria’s eyelids grew heavy.
“You can sleep. I’ll just tell Theodore to wait a bit longer.”
Elena said with a light laugh.
Come to think of it, what kind of relationship did Elena and Theodore have?
The thought drove away her drowsiness.
After hesitating, Seria spoke carefully.
“Um… I have something I’m curious about.”
“Yes?”
“What is your relationship with Theodore Belvat?”
“How does it look to you, Princess?”
How did it look?
Elena seemed friendly with him, but Theodore clearly wasn’t—he had even threatened her.
Seria rolled her eyes and glanced at Elena.
“He’s holding something over you, isn’t he?”
“Haha. That ‘lifeline’ comment stuck with you?”
Elena chuckled softly.
“Years ago, I made a deal with Theodore. It continued, and we ended up helping each other. And yes, my life really is in his hands.”
“How can you be so calm about that…!”
Seria couldn’t finish the sentence.
Everyone has their own circumstances.
She didn’t want to pry.
When Seria’s expression darkened, mischief flickered across Elena’s face.
“If I mess up, it’s straight to execution, you know?”
“Execution?!”
Seria jumped to her feet.
Just what had Theodore done to Elena too?
Seria’s eyes burned with fury.
