Chapter 04
In the meantime, Iliana had pulled the bell rope, and the butler stormed in with the mansion’s guards.
No matter that he was of imperial blood, he had only just begun to gain the Empress’s favor. On the other hand, his opponent was the daughter of the Count Kritia family, who enjoyed strong support from the nobility.
“I’ll leave for today. But the fact that we’re getting married won’t change.”
Grinding his teeth, he shot Iliana a fierce glare before turning toward the door. Then, roughly shoving the butler standing guard at the entrance, he left the room.
Iliana pulled back the curtain covering the window and looked down. Only after Cedric’s carriage disappeared into the distance did she turn away. Bessie quietly approached her side and asked,
“Will you be alright?”
“Of course not.”
“You already knew that. Then why did you do it?”
“It was something I had to face at least once.”
Since Bessie didn’t know that Iliana had returned to the past, even though she was on her side, she couldn’t possibly understand the situation. Considering her father’s personality, he would never leave Iliana alone after this.
Bessie, who had been staring at her, hesitated, fidgeting with her apron for a long time before finally speaking.
“You did well.”
It was unexpected. Iliana tilted her head and looked at her.
“I did well?”
“When you came back with your face all torn up by rose thorns, do you know how shocked I was? Even now, just thinking about it makes my heart race.”
As if it had happened yesterday, Bessie pressed a hand to her chest and let out a long breath. It had been a forgotten memory, but suddenly, that day came vividly back to Iliana.
The mother who had taken her in when she was young loved roses dearly. On warm days like this, roses bloomed all across the empire. Wanting to make her mother happy, Iliana had gone to a rose farm—but was turned away because she had no money.
In the end, she found a wild rose bush in a field. Mesmerized by the beauty of the sunlit roses, she forgot the pain in her hands and kept picking them. Then she tripped over a stone, and her body was torn apart by thorns, returning home in a miserable state.
From that day on, her mother came to hate roses. Iliana followed suit and kept her distance from them. At some point, they became the flower she hated most.
“It was such a relief you stopped. My lady was so worried your face would scar. Ah… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past.”
“Still… honestly, how could the young lord bring roses knowing all that? If it were me, I would’ve thrown them right back at him. Not on the floor.”
As if it were her own matter, Bessie trembled with clenched fists. Iliana gave a faint smile and looked down. Petals stained red were scattered across her white slippers.
She brushed off the petals clinging to the hem of her dress as if they were filth. They fell weakly to the floor.
“I’ve just made more work for you.”
“This is nothing. You must be tired—please go and rest. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Lightly patting Bessie’s shoulder, Iliana left the drawing room.
Back in her room, she quietly shut the door. After confirming no one was outside, she knelt on one knee and reached under the bed.
With some effort, she pulled out a dark wooden box and sat on the bed as she opened it. Inside were letters her mother had written, a sketchbook, and notebooks from her childhood. As she rummaged through the box, she took out a neatly folded piece of paper and unfolded it.
It was filled with a list of items—records of gifts sent to the Piaget family as engagement presents. As she read through it, her gaze stopped at the very bottom.
“Whatever else happens, I have to get this back.”
Tapping the paper with her finger, she fell into thought. Written at the end was the ruby necklace—the one that had brought her back to this time.
Even knowing it contained magic, she had casually given it to Cedric as an engagement gift. From the way he had thrown it to her in prison, it was clear he didn’t know its value. If she asked for the necklace alone, his stepmother, Marchioness Jardia Piaget, would surely grow suspicious. Cedric, who had studied magic, might notice something as well.
In the end, to retrieve it safely, she would need to create some kind of commotion.
The method was obvious—but the decision wasn’t easy. Iliana had never once created such a situation before.
She had always lived quietly and elegantly. If she didn’t, she never knew when she might be cast out. She also believed she had to repay the Kritia family for taking her in.
‘I already died once in their place. That’s more than enough.’
The moment she returned, she abandoned her kind former self. The broken engagement had slipped out in a moment of anger, but in hindsight, it was for the best.
Whatever her father might say—what did it matter?
After organizing her thoughts, Iliana carefully placed the paper back into the box. For a moment, Cedric’s eyes—filled with resentment and rage—flashed in her mind. She quickly pushed the image away and shoved the box deep under the bed.
The next day, not long after lunch—
Iliana swallowed a sigh at the sight of another uninvited guest, just like yesterday.
Sitting gracefully across from her, sipping tea, was Bella Louise. The Gotri Empire was famous for its wine, and no noble failed to recognize Baron Louise of the South.
Though his family wasn’t particularly prestigious, the wine from his vineyards was the finest in the empire.
Count Kritia also sourced wine directly from his estate, which was why Bella occasionally visited the mansion. Each time, she would keep Iliana company. Iliana had liked her quite a bit for treating her without prejudice—never realizing she was involved with her husband.
“I thought the Count might like this, so I brought it.”
Perhaps aware of Iliana’s gaze, Bella offered a bottle of wine. It was of the highest quality, its golden label gleaming in the light. Iliana simply pushed it aside on the table.
“I doubt you came just for the wine. If you have something to say, go ahead.”
“Something to say?”
“You usually came with Baron Louise. I assumed you had another reason for visiting.”
“My father is busy.”
“I see.”
The moment she finished speaking, Iliana stood up. Bella’s eyes widened in panic, clearly caught off guard.
‘Well, in the past, I was always the one holding onto her.’
Suppressing a faint chuckle, Iliana lowered her gaze indifferently. She gave a slight bow and turned to leave—
“I heard you’re breaking off the engagement.”
“That news travels fast.”
“Well, your marriage was a major topic in the empire.”
“I didn’t realize I was so important. For it to reach the South in just one day.”
“Well, I was already—”
“Oh, I forgot. It takes three days to travel from the South to the capital. So you were already here.”
She didn’t need to add “alone.” Bella’s distorted expression said it all.
Bella clenched her skirt tightly, trying to regain composure. Her mind raced.
At last, her expression brightened slightly.
“You’re being too hasty.”
“……”
“I have business with the Piaget family. I’ll speak to them for you, so please reconsider.”
“Why?”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? I just don’t want you to regret it.”
Iliana stared at her coldly.
How long did she have to watch this ridiculous act?
Meeting Iliana’s piercing blue gaze, Bella felt a chill run down her spine. There was something different—something dark hidden beneath those once-clear eyes.
Looking into them felt like being dragged into an abyss.
“In the empire, breaking off an engagement without reason… You should consider the Count’s reputation.”
Iliana let out a soft laugh.
“One shouldn’t assume there’s no reason. Anyone would think you’re quite close to Cedric.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Right. You two have nothing to do with each other… don’t you?”
Bella’s hands trembled visibly.
Fear of being discovered. Anxiety over how much Iliana knew.
“I think you’re mistaken just because I’ve been polite.”
Iliana paused, then lifted her cold gaze.
“How dare a baron’s daughter interfere in the marriage of the Kritia family? My generosity ends here, Bella Louise.”
Leaving Bella frozen in shock, Iliana walked out of the drawing room.
‘She won’t be spouting nonsense for a while.’
Unexpected—but perhaps for the better. If Bella was already losing control like this, it wouldn’t be long before she made a mistake.
Just then, Bessie came running down the corridor, out of breath. She leaned in and whispered,
“The Duke of Gotri has arrived.”
Iliana sighed inwardly.
It seemed today wouldn’t be a peaceful one after all.
