Chapter 17
“Ha…”
I really wanted to rest now. When I returned to the palace with Kob, I felt completely drained of energy.
I lay on the bed still wearing my cloak and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I recalled what happened before I reached the palace and laughed.
– Erica! If you get injured again, I’ll scold you!
– With that look, I’d be the one scolding.
– …Get off the topic.
– Why should I?
Didier, smiling with satisfaction because my ankle had fully healed, Adrian watching him with amusement, and Kob, completely uninterested in the situation.
What a funny mix. I felt that Didier and Adrian might get along better than I expected.
Of course, Didier would be shocked.
‘How do I handle this kindness?’
I wished I could bring him to my room right now.
But that was impossible, so I covered my eyes with my hand. Kob quietly approached and pecked my hand with his beak.
[‘My lady! My lady! Can I open the jewelry box?’]
The box Kob was talking about was one containing accessories my mother used to wear often. It wasn’t surprising that it caught Kob’s eye, the raven who loved shiny things.
“Alright, let’s open it together.”
[‘Ka! Great, my lady.’]
Kob nodded enthusiastically. I gently patted his head, then got up from the bed and went to the table holding my mother’s box.
“It’s still the same.”
It really was. Just as I used to play with it in my mother’s room as a child, it was preserved in the same way. Some parts were rusted, but other than that, it was in fairly good condition.
I ran my hand over the box, filled with memories of my mother. It felt like her voice echoed in my ears. My mother’s voice, always gentle and beautiful.
– Erica, did you open the box again?
– Yes, Mom!
– Do you like it that much?
– So much!
– Then I should leave it to you.
Did my mother anticipate her death back then? Or was she always preparing for it? I didn’t know the answer.
‘My mother was a mysterious person.’
That’s why she introduced me to Adrian and gave me Kob. I ran my hand over Kob’s body as he inspected the box, then opened its lid.
[‘Eh? There’s not much shiny stuff!’]
“My mother was a simple person.”
[‘Ka! Boring!’]
“But it’s precious to me.”
[‘Ka…’]
Kob flew to the bottom of the bed in disappointment and hid.
Kob, who loved hiding in the dark, disappeared skillfully. After confirming this, I examined the box’s contents.
“This necklace, it’s been a while.”
The necklace my mother always wore. She was the only companion of the family head, but she lived simply, and this necklace was the only sparkling thing she owned. Compared to Priscilla’s necklaces, it was closer to elegance than flashiness.
‘This was the most dazzling necklace for my mother.’
No matter what my father bought her, she didn’t wear jewelry. So, this necklace was the one most tied to my memories of her.
I held the necklace and rubbed it slowly. Despite the passage of time, it hadn’t rusted, retaining its original shape.
Then…
Click.
It worked smoothly. When I was little and wondered how to open it, my mother kindly told me the secret.
– Like this, Erica. It’s not hard, is it?
I pressed my nail into the center of the ornate golden egg, and it opened, just as she had gently explained.
She told me a skilled craftsman made this necklace, and inside was a picture of her and me at my birth. But, strangely, the picture was worn.
I could barely make out only my face.
“…I miss my mother.”
I couldn’t even remember her face when I tried. All I remembered were our conversations. Sometimes, I couldn’t even recall those. But her belongings revived some memories.
I held the necklace and returned to the bed, then closed my eyes.
I felt I’d have a beautiful dream tonight.
* * *
Knock, knock.
Who comes to my room before the morning birds sing? Mary knows I slept late last night, so she wouldn’t come this early. And she usually announces herself before knocking.
It’s not Mary. I got up from a deep sleep, gently combed my hair and tied it, and draped a light robe over my shoulders.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Erica.”
“…Ha.”
To hear that voice at this dawn? I put my hand on my forehead, feeling a throbbing headache.
“Waiting outside for too long is hard.”
Priscilla entered my room without my permission. Coming with Lilith at this dawn, it seemed she had something important to say…
‘Or maybe she just came to provoke me.’
Whether she sensed my deep thoughts or not, Priscilla approached with a beautiful smile. She examined me carefully, then covered her mouth with her hand, feigning concern.
“Oh, your face doesn’t look good. It seems you didn’t sleep last night.”
“If you know, why not leave?”
“If I were going to leave, I wouldn’t have come, Erica.”
Priscilla smiled innocently and nodded slightly.
“He invited us to have breakfast together after a long time.”
“…Say I’m tired.”
“Erica, it’s the first breakfast since your return. You should attend.”
“If you came to say that, can’t you leave now?”
She could have sent a maid for this. It could only be explained by her having an ulterior motive.
She surely understood my intention, but she showed an ambiguous expression, then smiled innocently again.
“Well, that’s part of the reason. But, Erica, you’d better attend breakfast. There will be good news for you.”
“Oh, is there any good news left in this family?”
“Of course, Erica. You’ll love it.”
Was what Priscilla spoke of with a mocking smile truly good news? But, strangely, my intuition told me it wasn’t something too bad.
“And I have another proposal to make.”
Priscilla nodded to Lilith, who was standing outside my room. Lilith closed the door and moved cautiously, ensuring no one with sharp ears could hear.
Since Priscilla was being this careful, it must be about my father. I nodded slightly, asking her to speak.
“Erica, if you don’t harm my son, I’ll always be on your side.”
“Are you saying someone is targeting Cain?”
“Yes, he’s afraid of the Alpha.”
My father, afraid of an Alpha? What kind of talk was that? How could an Alpha fear another Alpha?
It made more sense to say he feared Cain taking the family head’s position due to his rapid growth.
‘Oh.’
Suddenly, I recalled the palace’s current state. Yes, what was the real meaning of this sloppy guard?
‘My father is obsessed with the family head position.’
When my mother was alive, his obsession wasn’t this extreme. But after losing his mate, the wolf became obsessed with power.
So he reached the point of using me as a tool.
And with an Alpha threatening his position, how frightening must that be?
‘So he made the guard sloppy to make Priscilla more submissive.’
And the crux of it lay in my political marriage.
If I married into a family with power comparable to ours, the elders wouldn’t easily oust my father.
‘Because the elders will focus on the husband’s family. And even if Cain grows up, he won’t become the family head until my father dies.’
That was my father’s plan. Selling me to another family just for his power. I sighed deeply. There was nothing left to disappoint me.
Priscilla’s reason for visiting me was likely similar.
“So, what are you trying to say?”
Now that the pieces finally came together, I smiled and looked at Priscilla.
“I think it’s time to remove him. So, join me. If you do, I won’t care what you do.”
“How can I trust you?”
“This is proof of my trust in you.”
After those words, she closed her mouth for a moment. After a brief pause, she unfastened her necklace and handed it to me.
“You’ll understand.”
Priscilla, who always adorned herself with new and lavish things, offered a clearly old necklace. It felt strangely familiar. I snatched it from her hand and examined it.
I looked at Priscilla in disbelief.
The necklace was strikingly similar to my mother’s. With a hesitant heart, I pressed my nail into its center, and it split in two. Even this unique structure matched my mother’s necklace.
“Where did you get this?!”
“Shh, lower your voice. He doesn’t know we’re talking like this.”
“…”
“Look inside it carefully.”
I clenched my teeth tightly, trying to maintain my composure. Then, as Priscilla said, I examined the inside of the opened necklace.
What I found shook me more than I expected.
