Chapter 16
Rubiana couldn’t stop being distracted by her communication bracelet all day.
While eating, drinking tea, bathing, or even reading the newspaper, she kept glancing at it.
But the bracelet showed no reaction whatsoever.
“Surely… it isn’t broken, is it?”
She shook her wrist unnecessarily and muttered.
For a moment, she thought of initiating communication herself, but then quickly shook her head.
He must be busy, especially with the monster hordes appearing all around the capital.
“Come to think of it… what’s happening with those monster hordes…?”
They had to be eradicated quickly for her own safety.
Rubiana recalled the contents of the original story.
In places where people were densely populated, the Imperial Family and the Grand Temple had erected barriers, completely preventing monster attacks.
Especially in large cities like the capital, Batra, the barriers were layered two or threefold.
Since royals and numerous nobles lived there, extra care had been taken for safety.
But recently, those barriers had developed irregularities, and through those cracks, monsters had begun appearing frequently.
Because of this, the Imperial Knights and the Capital Patrol were on emergency duty 24 hours a day.
‘But this… in truth, it was all orchestrated by the Empress and her faction. Even the Saintess of the Grand Temple helped.’
In the original story, the heroine, newly appointed as a Spirit Master, received her first mission upon joining the Imperial Knights: the subjugation of the monsters attacking the capital.
It had been an episode she had read while empathizing deeply with the heroine’s struggles as a rookie Spirit Master.
‘No matter how much the Knights and Patrol devote themselves, if the root cause isn’t solved, it’s like pouring water into a bottomless jar.’
Phew—Rubiana sighed heavily as she recalled the original story.
Reinforcing the malfunctioning barriers should have been the priority, but even in the original story, that work dragged on endlessly.
It was because of the schemes of the Empress and Duke Miren’s faction.
‘In the original, Rubiana discovered evidence during battle, which became the clue that solved the problem. But now… I am Rubiana, and I can’t even join the battles…’
Rubiana grabbed her head in frustration, struggling.
She was the heroine, yet she wasn’t fulfilling the heroine’s role at all.
‘No, maybe even if it’s not me, someone else will solve it in the end? Chad, perhaps, or maybe Sister Stephanie… or even Elion?’
Though the story had twisted without its heroine, she still held a faint hope that the main thread would flow as originally intended.
“Yes, it’ll be fine. Even if it’s not me… someone will…”
Wait.
She stopped, covering her mouth in shock at her own muttering.
It felt like being struck hard on the back of the head with a hammer.
As if her heart had fallen all the way to the floor.
Rubiana marched straight to the full-length mirror.
Staring at her reflection, she spat out words like she was chewing them.
“You’ve already forgotten your past life. How could you? I’m disappointed.”
She had been glad to no longer be Oh Jo-yeon, but to be Rubiana.
She had been thrilled to finally become the protagonist instead of an extra.
And yet—
“You hide away just because one setting twisted. Instead of finding something you can do, you just lazily think someone else will handle it. Pathetic.”
I’m really disappointed in you.
Her chest grew unbearably heavy, like a stone had lodged inside it.
Steam seemed to rise furiously from the heated stone.
Rubiana’s red eyes, staring back at herself, gleamed sharply like honed blades.
“You have to do it. It was your job in the first place. Nothing has changed. It’s still what you must do, Rubiana.”
But how?
How could she go there, discover the evidence, and make it look natural without arousing suspicion?
She was unconsciously biting her lips hard as she pondered—
The communication bracelet began to flicker.
‘Finally!’
Rubiana pressed the glowing stone with a click.
—Lady Payson?
“Yes, Your Highness.”
—Good, your response is quick. I’m planning to head to the Payson estate now. Do you have time?
“You’re coming here directly?”
—Yes.
That wouldn’t do.
How could she possibly explain his sudden visit to her family?
‘I can’t say we’re sharing magic power, can I?’
Rubiana had no intention of revealing her condition to her family.
That her body and soul had developed a gap, causing magic power to leak out and possibly kill her—she could never say that.
—I plan to depart now.
“No. I’ll come to your residence instead. That seems better.”
—Good. Let’s do that.
The communication cut off immediately.
Staring at the stone that had lost its light, Rubiana pouted.
“No manners at all, this man. Didn’t they teach etiquette in lessons like these?”
She clicked her tongue and shook her head in disbelief.
When she arrived at Klitzman Grand Duke’s residence, the red-haired butler bowed respectfully to greet her.
“Welcome, Lady Payson. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Hello, Scott.”
Scott led her to the reception room on the second floor.
Perhaps they truly had been waiting, because a maid followed them with a tray of tea, cups, and desserts.
“His Grace is bathing. He returned bloodstained, likely from a monster subjugation. If you’ll wait a moment, he’ll be out shortly.”
“Thank you.”
Left alone, Rubiana quietly sipped tea to calm herself.
Truthfully, she had nearly lost her mind with anxiety during the carriage ride here.
She had been terrified a monster might suddenly appear.
‘But here, it should be safe.’
After all, a Swordmaster was right beside her.
Just as she was finishing her cup, there was a knock, and the door opened.
It was Elion.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I’m grateful you’ve given me your precious time.”
“It’s your precious time as well, Lady.”
Elion strode confidently over and sat across from her.
The refreshing scent of soap tickled her nose.
His freshly bathed skin looked clear and radiant.
With the harshness of a knight softened, his beauty shone even brighter.
‘Such looks are wasted on just being the mastermind villain.’
Looking at his face, her own mind seemed to clear, leaving her momentarily dazed.
“How have you been feeling today?”
Still distracted by his face, she took a moment to process the question.
“Ah… I was fine. No stomachaches, no fainting, and I didn’t cough up blood.”
“Good.”
“And you, Your Highness?”
“The same. No fever, no headaches.”
“That’s a relief.”
Elion hesitated, then spoke.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, my condition has improved greatly.”
“Ah…”
Rubiana was caught off guard by the sudden gratitude.
It felt as if all the effort she had put into kneeling and clinging to his trousers for sympathy had finally been rewarded.
“I’m very grateful as well. Let’s… let’s do well together.”
In that instant, Elion’s expression hardened.
The twitch of his jaw muscles, the movement of his thick brows—he looked angry.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
Rubiana tensed.
This was the man who held her life in his hands—of course she reacted sensitively.
“…Indeed.”
But when he soon gave a small nod, she let out a silent sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness it was nothing serious. But why the sudden look…’
Before she could dwell on it, Elion continued.
“Rather than holding hands to transmit magic power, I believe the mouth-to-mouth method is simpler. What do you think, Lady?”
“…”
His tone was so formal and businesslike that Rubiana almost nodded unconsciously.
A kiss was certainly simpler… but the thought of having to kiss him every single day was unsettling.
Yes, he was her lifesaver, and yes, they needed to maintain this symbiotic relationship.
But there had to be boundaries when it came to exchanging magic power through physical contact.
‘Kissing is… no, it’s way too dangerous.’
The first time, she had been flustered—but soon after, the overwhelming rush of magic had left her dizzy.
And as if bewitched by the magic, she had craved more.
‘When our lips parted, I actually felt regret…’
To think she had regretted ending a kiss with the villainous Grand Duke. Absolutely unacceptable.
The courtroom, which had been filled with noise just moments ago, became eerily quiet once more.
The nobles, who had been whispering among themselves, now looked toward the judges with uneasy expressions.
The presiding judge, still holding the scroll in his hand, closed his eyes for a brief moment before speaking.
“We will now summon witnesses to corroborate this testimony.”
His words sent another wave of murmurs through the audience.
“Witnesses? Does he mean to call in outsiders?”
“Impossible. All who were there should be dead.”
“Unless… unless the scroll is truly genuine…”
Arwen stood calmly, as though she had expected this turn of events.
At that moment, the heavy doors of the courtroom creaked open. Several guards entered, escorting two cloaked figures. Their faces were hidden beneath hoods, but even their footsteps carried an air of gravity.
The nobles craned their necks, whispering frantically.
“Who are they?”
“Could they really be survivors?”
When the guards pulled back the hoods, gasps echoed through the chamber.
One was an aged knight, his face scarred and weary, but his eyes still sharp with the dignity of one who had lived through countless battles.
The other was a woman, her silver hair flowing down her shoulders, and her presence carried an almost ethereal weight.
Arwen bowed slightly toward them.
“Thank you… for coming.”
The old knight spoke first, his voice steady despite his years.
“I was there… on the night of the Sea Moon Humiliation.”
His words sent a visible shiver through the chamber.
The presiding judge gestured.
“State your name and station for the record.”
“I am Ser Haldric, once of the Loel royal guard. I stood on the battlefield that night, and I survived what happened there.”
A heavy silence fell. Even the most skeptical of nobles dared not mock his words, for the scars across his body testified to the truth of his claim.
The silver-haired woman then stepped forward.
“My name is Elendria. I was a priestess of Varthas at the time. And I, too, witnessed the betrayal that has long been hidden.”
Arwen’s eyes hardened.
“Now, the truth will be revealed.”
