Chapter 12
Aldritch’s lips turned bluish, as if he had no awareness of the situation. He parted his lips like he was about to explain something.
But Tenus didn’t give him the chance and continued on with what he wanted to say.
“Selachia, as the mistress of the Seydon family, certainly has her responsibilities. But let’s put off managing the household for the time being.”
“…Managing the household?”
“Wasn’t Selachia overseeing the family’s ledgers?”
Aldritch flinched. In the sinking atmosphere, Selachia did not miss his reaction and watched closely.
“Ah, right. Yes. I must’ve been out of my mind… I see. I’ll handle that myself.”
Nodding frantically, Aldritch looked downright pitiful.
Could this really be the man who tried to kill me?
A roundabout, cowardly attempt—like abandoning her at sea instead of hiring an assassin—did somehow suit Aldritch.
If he had to see a bloodied battlefield or a gruesomely mangled corpse…
Ah.
Suddenly, a vivid image of her own blood-soaked, grotesque body popped into Selachia’s head. She shuddered.
During her lonely days, she had entertained countless fantasies to ease the boredom, but never ones so miserable or horrific.
A wave of belated realization hit her hard.
She had been so fixated on forgetting the past that she hadn’t truly grasped it:
She had experienced something cruel and terrifying.
“Well then, since I believe you’ve said all you need to say, we’ll be taking our leave now.”
A firm voice cut through her jumbled thoughts. A strong presence steadied her shoulders.
Tenus stood, practically embracing her. His solid, warm body pressed against her own, which trembled faintly—she hadn’t realized how cold she’d gotten.
Behind her, she could feel Aldritch’s persistent gaze. This time, she didn’t think she could meet it head-on—she couldn’t bear to look back.
Back in the room, Selachia lay blankly on the bed for a while before asking without even glancing at Tenus,
“Was I really managing the family ledgers?”
“So I heard,” came Tenus’s voice from afar. The rustle of paper followed—he was looking at documents again.
It was clear he’d lied about not handling any work to Aldritch. Despite how he might appear, Tenus was a responsible and capable heir. Even while keeping an eye on Selachia, he never slacked off with his duties.
“Who told you that?”
“Aldritch. And the maid who used to tend to you.”
Amy again. The other servants must’ve refused to add to those unreliable testimonies.
No one in their right mind would entrust something as important as family finances to a mere figurehead duchess.
It made her chest feel heavy, but Selachia decided not to dig into the truth. The past no longer mattered to someone who only thought of leaving.
The fear and anger she felt were bearable. As long as she focused on the thought of walking away from everything soon, she could endure anything.
The following days passed much like the ones she remembered. Selachia spent most of her time lazily sprawled in bed, like a starfish washed ashore.
The only difference now was the behavior of the men in the Seydon household.
Tenus still didn’t assign her any personal maids, choosing instead to stay by her side himself. Even while focused on paperwork, his gaze would immediately flick toward her whenever she moved.
Whether she was killing time in the garden or immersed in a book in the library, Tenus never left her side. He didn’t restrict her movements, but his constant presence was deeply unsettling.
She barely did anything all day, yet by night she would fall into a deep sleep—likely from the exhaustion of being around Tenus.
And then there was Aldritch Logue.
“Oh, Selachia. How are you feeling?”
He dutifully asked after her health every time they crossed paths in the estate. His attitude had flipped so dramatically that she wondered if he was the one who had lost his memory.
“Thanks to you, I’m doing well.”
“Have you regained any memories?”
“Well… it feels like I might have…”
She tilted her head. Aldritch’s tense face turned pale.
“Then again, maybe not…”
She tilted her head the other way. A clear wave of relief swept over his features.
This had become the usual routine. Selachia almost let out a laugh but swallowed it back.
“I still don’t know for sure. I think it’ll take quite a while for my memory to return.”
“Oh dear. Are you still taking the medicine I gave you?”
“Oh, the medicine. Of course. I’m drinking it gratefully, every day.”
Selachia smiled sweetly.
The medicine, which she had tossed off the balcony into the sea, was likely diluted in the water, probably never even reaching a fish’s stomach.
Unaware of that, Aldritch bit back a twitching smirk. Then he noticed her outfit and his eyes widened.
He obviously knew she usually wore simple, easy-to-slip-on indoor dresses—he asked about her daily.
“Where are you going?”
“The weather’s nice. I thought I’d go for a stroll with the Duke. I’ve recovered enough to be up and about.”
“Perfect timing. One of the maids was just on her way to bring you your medicine. You can drink it before heading out.”
Aldritch signaled to a maid. She stepped forward and held out a tray with a bowl on it.
“Thank you, Lord Logue. It must be hard enough managing the household, yet you still go to such lengths for me.”
She kept her true gratitude to herself—grateful he was such a foolish villain that he didn’t even bother hiding the medicine in food.
Selachia recalled a certain secret meeting from a few days ago.
“Where did you get this medicine? It’s quite… unique. It would be perfect for those burdened with hard labor.”
The day Aldritch first handed over the medicine, Tenus had taken it and given it to Rupert. Rupert quickly analyzed it using various reagents.
“Cut the nonsense and just tell us what’s in it.”
“It’s full of rare herbs. I dare say it could make a man jump out of bed and fight a shark. Excellent for restoring stamina.”
“Sounds perfect for that geezer who was asking for a miracle cure. Take it to him.”
“How could you say something so awful? This medicine isn’t for someone of my caliber. It contains plenty of compounds that impair memory, you know.”
“There’s more?”
“It also causes… infertility.”
“What happens if someone takes it?”
“A few times is fine. But if it builds up in the body, it could make someone mentally vacant. Infertile too, obviously. But hey, great stamina. Who the hell made this nonsense, anyway?”
At Rupert’s academic curiosity, Tenus offered no answer—he just tossed the bowl off the balcony before Rupert could even leave the room.
Selachia slightly raised her opinion of Rupert after seeing his quick and honest work. Since then, she had been secretly taking the real medicine Rupert made her.
Now, she herself was discarding the bowls Aldritch sent through the maid—before Tenus could even intervene.
She began to wonder—maybe Aldritch wasn’t just a bumbling fool. Maybe he was actually a skilled manipulator, well aware she wasn’t going to raise a fuss about the family.
Otherwise, why would he go so far as to practically beg her to notice his sinister intentions?
“Thank you. I’ll drink it well.”
Selachia brought the bowl slowly to her lips, staring into Aldritch’s suspiciously innocent face.
Rupert had said one or two doses wouldn’t harm her. She figured she could afford to pretend to drink it just once.
To keep Aldritch dancing in her palm, she needed to occasionally appear vulnerable. If he ever got bold and tried something clever, that would be a real problem.
Just one more month.
Like a spell, she whispered it to herself as she brought the bowl to her lips.
“Ah.”
“Oh no.”
In the blink of an eye, the bowl flew from her hands and soared across the room. The dark liquid splashed dramatically—all over Aldritch.
“W-What just…?!”
Not a single drop had landed on Selachia. Tenus, who had neatly swatted the bowl aside, spoke coolly without so much as a change in expression.
“I was trying to help my wife drink her medicine, but our hands collided and it flew off somewhere.”
The brazenness of the lie left them speechless. Everyone had seen him smack the bowl away—Selachia, Aldritch, even the nameless maid.
“Judging by how strong the lady’s grip was, it seems the medicine is already working. Don’t you think?”
Tenus curled his lips into a sly smile.
No one smiled back.
