CHAPTER 20
Clatter—clink—
After draining all my energy at the imperial palace before dinner, I tried to recharge with a cold glass of herbal tea. I approached the dinner table thinking, Bring it on, expecting at least a bit of conversation. But the meal was as silent as ever, contrary to my expectations.
Surely the children had noticed I’d abruptly left the table yesterday and departed early for the palace this morning.
Yet, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, they focused solely on their food, showing no interest in me whatsoever.
I glanced at Kaelan—he too was eating with his eyes glued to his plate.
Was I just overthinking this?
Even if I didn’t expect much from the kids, I thought Kaelan—who’s always been just as invested in royal affairs as in household matters—would’ve at least said something.
Normally, even if he avoided personal conversation, he wouldn’t ignore a chance to talk about the palace.
And Kaelan… hadn’t we actually talked during dinner for the past two days?
Does he hate me even more than I thought? Enough to suppress his curiosity about the imperial family?
Fueled by the confidence from verbally one-upping Marquis Defrokan earlier, I’d come to dinner expecting at least a mild reaction. But the kids’ indifference drained all my momentum.
Perhaps I was over-preparing because, in my previous life, my last memories of the children were their cold stares and cruel words. Now, facing their younger selves, I couldn’t help but brace myself—even when it wasn’t necessary.
So it’s not that bad yet, huh?
Then what could have caused their behavior to deteriorate so drastically over the next three years?
Not that I cared to find out or fix it.
I had no desire to get close to the children. Even if—by some miracle—they tried to approach me, I’d turn them away.
Because no matter what, their intentions were never pure. That truth wouldn’t change even if the sky fell.
Back then, I fell for it every time—trusting their fake friendliness only to be hurt all over again.
You’d think I’d become numb. But why couldn’t I reject those children, even when they smiled with knives hidden behind their backs?
Now that I think about it, Kaelan, who consistently showed disdain for me, might’ve been better. At least he was honest in his contempt.
Scrraaaape—
The jarring screech of metal on porcelain snapped me out of my thoughts.
I looked up, startled, and found all the children staring—not at me, but at my hands.
What…?
Only then did I realize I’d been mindlessly cutting my already-sliced steak, lost in thought, until the knife scraped harshly against the plate.
I usually try to avoid making mistakes in front of them, but some habits from my past life die hard.
Anna was giving me a disapproving look, as if I lacked even basic table manners, and Reina openly scoffed. Haldeir glanced up expressionlessly before returning to his food, and Kaelan didn’t even lift his head.
“…Come to think of it, Kaelan.”
To shake off the awkwardness, I changed the subject quickly. A name popped into my head—Canon Borche.
He’d asked me to pass along greetings to Kaelan, hadn’t he? I had no desire to, but since he gave me useful information, I should at least repay the favor.
“Do you know someone named Canon Borche?”
“Yes.”
Kaelan looked up at me with a gaze that clearly asked, Why are you asking?
“Do you remember how I suddenly left during dinner yesterday? I received an urgent summons from the palace. The messenger who brought it was Canon Borche.”
“…”
“He asked me to say hello to you. Are you two acquainted?”
“Just… someone I know.”
“Oh, I see. Were you close?”
“Why do you want to know?”
Kaelan’s sharp voice pierced the air, his eyes narrowing with annoyance.
He really doesn’t want me involved in his personal life, does he?
“He offered me a useful tip, actually. Thanks to that, things went a bit more smoothly at today’s imperial meeting. Since he helped me, and asked about you, I thought maybe you two were close. Just wondering. Does that answer your question?”
“…”
To be fair, I was too shaken by the mention of the auction house to fully absorb the info he gave me. Still, a favor’s a favor.
“If you ever run into him again, you don’t have to, but… could you let him know I appreciated it—?”
Clatter—
Before I could finish, Kaelan stood up from his seat.
I looked up at him, surprised. He dropped his napkin onto the table with an air of finality.
“I don’t feel well. I’ll excuse myself.”
“…All right. Go ahead.”
Just like that, Kaelan walked out mid-meal.
As I finished eating, I couldn’t stop the questions swirling in my mind.
They weren’t close?
Then why did Canon ask me to give his regards?
Were they not on good terms?
Did Canon give me that tip to spite Kaelan?
Maybe he knew our relationship was strained and used that?
I’d assumed he was simply offering help to a fellow acquaintance of Kaelan, but that might’ve been too naive.
Even after being used and deceived so many times by nobles, I still let my guard down—just because the guy looked young.
Canon giving me information wouldn’t sit well with Kaelan, who already dislikes me.
Before the regression, Canon was just a stranger. Why is he suddenly tangled up in my affairs?
All because I took Oksana’s ring.
If I’d known it would cause this much chaos…
“Sigh…”
I shook my head.
No. Don’t regret it now.
Oksana’s ring was something I had to get—no matter the cost.
Even knowing how things would play out, I’d still have bid on it at that auction.
This all started with Canon and Kaelan, but…
Why did Canon show up?
What’s going on in the palace?
Why did Ethanus appear at the auction?
When I trace it all back, every path leads to one thing: Oksana’s ring.
And because of that, I hesitated to even return to my own room.
There, among my valuables, lay the Fereshia family’s signet ring—silent and still.
After Kaelan left, the meal ended quickly.
Anna led the children out without a word, and I didn’t bother stopping her. I rose and made my way to my room.
“Can I really protect Oksana’s ring alone?”
I didn’t open the lockbox. Instead, I sat across the room on the sofa, staring at it from a distance—suddenly afraid that someone might see if I took the ring out.
Someone like Ethanus…
“…Ugh. What’s wrong with me?”
I’d just scored a huge victory today—marred the face of Duke Defrokan, the man who tormented me for years.
Bella, you got exactly what you wanted. You should be happy.
But as night fell, so did my sense of control. Old fears, long buried, slithered back into the darkness.
If Ethanus ever finds out I have Oksana’s ring, there’s no way he’ll let me live.
I did my best to cover my tracks—but there’s no guarantee I won’t be found.
He and his people saw both me and Lord Roim, heard our voices—no matter how much we tried to hide them. I even warned Lord Roim to be careful.
But who knows how or when it might all come to light?
The earring I left behind as a guarantee also bothered me.
And with Ethanus being a mage, who knows what kind of magic he can use to trace us?
I know nothing about the extent of magical abilities. In my past life, only Reina and Haldeir—who had magical power—were in contact with the Mage Tower.
And let’s not forget: while Ethanus is terrifying, the Second Prince and the Archduke are also seeking the ring.
“…Should I consider forming an alliance?”
With the information I gained before the regression, it wouldn’t be hard to identify a noble family that might align with me.
But that raises another issue—
“That would mean uniting the Dilan family with another noble house. I can’t do that recklessly.”
I’m only holding the title of Duke temporarily, and even that has a time limit. It’s not mine to use freely.
Right now, the power balance is stable—Dilan versus Defrokan. Aligning with a third family would tip the scales and potentially start a messy power struggle.
And that’s exactly what the Duke hated most: political bloodbaths among nobles.
He once told me it was the most vile and cruel side of power—something he never wanted me to witness.
I won’t be the cause of such chaos.
If possible, I want to end this quietly—on my own terms.
So a union between noble houses is off the table.
“Then it has to be person-to-person.”
Someone powerful enough on their own, without needing family backing.
Someone like that is the only one I can partner with.
And now that I’m sure it was Ethanus who showed up at that auction, I can’t afford to stay idle anymore.
That night, Kaelan entered the study just before dawn and slipped out again through a secret passage known only to the ducal family.
Though his steps were cautious, his face was grim. Members of the Blue Raven organization who tried to greet him flinched and scattered at the sheer intensity of his presence.
He moved swiftly until he stopped in front of the quarters of Troxie—the squad leader of the Blue Ravens.
[“No warning—he’ll kill me if he finds out—Kaelan—”]
[“Between us—Trox—he’ll understand—”]
[“If he finds out I—he’ll do it again—”]
[“Don’t be so harsh. Kaelan will probably—”]
Voices inside confirmed his suspicions. Kaelan flung the door open without knocking.
As the door burst open, Kaelan’s eyes locked on the person responsible for provoking him—and the words shot out, sharp and cold.
“You…!”
“Kaelan~”
“K-Kaelan!!”
The two people inside spoke his name with wildly different tones.
One, calm and unbothered—as if expecting this.
The other, Troxie, leapt to his feet, pale as a ghost, voice shrill with panic.
“What the hell were you thinking, doing something like this without even telling me?”
“W-w-what are you doing here without warning? Wait—do you know about it?”
“Relax, Kaelan~ You ignored all my letters. You didn’t reply once.”
“Hold on—why is everyone showing up without notice today?! I’ve been scared out of my mind!”
“Answer me clearly. What information did you give that woman? And why did you tell her to pass along your regards?”
“Haha… No need to get so worked up, Kaelan.”
“Canon Borche!”
Kaelan’s expression darkened even further as he glared at the man who had been so casually smiling all this time—the same man Bella had mentioned during dinner.
Canon Borche.
