Chapter 39
A forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced, and Harvich bit his tongue to suppress the impulse.
But when he heard the name Tereo, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
It was a foolish question to begin with.
He already knew that Tereo hadn’t stayed at the outer fortress and had been at the hunting grounds for two days in a row.
Still, once the words left his mouth, more spilled out uncontrollably.
The look of pain on Lincia’s face wouldn’t leave his mind.
No matter how hard he tried to forget, it kept replaying.
He wished he could just pretend not to know.
That Lincia was carrying another man’s child.
That she had held hands, kissed, and shared a night with someone else.
If only she hadn’t conceived another man’s child, he wouldn’t be in such agony.
Harvich knew exactly why he was suffering.
But even then, he couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
There were feelings that should never be acknowledged.
Like the one he, a man bound to this land for life, held toward Princess Lincia.
Even if Lincia had feelings for him too, it brought no comfort.
They could never be together.
Longing for something impossible, hoping for a future that could never exist—that was a luxury Harvich couldn’t afford.
So he had to let go.
“I’ll never forgive you.”
Those were her own words.
She had ended what he couldn’t bring himself to, and in a way, that was a relief.
Still, it hurt.
Harvich thought of the fox pelt he had hurriedly handed to Hue.
He should have retrieved it and commissioned the scarf today, but now it all seemed meaningless.
“…”
He let out a slow sigh.
***
“Would you consider leaving this place? I can help you.”
Lincia remembered Hue’s offer.
It had been a week already.
No matter how freely given kindness was, losing it still hurt.
Harvich, who had made her heart flutter only to push her back into the mud, had fallen silent.
She had told herself that if he didn’t come by night—by tomorrow at the latest—she would leave.
It had been a week now.
Waiting for Harvich any longer was foolish.
She no longer wanted to stay in a place where no one wanted her.
She wanted to escape everything that suffocated her.
If he hates me that much, then I’ll leave.
“I’ll go see Count Grentia.”
Anna gripped Lincia’s hand.
“I’ll follow you wherever you go, Your Highness.
And I brought the jewels you gave me before we left the palace.
That amount should be enough to live comfortably anywhere.”
Lincia looked at Anna, sensing her determination.
“So we don’t get caught, I’ll go first.”
Anna went to Hue’s office.
They arranged a meeting time, and at dawn, she walked through the ducal corridors.
The halls were eerily quiet, not a servant in sight.
“You’re here. Thank you for making this difficult decision.”
Lincia removed her robe and looked at Hue.
There was a shadow of emotion lingering on his face—one she understood.
It must be about his son.
Lincia looked at him with worry.
“When I disappear, Julius might punish you for it.”
Oddly, giving up everything made her feel less pressure.
She even spoke to a man she’d barely been able to greet before, in familiar tones.
“It doesn’t matter.
Forgive my bluntness, but we’ll make it look like you ran away with the father of your child.”
Lincia raised her head.
“I want to take Anna with me.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
Hue explained the entire plan—from how she would leave the duchy to how she would cross safely into another country.
She didn’t know why he was suddenly helping her, but one thing was clear.
He wanted her gone. Desperately.
The plan had been prepared with great care.
It was flawless.
“Do you have someone to escort me safely? Escaping and dying are two different things.”
When Lincia mentioned death, Hue gave a bitter smile.
“…How long do you think I’ve been planning this?”
Lincia fell silent at the weary expression on his face.
Yes, she had always been an unwanted presence here.
Something to be removed when the opportunity arose.
“…Still, thank you for helping me.”
***
At dawn, Hue sent Lincia away in a carriage.
Then he hurried to see Harvich.
His lord, who had never once faltered, had changed after the fight with Lincia.
He barely slept, his complexion had darkened, and he had grown irritable and tense.
Helping Lincia escape had no deeper meaning.
His master had changed, so Hue needed to remove the cause.
The reason for the change was obvious—his wife.
Trying to make a scarf from a fox’s fur, spending nights in her outer chamber, tending to her illness…
Even risking danger during a hunt for another fox—Hue had seen enough.
This wasn’t a good sign.
Anyone who observed him closely would know
Harvich had begun to feel something special for her.
He just couldn’t express it, crushed under duty and responsibility.
And that restraint—Hue had once admired it.
Choosing duty over emotion.
Controlling even love itself.
That was what defined a true lord.
His predecessor, on the other hand…
A shadow crossed Hue’s face.
At some point, his master had started losing control.
It wasn’t serious yet—but before his judgment clouded any further, Hue had to act.
Luckily, the woman had agreed to the plan.
Her situation was desperate enough that she would comply.
He hadn’t heard the full conversation between her and Harvich, but he had seen her crying.
There was only one concern—
Her pregnancy.
His plan assumed she wasn’t with child.
No matter how disgraced she was as a royal, the Emperor’s interest in her pregnancy was worrying.
Still, Hue didn’t regret his choice.
After sending her off, he still had one last task:
To distract his lord—so much that he couldn’t think of her again.
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“There’s been an accident at the hunting festival.”
Accidents happened at every festival.
This one was no different.
It wasn’t staged—Hue had simply delayed the report until Lincia was gone.
“…A soldier of the duchy, Sebiang, was killed in the line of duty.”
“I told them not to overexert themselves. What happened?”
Harvich frowned and rose from his seat.
“It seems the common soldiers were busy helping with the banquet preparations, so their attention must have slipped.”
“I told them to rest if they were tired.”
“They were worried their rations would be cut. Sebiang had a large family, I hear.”
Hue naturally drew Harvich’s focus as they headed to his office.
“What arrangements were made for the funeral and compensation?”
“None yet.”
“When did this happen?”
“…Four days ago.”
