~CHAPTER 84~
…Leave?
Of all people, did Tereo have the right to say something like that to her?
“I will help you.”
Lincia stared blankly at Tereo.
Her heart pounded loudly.
Anxiety and disgust mixed together and made her dizzy.
Help her?
He was the one who reported her escape plan to Yulias when she was in the Imperial Palace, and now he suddenly wanted to help her leave the North?
“How, how am I supposed to trust you?”
“Have you already forgotten what you did to me?”
“Do you think I’m pathetic?”
Unable to hold her anger, Lincia exploded with words.
Tereo simply frowned at her sarcasm but did not respond immediately.
He knew he had already betrayed her once, and yet he tried to endure instead of defending himself.
“I don’t need your help, so get out.”
Her single sentence shattered his thin patience.
“Then are you planning to live like this forever?”
Not even treated properly as the Grand Duchess.
Neglected, threatened, left to survive alone.
Lincia found his words almost laughable.
Had she ever lived any better than this?
There had never been a moment she wasn’t miserable.
And now the man who trapped her into that life dared to speak of helping her leave, even though the destination he intended was the Imperial Palace.
Tereo believed that Lincia would not survive if she left the Imperial Palace’s reach.
That was why she refused even more to take his hand.
The place she wanted to leave was the place near Yulias.
“What does it matter?”
“It’s no different from when I lived as a princess.”
“…”
“Ah, there is one difference.”
“At least the person with the highest power here doesn’t try to kill me.”
If *that* was the only improvement, how pathetic her life had become.
Even after saying it, she felt miserable.
Humans were supposed to grow, yet Lincia had not changed at all.
After nearly three years in the Grand Duke’s castle, she gained nothing, and even in this changed environment she owed every tiny comfort to Harvich’s mercy.
“If you think like that, why did you call me?”
Tereo asked, looking slightly offended.
“Since Your Highness called for me, I assumed you finally intended to leave the North.”
Lincia was speechless at his shamelessness.
Not only did he insist on his claim, he even stepped toward her with long confident strides.
I must have gone insane.
I must have truly lost my mind to choose someone like him as my escort.
“Get out.”
Lincia grabbed whatever she could reach and threw it toward him to stop him from coming closer.
But everything around her bed was soft and light, impossible to use as a weapon.
The only object with weight was a teacup.
With a dull noise, blood trickled from Tereo’s forehead.
He could have easily avoided it, but he allowed the cup to hit him.
To Lincia, even that felt like manipulation.
Blood dripped down his face and blurred his vision, so he wiped it with his fingers.
The metallic scent made her stomach churn.
Lincia unconsciously placed her hand on her abdomen.
“Leave right now.”
Tereo no longer approached.
Instead, he calmly picked up the items she had thrown and placed them neatly to one side.
He even cleaned the shattered pieces on the floor.
Then he spoke slowly.
“Please think about it carefully.”
Lincia finally exhaled deeply.
There is no one here who will protect me.
Suddenly Harvich’s words came to mind.
“Do not run anymore.”
“Do not keep trying to escape.”
He spoke as if he knew she would one day want to leave this land.
She had been the one to reject him first, but on this terrifying night she felt resentful that he did not come for her.
Yet she did not have the courage to go to him either.
She could not bring herself to walk the hostile hallways of the Grand Duke’s castle.
* * *
I miss him.
Harvich wanted to go to her, but the reason he could not was painfully clear.
Lincia feared him.
That single truth alone chained his feet to the floor.
No excuse could overcome it.
Even so…
Her escort knight also needed rest.
She might come looking for him.
She might be afraid to sleep alone.
She might…
After creating countless excuses, he finally gained the courage to approach her room.
But the moment he reached the door, hesitation returned.
Should he knock or simply enter?
Harvich exhaled softly and slowly opened the bedroom door.
The blanket on the bed rose and fell unnaturally.
A quiet sob escaped from beneath it.
Lincia was crying.
“Lincia.”
At the gentle call, the blanket stiffened.
“Go away.”
It was refusal, but he was grateful she at least answered.
“Why are you crying?”
Harvich looked at the lump beneath the blanket.
She neither showed her face nor answered.
Only her uneven breaths proved she was still crying.
“Did something happen?”
He already knew she would not reply.
After waiting a moment, Harvich spoke again.
“I have punished the person who threatened you.”
“…”
He explained in gentle words what form the punishment took and how he handled those who protested.
“No one here will threaten you again.”
But what meaning did that have now?
Lincia was already wounded and nothing could erase that fact.
“I will reorganize the inside of the castle so you can live comfortably.”
Even the Third Knights, who had acted disrespectfully, were given proper punishment.
Harvich felt pathetic for rambling so much.
No matter how hard he worked, he knew Lincia would not easily accept it.
He knew it would be difficult for her to believe the Grand Duke’s castle was no longer hostile to her.
Asking her to understand and accept his words felt dreadful.
Because ultimately, the reason he wanted her to stay was for his own peace.
“Lincia, if you are still afraid.”
“…”
“You may leave the Grand Duke’s castle.”
* * *
A messenger bird arrived at the Imperial Palace.
Once every two weeks, Yulias demanded a report even if nothing had happened to Lincia.
Tereo was quite capable.
Yulias originally assumed Tereo would be caught and killed while sending secret letters.
Yet he had survived for nearly two months.
[ No changes. I’m bored to death. ]
The foolish letter held as little value as Tereo himself and was always burned in the fireplace.
Yulias never expected meaningful information from him anyway.
No news was good news.
Yulias only wished that Lincia was safe.
[ I have become the princess’s escort. I may not be able to write for a while. Also, due to certain circumstances, the princess is taking narcotic painkillers. Oh, and Oberock died. ]
The mention of narcotic painkillers caught Yulias’ eye more than Oberock’s death.
His brow tightened.
He tapped his finger against the desk.
Why?
Harvich never knew, but sending Lincia to the North was partly out of guilt.
He cared for his sister.
After the Imperial elders destroyed the northern trade caravan, it was his way of compensation.
In truth, his motives were not so simple.
The elders said that if she were to live, she must serve as a wife under the excuse of legitimacy, and if not, she should die.
Yulias wanted to be her family, but not like that.
He was slightly worried about placing her within the Cassius Territory, but he believed firmly that Harvich would never harm her.
He trusted him.
Then why had she ended up like this?
Yulias stopped tapping.
“I will bring my sister back.”
