Chapter 16
“Lady of Kihis”
“Tell me the truth. What are you, Vivian Kihis?”
“Grand Duke! Oh my…!”
At Leon’s sudden outburst, Marian screamed.
The servants nearby also trembled as they stared at Leon, who stood stiffly with his back straight.
Vivian was no different. Her pale face turned even whiter than paper.
As the sharp tip of the knife pressed deeper toward her neck, she tightly shut her eyes.
“E-Excuse me… why are you suddenly like this? Please calm down for a moment.”
“Tell me who sent you. Why did you approach me?”
“Sent by someone? That’s not true. I think you misunderstood something. It’s not like that. So please… put the knife down.”
At Vivian’s words, Leon’s sharp eyes narrowed.
His mind was filled with dark thoughts.
Even when he thought back on it, it was unbelievable. How could that insignificant woman do such a thing…? Even famous doctors couldn’t cure it.
‘Then how?!’
He couldn’t believe it.
“Please spare me, Grand Duke.”
Vivian’s trembling 모습 looked pitiful.
Her faint navy-colored eyes shook slightly, and her body, frozen in fear, felt as cold as ice.
Leon pushed the sharp blade even closer and spoke,
“If you confess honestly, I’ll at least spare your life. Who sent you? How did you do it?”
What… how?
The shining blade in front of her eyes was terrifying.
Just a few hours ago, that same knife had been used to cut vegetables.
Now it was pointed at her neck.
It was horrifying to think about.
Why was Leon acting like this all of a sudden?
He clearly said the food she made tasted good.
He really did…
Vivian looked at Leon with fearful eyes.
Looking closely, the tip of the knife aimed at her was trembling slightly.
He seemed deeply shaken by something.
Whatever it was, she couldn’t die like this.
“Please calm down and put the knife down. I’ll tell you anything. So stop this.”
“I thought something was strange from the beginning. I wondered why you were so obsessed with cooking… so this was your plan.”
Just then, Zygmunt, who heard the news late, entered the kitchen and saw Leon holding the knife.
Even for him, who was usually indifferent to everything, this was shocking.
A man and woman about to be married, pointing a knife at each other.
Zygmunt’s eyes widened.
“Your Grace? What is… going on?”
At his question, Leon cursed under his breath.
Clang—
In the end, he threw the knife to the floor.
“Lock Vivian Kihis in the underground storage. From now on, don’t give her even a sip of water without my permission.”
“What did you just say? Lock her up? You locked up the woman who is about to become your bride?”
“Shh, why are you making such a fuss?”
“You’re the one saying strange things, Your Grace. Locking up someone you’re about to marry is not normal.”
“Be quiet, David Berkel. I had no choice. I’m confused too.”
“Is this related to the reason you kept delaying the wedding?”
“It’s not exactly that… Forget it. Let’s stop talking about this.”
“What? We just started.”
A barren land filled with dust.
It was the border between northern Lavric and the monster region Iracma.
No grass grew there.
This wasteland was the training ground and forward base of the Black Knights, who existed only to hunt monsters.
At the center stood Viette Castle.
It was once used as the Emperor’s temporary residence, but it had lost much of its former luxury.
Though large enough for all the knights to live in, it felt empty and cold, like an abandoned castle.
A flag symbolizing the knights flew at the top.
Training weapons leaned against the surrounding walls.
Beyond the walls, in the wide training field, groans mixed with shouting echoed.
The knights swung swords as tall as themselves, their faces full of pain.
While the harsh training continued—
Leon, the commander, and David stood in a corner, speaking quietly.
David ran his fingers through his curly brown hair and asked,
“What’s the reason? Why did you lock up Lady Kihis?”
“…That is…”
“That is?”
“She made food that had taste.”
“…What?”
“I tasted it.”
David’s frowning face suddenly stiffened.
His eyes widened as if they would pop out.
“Y-You said you tasted it? We must inform Lord Rupers and Lord Philip immediately!”
“Shh!”
Leon raised a finger to his lips, and David quickly lowered his voice.
But his eyes were full of excitement.
“Isn’t this a good thing? The problem you’ve suffered from for so long has been solved—”
“It’s suspicious.”
“Suspicious? What do you mean?”
“I’ve tried everything to regain my sense of taste. Even magic couldn’t fix it. So why… why could I taste food made by Vivian Kihis?”
“…Now that you say it, that is strange. Why only her food? No matter how hard we tried, you never tasted anything before…”
“That’s why it’s suspicious. How did she do it?”
After listening, David tilted his head.
“…Honestly, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“There’s no way Lady Kihis secretly did something suspicious. She doesn’t have the courage for that… nor the position.”
“You talk like you know Vivian Kihis well.”
“She’s quite famous. You may not know, but at banquets, you hear about all the nobles. You always skipped the victory celebrations.”
“Famous?”
Leon raised one eyebrow.
“Don’t you know too little about your future bride?”
David joked lightly, and Leon stared at him.
Thud… Click.
The heavy door closed, followed by the sound of a lock.
Vivian hugged her cold shoulders.
How did things end up like this?
Her chest ached with fear and injustice.
Her arms and legs, twisted and dragged roughly earlier, began to hurt.
Unable to stand any longer, she collapsed to the floor.
She only showed her cooking skills once—
And now she was locked in a storage room.
She clearly heard what Leon said.
‘He said it tasted good.’
Feeling wronged, Vivian kicked her legs.
“Cough, cough… ugh, dust.”
Footprints were scattered all over the dusty floor.
They were left by the servants who struggled while locking her in.
It seemed the servants were actually happy she was locked up.
Their eyes had sparkled more than ever.
Remembering that moment, Vivian buried her face in her skirt.
‘How cruel.’
She felt like a fool for trying to get along with everyone.
She never knew they hated her this much.
Even in the novel, she never saw this part.
Because Vivian had already died before learning it.
Soon, the light in the hallway went out, and complete darkness filled the space.
Fear crept in.
If she died like this… what would happen?
Would she never return to her original world?
There were too many unknowns.
It felt like being trapped in an endless maze.
So… she would die without even touching her 2 billion won.
Vivian closed her eyes tightly to hold back her tears.
She drifted in and out of sleep—
Then suddenly, she saw a small light in the distance.
Her eyes slowly opened.
The light moved quickly, shaking as it approached the storage.
Soon, it lit up the entire room.
Vivian squinted at the brightness.
“W-Who is it?”
The figure walked to the door without answering.
Clank… creak—
The locked door opened.
“Come out.”
Under the bright lantern, the person revealed was—
“Grand Duke?”
It was Leon.
He held the door with one hand and a lantern in the other.
Looking at Vivian sitting on the floor, he spoke with irritation,
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“A-Ah, yes.”
Startled, Vivian hurriedly stood up.
As she tried to fix her wrinkled dress—
“Ugh…”
Her legs were numb from sitting too long.
She couldn’t stand properly.
It felt like her muscles were stiff, and a sharp tingling ran through her veins.
As she staggered, Leon sighed softly.
“Are your ears just for decoration?”
“I-I’m coming out now.”
As she finally stood straight, Vivian noticed something.
His shoes were completely soaked.
Looking up—
His uniform and even his messy hair were slightly wet too.
