Chapter 07
The Conditions for Marriage
“To my dearest sister,
It’s been a while. I’ve missed your replies; I was feeling quite hurt.
Hearing that you want to come to Evgenia brings me great joy. Shall I expect you to depart a day after my reply reaches you, around the 146th day?”
Leon’s reply arrived surprisingly quickly.
As Ebony gently touched the pleasant-smelling letter, a small smile appeared. It was as though she could hear his warm, caring voice beyond the words.
Reading through the letter again before sending her response, Ebony noticed something strange.
“…He’s hurt because I haven’t been replying?”
How odd.
She was the one who usually felt upset over their rare exchanges. Even when she gathered the courage to write, Leon often stayed silent.
And yet, here he was, claiming he was the one who felt neglected.
As she pondered the fate of her missing letters, her gaze landed on Amy, who was waiting for her next instructions.
“Let’s not dwell on the past, but I must ask you something. Have you ever tampered with or intercepted the letters between my brother and me?”
Amy’s face instantly went pale. Her reaction was enough to confirm Ebony’s suspicions.
“I—I’m so sorry…”
“No need to apologize. Just prove your loyalty to me from now on.”
Amy quickly saluted and hurried off with the freshly written letter, eager to redeem herself.
“That should do for now.”
There was no reason to show kindness to someone who betrayed her, but scaring Amy too much might push her toward Irene, which would ruin her plans. She had to plant just enough hope to slowly pull Amy to her side.
“One and a half years.”
The fact that she had another chance meant even the gods wanted her to succeed in her revenge.
Clenching her fists with determination, Ebony retrieved her suitcase from under her bed and began packing for the journey.
Once ready, she headed straight to Edward’s office.
When her father saw her large suitcase, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Placing the letters she had exchanged with Leon on his desk, Ebony spoke.
“I’ve decided to visit Leon, my brother.”
“Surely you don’t mean to go to Evgenia?”
“Leon already agreed to it.”
Edward’s expression wavered as he read the letter.
Though she wasn’t lying, something about the situation didn’t sit right with him.
“How long do you plan to stay?”
“About two weeks should be enough.”
Though Edward wanted to stop her, he had no real reason to object.
“…Fine.”
He reluctantly agreed, reasoning that being with her beloved brother might help ease her troubled mind.
As soon as he consented, Ebony left the room without so much as a polite farewell.
Outside the office, Irene was waiting.
“I heard you’re planning to visit Leon.”
Linking arms with Ebony, Irene openly admitted she had eavesdropped.
“Yes, it just worked out that way.”
“I want to visit him too! Can I come along?”
“…You too?”
“Why not?”
Of course not.
No one on a mission of revenge would willingly bring along someone who would only get in the way.
Feigning hesitation, Ebony eventually shook her head apologetically.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
But Irene didn’t give up so easily.
“You know my first love, Diego, lives there. I want to see him!”
“I understand, but this trip isn’t about meeting him. Even if you came, you wouldn’t get to see him.”
“We can create opportunities! Worst case, I could ask Leon to help arrange something.”
Irene’s eyes were wide and pleading, confident Ebony would cave as usual.
But this time was different.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Ebony.”
“I didn’t tell Leon you’d be joining. Since it’s his house, I can’t decide on my own. Next time, though, let’s go together.”
Surprised by her sister’s refusal, Irene stood frozen. It was the first time Ebony had ever denied her anything.
Still, Irene couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed about her sister. After all, Ebony’s apologetic eyes seemed genuinely filled with guilt.
“And if you’re gone for too long, everyone here would miss you terribly. Father would be especially lonely without you.”
“Well, that’s true. They wouldn’t last a day without me…”
Irene’s naivety was almost laughable.
Turning concerned, Irene added,
“But won’t Leon find you a burden?”
Pretending to be worried for her sister, Irene subtly tried to drive a wedge between them.
“Ebony, you’re so dependent on others. Leon would have to take care of you constantly. He’s already busy—imagine how tiring that would be for him.”
Her seemingly innocent concern hid her true intentions.
“…That sounds familiar.”
Ebony recalled the contents of an old letter from Leon:
“To be honest, I’m tired of looking after you. I’ve endured it for a long time, but my patience has run out.”
The tone of that letter had always felt off, unlike Leon’s usual self. Could it have been… fake?
A horrifying thought crossed her mind.
Could Irene have forged that letter to drive them apart?
While the idea seemed absurdly melodramatic, the possibility couldn’t be ignored.
“Maybe you’re right. I’ll try not to bother him too much. Thanks for the advice, sister.”
Though her hands trembled with anger, Ebony kept her composure. It wasn’t the time to reveal her suspicions.
Thanks to Leon, Ebony had taken the first step toward her plan: traveling to Evgenia.
Her next challenge was figuring out how to meet Diego Magnus, who lived far to the north.
Leon would never allow her to travel there alone, especially after hearing about her recent struggles from Edward.
“I’ll need to wait a few days.”
She decided to act normal and lower Leon’s guard before sneaking away while he was at the palace.
But the most important part of her plan still needed work:
The perfect bargaining chip to secure Diego Magnus’s agreement to marry her.
“Something clean, simple, and powerful.”
Wealth and status wouldn’t be enough to sway him.
“Ugh, seriously! Why are you and Violet so useless? Just use me!”
A sharp voice interrupted her thoughts, almost as if mocking her struggles.
