Chapter 5

“…Rienette, how am I supposed to accept that you don’t trust me?”

I avoided Seiden’s persistently piercing gaze. I didn’t respond to the pressure in his eyes.

If he found out that this wound was Pel’s doing, he would benefit from it. It would give him an excuse to attack Pel.

Threatening the saintess’s life—even for a crown prince, that wouldn’t be a trivial matter.

I remembered the look in Pel’s eyes as if he were ready to kill me. It was the first time I had ever seen him express murderous intent.

Even more so because I was the target.

But even if Pel threatened my life, even if he might one day be the one to kill me, I couldn’t let the truth of this wound be revealed.

I couldn’t be the one to give Seiden something to smile about. More than anything, I didn’t want Pel to get hurt.

No matter how harshly he had threatened me, I knew it came from the friendship we once shared when I was Elise.

He was acting for my sake—for the Elise Sihen I used to be.

“If you trust me, then tell me, Rienette. Who dared to put their hands on your neck?”

Entertaining the stubborn persistence of my enemy was more exhausting than I thought.

To see someone capable of such cruelty whining over something so small—it was unbearable to witness sober.

In the end, I couldn’t hold back and set my teacup down with a sharp clatter.

“You’re the one who doesn’t trust me, Seiden.”

“What…?”

“You don’t believe me when I say I scratched it myself.”

His lips parted slightly, and he furrowed his brows. He looked genuinely caught off guard.

“How can I believe something that makes no sense? That wound—anyone can see it’s from a blade. A scratch? Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“If that’ll make you feel better, just cut off my wrist and punish me however you like.”

“Rie!”

The way he said that foul nickname so affectionately made my stomach turn.

I let out a deep breath and pleaded, weariness lacing my voice.

“Let me handle this, Seiden.”

He seemed to finally sense my displeasure. He said nothing, just stared at me.

Eventually, he calmed and nodded, his face softening into a pathetic expression, like a small, wounded animal.

I offered him a soothing smile.

“You should go now. If someone sees you here, they’ll grow suspicious. I’ll visit the palace tomorrow instead.”

“You’ll come to the palace?”

He was so simple.

That simplicity had killed me, had killed my family.

And it would be the very thing that would destroy him, too.

Because of that simplicity—the way he yielded to anything Rienette said—he would lose everything.

I took his hand, nodding gently, coaxing him into deeper affection for Rienette.

“I’ll come tomorrow, Seiden.”

Of course, it wasn’t to see him. I just needed an excuse.

I had to check Rienette’s belongings. I needed to find anything that could be used as leverage against him.

I also had to stop by the princess’s palace—where I had lived before I died.

That was where my father’s last letter was. The letter from Pel, which I hadn’t even finished reading, was also hidden there. I couldn’t leave them abandoned any longer.

Seiden might dispose of everything in an instant.

His expression looked a little less tense than before as he stood up. It seemed he was preparing to leave. Just then, the butler spoke from outside the drawing room.

“You should come now. His Highness the Crown Prince of the Seran Empire has arrived to pay his respects at the funeral.”

Why now, of all times?

The one thing I’d hoped was that Pel wouldn’t arrive while Seiden was still here…

As expected, Seiden’s face contorted with visible disgust.

“Who came? If it’s the crown prince, he should be just now departing from the Seran Empire…”

Of course he wouldn’t know. Pel had arrived last night.

It was impossible for someone to leave the Seran Empire and arrive here so soon otherwise.

“And what does the crown prince’s visit have to do with you…?”

“I’m the owner of this estate now.”

The owner of the estate presides over the funeral. Even if ownership changes hands, that much remains custom.

Seiden couldn’t hide his irritation and quickly stormed out ahead of me.

Seiden despised Pel—more than any word could express.

It wasn’t just because of the story’s original narrative, where Pel scorned me. It was personal. Jealousy, rivalry.

He’d had to compete with Pel his entire life. It was no wonder he couldn’t stand him.

“Don’t go, Seiden!”

I raised my voice, rushing after him as he stormed out.

I couldn’t let Pel and Seiden be in the same place.

Pel seemed to have realized the truth—that this entire situation had been orchestrated by Seiden and Rienette.

If he lashed out the way he had with me…

I wasn’t worried for Seiden’s sake. I had no concern left to spare for him.

What I feared was what might happen to Pel.

If anything went wrong, even a crown prince would find himself in serious trouble. Their conflict could even lead to war.

Pel had spent his whole life in this kingdom, and only now had he returned to the Empire. Until he was fully established there, even the smallest dispute could ruin everything.

But before I could stop him, Seiden had already entered the banquet hall where the funeral was being held.

I hurried in after him, only to see—just as I stepped in—a man collapse onto the floor with a loud crash.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was. It was Seiden.

“…Ah!”

The nobles’ gasps filled the hall. I couldn’t bear to watch and closed my eyes.

But then, Pel’s voice rang out—calm and unexpected.

“The prince of this kingdom dared to threaten the crown prince. Would it be wrong to consider this an act of hostility against the Empire?”

As expected, it was Pel who had struck Seiden. He stood over Seiden, his face expressionless, speaking in an emotionless tone.

And yet, from his words, it sounded almost justified. As if it hadn’t been an act of unprovoked violence.

“To strike a prince, no matter the reason… I will file an official protest!”

Struggling to rise from the floor, Seiden stammered his words.

Fortunately, Pel seemed to be holding his fury in check. It was a stark contrast from the previous night, when he had looked as if he’d lost all reason while threatening me.

Perhaps he now believed that all of this was Rienette’s scheme—that Seiden was nothing more than a pawn in her game.

If so, then his true goal might be to eliminate me completely.

The onlookers couldn’t hide their confusion as the tension thickened.

Pel, however, seemed completely uninterested in their bewilderment. He turned his back and walked away. After a moment’s hesitation, I followed him outside.

Pel soon realized I was behind him and came to a stop.

“What do you want, Rienette Seriatina?”

I wasn’t sure if this was the right decision.

But one thing was certain—there was no better chance than this.

“I read your letter, Pel.”

His expression froze. His face, now twisted with a mixture of anger and turmoil, caused my breath to catch.

“What do you mean by that?”

His cold gaze bore down on me. For a moment, I felt as though my body might shatter under the weight of his stare.

But it was just Pel Abrotis’s gaze. Always impassive, yet never truly unkind.

He was the boy I had known since we were five. I could say with confidence that I knew him better than anyone.

“Think carefully about what I mean.”

With that, I turned my back on him. People were beginning to gather around us.

As I took a step to leave, a sharp voice cut through the air from behind me.

“If you’ve laid a hand on Elise’s belongings, I won’t let it go. I don’t care if you’re a saintess or a god.”

“…”

“If you think I spared you last night out of mercy…”

I heard his footsteps behind me—measured, deliberate. The sound made my head feel light, like my balance might give out.

He grabbed my wrist and forcefully turned me around to face him. Not once had Pel Abrotis ever treated Elise Sihen this way.

His eyes met mine—cold and calculating. Not the kind of gaze that struggled to stay cold, but one that truly was.

“You’d do well not to forget—I can kill you at any time.”

And with those words, he passed by me.

Pel never once looked back.

* * *

Seiden, still unable to shake off what had happened earlier, sat there biting his lip with a dazed expression.

“I wasn’t thinking straight back there.”

He said he had demanded to know by what right Pel had shown up at the funeral. Seiden, the very one who had killed me.

How dare he question why Pel had come here, after having wounded Elise and then leaving her behind.

Everything he said was wrong. I was the one who sent Pel away—and it was to save him. Not out of hatred or contempt.

“Rienette, don’t worry. It’ll be fine. I swear I didn’t mean to hit him. Really. I just charged at him, and that bastard relaxed and stumbled backward—that’s why things looked worse than they were.”

Objectively, Seiden could never beat Pel. In intellect, strength, or power—Pel was superior in every way.

Even in the original story, Seiden had only managed to kill Pel through a surprise attack.

“…That was reckless. There’s nothing to gain from provoking him. Don’t lay a hand on the crown prince again.”

I took a sip of tea and scolded him as if I were worried, just to make sure Seiden wouldn’t pull something like that again.

“I’m only saying this because I care about you, Seiden. You know how much I treasure you. I can only stay whole if you’re by my side.”

The revulsion surged from deep inside me. My mouth felt foul from the sickeningly sweet lies I had just spoken.

Seiden hesitated, moving his lips, then gave in with a mumbled reply.

“Alright… I’ll be careful. You know I’ll do anything you say.”

The truth was, he knew he couldn’t win.

I held back my smirk and focused on breathing slowly. I sipped my tea again, keeping my face as neutral as possible.

Then, with a soft smile, I tossed him a small reward.

“Smart choice.”

Foolish Seiden. If only he could have been satisfied with a sliver of praise. But my small compliment made him run his mouth beyond his place.

“A compliment isn’t enough, is it? Shouldn’t I get a proper reward?”

His gaze swept over my body in a way that made my skin crawl. I shot up from my seat before I could stop myself.

It didn’t take long to realize that reaction wasn’t very fitting for Rienette.

Trying to hide my discomfort, I stepped out onto the terrace.

I turned my back so he couldn’t see my face.

“Sounds like you already know what you want as a reward.”

I stared as far as I could through the window without looking at him, doing everything not to meet his eyes. I didn’t want to hear his answer. His gaze had already made his desires all too clear.

“What a question. A promise is a promise, Rie.”