RATBA 49

Chapter 49

---

For some reason, Father already knew that I had gone to find a spirit.

It was unclear how he had found out.

The only certain thing was that Lucy, who had even accepted a bribe, had spilled the secret somewhere.

I panicked and quickly denied it.

“I-I did go to find a spirit, but it wasn’t dangerous at all, so don’t worry.”

It was a well-meaning lie.

If I told him honestly that I almost burned to death, he might faint.

Despite the well-intentioned lie, his expression was ashen.

“Claudia… I still can’t believe you took His Majesty’s words so lightly.”

“I just wanted to be of help to the Empire. With the spirit’s power, stopping the Principality wouldn’t be a problem…”

“Enough.”

Father cut me off coldly, clearly unwilling to listen any further.

“Regardless of your intentions, disobeying His Majesty’s order is a serious offense.”

“Yes…”

“His Majesty has sent a carriage to summon you to the palace himself. It’s waiting outside, so go and get in. Nayla should be waiting too.”

“Wait, Nayla’s going too?”

Nayla’s name came up suddenly. I immediately realized she was the one behind all this.

Nayla! She must have coaxed or threatened Lucy into telling her that I went to find a spirit!

That explained everything.

It also made sense why His Majesty wanted to see both Nayla and me together.

It was as if he wanted a witness there to make sure I couldn’t lie.

I thought he was going to let it slide by just sending me to the academy… but Nayla’s determined to see this through…

Her malice ran deep.

So deep that it was hard to fathom the bottom of it.

Anyway, I should do as Father says and ride in the imperial carriage. Right now, the most important thing is to ask His Majesty for forgiveness.

After hastily washing up and changing into clean clothes, I boarded the imperial carriage.

Nayla and Lucy were already inside, waiting.

Nayla, as always, was smiling sweetly, while Lucy was trembling uncontrollably.

I filled my voice with rage.

“Nayla. And Lucy…”

“You’re late, sister.”

Seeing Nayla grinning after tattling on me made my insides twist.

But I couldn’t focus entirely on her.

Lucy, who looked like she might burst into tears any second, caught my attention.

Why is Lucy here? And she’s shaking so badly. Is she afraid I’ll scold her?

I could understand her fear.

She had taken a bribe and still revealed the secret.

I was definitely furious with her but…

Seeing her like that made my anger melt away.

I decided to let her go.

“Lucy, go back to the estate. You don’t have to come to the palace.”

“No. Lucy has to come with us.”

It was Nayla who objected.

She glared at me with venom in her eyes.

“Lucy is a witness. She can testify that you disobeyed His Majesty’s orders and went looking for a spirit. And this ruby ring…”

Nayla grabbed Lucy’s wrist roughly and pulled.

The ring on Lucy’s finger gleamed in the light.

“This ruby ring is proof that you tried to bribe Lucy to keep her mouth shut.”

Lucy turned so pale she looked like she might faint.

It seemed Nayla had been quite forceful in prying the secret out of her.

I let out a long sigh.

“I don’t need a witness or evidence. I’ll tell His Majesty the truth and beg for forgiveness. It’s true I went to find the spirit.”

“Hmph… You say that now, but what if you lie in front of His Majesty?”

“I don’t do petty things like that. Lucy, go back to the estate.”

As I gave the order, Lucy tried to stand up.

But Nayla grabbed her wrist and forced her back down.

“No, Lucy. Don’t move. You have to come with us and prove your sister’s wrongdoing.”

“It’s okay. Go back.”

“No, Lucy.”

“Go back, Lucy. That’s an order.”

“No. If you don’t listen to me now, things will get difficult for you. You know what I mean, right?”

Lucy’s eyes darted around nervously.

Caught between my order and Nayla’s threat, she looked completely torn.

She sat and stood repeatedly, then suddenly jumped up.

“Th-then, by Miss Claudia’s order, I will return to the estate!”

Then she fled the carriage in a hurry.

She had chosen to follow my command.

Which meant… she trusted me more than Nayla.

“Tch.”

Nayla clicked her tongue in frustration.

I smiled at her with the grin of a victor.

After Claudia left, the Duke let out a deep sigh.

That sigh was filled with worry, and a trace of restrained anger.

He hadn’t intended for things to escalate like this.

Originally, he had simply found it curious that Claudia had managed to find a spirit. He had no other thoughts beyond that.

The one who had stirred up trouble was Nayla.

That cunning girl even sent a letter to His Majesty.

Nayla had reported Claudia’s actions to the Emperor, which triggered the whole incident.

What could have ended quietly within the duchy had now blown up.

When he found out, the Duke had been furious with Nayla.

“Nayla! Just what did you tell His Majesty? What did you write in that letter to make him send a carriage himself?”

In the face of his anger, Nayla answered with chilling composure.

“I simply told the truth. If I hadn’t, Sister would’ve kept trying to wield that dangerous power.”

“It was all for Sister’s sake.”

She claimed it was for Claudia.

But the Duke couldn’t believe that so easily.

Nayla was different from other girls her age.

He could never read her true thoughts.

Even when her eyes seemed clear, deep within them always lurked a dark shadow.

I just can’t figure her out. There’s something unsettling about her.

He recalled the eerie feeling he always got when talking to her.

Like she was hiding something terrible beneath that calm exterior…

“Your Grace, the young ladies have safely departed in the carriage.”

“I see. Thank you.”

The butler’s voice came from outside, reporting the daughters’ departure.

Thanks to that, the Duke’s thoughts were cut short.

He brushed aside the thoughts of Nayla and picked up his quill again.

On the road, riding in the carriage with Nayla.

I felt like a fish out of water.

That’s how uncomfortable it was—so much so that I could barely breathe.

Despite sitting across from each other for so long, we didn’t exchange a single word.

“You must not get along with your little sister?”

It was then that the fire spirit’s voice echoed in my head.

He chuckled and added,

“Why not offer her as a sacrifice?”

His voice kept sounding in my head, so I looked around restlessly.

“Where are you?”

“Fire is everywhere.”

That’s all he said, still refusing to show himself.

Instead, the lantern hanging beside the carriage suddenly flared up.

Thanks to that, I could feel his presence clearly even if I couldn’t see him.

“Where’s that boldness you had when you demanded a contract? You haven’t offered a sacrifice, you’re not doing anything interesting… Honestly, the more I look at you, the less I understand why that guy made a contract with someone like you.”

“…”

 

“No need to wait 30 days. I might as well just devour you right now—”