Chapter 10
“Here we are. I brought Raina here.”
The place was an old wooden house that looked abandoned, but Jed easily unlocked the door and stepped inside.
“Of course, I left a stand-in for Raina at your mansion, so your father will think everything is neatly resolved. Impressive, right?”
Jed grinned playfully, and Bern nodded.
“Thank you. I’ll repay this debt. I mean it—you’re my savior.”
Simply hiding Raina wasn’t enough to keep her safe. The best solution was to make Bern’s father believe she was dead.
But as Bern thought about Jed’s words, he realised something strange.
“A stand-in for Raina? What do you mean?”
Jed chuckled, his red eyes observing Bern.
There were parts of Bern that felt oddly underdeveloped, parts that refused to yield even when it would be easier to do so. That stubbornness was sometimes annoying, yet at other times, it made Jed curious.
Telling the truth now would make things unnecessarily complicated.
That was just how Bern was. Always questioning things, and refusing to back down even in difficult situations.
Jed smiled sweetly.
“Of course, I mean a corpse. A body that looks like Raina.”
Bern’s face twisted in confusion.
“A corpse?”
“Yeah. It took a lot of effort to find. But there’s something more important right now.”
Jed led Bern further inside, toward the room where Raina was hidden. As he walked, his thoughts swirled.
Affection and discomfort spun together in his mind like two sides of a coin.
Which side was facing up? He wasn’t sure.
But if he could leave only the affection behind… If he could cut away the parts he disliked, little by little… If he could taint Bern just a little—no if he could train him properly…
Jed cheerfully opened the door.
“A bit of a problem has come up.”
Bern’s eyes widened.
Raina was there, pale and frightened like a ghost.
But beside her, tied up and unconscious, were two men.
They wore the uniforms of House Demeter’s knights.
His family’s knights.
Bern’s mind raced.
His father had sent knights to harm Raina. There must have been a struggle to save her.
As expected, Jed explained.
“These two saw the real Raina. Just bad luck. I went through all that trouble to find a lookalike corpse and trick your father, but now the whole plan could fall apart. I couldn’t just let that happen, so I brought them here.”
Jed casually ran his thumb across his neck.
“The best way to solve this is to kill them.”
Then he shrugged.
“But they’re your family’s knights, not mine. I’ll let you decide what to do.”
Jed waited patiently, watching Bern and the unconscious knights.
At first, Bern didn’t fully understand what Jed was saying.
But then it hit him.
His heart pounded violently.
Jed was waiting for him to choose.
Bern’s face hardened, and Jed’s expression flickered with subtle satisfaction.
Sure, keeping Raina under his control was an option. But that was too obvious, too boring.
Besides, Jed didn’t fully understand the strength—or the limits—of love.
He wasn’t foolish enough to rely on something as unpredictable as romance.
“And if I did that, Bern would start to hate me.”
And Jed didn’t hate Bern. He rather liked him.
That’s why he chose this method.
Bern felt as though he was sinking into a swamp.
But he couldn’t run away. Raina was here. He had to protect her.
Jed had said he could let the knights go.
But they both knew that was a lie.
Raina knew it, too, though she had barely moved.
“If I let them go, no matter how long it takes… Raina will eventually die.”
Bern bit his lip so hard it bled.
Attacking was easy.
Defending was difficult—especially against his father.
Tricking him had worked once. But the same trick wouldn’t work twice.
Raina’s lips trembled as she tried to hold back tears.
“Hng… hngh… Bern…”
Jed understood.
It must be agonizing for her to stand there, silent, while others decided her fate.
In the dimly lit room, with her quiet sobs as the backdrop, Bern made his decision.
“Jed… Take her out of this room.”
After a long silence, Bern spoke.
Understanding his intent, Jed politely took Raina outside.
Sometime later, Bern emerged.
His white gloves were stained with blood.
The scent of death seeped from the room behind him.
He walked up to Raina and lowered his head onto her shoulder.
Then, with bloodied hands, he embraced her.
His stained fingers left red streaks on her dress.
“It’s okay. Don’t cry, Raina. I’ll protect you.”
Raina, unable even to tremble, hugged him back.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”
Her broken whispers fell over his bowed head like a prayer.
Jed, watching, suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, by the way. That stand-in for Raina? She wasn’t dead.”
Bern froze.
“She was alive.”
Jed grinned. His red eyes curved in the darkness.
“But don’t worry, right? You don’t mind, do you?”
Then, with a bright smile, he asked,
“Anyway, need help burying the bodies?”
The spring sunlight was harsh.
The season was shifting from spring to summer.
The sky was dotted with lace-like clouds, and the warm air carried the scents of grass and soil.
Inside the bumpy carriage, I glanced at my mother.
In the capital, roads were paved with stone, so I wasn’t used to such a rough ride.
Noticing my gaze, she spoke.
“The roads outside the capital aren’t as smooth. You might find the journey uncomfortable. Try to get some rest.”
I nodded at her suggestion.
We were traveling to a hot spring for her recovery.
It felt both awkward and exciting.
But I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Besides, my mother herself sat perfectly upright, spine rigid, her expression unreadable.
Even as the carriage shook, she remained composed—almost like a painting.
Then she turned to me.
“If you have something to say, say it properly.”
I flinched.
I thought I had been sneaking glances at her, but she had noticed everything.
My ears burned with embarrassment.
“I… No, I don’t have anything to say.”
She seemed like she wanted to say more but held back.
A rare moment of kindness.
Even so, I suddenly wanted to escape this carriage.
Why did I always feel so tense around her?
At some point, I must have do Jed off.
When I woke up, the sky was painted with the colors of sunset.
Across from me, my mother was reading a book.
Its cover was adorned with golden vines.
I was curious.
I tilted my head slightly, trying to read the title.
H… Huang… Palace…? Something about the palace?
Before I could read further, she snapped the book shut.
“You… You’re awake?”
At that moment, I caught the full title.
Flowers Blooming in the Palace
It sounded like a romance novel.
I felt like I had seen something I wasn’t supposed to.
Flustered, I nodded.
“Yes… Yes.”
She quickly tucked the book into the carriage’s storage compartment.
An awkward silence followed.
And then it hit me.
She doesn’t like being around people.
Even with her child.
That’s just how she was.
But she likes romance novels? That didn’t seem like her at all.
She suddenly spoke.
“I know it’s foolish.”
I was startled.
“N-No! Not at all!”
I turned to look at her—her ears were red.
Oh. So that’s where I got it from.
I quickly looked away and murmured,
“I just… I just wanted to read one too.”
That was a lie. I never liked romance novels.
Then, to my surprise, she asked,
“Would you like to read it?”
