ICM Chapter 60

I understood now—why Weive had personally chosen a virtually orphaned woman as his son’s spouse. Perhaps Weive knew this fact and wanted to thoroughly prevent any outside family interference.

I wonder when Drushia will realize this truth.

If he asks about the origin of the necklace, what should I answer?

One fortunate thing was that no one except Ashika herself knew why the necklace was in her possession. The original owner had kept it hidden even from Weive, who was close to her.

As these thoughts settled, my frantically beating heart began to calm.

When I finally regained my composure, deep blue eyes were right in front of me. I hadn’t even noticed when Drushia’s hands had begun cradling my face. I startled at the breath touching my skin.

“What’s wrong with you? Hmm?”

As Ashika tried to pull away in surprise, Drushia’s hands held her more firmly.

Eyes filled with genuine concern. When had his cold gaze changed like this? Why had this man’s face transformed this way? After they’d only shared their bodies a few times.

Fear suddenly gripped her. It felt as though the man’s attitude—something she thought impossible in reality—was increasingly resembling her dream. She was afraid it might even come to resemble her terrible nightmare.

Yet at the same time, she felt a desperate desire to feel his living heartbeat and share his body heat.

Ashika bit her lip.

Would it be better to ask him not to tell anyone about the necklace? Or should she just ignore it and move on? Would bringing it up only invite suspicion?

“Ashika?”

She couldn’t organize her thoughts. Couldn’t reach a conclusion. Ashika wrapped her arms around Drushia’s neck and pulled him close.

“Whatever you say…mmh.”

A small tongue pushed between their pressed lips. Though startled, Drushia didn’t push Ashika away. Even while knowing she was clearly trying to avoid answering, he found her softly entwining tongue endearing.

“Mmm… this is… nice.”

Their entangled tongues and her soft body pressing against him awakened his senses again. It felt like all his bodily sensations were being pulled into a swamp—a swamp of intensely powerful pleasure. Was it even possible to stop this?

Drushia embraced Ashika’s back, pressing their bodies together. A tingling sensation ran down his spine as they messily intertwined their tongues. Surrendering to the fading pleasure, Drushia cast aside his brief contemplation.

Nothing else mattered in this moment. He wanted this woman, and Ashika wanted him too. That passionate indulgence was all they wanted from each other. He thought that was enough.

****

Ashika glared at the black eyes she saw in the mirror. No matter how carefully she examined them, there was no trace of anything unusual in her glossy black eyes.

‘Not everyone in the imperial family or the Talions shows physical characteristics despite being family members.’

So there was no way to judge based on appearance alone.

Ever since hearing about the divine objects from Drushia, Ashika hadn’t been able to sleep. That was natural. This wasn’t just any issue—it concerned a noble family destroyed for treason.

‘I might be mistaken.’

Logically, it made no sense. Connecting her birth to an annihilated grand duke’s family based on just one necklace seemed like an excessive leap.

‘Grandfather would know.’

The fastest way to confirm the truth would be to ask Weive directly.

‘But would he really tell me the truth?’

If he asked how she found out, she’d have to mention the necklace, and she couldn’t predict his reaction. Wherever the truth lay, Weive would not tolerate Ashika digging into such matters.

‘I can’t tell. I absolutely must not tell.’

If Weive decided to take action, Ashika’s movements would be restricted. The situation could get worse than it already was.

Even though she wanted to dismiss it as a misunderstanding or an excessive leap, she couldn’t. The hallucinations she experienced weren’t simple nightmares, and the presence of the necklace was becoming more distinct as time passed.

It was similar to how a foggy consciousness gradually becomes clearer upon waking. No, it was even more intense, like her senses were heightened as if she’d taken a stimulant. It felt like it was sticking to her like a magnet, pushing her increasingly toward a state of heightened awareness.

Ashika took out the pendant hidden inside her clothes and held it in her hand.

In the sunlight, the jewel in the crude pendant emitted a mysterious blue-purple light. The two jewels covered in cracks, looking as if they might crumble at any moment, remained intact, while the remaining three jewels showed something like a cold silver-gray film.

Ashika gently rubbed the jewel with her fingertip. The slippery feeling was strange.

‘It’s like sliding over water.’

Not only did it reflect light uniquely, but the tactile sensation was also different.

‘It looks like a jewel, but it’s not a jewel.’

It felt like light captured and made into a solid form. Only after hearing about divine objects from Drushia did she realize this item was special. And that the three hallucinations she had experienced probably had some meaning.

But she couldn’t understand how its power worked. Ashika nervously tapped the window frame while examining the pendant over and over.

‘The first was at the imperial palace banquet, the second dream was on Palmred Street. And the third was outside the capital.’

They were exactly one month apart.

‘Is there a timing pattern?’

Although more than a month had passed since the third hallucination, no new ones had occurred.

‘There must be some condition.’

In the first and third hallucinations, she was with Drushia. In the second on Palmred Street, she hadn’t met him, but later confirmed he had been there.

‘It’s definitely connected to Rushia. And, ah…’

She forgot to ask what form the Talion divine object took. Perhaps the strange frame she had found in the palace was a divine object.

‘It’s unlikely to be the imperial family’s divine object that disappeared, more likely the Talion divine object that the emperor supposedly seized.’

If so, were the divine objects connected to each other? Did they have the same power because they were made of the same jewel? Or did they have the same function because they were connected to the same person?

Her chain of questions was interrupted by a knock.

“My lady, I’ve brought the curtains for replacement. May I come in now?”

At Ashika’s invitation, the door opened and five maids rushed in. Behind them, laundry servants were holding layers of new curtains.

“Is this the color you wanted, my lady?”

“That’s right. Have the furniture repairmen arrived too?”

“Yes, my lady. I instructed them to use part of the backyard as well because there wasn’t enough space in the carpentry workshop.”

“Good, well done.”

The entire household had been bustling yesterday and today. This was because the troubled Ashika had summoned the head maid and butler with unexpected instructions.

She had ordered furniture repairs, normally done once every year or two, along with curtain and sofa cleaning typically done twice a year in spring and autumn, all at once. The servants were suffering, working in the midsummer heat.

“I’ll be in the garden. Send someone when it’s done.”

“Yes, my lady. We’ll hang them beautifully.”

A young maid answered with a bright smile. As Ashika left the room, Julma, who had been waiting outside, approached.

“My lady, I’ve hired additional staff as you instructed.”

“Are you sure they’re trustworthy people?”

“They are vouched for by myself and Sir Berth.”

“Prioritize placing servants who have worked under my grandfather for a long time, especially those who might cross paths with me, in the annex.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Julma answered without asking for a reason.

Recently, Ashika had been doing things she’d never done before. Many of these shouldn’t reach her grandfather Weive’s ears. The most problematic was her relationship with Drushia.

So she created an excuse to hire people by turning the mansion upside down, using the opportunity to reassign the servants.

‘I never thought I’d be doing such things behind Grandfather’s back.’

She had always been an obedient granddaughter and heir who complied with Weive’s wishes. Because of this, Weive never interfered with Ashika’s personal life.

‘Or maybe he just wasn’t interested.’

Even Ashika didn’t know what Weive was thinking. He was an infinitely difficult person whose inner thoughts were hard to discern.

‘I have a lot to do from now on. I need to avoid Grandfather’s eyes as much as possible.’

A relationship where trust is difficult even among family. Ashika’s face turned bitter as she thought of Weive.

Servants were busily coming and going in the direction of the backyard. The spacious backyard was bustling as all the curtains, cushions, and even sofas from the entire mansion were taken out and spread.

“Won’t the Duke find this strange?”

“Well, I’ve been acting odd ever since I broke off my engagement. He’ll understand this in the same context. What can he do if I say I want to change the house atmosphere because I’m upset?”

“It’s just that so many people are involved because the mansion is so large.” Ashika replied calmly, looking at the busy backyard.

Suddenly, she noticed someone moving quickly beyond the piles of laundry and furniture. In the moment she thought “Oh,” the person disappeared from view.

“Aaaaah!”

It was in the direction the maid had just run. Startled servants stopped their work and looked up.

“What was that sound?”

“It’s coming from the laundry room, isn’t it?”

Loud noises were rare in the mansion. Ashika ran toward the sound along with the servants.

In the laundry room, there was a large wooden tub that could fit ten people. From there, filled with water, bubbles, and laundry, a woman was being lifted out like a limp piece of washing. Her collar was gripped in a man’s hand.