Yeah, Raymon must have gotten it wrong. He was such a gentleman, and he had hardly ever been with a woman — Raymon, an active socialite, met more women than Lysianthus ever had.
Lysianthus was not surprised when Titania agreed to meet with him. Nor was he surprised when, instead of asking ‘why you and not Raymon,’ she graciously sat down at the table and sipped her tea. She must have been pissed, but she ignored his taunts with averted eyes.
However.
‘…I threw water on the fire, shouldn’t it go out?’
There was something wrong about the fact that instead of pouring tea on him, she had poured tea on the burning branch. He also saw green eyes looking at him as if to say, ‘What’s wrong?’
His brother’s aide had been fussing about how strange the princess was, and he really wanted to see if there was something in the tree where she’d hit her head, so he’d gone and taken a branch from there. Also, to give her a hard time… He had used a little more power than he should have.
The flames that he usually lit were just like any ordinary fire. Anyone could extinguish them. However, the fire that he had created now using excessive power should have been able to stay lit for dozens of minutes, even if it was doused with water or covered with dirt.
After lighting the branch, he almost felt dizzy. That’s how much power he had used.
Thinking about it, he shouldn’t have made such a show of ‘power’ in the Imperial Palace. It was just an ordinary red flame, but it was not the kind of fire that could be extinguished easily, because it took a lot of energy. But it had been a perfect way to annoy his audience, as no one could tell how much power he had used unless they had the same ability.
Suddenly, however, he grew worried.
Should he just pretend it was nothing and let it go?
…But the fire was extinguished in an instant, with only a teacup’s worth of water sprinkled by the Princess. This was ridiculous. It may not have been a blue flame, but it was a flame that contained quite a bit of power.
There was no way she could have realized her divine power at this point. And even if she did, there was no way she could use it so easily and effortlessly. So, how could she extinguish the fire with only a teacup’s worth of liquid?
It was even weirder than the fact that she was using a forced respectful tone to address him. And she made it obvious as if to let him know it was a deliberate act.
Titania had always been frightened by Lysianthus. But now, Titania acted like she was treating him like a nuisance. The pride she used to put her life on the line for was gone, and she was eating scones with her bare hands and slouching all over her seat.
No, if that was all there was to it, he wouldn’t have noticed.
Titania’s eyes instantly turned fierce as she realized the contents of the envelope his father had requested he hand over.
She studied the badge thoughtfully, her fingers running over the items. And as soon as she saw the crest, she seemed certain of the card’s nature. Lysianthus watched in astonishment.
Even if his father had given that card to Titania, Lysianthus had thought it was a bit excessive. Would she even know what it was? Would she accuse him of sending her something strange and throw it away? What if <Hecate’s Tavern> complained to them about letting that precious card just lie around?
<Hecate’s Tavern> was expensive, and its existence a closely guarded secret. When the head of a high-ranking noble family who had served the Empire for generations passed on his title, he would only reveal it to his heir. Though no one knew it, the organization was related to House Castraine’s bloodline. So they were friendly to House Castraine, but other than that, they were neither familiar nor friendly.
And after accepting the items, Titania surprised Lysianthus again by asking for details.
Like, really, she was just going over a normal bank statement. That surprised him greatly.
‘Tell him thank you.’
Her eyes were thoughtful. He couldn’t imagine them as Titania’s eyes. Eyes that were contemplating something so profound and far away. It was both amazing and strangely unsettling at the same time.
Who was that woman?
‘…Are you Titania?’
The Titania he knew was selfish, stupid, and lacking any common sense. Someone who was obsessed to death with Raymon… He couldn’t help but find her immature and childish…
Just then, Titania looked up and at Lysianthus. She had a strange look in her eyes. They were damp and cold, like moss on a dead man’s tombstone. Until now, Lysianthus had thought Titania beautiful, but he had found her appearance to be very useless.
A doll was a doll, no matter how pretty she would be.
But now, Titania looked like someone else. She felt as if she were a statue in a temple. Her light-colored hair swayed like a veil, like frost that had fallen on a harvested wheat field. Her green eyes, like olives hovering in a drink, glowed brightly.
‘No. Titania is dead.’
Then he laughed, a crooked, mischievous laugh.
‘So what we’re dealing with is Titania’s ghost.’
* * *
Just then, Lysianthus saw a strange vision.
There was blood everywhere. ‘Lysianthus’ was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, ignoring the sting of the scalding temperature. Everything around him was slippery, hot, and humid. It was hard to breathe.
-Ah, no, no, no!
Before his eyes…
A woman was wailing. Her long hair was sloppily chopped on one side, and her flailing limbs were marked with clear wounds. Her blood-soaked, thrashing body crawled across the ground as if trying to escape. As he watched, he heard himself grit his teeth and spit out a curse.
-No, really! I didn’t know it was poisoned! I just…!
-Don’t be ridiculous.
The arm that had been swinging the sword without hesitation at the defenseless woman suddenly stopped. He could see the tendons in his forearms bulging with the force that was exerted.
-Didn’t know it was poisoned? You stupid bitch.
–…
-You didn’t care that it was poisoned. No, you are too stupid to care about such things. You want everything Raymon loves erased from the world, don’t you? You don’t want anyone else in this world but you and my brother, do you?
-Ah, no, no, no… It wasn’t like that…
-Don’t be ridiculous.
Killing would be too merciful. Already, her life here was no better than that of a worm. When he realized this, he hammered the last nail into her coffin.
-You are rotten to the core, a corrupted seed, even if you were to die and be reborn. No matter what happens, it will never change that.
The dazed green eyes widened. Her face, a mess of tears, ashes, and blood, froze like a taxidermied animal.
-You can’t ever have Raymon’s love.
He thought it was ridiculous. She’s already lost everything. She had nothing. This was just a way to vent his anger. The real mastermind behind all this was laughing somewhere from the sidelines. She was too stupid to realize she had been used as a tool and brought herself to that point. He despised her with all his heart, but to have her stoop to this level at the mere mention of Raymon’s name…
It was not a pleasant sight.
How could a woman, no. How could a human being be so stupid? His heart was boiling inside his chest. Nothing seemed to be able to cool it down.
-It would have been better for you if it had never happened in the first place!
Click. The sound of something clicking into place.
* * *
“Why are you looking so pensive, Lord Lysianthus?”
“…”
Lysianthus blinked his dazed eyes. What had he just seen? What…
The image of the woman crying out in blood overlapped with the image of the girl staring questioningly in front of him. Sure enough, they looked similar. The woman crying in a messy, dirty, ruined state had been blurry but had light blonde hair and green eyes.
But it was impossible to think of them as the same person. It was as if all the light in the world had been taken away from her, leaving her in the darkness…
Titania continued to prod Lysianthus, who was still gripped by a strange feeling and could barely think straight.
“Did Duke Castraine tell you anything else?”
“No.”
“Then, indeed, you came to deliver the price of the deal?”
He had thought things had somewhat changed, but did she really expect Raymon to come in person? Lysianthus opened his mouth in irritation, the sudden thought making him forget his earlier mood.
“Well, other than that, what else did you want…”
“Then why don’t you play mad dog before you go.”
“…What?”
Titania grinned like a child ready to play a bad prank. Lysianthus could swear he had never seen her look so amused.
“Let’s make sure everyone doesn’t forget what happens when we meet, shall we?”
