127. Sword and Shield

“Lady Arin, it seems you might be misunderstanding.”

I sighed deeply, but she didn’t notice, lost in her thoughts.

“Hmm, indeed. Merely bestowing a title isn’t enough. To be an empress, it’s not just about bloodline. They will eventually provide the rest, won’t they?”

The repeated misunderstanding made my throat dry, and I gulped down the tea in front of me. As I set the teacup back onto the saucer with a clink, Elizabeth suddenly turned to me, as if she had remembered something.

“Have you greeted my sister? Isella has been eager to meet you. She asked me to introduce you first if we ever met.”

“Me?”

It could have been just a polite remark, but hearing that Isella wanted to see me was unexpected.

“My sister is probably playing cards right now. She attends every possible gathering to prosper her territory.”

“Her territory? Has she been granted a Estate too?”

“Yes, she received the beautiful Estate Vechia. Although Isella chose it because it appeared robust and steadfast.”

Elizabeth pointed in Isella’s direction and gestured for me to go. She even gave me a gentle push on the back.

I started walking in the direction she indicated.

If I stayed in the Empire after receiving a new title, I knew I would eventually face her. She was the flower of society, invited to every party.

But with each step closer, tension mounted. Although my relationship with Deon was ostensibly settled, it was hard to predict the future.

Noble marriages could fall through several times a year, but their emotions weren’t so easily resolved.

I recalled the last moment I faced her, standing in the same dress at a ball.

Pretending everything was fine was impossible. Meeting Isella still felt uncomfortable.

I resolved to exchange brief greetings and leave quickly.

In the direction Elizabeth pointed, people were watching a card game in the shade. A man set down the cigar he had been smoking.

Through the hazy smoke, I saw the cards and her bright smile.

Once a woman who swept through social circles. Now known as the Marchioness of Vechia.

Isella was still beautiful.

Her sharp jawline and lips burning as red as her hair made her look full of life. But now, something disrupted the harmony of her face.

As she laughed and slightly puckered her lips, a mark became more pronounced.

A large scar crossing her eyes and nose. A red line visible.

A family like the Snowa would have called for a doctor or even a mage. Yet, no tool could conceal the deep scar on her face.

I stood still, staring at her. Noticing my presence, Isella turned around, pushing her hat back. She smiled kindly upon seeing me.

But even seeing her smile, I couldn’t muster a laugh. Anyone with a keen eye could guess the reason for that scar.

I had considered that she might have encountered trouble after Edan’s request, but I hadn’t expected such a dreadful scar to remain.

My fingers, holding the dress, began to tremble. I clenched the fabric tightly.

“Lady Leonie, it’s been a long time. I heard you safely returned through Beaumon Gate.”

Isella was the first to greet me warmly.

I wanted to respond, but my tongue felt stiff, refusing to move. Fearing I might stammer, I couldn’t easily open my mouth, and she gave a mischievous smile.

“The equivalent exchange was definite. I got what I wanted. So, don’t make that face.”

Noticing my pale complexion, she laughed lightly.

“Surely, you don’t pity me?”

“Of course not.”

I quickly waved my hand. I had never pitied her. I wasn’t in any position to. If anything, I had envied her.

This was it.

The true meaning behind Edan’s words.

The reason he had told me not to feel guilty if I ever met Isella was now becoming clear.

And just as Edan feared, it seemed impossible for me not to feel guilty seeing her. My heart started to ache.

“Knights usually gain power and status from their wounds on the battlefield, don’t they? I decided to think of it the same way. My scar is a mark of honor, so there’s no need to worry. Besides…”

She spoke skillfully now, calmly trying to reassure me.

“I am already a marchioness, independent and holding power. I no longer need to maintain my appearance for the sake of a marriage transaction.”

Isella pointed to the sofa across from her.

As she set down the cards she was holding, the onlookers scattered. At least inside this tent, it was just the two of us.

After ensuring no one was around to eavesdrop, I asked the question that had been on my mind.

“How did you get hurt?”

“It was a moment of carelessness. Before ascending the throne, thinking everything was over, I let my guard down and was cut deeply.”

Her gaze was warm, showing no trace of reproach towards me.

I was scared. It felt like the blade that wounded Isella had come from me. I hastily wet my dry lips.

“It happened because I left. If I had stayed in the capital, you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

When I muttered softly, she frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you hurt because I, the decoy, disappeared?”

That scar was originally meant for me. I was always meant to be her shield.

In a barely audible voice, I confessed everything I had kept hidden.

“Oh.”

She let out a short sound and then burst into laughter.

Why was she laughing?

I looked at her, bewildered by her sudden laughter.

She pulled out a handkerchief, wiping away the tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes, and leaned back in her chair.

“A decoy… I did mention being a shield once. I didn’t know you heard it.”

She reminisced about the memories in the Imperial Palace.

“But I think you’re misunderstanding something. The shield is me.”

“…What?”

“Have you still not heard about the deal regarding you and His Majesty?”

A deal? I was taken aback.

“A deal involving me?”

She sighed as she looked at me.

“Did you know there was a spy in the Imperial Palace?”

“Edan told me.”

I had heard a snippet about it when I stayed at Edan’s mansion after returning to the capital. I never got to follow up as Edan left to handle his work, and I ended up confronting Deon.

“The Imperial Palace was filled with spies sent by various nobles, unable to unite even amongst themselves. But in this chaotic situation, they had one common thought. They saw you as a vulnerability to Prince Deon.”

Isella paused for a moment, seeing the pensive look on my face, and smiled slightly.

“So, it was necessary to divert their attention. Someone who could settle in the capital, someone who resembled you in appearance, and someone whose family ties were so strong they would never betray. A perfect shield for you… I was chosen.”

I swallowed hard, feeling as if the blood had drained from my entire body.

Her words unraveled the chaotic thoughts in my mind, making everything more disordered with each sentence.

“After you left, assassins came to the palace every night through the windows, as if they were waiting. I was exhausted from the constant disturbances to my sleep.”

Though her voice carried a hint of complaint, I couldn’t fully absorb it. The terms of the deal they made regarding me echoed persistently in my mind.

“How many spies did we have to block within the palace?”

Faces of countless servants who passed by while I stayed in the palace slowly resurfaced. The maids who pinned my dress, the kitchen staff who served food, the coachmen, and the knights who opened doors.

“Probably every single person you’re thinking of right now. Everyone in the palace, they were all suspects.”

As if reading my mind, she provided a direct answer.

“When we sent you into hiding, we only kept a few carefully vetted and trustworthy individuals around you.”

My heart pounded at her words.

So that was it. Now I understood why he was so angry when I had returned to the Imperial Palace without notice. It felt like my head was being hit with a blunt object.

I clung tightly to the edge of the table, struggling to pull myself out of the deep abyss of my thoughts.

I felt I needed to offer some belated words of consolation, but no words came to mind.

The scar was already there. It had left a mark on all of us involved in this matter.

No words could erase the scars. Not from Isella’s face, not from my heart, nor from Deon, who had been at the center of it all. Realizing this, I found myself unable to speak.

“Lady Leonie, I anticipated there would be some danger to my person when we made the deal. So, you don’t need to worry about my scars. I was prepared for it when I accepted the terms. Besides, I gained the marquisate and independence from my family.”

She reassured me with an unexpectedly kind tone.

“But it was surprising. I had warned Prince Deon that if security became lax, you would flee. No one takes pleasure in shedding blood.”

She leaned on her arm, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at me.

“Yet contrary to my expectations, you stayed by His Majesty’s side. And Prince Deon seemed confident that you wouldn’t run away. Whether it was foresight, dullness, or perhaps the bond between you two was stronger than I thought…”

Despite the scar, she still looked like a lovely girl. The scar on her face almost seemed like a dimple.

“When His Majesty made the conditions, he said I must protect the bloodlines, but it seemed that wasn’t all there was to it. Did you feel the same way?”

I couldn’t answer her easily.

It might have started that way, but it wasn’t the same by the end.

In the end, I had run away. Escaping the barrier they had erected, to a place beyond their reach.

“So, the operation started with fake information in the gossip columns… is that true?”

“It made sense to spread rumors that he kept a red-haired lady as his mistress out of longing for you. It was effective in blocking their ears. Quite effective. My scar proves that they fell for it.”

Isella pointed at her prominent scar with a bright smile.

Finally, I could face the scar she pointed to. The face I hadn’t been able to look at closely due to guilt.

Her nose and cheeks bore red marks.

The wounds had healed and new skin had grown, but the fine lines had not completely closed.

Yet, even such scars couldn’t overshadow her beauty.

“The problem is… you were deceived too. I advised him to build trust. So, I’m not to blame for that part. I was too busy to meddle in someone else’s love affair.”

Isella drew a clear line with a firm tone. She then began to organize the cards she had been holding.

Her cards were strong enough to instantly overpower her opponent.