Episode 84

“Are you alright?”

Chris asked as he carefully held my hand. We were inside the carriage, heading back to the Grand Duke’s estate.

Servi had screamed and resisted, but the final blow had sealed it.

‘This is overstepping! How can you take away a criminal of our house—!’
‘Then I’ll send a letter to the Duke. I hear he’s away—where shall I send it?’
‘…!’
‘Since Duke Reinhardt is the head of House Reinhardt, I’ll formally request the release of my fiancée.’
‘W-What…’

From Servi’s reaction alone, it was clear I’d been right—the Duke didn’t know about any of this.

This was all a scheme by Seth, Servi, and Aria. Whether it was an act or real poison had been involved didn’t matter.

If it was real, it only made their crime worse.

Chris had followed up with,

‘I’m sure the Duke would have her released.’
‘…….’
‘According to Lady Aria Reinhardt, the Duke is the one who most desires my union with Lady Mindia.’
‘T-That’s…!’

There was weight in his words.

A blatant reveal that Chris may have discovered the Duke’s sinister intentions.

The Crown Prince had burst out laughing, and Servi clenched his fists once more.

Creak.

At last, the dungeon door opened. Though Servi continued grinding his teeth, he said nothing. We left him behind as we stepped outside.

Though I’d only been in that prison for half a day, the fresh air outside felt overwhelmingly sweet. My body trembled as the tension finally caught up with me.

‘Hey, Lady.’

The Crown Prince watched silently as Chris supported me out, then smiled slyly.

‘Truly delightful.’
‘…?’
‘I heard wonderful news today.’

I had no idea what he found so delightful, or what “wonderful news” he was referring to. His cryptic, whimsical words made me wonder if he’d finally gone mad.

I frowned slightly, and the Crown Prince’s blue eyes gleamed as he whispered,

‘I’ll send a letter soon. This time, make sure you read it.’

He must’ve taken offense when I returned his note unopened back at the summer villa.

Only after all that chaos did I finally get to sit in this carriage. Exhaustion washed over me. I replied to Chris softly.

“More importantly, Your Grace…”

I was troubled by how he’d stepped in to shield me today, how he’d spoken as if he knew the Duke’s true intent.

If Chris remained by my side after revealing that, the Duke might start to suspect us…

‘He might try to pressure Chris.’

The Duke was a sly, cunning man. If he sensed the bond between Chris and me, he might use that against him.

Part of me regretted not handling this alone. I could’ve escaped through negotiation, not like this.

“Your Grace, if you come for me like this…”

“I asked if you’re alright.”

Chris interrupted me—much quicker than usual. I hurried to reply.

“Yes, I’m fine. But more importantly—”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Your Grace, I really—”

“You always say you’re fine, even when you’re not.”

“…Your Grace?”

Chris didn’t answer. Instead, he tightened his grip on my hand.

“……”

Only then did I realize my hand was still shaking.

Maybe telling myself the dungeon was “fine” had been just another way to cope, like Ulrico had.

Telling myself I was used to such places—that it was like home, familiar.

‘…It wasn’t.’

I had only endured because I had memories with Chris there. If we hadn’t shared that prison, I’d have never met him.

A prison without him… was terrifying.

Even earlier, I hadn’t noticed it myself. Whispering that it was better than the palace dungeon, convincing myself, like a mantra.

Now, finally safe by Chris’s side, I let out a sigh of relief without meaning to.

I instinctively leaned my head against him. Chris let out a hoarse breath.

“I hate seeing you in a place like that.”

“……”

His shoulder, where I rested, felt inexplicably warm.

Chris opened his arm to draw me into his embrace. My head touched his firm chest.

As his arm wrapped around my shoulders and back, a lump welled in my throat. I wanted to cry—yet didn’t want to, not in front of him. The conflicting emotions burst forth uncontrollably.

“Your Grace, I…”

“Mindia.”

The way he said my name—it sounded different.

“I’ll never let you end up in a place like that again.”

“…Chris.”

His name escaped my lips without thought. His hand, tightly holding my wrist instead of cold shackles, felt vivid.

“Never again.”

That hand, once hot like a shackle, now covered mine. I let his fingers slip between mine, interlacing them. My heart thundered in my ears.

“I’ll never leave you alone in a place like that.”

I buried my desperate wish deep inside, where I always had. The wish I could never voice.

As the carriage rolled forward, rain poured outside, fiercely, as if washing everything clean.

* * *

“Damn you, Sethril Reinhardt!”

Crash!

With a deafening clatter, furniture flew across the young duke’s office. Servi, unable to contain his fury, had thrown everything within reach. The mess scattered across the floor.

Seth, watching it all, didn’t flinch. Instead, he smirked, curling his lip.

“See, Brother?”

“What?”

“You’ve always acted so refined, but when you’re angry, you lash out just like me. I suppose that’s proof I’m truly your brother—”

“Shut up!”

Servi was busy trying to cool his boiling temper. He scrubbed his face repeatedly with his hands, then glared at Seth.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“The Grand Duke just took Mindia.”

Only then did Seth’s face twist in frustration. He hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of the wretched girl locked in that dungeon. And it was Servi’s fault for not letting him go near it.

“Brother! How could you let that happen?”

“You tell me the truth!”

Servi growled through clenched teeth.

“That wine—turns out it was Aria’s gift to the Grand Duke. He refused to take it.”

“What! He rejected Aria’s gift in front of everyone?”

Seth trembled in fury.

“Can you imagine how hurt Aria must have been, Brother?”

“That’s not the issue right now!”

“How is that not the issue?! Are you planning to punish Aria? It’s that Grand Duke bastard’s fault for refusing the wine—not hers!”

“You’re the one who poisoned it.”

At the sharp accusation, Seth paled. Servi spoke with raw intensity.

“It doesn’t add up. There’s no way poison could’ve been slipped into a sealed bottle in front of everyone.”

“……”

“Which means, like the Grand Duke said, someone poisoned it beforehand. Isn’t that right?”

Grit. The sound of teeth grinding echoed in the air.

“Are you suspecting me now?”

“Do you think Aria—the sweet girl she is—would’ve poisoned that wine?”

Bang!

Servi slammed the desk so hard it cracked. Both of them were beyond reasoning now, voices escalating.

“Wasn’t it your poison that harmed Aria, you fool?!”

“Fool, fool! That’s all you ever say to me, isn’t it, Brother?!”

“Is that what matters now? Because of your stupidity, the Grand Duke is suspicious! If he’d caught on that we poisoned the wine again, we wouldn’t be able to protest!”

Their shouting grew louder. Seth suddenly screamed in disgust.

“Your obsession with protests! That’s why you’re a coward, Brother.”

“What?”

“You’re so afraid of public opinion you can’t even make proper decisions when needed!”

“Ha!”

“Yes! I poisoned the wine! If you’d left it to me, the Grand Duke would be a corpse by now. You even used weak poison at the banquet on purpose!”

“Because I’m not a thoughtless, brainless fool like you!”

“You’ve said too much—!”

Their argument showed no sign of ending. Outside the office door, Aria’s expression grew colder.

“…Neither of you are any use to me.”

Neither Seth nor Servi was of any help anymore. If anything, they only dragged her down.

And poison in the wine meant for the Grand Duke? If he had accepted it—she shuddered at the thought of what would’ve happened next.

She could no longer trust them.

“…I’ll have to handle things myself from now on.”

Casting a frigid glance at the closed office door, Aria turned and walked back to her room.

And there was one more witness.

“……”

Butler Vermond had heard every word of the heated exchange within the young duke’s office.

“Hah…”

Even though the area was restricted, he had come to deliver a letter from the Duke himself. Hearing those voices had turned his face deathly pale.

‘All this was happening?’

He hadn’t known a thing—and now, Servi and the second son had spilled everything.

‘Did Uncle Harold know about this?’

Suppressing a hiccup, Vermond stepped back. There had to be a reason Harold left this place. Meanwhile, a voice suspiciously like Harold’s whispered in his heart.

‘Could this… be profitable?’

Vermond already disliked the ducal house. His back still ached from where Seth’s whip had grazed him.

‘Maybe…’

Before Servi noticed him, Vermond hurriedly fled.