｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Gon ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
**Chapter 37**
“The Duke of Veriter has secretly moved toward the prince’s estate .”
At Harvan’s words, Carver put down the pen he was using to sign documents without saying a word. His calm expression surprised Harvan, who raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“I thought he would rush out immediately.”
Seeing that he hadn’t risen from his seat, it seemed that today would pass quietly.
“Aren’t you going to go?”
Harvan couldn’t hide his joy, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. It was a comment made out of nervousness, not out of sincerity.
“Didn’t you report it to me only after the situation was already over?”
Carver glanced at the clock. At least an hour or two must have passed.
“Otherwise, Your Highness wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
Though it wasn’t intentional, Carver thought it was for the best. When it came to Riley, Carver often lost his rationality.
“It seems my previous warning wasn’t strong enough. I should have cut off his legs.”
Carver had anticipated that the Duke of Veriter would not obey him easily, but hearing it firsthand made him feel worse.
“He’s still a noble, after all. You need to think about the consequences.”
Harvan added, worried that Carver might actually decide to cut off the Duke’s legs later. Carver ignored Harvan’s nagging and looked out the window.
“It seems I’ll have to meet him.”
He couldn’t wait any longer.
The trial against Riley and the fact that she was staying there were both unsettling. Riley had suggested they would talk about that later, but who knew when that would be?
In the end, Carver decided that he had no choice but to go himself.
“Inform the Prince’s estate that I will visit in two days.”
“They won’t like it.”
Harvan flatly refused, expressing his disapproval, to which Carver responded by pulling out a document and placing it on the desk.
“It’s regarding the property division lawsuit.”
“They’ll like it even less.”
“…I must have been too lenient lately.”
Carver smiled faintly as he looked at the document on the desk. A shiver ran down Harvan’s spine, and he quickly turned and distanced himself from Carver.
“I’ll deliver the message right away.”
“If you do it well, I can guarantee the safety of these documents on my desk.”
Using work as a hostage! Harvan reluctantly left the office.
* * *
After the Duke (Theo) was locked in his room, Riley roamed the main house as if it were her own. There was no time to waste, as she needed to find a way to get a handle on the financial situation or anything else she could use.
“I was too restrained.”
The property division lawsuit, in other words, the alimony case, was approaching. Although Ren had been looking into it on her behalf, there were limits.
“What do you think?”
Riley asked as she slumped into a chair with a sigh, pausing from rifling through the desk.
“That he wasn’t as much of an idiot as we thought?”
“A person of his rank should have at least that much intelligence if he wants to maintain his family.”
Theo’s reputation and trust were more solid than expected. Although the scandal caused a stir, gossip was quickly overshadowed by other stories.
The social world was filled with a continuous stream of events.
For example, the problems between Duke Veriter and the royal family. Or rumors about Carver’s succession to the throne.
“Why are there rumors about Carver’s succession when he is the legitimate heir?”
Riley tilted her head in confusion as she flipped through the newspaper.
Carver, whom she had known since childhood, excelled in both academics and etiquette. There were no flaws in his qualifications.
“An uninvited guest is coming.”
Ren disappeared as he informed Riley.
“Who could it be? It’s obvious without even looking.”
Riley blinked, staring at the door. She had expected someone to come storming in right after the Duke was forcibly confined to his room, but she had spent three days quietly in her room without a word.
She had hidden her claws and held her breath.
“What are you doing right now?!”
At that moment, Anna burst through the door and shouted.
Inside the room, the documents that had been scattered around were now neatly organized. Only Riley sat in a chair, staring at her calmly.
She bribed the servants to keep an eye on Riley. Using the excuse that she needed to properly host guests while her husband was ill, she patted her own stomach once.
Currently, the official duchess was Anna. When the Duke was away, she was the mistress of this place. The attendants, unable to disobey her, reported everything they observed about Riley to Anna.
“It seems you’ve forgotten, Riley, but you’re just a guest here. As long as Theo isn’t around, I’m the mistress,” Anna said, lifting her chin and looking down at Riley. Anna continued to question her, unaware of what Riley actually knew.
“What were you looking for in the office? Do I need to call the guards to make you confess your true intentions for being here?”
She wanted to kick her out immediately, but she couldn’t. Anna had seen with her own eyes that the royal family was behind Riley.
Hadn’t the Crown Prince personally intervened to make sure Riley divorced Theo?
“Anna, it’s just the two of us here.”
“S-so what!”
Without realizing it, Anna swallowed dryly as memories of that day resurfaced. Whenever she was alone with Riley, an inexplicable fear took hold of her.
“I sometimes imagine what my life would have been like if you hadn’t come here that day,” Riley said as she stood up and lightly ran her fingers across the desk.
“I wonder if I would have been happier if my child hadn’t died.”
“Ha! Do you think that was my fault? You would have been miserable anyway!” Anna shouted, stepping back in retreat. As long as she was married to Theo, Riley’s future would have been unhappy, regardless of Anna’s involvement.
What Theo wanted wasn’t Riley, nor Anna, but simply a reason to leverage another family’s power. He needed a child to continue his lineage and support him.
Theo had no choice but to marry Anna due to the pressure from society and the Crown Prince.
“But does that even matter?”
Fate continued to circle around Riley, slowly tightening its grip on her. No matter what she wanted, her life kept flowing in an unwanted direction.
Losing her child, and being forced into a contract with the sword—these were all parts of her fate that she couldn’t change.
“My misfortune is in the past, but what about yours, Anna?” Riley asked, staring straight at her. She walked directly toward Anna, who stumbled back and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer.
Thud—
Riley gently touched Anna’s swollen belly and smiled darkly.
“When you have much to protect, you also have much to fear.”
Anna’s face turned pale at Riley’s words. Unlike Riley, who had nothing left to lose, Anna had much to protect: her hard-earned position as Duchess, the child in her belly, and everything she possessed.
“Unlike you, I have nothing left now.”
If Anna had only focused on protecting her child, things might have been different. But Riley was certain that Anna wouldn’t be able to let go of everything else.
Anna collapsed to the floor as if her strength had left her. She didn’t want to go back to where she had come from, nor could she bear the thought of losing everything.
Gritting her teeth, she said, “I won’t let things go the way you want them to!”
Riley left the office and returned to her room, hearing Anna’s voice full of malice behind her. Imagining Anna trembling in fear, Riley thought she would sleep well tonight.
Riley stared at the letter in her hand without opening it. Judging by the seal, it was undoubtedly from Carver.
“How long are you just going to glare at it?”
Ren asked, fixing his gaze on the envelope that had come with the letter. It likely contained information that Riley needed.
“Then, at least open the documents.”
“If he sent them together, there must be a reason. He probably thinks that once I see this, I’ll have no choice but to read the letter.”
Unfortunately, she was right. Carver knew Riley better than she expected.
“Why don’t you meet him?”
Ren wasn’t particularly eager for Riley to meet Carver. Yet, he suggested it because he wanted her to leave this place as soon as possible.
The longer she stayed, the more disadvantaged she would become.
“We can’t keep him locked up forever.”
If Anna started to act, or if the attendants began to grow suspicious, everything could turn against Riley.
“He’s smart, which is probably why he’s been so quiet and obedient.”
Theo had been thinking hard about how to escape. Two days after being confined, he started behaving as if nothing had happened, complying with everything.
“I know. It’s just that….” Riley’s face clouded over. She knew all too well that she couldn’t delay any longer.
Finally, she slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the documents. The papers were neatly organized and revealed everything Riley had been desperately trying to uncover about Theo.
[I know you don’t like this method, but I had to meet you, even if it was this way.]
As she turned the pages, she noticed handwriting at the end that seemed to belong to Carver. Riley read the words carefully, then suddenly stood up.
“…Carver can control mana?”
[Riley, you don’t need to become a sword for my sake. Fate has already changed.]
Carver’s final words shook Riley deeply.
