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chapter 21
“I’m sorry, but I want to be alone for a while.”
At Bliss’s words, Uriella showed a worried expression.
“I’m just so tired. I want to sleep deeply and wake up later.”
“Alright, let’s do that. But don’t take too long.”
At Reina’s words, Bliss weakly nodded.
“Then, let’s go.”
Pushed along by Reina, Uriella and Daisy left the room. They headed to the eldest sister Reina’s room to talk.
“For now, sit.”
Following Reina’s words, they all sat together around the table in the center of the room.
They lowered their voices, worried that Bliss might hear them.
“So, what exactly happened?”
Uriella’s head ached as she tried to figure out how Bliss’s ex-husband had found them, why things that hadn’t happened before her return were starting to change, and why the future seemed to be shifting bit by bit.
At that moment, a scene flashed through Uriella’s mind:
Not long after her marriage, her three sisters had suddenly gone on a trip without her, and stayed away for quite some time.
“Could it be that trip… even before my return, they had already gone?”
It was a plausible thought. If the Crown Prince hadn’t accidentally heard about it, he wouldn’t have known what had happened to Bliss.
“If it was my sisters and Daisy, maybe they did it to avoid worrying me. They acted as if nothing happened.”
“I don’t know. Suddenly a servant came and said it would be good to step outside for a bit. Someone claiming to be Bliss’s ex-husband had arrived, and they said his condition seemed a little strange.”
“A servant? No, if something like that happened, they should have reported it and told you not to go out. Who tells you to go check outside when someone’s condition is strange?”
“Huh? But it’s our problem.”
Reina seemed unaware of what the real problem was, and Daisy felt the same.
“Those people are employed for your convenience, Reina and Daisy.”
“I know that. Thanks to them, even if we do nothing, the cleaning and laundry are all taken care of.”
To Reina, servants were simply people who took care of household chores. Even though, when she was very young, the Longo household had servants and nannies, it was difficult for her to fully understand what their work entailed.
If it weren’t for Uriella’s two years living as the Duchess of Baraota, she would have thought the same.
“Sister, what the servants do isn’t just that. If it were only household chores, why would so many people strive to become servants in noble households?”
“They get paid well, and are treated nicely.”
“Exactly. Then why would they pay them so much if it were just chores?”
Reina said nothing, seemingly understanding Uriella’s point.
“They serve us, yes, but we shouldn’t expect unconditional sacrifice. If such a situation occurs, they should have told us not to come out of the room, no matter what sounds we heard. You should tell Reina to replace those servants.”
“…Huh? Do we really have to do that?”
Reina was projecting herself onto the servants.
“Yes, we must. There’s no guarantee it won’t happen again.”
“But since it’s the first time, if we just give them a warning—”
“No. They already knew they shouldn’t have done it, but they were too lazy to handle it properly. In other words, they ignored you and Daisy. If we let it slide once, there will be no end. It’s not a mistake—it’s intentional.”
All the staff working at the Longo sisters’ mansion had been trained and experienced at the Baraota estate. There was no way they did not know what they were doing.
That’s why Uriella was firm.
“The fact that man was acting strangely was exactly why they told you to check outside. What kind of servant behaves like that?”
Reina was a little taken aback. She had never seen Uriella so resolute.
“No matter what you or Daisy say, I’ll fire all of them. This concerns our safety.”
“Understood.”
Hearing Reina’s words, Uriella’s anger eased slightly.
“Good thinking. …So, you went out right after the servant told you?”
“Yes, the three of us went out together, and the man ran at Bliss. He looked like he was completely drunk.”
Just recalling the scene gave Reina goosebumps, and she shivered.
“We didn’t even have time to react when some men in knight uniforms suddenly appeared from somewhere and restrained him. After that, everything was handled. But is that man really Bliss’s ex-husband? I couldn’t bring myself to ask Bliss.”
“Yes.”
Uriella nodded slightly. She had learned the details from the Crown Prince on her way from the royal palace—about the Baraota family, their connections, and the story regarding Bliss’s ex-husband.
“This… is unbelievable.”
“For now, I’ll go see Reina. Both of you must be shaken; rest a bit.”
“Understood.”
Uriella stood and went to find the Duke of Baraota. He was coordinating with the security team, assessing and organizing the situation.
“Riel.”
“Ah, Rei. You’re here.”
“What’s going on?”
“I wanted to understand the situation.”
“We’ll need further investigation, but it seems he wasn’t drunk. Looks like he took a hallucinogenic drug. But the strange thing is, how did he know exactly where to come?”
The Duke was convinced there was someone behind this.
“We’ll assign guards, so this won’t happen again. That’s my promise.”
“Thank you. Also, please change the servants. They told us to go check outside even though they knew something was strange.”
“I’ll ask Victor to find replacements.”
Uriella nodded in acknowledgment.
“…But the Crown Prince was with him.”
“Yes, His Highness was at a dinner with the Emperor, and upon hearing the news, he escorted him here.”
“I see.”
The Duke did not ask further. It was said that the Crown Prince had done this as a courtesy during the meal, so there was nothing to question.
“Yes…”
Uriella felt heavy-hearted, as if lying. The Crown Prince had indeed accompanied and brought him, but he hadn’t mentioned a few things—such as the fact that he had not merely been helping out of kindness, but had been forced into a sort of date with her.
“Thank you. If it weren’t for the Crown Prince, I can’t imagine what would have happened to my sister…”
“Then, Riel, do me a favor.”
Normally, Uriella would have flatly refused, but this time she couldn’t.
“What favor?”
“You’ll do it?”
“…I should at least thank you since you helped.”
She could not imagine what would have happened without the Crown Prince’s intervention, so she decided to comply—as much as she could.
“Then give me some time.”
“Time?”
“Yes, Riel. You’ve always run away from me. For once, I want to spend time with you.”
“…I can’t give much time.”
Though not a full affirmation, the Crown Prince smiled as if he had everything in the world.
Seeing that, Uriella couldn’t help but soften toward him. He looked so similar to how she saw the Duke of Baraota. She only thought about how to distance herself from the Crown Prince and whether she should give herself up.
“I have to handle work, so why don’t you stay here with your sisters today?”
“I will.”
“Alright, then I’ll take my leave.”
Uriella gently held the Duke of Baraota’s wrist.
“Th-thank you.”
Meeting his gaze, she said it sincerely.
“I just did what I had to do. Don’t worry about it.”
He gently freed his wrist from her grasp.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t expect thanks.”
“Just acknowledging my feelings is already more than enough for me.”
The Crown Prince’s face showed clear excitement. Watching him, the Emperor felt heavy-hearted, knowing he wasn’t a perfect father. He couldn’t ignore such desperate emotions, but it was impossible love. He could not allow his son’s mistress to be the wife of the Duke of Baraota.
“And I’d like to be in charge of investigating this matter.”
“I’ll leave it to you. But don’t let personal feelings interfere.”
“Understood.”
“You must be tired. Leave for now.”
“Yes, thank you, Father.”
It was a rare moment where the gap between them seemed slightly bridged.
The Crown Prince left the audience chamber and headed straight for the interrogation room.
“Your Highness, you’re here.”
The knights respectfully greeted him.
“Has he regained his senses?”
“Yes, but he keeps repeating that he knows nothing.”
“Naturally. The nobles I mentioned—”
“They’re in the adjacent interrogation room. Both insist they have nothing to do with this, claiming innocence.”
The Crown Prince gave a cold smile.
“How can they be so consistent? That won’t save them from punishment. First, let’s meet the man claiming to be Bliss Longo’s ex-husband.”
“Yes, I’ll guide you.”
Following the knight, the Crown Prince entered the interrogation room, where a man sat bound. Though he must have heard the door, he lowered his head silently.
“Bow to His Highness.”
“Spare me.”
The Crown Prince waved off the knight.
“Don’t waste time. Sit here long and you gain nothing. Tell me everything you remember. It’ll be better for your well-being.”
“I really remember nothing. I woke up here! Didn’t that man say I was under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs? Who could remember anything clearly after that?”
“Is that so?”
The man nodded vigorously.
“Well, if you took that drug, that makes sense.”
The man secretly cheered, hopeful that he might escape the prison.
“But you should remember everything before taking the drug.”
The Crown Prince drew the sword from the knight’s waist, pointing it at the man’s neck.
“Isn’t that right?”
Though his tone seemed gentle, his eyes said otherwise. One wrong word and he could cut the man’s neck.
“Uh, some men came to my house! They said they’d show me how to become related to the Duke of Baraota.”
Faced with a life-threatening situation, the man began spilling everything he knew.
“They told me not to forget their help if I became related to the Duke. Then, as a congratulatory gesture, they offered me a drink, which I accepted. After that, I don’t remember anything.”
“So you remember their faces?”
“Of course! I remember them clearly.”
“Confirm whether they are the same men. And punish them anyway—they tried to insult the nobles.”
“What? Punish them?!”
The Crown Prince rose, seemingly done with the matter. His mind, however, was full of thoughts on how to make use of the precious time he had secured with Uriella.
