IGSJV 31

Chapter 31

Even in the moments when he was being abused by Moretti, Edmund had never lost his proud, almost stubborn dignity.

But now, Edmund was wearing an utterly dejected expression.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

I cautiously checked Edmund’s condition again and asked,

“Edmund, are you hurt somewhere and hiding it from me?”

“…What?”

Surprisingly, Edmund reacted to my question as if it were absurd.

And, unfortunately, the reactions around us were similar to Edmund’s.

“Miss—no, Young Madam! What are you saying! You’re the one who’s hurt!”

That was the wet nurse.

“And that’s right! Thankfully there are no visible wounds, but all of that shock must still be in Madam’s body!”

—the one who said that, surprisingly enough, was Willes.

‘Why is Willes worrying about me here?’

Ah, it seems my plan to spread rumors that I was harassing Edmund in his bedroom so that he’d be kept on standby worked out well.

‘Then was it Willes who took care of the assassins too?’

The two of them had seen Edmund deal with some, but handling the remaining three would have been too much.

Calling Willes in, and wearing a corset layered instead of armor, both seem to have been effective.

Thank goodness.

Edmund looked at me again with a flushed face, then pulled the blanket up to my neck to cover me and said,

“Stop talking nonsense and just sleep.”

“What nonsense did I say?”

“You’re the one who got hurt, and you’re asking me if I’m injured. If that’s not nonsense, what is?”

“That’s because your complexion and expression look really strange!”

Even if he were hurt, he’d never show it.

Like an injured wild animal that thinks being found out is a weakness.

“….”

Edmund pressed his lips tightly shut, as if he had nothing to say.

The corner of his mouth trembled slightly.

His hand was still firmly holding me down, so I couldn’t get up.

“…Enough. Go to sleep. Hurry.”

The wet nurse brought the medicine the doctor had left and fed it to me.

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

It wasn’t something fitting for an adult to say, but what could I do?

Right now, my body was that of a fourteen-year-old.

Ever since I became Cassia, my sense of taste seemed to have grown more sensitive.

They say children’s senses are sharper—guess that’s really true.

“What happened to the cleanup after the assassins?”

“We couldn’t hide that much. And after hearing your scream, people came, though it was late…”

So the news that assassins had broken in must have spread throughout the entire villa.

The servants must have handled the aftermath.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“The attack happened at dawn. It’s a little past noon now.”

Less time had passed than I’d expected. That was a relief.

‘I need to report this directly to the Duke.’

I tried to sit up abruptly—but Edmund stopped me.

“Eek! Let go!”

“No, why are you trying to get up again?!”

“I have something to do!”

“Do it after you sleep!”

“No!”

I struggled, trying to wriggle free from Edmund’s grip, but unfortunately, not even the wet nurse helped me.

‘I don’t have a single ally!’

In the end, it looked like I’d have to persuade Edmund directly.

Lowering my voice, I whispered to him.

“We need to send a carrier pigeon to the Duke.”

“…!”

Edmund’s expression darkened.

“If Uncle has already decided to kill me, there’s no point.”

“No. That’s not it.”

It seemed Edmund thought this attack was the Duke’s doing.

But it wasn’t.

“The Duke isn’t behind this attack.”

“The Duke isn’t the kind of man who’d find it strange to kill you along with me.”

“I know. But if it were the Duke, it wouldn’t be this sloppy.”

“I thought that was strange too, but…”

If it were the Duke, he’d stage an accident or poison him, then pin the blame on me—on Cassia.

‘That’s why he married me to Edmund in the first place.’

But I knew the truth because I’d read the original story.

‘The ones behind this assassination attempt are the Duchess and her natal family.’

Of course, I couldn’t say I knew this because I’d read the original.

So I conveyed the truth to Edmund with a suitably fabricated reason.

“The Duke ordered me to coax you or torment you until you revealed the secrets you refuse to tell. At the very least, the Duke doesn’t intend to kill you outright. Not yet.”

“……”

“But the Duchess is different.”

Edmund’s expression changed.

“My aunt?”

The boy’s face stiffened. After a brief moment of thought, he answered calmly.

“If it’s my aunt, it wouldn’t be strange for her to pull something like this…”

“When I visited the main house before, and when Baroness Lilipen visited recently, something felt off.”

After hesitating for a moment, Edmund asked,

“So… is that why you came to my bedroom?”

Well, considering I came fully armed with a corset and made a fuss about not letting him sleep for days, it was only natural he’d guess.

‘And this is exactly the kind of thing you really need to take credit for! Do you know how hard this was for me?!’

I nodded.

“Yeah. I didn’t know the exact date, so I didn’t have a choice.”

I added more explanation for why I needed to get up for a moment.

“So we need to report this to the Duke as soon as possible. If the Duchess acted independently of the Duke’s will, it’s better that the Duke finds out quickly.”

And indeed, the Duke would surely be furious once he learned of this.

‘If he can’t properly secure the head of the household’s seal, he’ll have nothing to say to the Xenobia Imperial Family.’

“It’s an opportunity to stir conflict between the Duke and the Duchess, so we have to act as fast as possible.”

After going that far, there was no way Edmund could stop me.

In the end, with the wet nurse’s support, I returned to my bedroom.

That was where the carrier pigeons were.

For some reason, Edmund and Willes followed closely behind me.

I didn’t even have the energy to argue and tell them to leave, so I dragged my entourage along, wrote the report, tied it to the pigeon’s leg, and sent it off.

‘Done.’

I let out a sigh of relief as I watched the carrier pigeon fly away safely.

Then Edmund’s voice came from behind me.

“Cassia.”

I turned my head at the call, and there stood Edmund, who had followed me all the way to my bedroom.

For some reason, his head was lowered deeply.

“…?”

After a strange moment of silence, he asked me in a slightly hoarse voice,

“Why… didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

What was he talking about?

I shrugged and answered,

“Even if I told you, it’s not like you’d have believed me.”

“…!”

Edmund’s shoulders jolted violently, as if someone had struck him.

And for some reason, I heard Willes, who was standing behind him, coughing as if he’d choked.

“Even if I told you, it’s not like you’d have believed me.”

Those words struck the back of Edmund’s head with tangible force.

What Cassia had just said hit the mark exactly.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Willes coughed behind him.

In truth, Edmund couldn’t blame him.

He himself wasn’t much different.

‘No… actually, I’m worse.’

He had accepted and enjoyed everything Cassia gave him, yet he hadn’t trusted her at all.

If those words had been an accusation—blaming him for not trusting her—would his conscience have hurt less?

But Cassia’s tone wasn’t like that.

‘It’s as if she thinks it’s only natural that she wouldn’t be trusted. Like she never expected it in the first place…’

His heart rattled violently, as though his blood were flowing backward.

A sudden sense of emptiness washed over Edmund.

Just what kind of feelings, what kind of resolve, did the girl before him have as she helped him?

She couldn’t expect trust, or gratitude, or anything at all.

Without even hoping to be believed, she had borne everything alone.

‘How can someone do that?’

And yet, why didn’t she get angry at him?

She didn’t blame him. She didn’t resent him.

Edmund thought of the fountain pen he still carried in his pocket.

Of the clothes he was wearing now.

Of the poisoned meal that had been sent back to him as his portion after Cassia collapsed.

Willes had taken care of that meal this time, but all this while, the one who had damaged her own health to protect him from poison—

was none other than her.

‘It was Cassia.’

Edmund finally parted his trembling lips.

“…I’m sorry.”

Cassia’s eyes widened.

“And… don’t do this again.”

“H-huh? You mean, don’t go doing things without telling me? Okay, I got—”

“That’s not it.”

Edmund’s steady gaze was fixed on Cassia.

His voice no longer trembled at all.

“I’m telling you not to put yourself in danger. Ever.”

There was an unusually strong force and firm resolve embedded in that voice.