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~Chapter 60~
At that moment, Sana’s urgent voice rang from beyond the door.
“Lady Delphina, a letter has arrived from the Rikeion family!”
“Come in, Sana.”
As soon as Delphina granted permission, Sana hurried inside, clutching a sealed letter emblazoned with the Rikeion Duke’s crest.
She handed the letter to Delphina, who broke the seal and read its contents. It was brief:
Before departing for the North, she was asked to visit the Rikeion estate.
“Delphina, there is no need for you to go to the Rikeion family,” Elcayan said firmly.
“No,” she replied, shaking her head, “I was going to have to go at some point anyway. His Highness Johannes said I might have been cursed, remember? Besides, if my grandfather is near the duchy, visiting the estate will be the best way to see him. This might actually be convenient.”
“…”
“I would have needed an excuse to visit the estate regardless, and now they’ve given me one themselves,” she continued calmly.
“Delphina…”
“His Highness Johannes asked me to find Grandfather, but I was already curious. Did he truly have no choice but to disappear? Couldn’t he have endured the pain with me?”
Since regaining the memories of her previous life, she had been unable to understand Alfonso’s abandonment.
Grandmother had always stayed by my side…
But Alfonso had left her behind without hesitation, entrusting her to her uncle.
Delphina had long struggled with resentment toward the man who had left her in Duke Rikeion’s hands, and for years, she had tried to forget him.
But if it’s true he was controlled by black magic… then maybe I can understand.
If it had not been by his own will, then she wanted to look him in the eyes and hear the truth from his own lips.
Delphina met the gazes of Elcayan and Calix in turn.
She was beginning to realize why she had managed to break free of the haze that had once clouded her mind.
Ever since the system window appeared, I have been thinking clearly again.
In other words, she had awakened once the divine power of Lord Frad had taken root within her.
Johannes said the curse may have been wrought by black magic, a power opposed to Lord Frad. Perhaps even the holy energy infused into my cooking is connected to this…
As if in answer to her thoughts, the system window shimmered to life.
<New Quest Generated>
Your past, in which you were scorned by your uncle, is shrouded in suspicion. Why does Lord Frad aid you?
Uncover the truth.
Reward: The secret Duke Rikeion has been concealing.
Delphina stared at the quest window, her eyes filled with tension. As always, Lord Frad had answered her unspoken question.
Of course… Lord Frad is the greatest.
The quest window rippled faintly, and Delphina couldn’t shake the feeling that it was bashfully pleased.
Meanwhile, Ivelina had locked herself in her room, weeping bitterly ever since returning from the banquet.
“Everything is ruined because of Delphina! That position should have been mine!”
It wasn’t just that she hadn’t been the star of the banquet—it was that everyone there had spent the entire evening speaking of Delphina.
They had admired how perfectly Elcayan and Delphina suited one another as they received the Saintess’ blessing.
And now, even her father, Duke Rikeion, had begun scolding her.
“Apologize to Delphina. Do you understand?”
She could hardly believe her ears.
When she demanded to know why she should abase herself to Delphina, her father had flown into a rage.
“We must salvage this situation before that man arrives! Your grandfather has sent word that he is coming to the estate!”
“Grandfather?”
“Yes! If Delphina tells him even a fraction of what has happened, we are finished!”
“She wouldn’t! She has never once disobeyed you!”
“She used to be that way. She should be that way…”
“…”
“I have to see for myself. I need to know why things have come to this. Neither Delphina nor Father should be behaving like this. We must summon her at once—immediately!”
Ivelina was utterly frustrated. She could not understand her father’s panicked reaction; he seemed almost unhinged.
What difference would Alfonso Rikeion’s visit make?
What can Grandfather possibly do now?
She thought her father was overreacting. Yes, Alfonso had favored Delphina as a child, but so what?
Now Duke Rikeion held the title and the power. And yet he was forcing Ivelina to apologize to Delphina, of all people, out of fear of his father.
It was enough to drive her mad. Ever since Delphina had become the Grand Duke of the North’s fiancée, everything had gone wrong.
That position should have been mine.
The thought made her stomach twist.
What if she always knew the Grand Duke wasn’t some hideous monster?
Perhaps Delphina had gone to the North knowing full well what kind of man Elcayan was.
“At the banquet, I realized it more than ever,” she muttered bitterly. “Delphina’s status is higher than mine now…”
If she had known that Elcayan was not a deformed beast but a man of breathtaking beauty, she, too, would have endured living in the backwater North.
Delphina must have known. That’s why she left without a moment’s hesitation.
To make matters worse, her fiancé Kassen had been distracted and dazed ever since the banquet. Ivelina was no fool; she knew his thoughts were full of Delphina.
That idiot! As if I ever wanted him in the first place. He’s nothing compared to Elcayan—lower in status and far less handsome!
As she seethed, the Duchess and Diancho appeared.
Diancho snickered cruelly.
“To think you’d lose the Autumn Banquet’s blessing to Delphina… You’re in serious trouble now, Ivelina.”
Ivelina flushed red with rage.
“Shut up, Diancho!”
“Diancho, that’s enough,” the Duchess scolded. “Surely it was only because Delphina resorted to underhanded tricks. How else could she have impressed the Saintess so easily?”
The Duchess gripped her daughter’s shoulders tightly.
“Don’t worry, Ivelina. Delphina cannot have changed so easily. One word from your father, and that disgraceful lawsuit will be over.”
Diancho snorted.
“Exactly. So what if she learned to doll herself up a little? How much could she have changed? She used to live like a servant in this house. If you lost to her, you were simply being foolish.”
Ivelina glared at her brother, seething. He knew nothing, and yet he dared to speak.
“What do you know? You haven’t even spoken to Delphina since she left for the North!”
Diancho only shrugged, indifferent.
“Well, whatever. Delphina is still Delphina.”
Ivelina turned to her mother with a look of desperation.
“Mother, Delphina has changed. You don’t know how sharp and venomous she’s become.”
“It will pass,” the Duchess said soothingly. “Once she returns to our household, she will remember her place. She will realize we are the only ones who treat her as family.”
“But the Northerners seemed to truly care for her! She was… loved there,” Ivelina said, her voice trembling.
The Duchess clicked her tongue.
“This time, the Grand Duke will be accompanying Delphina to the estate. I will handle matters personally when they arrive.”
