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Chapter 66
I went into my room, washed my face, and looked at my red-rimmed eyes in the mirror.
“I didn’t cry all the way through.”
Hmm, it might have been better if I had cried. But what can I do when the tears just won’t come? My voice was flat and emotionless. It was completely different from the desperate voice I had let out earlier while clinging to Hian and His.
Stretching my body, I carelessly dropped the towel onto the floor. I clearly saw what those trembling, beautiful green eyes held. I chewed over the promise they had made, that they would hand me what I wanted.
“I need two people.”
I knew what they were weak against. I knew how to handle them easily. If I could get those two into my hands with just this much effort, I was more than willing to do it.
“That’s enough.”
The sons of the powerful family, Jeppino. Considering the influence they wielded in high society—and their cunning, though they pretended not to be—these were not cards I could afford to throw away.
“It worked even better than I expected.”
Who would have known that exposing one’s vulnerable inner self in front of someone could be this difficult? I finished stretching and slipped into my robe properly. There was no lie in what I had told them. I may have exaggerated a little to get what I wanted… but still, I hadn’t lied.
When I stepped outside, Kischell was placing a plate of fruit on the table.
“You should have dried your hair first.”
“It’ll dry naturally, so why bother?”
The signs of the motion sickness I had suffered from over the past few days were gone; I seemed healthier than I thought. I plopped down on the sofa and picked up a piece of fruit.
“I feel like the Duke is becoming more careless because I’m here. Should I try taking myself away from him?”
“Ah… absolutely not. Then I won’t be able to do anything.”
As Kischell dried my hair, I fiddled with my earrings—the pure white ones I never remove, even when bathing, with reinforcement magic cast on them.
“From tomorrow, I’ll have a bit more freedom, right?”
“The party will continue, but there’s no need for the Duke to attend.”
“Then I’ll tell them my body isn’t well from the long voyage and carve out some time.”
Kischell noticed the earrings I was touching while flipping my hair.
“You’re going tomorrow?”
“Of course. I don’t want to delay any longer.”
I recalled the words Hian and His had said to me as they accompanied me to my door:
[Inera, I prepared what you asked for before.]
I had asked them for one thing on the ship—a carriage that no one could track.
“It’ll arrive at the royal back gate at noon tomorrow. You can just take it.”
Unlike me, who had never traveled to another country, they seemed to have no trouble preparing it since they were accustomed to moving through other lands.
“That’s nice. Finally breaking the curse and ties of these dreaded twenty years. I’m so happy.”
I fed Kischell a tiny tomato the size of a finger and corrected him.
“It’s not ties—it’s a curse.”
“Really… a stubborn curse indeed.”
Kischell smiled satisfactorily as he tidied my hair, commenting on how sweet the tomato was. Then, for a brief moment, neither of us spoke. It didn’t feel real yet; it was strange, exhilarating, and thrilling all at once.
“By the way, what happened with the Second Prince of the Lumen Empire you were worried about?”
Ah! That’s right.
“Well…”
Several things flickered through my mind. The clearest memory was the identical faces of the two men, confidently reassuring me.
“Don’t worry.”
Even without my interference, they would handle it themselves.
✦ ✦ ✦
With the Emperor’s coronation, parties continued every day. It had become so noisy inside and out that I could no longer sleep with Eschdewa. We had guests to meet, too.
“Oh! Eschdewa, you look tired.”
“Calvin.”
The visitor, Calvin—the First Prince of the Lumen Empire—plopped down on the sofa, chuckling.
“You went out with the Duke of Mertiel last night and didn’t come back. How wild was it?”
Eschdewa pushed his face away and sat across on the sofa.
“Nothing happened.”
The First Prince laughed heartily.
“They said he was your lover, so I thought he’d help get rid of the Second Prince, who’s a thorn in your side. Was that some kind of jealousy scheme?”
Eschdewa smiled bitterly, an unpleasantly arrogant smile, as if to say, Do you really think I’d do such childish tricks? Calvin whistled at the sight.
The royal families of the two countries had been in contact since childhood and were closer than others might think.
“It was unavoidable. Yes… that’s how it turned out. Let’s wait a bit. The Duke said he would find a way.”
“You seem to trust him quite a bit. Since you said that, I’ll watch… but still.”
“It’s not trust—I just think it will be fun to see what he does. I wonder how he’ll handle it.”
A woman who can make the impossible possible—perhaps he would succeed again this time.
Eschdewa crossed his legs, shifting his posture. Calvin wanted to remark that this was trust, but instead, he bit his cigar and clicked his tongue.
“After marriage in the Rivedro Empire, one can’t cheat, right? You planned to marry the Duke and have only a childish correspondence with your lover?”
Eschdewa’s face showed boredom. He exhaled a low breath and ran his hand through his hair, fatigue taking over his body. Calvin chuckled.
“A crown prince who even uses his lover to make me, someone friendly to the Rivedro Empire, the next emperor. I wonder if the Duke of Mertiel knows about this side of you.”
It didn’t matter whether he knew or not. Her purpose was already set. Without speaking, he was certain that everything would go according to his plans.
Calvin raised a crooked smile while watching Eschdewa. Then he pointed a finger at him.
“You’ll regret that.”
“What?”
Eschdewa shrugged, unbothered.
“If you treat a lady that way, a moment of true regret may come.”
He was referring to Inera Mertiel, no doubt. A smile flickered on Eschdewa’s lips.
“You and your fiancée aren’t that close either, right? Not exactly in a position to give advice, I’d think.”
“Still, we respect each other,” Calvin said, shrugging, a soft but arrogantly confident smile that seemed to look down on everyone else.
“I guarantee that if you’re rough with her, there could be a moment you’ll truly regret it.”
Eschdewa dismissed the comment. That would never happen. Noticing this, Calvin changed the subject.
“By the way, the Duke is incredibly beautiful. If he didn’t have a fiancée, I’d have taken him myself.”
Eschdewa glanced sideways at Calvin while still looking out at the noisy scenery. Calvin popped a cherry into his mouth and smiled slyly.
“Mind if I try to seduce him?”
Eschdewa’s smile deepened.
“Do as you please.”
“Really?”
“Just try.”
He was confident.
“She’s not so easily swayed by your childish tricks.”
She had pretended to fall in love for a short or long time, and he had seen her bare face, even at her worst. She had revealed herself entirely, thinking he had fallen in love.
“If you think of her like any other lady, Calvin, you need to rethink people.”
“Hm?”
“She’s not a small, cute creature to be swallowed—she’s a far bigger beast.”
“Is that heartfelt advice for me, or a warning toward another man approaching your lover?”
Eschdewa didn’t answer. Instead, he thought of Inera.
Inera Mertiel had always been an intriguing presence for him. Before she was under the spell, watching her was like seeing calm ripples on water. Of course, it wasn’t always calm. When she willed it, she could become a wave that sweeps everything away.
Being near her felt like plunging underwater. He remembered that thrilling sensation vividly. Probably never to be forgotten. Even now, with her bound by magic, obedient like a marionette, that exhilarating feeling was lost.
