MMLP 14

Chapter 14

I pretended nothing was wrong and kept the conversation going.

“The first carriage should be crossing the great plains by now. If they followed the riverside road, they would have entered the central boulevard before sunset.”

“They probably chose the riverside road over the quiet plains. In a city with canals, a noisy parade would cause congestion, but Diego doesn’t care about such things.”

Rosinante, oblivious to my hidden intentions, answered with an innocent look.

“You were dragged along today because of him, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I lost in a duel… According to the rules, the loser must obey the winner’s command until the next official duel.”

“When is the next one?”

“A year from now. There’s usually a hunting competition in between, so the interval is long.”

A year was more than enough time for spies to swap places.

Rosinante had never once won a duel in his life.

But the spy masquerading as Rosinante steadily built his position, preparing for the day the real Rosinante returned.

The spy’s courtship of an imperial noble lady and expansion of influence in society were all part of laying that groundwork.

Good.

I decided to use the outcome of the next duel as my indicator.

If Rosinante won his very first victory then, it would mean he had been replaced by the disguised agent.

If he won, I’d seduce him and marry him. Purely as a tool of revenge—living as a couple with a spy.

The problem was figuring out how to persuade Zerodines.

“I see. I’ll cheer for you.”

My mind was elsewhere, so I gave a half-hearted reply—and missed seeing the expression Rosinante made at that moment.

Once I finished seeing him off to his carriage, all traces of our conversation vanished cleanly from my mind.

The pink velvet shoes fit perfectly on Eve Maria’s small feet. The jewels embedded between the delicate lace shimmered under the light.

When the ribbon straps wrapped around her slender ankles, the maids burst into applause as though they had rehearsed it.

“You look absolutely adorable, my lady!”

“How perfect you are! His Highness will surely adore you!”

But despite their heartfelt praise, Eve Maria’s mood did not improve. The new shoes were carefully stored away beneath dresses she had rejected.

“Shall we bring you some sweet desserts?”

“Or perhaps a walk in the garden? The pink roses you love are in full bloom.”

She felt no desire for either. Nothing special had happened, yet from morning her mood was at its worst, and even the clear sky felt irritating.

It was true that the “rolling stone” had unsettled her, but today it felt as though that stone was lodged deep in her chest.

It was as if she unconsciously foresaw some misfortune to come. They said divine power sometimes carried the gift of prophecy—perhaps that was the cause.

“My lady, Eve Maria!”

A maid rushed into the dressing room, so flustered her apron straps had slipped off her shoulders.

“What should we do? Something terrible has happened!”

“Such fuss. What is it?”

Suddenly, Eve Maria thought she shouldn’t hear the maid’s words. It was a baseless intuition.

But she ignored it, and from the maid’s gaping mouth spilled news of the shocking event that had happened in the household that very day.

“His Highness Prince Diego came to the mansion.”

“What? Where is he now?”

“Well, he visited without warning, settled his business, and left right away. He’s no longer here.”

“Hm. Must’ve been busy.”

She thought there was no need to feel hurt if it was just official business. But the maid’s next words froze her in place, breath forgotten, body stiffening against the sofa.

“They say His Highness tested Lady Revieta’s aptitude as a mage. And though I didn’t see it myself, according to witnesses, there was a tremendous explosion from the room. They suspect it was magic used by Revieta.”

Eve Maria bit her lip until the color drained away. Her state was visibly alarming, and the other maids jabbed the storyteller’s side, trying to hush her.

But once the words had started, the maid couldn’t stop. Everything so far had been just a prelude to this.

“And then His Highness proposed that Revieta become his consort.”

The sound of thunder crashed in Eve Maria’s ears—only hers.

“Of course, it may just be an exaggerated rumor. Nothing has been confirmed yet.”

But Eve Maria heard none of the maid’s backpedaling. She had already withdrawn into herself, like a turtle into its shell.

“They say after the matter of the proposal, the master shut himself in his office, and there were sounds of a heated argument. Later, His Highness left first, his face twisted in anger. Perhaps the proposal fell through?”

“…”

The maids tensed, expecting Eve Maria to hurl objects in rage. Instead, she spoke in a very small voice—so small none of them missed it.

“I want to be alone. Everyone leave my room.”

Once alone, Eve Maria walked barefoot across the carpet. Having never stepped on it without shoes, the soft texture felt like a field of thorns.

This won’t do.

She couldn’t let Revieta run wild. Both becoming a mage and becoming Diego’s bride should belong to her. Revieta was stealing what was rightfully hers—unforgivable.

Eve Maria thought of the House of Grimroar’s heirloom, secretly stolen by Caulen: the “Scales of Fate.”

With it, she could steal Revieta’s power. But the artifact’s strict activation conditions made it useless now that Revieta was under Gilbert, not Caulen.

She was strange from the very beginning.

Everyone fawned over Eve Maria, yet Revieta always looked at her warily—sometimes even with blatant loathing.

Whatever the reason, Revieta could never be made into a sister just by batting her lashes. But that didn’t mean there were no methods.

Eve Maria sat down and wrote a letter asking for help. Her honorific phrasing was still clumsy, but it didn’t matter—it was for her brother.

If sweetness didn’t work, then she would crush Revieta with power. With her brother’s strength, she would make Revieta submit out of sheer terror.

You brought this on yourself.

Originally, she had only planned to strip her of power and treat her as an elder sister in name. But if Revieta kept acting so insolently, then she would be properly taught—taught never to dare lift her head in Eve Maria’s presence.

“I’ll make you regret this, ‘sister.’”

Eve Maria smiled coldly.

I regretted my mistake.

“All right, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

I should’ve at least pretended to consider it, but Diego’s arrogant proposal had been so insufferable that I rejected him on the spot.

Whether sooner or later, there was no universe in which I would ever become Diego’s bride. But perhaps Zerodines might think differently.

“Don’t just stare at the wall—look at me. What if someone walks in? We wouldn’t even be able to talk.”

We were in the annex’s classroom. It was just a reception room repurposed for lessons, so it wasn’t perfectly soundproof. From time to time, the rattle of a passing trolley broke the silence.

An unexpected obstacle! If you’re a grand mage, act like one—why are you so petty?

He was truly the most aggravating partner. If not for his power, I wouldn’t have to put up with this nonsense. Damn it. Fine, no choice.

Suppressing my rising temper, I forced a sweet smile.

“Has our great grand mage gone deaf? Didn’t you hear me?”

—I didn’t hear you.

“…”

If you didn’t hear, then how did you answer?!