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Chapter 5
Katrina returned to the mansion.
“Miss, the Duke is asking to see you.”
So it’s finally come.
Her outing had undoubtedly reached the ears of the Duke of Abiche.
She had expected he would be displeased once he found out.
“All right. I’m coming.”
Her father, the Duke of Abiche.
To him, Katrina had always been nothing more than a commodity.
“If you become useless, I’ll send you right back to the orphanage.”
Those were the first words she had heard when she met him.
“…Father. It’s Katrina.”
With a heavy heart, Katrina stood before the study.
Before she had returned, Katrina’s reputation had fallen to rock bottom, just as it had in the original story, and the Duke of Abiche despised her for it.
“Come in.”
The moment she received permission and opened the door, a round object flew straight at her.
Crash!
The Duke of Abiche had thrown a flower vase at her.
This lunatic.
Startled, Katrina looked at the Duke.
“Tch! You should’ve gotten hit and died.”
Katrina remained silent.
“…”
“Have you lost your mind? I told you you were being sent to the monastery, so you should’ve stayed quiet like a dead mouse. What gave you the nerve to leave the house?”
The Duke roared furiously.
“Who was happy to see you alive, anyway?”
So he starts with insults.
“I only had you treated for appearances’ sake. What would people think if I simply abandoned my dying daughter?”
“…”
“I thought all I had to do was keep you around until you died…”
The Duke frowned.
“But now that you’ve recovered, you’ve become quite troublesome.”
His words were unbelievably blunt.
Ha.
Katrina looked straight at him.
“…I’m sorry, Father.”
Instead of confronting him, Katrina lowered her head.
There was nothing to gain by openly opposing him.
Her goal was to obtain the Wish Stone.
If that was her objective, then she had no choice but to remain with this family, whether she liked it or not.
“You should be sorry. Once your holy power disappeared, you should’ve died.”
“…”
“Your usefulness ended right there, Katrina.”
She had heard those words so many times that they no longer stirred any emotions.
An overwhelming amount of holy power had manifested within her, making Katrina a Saintess candidate.
That was why she had been adopted into the House of Abiche.
However…
A few years later, the holy power within her vanished as though it had never existed.
For the House of Abiche, which had adopted her solely to raise a Saintess, it was a devastating loss.
“Stay quiet until the day you’re sent to the monastery.”
Katrina obediently nodded.
“Yes, Father. I’ll reflect on my actions.”
“That will be all. You may leave.”
With his business concluded, the Duke immediately dismissed her.
Ha…
Things had become hopelessly tangled the moment she returned.
She had no intention of quietly going to the monastery.
To avoid that, she first had to persuade the Duke of Abiche.
“Katrina.”
The instant she stepped out of the study, a cold voice called her name.
Damian.
To run into him the moment she left the Duke’s office.
Did he need something?
Ignoring him, Katrina tried to return to her detached residence.
“So you’ve met Father.”
“…”
“I’m sure you had plenty to catch up on after waking up from a three-year sleep.”
She remembered the relieved smile Damian had worn when she woke up.
Was this why?
“You’re being sent to the monastery?”
“…”
“I suppose quietly spending the rest of your days there wouldn’t be so bad.”
His blue eyes curved pleasantly, but the gaze within them looked at her as though she were nothing more than a disgusting insect.
Without another word, Damian walked past Katrina and entered the Duke’s study.
This damned household.
…This was exactly why she never wanted to come back.
Following the Duke’s orders, Katrina returned to her room.
She had been ordered to remain confined, so it would be difficult to leave until the day she was sent to the monastery.
But Katrina had no intention of sitting still.
No matter what, she intended to obtain the Wish Stone and return home.
And…
Silas Rockfenheim.
She had no intention of simply letting him die.
She wasn’t going to let Lucipe do whatever he pleased.
To make that happen, she first had to stop herself from being sent to the monastery.
How should I do that?
Katrina pondered.
Then, a certain person suddenly came to mind.
…Crown Prince Raymond.
Have I lost my mind?
Why am I thinking of that man?
It was an insane idea.
Raymond Ascliffe.
That bastard was the worst of the worst.
He had thoroughly used Katrina before throwing her away.
There was no way he would help her.
She knew exactly what kind of man he was.
But…
Do I have any other choice right now?
If she stayed still, she’d simply be dragged off to the monastery.
Katrina sat down at her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper.
Fortunately, there was a pen nearby.
Raymond Ascliffe, you’ll have no choice but to help me.
I’ll make sure of that.
Without hesitation, Katrina picked up the pen.
[I love you, Your Highness.]
To think she’d have to write those nauseating words again.
A week had passed since Katrina Abiche awakened.
She had once been so famous that the news of her recovery spread throughout the capital in no time.
“Your Highness, they’ve announced that Katrina Abiche is alive.”
It didn’t take long for the news to reach the Crown Prince, Raymond.
Golden hair as radiant as the sun.
Green eyes that resembled a lush forest.
He possessed a face so beautiful it seemed crafted by the gods themselves.
“It would’ve been better if Katrina Abiche had stayed dead.”
Raymond’s voice was icy.
Cold enough that one might almost pity Katrina, who had once loved him so blindly.
There had been a time when even his aide had pitied Katrina.
But after witnessing her countless misdeeds, he had grown thoroughly disgusted with her.
“Ah, Your Highness. A letter has arrived from the House of Abiche. The sender is Damian Abiche.”
As the beautifully sealed envelope was opened, a crumpled piece of paper fell out.
“Even the perfect Damian Abiche makes mistakes sometimes.”
The aide assumed the Abiche household had accidentally enclosed a piece of trash along with the letter.
As he reached to throw it away, Raymond unfolded the crumpled paper.
“Your Highness, it’s just trash. Please give it to me—”
“It’s not trash.”
“…Pardon?”
Raymond’s reaction was unusual.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
Seeing the normally composed Raymond’s expression harden, the puzzled aide glanced at the paper.
[Are you still suffering?
My pitiful Prince.
I wish I could personally soothe that unbearable pain.
Come and find me.]
“…This letter… Don’t tell me it was from that woman, Katrina?”
“It seems so.”
“My goodness. She just woke up, and she’s already after Your Highness again…! What in the world is this insane woman trying to say?”
The aide exploded in disbelief.
For the briefest moment, a crack appeared in Raymond’s expression.
But his practiced smile quickly concealed everything.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to pay the House of Abiche a visit after so long.”
The elegance of his smile was so breathtaking that the aide was momentarily dazed before snapping back to reality.
“You’re serious?”
The aide was horrified, but Raymond gave no answer.
Katrina Abiche.
There had once been a time when it was amusing to watch her desperately beg for his affection.
After that…
He grew tired of it.
And once Katrina lost her holy power, she became completely useless to him.
Does she really know something…?
The smile vanished entirely from his green eyes.
Time passed, and the day of her departure for the monastery finally arrived.
Why hasn’t there been any news?
Did the letter actually reach him?
…Did I fail?
That shouldn’t be possible.
He definitely needs me.
Perhaps she had been too confident.
Looking back, there were plenty of reasons why Raymond wouldn’t come.
To Raymond, Katrina had never been anything more than a toy.
“Come here, Katrina.”
She still remembered it vividly.
The expression on Raymond’s face.
His voice.
The gesture of his hand.
Every single detail.
“Look at you, coming the moment I call.”
An arrogant man.
Katrina hated that side of Raymond.
But she also knew one way to force even someone like Raymond to give in.
So…
He would come.
Without fail.
