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Chapter 6
Knock. Knock.
A maid knocked on the door.
“My lady, the Duke requests that you come downstairs.”
Damn it.
It was time to go.
With a heavy heart, Katrina left her room.
A carriage was waiting at the front entrance.
“Katrina Abiche.”
As she descended into the first-floor hall, the Duke of Abiche called out to her.
“Leave quietly.”
“……”
“Stay buried in that monastery until the day you die. Never even think about coming back. Understood?”
Katrina said nothing.
At this rate, it seemed she really had no choice but to go to the monastery.
But she had no intention of spending the rest of her life trapped there.
She planned to escape.
“I asked if you understood.”
The Duke of Abiche’s gaze sharpened as he sensed her defiance.
“Father.”
At that moment—
“Yes, Damian. What is it?”
“The priests who are coming to escort Katrina have almost arrived.”
“They’re early.”
“I believe Katrina understands well enough by now. In that case, I think we should prepare on our side as well.”
How could father and son both be so insufferable?
“Damian, I’ll leave Katrina to you.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Take care of it?
For a moment, Katrina was dumbfounded.
But thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising.
That was simply the kind of people they were.
“Katrina, Cardinal Lucife himself said he would personally receive you once you arrive at the monastery.”
…That lunatic?
The moment Katrina’s expression froze, Damian let out a quiet sneer.
“I told you before. Waking up wasn’t going to do your situation any favors.”
That hardly seemed fair.
It wasn’t as though she had wanted to wake up.
She had finally managed to return home…
How hard had she worked just to reach the ending?
“Thanks for your concern.”
Perhaps this was the first real conversation she’d had with Damian since waking up.
He looked at her with faint curiosity.
“But you know, you don’t have to worry about me that much.”
“……”
“I don’t think my situation is going to get that bad.”
“You should be worried.”
“Why?”
“Because your circumstances are never going to improve.”
“……”
Was he openly cursing her now?
As always, Damian remained perfectly composed.
His low, even voice was calm and unwavering.
“It’s only a monastery.”
It absolutely wasn’t only a monastery, but Katrina said it anyway.
“I simply wonder whether your life there will really be the same as everyone else’s.”
“……”
That didn’t sound like a curse.
It sounded more like a warning.
The man arranging for her to be sent there could hardly be unaware of what would happen inside.
Katrina stared at Damian in disbelief.
Was he openly declaring that he intended to take revenge?
She slowly looked toward the open doorway before turning back to Damian with a bright smile.
“Really? Then I just won’t go.”
Damian frowned, unable to understand what she meant.
“What do you—”
Just then—
“Y-Young Master!”
A servant came running into the entrance hall.
Then he shouted,
“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!”
“The Crown Prince has come?”
Without sending word in advance.
Damian frowned.
Why had the Crown Prince come here?
What business did he have?
An unsettling feeling washed over him.
Something didn’t feel right.
“Damian! His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”
The Duke of Abiche hurried back after having left.
He had brought the Duchess and his daughter, Selena, with him.
“Selena, I believe His Highness has come to see you.”
“His Highness?”
Even though she had already dressed herself up in anticipation, Selena blinked innocently as though she knew nothing.
Selena Abiche.
The Duke’s daughter with his second wife.
The Duke hoped to use her to arrange a marriage with the imperial family.
She and Damian, who had been born to the Duke’s first wife before her death, were half-siblings.
“Come to think of it, Father, I met His Highness at the last party.”
Selena spoke excitedly.
“He told me we’d meet again soon. I thought he was only being polite… Could he really have come to see me?”
“I believe that’s exactly why he’s here, Selena.”
The Duchess readily agreed.
“Perhaps His Highness has taken a liking to you.”
“Really?”
Everyone believed the Crown Prince’s visit was because of Selena.
Everyone except Damian.
Is it really because of Selena?
The Crown Prince had shown no particular interest in her.
Many noble families wished to arrange marriages with the imperial family, yet the Crown Prince had never shown any response.
As an unpleasant possibility crossed Damian’s mind, his eyes grew cold.
“We must welcome His Highness immediately.”
Everyone busied themselves preparing to receive the Crown Prince.
Then someone caught the Duke’s attention.
Katrina, who had been standing there quietly the whole time.
“Should I just stay here?”
Katrina asked as though she had no idea what was happening.
“Katrina, you should return to your room.”
“But wasn’t I supposed to leave for the monastery now?”
“…For the moment, go back inside.”
Sending Katrina away could wait until after they had received the Crown Prince.
Katrina lowered her head and returned to her room.
“Your Highness! Welcome!”
The Duke of Abiche hurried out with his daughter Selena and his son Damian to greet the Crown Prince.
Brilliant golden hair emerged from the carriage.
“Duke Abiche, it’s been a long time.”
Raymond stepped out.
His beauty looked as though it had been painted by an artist.
“Damian, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And Miss Selena, I believe we met at the last party?”
“I’m honored that you remembered me.”
“Of course I remembered. How could I possibly forget you?”
Raymond’s gentle words caused Selena’s cheeks to flush.
It truly seemed as though Raymond had come only to see Selena.
“However, there’s someone else I don’t see.”
At least, that was what everyone believed—
until Raymond spoke those words.
“Someone else…?”
The Duke of Abiche couldn’t understand what Raymond meant.
Nor could anyone else.
The Duchess.
Selena.
All of them looked completely bewildered.
Raymond smiled brightly as he looked at them.
“I heard that Katrina has awakened.”
Silence fell over everyone.
Raymond’s reason for coming had completely shattered all of their expectations.
Surely they had misheard him.
Just as the Duke of Abiche was about to ask again—
“I came to visit her, but now I’m rather worried.”
…In other words, Raymond had come all the way here because of Katrina?
“Is she seriously unwell?”
Raymond’s expression darkened, as though he were genuinely concerned about Katrina.
What is wrong with this man?
Since when had Raymond ever been close to Katrina?
Everyone gathered here knew exactly what kind of relationship they had.
Katrina had been the only one desperately chasing after Raymond.
Throughout all those years, Raymond had never spared Katrina a second glance.
“You… came to see Katrina?”
The Duke of Abiche asked again, just to make sure he had heard correctly.
“Yes, Duke.”
Raymond nodded without hesitation.
“I want to see Katrina.”
