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Chapter 8
As expected, the rumors were spreading quickly.
‘Although, it seems the focus is more on who my lover is rather than on me…’
Well, what did it matter? The important thing was that everyone now knew I had a lover.
It was the most enjoyable outing I’d had in a while. The weather was sunny, and my mood felt just as bright.
“Hah, I’m so nervous, my lady.”
“Me too.”
Jessi, flustered, said she should probably offer a prayer to a god she normally didn’t even believe in. I didn’t scold her for being dramatic—because truthfully, I was just as nervous.
Today was finally the day I would sign the contract for my new house. Once I paid the balance, the place would be mine.
Saving the money hadn’t been hard.
I sold the necklace and earrings that had been my share. They had all been gifts from Kirill.
He had given them to me before I started tormenting Giselle. Without them, I would never have been able to dream of such a thing now.
“My lady, I’ll just stop by the general store for a bit.”
“Alright. Don’t be late—come back here quickly.”
Jessi said she had a few things to buy and hurried off.
She was only sixteen. Usually so capable and sharp, but moments like this revealed how much of a child she still was.
“Here you are. Be careful not to lose the deed of sale, miss. It’s very costly to have it reissued.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
At last, the deed of sale with my name written on it was in my hands. The broker escorted me to the storefront and left.
But Jessi was still nowhere in sight. Despite all my reminders to come back early, she had apparently gotten distracted again.
I rolled the deed and slipped it up my sleeve. The rough texture of the paper against my arm made me giddy.
Since I had a good idea where Jessi would have gone, I headed that way.
“Something’s put you in a good mood.”
A voice snared me from behind, like a noose tightening. I froze.
Turning quickly, I bowed to him. Pavel was looking down at me with unreadable eyes.
“Good afternoon, Your Highness.”
He didn’t look like someone who had called me over because he had anything in particular to say.
The best way to part from him quickly was to answer whatever he asked without delay.
“…It’s such a fine day, perfect weather for a walk. Are you also out for a walk, Your Highness?”
I asked back, avoiding his predatory gaze.
“Doesn’t look like you’re just out for a walk.”
He must have seen me with the broker. Making such a flimsy excuse in front of someone like him—if he accused me of lying, I wouldn’t have been able to deny it.
But Pavel didn’t seem interested in who I was meeting.
“That can’t be the only reason you’re in such a good mood.”
“…Pardon?”
Pavel tilted his head slightly, then gave me a faint laugh. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile at me. Even though it was a flawless smile, a shiver ran down my spine.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You really don’t seem to know.”
Only then did I realize there was something I didn’t know. Pavel, with a look that told me how foolish I was, explained further.
“A special edition was circulated today.”
“A… special edition?”
What news was urgent enough to warrant that?
“About Viscount Bengeger.”
“That’s…”
“In a place as busy as this, if you walk around smiling so carelessly, people might think you’re the one who released that article. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
Just what kind of article would make people suspect me of publishing it? Before I could ask him, Pavel finished what he wanted to say and disappeared.
I hurried to the nearest newsstand and bought the paper.
“…Redick Bengeger—two hidden illegitimate children?”
The article was practically an exposé dedicated to his massive scandal. The details were astonishingly thorough, as if nothing had been left uncovered.
There was far more I hadn’t known than I had. I knew he was a lecher and a brute, but I hadn’t imagined it to this extent…
“My lady!”
From a distance, Jessi came running, waving her hand.
“I just read the special edition—oh! You’ve read it too! Justice really does exist in this world!”
She looked around and cheered quietly enough that only I could hear. I smiled back at her, though I couldn’t shake the unease.
Fortunes like this made me suspicious. I couldn’t believe such luck could befall me.
‘No, that can’t be right.’
This was Giselle’s world. In Giselle’s world, I wasn’t allowed fortune of any kind.
If I’d known I was going to have nightmares, I wouldn’t have fallen asleep. But regret came too late.
I found myself walking through tall grass alone. No—more like limping, as if wounded, when I desperately wanted to run.
The more I wished to wake up, the more the fear grew.
‘I need to wake up.’
I wanted Jessi to wake me, but I had no idea how much time had passed.
Then—
— I should have done this from the start.
The voice was both unfamiliar and familiar. I didn’t want to look back. If I turned, I’d never escape. But against my will, my head slowly turned.
— Hhh…
Pavel was staring down at me, face devoid of emotion. Instinctively, I knew he was the one who had attacked me.
I had to run.
But as soon as I took a step, he grabbed a fistful of my hair.
— Ugh…
He kept muttering something, and I thought I heard Giselle’s name among his words.
It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare that would end once I woke.
“…My lady? My lady!”
I jerked awake, thrashing like a fish caught in a net. My breathing came in heaving gasps as Jessi’s worried face swam into view above me.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“Ah…”
Relief at waking slowly steadied my breath. The longer I stayed silent, the deeper Jessi’s worry showed.
“Yes, it was just a nightmare. Don’t worry, Jessi.”
Yes—it was only a nightmare. One that ended when I awoke.
Jessi wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and sighed deeply.
“It would be better if you could just rest on a day like this.”
I chuckled softly at her half-scolding.
“I’m alright.”
Jessi knew as well as I did that it couldn’t be helped. Tonight was the banquet at the Erdona estate.
The Erdona mansion was lively for the first time in ages. Giselle had decided to hold a banquet now that her scandal with Saya had died down. It was to show that the Erdona family remained unshaken even after the broken engagement.
The official head of Erdona was still Marquis Norman Erdona, but not really. He had been bedridden in a coma for three years.
Such was the fate of prophets. For the crime of glimpsing the future, all prophets shared the same end. Norman Erdona would never wake again.
That left Giselle as the only heir to lead Erdona. Though she hadn’t yet inherited the title, since the marquis fell into eternal sleep, Giselle carried herself with the dignity of Erdona’s true master.
She hadn’t cried when her father collapsed. It was a foreseen event, and Norman had prepared for her future until the very moment he lost consciousness. All she needed to do was follow the path he had laid.
Giselle loved to be called the “Pure White of Erdona.” That alone explained her choice of dress tonight.
Rumors that I had been unfaithful again had spread, but people’s interest wasn’t nearly as intense as before. In a way, that was fortunate—it meant the time had come for me to truly leave this place.
But despite everything, Giselle wanted to prove Erdona still stood strong. In that, she was just like Norman—
always caring more about others’ eyes than anything else.
She mingled in her white, shoulder-baring gown, talking with guests.
As always, I stood in contrast—in an out-of-fashion dark green dress, blending into the wall like a flower no one noticed.
“I don’t get it. How could that woman be anyone’s lover dressed like that?”
“I almost pitied her before, knowing the rumors about Viscount Bengeger… but what a waste of sympathy.”
“It was pointless, my lady.”
There was laughter, but it didn’t sting. I’d heard such things all too often.
What drew my eyes instead was Kirill, standing across the hall alone, without Giselle at his side.
Normally, I would have tried to approach him somehow, to start a conversation. He would have humored me, but his gaze would still be fixed on Giselle—as if I didn’t deserve even a fragment of attention, no matter how near I was.
‘No, that’s not true anymore, is it?’
But habits were hard to break. I realized I had let my gaze drift to him again and scoffed at myself.
‘I need to keep my head straight. The more I get involved with Kirill, the better it is for Giselle.’
That reminder worked. I soon regained my composure.
After a few dances, when the guests were in high spirits, I finally saw my chance. I’d fulfilled my duty here; now I just wanted to slip away to my room.
I had barely taken a few steps when—
“Saya Erdona!”
A loud voice called from the entrance. The music cut off instantly, and every eye turned toward the source.
There stood Redick Bengeger, face flushed red, swaying drunkenly as if he could barely stand. He bellowed my name again.
“Saya! Where are you! How dare you—you tricked me?!”
With a careless sweep of his arm, the statue at the entrance toppled and crashed to the floor. The sharp sound echoed, and gasps of shock rippled through the hall.
