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Chapter: 5
Contrary to her fears, the carriage safely delivered Seria to its destination.
Clenching her faintly trembling hands into tight fists, Seria stepped down from the carriage.
What greeted her was an old castle that looked as though it had stood for at least a hundred years. Unkempt weeds and tangled vines had grown wildly across it, giving the impression of a long-abandoned ruin.
“I’ll be taking my leave now, miss. Then…”
“Ah, yes. Thank you very much. Please get back safely.”
The coachman glanced uneasily at the castle before hastily climbing back onto the carriage. Without delay, he turned back the way he had come. Judging by his behavior, the carriage likely didn’t belong to the Belvart family.
“Phew…”
Seria took a deep breath and strode forward.
Inside the castle, only a few lights were lit, casting a bleak and eerie atmosphere. Worse still, there was no trace that anyone had been living there at all.
As Seria glanced around, a voice called out from the top of the stairs.
“This way.”
Theodore stood there in a comfortable shirt, beckoning her over.
The moment Seria saw him, her expression hardened. His arrogant gesture—casually motioning for her to come up—irritated her to no end.
The room they entered contained nothing more than two old sofas and a single table that looked as though its legs might snap at any moment.
“Sit down for now. Tea’s… probably not something I can offer. As you can see, the situation’s a bit rough. If you want alcohol instead, I can bring some. Most of it’s been aged for thirty or forty years—quite decent stuff.”
“Forget it. I’ll get straight to the point. Asking me to kill the Crown Prince—are you serious?”
“Yes. Completely.”
“…Why?”
To Seria, it made no sense. Asking for the Crown Prince’s assassination, claiming he’d even start a rebellion if necessary—
It was nothing short of betraying his own liege.
Such a thing would be unthinkable in Argenta.
“Why does that matter to you? From your perspective, it’s a chance to take revenge on the enemy who started the war. I’m just offering to help.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t understand. You’re—”
“The shadow of the imperial family?”
The Belvart family were the Antithesia imperial family’s most loyal retainers.
Absolute obedience to the throne—that was Belvart.
The first to strike down enemies of the throne—that was Belvart.
The last to stand beside the throne until the very end—that too was Belvart.
The titles given to them were merciless:
The Empire’s watchdog. The Emperor’s shadow. A living shield.
And yet that very Belvart was now conspiring with the royal bloodline of a fallen kingdom to commit treason.
What was he scheming?
As Seria frowned deeply, Theodore merely shrugged as if nothing were amiss.
“A dog biting its master isn’t exactly unheard of, is it? Nothing strange about that.”
“……”
“Unlike you Argentan people, whose loyalty to the crown reaches the heavens, I’m sick of it. I think I’ve had enough of living on a leash.”
With a weary expression, Theodore ran a hand through his hair.
Then he pulled something from his pocket and swallowed it. Seria couldn’t see clearly, but it looked like a pill.
What did he just take?
His composure—casually putting something in his mouth at a time like this—was absurd.
Exhaling sharply, Seria spoke with a bitter edge.
“Fine. Let’s say that’s true. Then why ask me?”
“Because you’re the perfect fit. You bear a grudge against the Antithesia imperial family, and you have nowhere left to retreat to. Nothing left to lose.”
At his words, Seria ground her teeth. In the end, he was saying she’d be forced to take his hand anyway—making her a convenient pawn.
Heat rose to her head, a dull ache spreading behind her eyes.
She wanted nothing more than to storm out, but she couldn’t.
Drawing in a deep breath to calm herself, she replied in a voice bristling with thorns.
“If you’re that desperate, why don’t you do it yourself? Instead of asking me.”
“If I could have, I would’ve done it long ago. But I can’t. That’s why I’m making a deal with you.”
“What do you mean?”
What could the heir of a family second only to the imperial house possibly be unable to do?
If he truly wished, forming a private army in secret would be easy. So why?
“You must have wondered at least once—why Belvart is so utterly loyal to the imperial family. Especially when we aren’t even Argentan.”
“Shut up.”
“I don’t like digging up old stories, but… long ago, Belvart made a pact with the Antithesia imperial family. A vow of eternal loyalty.”
Theodore stared straight into Seria’s eyes. The way he looked at her made her feel as though he were dissecting her piece by piece, and she sharply turned her head away.
That gaze always sent chills down her spine.
“This pact is a kind of spell. If a member of Belvart ever acts against the imperial family, they’re instantly wracked with agony—and eventually, death. And damn it all, it’s passed down through blood.”
“Passed down…?”
“Yes. When my father dies, the pact will be fully etched into my body. That’s why I plan to end it with my generation—by killing the Crown Prince, the Emperor’s sole heir.”
The words were selfish and shameless beyond belief.
Using another person to escape one’s own suffering.
And using someone from the very nation he had destroyed.
Using her—who had lost everything in an instant.
Seria’s fists clenched tightly.
“They say the enemy of your enemy can be your ally. So? Won’t you join hands with me?”
Once again, Theodore whispered to her in a voice like the devil’s.
The hand he offered, and the certainty in his eyes that she would take it, were utterly repulsive.
Seria shot to her feet and grabbed him by the collar.
Her hand trembled violently.
Seeing that, Theodore’s eyes darkened.
“You were certain I’d do exactly as you expected? Don’t be ridiculous. I—!”
“Seria. Want to know why the Antithesia imperial family is so obsessed with Belvart?”
With an emotionless expression, Theodore grasped her wrist and forced her hand down.
Then he stood and stepped closer.
Seria tried to retreat, but the sofa behind her blocked her escape.
“There’s more passed down through Belvart than just the pact. These eyes. With them, I can read people’s true hearts. No filthy desire can be hidden.”
His ashen-gray eyes gleamed as he firmly gripped Seria’s shoulders.
“Let go of me!”
“The imperial family needed Belvart’s power, so they made the pact. My ancestors accepted it without protest. This is why they say you should be born to good ancestors. Don’t you agree, Seria?”
After finishing his words, Theodore released her without resistance. Seria immediately pulled away, putting distance between them.
If what he said was true, then he had already read her heart.
The hesitation she’d felt—however briefly—when he first made his offer.
He knew it all. That was why he could be so confident.
The thought that he might still be reading her mind made her skin crawl.
Her eyes reddened as she glared at him.
“You’re overthinking it. In the end, you and I aren’t that different.”
“You’ve got some nerve saying that…”
“We both hate the Antithesia imperial family. Just like I’m using you, you can use me. That’s what a deal is.”
We?
Seria doubted her ears.
Being lumped into a “we” with him felt unbearably disgusting.
Her brow twisted sharply.
“Don’t group me with you. It makes me sick.”
“All you have to do is answer. Will you accept my offer—or not?”
“……”
After Theodore finished speaking, Seria remained silent for a long while.
Blood seeped from her tightly clenched fists.
A deal devoid of trust, filled only with uncertainty.
And yet… she couldn’t turn her back on her brother.
Slowly, Seria steadied her breathing. Her eyes still trembled, but her voice was firm.
“Can you take responsibility for this deal? I’m asking if you can truly keep your word.”
“Of course. If you want, I can even swear a pact—staking my life.”
As though he’d been waiting for this, the corner of Theodore’s mouth lifted.
“I don’t need that. Prove it through action. How do you plan to find Serion?”
“I was quite sincere, you know. Finding your brother isn’t that difficult. Handling Argentan survivors is my responsibility.”
“……So?”
“I’m investigating based on reports coming in from Argentan residential areas. It’s being done discreetly, so don’t worry about it being discovered.”
“Hah……”
Covering her face with her trembling hand, Seria let out a hollow breath.
In the end, the only thing she could learn right now was whether Serion was alive.
Was he unharmed? Was he suffering?
Was he looking for her too?
There were countless things she wanted to know.
As Theodore silently observed her, he reached for the coat draped over the sofa.
From it, he took out a neatly folded sheet of paper and placed it on the table.
“Sit. We’re not done talking yet.”
Reining in the emotions threatening to spill over, Seria sat across from him.
Theodore gestured for her to open the paper.
“An adoption… confirmation document? What is this?!”
The paper on the table was Seria’s adoption paperwork.
The adoption date was five years ago—and the name listed wasn’t Anna, but Seria.
The abbess’s seal stamped on the document was unquestionably genuine.
But Theodore had been at the convent for less than a day. How was this even possible?
“It’s a document stating that I’m adopting you. It’s not forged—everything was done through proper legal channels, so don’t doubt it.”
“How…?”
“I promised twenty years of financial support. What loyalty did you expect from a worthless little countryside convent?”
Theodore sneered.
Seria’s grip tightened, crumpling the paper in her hands.
So if this document was real, then—
“You’re now officially a member of the Belvart family. More precisely… my younger sister.”
“Ha… haha……”
They say when anger exceeds what a person can bear, they lose their mind.
A laugh wholly unsuited to the situation spilled from Seria’s lips.
