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Chapter 71
“M–M–Impossible.”
How could this even be possible? The last time Kiera was here, it had been an old-fashioned and somewhat shabby hall.
But now, the ballroom had transformed into something more beautiful and grand than the imperial palace itself.
Who on earth is the interior designer? And that sculptor? I’ve never heard of anyone like that!
If there were truly a decorator and sculptor with such skill, the noble ladies would never have stayed silent about it.
A ballroom was practically the face of a noble household. At the very least, this space had to be open to the public to showcase their prestige.
Kiera swallowed hard.
Ithes had recently renovated their ballroom as well. With the eastern tourist spots booming over the past few years, rumors said they were raking in money.
They had barely managed to repay their debts and didn’t have much left, but even so, they were forced to go ahead with a full remodel.
They had poured in a considerable sum, but now it was clear: the nobles who visited this place would soon forget Ithes’ ballroom entirely.
That’s how breathtakingly beautiful this ballroom had become.
“…Did you hire a new interior designer? And a sculptor? No, even if you did, how long has it even been since you opened these doors?”
Kiera muttered in disbelief. Ruella lowered her head, hiding the smile tugging at her lips.
She knew this would happen.
No matter how discerning the nobles were, there was no one who could look at this and criticize it.
If they did, it would only mean they had no taste.
One only had to look at Kiera’s expression to know that much.
“N–No, of course not. We all worked together and prepared for this over the past few years. Maybe that’s why the result turned out so beautifully.”
“What are you saying? Are you telling me this was done without any professionals?”
“Yes.”
Ruella answered calmly. She had no intention of bringing up Rani in front of Kiera.
Of course, Rani’s achievement was worth boasting about—and should be—but if she said too much, Rani could end up in danger.
Especially when she saw the greed glinting in Kiera’s eyes.
“I suppose that’s because three years of effort went into it.”
Kiera trembled. Why was it that nothing ever went her way when it came to Katieron?
Her face flushed red with rage. She wanted to tear this ballroom apart with her bare hands.
But before she could say anything, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed.
Thud.
Kiera flinched.
She had married into the ducal family because she longed for Herden. Everything about him made her sensitive—the sound of his steps, his scent, his voice.
Slowly, Kiera turned her head.
The husband who had thoroughly ignored her since returning to the capital finally appeared. Still lofty and proud as ever, his beautiful black hair falling in elegant disarray over his pale face.
Kiera flushed under the weight of Herden’s heavy gaze.
Even if he had ignored her all her life, the heart was beyond reason. Once she had set her eyes on him, she could never look away.
“Herden… Have you been well?”
Seeing him after so long made her heart flutter even more. But unlike Kiera, whose cheeks were flushed, Herden’s gaze was cold.
“What are you doing here? I’m quite sure Father forbade you from entering.”
Kiera swallowed hard.
Something had changed.
In the past, Herden had resented and feared his father at the same time.
He had never willingly gone anywhere near Taibern and avoided speaking with him whenever possible.
But now, the way he looked at Kiera—the firmness in his tone—it was different. There was a new resolve in his eyes, stronger than before.
Kiera swallowed again.
It only made him seem even more attractive.
“…I thought there might be something I could help with, so I came. Turns out, it wasn’t necessary.”
Herden’s indifferent eyes swept over the ballroom. He had heard about this banquet. But it had nothing to do with him.
What consumed him now was the truth he had learned from Taibern about Amy’s death.
He had finally heard the truth he had so desperately wanted to know—from the man who survived the North.
‘I don’t know the details. But she was the woman who bore my grandchild. No matter how ruthless I am, could I have turned away from that innocent life? Maybe your mother could, but I couldn’t.’
Herden could not refute those words. Even in his memories, his late mother had been a woman of great ambition. It was natural for her to have disapproved of Amy.
‘From what I recall, your mother and Kiera met quite often back then. And while investigating Amy’s death, I found traces leading to Ithes.’
‘…Ithes?’
‘Yes. The last person to see Amy alive was someone from Ithes.’
Ithes, Kiera, and his mother.
His mother had been the one who insisted on his marriage to Kiera, an Ithes by blood—even when Amy was still alive.
After Amy died, his mother and Kiera spoke with one voice:
‘It must have been your father in the North. Would a Sword Master ever come from such lowly blood? He probably saw no hope.’
‘Herden, all I know is this—your father accepted me. He said there would be no problem with our marriage.’
The two of them had conspired to deceive Herden and frame Taibern as the culprit. It was entirely possible.
The despair of having been deceived all this time, the guilt toward his father, Amy, and Hider—he could not even lift his head.
And the disgust of having lived as husband and wife with Kiera, who was no different from Amy’s killer, along with the self-loathing—he could hardly endure it.
Yet Kiera had the audacity to show up in front of him again.
Rage boiled in his chest, hot enough to make him choke.
“Herden, how have you been? I kept writing to you.”
“How shameless. You dare show yourself before me.”
“Herden?”
“No—the very fact that you set foot in this mansion is outrageous. Stealing another’s place… killing people.”
Kiera’s heart dropped. Killing people? Why is he bringing that up now?
She swallowed hard.
“W–What are you saying, Herden? Killing people? That’s such a horrible thing to say. I only came here to help with the duke’s banquet.”
Kiera trembled.
She had faced plenty of hatred before.
There were many who envied and despised her. But never had she felt such burning hatred from Herden himself.
Her body shook uncontrollably. She reached out and carefully grasped Herden’s arm.
He was the man she had been content just to keep by her side.
She had taken comfort in the belief that as long as they were bound by the sacred promise of marriage, he could never turn to another woman.
But now, all of that seemed meaningless.
“Herden, I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re under, but it wasn’t me. I would never do something so terrible.”
The lies flowed easily. But Herden’s eyes showed no hint of warmth.
Even at that moment, Herden was replaying Taibern’s words in his mind:
‘Do you know why I almost died in the capital? Because I was poisoned. No one knew about it.’
That was why he had to dismiss every single physician.
‘They were all in on it. Who do you think would dare attempt something like that in the townhouse? There’s no proof—but think about it. It doesn’t take much to guess who it was.’
Damn you, Kiera!
