VDBO 23

Chapter 23

“Hm?”

“Has there been any movement from the Ludwig family? Like trying to harm Mother or anything…”

“Hm.”

Mr. Schwald set down his fork and knife as if pondering, briefly furrowing his brow.

“Now that you mention it… things have been very quiet lately. It’s been quite a while since they last attempted an assassination.”

“That’s a relief. Still, I think we should stay cautious.”

They were like leeches to us. They had committed every wicked deed imaginable, yet feared being wiped out as a family—so much so that they stayed tense at all times, ready to eliminate us if needed. And yet, they shamelessly kept testing the waters, wondering if we might become useful to them again someday.

“Yes. As you said, it’s best to be careful. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Yes. Ah, and the medicine Mother gave me is almost gone.”

The medicine tasted like stagnant sewage. Truthfully, I didn’t want to take it. Still, I had to pretend I was being obedient. Only then would I have even a little freedom.

“Oh, right. It’s already time, isn’t it? I meant to tell you, but things have been hectic.”

“Please don’t say that. The only reason I can walk around the capital without worry is because of you, Mr. Schwald.”

“I’m honored to hear that. You probably won’t need the medicine anymore.”

“…Pardon?”

The question slipped out before I could stop myself. He’d told me to never forget to take it every day—so now I didn’t need it?

“Once it’s gone, you won’t need to take it anymore. It’s not as cold here as it is in the North.”

Surprise, confusion, and unease all mixed together. I smiled gently to hide it.

“That’s true. Ah.”

“Yes?”

“Could you… pass this on to Mother when you go?”

“What is it? A necklace?”

I nodded.

It was far too modest and plain for something my mother would wear. It even looked a bit crude.

“They say it brings good energy.”

“I didn’t know you believed in things like that.”

“It didn’t cost much.”

“Alright. I’ll make sure to deliver it to Ru without a single scratch.”

“Thank you.”

I had bought the necklace shortly before coming here, at a general goods shop I stopped by briefly. Well—not inside the shop itself, but from an old fortune-telling woman who had set up a street stall outside.

She grabbed me as I passed by, even though I hadn’t asked for a reading. She said I had miraculously survived death and pressed the necklace into my hand.

She claimed it brought good fortune, and when I tried to refuse, she pitied my life and insisted I take it.

Honestly, it was the first time anyone had spoken so rudely to me, so I tried to ignore her and leave.

But she stubbornly tried to force it into my hand. I couldn’t just take it for free, so I gave her a coin and took it. It wasn’t because I was tempted by her words about nearly dying.

Anyway.

I was worried about Mother, whom I’d be separated from again for a while, and thought it would be better if she had it rather than me. So I gave it to Mr. Schwald.

“I should be going now.”

After the meal, Mr. Schwald helped me into the carriage, his expression regretful.

“Please be careful.”

“If you need anything, tell Ian.”

“Don’t worry.”

The carriage door closed.

When I returned home, a metal box bearing the imperial crest had arrived. Since both Ian and I had been out, it seemed a maid had accepted it.

I hadn’t received any prior notice, so I had no idea why it was sent. If it wasn’t from Mr. Schwald, there was only one possible sender.

“Did someone from the Imperial Palace come?”

“Yes. They arrived shortly after you left, miss. They said this must be delivered to you.”

Lisa handed me a letter along with the box.

I took them and went straight to my room. My room used to be on the first floor, but I eventually moved to the second floor after I couldn’t tolerate the irritating noise anymore.

As soon as I entered, I flopped down onto the bed and opened the box. Inside, unexpectedly, was a necklace.

I lifted it and held it up to the sunlight streaming through the window. The thin chain was made of platinum. It shimmered strangely, as if diamonds had been crushed and embedded into it.

The large, flawless ruby set in the center was a vivid red—so vivid I could tell exactly why it had been chosen. The smaller rubies on the top and sides, and even the droplet-shaped gem hanging below, were all red. It was extravagance incarnate.

He had always stared at my eyes as if engraving them into his mind. Of course he wouldn’t have considered choosing any other color. If it was him.

The letter said he wanted me to wear it and meet him next time. That he had something he wanted to say.

The moment I read it, I knew exactly what he was going to say. Still, the feeling of waiting for it was oddly new.

I briefly held the necklace up to my neck, then placed it back in the box. I could wear it when he came to pick me up on the promised day.

After placing the box and letter on the bedside table, I lay back down on the bed.

“……”

Closing my eyes, Mother came to mind again. I wondered if I should have added something more to the gift I’d sent earlier. Would she like the necklace?

She said she’d be coming soon anyway. Though I wished she wouldn’t come for months, that would never happen.

“Ah.”

Just as I was about to sleep, the earlier incident came back to me, driving sleep away. I got up and went downstairs. Thankfully, Ian was in the living room.

“Ian.”

“Yes, miss?”

“There’s something else I want to look into about the Crown Prince. Prepare all the documents Mr. Schwald left behind.”

“Yes. Where should I bring them?”

“I’ll be in the study.”

“Understood.”

Not long after I sat down in the study, Ian brought the documents. I began by reading those detailing events from about eighteen to twenty-three years ago.

Valerie’s story about nearly dying at birth had stuck with me. I wanted to see if there was some past I didn’t know about.

But even after searching everything from the year before he was born to when he turned five, there was nothing like what he described. These documents were almost identical to the imperial historical records—if it wasn’t here, it likely wasn’t there either.

So either he was lying, or someone had deliberately erased that period. Which meant… did someone hide it because they truly believed he would die?

“Hm.”

Not only that—everything around the time of his birth was unnaturally quiet and clean, as if events had been erased.

Other years were filled with dense records, so how could it be so silent precisely during his conception and birth? Especially when so many safety measures had been put in place at the separate palace to protect Mother.

Still, since it was before I was even born, digging deeper would only raise suspicion. Feeling heat rise near my heart again, I closed the documents and leaned back in my chair.

Pressing down on my chest until the sensation eased, I pulled out the medicine pouch from inside my dress pocket. Still leaning back, I lifted my head and examined it closely.

“Because it’s not as cold as the North…”

In truth, since coming to the capital, I’d only pretended to take the medicine and secretly set aside several packets. I’d been curious about what kind of medicine it was.

Now that I was being told I didn’t need it anymore, my curiosity only grew.

“What did Mother say when she first gave this to me?”

That if I got sick, I’d be a nuisance, so I should take care of myself. I’d thought disobeying her would lead to disaster, so I started taking it faithfully.

Later, Mr. Schwald explained that it was medicine to keep my body healthy and warm.

And she’d said something else too…

“…Wait.”

I straightened up so suddenly the desk rattled.

Was it a coincidence? My heart pain seemed to start after I stopped taking this.

No—didn’t Mother want my power to awaken quickly? Did she wait until the right time? So I wouldn’t accidentally imprint on just anyone and ruin her plans…?

I stared at the medicine. It was a mixture of several herbs, so I couldn’t tell its ingredients or effects like this.

Even though I knew intellectually that Mother was a villain through and through, deep down I believed she worried about me and truly saw me as her daughter. That was why I liked her. And why I never doubted this medicine.

Even when she worked me hard, if I seemed unwell, she postponed things. Unless it was a special situation like now, she never even let me eat alone.

I thought that was her own way of loving me.

“Maybe living together for so long dulled my brain.”

I crushed the medicine pouch in my hand, then tore it open and poured it into my mouth.

Three packets remained. I’d keep one to find out what it was, and take the other two again to see what happened. Then I’d know.

I swallowed it all at once with the tea Ian had brought and stood up from my seat.