Chapter 30
“Rebellia Piace”
“Why don’t you answer?”
“…”
“I’m really curious what you’ll say.”
Carriaire looked at her with an expression that clearly said, let’s hear it then.
Heidi, nervous, licked her dry lips and cautiously asked:
“H-Honestly?”
“Go ahead.”
“Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to sneak past the servants than to stab Your Highness and try to escape that way?”
“…What?”
“I mean, if my goal is to escape, there’s no need to stab Your Highness…”
“…”
“Not that I ever thought it was possible, but even if—by a one in a million chance—I succeeded, I still don’t think I’d make it out of the castle.”
She spoke carefully, but truthfully.
Since her intention to find the castle blueprint had already been discovered, there was no point in hiding anything.
Besides, pretending otherwise might just make things look worse.
Just as she was finishing her explanation, Carriaire let out a soft laugh.
“…What’s with him?”
He lowered his head and covered his face with one hand, shoulders shaking as he laughed.
She stared at him in disbelief, wondering if he had truly lost his mind.
After laughing for a while, he dropped his hand and looked at her.
Still half-smiling, he said:
“That was my mistake. I didn’t think the young lady had thought it through that far.”
What is he talking about? What did I consider?
“Alright.”
She blinked in confusion as he continued in a calm tone:
“I’ll tell the others in advance.”
“Tell them what?”
“That if you succeed in stabbing me and killing me, they should let you go safely.”
“Huh?”
He smiled, and she nearly choked on the rage rising to her throat.
After I just said it’s easier to sneak out than stab you…
“Good luck, Heidi Eliana. I hope the gods bless your plan.”
With those parting words, Carriaire left the library without hesitation.
As she watched his retreating back in disbelief, her eyes locked with a red-haired knight glaring at her with killing intent.
In that instant, it hit her like lightning.
They really believed that nonsense—and now, my plan is totally ruined.
* * *
That knight who had glared at her earlier looked as if he’d rather kill her himself before Carriaire could come to harm.
And she wanted to shout back:
Does that even seem like a feasible plan to you!?
She looked down at her own body.
Pale skin from barely going outside, arms that had never held a weapon, and legs clearly not built for running.
If I was going to stab your lord, the ruler of a monster-infested territory, either I’d need to be reborn, or he’d have to be already half-dead.
“Seriously! If that had been possible, would I have agreed to that ridiculous kidnapping plan in the first place? I would’ve just taken care of Piace directly!”
Frustrated, she swore under her breath.
After a while, she sighed.
“…I’m screwed.”
Escaping was no longer the issue.
Now, she had to worry about the servants of Esperos, who might try to kill her for real based on a joke.
She ran a hand down her face in despair, brushing her hair back and biting her lip.
“No, no. It’s fine. If the book is right, Delphiann will come tomorrow. I’ll just eat carefully, lock the door at night, and… Ugh! This is too much!”
She tried to stay calm, but anger kept bubbling up.
Isn’t it natural for a hostage to think about escaping?
Why was he messing with her for doing the obvious?
No wonder he’s the classic villain. No wonder Delphiann…!
She stopped herself just before finishing that thought.
The moment she thought Carriaire deserved what was coming to him, another thought intruded:
But wasn’t it her who used him knowingly?
She never gave him a chance to choose differently. She was the one using him.
“…If Carriaire Esperos is the villain, then I must still be the villainess, Rebellia Piace.”
She sighed, remembering his dark red eyes staring at her.
Even though she tried to twist the novel’s plot and change her fate, maybe she was still someone’s villainess after all.
* * *
‘H-Honestly?’
‘Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to sneak out past the servants rather than stab Your Highness?’
‘I didn’t think it was possible anyway. And even if it somehow worked, escaping afterward still seems impossible…’
She had answered truthfully when he told her to.
Do I really look like someone who could kill you?
If I could, I would’ve done it already.
That look on her face had made Carriaire laugh out loud, even though he hadn’t meant to.
And when he laughed, she was the one who looked flustered.
He found it incredibly amusing.
“Your Grace.”
Another pair of footsteps followed Carriaire as he left the library, still smiling.
It was Van, a man with a claw scar over his left eye—as if scratched by a beast.
He didn’t wait for a response but spoke cautiously:
“We’ve lost contact with the hound sent to Count Eliana’s estate. It seems their identity was exposed.”
The last bit of amusement vanished from Carriaire’s face.
Van swallowed nervously and continued:
“Also, there’s been word from Piace. At the ball, the Count and Countess of Eliana met the Crown Prince. The Count informed him of Heidi’s disappearance.”
They reported her missing?
Carriaire finally stopped walking.
Van quickly added more details:
“Apparently, there was tension among the three.”
“Tension?”
“Yes. The Count wanted to send people to search for Lady Heidi, but the Crown Prince argued it would be inappropriate at a party full of honored guests.”
‘He will come. As soon as he knows I’m here, he’ll come. No matter what happens, the Crown Prince will come.’
Carriaire remembered the certainty in Heidi’s eyes—the faith she had in Delphiann Zeros.
She had believed, without a doubt, that he would come for her.
“Still, by now, Zeros should’ve confirmed she’s missing.”
It had been a full week since Heidi was kidnapped at the ball.
Carriaire muttered, “They’re already late,” with certainty.
Van hesitated, then added:
“Yes, that’s what I thought too. But… there’s been no reaction from Delphiann Zeros.”
No reaction?
Carriaire frowned at the unexpected news.
Van continued carefully:
“Also, we need to look into this more, but there’s a rumor that the conflict at the ball had another cause.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone reportedly saw Delphiann Zeros embracing another woman at the ball.”
“What?”
Van ducked his head even lower and added:
“And… that woman was apparently Rebellia Piace, daughter of Crocan Piace.”
