~Chapter 5~
Because of the change in the Duke Romanov’s expression, I got even more nervous, but I forced myself to stay calm and continued explaining slowly.
“The Duchess of Reinhardt survived, unlike you and my mother.
It’s not publicly known, but the second son, who had already awakened as a great mage, was with her in the carriage.”
“You mean Reinhardt’s second son, the one who became the new Tower Master this year.”
“Yes.”
Duke Romanov stared at me in silence, then looked up at the ceiling as if deep in thought.
His lips tensed slightly, and then he looked back at me.
“So what exactly are you suggesting?”
“Those accidents weren’t coincidences.”
His golden eyes suddenly sharpened.
It felt like a fierce aura was surrounding him.
Pushed by that energy, I struggled to keep talking.
“I can’t tell you everything I know.
It’s hard to explain.
And I don’t even think I know everything yet.”
I met his gaze directly.
His golden eyes burned so intensely, they felt like they were on fire, but I knew I couldn’t look away.
“I want to get to the bottom of it.
I want to find out who was behind those incidents.
So I’d like your help.”
After getting everything off my chest, I exhaled deeply.
I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath while talking.
Duke Romanov was quiet for a moment, then finally spoke again, looking like he had a lot on his mind.
“At the time, there were so many conspiracy theories that even His Majesty the Emperor got involved in the investigation.
They didn’t just check the capital — they inspected carriages throughout the entire empire.”
Back then, I was so overwhelmed by grief that I hadn’t noticed what was happening in the world.
But I vaguely remember my father and my brother Eden being unusually busy at the time.
“Even after the royal family and three duchies investigated it, we couldn’t find any real evidence of foul play.
It was ruled as just a series of unfortunate accidents.”
“I see…”
“Trying to find the cause now, after all this time, will be incredibly difficult.”
He had a point, so I couldn’t argue.
Of course, I had one unfair advantage — knowledge from a novel I read in my previous life.
Thanks to that, I knew there was someone behind the carriage accident five years ago, which is why I was making this proposal to Duke Romanov.
‘Still…’
Even though I had a few clues, I didn’t have any solid proof — nothing that could reopen an investigation into events that happened five years ago.
It was all still vague and unclear.
‘But I do know that each of the carriages involved had a certain mark on them.’
At the time, it was dismissed as a craftsman’s insignia.
‘And supposedly, there was a witness — though they never came forward, and later rumors said they were mentally unstable and unreliable.’
No one could track that person down, even back then.
“…”
A heavy silence followed.
As time dragged on, I worried that the Duke might suddenly get up and leave, but thankfully, he stayed seated.
I gathered my thoughts and spoke again.
“Even so, I don’t want to give up.”
Right now, my top priority was to break off the engagement with the Duke and save Koana, who was growing up in his territory, so she could live a healthy, independent life.
‘But now that I know someone was behind my mother’s death, I can’t just ignore it.’
Carrying guilt and having someone to blame were two very different things.
I wanted revenge — even if it was small.
Even the tiniest crack could cause a butterfly effect in the life of the person responsible.
“If they targeted the Duchess back then, isn’t it possible that I, as your fiance, might also be a target?”
Even if I became bait — I was willing.
“So what’s your plan, Lady?”
His decision might depend on my answer, so I stiffened from the pressure.
It felt like trying to sugar-coat things would be less convincing with him.
I figured he’d prefer plain facts.
“There are clues that could lead to the culprit.
I plan to follow them one by one.”
“Clues? Can you trust their source?”
“Like I said earlier, I can’t explain everything.
It’s not because I’m hiding anything — it’s just really hard to explain.”
He didn’t seem thrilled with my answer.
He relaxed his formal posture, leaning into the sofa, and ran a pale hand through his hair.
“You’re not seriously going after those old rumors from back then, are you?”
Actually, the clues I had were treated as baseless rumors five years ago.
So I couldn’t exactly deny it.
“Sometimes, the truth hides behind the mask of a rumor.
It’s up to us to pull off that mask.”
“So, a game of unmasking, huh?”
“Call it whatever makes you comfortable.”
I lifted my eyebrows and shoulders with a slight nod.
The Duke’s gaze burned into me again.
“You’re quick with your replies.”
“I told you — despite what people say, I’m actually pretty cheerful.”
“Not worried I’ll think you’re being cocky?”
“I prefer to call it guts.”
He let out a faint smile.
“So, what exactly do you think my role in this is?”
“I’ll explain the details little by little.”
“Little by little?”
“Yes, as things come up.”
“That sounds like you’re asking me to do whatever you want, whenever you want.”
“…Well.”
“Am I wrong?”
“To a degree, you’re right.
But it also means I’m willing to do anything, too.”
He chuckled again at my words.
Then he stood up slowly, walking around the table toward the long sofa I was sitting on.
He leaned close next to me, gazing down.
He was very close.
I tensed up instinctively.
“Anything, huh?”
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly.”
Why was I getting so nervous? This was just a deal.
But it felt like I could hear every breath, every heartbeat — the air between us stretched tight, like a pulled rubber band.
‘Is it because he carries the power of polar night…?’
I turned my head slightly to avoid his eyes, pretending I wasn’t nervous.
“That’s how desperate I am.
I really mean it — I’ll do anything to find the one behind it.”
As I spoke, I turned to meet his gaze again.
His golden eyes, tinged with amber, were almost hypnotic — but I knew I had to stay focused if I wanted his trust and support.
After a moment of silence, Duke Romanov leaned back on the sofa.
He tilted his head back, and I could see the line of his throat clearly.
He had that air of a predator — calm and indifferent, like everything around him was boring.
“Fine.
Alright.”
At last, he gave his quiet agreement.
So, we finally reached an understanding.
He agreed to both the breakup and to help uncover the truth behind the carriage accident five years ago.
‘Thank goodness.
Only after achieving my goal did I notice the fragrant, luxurious tea in my mouth.
“It smells and tastes really nice.”
“Enjoying the taste? You seem pretty relaxed.”
“It’d be a shame to miss it without appreciating it.”
Now that the heavy conversation had passed, the tense air between us started to ease.
I thought back to what I said earlier — breaking off the engagement and finding the culprit — and added:
“In winter, it might be good to stage it as a trip to the Romanov territory.”
That way, we could deal with the monster problem and find the healing herb Koana needed.
“A trip?”
“It’s the easiest excuse to travel together.”
The Duke nodded and rubbed his chin again — a gesture he’d made several times during our talk, which seemed to be a habit of his.
“Then I’ll say I’m looking forward to that trip.”
