Chapter 20
“……Rih……?”
Reflected in the heavy chandelier hanging almost low enough to scrape the ceiling, a pair of cold golden eyes shimmered as they stared down at Maia.
The once noble and mysterious figure who had stood alone in the misty forest now exuded a dazzling and bewitching aura, entirely different from before.
It was him.
My friend, Rih.
He was unmistakably the same person I once knew, and yet, he felt so unfamiliar.
It was like facing a complete stranger right in front of me.
But all that strange unease vanished without a trace the moment Rih smiled, his clear golden eyes crinkling with warmth.
“Who… Who is that man…?”
The Cesare young lady, who had just moments ago been shouting with a piercing voice, now murmured with a flushed face.
Maia snapped herself back to reality, as if reeling in a drifting mind.
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked again—there was no doubt. It was Rih.
Oh my god. What is going on?
Maia blinked blankly.
She had suspected that he might have noble status.
That’s why, after becoming a duchess, she had attended every social gathering, hoping to catch even a glimpse of Rih.
But no matter how hard she searched, she could never find him.
So why… Why is he here now?
“You…”
“How dare someone whose name isn’t even known sneak into the sacred Imperial Palace? Just who are you?!”
As Maia barely parted her lips to speak, the sharp cry of Lady Cesare cut her off.
Maia flinched.
Right… No matter how thoroughly she searched the noble registry, Rih’s name never appeared.
What do I do?
She tightened her grip on the hem of Rih’s robe, anxiety growing inside her.
She didn’t know how he’d gotten in, but she was terrified something bad might happen to him.
Rustle.
At that moment, a light weight settled on Maia’s shoulder.
She flinched and looked up.
Rih had placed his hand gently on her shoulder, patting her softly.
His calm demeanor, as if he didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation, left Maia dumbfounded.
“I asked you—who are you! Agh!”
It was then.
Just as the Cesare lady shrieked again in her grating voice and raised her hand to point at Rih, she suddenly redirected her hand—toward herself.
“Ugh—Kuh…!”
The next instant, Maia stifled a scream that nearly burst out in shock.
The young lady was choking herself—strangling her own neck.
“Kuh, guh…!”
If it had been for just a moment, it could’ve been dismissed as strange behavior.
“Guhh, ngh…!”
But bizarrely, even as time passed, she didn’t loosen her grip.
Lady Cesare gasped in pain, drawing in shallow breaths.
Everyone in the hall stood frozen like statues, watching her erratic behavior.
The tears welling in her green eyes made it clear—this wasn’t something she was doing of her own will.
“Guhhh…”
Perhaps unable to comprehend what was happening even herself, the lady looked around in pure terror, silently pleading with her eyes for someone to help.
Everyone, including Maia, watched the grotesque sight with horror and disbelief.
Then, amid the suffocating silence, a voice rang out—clear and chilling.
“Worms that crawl on the floor dare to…”
Startled, Maia looked up.
Rih pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulder more tightly, then continued speaking with calm clarity.
“What punishment do you think would be fitting? It seems I’ve fallen behind the times and missed how the noble customs of your grand houses have evolved over centuries. Not that I care to know.”
He sneered lightly and lifted a long, slender finger.
“Gurk!”
Lady Cesare’s strangling became more violent.
No—!
Maia, pale as a sheet, stared in panic at the scene, then urgently turned to look up at Rih.
“I don’t know how powerful of a mage you are, but that girl is the only daughter of the Cesare Duchy! If you value your life, release her at once!”
The Duke of Cesare rushed in, shouting in alarm.
Rih turned his gaze on him, the look so cold and crushing it felt like it could shatter the man into pieces.
Bang!
“Gasp!”
“Kyaah!”
The moment their eyes met, the Duke collapsed, his head smashing into the marble floor.
His face flushed a deep red as he trembled and tried desperately to rise, but it was no use.
Both father and daughter groaned in pain.
It was a horrifying scene. Maia couldn’t breathe.
“……”
She slowly lifted her gaze to look up at Rih again.
Did… you cause all of this?
She couldn’t believe it.
No matter how hard she searched through every memory she had of their time together, Rih had never shown such cruelty.
She had guessed he was a mage, but had no idea he wielded such terrifying skill in silent magic.
“P-Please… someone…”
Then, Lady Cesare, on the brink of losing consciousness, whispered a plea for help.
Maia didn’t hesitate.
She grabbed the sleeve of Rih’s pure white robe—he stood one step ahead of her, calmly observing the scene from above.
“……”
Under the suffocating gazes of the room, she couldn’t say a word.
But Rih seemed to understand what she was trying to say, tilting his head slightly.
“Hah.”
Was that a scoff? Or a sigh?
He gazed into her violet eyes for a long moment, then sighed as though reluctantly giving in, the sinister energy around him slowly dissipating.
“You’re too kind. That’s your problem.”
Pat.
Maia’s eyes widened as she felt an unfamiliar weight atop her head.
W-What?
The unexpected gesture and his childlike tone made her unreasonably annoyed, as if he were treating her like a kid.
Rih chuckled as he looked into her conflicted expression.
“Uwaaagh!”
Crack—
At that moment, the Duke of Cesare slammed his forehead into the ground hard enough to crack the marble.
“Guh!”
And Lady Cesare, whose face had gone from red to a ghastly pale blue, finally collapsed, released from the invisible grip.
“Aeina!”
Ignoring the blood gushing from his own forehead, the duke rushed over in panic and cradled his unconscious daughter.
“Oh heavens…”
“What… What just happened?”
The nobles around them finally exhaled and began murmuring in shock.
“Uhh…”
“Aeina, child, please wake up!”
Unlike her earlier arrogance, the Cesare lady now looked like she was at death’s door, unable even to speak.
Maia bit her lip hard as she watched the scene unfold.
She had grabbed Rih’s sleeve fearing he might really kill someone.
Even after he let them go, his violet eyes still watched them with cold displeasure, so Maia gripped his sleeve tighter.
“Who in the world is that man?”
“He’s clearly a mage.”
“No ordinary mage can use such complex silent magic all at once!”
“Well, that’s true…”
The nobles whispered, casting countless glances at Rih.
They seemed to agree he wasn’t just any mage—and Maia, still clinging to his sleeve, silently agreed.
Boom!
A loud crash rang out from the entrance of the banquet hall.
As people turned in alarm—
“This is a mess.”
A new man entered, completely different from the ones before.
Despite blood dripping from his left hand propped against the wall, he calmly surveyed the frozen hall.
The nobles gasped so hard it seemed their lungs might burst.
It was the emperor.
Only then did Maia release her grip on Rih’s sleeve.
She didn’t even notice Rih looking down at her with a sulky expression, displeased.
Oh god… As if things weren’t chaotic enough, even the emperor had shown up.
Maia glanced uneasily at the still-unconscious Lady Cesare.
What if the emperor holds Rih responsible for this?
The thought made her clench her teeth.
“What brings Your Majesty here? Surely it’s not just to honor my son and his wife.”
Just then, the emperor’s voice pierced her ears.
……What?
Maia slowly looked up.
There was no mistaking it—the emperor was looking directly at Rih, smiling.
And… he was using honorifics.
But Rih stood there with arms crossed, indifferent and unimpressed.
Maia stared blankly, looking between the emperor and Rih.
“—DIE!”
Suddenly, a scream filled with murderous rage rang in her ears.
