~Chapter 77~
Patrizia rambled on, telling Narcisa everything that had just happened.
Narcisa didn’t show even the slightest change in expression as she listened.
That actually made Patrizia even more scared.
A cold sweat trickled down her spine.
She almost wished her mother would just slap her or yell at her like other parents.
“Patrizia, my daughter,”
Narcisa walked over gracefully toward her daughter.
“…Yes.”
Patrizia clasped her hands tightly and answered.
“Did I raise you to act like this?”
She raised her hand and gently stroked both of Patrizia’s cheeks.
“…I’m sorry, Mother.”
Patrizia’s whole body bristled at her mother’s touch.
“Do you think you’re a princess or some filthy woman off the streets?”
The words were insulting, but Patrizia knew she was guilty, so she just bit her lips and stayed quiet.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…I’m a princess.”
Patrizia finally answered with trembling lips.
“Then why did you do something so stupid, like some common whore?”
“…”
What could she say to calm her mother down?
She frantically searched for the right excuse.
“Mother, I think Duke Blumhardt has feelings for that commoner.”
After a moment of silence, Patrizia finally spoke.
Might as well be honest about why she acted that way.
“…The commoner?”
“She’s the child’s birth mother.”
A single tear fell from Patrizia’s eye.
“Mother, I really didn’t want to use such cheap tricks.”
She let the tears fall and kept talking.
“But the way the Duke looked at that woman… it was the look of a man in love.”
She sobbed and dropped to the floor.
“…How could I possibly bear that?”
Patrizia cried into the floor, her voice trembling.
“…The child’s birth mother, huh.”
Narcisa muttered without looking at her daughter.
She had planned to kill the woman just for being the child’s mother, but now she was getting more annoying—making potions, causing trouble.
When was Carmen going to take care of her?
“Still, Patrizia.”
She looked down coldly at her daughter.
“You’re a princess. And yet you acted so rashly over something like this.”
Her daughter always tried to solve things with emotional outbursts—it was tiresome now.
She couldn’t keep forgiving such stupidity.
“And without even asking me first.”
Her voice was as cold and sharp as the frozen mountains in the north.
‘I need to marry Patrizia off quickly to secure the child, then keep the Duke stuck in the north this winter…’
How arrogant of her daughter to mess up such careful plans.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
This foolish girl had ruined everything she’d carefully planned.
She wasn’t even helping her mother’s grand schemes.
“You should stay in your palace and reflect on your actions for a while.”
Narcisa hadn’t told her children about the dark magic yet, but with common sense, they should’ve figured it out by now.
“…M-Mother.”
Patrizia called out desperately.
“Because of your foolishness, your engagement will be called off tomorrow. How disappointing.”
Her daughter had little magic power but was still useful enough for a political marriage.
Sadly, she wasn’t even good for that now.
“You too, Florian. Did you really think I wouldn’t know it was you who gave her that potion?”
She shot her son a glare.
Florian shut his mouth and lowered his head.
Why were her children all so disappointing?
Narcisa held back her anger and walked away, leaving her daughter drowning in despair.
—
“You’ll be okay if you just rest for another hour or two.”
The healing mage stood up after finishing his treatment.
“You only survived because you’re a noble. A regular person would’ve been done for.”
He shook his head in disbelief.
“Can you tell how much of the potion she used?”
“Of course. See here? This is what I extracted with magic.”
The mage held up a crystal vial filled with a strange liquid.
“Give it to me.”
When Johann reached out, the mage handed him the vial respectfully.
“…This much, huh? No wonder I was out of it.”
Johann muttered as he stared at the vial.
After the mage left, Samuel approached Johann.
“Your Grace, are you feeling better now?”
“Better than before.”
Johann set the vial down on the table.
“That’s good. But… How did you end up with Lady Leah?”
At that question, Johann’s face twisted.
“…You don’t need to know.”
Samuel had arrived just in time—any later, and things could’ve gone very wrong.
‘…I almost kissed Leah. Completely lost control.’
If he’d done that while out of his mind, he’d be regretting it so much right now.
He ran a hand down his face, annoyed.
“Actually, Your Grace, this might be a good opportunity.”
Samuel changed the subject tactfully.
“You mean to break off the engagement with the princess?”
“You were already thinking about it, weren’t you?”
“It’s funny—when I heard she gave me a love potion, that’s the first thing that popped into my head.”
That thought came to him even when his life was in danger—how badly did he want to end things?
He let out a laugh.
“Unlike the Empress, the princess is impulsive and foolish, but I guess that worked in my favor this time.”
He always found her unpredictability frustrating… but maybe not this time.
‘Nothing happened last night, so I can think clearly about this now.’
Feeling better, Johann got out of bed.
“Samuel, go write up the annulment letter immediately.”
He sipped from a glass of water on the table.
“I’ll be seeing the Emperor as soon as morning comes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Outside, the sun was beginning to rise.
—
Leah hadn’t slept a wink all night. She lay in bed, kicking herself.
‘Ugh, what’s wrong with me? I should’ve just left after giving him the towel! Why did I stand there staring like an idiot?!’
Maybe it was because it reminded her of the first time they met—
Back then, he’d been infected by a demon’s poison and was unconscious for a month.
She couldn’t help but see that same image now.
Still, no matter what memories came back, how could she try to touch someone who was clearly in pain?!
Leah squirmed under the blanket.
He just looked so helpless and sad.
She wanted to help him.
She just wanted to comfort him and say everything would be okay.
‘…No. Why am I feeling this way about him?’
They were strangers now.
It was over between them.
So she had no right to feel anything at all.
Feeling heavy-hearted, Leah pulled the blanket over her head.
…Maybe she could feel that way about a normal guy like Hardt,
But not about Duke Blumhardt.
That was something she absolutely couldn’t let happen.
She had no plans to fall in love with him again.
And she didn’t want to feel sorry for him, either.
That’s how it had started last time—Feeling sorry turned into love.
‘I’m not getting hurt like that again.’
Even if he broke off the engagement with the princess, there were countless pretty noblewomen around him.
And the difference in status was still there.
‘…Stop dreaming.’
She reminded herself to focus on just one thing:
Saving Raphaella’s life and avoiding her own death.
That was all that mattered.
She squeezed her eyes shut until Raphaella woke up, repeating to herself over and over:
Don’t fall in love again.
As the morning came, it was time to go down for breakfast.
“Mommy, mommy! Let’s go now!”
Raphaella tugged on Leah’s skirt.
“Rafi, Mommy’s not feeling well today.”
“You don’t have a fever.”
Raphaella touched Leah’s forehead, puzzled.
“…You can still feel sick without a fever.”
Leah crouched down to explain to her.
She just didn’t have the courage to face Johann at breakfast.
‘He’d feel awkward too. It’s better if I don’t go.’
“Liar! You said you’d eat with me and Daddy whenever we could, and now you’re lying!”
Raphaella pouted.
“Rafi, I’m not lying.”
“You are! Auntie Feppy read me a book yesterday, and it said people who lie touch their noses!”
Leah froze.
Her fingers really were touching her nose.
‘So that’s why she didn’t believe me.’
“…I wasn’t touching it.”
“I saw you.”
Raphaella crossed her arms and frowned.
Knock knock knock.
When they didn’t come down, Johann came up himself.
“Daddy!”
Raphaella ran to him and hugged him tightly.
“Did my little Rafi sleep well?”
“Yes!”
Johann picked her up gently.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Leah asked with concern.
“…I’m fine now.”
“Still, Daddy’s not feeling well, so come down, Rafi.”
Leah reached out for her daughter.
“It’s really okay. The healing mage completely cured me.”
“Daddy, were you sick?”
“A little, but I’m fine now.”
He kissed Raphaella on the nose.
“Yesterday must’ve been scary, huh?”
“…A little, but I’m okay.”
“…I’m sorry.”
He lowered his head slightly.
“It wasn’t your fault, Your Grace.”
Leah waved her hands, trying to reassure him.
The two of them talked while obviously avoiding looking at each other.
‘…I can’t even look him in the eye after what happened yesterday.’
Raphaella looked between the two of them and asked,
“Mommy, Daddy, did you two fight?”
“What? No!”
“No!”
They answered at the same time and accidentally locked eyes.
Leah felt her face heat up.
“Huh? Why are both your faces red?”
