HRNGDS 90

~Chapter 90~

Kassen stepped back in shock.

‘That guy… why does he look perfectly fine?’

The Duke of Fuat was just as surprised.

“My goodness, Jerian. What on earth happened! How are you able to walk?”

“I found a way to cure my illness.”

“What? How?”

“It turns out I wasn’t actually sick. I’ll explain the details later.”

The Duke of Fuat’s eyes trembled. Jerian’s condition clearly seemed better.

The Duke quickly pulled the seal he had been handing to Kassen back into his chest. Kassen panicked and shouted.

“F-Father?”

“Ahem.”

“Why are you putting the seal away?”

The Duke of Fuat was timid, but not foolish. He knew very well that his son Kassen was a reckless troublemaker.

Because Jerian’s health had been bad, and his own health was also failing, he had planned to pass the title quickly to Kassen for now and sort things out later.

But now that Jerian was fine, there was no reason to rush and give Kassen the dukedom.

“There’s no helping it, Kassen. If not everyone agrees, the succession ceremony cannot continue.”

“But, Father…”

The Duke spoke in a stern voice.

“If you feel wronged, then later you may face Jerian fairly in a duel and inherit the title that way.”

Kassen stared blankly at Jerian. He saw Jerian waving at him.

Kassen’s face twisted in misery.

Ivelina finally understood what Delphina had meant before. Truly, Delphina had not prepared this succession ceremony for Kassen’s sake.

She glared at Delphina.
“You… you knew Jerian had recovered, didn’t you?”

Delphina had known that Jerian’s body was fine. She had planned everything knowing it.

Those strange, meaningful words she had spoken before—those were the proof. Delphina did not deny Ivelina’s accusation.

“Yes, I knew Jerian would recover.”

Ivelina gave a bitter laugh.

She knew Kassen well. He was the type to use dirty tricks because he knew he couldn’t defeat Jerian in a fair fight.

‘The Northern Grand Duke, the High Priest, Delphina, my grandfather, and even Jerian…’

Now there was no denying it.

There was a way to break black magic.

And every time someone was freed from it, Delphina was there.

“You… don’t tell me it was you who broke it with your power?”

Delphina only smiled instead of answering.

Ivelina felt heat rise all the way to the top of her head.

That smile—she remembered it from the first time they met.

“Do you think I’m a joke? Why are you laughing!”

“I’m just smiling, Ivelina. You’re the one giving it meaning.”

“You think I’m giving it meaning? Are you saying I feel inferior to you?”

Delphina fell silent.

Ivelina thought her silence meant yes. She was certain Delphina was looking down on her.

‘How dare she, when she lived like a maid in our house!’

Delphina had taken both House Rikeion and the man who was supposed to be her fiancé.

“Answer me, Delphina.”

Ivelina couldn’t control her anger. Especially when she saw Elcayan immediately looking at Delphina with concern the moment their argument grew heated.

Her own fiancé, Kassen, just stood there stupidly doing nothing.

If not for Delphina, that kind and gentle man could have been hers.

‘If we leave things like this, Delphina will only grow more arrogant.’

Kassen, her fiancé, had pathetic abilities.

But look at Delphina with Elcayan—when he looked at her, his eyes were soft as if honey would drip from them.

He gazed at her as if she were the sweetest dessert in the world.

Ivelina’s hands began to tremble.

“Why do you always take what’s mine?”

Delphina stared back at her with cold eyes.
“I took them?”

“Yes, they were all mine. House Rikeion, the Northern Grand Duke.”

“Ivelina, you’re mistaken about something.”

“What?”

“None of those things were ever yours to begin with.”

The Rikeion dukedom had always been Delphina’s. It was stolen by her uncle’s family.

Delphina continued,
“Elcayan’s heart was never yours either. You never had it.”

“Then you’re saying… you have his heart?”

At Ivelina’s question, Delphina looked at Elcayan.

‘We said we were only in a contract relationship.’

When they made the contract, she had promised not to give him her heart. But before she knew it, she had fallen for him.

And as for Elcayan—could she be certain of his feelings too?

‘Now I know.’

He liked her as well.

‘Elcayan looks at me the same way he looks at my cooking.’

That’s why Delphina could answer with confidence.
“Yes, Elcayan likes me too.”

“Why…”

Ivelina put a hand on her face.
“Why does everyone like you…”

Her face, hidden by her hand, turned cold. She looked at Delphina and thought:

‘I really want to get rid of you.’

What she had said to Kassen earlier had been in anger. But imagining Delphina’s dazzling future made it unbearable.

Delphina’s face was full of confidence when she declared that she and Elcayan liked each other. Ivelina knew what that confidence meant.

It was the confidence of someone who was loved.

Her mind wasn’t working properly. Reason had already flown away. Anger boiled to the top.

In Ivelina’s eyes, no one else existed anymore.

Only Delphina and her.

It felt like the two of them were the only ones in this space.

Unable to control her emotions, Ivelina said,
“Really? Then let’s see if he’ll save you.”

“What do you mean?”

“If he really loves you, he should be willing to give his life too.”

Ivelina moved on impulse.

It was unconscious, a pure instinct.

Push!

Ivelina’s hand shoved Delphina’s back roughly.

They were standing on the tower.

The succession ceremony was being held at a very high place.

In short, falling from here meant survival was nearly impossible.

Delphina’s body began to plummet rapidly.

Delphina had expected Ivelina to do this. Ivelina was always impulsive.

‘And they say those exposed to black magic often lose patience.’

She had known that Ivelina would act out in the worst way.

‘That’s why I prepared everything beforehand.’

Of course, she hadn’t told anyone. Everyone would have opposed the plan.

And there was no better chance to reveal Pepper’s existence than this.

‘That’s why I fed Pepper so well, to prepare him for this moment.’

Thanks to that, Pepper had grown into a magnificent phoenix.

Her plan had been for Pepper to swoop in and save her before she hit the ground.

‘And then he would show obedience to Jerian.’

That way, Jerian’s position in House Fuat would become even stronger.

Delphina tightly shut her eyes.

Even though she knew Pepper would save her, she couldn’t help but feel fear as she fell.

The ground was far below, invisible. Her heart pounded, panic rising.

Then she heard a voice she wasn’t supposed to. Her eyes flew open.

“Delphina!”

Elcayan used mana to wrap around her. Delphina realized her fall had slowed, even if only a little.

“Elcayan?”

“I saw Ivelina push you, so I jumped after you.”

At that moment, Pepper appeared with a loud cry.

<Pepper>
‘Delphina, that human must be insane! He really jumped off the tower!’

Elcayan, holding Delphina, landed safely on the bird’s head.

“What is this giant bird?”

“Pepper…”