Chapter 54
That night.
After their long night together had finally ended,
Denok slowly opened his eyes to the steady sound of breathing right beside him.
The pale light of dawn softly filled the room.
The familiar ceiling came into view, and a faint breath tickled the back of his neck, awakening his senses.
It was Edith.
“……”
Her slender arm was wrapped tightly around him, her soft cheek squished against his chest.
Unlike earlier, when she’d tried so hard to escape from under him,
now she was holding him as if she’d never let go.
“Phew.”
Denok drew in a deep breath.
That had been dangerous.
He’d nearly gone too far—without even realizing it.
But he knew she wasn’t yet ready to accept him completely.
If I’d kept going, she would’ve bled.
And that would have only drawn Rachel’s suspicion again.
So the two of them had simply acted beneath the covers,
without crossing the final line.
Still—
there had been an undeniable intimacy between them,
enough to keep Denok from sleeping through the night.
“……”
He gazed quietly down at Edith’s peaceful face.
Unlike the turmoil inside him, she seemed fast asleep.
He gently pulled the fallen blanket back up over her shoulder.
As her sleeping face came closer, his eyes unconsciously drifted to her lips.
“……”
Her lips, still slightly swollen red, were the result of his earlier kisses.
She had a habit of biting them to stifle her moans.
He looked down at her wordlessly.
A marriage made for mutual benefit.
A performance to avoid suspicion.
He’d thought he could stay detached through it all—
but now, that confidence was wavering.
Just then, Edith shifted in her sleep, red hair spilling over her face.
Her brow furrowed slightly, tickled by the strands.
He carefully brushed her hair back behind her ear,
and only then did her expression relax.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Then, gently, he eased her out of his arms and sat up.
He walked slowly across the room—
and stopped in front of the familiar scrying stone.
His eyes lingered on the eagle-shaped ornament,
and he reached out his hand.
Magic flared around his fingertips—
raw, fierce energy coiling as if ready to pounce at his command.
He let it surge, tear, and shatter through the faint magical currents inside the stone.
The eagle figurine twitched as if under invisible attack.
When he finally withdrew his hand,
it stilled again with a quiet click,
returning to its lifeless, ornamental state.
He didn’t want anyone seeing her disheveled face from last night.
The next morning.
I went to see Rachel, my expression cold.
We slipped into the usual “training room,” away from prying eyes.
I set the scrying stone down on the table.
“This is the proof you’ve been so desperate for.”
I pushed it toward her and leaned back on the sofa, tilting my head.
All that time last night… just to prepare for today.
Now she’d have no more reason to doubt.
I watched her with a faint sense of relief.
“……”
Without a word, Rachel took the figurine and placed the scrying stone into a small black box she had brought.
Apparently, that was how the recorded images could be viewed.
Though I didn’t expect her to play it right in front of me.
Just imagining what kind of scenes might appear made me want to bolt,
but I forced myself to stay seated and calm.
“Go on, play it,” I urged, pretending composure.
Rachel glanced at me, then pressed the button on the box.
Then—
“……”
At first, my image appeared.
It was right after Rachel had left the statue behind.
My red hair swayed as I walked slowly across the room,
then I sat at the vanity and began brushing my hair.
Rachel frowned, probably thinking the scene pointless,
and pressed another button to fast-forward.
The video sped up—
showing me pacing, sitting on the bed reading a book…
and then, being held in Denok’s arms.
We moved to the bed—
And then—
“Uh?”
“What the—”
Suddenly, strange lines slashed across the screen.
The once-clear image was now streaked with black scratches,
flashing faster and faster until the whole picture was obscured.
Rachel frantically fiddled with the box, trying to fix it,
but nothing worked.
No matter how far she skipped ahead,
the black streaks only multiplied—
until the screen turned completely dark.
All that remained was the sound—
my breathless, trembling moans filled with pleasure.
As the sounds of ragged breathing and rustling sheets filled the room,
Rachel’s expression hardened.
“What is this.”
She switched the power off, her voice cold.
Then she looked up at me sharply.
“What did you do?”
But I was just as stunned.
“What—? What’s going on? Is the stone defective or something?”
“That’s impossible. Did you tamper with it, my lady?”
“Me?”
I gave a disbelieving laugh.
“I didn’t even know this magic device existed.
And you know perfectly well I can’t use magic, Rachel.”
“……”
Her sharp gaze faltered, and she frowned in confusion.
“But this makes no sense…”
“Ah.”
Then a memory flickered in my mind.
When I’d first met Denok—
the air itself had seemed to press down on me,
the chandelier light dimming under his overwhelming power.
And later, the violent surge of magic I’d witnessed in the portrait room…
Could it be that Denok’s emotions had flared—and that magic reacted to it?
I shared my thought with Rachel.
She took the damaged magic stone from the box and examined it.
We fell silent.
The once-blue gem now had faint cracks running through it.
Then—
crrrrk!
With a brittle shatter, the stone broke apart in her hand, scattering shards across the floor.
Rachel gave a hollow laugh and sank back onto the sofa.
“So that’s it… no evidence at all.”
“No,” I interrupted. “Not nothing.”
I couldn’t let this chance slip away.
“The sound remains.”
Rachel’s face twisted.
“That sound…!”
“Tell me, Rachel—do you really think those kinds of sounds could be faked?”
She pressed her lips together, unable to answer.
I smiled faintly and rose to my feet.
“Let’s stop this insolence here.”
“My lady—!”
“Have you forgotten our deal?
Once you had your proof, I’d send you back to Father.”
Rachel’s face went pale.
She must have imagined her father’s scolding already.
She dropped to her knees before me in a panic.
“M-my lady, I must have lost my mind for a moment. Please, forgive me just this once—”
“I wonder if Father will still want to keep a servant who tests her master’s loyalty,” I murmured, smiling faintly. “But you’ve always been so perfect, Rachel.”
I took her hand and helped her to her feet, my tone gentle but final.
“I’m sure you’ll do well—wherever you go.
Just like you did raising me so flawlessly all those years.”
“My lady…!”
Her face twisted in anguish, but she didn’t dare touch me.
She could sense it now—
I was no longer the girl she could manipulate.
I met her eyes coolly.
“Pack your things, Rachel. I want you gone by tonight.”
After the confrontation, I returned to my room.
Perhaps from all the tension yesterday, my head felt foggy and hot.
“Phew.”
At least I’d gained what I wanted.
For now, we were free from surveillance.
Of course, Father won’t stay quiet for long.
He had to keep everything under his control,
so he’d surely send a new watcher soon.
But when that happened, they’d only see a loving couple
and wary servants who didn’t trust outsiders.
Finally, I could breathe again.
Knock, knock.
“Edith. May I come in?”
It was Denok.
“Come in!”
I quickly smiled—nothing hid my true feelings better than a pleasant face.
Act like nothing happened. Smile naturally.
When I greeted him with that practiced ease,
he paused for a moment in the doorway.
“…Did you resolve things with Rachel?”
“Yes. Everything’s handled.
She’s leaving the manor today and returning to the Sertia family.”
I’d already sent Father a letter,
lamenting how Rachel had dared defy her master and betray me.
He wouldn’t take her back easily.
A servant who bites her master always deserves punishment.
“I see,” Denok said quietly. “I hope she returns safely.”
I blinked.
He was staring out the sunlit window.
“The roads in the territory have become dangerous lately,” he said softly.
“I only hope nothing happens to her on the way…”
Since when was the Duchy’s security so poor?
His words didn’t make sense—
until realization struck, and my eyes widened.
“What… what did you do to her?”
“Nothing,” he said, calm as ever. “I did nothing.”
I stared, waiting.
Finally, he sighed and added quietly—
“Truly. I did nothing.
But… it seems Gerald had quite a lot of pent-up grievances.”
