~Chapter 34~
In the worst-case scenario, if the plan fell apart, I could be “cut off.”
That was only possible because I wasn’t Valandier’s blood relative.
It would be easy to say, “Everything was done solely by the adopted Erdia.”
Maybe that’s why Khalid allowed me to step forward publicly, even without fully trusting me.
Being able to sever ties with me at any moment meant they could protect the Marquisate and shift the blame if anything went wrong.
“No one thinks that way, Erdia.”
“It’s fine. If it’s necessary, I should be used. As long as it’s useful.”
I didn’t feel offended. Regardless of Khalid’s true thoughts, I knew the Marquis wasn’t the kind of person to use me and throw me away.
“Even though you know you’ll get hurt, why do you keep volunteering like this? Do you want me to cut you off if something fails?”
“…I know you won’t.”
“Right. You do know. I’ve already decided to side with the Crown Prince. Even if this fails, I’ll work on the next plan. But will you keep acting like this again?”
The Marquis looked worried.
He scanned my tired face with his eyes, silently asking if I was really okay.
I sighed softly and gently rubbed my aching leg.
It was raining outside.
Suddenly, I recalled the view from the window Khalid and I had gazed out of together.
Dark clouds had swallowed the sky. Raindrops began to fall, slowly soaking the world.
“It rained. The storm came. Then the snow fell.”
“…”
“The time I spent desperately searching for him, wanting to see him… it passed slowly, but also too quickly. I worried—what if I never saw him again, even until death?”
“…”
“I prayed—take this small, worthless life if you must, but please let me see him just once more.”
“…”
I pressed the corners of my stinging eyes. There was no trace of tears, but somehow, my hand felt wet.
“So what can I do? Even if it hurts, even if I’m exhausted and miserable… I still want to see him. I can’t help it…”
As I leaned halfway against the sofa, the Marquis fell into silence.
Did I really look that worn out? Without a word, he brought over a cup of warm tea and placed it before me.
I took a sip of the tea he had brewed. Swallowing the heat calmed my heart, and I reminded myself why I’d come here in the first place.
“You said you had news to share?”
“Yes.”
The Marquis handed me a few prepared documents and began speaking.
“I haven’t neglected surveillance, but I couldn’t assign anyone directly for fear of arousing Rivier Arfin’s suspicion.”
“I understand.”
The Marquis stroked his beard as he explained the documents’ contents.
“Duke and Duchess Arfin have remained in their territory since relocating four years ago. Most of their former household staff went with them, so there shouldn’t be much to worry about.”
“Then who stayed behind at the Razan mansion? They couldn’t have taken everyone. Rivier would need someone to tell her about the five years I possessed her.”
The Marquis scratched his forehead and cautiously glanced at me.
That alone was enough for me to guess who had stayed.
“It’s Jena, right? She stayed behind?”
“It seems so. As the head maid, and someone who served you closely, it was only natural.”
Even when I had possessed Rivier, Jena had looked after me with great care.
She was the only one who had remained by young Rivier’s side despite her cruel temperament and frequent beatings over trivial matters.
When I once asked why she hadn’t left such a harsh environment, she answered:
‘…I have a sick mother and young siblings. The cost of medicine is high, and my siblings need money for their education. Nowhere pays better than here.’
That’s why Jena never left, no matter how hard it got.
The more she endured and suffered, the more she was paid, and she managed to climb up to head maid.
Being head maid ranked just below the butler—surely that helped support her family.
Out of sympathy, I treated her with kindness.
When her ill mother passed away after years of being sustained by medicine, I granted her a month’s leave and paid for the funeral. I also ensured her siblings could at least receive basic education.
I never saw it as charity. It wasn’t kindness but a way to atone for the terrible abuse Rivier Arfin had inflicted upon her.
Still, Jena always served me with gratitude, as if I had bestowed a great favor.
I had been starving for affection, so it was only natural that I opened my heart to Jena’s kindness and warmth.
I recalled her gentle face on my wedding day, praising me with an abundance of admiration, saying I looked beautiful.
Jena had been the first person here I had ever opened up to—almost like a friend.
“I hope she’s not hurt…”
“She’s still at the Arfin estate. Occasionally, she goes out, so contact is possible.”
“Not yet… Now isn’t the time. If rumors are already linking me to the Crown Prince, meeting anyone from Arfin’s household would only draw suspicion.”
Truthfully, I wanted to summon Jena immediately and try to persuade her.
But right now, I couldn’t afford any rash moves.
“I can’t recall clearly, but Rivier likely had someone sharp and clever at her side. Someone overly suspicious and extremely cautious.”
Rivier never revealed her true feelings to others. Except for one person—someone faintly remembered in her memory.
That person, whom she alone confided in, remained vague in her recollections. I still didn’t know who it was.
“Should we look into it?”
“Hmm… no. Not yet.”
Not now.
Despite her temperament, Rivier’s actions were always systematic and calculated. She likely had a cautious helper working behind the scenes. If we provoked them, it could backfire.
“Eventually, when we move, we’ll naturally encounter that person. For now, we should stay still. There are other priorities, too.”
“Alright, I understand.”
As I read the report describing the duke and duchess living quietly in the southern Arfin territory—like a retired couple living a pastoral life—my heart warmed.
How did such kind people give birth to such a cruel psychopath?
As long as they’re safe, that’s all that matters.
Even in the past, Rivier never laid hands on her parents.
In fact, they had voluntarily left for the territory, exhausted by her cruelty.
They lived humbly, sharing what they had with the starving peasants as if they were shouldering her sins.
Suppressing tears at the thought of their kindness, I quickly turned the page.
As if waiting for that moment, the Marquis continued.
“About Prince Shuruel… It says he returned to the border, but something’s odd.”
“Odd?”
The Marquis rubbed the creases between his brows as he spoke.
“When we checked with the border region, they said Prince Shuruel never returned. Seems he went somewhere else after leaving Razan.”
According to the documents, his last known whereabouts were in the first northern city after leaving Razan.
“Any trace? Nothing?”
“Nothing at all. It’s like someone deliberately erased all signs of him.”
“If it was on purpose… it doesn’t necessarily mean something happened. He might have chosen to disappear on his own.”
“Hmm… I’ll look into it more.”
“Please do.”
Whether by force or by choice, I wanted to know where he had gone.
Even when stationed at the border, Shuruel used to send letters home twice a year to assure his parents he was safe.
And now, no one had heard from him. He’d vanished without a trace.
My heart thudded in anxiety, but the fact that the duke and duchess remained calm must mean he was safe.
I took a deep breath to settle my nerves.
“Is there any more news to share?”
