Chapter: 5
Contrary to her worries, the carriage safely delivered Seria to her destination.
She clenched her slightly trembling hands into fists and stepped down from the carriage.
What greeted her was an old castle that looked as if it had been built over a hundred years ago.
Unmanaged weeds and vines sprawled wildly across the grounds, making it seem almost like an abandoned ruin.
“I’ll be going now, miss. Then….”
“Ah, yes. Thank you very much. Please be careful on your way.”
The coachman glanced uneasily at the castle, then quickly climbed back into the carriage and headed off the way he came.
It didn’t seem to belong to the Belvat family.
“Phew….”
Seria took a deep breath and strode forward.
Inside the castle, very few lights were lit, giving it a bleak, desolate atmosphere. There were no signs that anyone had been living there at all.
As Seria looked around cautiously, a voice came from the top of the stairs.
“This way.”
Theodore, dressed casually in a shirt, called out to her.
The moment she saw him, Seria’s expression twisted. She didn’t like the arrogant way he gestured for her to come up.
The room Theodore led her to contained only two old sofas and a table that looked like its legs might break at any moment.
“Sit. I can’t really offer you tea… as you can see, the situation here isn’t great. If you want, I can bring you some alcohol instead. Most of it’s been aged thirty or forty years, so it’s quite good.”
“Forget it. Let’s get straight to the point. You’re serious about wanting the Crown Prince dead?”
“Yes. I am.”
“……Why?”
It made no sense to Seria. Asking for the Crown Prince’s assassination, talking about rebellion if necessary.
That was nothing short of betraying one’s own liege.
In Argenta, such a thing would be unthinkable.
“Why are you curious? For you, it’s a chance to kill the enemy who started the war and get your revenge. I’m just helping you.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t understand. You’re….”
“Because I’m the shadow of the imperial family?”
The Belvat family were loyal retainers of the Antithesia imperial family.
Absolute obedience to the throne—that was Belvat.
Being the first to eliminate the empire’s enemies—that was Belvat.
Standing with the imperial family until the very end—that was Belvat.
Their titles were brutal: the empire’s watchdog, the empire’s shadow, the empire’s shield.
And yet this Belvat was planning treason with a royal from a fallen kingdom.
What was he really scheming?
As Seria’s expression grew grim, Theodore shrugged as if he didn’t see the problem.
“It’s not that rare for a dog to bite its master. Nothing strange about it.”
“…….”
“Unlike you Argentans with your sky-high loyalty to royalty, I’m sick of it. Being a leashed dog—it’s time I quit.”
He ran a hand through his hair, looking fed up.
Then he pulled something from his pocket and swallowed it. She couldn’t see clearly, but it looked like a pill.
What did he just take?
The fact that he could so casually put something in his mouth at a time like this was absurd.
Seria spoke with a hollow, incredulous laugh.
“Fine, let’s say that’s true. Then why ask me?”
“Because you’re the perfect person for this. You hate the Antithesia imperial family, and you have nowhere to go and nothing to lose.”
Seria ground her teeth. So in the end, he was saying she was a convenient card, cornered with no choice but to take his hand.
Her head began to throb as anger surged.
She wanted to storm out immediately—but she couldn’t.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
Then, in a sharp, hostile voice, she said:
“If you’re that desperate, why don’t you do it yourself? Instead of ‘helping’ me.”
“If I could, I would have already. That’s why I’m making a deal with you.”
“What do you mean?”
What could the heir of the most powerful family after the imperial house possibly be unable to do?
If he really wanted, raising a private army in secret would be easy. So why?
“You’ve probably wondered at least once. Why Belvat is so absolutely loyal to the imperial family. Even though we’re not Argentans.”
“Shut up.”
“I don’t like old stories either, but… a very long time ago, Belvat and the Antithesia imperial family made a pact. A pact that Belvat would serve the imperial family in eternal loyalty.”
Theodore stared directly into Seria’s eyes. It felt as though he were dissecting her piece by piece, and she abruptly turned her head away.
His gaze always sent chills down her spine.
“This pact is a kind of curse. If a Belvat ever acts against the imperial family, they’re immediately wracked with agony and eventually die. And damn it, it’s inherited through blood, so there’s no escape.”
“Inherited?”
“Yes. When my father dies, the pact will be fully engraved into me. I intend to end it with my generation. By killing the emperor’s only heir—the Crown Prince.”
It was selfish and shameless beyond words.
Using someone else to escape his own suffering?
Using someone from the country he himself had destroyed.
Using me, who lost everything in an instant.
Seria’s fists clenched tightly.
“They say the enemy of your enemy can be your ally. So? Won’t you join hands with me?”
Once again, Theodore whispered to her in a devilish voice.
The hand he slowly extended, the certainty in his eyes that she would take it—everything about him was repulsive.
Seria jumped to her feet and grabbed him by the collar.
Her hand was trembling.
Seeing that, Theodore’s eyes darkened.
“You were sure I’d do exactly what you wanted, weren’t you? Not a chance. I—!”
“Seria, would you like to know why the Antithesia imperial family is so obsessed with Belvat?”
With an emotionless expression, Theodore pried her hand off his collar.
Then he stood and stepped closer to her.
Seria tried to step back, but the sofa blocked her.
“Besides the pact, Belvat has something else passed down through generations. These eyes. With them, I can read people’s hearts. No filthy desire can be hidden.”
His pale gray eyes flashed as he gripped Seria’s shoulders tightly.
“Let go!”
“The imperial family needed Belvat’s ability, so they made the pact. And my ancestors accepted it without resistance. This is why it matters who your ancestors are. Don’t you think so too, Seria?”
After finishing, Theodore released her.
Seria immediately moved away from him.
If what he said was true, that meant he had already read her heart.
The moment she wavered at his proposal.
He was so confident because he already knew.
The fact that he might still be reading her thoughts made her feel sick.
Her eyes bloodshot, Seria glared at him.
“You’re overthinking it. In the end, you and I aren’t that different.”
“Don’t talk nonsense….”
“We both hate the Antithesia imperial family. Just like I’m using you, you can use me. That’s what a deal is.”
We?
The word made her doubt her ears.
Being lumped together as “we” had never felt so disgusting.
Her brows twisted.
“Don’t lump me in with you. It’s revolting.”
“All you need to do is answer. Will you accept my deal, or not?”
“…….”
After he finished speaking, Seria was silent for a long time.
Blood seeped from her tightly clenched fists.
A deal built on nothing but distrust and uncertainty.
But she couldn’t turn her back on her brother.
Slowly steadying her breathing, Seria spoke. Her eyes trembled, but her voice was firm.
“Can you take responsibility for that deal? Can you really keep it?”
“Of course. If you want, I can even swear a pact—staking my life on it.”
Theodore’s lips curved up as if he’d been waiting for this.
“I don’t need that. Prove it with actions. How do you plan to find Serion?”
“I was being sincere, you know. Finding your brother isn’t that difficult. Handling the aftermath of Argentans is my job.”
“……So?”
“I’m investigating based on reports from Argentan settlements. It’s being done discreetly, so don’t worry about it being discovered.”
“Ha….”
Seria covered her face with her trembling hand.
In the end, the only thing she could know right now was whether Serion was alive.
Was he unharmed? Was he suffering?
And… was he looking for her too?
There was so much she wanted to know.
Watching her quietly, Theodore reached for the coat draped over the sofa.
He pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper and placed it on the table.
“Sit. We still have more to talk about.”
Gathering her emotions, Seria sat across from him.
Theodore gestured for her to open the paper.
“Adoption… certificate? What is this?!”
The paper on the table was Seria’s adoption document.
The date was five years ago—and the name wasn’t Anna, but her real name, Seria.
The abbess’s seal was clearly genuine.
But Theodore had been at the convent for less than a day. How was this possible?
“It’s a document stating that I’m adopting you. It’s not forged. It was done through proper legal procedures, so don’t doubt it.”
“How…?”
“I promised twenty years of sponsorship. What loyalty did you expect from some insignificant rural convent?”
He spoke mockingly.
Seria’s grip tightened, crumpling the paper.
So, according to this document…
“You’re now officially part of the Belvat family. More precisely, you’ll be my younger sister.”
“Ha… haha….”
They say when anger surpasses what a person can handle, they lose their mind.
An inappropriate laugh spilled from Seria’s lips.
