chapter 19
The power of that one sentence was tremendous.
The room suddenly went silent, as if doused with ice water.
I froze in place, mouth still open mid-sentence.
And yet, the person who dropped this bomb remained completely calm, his expression as composed as ever.
‘Did this man eat something bad? Or does he hold a grudge against me?’
My mouth opened and closed like a stunned fish, and then I heard the Baron’s shocked voice.
“L-Lover? Fiancé?!”
He whipped around to look at me.
“Olivia, speak! Is what I just heard true?”
“Uh, um…”
“Speak the truth right now!”
I shot a sharp glare at Lennox, who caused this mess.
But all I got in return was the world’s most elegant smile.
“…Haa.”
I gave up on trying to deal with Lennox.
You just can’t win against that man.
As he watched my reaction with interest, Lennox turned his gaze toward the Baron.
“We sent an official proposal from Cravant. Did it not arrive, Baron?”
And then, I saw it happen again.
“Who… Who gave you the right…”
The focus disappeared from the Baron’s eyes.
“…No.”
His pupils dulled, his face blank, lips slightly parted as he repeated the same word over and over.
Like a puppet being controlled.
“No. No.”
Somehow, the scene felt familiar.
‘Now that I think about it… when the Baron lunged at me earlier…’
“Cravant is a no-go.”
The Baron wasn’t opposed to my marriage in general.
He was trying to prevent my marriage to Lennox.
To be precise, someone was manipulating the Baron to stop this marriage.
“No, no, no, no!”
I widened my eyes.
While I was still trying to process things, the Baron suddenly lunged at me with a demonic expression, his hand outstretched.
But I froze like a deer caught in headlights.
The only thing I could do was shut my eyes tightly.
Thud!
A heavy sound of impact, followed by the dull thump of something hitting the floor.
But I felt no pain.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The Baron lay sprawled across the floor, completely unmoving.
And the man who had clearly done this stood beside him, expressionless, looking down without a hint of concern.
Stammering, I asked, “H-He’s not… dead, right?”
His crimson eyes turned toward me.
That gaze was so intense, it felt like a red arrow piercing straight through me.
I held my breath, waiting for his response.
“He just passed out.”
“Haa… Thank goodness…”
I let out a sigh of relief, and Lennox tilted his head slightly.
“What, were you worried I’d hurt your father?”
“No, not exactly. Just… surprised.”
I bit my lip while looking at the unconscious Baron.
‘Even after going through the same thing twice, I still couldn’t react properly.’
But I had been scared.
My heart was still racing uncontrollably, and my clenched palms were soaked in nervous sweat.
‘He seemed like a completely different person.’
Not even like a person—more like a malevolent spirit.
‘Would Lennox believe me if I said the Baron was being controlled?’
Most people would just think he lost his temper.
“When did it start?”
“…Sorry?”
Lennox had crouched down beside the Baron, inspecting him.
“When did the Baron’s behavior begin to change?”
I stared at him wide-eyed.
“You knew?”
“If I saw it with my own eyes and didn’t notice, I’d be an idiot.”
He replied indifferently, but I couldn’t hide my relief.
“That’s good.”
“What is?”
“That someone else noticed too. Not just me.”
“You sure are lucky in many ways.”
Lennox gave a short laugh.
But I was sincere.
“It’s scary and lonely… when you’re the only one who knows the truth.”
“……”
That I wasn’t from this world. That I was living someone else’s life inside another’s body.
I’d never confessed it to anyone. It was a secret I’d probably carry to my grave.
“Even if you can’t say it out loud, sometimes you just want someone to understand. That’s all.”
“……”
When I looked up, Lennox was staring at me again.
That same intense gaze.
“Ugh, now it’s gotten all weird and awkward.”
Feeling embarrassed, I waved my hand and added quickly.
“Forget it. It didn’t mean anything.”
“No. You’re right.”
“…Huh?”
“You shouldn’t have to carry your secret alone.”
I froze.
“Having someone to confide in isn’t such a bad thing. If you need to talk, you can tell me.”
“…”
“If, that is, you want to.”
It was an unexpectedly kind offer.
The gentle ripple in my heart spread warmth through my body.
“…Okay.”
His sharp expression softened into a faint smile.
But soon after, he returned to his usual cool demeanor.
“So, when did the Baron start acting like this?”
“I’m not sure. He seemed fine a few days ago… but today, he was definitely off.”
“Then it hasn’t been long.”
Lennox pressed two fingers gently against the Baron’s nape.
“What are you doing?”
“Finding the cause.”
A red energy flowed from Lennox’s fingertips and seeped into the Baron.
After a while, his handsome brow furrowed deeply.
“Marionette magic. How old-fashioned.”
“Marionette?”
“A spell that forces or restricts certain actions. It implants suggestions into the mind. The person lives normally, but under specific conditions, the spell activates.”
“I think I know what the suggestion was.”
The Baron had sought the most advantageous marriage possible for me—a man of wealth and high status.
Yet he opposed my marriage to Lennox, who met all those conditions?
It made no logical sense.
“Seems your enemy really doesn’t want us to get married.”
“Well, if they planned to turn me into a wraith, having me marry you would’ve ruined everything. So they had to stop it no matter what.”
Lennox was the only one capable of recognizing the wraith and the leaves from the Kuallum tree in the Lutoru Forest.
“I thought it unlikely that the culprit was a real voodoo practitioner, but I may have to revise that.”
He pressed a hand to his forehead, visibly troubled.
“The Crown Prince is going to faint when he hears about this.”
“Because a sorcerer is still active?”
Lennox nodded.
“It’s one thing if a descendant survived by luck, but having someone still carrying on the voodoo lineage is a serious issue.”
Just what I needed—more problems.
He muttered bitterly, clearly annoyed by the situation.
“Um, but what about the Baron—my father? Can the spell be undone?”
Since he recognized the spell, I hoped he could break it too.
“No. Only the one who cast it can undo it.”
“That’s a problem. We need the head of the family’s approval to get married, but just mentioning marrying you makes his eyes roll back.”
While I fretted, Lennox remained composed.
“Even if I can’t break the spell, I can neutralize it.”
“How?”
“Curious?”
“Of course I’m curious!”
A mischievous glint flashed across his face.
Like a boy about to play a naughty trick.
This expression… He’s up to something again.
“Olivia Brienne.”
“Y-Yes?”
Just as I expected, he gave me a meaningful smile.
“Do you like games?”
His voice sounded like it belonged to someone saying, ‘Let the game begin.’
“No? I don’t like them!”
“They say strong denials mean strong affirmations.”
“I said no!”
Sensing the trap, I tried to backpedal—but there was no escaping Lennox.
“You have to sign the marriage contract anyway, right?”
“Right now? In the middle of the night?!”
“Don’t, then. But who knows when you’ll get the chance again.”
“….”
“If you win the game, I’ll tell you how to nullify the spell.”
I knew it.
“Fine. Let’s do it. Right now.”
