SWMD 17

Chapter 17

“Let’s talk.”

Diana glanced around, then grabbed Ruehli’s wrist and led him to her room.

He knew she could see.

From the very beginning, Ruehli had asked if she was really blind. That it couldn’t be. Had he known all along? Could a great mage see through even that?

When they reached the room, Diana shut the door firmly. She removed her blindfold, revealing eyes like gemstones that had been hidden.

She pushed Ruehli against the wall, trapping him between her arms, and stared directly at him.

Their gazes locked in a tense standoff. A strange tension filled the air. Diana spoke slowly.

“How… did you know?”

“…Wow. Sister, you’re intense…”

“Answer me, Ruehli.”

Diana slammed her hand against the wall, cutting off Ruehli’s attempt to joke. He blinked rapidly, then let out a sigh.

“I knew from the start.”

“How? Can all mages do that?”

“…I can’t answer the first question. And no, not all mages can.”

Ruehli shrugged, answering lightly.

“Then why did you pretend not to know?”

His lips, which had been answering so easily, fell silent. Diana tilted her head slightly and waited for him to speak. But he didn’t speak so readily.

“Ruehli?”

“…I just… wanted to. Because it seemed like you wanted me to.”

Only after being pushed again did Ruehli finally speak. And the look he gave Diana was unexpectedly tender. Like he was seeing a lover for the first time in ages.

Why did he look at her like that, when they barely knew each other? Why had he wanted to help her?

While Diana was lost in thought, the wistfulness disappeared from Ruehli’s face, replaced by a mischievous grin. He smiled and said,

“I told you.”

“…Told me what?”

“You’re my type.”

He teased, gently pushing away her arms. Once freed from her embrace, Ruehli turned and looked back at her.

“Even this feisty side of you—totally my type.”

“You’re helping me just because I’m your type?”

Diana looked incredulous.

To her seriousness, Ruehli responded with surprising sincerity.

“I was hired by the Marquess of Pereshte. Isn’t that reason enough to help you?”

He brushed back his red hair and added, a faraway look in his blue eyes.

“…And you were once called the Saint of Pereshte.”

He gave her a wide, genuine smile.

“No one unworthy could ever earn such a noble title.”

At last, Diana’s expression softened as if his answer had satisfied her. She looked as though she’d made a decision.

“…Ruehli.”

“Yeah?”

“Then… will you help me?”

She gripped his jacket tightly and looked up at him.

She couldn’t tell him everything—but she felt sure he would help her. He had played along all this time, even knowing she could see.

“…With what?”

“There’s a reason I had to pretend to be blind.”

Diana continued with a solemn expression.

“And now, I don’t have to anymore.”

Now that she knew what Alicia and Calypso were after, there was no need to feign blindness.

The problem was how to reveal her recovery. Alicia, being a physician, would see through it immediately if it wasn’t convincing.

Just like how she knew the truth about transferring sight.

Diana didn’t know much about medical matters. But she had divine power and magic beyond ordinary healing.

If she was going to fool Alicia, it had to be nothing short of a miracle—even a fabricated one.

“I’ve decided to open my eyes.”

“Your eyes…?”

“If you help me, Ruehli, I can deceive everyone successfully.”

She looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Will you help me?”

At her gaze, Ruehli’s blue eyes trembled. He let out a laugh.

“Ah, this isn’t good. I really am weak-hearted.”

“…What?”

“When you look at me like that, how could I say no?”

He grinned and nodded.

“Whatever it is, I’ll help you. Sister.”

A smile slowly spread across Diana’s face. Ruehli returned her gaze with a bright grin.

With his help, she already felt as if she had won.

“So, how should I help?”

“Come closer, Ruehli.”

Diana leaned in and whispered her plan in his ear. As he listened, Ruehli’s lips curved into a wide, amused smile.

“Got it?”

“Alright. Sometimes, miracles and coincidences trump medicine.”

Diana’s eyes gleamed as she looked at him. A solemn determination shimmered in her gaze.

A kind of determination that made it seem like she really could pull off a miracle.

✦✦✦

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke is calling for you.”

“Calypso?”

As always, Diana had been forcing Catherine to read aloud endlessly. At Shane’s words, Catherine’s eyes sparkled—finally a break.

Diana looked regretfully at the still-tall pile of books but stood up.

“That’s enough for today.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Oh, and your new magic tutor will start next week. Just so you know.”

“…Yes.”

With that cold remark, Diana left the room.

“Announce me.”

“Yes, Your Grace. The Grand Duchess is here.”

“Come in.”

Calypso’s voice came from inside. He was on the sofa—not at his desk—sorting through letters. Some were addressed to Diana.

But he pushed those aside.

Ah, so this is how he intercepted them.

No wonder letters from close noble houses had suddenly stopped, even if her eyes had gone bad. It had always felt strange.

Now she understood. From his perspective, having her attend social gatherings was no longer beneficial, so he had intercepted her invitations.

That vile man.

Diana tapped her cane on the floor and sat on the sofa.

“You called for me?”

“Hm. You received an invitation.”

“An invitation?”

Right—it was about that time when the Duke of Iverck usually sent out tea party invitations. If he wanted to seal the marriage talks for Catherine, he couldn’t ignore them.

Back then, he had used Diana’s poor eyesight as an excuse and told Catherine to take Alicia instead.

Catherine had desperately wanted to go, and as she hadn’t yet debuted, she needed a guardian—so Diana hadn’t objected.

But now, thinking back, it was laughable.

A lowborn girl like Alicia—daughter of a mere baron—attending a Duke’s tea party? When she didn’t even know the duchess?

“Yes. From the Duke of Iverck.”

“A tea party, then.”

“But wouldn’t it be difficult for you to attend? With your eyesight and all, I’m worried…”

He always pretended to care like this, and smoothly sent Alicia in her place. If Diana died, he clearly planned to install Alicia as duchess for Catherine’s sake.

He was grooming Alicia to build social ties with high-ranking noblewomen.

How thorough. Diana held back her scoff.

“I suppose it would be, wouldn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

“With these eyes, it would be hard to attend a tea party. Unless… a miracle happened, and I could see again.”

“…Yes, that’s true. I’d hate for you to get hurt or have your feelings wounded by gossip.”

As the conversation went exactly as she’d hoped, Calypso’s lips curled in satisfaction. He spoke in an overly concerned tone.

Like a scene from a play—everyone, including herself, was just performing.

“But if I can’t go, Catherine will be disappointed. She’s in love with Lord Sawyer.”

“Hm. That’s troubling. I can’t go in your stead to a ladies’ tea party…”

Calypso rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then glanced at Diana.

“What if we sent Alicia instead?”

Diana slowly smiled.

“Yes, Alicia is trustworthy.”

“…Alright. I’ll instruct her.”

“If she’s going, we should get her new jewelry and a dress. It’s not every day she gets to go somewhere like this.”

Diana said generously, brushing her hair aside.

Unmarried and of low status, Alicia wasn’t often invited to formal events. Jewelry and gowns were far too expensive for a physician’s salary.

Calypso wouldn’t dare buy those things for her openly with eyes watching.

In social circles, people bought rare dresses and jewels to flaunt superiority.

Alicia, filled to the brim with inferiority, would definitely crave that.

So Diana planned to “generously” gift her the most extravagant jewelry and gown. For someone who lived to boast before others, what use was something she couldn’t show off?

Alicia would love it—unaware it was all part of Diana’s scheme.

“She’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

Shameless. Diana’s brow twitched. Calypso seemed pleased with how smoothly everything was going.

Clenching her hidden fist under her gown, Diana forced a smile.

“Isn’t she? Well then, I’ll go tell her the good news.”

“Yes. You may go.”

She left the room and paused outside the closed door.

Now, at last, she could smirk freely.

Enjoy your triumph while it lasts, Calypso. Because nothing will go the way you expect.

With a mocking smile, Diana turned and made her way to Alicia’s room.