Episode 8
“……?”
Katrina was dumbfounded by Raymond’s words.
He clearly knew she was cursed—so what nonsense was this?
“Slandering royalty? That’s a crime against the imperial family, Katrina.”
“……”
“But I’ll let it slide. I kind of like you, after all.”
Raymond spoke as if he were showing her great mercy.
Katrina frowned.
What’s wrong with this man?
“Sorry, but I won’t be helping you.”
“……Why not?”
“Well.”
Raymond smiled brightly.
It was a genuine, sunny smile—completely different from the dry ones he had worn until now.
He looked truly innocent.
Smiling like that, he said,
“I want to see you suffer.”
He looked right at Katrina.
“I hope you crash and burn.”
With that cheerful face, he cursed her.
“So, the negotiation’s off.”
“……”
“I only came to see how you were doing.”
Raymond stood up from the sofa, as if his business was finished.
Raymond left.
Katrina felt absurdly stunned.
He really just left like that?
Was he serious?
“Katrina.”
As soon as Raymond left, Katrina stepped out of the room.
She was coming down the stairs when she ran into Damian.
Katrina glanced at him with tired eyes.
“Heading out?”
She tried to pass him with those words. If only he hadn’t spoken next.
“You don’t look well.”
It was as if he knew her situation.
But that couldn’t be.
“I’m just tired.”
Indeed, dealing with Raymond had drained her completely.
“Is that so? To me, you look more like someone disheartened after failing to win the crown prince’s favor.”
“……”
“It’s always been that way after you met with him.”
Seriously?
Raymond, now Damian.
Everyone seemed to think she was in love with him.
“Should I say it again? I’m tired.”
“It’d be stranger if you were smiling proudly.”
Her mood, already terrible, was being worsened by Damian now that Raymond had taken his turn at getting on her nerves.
How irritating.
“What did you do?”
“……”
“The crown prince hates you. What did you do to make him come here?”
What did she do?
Even without writing that letter, it seemed he would’ve come just to mock her.
He’s definitely cursed.
She’d been momentarily confused by Raymond’s confident demeanor, but there was no way what he said was true.
Katrina had good reason to be sure of that.
But still, for him to reject her offer?
He was willing to endure all that pain?
So stubborn.
Now that she was back, she had no intention of fighting with the protagonists anymore.
She didn’t want to get tangled with them any further.
“I’m tired. I want to rest. Let me pass.”
She didn’t want to clash with Damian either.
Katrina tried to deliberately avoid him.
“Katrina.”
But Damian called her name.
“My father has invited you to the dinner table.”
Dinner invitation?
So he wanted to hear what Raymond had said from her own mouth.
“I don’t know what you think you can change, but good luck.”
The tone implied: Whatever you try, you’ll end up in the monastery anyway.
Done speaking, Damian passed her by.
Raymond, Damian…
They were all so arrogant and insufferable.
Even though she was the only one in this house who knew what really happened in that room.
Raymond had left, after all.
Evening came.
Katrina headed to the dining hall.
“So, how did it go?”
She looked into the hall.
Duke Abiche sat at the head of the table. Just below him, the duchess and Damian sat facing each other.
Selena sat next to Damian.
There was no place for Katrina at the table.
“I asked what happened with the crown prince.”
Katrina instinctively knew—
What she said here would determine her fate.
“Of course, I should answer.”
Katrina didn’t avoid Damian’s gaze.
The sharp-eyed Damian seemed to know she had returned having suffered a big failure.
And he mocked her for it.
He was probably the one most eager to see her sent to the monastery.
He’d always hated her.
He always thought she stole what should’ve been his.
And that wasn’t wrong.
“I was actually waiting for you to summon me.”
Since it was already a lost cause, Katrina decided to act bold.
“I think I’ll have good news to share soon.”
Her goal was to get out of here.
The fact that Raymond had come here already changed the atmosphere in the estate.
And what had happened in that room—only Katrina could tell them.
Would they ask Raymond directly?
Even if they could, not immediately.
“Good news, huh?”
Damian spoke, clearly catching on to her lie.
“Your face looked so grim earlier, I thought something bad had happened. I’m relieved.”
“I told you I was tired, Damian. Didn’t you hear?”
“What did His Highness say to make you feel so optimistic?”
Katrina smiled faintly.
“The atmosphere, of course.”
“The atmosphere? That’s an ungrounded and emotional answer.”
“Yes, Katrina. ‘The atmosphere’? That’s all?”
Selena backed Damian up.
To Selena, Katrina had always been an obstacle.
She believed she could have had more in the Abiche household if not for Katrina.
“We’ll see soon enough.”
Katrina ignored them and looked directly at Duke Abiche.
“I plan to gift the crown prince a perfume I made myself.”
The Duke listened silently.
“Please give me your permission, Father.”
Damian quickly objected.
“This is a baseless claim. I fear it may bring shame to our house.”
The Duchess and Selena, who also disliked Katrina, followed suit.
“Yes, Katrina. Damian is right. You’ve already brought great disgrace to the family. You should be reflecting.”
“We don’t even know when she’ll be sent to the monastery. I don’t think it’s wise to let Katrina represent us now, Father.”
They were all united in their opposition to her.
A very familiar atmosphere.
It had been a while since she’d felt it.
“I do intend to reflect.”
Duke Abiche was visibly weighing his options.
So Katrina pushed the scale hard in her favor.
“That’s why I’m only offering a perfume as a gift, nothing more.”
“……”
“His Highness came all the way here out of concern for me. Wouldn’t it be too little to not even give him a small gift?”
The Duke hesitated, clearly conflicted.
There was no way the crown prince liked Katrina.
He couldn’t believe Raymond’s feelings had changed suddenly.
But what if—what if something had changed, even slightly?
“Yes, Father?”
Just a bottle of perfume.
Giving it wouldn’t harm them.
They could observe—and if Raymond’s visit turned out to be nothing, they could still send Katrina to the monastery as planned.
“Fine, Katrina. I’ll allow it.”
Katrina beamed brightly.
“I won’t disappoint you, Father.”
I still want to know how she “died”