The Crown Prince extended a hand to Ria with an unreadable smile.
“Here. The thing you lost.”
What rested on his palm was her mother’s pendant.
When did I drop it?!
Startled, Ria snatched it up in a hurry.
“It’s an interesting trinket.”
Without thinking, Ria clutched the pendant tight in both hands and pulled it to her chest.
It was the one and only thing her mother had left behind.
She was used to keeping it on her at all times, but the Crown Prince taking an interest in it was unexpected.
“This is… something my mother gave me.”
Ria said cautiously.
“Where is your mother?”
Ria bit down hard on her lip.
“I… don’t know.”
The Crown Prince tilted his head as he looked at Ria.
“Do you know what that crest is?”
Ria shook her head from side to side.
She had only ever thought it was a beautiful pattern.
But on second thought, just like the imperial crest engraved on the Crown Prince’s boots, this pendant’s symbol might have some meaning as well.
“It resembles the crest of the Tenevris Ducal House.”
“Tenevris Ducal House?”
Ria’s eyes went wide.
Tenevris was the Empire’s only Ducal House. She had heard the name before, but to Ria they were a faraway story that had nothing to do with her.
All the more so because every time the Marchioness returned from a ball, she would bad-mouth them. Maybe she was just jealous of their power.
“Tenevris is one of the oldest families in the Empire. In military might and political clout, there’s no house to compare with them. The current head, Duke Ignis, has made them even more unshakable.”
Listening to the Crown Prince, Ria squeezed the pendant in her hand.
“That pendant’s crest looked like the Ducal House’s at first, but now that I look again, maybe it’s different.”
The Crown Prince’s teasing tone drained the color from Ria’s face.
“Why do you think your mother gave this to you? What is her connection to the Ducal House?”
“I don’t know.”
Ria knew nothing.
Even when her mother had given her the pendant, she hadn’t offered any special explanation.
Only that her touch was warm and her voice tender.
-Keep it safe. You’ll need it someday.
“Oh, did you know? The Duke has long been searching for his lost daughter.”
“A lost… daughter?”
The Crown Prince looked at Ria with a knowing, or perhaps unknowing, expression.
“It’s been ages. Every noble knows about it.”
Ria’s mind reeled.
She couldn’t fathom why the Crown Prince was telling her any of this.
After that, the two of them walked together in silence, unhurried, until they reached the drawing room.
“Thanks. I should go in and see Oliver now. I’ll see you again, Ariana.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ria bent her knees in a proper curtsy and turned away.
The Crown Prince’s voice, laced with amusement, floated softly to her back.
“The Tenevris Ducal House is west of the Imperial Palace.”
++
In the attic room slanted with morning sunlight, it was still early, but the commotion outside woke Ria.
When she stuck her head out the window, she saw servants hustling about in the direction of the garden.
Curious what was going on, Ria hurriedly dressed and left the attic.
As she made her way down the corridor, the growing clamor set her heart pounding. Anxiety flooded in, her mind going blank.
The moment she reached the garden, the sight before her knocked the breath from her lungs.
Oliver lay collapsed on the ground.
His face was ashen. Ria’s gaze slid to the small creature hunched beside him.
A rabbit.
The very rabbit Ria had fixed up a few days ago.
It no longer looked like Oliver’s cherished, adorable little pet, but something sharp and sinister.
Bright blood stained its tiny, nibbling mouth.
The small tongue licking the blood from its lips and the bared, razor fangs were eerie and threatening.
Ria’s eyes swung back to Oliver.
Scratches from something sharp scored his wrists and arms; his sleeves were torn; and the blood leaking from his wounds had pooled into a red puddle….
The rabbit had attacked Oliver.
The rabbit Ria had saved because of its master.
Ria rushed to go to himb, but the Marchioness was already crouched at Oliver’s side. Her face was twisted with fury, and the servants around them hovered in confusion.
“The bleeding won’t stop. Someone fetch Doctor Landro, quickly!”
The servants shouted in a panic. Clutching the blood-soaked Oliver tight, the Marchioness looked around anxiously. Then her eyes flashed when she spotted Ria.
“You…!”
The Marchioness rose and came at Ria. Rage and despair warred on her face.
“This is all your fault, Ria! Because you used that cursed power, Oliver ended up like this!”
Ria faltered at the Marchioness’s words and took a step back.
“I only helped because Brother Oliver asked me to fix Bunny.”
“Help, you say!”
The Marchioness let out a bark of scorn.
“Who are you to help anyone? Because of you, calamity never ends at the Marquessate! Are you trying to ruin this household? Look closely at what you brought back to life!”
Ria couldn’t speak another word. Even the servants eyed her with contempt as the Marchioness’s accusations poured down.
Feeling every gaze on her, Ria lowered her head. She couldn’t understand what she had done wrong. She had only granted Oliver’s request, yet somehow everything was her fault.
She had committed no crime, and still she was a criminal.
The Marchioness pressed her again.
“It’s your cursed power! If not for you, Oliver wouldn’t have ruined his leg and been treated like this, and he wouldn’t have been attacked by that monster!!”
From behind, the Marquess watched, his expression heavy, eyes on Ria.
“Ria, the household is in turmoil because of you. It’s a fact Oliver is hurt, and our family’s honor has been tarnished.”
Despair surged at the Marquess’s words. Ria knew she was not welcome here, but it was hard to accept that every wrong could be laid solely at her feet.
“How… is that my fault?”
Her voice trembled as she asked, but the Marchioness and those around them had no intention of listening.
Kathryn swept toward Ria with a cutting glare. She wore, as ever, a pretty dress trimmed with lavish lace, tiny gems, and ribbons.
But the look she gave Ria was filled with disgust and contempt.
“How is it not your fault?”
Kathryn snapped, looking down her nose at Ria.
“You’re the one ruining everything!”
Ria frowned and shook her head at Kathryn’s words.
“No, Kathryn. I just…”
But before Ria could explain, Kathryn darted out a hand and shoved her hard.
“Shut your mouth!”
Kathryn’s voice was ice. Ria dropped to the ground and stared up at her in shock.
Heat rushed to her face at once.
Kathryn didn’t even blink as she glared down at Ria.
“You’re destroying our family! It’s all because of you!”
Kathryn ground out the words through clenched teeth, her voice shaking with anger.
“Just disappear already. Do you still not understand you’re the shame of Peregrine?”
Ria wanted to say it wasn’t her fault, but the Marquess cut her off with a weary sigh.
“Go back to your room, Ria. Do not come out until you are given permission.”
++
Duke Ignis Tenevris sat in the study of the grand Ducal Estate. Dim light through the wide windows cast dark shadows across his striking features. Pressing his fingertips to his temples, the Duke closed his eyes as if sunk deep in thought.
Every time his missing daughter’s face surfaced, his chest sank heavy.
The Duke chased her trail day after day. Yet her whereabouts remained shrouded, and his patience was tested more and more.
Just then, the study door eased open and one of the Duke’s most trusted men entered. He bowed before the Duke and carefully proffered a few documents. The Duke opened his eyes and took them. His gaze was keen, resolute.
“Report.”
The Duke’s words were short and firm.
The retainer lifted his head, tension tight on his face.
“Yes, Your Grace. In a small village in the south, an item believed to be a trace of the young lady was seen. There are also testimonies of someone nearby who resembled the young lady…”
The Duke’s eyes flashed as he began to read what was written. He took it in line by line, committing it to memory.
“Continue the investigation. Find concrete proof. If that trail truly belongs to her, we can’t delay any longer. I will go confirm it myself.”
The Duke’s voice was resolute. After issuing further orders to his man, he exhaled and looked out the window.
He prayed, with all his heart, that the waiting would finally end.
Duke Ignis stepped to the window of the study, looked up at the sky, and murmured low.
“Layla, wherever you are, I will find you.”
