After returning from the Crown Prince’s palace, Cassius immersed himself in work for an entire day. To an outsider, his excessively rational demeanor made it hard to believe that he had been the one to confront Vivian so aggressively.
Cassius, who had spent a sleepless night, was soon approached by his guard, Tikan, who came to report on various matters. Throughout the report, Cassius only repeated the same phrase.
“Do as you see fit.”
His expressionless face cast doubt on whether he was even listening to the report. He had been like this since leaving the Crown Princess’s palace. Clearly, something had happened there.
Unable to hold back any longer, Tikan finally asked Cassius a question.
“Do you regret your marriage to the Crown Princess?”
Cassius pressed his temples with a pained expression. The image of the woman, who had trembled yet stared at him defiantly, flashed through his mind. Up until she tried to undress him as usual, she had been her typical self. But once she was on the bed, she had sat there trembling.
The look she gave him, as if he were some kind of monster, was revolting even to recall.
“There’s no question of regret. It’s a marriage that will soon be annulled anyway.”
Regret? Far from it. He should be rejoicing. The more Vivian’s face twisted in distress and the deeper Snowfel descended into hell, the more elated he would feel.
For a man whose sole reason for living had become revenge, nothing else mattered anymore.
“If the cursed heavens have any conscience, they’ll allow me to uproot Snowfel before I die.”
He had given Vivian a fleeting taste of sweetness with this marriage, letting her believe she could become the empress. Now it was time to snatch it away. He planned to make her feel the filthiness of falling from the greatest height.
‘By exacting the cruelest revenge on the mastermind behind all this, perhaps I can have a somewhat satisfying end.’
If he could gift that end to Rachel, it would be his final act. In his dreams, Rachel was always in the audience. He wished for her to survive and laugh at the wretched play’s conclusion.
He prayed endlessly that she would laugh at the fall of Snowfel. As his anguish deepened, his complexion grew paler. Tikan could barely hide his pity for his master, who was preparing for the end without even tending to his own well-being.
At some indistinguishable time, when day and night blurred together, Tikan’s voice echoed in his ears like tinnitus.
“If you continue like this, you will collapse. You should summon a healer...”
“No. If you have time for that, use it to find Rachel.”
Rachel’s disappearance should have already been concluded as a death by now.
There was no one among the people who did not acknowledge that fact. However, her lover still couldn't accept it. The absence of a body held him back, gripping his heart and mind. More precisely, he knew he wouldn't be able to accept it even if he saw it right in front of him.
In front of his master, who seemed to prolong his life one day at a time just to find Rachel, Tikan couldn’t say anything.
For many days thereafter, the reports remained the same. There were no significant movements from Snowfel, and the search had made no progress. Cassius, silent as ever, had empty eyes today as well. Watching him, Tikan hesitated, recalling the message he had received from the Crown Princess's attendant before coming here.
“Uh...”
Cassius raised his head at Tikan's uncharacteristic hesitation.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
Finally, Tikan forced himself to speak.
“The Crown Princess has suggested having lunch together.”
Cassius's face twisted at the thought of Vivian.
“Shall I convey your refusal?”
Tikan’s suggestion wasn’t just because of his disdain for Snowfel; he was also almost certain that his master would refuse. However, Cassius’s reaction was unexpected.
A bitter smile spread across Cassius's face as he tapped the table.
“No need.”
“What?”
“Arrange for the lunch to be in the Grasio room.”
Tikan, rolling his eyes, questioned Cassius.
“What are you planning?”
Cassius, who had just crushed a rose, muttered something enigmatic.
“There’s no reason to avoid it. She’s practically begging to die.”
“...!”
*
“His Highness has accepted your lunch invitation.”
“He accepted...?”
“Yes. You should prepare quickly.”
Even before she could process her surprise, preparations were already underway. Although she had suggested the lunch, Vivian hadn’t really expected Cassius to accept. Reflecting on Cassius a few days ago, she couldn’t quite guess his intentions.
‘Did Duke Diarov put some pressure on him? It figures; he's not the type to stay quiet.’
Snowfel had berated her for failing to spend her first night with Cassius.
The head of the family, Diarov Snowfel, had immediately sent a letter saying:
[Vivian, don't you dare put your father in an embarrassing situation because of you. Surely you’re not so pathetic that you would lose to a dead girl like Rachel. Do not disappoint me tonight.]
‘I want to spend a passionate night with Cassius more than anyone.’
As she crumpled the letter, her maid, Marianne, flinched in surprise.
‘It's no wonder she's like that since I've changed.’
Diarov Snowfel had placed several of his close associates around her under the pretext of supporting her. While she felt uncomfortable with the Imperial staff around her, it seemed there was more to it. Judging by how well he knew her actions, Diarov clearly didn’t trust even his own daughter.
Among those sent by Diarov, Marianne was the maid who had been assigned to serve her closest. Having served in Snowfel for the longest time and risen to the position of head maid, Marianne seemed quite content to stay by her side. At first, Vivian thought it was because she could now hold her head high as the Crown Princess's attendant, but that wasn't it. Marianne didn’t particularly enjoy social events.
‘Does she genuinely have special affection for Vivian?’
There was something akin to pity in Marianne’s gaze whenever she looked at her. It was subtle, but not enough to fool her.
‘Was Vivian kind to Marianne?’
Come to think of it, Marianne had been by her side when she first woke up in the mansion. She had even shed tears, saying she was overwhelmed with emotion seeing Vivian become the Crown Princess. But...
‘Why does it feel like she pities me?’
The care that was given to me was not just like that of a nanny; it was imbued with a sense of guilt.
I found it strange, but I figured I could uncover the truth about that gradually.
'For now, meeting Cassius is more important.'
Marianne, who had worked for a long time and was meticulous, skillfully opened a jewelry box today as well.
“What about the necklace and brooch?”
A multitude of tiaras filled my view.
The moment of hesitation stretched on. Cassius had liked me in every way. It was ridiculous that I didn't know a single one of his preferences despite being his lover for so long. Still, after much deliberation, I finally chose one.
“This one.”
Marianne expertly fastened an elegant pendant necklace around my neck.
Cassius often gifted necklaces of this kind, so he must have liked seeing me wear them.
Of course, I didn't harbor the foolish belief that he would suddenly like me today. The mere fact that he had accepted the lunch invitation was significant progress in itself, regardless of his intentions.
'Maybe he just wants to ask about Rachel again, like last time.'
It was frustrating.
A single summoning of a healer could prove that Snowfel wasn't behind what had happened to me...
'Does Cassius still not know that his terminal illness has halted?'
Frankly, the idea that a terminally ill patient, let alone the Crown Prince, wouldn't know was preposterous.
'He must be stubborn.'
Cassius was indeed that kind of person. After I disappeared, he would be the kind of person to ignore any treatment and leave his body to suffer.
While my thoughts deepened, Marianne brought out her secret weapon.
'Lisianthus oil.'
Lisianthus oil, difficult to obtain even on the continent, was a cheat key sent by the Duke along with his letter.
“That’s not necessary.”
“What? But the Duke specially prepared it for His Highness...”
“I know. But not that.”
The head maid, bewildered by my abrupt refusal, began explaining the product's virtues.
“Most men fall for this scent instantly. I'm sure you can spend a passionate night together today.”
Dream on.
‘Connecting a passionate night with just some oil?’
“Even if it works on other men, not on His Highness.”
I turned my eyes away from her blank stare and said,
“His Highness dislikes that scent.”
In a past life, Vivian had once appeared wearing Lisianthus oil to seduce Cassius. Ever since that day, Cassius said he felt suffocated whenever he smelled Lisianthus.
Marianne seemed puzzled at how I knew this, but soon she accepted it. She probably figured that it wasn’t unusual for Vivian, who did nothing but watch Cassius all the time, to know such things.
“Can you bring the rosemary?”
Rosemary was the scent I used to enjoy when I was Rachel. It was Cassius's favorite scent.
But perhaps because of the name 'rosemary,' which sounds ominous, Marianne hesitated for a moment.
“What’s the matter?”
“But the Duke...”
“It’s alright. I’ll take responsibility for it.”
Marianne, still hesitant, had no choice but to obey the command.
While she went to fetch the perfume, my gaze naturally fell upon my reflection in the mirror.
I still couldn’t get used to my appearance. My glossy blue hair and amethyst-like purple eyes, enhanced by the extreme support of the Snowfel family, made my skin and hair shine.
As perfect as it was, it looked nothing but villainous to my eyes.
‘Cassius is likely to see me as worse than a villain.’
I sighed while staring at my reflection in the mirror.
But still, I had confidence.
‘No matter how much you try to run away, you'll end up falling for me, Cassius. With me right in front of you, you'll eventually recognize this devilish charm, Rachel Rosemary. Surely, you won't fail to notice just because my exterior has changed?’
I might seem like a lunatic, but if I didn't cling to this mental victory, I felt I would truly go mad.
And it didn’t take long for this to prove to be a mere 'mental' victory.
As lunch with Cassius began.
“Your nerve is something else. Suggesting this meeting after what was said yesterday.”
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