MHM 21

 "Who said such a thing?"

Marcel pressed for an answer again.

Before her return, Iana would have brushed off such words with deep trust in her brother.

But now things were different.

There was a time when she considered suspecting someone itself a sin.

"It's probably nothing. Yes, I must be overreacting."

Before her return, she reassured herself that oddly misaligned events were nothing significant.

Even when she saw suspicious behavior between Carrion and Riel, or when poison was found in her food and she suspected Riel.

She felt guilty for doubting her beloved husband and a sister-like friend and tried to ignore such situations.

But every suspicion returned as a brutal reality.

'Let's doubt until the end. If there's even a hint of doubt...'

It was insight given by the misfortunes of her past life.

Iana hid her resolute expression and spoke with a bright face.

"I happened to meet a female mage."

"A female mage?"

"Yes. She was the daughter of an ordinary mage, but she boasted so much about inheriting magic that I got jealous. I wondered if I had any magic as the daughter of the Grand Mage, so I asked."

Iana spoke like a jealous child and watched Marcel's expression carefully.

"Oh, because of that?"

Marcel's face, which had been tense, showed a strange sense of relief.

"Do I really not have any magic?"

When she pressed again, Marcel gently stroked her head as if to comfort her.

"Iana, how sorry do I feel? You don't have any magic."

"I knew it."

"But you have this brother who has magic, don't you? Well, I haven't become a Grand Mage yet."

"You will soon."

Iana didn't miss a single change in Marcel's expression.

"I need to try harder. Our Iana needs to take her medicine, so let's go eat first."

Marcel quickly changed the subject and led the way.

Iana watched Marcel's back thoughtfully.

'Why does it feel like my brother is hiding something?'

---

Meanwhile, at the Dietrian Count's estate.

Riel stood in Iana's room with other employees, watching Carrion act like a madman.

Crash!

A furious Carrion swung his sword sheath, shattering a large vase on the table.

Bang! Bang!

He continued to smash the room's furnishings with all his might, unable to contain his anger.

"Ha...! I never imagined Iana would run away to her family's house."

He shouted, looking like he was going to explode with rage.

Then Carrion looked at the amethyst magic stone Iana had brought with her when she got married.

"Master, that's something madam cherishes..."

Bang.

Before the head maid could finish her sentence, Carrion's sheath split the magic stone in two.

"What were you all doing? Iana was packing her bags and leaving the castle, and you did nothing!"

Carrion threatened the employees with his sheath.

"Madam must have anticipated that we would try to stop her and left secretly at dawn. Even her nursemaid didn't know."

The head maid looked at Riel, who stepped forward.

"When I came to the room at dawn, madam was already gone."

Thud!

At that moment, Iana's nightgown flew roughly into Riel's face.

"Are you bragging about sleeping while your mistress woke up?"

"…."

Riel felt a deep sense of humiliation.

"So Iana moved alone?"

"Madam took Vera with her."

At the head maid's words, the other maids looked at Riel disapprovingly.

Knowing Carrion's temper, it was clear he would reprimand the maid who had accompanied Iana for not stopping her.

The maids thought Iana had taken Vera and left Riel, whom she favored, behind.

"How dare she leave without my permission?"

Crash-.

Carrion swept the ornaments off a shelf with his sheath.

Thunk!

A marble candlestick missed his foot and fell.

"Ah!"

Carrion grabbed his injured foot, groaning in pain.

He had hurt himself while thrashing around like a madman. The maids bowed their heads, trying to stifle their laughter.

"Who's laughing?"

Carrion, leaning against the shelf, yelled, clutching his injured foot.

"Master, are you alright? I'll bring a healer right away."

The butler hurried out. Unable to contain his anger, Carrion ordered with a fierce expression.

"Prepare a carriage immediately!"

"Excuse me?"

The head maid looked at Carrion with a troubled face.

"I'm going to bring Iana back myself. Don't touch this room until I return. Understand?"

Carrion winced in pain. At that moment, the head maid spoke cautiously.

"Master, if you leave, there will be no one to attend to His Highness. He might leave tomorrow morning if the rain stops..."

"Damn it!"

Even though Charles was a fallen royal, it was a huge discourtesy for both the head and mistress of the house to leave the estate unattended.

"Master, are you alright?"

A short while later, the healer entered, and the butler signaled the employees to leave.

As the employees filed out, Carrion pointed at Riel, who was about to leave.

"You, nursemaid."

Riel turned back with a respectful face.

"Yes, Count."

"Wait a moment. I have something for you to do."

Carrion sat on the sofa with the healer's support.

When the healer removed his shoe, Carrion's foot was more swollen than expected.

The healer applied herbs to the injured foot and wrapped it in a bandage before quietly leaving the room.

In the mess that was Iana's room, only Riel and Carrion remained.

"Go to the Rethels estate and deliver my message to Iana."

"……."

"Tell her that if she doesn't return immediately, I will demand compensation for the broken statue from the Rethels Marquisate and formally protest as the Dietrian family."

"……."

Riel stared at Carrion without answering, thinking she needed a convincing accusation.

When speaking ill of someone, one had to maintain balance. Mixing slander and defense skillfully prevented it from sounding like vulgar gossip.

"Why aren't you answering?"

At Carrion's sharp rebuke, Riel spoke calmly.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"A maid dares to judge her master's words?"

"Since childhood, I've known that madam never harbored ill intentions."

"Shut up!"

"She was just too ill to understand the ways of the world, which sometimes made her seem like a child."

Riel spoke in a pleading voice, as if trying to protect her master.

"Being sick might have spoiled her at the Rethels estate, but this is the Dietrian Count's estate."

"When madam was angry as a child, she would hide. The more you looked for her, the deeper she would hide. But if you acted indifferent, she would come out quickly."

It was a lie.

Iana had never disappeared like that.

"The Rethels family's education is lacking. They married her off without fixing such bad habits."

"Madam will reflect and return if left alone. So please, just wait a little."

Riel bowed deeply.

"Fine. It's a good time to break her bad habit of running away."

As Carrion tried to leave, he stumbled due to his injured foot.

Riel quickly rushed to support him, wrapping his arm around her smooth neck and pressing her curvy body close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Their body heat transferred through their contact.

Carrion smirked as he walked with Riel's support.

"You're too natural. But I see right through you."

"What?"

Riel looked up at him, feigning innocence.

"Do you think I haven't seen maids trying to seduce me like you?"

"I think you're mistaken, Count."

"Mistaken?"

"Those maids might have been lowborn, but they weren't from a traitor family. Hope is born from even the tiniest chance."

Carrion stroked Riel's cheek with the hand on her neck.

"You're quite smart. Knowing your place precisely..."

Carrion mocked Riel's situation, and a cold fire burned within her.

As he tried to move, Riel, with a cold face, said,

"And if there was a man I wanted to seduce..."

"……?"

"I wouldn't be foolish enough to approach subtly."

"Really? Then what would you do?"

Amused by her fierce reaction, Carrion asked, looking down at her with a heated gaze.

Riel's eyes turned provocative.

"I'd boldly approach and drive him crazy."

"……."

"Until he falls for me."

Riel and Carrion's eyes locked intensely.

Boom!

Lightning flashed outside the window.

It was her way of saying that he wasn't the kind of man she'd be interested in seducing.

A remark aimed at a man's pride.

Riel's prediction was accurate. Carrion, who considered himself superior, reacted.

"What if..."

"……."

"If there was even a tiny chance?"

A fierce storm raged outside.

The gray sky made it hard to distinguish between night and day.