In the early dawn, tinged with blue light.
Riel, who had been in a light sleep, slowly opened her eyes.
As she turned her head while lying in bed, she saw Karion sleeping soundly beside her.
It was their first night.
The first night spent with Count Dietrian, husband of Iana.
A smile spread across her lips.
The joy of seizing.
A thrilling shiver flowed through her, something that could never be felt from things easily obtained.
‘What kind of expression would Iana have if she saw this scene right now?’
Just imagining Iana trembling with betrayal made Riel feel good.
It seemed like the world had finally become a little fairer.
She thought that the useless Iana had lived with far too much happiness all this time.
‘Let’s raise a toast.’
She got out of bed and walked to the table where the wine was placed.
Riel wrapped herself in Karion's shirt that had fallen on the floor.
A man with strong possessiveness like Karion likes to find traces of himself on a woman.
She grabbed the wine from the table and sat on the desk by the window, soon drinking straight from the bottle, raising a toast to herself.
‘Now I need to take the position of Countess.’
If she had been satisfied with being a noble's mistress, she would have chosen a man of higher status.
But she chose Karion while wishing for Iana's misfortune. So she had to take everything she could gain from her choice.
Glug-.
Riel drank the wine while looking at the sleeping Karion.
‘Let’s make Iana like Chloe. Just the sight of her face should make her shudder.’
At that moment, she heard Karion's voice, still half-asleep.
“Why are you over there?”
“It’s too obvious if I’m right next to you when you wake up.”
Riel answered provocatively without hesitation.
Karion got up, putting on a robe, and spoke in a sharp voice.
“There are women like that.”
“……?”
“Women who become arrogant as if they’re worth something just because you treat them a little nicely.”
“If I’m right next to you when you wake up, it’s too obvious.”
Riel obediently replied, then smiled brightly, her eyes narrowing.
At that, Karion chuckled and walked over. He then leaned on the desk with both hands, looking at her with a languid gaze.
“You look good together.”
“Then should we walk around like this today?”
Riel wrapped her arms around Karion's neck with both hands.
“I’ll pass on that. The others probably haven’t left yet. But…”
“…….”
“That man who said he died because you didn’t accept his heart. Is that true?”
Karion seemed to be troubled by the story of the man who was said to be dead.
Riel whispered softly on Karion's lips.
“It’s a lie.”
“What?”
Karion frowned in disbelief.
“Be careful. I’m good at lying.”
As Karion was about to say something, Riel silenced him with a deep kiss.
With a meaningful smile that held a secret.
* * *
In the early morning, with clear sunlight pouring in.
Iana stood behind the curtains, looking out the window.
At the entrance of the castle, the coachman, a carriage driven by Ren, and the knights guarding the Grand Duke's castle were waiting.
A moment later, she saw Masel walking over, exchanging greetings with Charles.
‘So you’re leaving now.’
His face was calm, without a hint of sadness or guilt.
Unlike Ren, who kept glancing around as if searching for her, Masel got into the carriage without looking back even once.
Clunk-.
The carriage Masel was in moved and headed towards the castle gate.
‘He’s no longer my brother.’
Iana watched Masel’s carriage as it grew distant.
She stood there for a long time, lost in thought.
After Masel left, Iana lay in bed like a corpse.
After finishing lunch with Masel yesterday, she had vomited everything she had eaten. Since then, she had been holed up in her room, unable to swallow even a sip of water.
Charles and Muli had come and gone several times, but she pretended to be asleep, using the excuse that she wanted to rest quietly.
‘I wish he hadn’t come back…’
If that had been the case, she wouldn’t have felt the cruel truth or the fear of being alone.
All those who had spoken of trust and love to her had been lies.
She was afraid of people.
Because she couldn’t tell what kind of knife was hidden behind the faces that spoke of love.
The blade of resentment had cut her painfully.
At that moment.
Knock knock.
With the sound of a knock, Charles's voice came through.
“Countess, it’s me.”
“……”
Iana didn’t respond, pretending to be asleep.
Right now, she didn’t want to face Charles more than anyone else. Hadn’t she broken down in front of him, crying like a beast?
He was someone who knew all about her miserable bottom.
Charles was undoubtedly a grateful benefactor. But she kept telling herself that he was only helping her because he needed a magician.
As her thoughts reached that point, Iana tightly closed her eyes as if to shut the door of her heart.
Click-.
She heard the sound of the doorknob turning from the other side of the door.
“I’ll come in for a moment.”
At that sound, Iana was startled and opened her eyes wide.
“……I’ll come out.”
With the momentum that he seemed about to enter at any moment, she quickly put on her outer clothes and walked to open the door.
There stood Charles, smiling.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you around Ervin’s village.”
“Your Highness, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not feeling well today and would like to rest.”
Iana answered, trying hard to avoid his gaze.
“I see. Understood.”
Charles said he understood, but he seemed unwilling to leave, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall by the door.
As she was about to greet him and go back in, she asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why aren’t you leaving and just standing there…?”
“I’ll wait here, so you can rest comfortably and come out.”
“With Your Highness waiting at the door, how can I rest comfortably?”
“Is it uncomfortable for me to wait at the door?”
“Of course it is.”
Iana looked at Charles and quickly averted her gaze.
Charles stepped closer, leaning forward to meet her eyes.
“I’m uncomfortable too. Ignoring the fact that I know how you feel, unable to eat or sleep.”
“……Sometimes, pretending not to know can be a way to care for someone.”
Iana replied in a somewhat sharp tone.
The two locked eyes, tension filling the air.
“Since our thoughts differ, we can both be uncomfortable together.”
Charles leaned against the wall by the door again, looking stubborn as if he could stand there for days.
“Your Highness…”
As Iana was about to speak, Charles crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as if to say he wouldn’t speak anymore.
“I’ll just rest my eyes here. You don’t have to worry about me, just rest and come out.”
The expressionless Charles, with his eyes closed, looked too cold to approach.
Just then, as Iana was pondering what to do, she caught sight of maids peeking at them from down the hallway.
The gazes of others were burdensome, but she couldn’t let the Grand Duke wait at the door.
In the end, Iana raised the white flag.
“……Your Highness, I’ll get ready and come out right away.”
At her words, Charles slowly opened his eyes, which he had kept closed. Then he smiled at her with a familiar warm gaze.
“Then, I’ll be waiting at the entrance of the castle.”
* * *
Iana and Vera changed into magic training clothes to conceal their identities and boarded the carriage with the magicians.
The carriage headed towards the village, following the procession led by Charles.
After about an hour of travel, they arrived at a fairly large market at the entrance of the village.
The market was bustling with countless people.
“Wow…!”
Iana exclaimed as she looked around.
It was her first time walking among so many people in a village where commoners lived, in a market like this.
Charles walked ahead so as not to disturb Iana, who was busy looking around.
“Your Highness, you’ve come?”
“You’ve had a hard time on the battlefield, haven’t you?”
The gathered villagers greeted Charles warmly as they saw him. He treated the villagers with friendliness throughout.
Vera quietly approached Iana and whispered.
“Lady, it seems they sell precious magic stones in the market?”
The merchants had laid out light magic stones on the ground, illuminating the darkness, just like stacking fruits on a stall.
From magic stones to flowers and vegetables that only grow in the north, the market was filled with all sorts of wonders.
After browsing for a while, they crossed a small bridge and exited the market, where Charles approached Iana.
Vera moved away to the vicinity of the guarding knights.
Now alone, Charles spoke in a serious voice.
“People must rise from where they have fallen.”
“Where they have fallen?”
Iana murmured softly.
“Avoiding the place where one has fallen becomes an insurmountable fear. So don’t avoid it…”
Charles continued, looking at the bustling crowd in the market from a distance.
“Stand up among the people.”
The fear of people.
Charles had accurately pierced through the essence of the fear she felt.
Iana’s gaze followed Charles as it turned towards the people in the market.
People she had lumped together as untrustworthy beings.
Only then did the different faces of those people begin to enter her sight, one by one.
At that moment.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
In front of her, Kan, who was guarding the entrance of the market with Johan, barked fiercely.
Charles's gaze sharpened.
“It seems Kan has sensed a monster. Hurry and take cover.”
Charles said urgently and ran towards the market with the knights.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
At that moment, Iana saw Kan running swiftly.
‘You were abandoned because of your magic, just like me, weren’t you?’
Kan, abandoned by its owner due to blindness caused by magic.
But Kan had no sense of the sorrow of being abandoned.
Only a brave military dog remained, protecting the people.
In that moment, a shiver of realization washed over Iana.
‘I want to overcome, just like Kan. My wounds….’