Chapter 24
She was exhausted.
As soon as she returned to the mansion, Asilie collapsed onto the sofa, unable to do anything with her drained body.
Esperad quietly looked at her.
They hadn’t talked much during the carriage ride. They had both been lost in different thoughts.
A flood of thoughts came to him, but in the end, only one question remained in his mind.
“Why did you go there earlier?”
At the sudden question, Asilie slowly lifted her head, which had been buried in her knees.
“…Pardon?”
“No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason for you to be there. That’s why I’m asking.”
“That’s…”
This wasn’t something she could explain just because she wanted to.
What if she told him that she had seen a man at Count Bourbon’s house and followed him because she knew he would invent a real new weapon in the future?
He might think she was crazy.
There was no way to explain it in a believable way, so Asilie hesitated without answering.
“Asilie.”
“…Yes.”
“Everyone has their own circumstances. And normally, I wouldn’t press you about something you can’t say. But I think today is different.”
Esperad’s face was unusually stern.
Perhaps he felt that Asilie didn’t trust him.
“Is it something hard to talk about?”
“That’s…”
She tried to say something, anything, but if she couldn’t give him the answer he wanted, then maybe it was better to say nothing at all.
Seeing her trail off, Esperad finally sighed and turned his head away.
“If I hadn’t arrived in time… If I hadn’t been able to help you… just imagining what could’ve happened terrifies me. I wanted you to give me a reason that made sense for taking that risk. No, even if the reason didn’t make sense, I just wanted you to say something.”
“……”
“But you… in the end, you carry the burden alone and try to solve everything on your own. Even though you once asked me to face problems together.”
She had no excuse, no matter how many mouths she had.
She knew Esperad would be disappointed — both by her reckless actions and by how she was hesitating now — but she couldn’t help it.
In the end, the words she managed to choose were exactly the kind Esperad hated to hear.
“I’m sorry. I mean it.”
He felt a tightness in his chest.
He had always been indifferent to others. He only offered enough kindness to not cross the line, only paid enough attention to stay polite.
But at some point, Asilie had become the only exception.
“…Forget it, Asilie. I think I just put a burden on you with pointless words.”
“I don’t think so. Actually, I…”
“I think I need to get some air. Please rest first.”
With a heavy expression he couldn’t hide, Esperad left the bedroom.
Asilie, too, looked at his back with sorrowful eyes, then lowered her head and sighed deeply.
Too much had happened today.
She had come face-to-face with the daughter of Count Bourbon, who had committed adultery with Joseph, and had argued with the Countess of Bonaparte — who had been her mother-in-law before she returned to the past.
But none of that made her reckless behavior in the evening any easier to accept.
It had been too reckless, as if she had been used by something.
No, she had truly been blinded.
If she could secure the powerful new weapon called a “gun,” not only would it help ensure their safety, but it would also give Esperad an advantage when he eventually had to fight invisible enemies for the throne.
Still, in preparing for the future, she had lost sight of the most basic thing — “trust” between the two of them.
‘But I had no choice.’
Things were already happening differently from before.
Maybe the changes had started the moment she married Esperad and became the duchess of House Camédici.
The king had collapsed and lost consciousness, and Esperad was already struggling for power with Count Mirk.
Who knew how many more things would change from the past? That fear made her impatient.
‘But what exactly are the conditions for the right to succeed the throne?’
Originally, Count Mirk was supposed to inherit the throne.
So what had changed before the regression that allowed Esperad to receive the right of succession from the royal family? She couldn’t figure it out.
At first, she had thought “marriage” was the key. Before the regression, Esperad gained the right to the throne after marrying a widow.
But this time, even though he married Asilie, nothing had happened.
That meant the condition wasn’t just “marriage.”
‘What’s different from before? Could it be that the person he marries has to be a widow?’
She held her head and thought hard, but nothing made sense.
Even so, she couldn’t just sit and wait.
It was time to act. Even if she wasn’t sure what kind of action to take.
Knock knock.
“This is Rosetta Marce. May I come in?”
“Come in.”
Lady Marce would never visit the duke and duchess’s bedroom at this hour unless something important had happened.
Asilie, tense, stood up as she felt her body stiffen again.
“What is it?”
“Sir Villian would like to see you. He’s been waiting since before you returned.”
“Sir Villian? Why?”
Lady Marce looked around, confirmed that Esperad wasn’t there, and lowered her voice.
“Miss Lydia hasn’t returned.”
“…What?”
“I’ll take you to him.”
Just a moment ago, her legs had no strength, but now they moved perfectly as if nothing had happened.
Without even thinking to leave Esperad a note, Asilie met Sir Villian in a daze.
“What on earth happened…?”
“I have no excuse, my lady.”
At his answer, Asilie’s already pale face turned deathly blue.
Her amber eyes begged for him to say it wasn’t true.
That only made Edgar feel more guilty.
“We… lost Miss Lydia. She moved between alleys like she knew I was following her, and then she suddenly vanished. We searched everywhere and even broke into houses, but we couldn’t find her. It was like she evaporated.”
“Oh my god…”
Even hearing it with her own ears, she couldn’t believe it.
Why had Lydia disappeared? For what reason?
There was no reason Lydia would run away on purpose. The thought that someone might have taken her hostage to hurt Asilie made her whole body tremble like a leaf.
“I’m sorry.”
Edgar’s apology didn’t even register.
Tears she couldn’t hold back flowed down her cheeks.
She was scared. She was terrified that their fight earlier that morning would be her last memory of Lydia.
She was going mad with regret and fear.
She had let her guard down.
She had thought saving Lydia once was enough. That she would never lose her again.
She’d boldly claimed that all that remained was to protect her.
But she had failed.
Asilie had forgotten her vow to stay alert.
She had used the excuse that she had too many things to deal with and hadn’t thought enough about Lydia.
‘Now that I think about it…’
It was around this time, before the regression.
She couldn’t remember exactly, but Asilie recalled receiving Lydia’s iron ring as a keepsake after hearing of her death.
“Hhhk…”
Her heart felt like it was being crushed.
She hoped it was just a misunderstanding.
She wanted to believe Lydia would come back safe and smile like nothing happened.
But even she didn’t trust those thoughts anymore.
“I’ll look for her again, my lady. I’m sure Miss Lydia is safe.”
“What if… the one trying to kill me kidnapped Lydia?”
Edgar shook his head.
He couldn’t be sure of anything, but he had been at the scene. It didn’t feel like a kidnapping.
If someone had been watching Lydia, he would have noticed — he was that sharp.
This felt more like Lydia had hidden herself on purpose.
‘But why?’
That was a mystery too.
“I don’t think so. First, let’s ask the Duke for military support. Nothing will happen, so please don’t worry too much, my lady.”
Asilie couldn’t say anything. She just sobbed.
She had been completely mistaken.
The long day she thought was over hadn’t ended at all.
It felt like darkness she couldn’t escape was swallowing her whole.
She felt hopeless.
Asilie didn’t know where she was anymore, or what she was even doing.
No one had a comfortable night’s sleep at the Medici mansion.
Most of the soldiers who were supposed to guard the palace were sent out to search the capital, and the servants also paired up with torches to search the area near the mansion.
But there was no sign of Lydia anywhere.
Esperad also stayed by Asilie’s side all night.
She had just found her younger sister, and now she looked completely empty, like someone who had lost everything.
“Esperad.”
As Esperad was thinking about who might have the power to kidnap Lydia, he quickly looked at Asilie when she called his name.
“Please speak.”
“You can go back to your room now. You have work to do. There’s no need for you to be like this because of me or my sister… I’m really okay.”
Sadly, Asilie didn’t look okay at all.
Her voice was so weak that it was easy to tell how she was doing.
“I’ll stay here.”
“No, I really…”
“We’re a team, Asilie.”
Esperad held her trembling hand tightly with his large one.
At the sudden warmth, Asilie couldn’t hold back her tears.
Her tears, which had not stopped all day, made him feel sorry for her.
Esperad also felt upset. It was even more frustrating because he didn’t know why this had happened.
Even when things were hard, Asilie had always forced herself to smile. But now she looked like someone who had given up on everything.
Seeing his wife like this—it was hard to explain, but one thing was clear: he didn’t like it. He hated it.
“She will come back. And if she doesn’t, no matter what happens, I will search every corner of the world to find her.”
At those words, Asilie buried her face on the back of his hand and cried loudly.
Esperad had always been indifferent to others’ joy or sadness, but now he felt different.
Still, he didn’t try to figure out why.
Right now, comforting her was more important than thinking about his own feelings.
Bang!
The door burst open without a knock.
Madam Marce rushed into the room, out of breath. Her face showed pure shock.
The couple immediately sensed that something serious had happened and stood up. Even then, Esperad held Asilie’s shoulders firmly so she wouldn’t fall.
“Did you find her?”
“Well, we did find Miss Lydia, but…”
Asilie’s body shook. Expecting bad news, she buried her head into Esperad’s chest.
“No, my lady. It’s not that something happened to Miss Lydia…”
Madam Marce quickly continued to fix Asilie’s misunderstanding.
“She was in her room, sleeping.”
“What?”
Both of them couldn’t believe what they had just heard.
Asilie, still leaning on Esperad to stay steady, looked up at him. Judging from her face, she had heard the same thing.
“What are you saying?”
Asilie asked with difficulty, and Madam Marce said it would be better if they saw for themselves and walked ahead.
Esperad, supporting his weak wife, followed Madam Marce.
A moment later, the two saw it with their own eyes.
“Lydia…?”
It was harder to believe this scene than the idea that Lydia hadn’t returned to the Medici mansion.
It felt strange. Everyone had been looking for her, but Lydia was sitting peacefully on the bed, as if nothing had happened.
“What… what is going on? How?!”
Asilie screamed, her voice tearing through the air.
Her unstable behavior made Esperad look at her with worry.
“I came back late and was too tired, so I entered the wrong room and fell asleep.”
“…What?”
It was clearly a lie.
The servants had searched every empty room in the mansion all night.
Some even suggested that since Lydia was new to the mansion, maybe she had gone to the wrong room.
“I’m sorry for making everyone worry.”
“Why… why are you lying? Why?!”
Asilie realized she had lost control, but she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t hold back her anger.
“What are you hiding from me? Where were you last night?! Why didn’t you come back on time?! Why?!”
Esperad grabbed her arm to stop her, but Asilie roughly pushed him away and collapsed to the floor.
Her blood had dried up all night. She had been so afraid her sister had died because of her, and she felt so guilty that she even thought about jumping out the window.
So how could Lydia lie to her like this?
“It’s nothing. I just met someone I know. That’s why I came back late. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I apologize to you too, brother-in-law.”
But no one in the room believed Lydia’s words.
Even Esperad didn’t respond to her apology. He was angry too.
If Lydia had seen how much Asilie had suffered all night, she could never have spoken like this.
He couldn’t look away. Asilie looked like she might die any second.
If something had really happened to Lydia, Asilie would’ve taken her own life from guilt.
Esperad had so much to say, but he held it in. It wasn’t his place to speak now.
Lydia may have become part of the House of Camedici, but this was something Asilie should handle.
Also, he had to call off the search and let the others rest.
Now that he knew what to do, Esperad told Asilie he was going and left the room.
Madam Marce followed him, leaving only the sisters behind.
“What are you hiding, Lydia?”
“I’m not hiding anything. I told you I’d explain later, and I will. I really did meet someone I know.”
“Is it the person who helped you after I left?”
“……”
“Every time I ask about that person, you avoid the question. Do you think I’m stupid? Who is it? Why won’t you tell me anything—!”
Asilie suddenly stopped speaking.
Something had caught her eye.
It was familiar. Shockingly familiar. So familiar that it was almost disgusting.
Asilie forgot what she was saying and slowly walked toward the table.
A bad feeling hit her. Her heart was pounding wildly.
“Sis, what are you doing?”
Lydia called out, surprised by Asilie’s sudden movement, but Asilie didn’t answer. She just grabbed the ring box on the table.
“Sis?”
Her heart felt like it was shrinking. She had a feeling she shouldn’t open this box, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“…!”
If she hadn’t braced herself, she might have fainted.
Inside the ring box was an iron ring.
That cursed, damned iron ring that Lydia had left behind as a keepsake was now sitting inside the box—peacefully, as if nothing had happened.
