Chapter 24
Lady Boren rushed down from the bed and checked on Leah. The maid lay limp, unconscious and unmoving.
“She looked like she could use a maid to tend to her.”
A cold, low voice echoed through the room. It was Rashid’s voice—for the first time since the banquet on the day of the declaration.
“You bastard…!”
Lady Boren lunged at him, but the armed knights quickly blocked her path. Their forceful actions knocked her to the ground.
Rashid looked down at her with icy eyes.
“I won’t let you get away with this!” she screamed.
In response, Rashid gave a mocking smile and tilted his head slightly. Adler stepped forward.
“As of today, all ties between House Hespelt and Lady Boren, formed through marriage, are officially severed. While the divorce may not be formally recognized, she is hereby stripped of the title and rights of Duchess of Hespelt and is to be expelled from the Hespelt mansion. By the Duke’s mercy, she is permitted one carriage and one maid to accompany her.”
It was an imperial decree—permission granted by the Emperor himself to expel her from the duke’s estate.
“When… when did this happen…?”
Lady Boren looked at Rashid with disbelief.
“Seems your cruelty finally reached His Majesty’s ears.”
Rashid’s voice was so calm that she was left speechless.
This can’t be happening!
Her eyes filled with rage. It was the Emperor himself who had promised her the wealth of House Hespelt. And now he was casting her aside?
“This isn’t right! His Majesty wouldn’t do this to me!”
Her scream made Rashid frown.
“You’re selfish to the very end.”
His words snapped her back to reality.
“What about Tericia?” she asked, desperately.
“And what right do you have to speak her name?” he shot back.
“I’m her mother!”
At that, Rashid’s eyes flared. In one swift movement, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.
A choking sound escaped her lips as her breath caught.
“That’s why I can’t kill you.”
Through clenched teeth, Rashid’s voice was filled with restrained fury.
“If it were up to me, I’d tear you apart and feed you to my hounds.”
“……!”
“But if I did that, she’d be sad.”
His words came out slowly, each one heavy with pain. Then, with a final breath, he flung her to the floor.
“Tericia is the reason you’re still alive.”
And with that, he turned and walked out.
“…….”
Lady Boren gasped for air.
“So… she’s alive? My daughter… she’s alive?”
But no one answered her.
Only her voice echoed hollowly through the room.
＊＊＊
Even after the banquet ended and the branch families returned home, Count Clu did not leave the mansion.
There was something off about the atmosphere in the Hespelt mansion. And it seemed he was the only one who noticed.
From the day after the banquet, armed knights had been patrolling the grounds. Rashid—now officially the heir of House Hespelt—was nowhere to be seen. Heinz appeared now and then, but he was nothing like the man Count Clu remembered.
He wanted to ask what was going on, but the atmosphere made it impossible. Even the servants seemed unaware—or were pretending not to notice.
Then the news broke: Lady Boren had been placed under house arrest.
So I was right, he thought.
Count Clu trusted his instincts. And a few days later, Lady Boren’s exile confirmed them.
“Brother, exile? What madness is this?” he said the moment he found out, rushing to Duke Jester Hespelt.
The Duke didn’t even look up, continuing the work in front of him.
“What in the world did that woman do to deserve this?”
“……”
“Well, truthfully, I never liked her. She was sent by the Imperial family to keep Hespelt in check—so it was never going to end well.”
“Franz.”
The Duke finally spoke, his voice low and quiet.
“This is a matter of the duchy. It’s not your concern.”
“……!”
Count Clu flinched at the Duke’s words.
‘A matter of the ducal house? I’m a direct descendant of House Hespelt too!’
He forced a smile, barely keeping his composure.
“Brother, don’t say such things. Am I not your own blood? If I don’t care about House Hespelt, then who will? If there’s anything I can do to help—”
“Rashid is handling it well. There’s no need for a cadet branch to worry.”
“……!”
Count Clu clenched his teeth. He had been the former Duke’s most beloved son. Unlike his older brother—who had inherited the title simply by being born first—he was different.
If the previous Duke hadn’t passed away so suddenly, the title would have been his. Not the man sitting in front of him now.
“…I see. I must have overstepped. Surely Rashid will handle things well enough. I’ll take my leave.”
He gave a half-hearted bow and stormed out of the Duke’s office.
Once outside, Count Clu turned and glared at the door with burning resentment.
“A cadet branch? Rashid?”
It was laughable. What did that brat know? He had let his guard down because Rashid had always been dismissed—never taken seriously. And now suddenly he was the young Duke?
“I’m not about to hand over House Hespelt to some pathetic upstart.”
His voice was low and seething with anger. Just then, a servant approached—one of his spies planted inside the mansion.
“…Is that so?”
As the servant whispered something into his ear, Count Clu’s expression slowly changed.
“The daughter of that woman was poisoned?”
It was the first time he’d heard of it, but suddenly, everything made sense—the armed knights, the grim expression on the knight commander’s face, why Rashid hadn’t been seen. It all connected.
Even Lady Boren’s exile now had context.
“Poison, huh…”
There was only one moment when Tericia might’ve taken poison.
The Oath of Loyalty.
He had thought it strange at the time—her sudden declaration of loyalty. Now, it made sense.
She was trying to protect her mother. Or… maybe that brat.
There was no doubt in his mind. Lady Boren must’ve tried to harm Rashid.
With her greed, it wasn’t hard to believe. From the beginning, she was just a pawn sent by the Emperor to dirty House Hespelt.
“It would’ve been better if Rashid had died… or she had.”
Now there was even a touch of amusement in Count Clu’s voice. Exile was far too light a punishment.
“This is why my brother will never do. If it were me, I would’ve handled it quietly—no one would’ve even known.”
The fewer loose ends, the better.
“Lady Boren had better not come back. I can’t afford any more obstacles.”
A wicked smile spread across Count Clu’s lips.
On a stormy day, Lady Boren was finally expelled from House Hespelt.
Only a shabby carriage and the injured maid Leah left the mansion with her. With no driver provided, Leah had to steer the carriage herself despite her injuries.
“Lady Boren has departed.”
Her destination was her family’s estate—the house of a viscount. No doubt, they were in a difficult position.
If they accepted her, they’d risk angering House Hespelt. But refusing her would look like an insult to the ducal family that sent her back. Either way, they were trapped.
“It’s going to rain hard.”
Looking out the window, Rashid spoke quietly. Standing beside him, Heinz gave a polite nod and left the room.
The rain was growing heavier by the minute. It was dangerous weather—hardly fit for two women traveling such a long distance. In these conditions, they might not even make it to the estate safely.
“If the gods are willing, they’ll arrive.”
Rashid’s voice was swallowed up by the sound of the rain, which had turned into a heavy downpour.
＊＊＊
Where is this place?
Tericia sat alone in a vast white space. There was nothing—only whiteness in every direction.
“……”
She looked down at her hands. Nothing. She touched her chest and stomach. Still nothing.
I feel like I’ve forgotten something…
She tilted her head, but nothing came to mind. Then, a voice echoed.
[You sure die a lot. Or should I say—almost die a lot?]
Tericia tried to find the source of the voice, but there was no direction to it. It felt like it was resonating inside her own head.
[Over here.]
She turned around.
“…A shadow?”
A blurry mass stood behind her, smiling at her. Somehow, she could sense that it was smiling.
[We’ve met before, haven’t we?]
“……!”
Suddenly, memories flooded back into her mind.
A blade piercing her chest, blood spilling behind her like red velvet, tears falling with regret.
And a blinding white light.
“Ah!”
[You remember now.]
The voice laughed, louder this time.
It was the being that had brought her back to life.
[So, did your wish come true?]
There was a playful tone in its voice.
“…You already know the answer.”
[Haha, true. Doesn’t really count as ‘fulfilled,’ does it?]
The white shadow began to darken.
[So? Want me to bring you back again?]
“Don’t joke like that. I know it’s not time yet.”
[Look at you. One near-death and suddenly you’re all cautious.]
“……”
When it saved her before, it hadn’t felt this… flippant.
[I’m just in a good mood.]
The voice seemed to notice her thoughts.
[The countdown is about to begin.]
“Countdown?”
[Something like that.]
The vague answer made her frown slightly, but only for a moment. Tericia’s eyes turned upward, toward something invisible.
“Rashid is crying.”
[That guy? No way. He’s cold as stone.]
The voice scoffed, clearly doubting her. But Tericia paid it no mind.
“I have to go back.”
As if in a trance, she rose to her feet and began walking in a single direction.
The white shadow stared after her in disbelief, but she didn’t look back.
[Tericia!]
The voice suddenly called out to her.
[I warned you.]
“…?”
[That even small choices you make now… might lead everything down a path you can no longer control.]
“…It doesn’t matter.”
Tericia smiled gently, her face calm.
“If I can save Rashid, I’ll do anything.”
Without waiting for the voice to respond, she turned and began to run forward.
[…Once the countdown begins, the moment will come. When that time comes, don’t regret it. Struggle with everything you have.]
As she disappeared into the white distance, the voice let out a soft, amused chuckle.
