Chapter 25
Rashid was running, his steps urgent. The servants glanced at him as he passed, sensing his haste, but he paid them no mind.
The moment he had stepped away for just a short while… the news he had been waiting for—aching for—finally came.
Tericia.
His thoughts were consumed by her.
When he reached the door to her room, he stopped, trying to catch his breath.
But now that he was here, he hesitated. He didn’t have the courage to open the door. After steadying his pounding heart, he slowly pushed it open.
“Rashid.”
Tericia was sitting up, her pale face turned toward him, smiling.
“…Sister.”
Something hot welled up in his throat. Rashid forced himself to stay composed and stepped closer to her. How long had it been since he’d seen her awake like this?
It might have only been a short time in the eyes of others—but for him, it had felt like an eternity.
“You’ve lost weight,” he said softly.
“…You’ve grown thin, too,” she replied.
Her voice was light, but he could hear both relief and pain behind it. Tericia smiled gently.
She patted the space beside her. Rashid hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the bed.
At some point, the servants had all slipped away. The room was quiet—just the two of them.
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” she said.
His eyes stung just looking at her.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. This happened because of me.”
“What are you talking about? Why would it be your fault? This was all—”
He could guess what she was about to say. Tericia sighed and swallowed the rest of her words.
“…What about Mother?” she asked.
“She’s been exiled… to her family’s estate.”
“…I see.”
She fell silent for a moment, then turned to Rashid.
“When should I leave?”
“What?”
For a second, he didn’t understand what she meant.
“I think I should go… once I’m well enough to travel.”
“What do you mean? Why would you leave?” Rashid asked, visibly shaken.
“Well… Mother’s been exiled. So I should—”
“Please don’t say that. You’re like this because of me—why should you be the one to leave? You’re part of House Hespelt.”
His voice was firm, almost too intense. Tericia blinked in surprise at his reaction.
“…Thank you. I’m grateful you see it that way.”
In a way, it was a relief. In her past life, hadn’t both the Duke and her mother died? At least now, if she was only exiled… her mother might still live.
Maybe… this is for the best.
Tericia reached out and gently held Rashid’s hand. He flinched at the touch—but didn’t pull away. Instead, he looked at her quietly.
“…I’m sorry. And… thank you.”
“…Sister.”
It was then—
Knock knock.
A sudden, urgent knock broke the moment.
At Rashid’s word, a servant stepped inside and bowed low.
“My lord, there’s… been an incident.”
“What happened?”
The servant hesitated, glancing at Tericia’s face. His expression showed he didn’t know how to say it.
“I asked you what happened,” Rashid said sharply.
“…The lady—Lady Boren, who departed for her estate… there’s been an accident. She’s been reported dead.”
“……!”
Tericia’s hand tightened around Rashid’s.
Her already pale face turned even whiter.
＊＊＊
Lady Boren’s funeral was held at the Hespelt mansion. Although she had been exiled, she was never formally divorced. Her recovered body was returned to the ducal estate.
There was also consideration for Tericia behind the decision.
“It looks like the carriage skidded off a mountain road during the storm and rolled down a hill.”
The knight who recovered the bodies reported that both Lady Boren and the maid who had been driving died instantly at the scene.
The funeral was held at the family shrine on the estate. It was a somber and quiet affair, attended by no one else.
Only Tericia—still not fully recovered—and Rashid, who had insisted on accompanying her, stood by during the ceremony.
Dressed in black mourning clothes, Tericia looked more fragile than ever, her pale face still drained of color. She didn’t say a word until the coffin was lowered into the ground.
Lady Boren, who had so desperately clung to her title, was finally buried with the recognition she had wanted—buried as the Duchess of Hespelt in death.
Rashid remained at Tericia’s side the entire time, quietly holding her delicate shoulders throughout the service.
Exhausted from moving too soon after her recovery, Tericia leaned back and closed her eyes the moment she stepped into the carriage.
“Are you all right?”
“…I’m not sure.”
She straightened up and met Rashid’s gaze.
“It almost feels like… I knew this would happen.”
“……”
“Somewhere deep down… I think I was prepared to say goodbye like this.”
Her voice was calm, but her eyes drifted downward. She was clutching the hem of her mourning dress tightly in her lap. She had thought she was ready—but the impact had hit harder than expected.
Rashid shifted closer to her.
“Rashid?”
“Try to rest. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
He gently guided her head to rest against his shoulder.
She hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in, letting herself lean into him and closing her eyes.
“…I’m tired,” she murmured.
“I was planning to buy Mother’s land…”
A faint, bitter smile passed over her lips.
“But now it’s just come into my hands.”
Lady Boren’s entire estate had been inherited by her only daughter.
Tericia, who once had nothing, now had wealth in her name. But this land… this inheritance… was never something she had wanted to gain this way.
Hearing her dry tone, Rashid looked at her, his gaze unreadable.
“…It’s okay to cry.”
“No… Not yet.”
Tericia shook her head.
“Not yet… I don’t think I can. Not now.”
She spoke as if reassuring herself. That quiet resolve, so heavy with fatigue, made Rashid’s chest tighten.
The silence inside the carriage settled between them like a soft, painful weight.
＊＊＊
“This all turned out strangely, didn’t it?”
Crown Prince Ludwig remarked casually, watching Rashid sip his tea across the table. A small tray of cakes and tea sat between them.
“I didn’t know you enjoyed tea,” Ludwig added.
“I don’t.”
“…I heard you like sweets.”
“I hate them.”
“…That’s not what I’ve been told.”
Rashid set down his teacup without any change in expression.
“Whatever you heard, it was wrong. You may want to reconsider your source.”
At his blunt response, the Crown Prince chuckled and raised a hand. With a quiet wave, the surrounding servants withdrew, leaving only the two of them in the garden.
“That decree I got from His Majesty—went completely to waste. It took quite a bit of effort to get that, you know.”
Rashid leaned back in his chair, his posture so relaxed it might have seemed disrespectful in any other context.
“I used it at the right time. I’d say it served its purpose well enough.”
“Well, if you say it was useful, I guess that’s fine.”
Ludwig leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, as if sharing a secret.
“Tell me, Rashid… was it really an accident?”
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Come on. That hill… where the accident happened. Sure, it’s steep—but not so steep that it should’ve killed them both.”
“……”
“The maid had injuries, sure. But Lady Boren? I heard her body had… certain wounds that shouldn’t have been there.”
The condition of the body had been kept secret. That was also why Rashid had insisted on a private, closed funeral.
“You seem to know quite a bit about our family’s affairs.”
Ludwig smirked.
“Well, I should. I might be engaged to someone from your family one day.”
Rashid’s expression twisted at the words.
“That’s absurd.”
“I’m serious, Rashid. A union between the Imperial family and House Hespelt would be perfect.”
“It’s what Your Highness needs, isn’t it? A way to solidify your unstable position.”
“I won’t deny that,” Ludwig replied. “Even as Crown Prince, I could be stabbed in the back any day.”
But for Rashid, that wasn’t the point. Whether the Crown Prince’s position was secure or not, whether he wanted the power of House Hespelt or not—it didn’t matter.
“Do you… have feelings for my sister?”
“Hmm.” Ludwig shrugged.
“Out of all the ladies I’ve met lately, I like her the most. She’s beautiful, intelligent. And those deep violet eyes—very striking.”
“……”
Rashid agreed with the words—but not with the intent behind them.
“But still,”
A bitter smile crossed the Crown Prince’s face.
“Just because I like her doesn’t mean I get to choose. That’s not how it works for someone like me.”
“……”
“You know it too, Rashid. A Crown Prince doesn’t get to follow his heart.”
“…Even so, I don’t want my sister to be sent to a life like that.”
You just don’t want to let her go.
Ludwig smiled to himself but didn’t say it aloud.
He had already noticed Rashid’s attachment to Tericia back when they were at the academy. He had thought it was just a vague affection—something fleeting. But now, seeing it up close, it was clearly far more complicated… and problematic.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
As Rashid stood, mentioning he had business to attend to, Ludwig asked once more:
“You didn’t have anything to do with the Lady’s death, did you?”
Rashid’s expression didn’t change.
“I’m not so careless as to leave obvious evidence. Who would do something that immediately draws suspicion?”
“People won’t see it that way.”
“Well,” Rashid replied lightly, “if their suspicions make them more cautious, that works in my favor.”
He smiled—a charming, radiant smile that could sway even men. Ludwig clicked his tongue.
“Using your good looks like that, huh?”
“Think what you like.”
“There’s probably no one alive who knows just how sly you really are.”
Ludwig took a sip of his now-cold tea. Rashid didn’t reply. He simply stood, bowed with perfect form, and turned to leave.
“I’ll see you next time.”
“Yeah, go on.”
Ludwig waved him off lazily. But just before Rashid left, he turned and spoke again, as if remembering something.
“Dismiss your spies. I’m overlooking it this time—but only this once.”
“That almost sounds like treason.”
The Crown Prince gave a wry smile.
