Chapter 70: Another Name I Never Knew
Chapter 70: Another Name I Never Knew
Before spring had even fully passed, fallen blossoms scattered like rain above their heads. Lucius didn’t bother brushing the petals away. Momo would’ve surely mocked him if she saw him now, but for today, he didn’t mind.
“Lucius, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
He was prepared to answer anything she asked.
“My other name. Not Morgan le Fay or Morgana… what name would I have been given, if everything had gone according to fate?”
There was no candy in Lucius’s mouth, yet his tongue suddenly twisted.
“Th-that’s not something you need to know, is it?”
A past more sorrowful and cruel than their darkest days. The remnants of a future that never came to pass of what might’ve happened had they not been bound together.
He gave the briefest answer possible, yet of all things, she had to ask that.
“Tell me.”
“Fay!”
“Just a hint. I’m curious, that’s all.”
They say the one who loves more always loses. In the end, Lucius’s lips gave in without resistance.
“Jenna… it was Jenna.”
Fay let the name dance lightly through the air.
“Hehe… Tiana, Morgana, Jenna… I really can’t seem to escape names ending in ‘-na’, can I? Is this fate too?”
“…”
What could he possibly say? Lucius had no choice but to close his mouth. But the words that followed turned his face bright red.
“Still, I think Fay suits me best. The one you named for me yourself.”
“I-is that so…?”
“Of course. Don’t you think it suits me well? What do you think, Lucius?”
With one hand holding Fay’s and the other carrying a basket of herbs, Lucius didn’t even have a hand free to scratch his head. Embarrassing as it was, there was no helping it.
“If you say so, then I guess it does.”
Though they’d just finished a heavy conversation, Fay showed no discomfort around Lucius whatsoever. She didn’t keep her distance, on the contrary, they were still holding hands.
Even as he felt both ears reddening beside his already flushed face, Lucius was nearly overwhelmed with joy.
Should I whistle? …No, that’s a bit too frivolous, isn’t it?
While his thoughts flitted in every direction…
In the Mage Tower, Momo jolted awake from a sound nap at her desk. Something feels disgusting.
“Uueeeghh, urghh…!”
Even after burping, he kept gagging and tasting bile. He had no idea why, but he felt awful all the same.
“Guuu?”
Patting his empty stomach with her wings, Momo finally managed to stop retching, scowled deeply, and drifted back to sleep. Still, the uneasy feeling lingered.
Someone near the Mage Tower must be doing something to offend him…
What kind of disgraceful act are those wretched humans up to now?
* * *
Having just finished a difficult report to the crown prince, Kassel found himself with more free time lately, as even the smaller tasks were now nearly done.
Hmm… should I send a letter asking to meet now? Miss Fay… no, if I get used to calling her Tiana, I might slip in front of others. I need to be more careful from now on.
To avoid prying eyes, they had agreed to use formal names and titles in all places but one, the room in the Mijuang Hotel. Even when alone, they stuck to the act. So maybe they could meet there again.
Just as a warm smile began to form on Kassel’s lips…
“Kassel, are you here?”
“Mother.”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
This wasn’t his office, nor the knights’ quarters, but a discreet part of the Imperial Palace. The Duchess, having barged in without warning, brought her son to a nearby reception room.
“What’s the matter?”
She asked in a heavily restrained voice.
“Why don’t you come to the estate anymore?”
“…”
It wasn’t because he simply didn’t want to see them.
To face Dottricia, Dorothea, who brazenly paraded around as if she were the true lady of the house, usurping Tiana’s rightful place… it was unbearable.
The moment he saw that shameless face, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back his rage. He might cut her down on the spot. So he avoided going home on purpose.
When Kassel turned his head away, the Duchess pleaded.
“You’re being too harsh. Even if our Tiana falls a bit short in your eyes, she’s still your sister and a true daughter of House Klein. Everyone in society sings her praises, and yet her own brother refuses to even look at her. How could you?”
If he weren’t under any constraints, he’d have already revealed the truth long ago. But he had made a promise to Fay. So instead, he offered a loaded reply.
“Mother, for poor Tiana, I’d do anything. And you, too, please don’t do anything you might regret later, no matter who the other party is.”
“What? Do you even understand what you’re saying? This isn’t the first time you’ve said something like this!”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.”
No…
The Duchess was clearly shaken.
Kassel, who had never once acted forcefully before her, now stood with blazing crimson eyes.
Why? Should she try speaking more calmly about Tiana?
“…Just because things were rocky between you and our Tiana at first doesn’t mean you should continue like this. I’m not being unreasonable, am I?”
She might not be able to fix things between Maurice and Tiana, but at the very least, Kassel had to be kept in line. If she failed to manage that, no matter how much the parents doted on Tiana, she’d only ever remain a half-baked noblewoman in the public eye.
“You are the heir of House Klein. You must be her support. There are things only you can offer her. Look no further than your relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince…”
Kassel cut her off swiftly.
“She’s already had her debutante ball, Mother.”
Even as he spoke, Kassel thought to himself:
‘Tiana, no, Fay, will always be a precious child to me. I understand my parents’ hearts, but still… how stifling it is.’
The Duchess, struggling to suppress her rising anger, finally snapped.
“You’re too much. Fine, I won’t ask you for anything regarding Tiana anymore. From now on, I’ll handle everything myself. But mark my words: while you play coy, I will make our Tiana the most eligible bride in the Empire!”
So you’re really planning to marry her off to the Crown Prince? That’s the one thing I’ll never let happen.
A bitter taste lingered in Kassel’s mouth, worse than unsweetened tea.
Soon after the Duchess stormed off, the Duke entered the reception room. It was clear they had come together.
“Try to be understanding.”
“…”
So he had heard everything from outside.
The Duke cleared his throat.
“While you were away, both Maurice and your mother struggled with a deep sense of loss. Ever since a trace of our supposedly dead daughter reappeared, she hasn’t been herself.”
“Yes.”
“How is Maurice doing these days?”
Truthfully, Kassel didn’t really know.
More than when he’d been stationed at the Rozia border, he found himself thinking of Maurice lately. He only heard bits and pieces through Raphael. He had hesitated many times, afraid that seeing him might shake his younger brother’s resolve.
The Duke felt the same.
“Ha… I want to see him every time I come to the palace. But if I show my face, I might make him waver. When he gets knighted and we stand face to face, he’ll probably call me heartless, but so be it.”
“From what the other knights say, he seems to be adjusting well.”
“I’ll believe that. He’s my son, after all. I’ll take my leave now. Tiana’s doing fine, so don’t let your heart get too heavy. Maybe send her a gift sometime; she’d like that.”
“Take care, Father.”
Kassel never once promised to do anything for the false princess. After his parents left, he sat deep in thought.
It really is hard being a parent. Yet still, they try to do anything, everything, for their children.
Dottricia, Kaphia… You two will never be forgiven.
With renewed resolve, he wrote a letter to Fay, asking to meet.
— — —
This time, he arrived at the meeting place first.
‘Tiana…’
The Arkan Empire was vast beyond belief. He’d realized that again when they flew by Drakan to the southernmost territory, Chionel. It had taken an entire day at full speed just to get there.
There were so many places he wanted to take Tiana. The capital was grand, fashionable, and modern, but it wasn’t the whole world. Even the harsh Rozia borderlands had their own hidden gems.
‘When all of this ends, I’ll resign as knight commander and take her wherever she wants to go.’
That would keep any other men trying to approach her at bay too.
Just as hope began to fill his heart…
Clack.
A distant door closed, followed by hurried footsteps rushing his way. Kassel’s mood lifted instantly, and he turned with a bright smile.
Tap-tap-tap.
She didn’t get lost, didn’t hesitate, she came straight to him and threw herself into his arms.
“Brother!”
Still cautious of prying eyes and ears, her voice was hushed. But it rang clearly in his ears. Even his parents would be stunned by the beaming smile Kassel wore as he replied.
“Welcome, my Tiana.”
All the pain and turmoil he’d endured vanished the moment she arrived. No matter what he faced, being with Fay, Tiana, always put his heart at ease. As always, he had refreshments brought first and watched her eat to her heart’s content before broaching the real topic.
“You may have heard that Saintess Kaphia sent word that she’s coming to the palace. But instead of heading here directly, she’s been traveling around, begging along the way. Apparently, she’s nearly arrived at the capital, but hasn’t entered yet.”
“I heard. They said she stopped at Grace Monastery and stayed a night.”
Fay nibbled on a strawberry dipped in whipped cream, deep in thought.
She had already heard about the saintess’s visit to the monastery and had even gone herself afterward; it was impossible not to know. The kindly Mother Superior Beryl and Priest Cheryl, along with all her fellow and junior sisters, had welcomed the saintess with joy.
That night, the saintess sat down with Beryl and Cheryl, feigning warmth and delight as she asked in detail about Dott, the now-noble ‘princess’, and Fay, who served the Crown Prince.
‘I had already hinted to them about Dott’s situation beforehand, so they shouldn’t have brought up the silk robe or the ruby pendant. And since Kaphia was fully prepared to use the girl for their own ends, they didn’t bother asking first, either.’
It was a stroke of luck.
If Mother Superior had started praising Fay, going on about how she’d been entrusted to them with such rare items as a silk robe and a ruby pendant, and wondering aloud if Fay might be the daughter of some distinguished family…
‘She would’ve exposed her evil intentions within the monastery. Just like when they took care of the Karris family… another fire, made to look like an accident.’
