Chapter 41
After everything was over and Riina returned to the Bolshevik residence, she first treated her lips.
Even on the way back from the imperial palace, she had completely covered her chin and mouth with a scarf, so no one would have seen the wound on her lips.
At the mansion, she didn’t bother calling a physician but applied the medicine that Becky had somehow obtained again.
‘The medicine you gave me before was so effective…’
The guard captain had said so, and indeed, Riina’s scratches and shallow bruises healed almost instantly.
“Hmm.”
Although she had applied the medicine, when she looked in the mirror, the blood inside her lip was still clearly visible, causing Riina to let out a short sigh.
“Of all places to bump into…”
The lips, of all things – it’s not even easy to cover naturally with clothes.
But it was clear without even looking that if she went around showing it like this, it would become troublesome.
“This should do.”
Nodding at her lips now coated in a very deep red, almost blackish-red color, Riina soon became lost in thought.
In the sudden three-way meeting with the Emperor, even the engagement was confirmed.
‘When will you hold the engagement ceremony?’
‘As soon as possible…’
Before Einar could finish speaking, the Emperor, rubbing his tired face, announced:
‘In two weeks.’
Whose order could they shake their heads at?
Of course, they could shake their heads, but since both Einar and Riina, the parties to the engagement, wanted to proceed as quickly as possible, they obediently bowed their heads.
‘You may leave.’
The Emperor, who seemed tired just from meeting the two, issued the order to leave, and Riina headed straight to the Bolshevik residence.
Recalling up to this point, Riina soon narrowed her eyes.
This engagement was merely to get rid of the annoying Smith, yet even the Emperor was actively involved.
“What on earth did he say?”
Clearly, Father, that is, the Duke of Bolshevik, must have made some deal after a private audience with the Emperor…
In reality, there would be many things the imperial family could demand from Bolshevik.
No matter how much the current imperial family commanded the continent, they couldn’t match the innate power stemming from Bolshevik’s immeasurable history.
Then, among the countless possibilities, what exactly?
Riina soon shook her head.
Wasn’t she going to leave the family anyway?
What use was there in knowing such things?
No, rather, she shouldn’t know.
Dealings with the imperial family would be family secrets after all.
Jane, with her adequate abilities and far, overwhelmingly better luck than herself, would handle it.
Come to think of it, Jane dug up something from the ground at the hunting competition.
“What could it be…”
What Jane had held to her chest more preciously than her own life.
Amidst the black tiger’s rampage, Jane didn’t flee but rather rushed towards where the tiger had been.
And she dug madly underneath and took out something.
“She wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Yes. Jane wouldn’t soil her hands with black dirt.
Although not born with blue blood, Jane was more noble than any aristocrat.
Or rather, she wanted to appear noble?
That’s why she endured harsh etiquette lessons in a short period and never did anything that could be faulted afterward.
‘You mere shadow! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here!’
‘Calm down, Riina. There are many eyes watching.’
And so, in the end, she even frequently heard comments that Jane was more Bolshevik-like than Riina, who was increasingly losing her reason and behaving like a beast.
“Is it because she hasn’t entered the family yet?”
For Jane to dirty her hands and risk such danger to obtain something…
But Riina’s pondering, tilting her head, didn’t last long.
“I need to go back.”
After all, Riina wasn’t in a position where she had to use various means like the current Jane to enter that forest.
If Riina said she wanted to enter that forest, it would open to her anytime.
Now that the hunting competition was over, the imperial family couldn’t refuse a request from the Bolshevik bloodline who had suffered an unfortunate accident.
It wasn’t anyone else’s business, but because it was related to Jane, she had to confirm it.
Although she didn’t want to chase after Jane’s tail again, Jane was the most important factor in her becoming free after all.
It would be better to know anything she could.
As she was about to rise to write a letter, there was a knock at the door.
-Knock knock.
Riina, who had picked up a pen, casually granted permission.
“Come in.”
Becky appeared silently through the door.
“Becky? What is it?”
She had just sent away all the servants, not wanting to be bothered while thinking, and instructed not to disturb her.
If Father had called, Sebastian would have come instead of Becky.
“I have something to tell you.”
At that gesture asking for permission, Riina nodded.
“Alright.”
At that, Becky fumbled to bring out something.
As she unfolded a handkerchief stained with dirt, a strange fragrance flowed out along with the smell of wet soil.
“What’s this?”
To Riina, who was staring quizzically at what might be a plant or flower, Becky answered.
“It’s what the suspicious woman was taking care of at the hunting competition. Only scraps remain, but just in case.”
At that, Riina slowly, very slowly, raised her head towards Becky.
The suspicious woman must be Jane.
And if it’s what Jane took care of…
Riina looked at Becky with sunken eyes and opened her mouth.
“It was dangerous.”
“Yes.”
Although it wasn’t praise or commendation, Becky obediently bowed her head.
Following Jane’s traces in that situation was dangerous even to a passing monkey.
And Becky nodded to Riina’s following words as well.
“There was no need for that either.”
“Yes. I know.”
As she said, there was no need for that in a life-or-death situation.
But…
If it weren’t for the Riina before her, her breath would have already ceased.
Even if she ran away and ran away again, as she had decided when she first met the man who was blackmailing her about her past…
Yes, there was no hope that she could run away forever.
She knew that the salvation of ‘Emma’ that had fallen from the sky wouldn’t continue.
But such a miracle happened.
This time, it was a miracle that not just allowed her to escape, but completely shattered the shackles of the past that bound her.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“What?”
“What you said is right, my lady. There was no need for that then, but I risked my life.”
Becky, who had uttered such heavy words in a cheerful and refreshing manner, added:
“It’s a life I’ve already decided to dedicate to you, my lady, so if it’s of help to you, that alone is…”
“No, wait.”
Riina raised her hand to stop Becky’s words.
She didn’t particularly show signs of being surprised or moved.
Only a faint hint of tiredness was visible.
Indeed, Riina rubbed her brow at the sudden wave of fatigue.
She had heard such… words before.
Sometime before the regression, on some day.
Even in Riina’s life, which was terribly unlucky and full of failures, there was a time when she helped someone.
Although it failed.
‘Thank you. Thank you.’
Towards the person bowing their head like that, Riina said with a devastated face:
‘What are you thanking me for? Nothing was resolved.’
It was to the extent that they should be grateful that things hadn’t worsened.
But that person, carefully grasping Riina’s hand with trembling fingers, smiled with tear-stained eyes and replied:
‘You’re the only one who has tried so hard for me, my lady.’
That person who said so eventually lost something precious, but remained by Riina’s side.
‘If this meaningless person’s breath can be of help to you, my lady, I gladly…’
She shouldn’t have done that.
She shouldn’t have accepted that person who bowed to her and asked her to take their remaining life.
‘My lady! It’s danger…’
She should have expected it to end so futilely.
It was only when that person closed their eyes, caught up in her misfortune, that she realized to her bones just how terrible her misfortune was.
Riina closed her eyes deeply and opened them again.
It’s already past, no, it’s something that won’t happen now.
Since Riina isn’t moving like she did before the regression, the events born from her terrible misfortune won’t happen either.
Riina looked at Becky for a while without opening her mouth.
Was it wrong to reach out to you, who seemed like you would be an obstacle to my desire to live freely?
But such regret was only momentary.
It would have been much more regrettable not to pull Becky out of the pit for fear of something that hadn’t happened and wouldn’t happen.
“Becky.”
“Yes.”
A numbness rippled deep in Riina’s pupils, but that would pass unnoticed by anyone except Einar, who could stare into her eyes.
“Don’t do it.”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no need to dedicate your life to me. No need to stake your life on me either.”
Even at words that could be heard as ‘I don’t need someone like you,’ Becky couldn’t readily say anything.
That was less like ‘I don’t need someone like you’ and more like…
“I pulled you out of the swamp; I don’t want to see you falling helplessly into an even deeper pit.”
Yes. That was pushing Becky away for her own sake, rather than saying she didn’t need her.
Again. Once again, my lady is saying something incomprehensible.
She spoke the same way when she paid off all of Becky’s debts.
Saying that if Becky stayed by her side, something bad would surely happen.
There’s no way to know why she thinks and concludes like that.
But, that’s right.
If my lady worries about that and pushes me away.
Becky smiled with utmost gentleness.
“Yes! I won’t dedicate my life to you, nor stake my life on you, my lady!”
It was an answer that came too simply and too quickly to be said outright, but Riina nodded.
“Good.”
But that was only for a moment…
