Chapter 91
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 91
Chapter 6
The Secrets of the Seven Great Houses and Grace
This morning, Trisha Onium heard something peculiar from one of her subordinates.
'There's a strange rumor spreading through the Capital, my lady. They're saying you've been seeing another man besides Rowen. That your marriage to him is merely a smokescreen, and that you have a real lover elsewhere.'
'What? What are you talking about?'
'We're still investigating the source of the rumor and identifying this "other man," but word has spread throughout the Capital. Damn it! Whoever he is, once we find him, I'll grind his bones to dust!'
The absurdity of it made me laugh.
Since arriving in the Capital, the only places I had visited were the Temple, the Royal Palace, and my own Estate.
And the Laxon Trading Company's reception in between.
But even that was merely a brief visit.
So where on earth could such baseless rumors be coming from?
I was irritated and exasperated, but I dismissed it as mere gossip.
Groundless rumors always fade away quickly, after all.
Every time I came to the Capital, small and large rumors would inevitably arise.
So I assumed this would be the same and let it pass.
Rather than waste energy on such vulgar hearsay, it was more urgent to sway my fiancé's heart—the one spouting nonsense about breaking off the engagement.
Before coming to the Royal Palace for today's marriage vow ceremony, I stopped by the Temple as I always did.
But then...
'I apologize. The Commander says he won't be able to see you today.'
For the first time, I was turned away at the door without even seeing his face.
'Why? How could this be? Why?!'
Bewildered, I returned to the Royal Palace.
Nothing about the ceremony could penetrate my confused mind.
All I could think was that the moment this ended, I'd rush straight to the Temple.
As we waited for the tardy bride and groom, the serpent spoke to me.
'I heard the rumors, Trisha. I simply couldn't believe them. Is there really a man you're having secret meetings with? That Rowen Ganash is merely a puppet, and your true love is someone else entirely? Is that really true?'
'What are you saying?'
'I found it hard to believe myself. Moreover, isn't this "other man" the brother of Grace Oellin, who's marrying Lucas Black today? The Marquess Oellin is desperate to marry Princess Vivian and Norman Oellin, and since they both have fiancés, the rumor goes that they're enjoying secret trysts.'
'Where did you hear such nonsense!'
At his whispered words, I rose from my seat without thinking, my fists clenching.
'It's a baseless rumor! You of all people should know, Hiess Cerviente!'
'Ah... Of course, I know you're sincere about Rowen Ganash. But there are far too many accounts of the two of them being spotted together.'
'Spotted? What do you mean?'
'In the alley behind the main branch of the Laxon Trading Company.'
'...!'
On the day I was invited to the Laxon Family's reception, the company's young master called me to a private residence in the alley for some reason.
He said he wanted to conduct a confidential transaction, so I went, but what he presented was utterly absurd.
'What is this? You said it was top-grade spinel, but this isn't even high-grade.'
As Trisha Onium scoffed and made her way out of the Annex, she collided with a man who came rushing out in haste.
His clothes were disheveled, his lips smudged with lipstick, his face flushed with excitement—he stumbled and fell upon impact with her.
"I'm terribly sorry. I was in quite a rush."
After tumbling down entangled with Trisha, the man rose slowly.
Then, as if intoxicated, he collapsed onto her again.
This time, Trisha didn't fall. She steadied him instead.
"How... kind of you."
The man pulled himself up using her support.
In that instant, he let out a shriek. "Ahhh!"
"My leg, my leg...! Ugh!"
As if he'd twisted his ankle, the man limped on one leg.
His cries were unusually loud—the sort of man prone to dramatics.
As if he were deliberately drawing attention...
After that, her knight caught hold of him, and though Trisha felt somewhat displeased, she said nothing and returned to the Estate.
That should have been the end of it.
Yet somehow, how on earth had he become her lover?!
"Damn it!"
She hadn't even known if the man who'd fallen that day was Norman Oellin or someone else entirely!
And how could that moment have appeared like a secret rendezvous?!
"Disheveled clothes, tangled bodies, moans of pleasure."
Hiess Cerviente listed off a few choice words without a hint of concern.
"A man and woman hurrying away as if conscious of their surroundings."
"That's absolutely ridiculous!"
"Trisha, rumors are like that—they swell with even a single thread of evidence."
Hiess Cerviente clicked his tongue sympathetically.
"You have every right to be furious. The fact that a day you don't even remember has spread into such detailed gossip means... someone deliberately spread these rumors. Isn't that right?"
Trisha glared at Hiess Cerviente.
The man who controlled information throughout the Capital—throughout the entire kingdom.
For him, tracing the source of such rumors would be easier than wiping wet hands on a towel.
If he so wished, he was the only person capable of tracking down exactly where, how, and through whom the rumors had spread in mere minutes.
"Which means there's a very strong possibility it was someone who was there that day... Could it be."
Hiess Cerviente smiled meaningfully.
"The other party present—Norman Oellin—who orchestrated this?"
Muttering the unfamiliar man's name to herself...
* * *
"Why on earth would he spread such rumors?"
"That, I cannot say for certain. I can only speculate based on a few facts."
"I would appreciate hearing your speculation."
"You may not have known, but for some time, people have been approaching me asking for information about Trisha Onium."
"...Information about me?"
"Why she came to the Capital, where she frequents, what she enjoys, whether she has a man in her life. And whether they could learn her schedule in advance.... Things of that nature."
"For what purpose?"
"Someone was extraordinarily keen on you. Intensely interested, one might say."
In that instant, Trisha's brow contorted sharply.
"Could it be... Norman Oellin?"
Hiess Cerviente merely smiled.
The serpent's smile was cunning and secretive, yet no evidence could have been more damning.
Just then, Lucas Black and Grace Oellin—whom she had been awaiting—entered the chamber.
The moment Trisha beheld the bride's face, flushed with joy, she cried out in indignation.
I will not bear witness to this marriage!
* * *
"What did you just say?"
Lucas Black halted in place, regarding Trisha with a crooked expression.
The eyes that had been tender toward Grace Oellin turned glacial.
But she was no silver wolf to cower before him.
Trisha fixed her gaze upon Grace Oellin, standing at Lucas's side, and spoke each word with deliberate force.
"Grace Oellin. Until your brother's vicious rumors are silenced, I cannot possibly approve this marriage."
Trisha's eyes burned red as she ground her teeth.
At her sudden declaration, everyone present froze.
"Trisha Onium. What right do you have to interfere in my marriage?"
"That woman's brother...!"
Boom!
Lucas Black's foot struck the ground with tremendous force.
Impossibly, that single stomp caused the very floor to tremble.
Grace Oellin, startled, glanced at Lucas, but he remained composed.
"Mind your tongue. Do not refer to my future wife as 'that woman.'"
A chill ran through her.
Grace Oellin perceived the murderous intent glinting in his azure eyes.
With merely a stomp and a slightly lowered voice—no shouting, no dramatic display—she felt a fury so palpable it seemed to flay the very skin from her bones.
'Ah.... He said not to make him angry!'
She had once heard that his transformations stemmed from his inability to control his emotions.
Rage.
If he could not suppress it, his heart would swell with pain and he would become something else.
Grace quickly grabbed Lucas's forearm.
Lucas turned to look at Grace.
He smiled at her as she shook her head.
A smile that seemed to say: I understand, don't worry.
Before she could even draw a breath of relief at that smile, Trisha Onium cried out.
"Is only your companion precious to you?"
The anguished tone in her voice drew everyone's attention back to Trisha once more.
From a step behind, Hiess Cerviente muttered with a look of pity.
"Especially since rumors have spread that she's been conducting secret, dissolute meetings with Norman Oellin... if word reaches the ears of that rigid Temple Knight Commander, Trisha's marriage prospects will likely be..."
At the sound of his tongue clicking in disapproval, Trisha's face contorted.
She bit her lower lip hard, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.
"How long... how long have I been waiting...?"
Trisha had been chosen as the wolf of this generation.
She hadn't wanted to become a wolf of her own accord, yet she had accepted her transformation without hesitation.
She was her family's pride, the protector of this nation.
Though becoming a wolf was a curse, she had resolved to face it with dignity and acceptance.
Just one thing.
If there was one thing that troubled her, it was that man she had loved throughout her entire life.
Rowen.
He had thought her infatuation with his appearance would fade quickly, but he was wrong.
From age eight until now, her feelings had remained constant.
Even if his feelings didn't develop at the same pace as hers, she had no doubt that his gaze toward her was warm.
She didn't have much time.
That's why she couldn't abandon him.
And yet...
"Because of that filthy, sordid rumor... you're destroying the love I've waited a lifetime for?"
He hadn't come to see her for the first time.
Though he hadn't said anything outright, Trisha was certain the reason was undoubtedly that 'rumor.'
And right there, standing before her, was the sister of the man who had spread that sordid rumor.
That woman—the one wearing the face of someone who had grasped the happy marriage Trisha had desperately pursued!
"Trisha... Rowen simply needs time. He must be confused as well. A woman who only looked at him suddenly has a lover..."
At Hiess's sympathetic words, Trisha's face grew even more despairing.
Tears streamed down her beautiful face.
Frustration and rage crashed over her all at once.
Breathing became difficult. Her heart burned hot, and she felt her skin flush with heat.
'No... no. Not now... not like this...!'
But in the blink of an eye, a faint light emanated from her body, and her form began to transform.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------