Chapter 120
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120.
"Stay still, Roselita."
Cassian swiftly pulled me into his embrace and, sensing the sudden presence of approaching footsteps, concealed us both in a shadowed corner atop the staircase.
As if to confirm we had truly arrived in the past, servants bustled about the manor, their figures appearing one by one.
Among the commotion, one sound seized my attention above all others—voices.
A man's voice and that of a young woman with a somewhat youthful timbre.
"That sounds like Maribel's voice."
At my whispered observation, Cassian signaled his agreement with a glance, then drew me close and maneuvered us toward a position where the voices carried more clearly, evading the passing servants.
As always, I was struck by the fluid grace of his movements—something my ordinary frame could never replicate.
Thus we managed to position ourselves adequately on the balcony of the adjacent room, where the voices resonated.
Cassian held me close while strategically concealing us behind decorative potted plants, his breathing deliberately stilled.
As the situation grew familiar, the conversation became distinctly audible.
"I understand your objections, Father. But...."
"Maribel, you could be in danger."
The man—the previous Duke Liarden—exhaled deeply.
"Why would I object? The one closest to the throne has even volunteered himself as your escort for your debutante ball...."
The Duke's voice was laden with concern.
"I wish nothing more than to see you make your debut as a proper noblewoman in the Capital City, and the Late Empress, though she has yet to meet you, shows such consideration...."
Through the partially visible room, an ornate jeweled casket came into view.
From the engraved inscription and the Duke's words, I could discern that the Late Empress of this era had gifted Maribel a debutante jewel.
"I'm truly sorry. I didn't discourage Ernest either."
"...I'm not asking you to apologize, Maribel. Now that matters have escalated this far, you understand that refusing an invitation to the Imperial debutante ball would bring shame upon our house, don't you?"
"...."
Unlike Maribel's anxious, apologetic demeanor, there was not a trace of anger in Duke Liarden's voice.
Only concern filled his tone.
"Such things are trivial, Maribel. I can apologize as much as needed, pay fines, or even fall out of favor with the Imperial Family without fear."
Duke Liarden drew a slow breath.
"I am only afraid you will be hurt. You know now what secrets our house harbors, don't you?"
"I do, Father. That's why I thought my fate was to live only in the Liarden Territory."
With a soft thud, Maribel knelt before the Duke.
The Duke's gaze naturally turned toward his daughter.
"But I don't think that's true anymore. Grandmother said so too—never ignore your instincts."
"Maribel...."
The Duke gazed at Maribel for a long moment, then slowly raised his hand and gently stroked her hair.
"But do you have conviction within you? Truly?"
At those words, Maribel could only offer a bitter smile.
"You know why the Late Empress has come forward like this, don't you? I want to be a source of strength for His Highness Ernest."
"...Do you care for him that much?"
Duke Liarden, who had fallen silent for a moment, asked with a heavy expression.
"Enough to bear so much?"
"Yes, even after I refused him several times, he clung to me, asking only that I stay by his side. I cannot... I cannot refuse him any longer."
Maribel quietly rested her head against her father's arm.
"I cannot turn him away. I will do my best, please believe in me. Grandmother always said I was the healthiest child among all the Liarden daughters throughout history."
At his daughter's words tinged with affection, the Duke's sigh grew heavier still.
"I should refuse His Highness Ernest's visit to the Liarden Territory...."
Yet as we met his gaze, we understood that he would not overcome his daughter.
'What on earth is the secret of the Liarden daughter?'
Why would she hesitate even to go to the Capital City for her debutante ball?
In the moment I found myself staring intently while lost in thought, our eyes suddenly met with Maribel's crimson gaze.
As she startled and rose to her feet, a fierce wind swept through, and the air shifted once more.
*
"...She's returned."
"No."
Cassian, who had been watching over my bewilderment and observing the subtly rearranged potted plants, shifted his posture.
And it was mere seconds later that I came to understand the truth of Cassian's words.
"Bring more ice water—empty everything from the storehouse!"
"The medicinal compound is ready!"
Unlike moments before, when the conversation between father and daughter had been grave, now I felt the entire manor thrown into upheaval.
The scent of medicinal herbs drifted through every corner, and the manor's servants all appeared frantically busy.
"Maribel, my dear!"
Then came a woman's anguished voice.
"You said it would be fine, that it would be fine. You promised me that."
Through her manner toward Duke Liarden and her subtly familiar features, I could discern that she was the Duchess.
Her frail form swayed as she struck her husband's chest.
"So I reluctantly sent her off, but why our daughter!"
"...My sincerest apologies, Duchess."
As she poured her reproach upon the Duke, a figure with his head bowed low came into our view.
Emperor Ernest Artez—appearing even younger than when I had seen him before.
The Duchess made no effort to hide her resentful gaze toward Ernest.
"This is precisely why, precisely why I told you countless times not to harbor feelings for our daughter, for she is fragile, Your Majesty!"
The Duchess, her face drained of all color as though on the verge of fainting, screamed with barely contained fury.
"Why, why! Must my daughter stake her very life on such shallow affection! When Your Majesty cannot even love her to that extent!"
"Madam...."
Watching the screaming Duchess, Ernest stood motionless, as though even ten mouths would have no words to offer.
All she did was apologize in that grinding, creaking voice....
"You swore, absolutely, absolutely that you would never let anyone near her...!"
The Duchess couldn't help but voice her resentment, yet she somehow managed to swallow back the most dangerous words.
Because she knew that speaking them would only endanger her daughter further.
At last, the commotion subsided when Maribel, barely regaining consciousness, called out to her mother.
"Please, don't blame His Majesty, Mother...."
"My dear, kind Maribel."
"If you collapse like this, Mother, I'll be even sadder."
As the Duchess listened to her daughter's halting words, she could only nod and let tears stream endlessly down her face.
While we held our breath, the sky darkened to black.
As if to announce that time had passed.
When most of the manor's inhabitants had fallen asleep, voices drifted from Maribel's room.
"Truly.... His Majesty hasn't done anything wrong, Father."
"Maribel, wouldn't it be better to reconsider even now?"
"I'm serious. Everything was fine throughout the ball. But then suddenly the Second Empress said.... Since I'm to enter the Imperial Family, she thought it would be good for me to receive the High Priest's blessing...."
"...You know that blessing is poison for you."
A blessing that's poison?
Even as I puzzled over this, Maribel continued speaking.
"I know, but it was my choice."
Maribel raised her trembling hand and grasped her father's.
"I endured it well. It wasn't that Ernest couldn't protect me. It was a gathering of only women, and I didn't know such a thing would happen either."
Even at Maribel's composed words, Duke Liarden's stern expression did not soften.
And the thought that suddenly came to me at her words—
"...That is a failure to protect, Maribel. His Majesty Ernest will not protect you in the future either."
Duke Liarden spoke plainly.
"He swore he would protect you no matter what. Yet he couldn't even protect you for four days in the Capital City, my child."
"Father...."
Though Maribel spoke as if she were fine, Cassian and I, knowing how this would end, felt our hearts grow heavy.
"I have my own desires too, Father. Just as Ernest needed the name of the Liarden Duke House to ascend to the throne."
Maribel patted her father's hand.
"For the sake of the Liarden Duke House, I want to use His Majesty."
Even through her trembling breath, a clear resolve shone through in his daughter's voice, and Duke Liarden could not answer at once.
The Duke gazed into her eyes for a long moment, reading the engraved determination line by line, before finally speaking with difficulty.
"...Is that the resolve of you, the next Duke of Liarden?"
Maribel nodded quietly.
"Liarden has sacrificed far too much until now. And this isn't just Liarden's affair. I don't want to make the Reardon Territory my grave without setting things right."
"...Why would you shoulder something so heavy?"
"Because I want to protect everyone I love."
Maribel's voice pressed down on my shoulders with a strange weight.
Cassian's arms tightened around me.
"Father, Mother, and the entire Liarden Territory."
"And doesn't Ernest also stand among them?"
At Duke Liarden's petulant remark, Maribel laughed weakly.
"It's a secret, but he ranks only second to all of that."
"...You're using him, then?"
"Yes, I believe this is Liarden's best opportunity to finally break free from his shell. It's the perfect chance to reveal that Gaia is not a heretic, to make known the sacrifices our Liarden has borne, and to set everything right before it's too late."
Maribel gripped the Duke's hand firmly.
"So give me this, so I can endure even in the Capital City. So I can stand against the Temple—"
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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