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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Cringeworthy Letter
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Calius was sitting in a sparsely furnished office, equipped with only a desk and a chair, reviewing some documents that needed his attention.
The mansion he was temporarily renting while staying in the capital was simple and ordinary, unlike the lavish townhouses owned by the empire's historic noble families.
From the beginning, Calius had no intention of wasting time in the capital, let alone spending a fortune on lodging.
The only reason he had changed his plans and delayed his return to Ronheim was purely because of Chloe.
“Marquis.”
“Brentian.”
His aide, Brentian, walked into the office.
For a man from Ronheim, known for their robust physiques, he was slender, with long blue hair tied back neatly.
The office was so sparsely furnished that Brentian's tidy footsteps echoed all the way to the ceiling.
“Are the men handling their assignments well?”
“Yes. They don't know the reason, but they're all enjoying the daily free drinking parties.”
“Good.”
Calius nodded, satisfied.
He had recently been sending his men to taverns throughout the capital to spread rumors.
Rumors about the Sacred Relic, an object of mysterious power once possessed by the Saintess of Ronheim.
A gift from the gods said to awaken the dead, restore lost health, and bring back youth.
It was once a story dismissed as mere legend.
Ronheim, with its limited contact with the outside world, was an unknown land that no one cared about. No one would believe a legend that came from such a place.
But as travelers began to visit Ronheim, stories of the Sacred Relic's existence spread. Soon, people from all corners of the world began to covet it.
In an instant, Ronheim's beautiful, pristine snowfields turned into a bloody graveyard.
Still, the formidable warriors of Ronheim had protected their land and the Sacred Relic for hundreds of years.
But a dozen years ago, during an attack by unknown assailants, the Sacred Relic of Ronheim disappeared, and the Saintess who was its guardian was murdered.
To this day, no one knew where the missing relic had gone. Officially, at least.
Brentian asked with a worried expression.
“There are already so many exaggerated stories about the Sacred Relic. Is it really okay to create more rumors?”
“If it's already been exaggerated to this extent, what difference will adding one or two more make?”
“It might become even more difficult to retrieve the Sacred Relic.”
“It's not as if sitting still would make it any easier. Nothing will change.”
Brentian fell silent for a moment before stubbornly continuing, this time dropping the formal tone.
“I don't want to argue with what you're trying to do, but as your old friend, I have to speak my mind. What do you mean nothing will change? If you use yourself as bait, you'll be in danger. They'll come after you.”
“That's exactly what I'm aiming for, Brentian.”
Brentian raised his voice slightly, frustrated.
“Don't do anything reckless. We've already made great sacrifices for the Sacred Relic. Have you forgotten how they brutally murdered the Saintess?”
“Forgotten?”
Calius stared at Brentian, his gaze conveying that he had much to say but wouldn't bother.
At that, Brentian flinched.
“Sorry.”
There was no way Calius could have forgotten.
The Saintess of Ronheim was his mother.
Calius let out a sigh and reassured the anxious Brentian.
“If Empress Cavalla makes any sort of move because of this, it will be proof that she stole our property. Until now, we've only had suspicions, so we had to be cautious. But from now on, we can act with certainty.”
He was confident.
Even as he said it was only suspicion, Calius spoke as if he was certain Empress Cavalla had the Sacred Relic.
“Besides, Empress Cavalla can't harm me until she discovers the identity of the key.”
He was the only one who held that information.
Just then, a chilly night breeze from the imperial mainland swept sharply through the office.
But these two were men who could withstand the harsh blizzards of Ronheim bare-bodied.
The sticky southern wind left only a slight discomfort, dissipating without having much effect on them.
“The Empress will try to plant a spy to get more information. But it won't be an easy task.”
Calius smiled leisurely.
He had come with only a few elite knights, without servants or even a common squire.
Through unofficial means, there was no way an unknown face could join their ranks.
“I wonder what bold method the Empress will use to plant her spy.”
As he said this, Calius's smile was enigmatic.
* * *
Lying on my side, I stared blankly at the morning sunlight filtering through the curtains.
The long, eternal night had passed, and day had come. Again.
*I couldn't sleep again today.*
A sigh escaped me. After several sleepless nights, my body refused to move as I wished, as if the connection between my soul and flesh had loosened.
*It feels like my spirit is leaking out somewhere.*
After my regression, I gained insomnia along with a thirst for revenge.
The moment I closed my eyes, the scene of my death would vividly resurface.
It wasn't the fear of death or the shock that tormented me.
What tormented me was the truth I learned in my final moments—the betrayal by someone I had trusted.
—*What an irritatingly dull woman.*
The words of the knight who killed me echoed endlessly in my mind.
*All those years, why didn't I know? Why was I deceived?*
I shuddered with rage.
*Was I just stupid?*
The ones who deceived me were Andrea and Cavalla. They were the ones in the wrong. I knew that logically.
But the anger inside me wasn't directed only at them; it was constantly looking for an opportunity to target me as well.
*Why was I so dense? Why didn't I suspect anything? Looking back, everything was strange, so why didn't I realize it then?*
Self-blame, and more self-blame.
I had eaten nothing, yet my chest felt so tight, as if something were stuck there, making it hard to breathe.
Memories of my childhood, of Andrea smiling gently and saying, "This brother of yours is always on your side, Chloe," kept flickering in my mind.
*Disgusting.*
I finally managed to lift my body, which felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, and tore at my hair.
*I trusted him.*
It was as if someone was constantly whispering in my ear, "Foolish Chloe, stupid Chloe. It's all your fault. It's because you were so dull."
A wave of anxiety washed over me, the feeling that someone would attack me from all sides.
I fumbled to pull the blanket around myself. It was a desperate attempt to protect myself.
It was then.
“Chloe.”
Kal peeked his head out from behind the curtain.
It seemed he had successfully snuck into the imperial palace again today.
“Kal!”
I greeted him in a small voice, careful not to be heard by the maids outside the door.
Seeing Kal was like a breath of fresh air, clearing my suffocated lungs in an instant.
Kal looked at me with worried eyes as I gasped for air like someone who had just emerged from underwater.
“You couldn't sleep again? I'm glad I came early. I was worried. What's been going on with you lately? Are you sure you're not sick?”
I shook my head with a faint smile.
The words *My heart hurts* rose to my throat, but I didn't say them.
“I don't know.”
Seeing me like this, Kal let out a frustrated sigh.
“You have the face of someone thinking dark thoughts.”
I flinched and lowered my gaze.
“I was right? Ugh.”
Kal sat down beside me and spoke in a scolding yet affectionate tone.
“I don't know what problem you're having, but whatever it is, it's not your fault.”
“How would you know?”
“I might not know the situation, but I know you. Of all the bad things that happen around you, it's almost never your fault.”
“……!”
“Trust yourself, Chloe. You're a better person than you think.”
At Kal's words, the self-blame that had been strangling me instantly vanished.
The tip of my nose tingled, and tears welled up in my eyes.
I playfully nudged Kal, laughing through my tears.
“Hmph, you don't know anything.”
Without Kal, could I have endured? I don't think so. Not in my past life, and not now.
I threw my arms around Kal and soaked his small shoulder with my tears.
“Kal, from now on, I'll only trust myself and you. I won't trust anyone else. I'll never live like a fool again.”
“Yeah, yeah. You can do it.”
My only comfort, my peace. That's what Kal was to me.
“I'm so glad you're here, Kal.”
Leaning on Kal's small shoulder, I lifted my head and looked at him sadly.
“But if I leave for Ronheim, we...”
In my past life, I lived with Viscount Felsus in a mansion in the capital, not far from the imperial palace.
So even after getting married, I could meet Kal in secret. But Ronheim was so far from the capital.
“We...”
I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence and just held his hand tightly, but then he said something unexpected.
“Chloe, wherever you go, I'll be with you.”
“What……? But how……”
“Don't worry. There's a way.”
Kal grinned as he said this.
“……!”
I stared at him blankly.
For some reason, Kal's smiling face seemed to overlap with Calius's.
*What is this sense of déjà vu?*
Just then, I heard movement outside.
I quickly let go of Kal.
“Hurry and go, Kal!”
“I'll be back.”
Kal disappeared through the window, the same way he had come in.
The moment the boy vanished, the bedroom door opened just in time, and the maids barged in.
“You're awake.”
They spoke sullenly, then pulled, sat, and stood me up like a paper doll, dressing me and doing my hair with less-than-gentle hands.
As I let them handle me like an inanimate object, one of the maids gave me a quick once-over, finishing her final check.
“Well, that should do it. You can go out now.”
“Go out?”
I was puzzled. They were the ones who preferred me to stay cooped up in my bedroom all day like a doll.
Finding it strange, I hesitantly walked out to the drawing room. And I was stunned.
“What is all this?”
The drawing room was filled with brilliantly blooming red roses.
A page boy, holding a letter on a tray, handed it to me.
The name 'Calius Rodrian' was clearly written on the envelope.
A curious maid rudely poked her head over my shoulder.
“Isn't that a love letter? Go on, read it! Hurry!”
It seemed my love life was interesting, even if I wasn't pleased about it.
*Since this letter was sent so openly, it should be fine to read it here, right?*
I carefully opened the letter, quickly read a few lines, and my jaw dropped.
「Princess Chloe, more dazzling than the midday sun and more brilliant than the stars at night. I first saw you at the imperial palace party a few days ago.
That night was exceptionally beautiful. Looking back now, I am certain that all the beautiful things—the trees, the flowers, the wind—were heralding our fateful meeting.
Ah, the intensity I felt when I met your gaze, as if my very soul was set ablaze, is still so vivid...」
After reading that far, I double-checked the name 'Calius Rodrian' on the envelope.
And when that wasn't enough, I even asked the page boy.
“Is this letter really from Marquis Rodrian?”
The page boy nodded confidently.
“There's no mistake.”
*Maybe there is a mistake. Please tell me there's a mistake.*
How on earth was I supposed to interpret this letter?
*Could this be an assassination attempt... trying to make my heart stop from the sheer cringe?*
It was a reasonable suspicion.
