A Hundredfold Revenge
As the air of impending conflict hung heavy, four days passed since Yulken had secretly summoned Lux. A change had settled over the atmosphere within the castle. For some it would prove a welcome shift, for others a dire one, but one truth remained certain.
“That damn…”
The curse slipped from the lips of an elderly man sitting alone in his chamber, knuckles white as he crushed a glass in his grip. For Vincent, this change was anything but kind. And the full weight of his fury was aimed at Lux Feltner, the man who had sworn to carry out their plot together.
Why isn’t he answering? That worthless bastard.
The reason Vincent’s once-calm heart had flipped so violently in such a short time was simple. On the very day Yulken arrived at the castle, a letter had reached Vincent’s hands, its contents far from ordinary. The message itself had been brutally brief.
Since Lux has confessed your crimes, offer your neck accordingly.
No specifics were given about what crimes had been revealed, nor who had sent the letter. Yet nothing could have chilled Vincent more deeply. At first he had dismissed it as a crude attempt to sow discord. But when Lux’s movements grew strange over the following four days, genuine fear took root.
He knew, logically, that they must avoid all contact inside the castle. Yet with fire licking at his heels, sitting still became impossible. Vincent had sent letters, dispatched servants with messages, anything to arrange a meeting. Lux offered only silence. Or, more accurately, deliberate avoidance.
If Lux had truly confessed everything, he would never have told the whole truth. At the very least he would have secured an escape route for himself or pinned the entire deed on Vincent. To be seen meeting with him now would only invite suspicion of collusion.
Filthy gutter rat. Even eating him alive wouldn’t be enough.
The reason Vincent had been able to watch events unfold with such composure until now was straightforward: even if he became a suspect during the search for the culprit, there was no clear proof. Once suspicion remained mere conjecture, the hunt for concrete evidence would grow lax. Even if some tiny flaw remained in the erased traces, it would not matter if no one bothered to investigate.
But if Lux had revealed everything, the story changed. The net of inquiry would tighten around Vincent, and sooner or later some overlooked tail would expose him. The worst scenario was that Lux, his co-conspirator, might even hand over evidence proving Vincent had orchestrated the whole affair.
I burned every letter I received. But there’s no guarantee he did the same.
The two men had met for brief discussions, yet most critical matters had been exchanged through correspondence. The risk of eavesdroppers had been too great. Now, looking back, that very precaution had become a noose around Vincent’s neck. He had read each letter the moment it arrived and burned it on the spot, but he had no way of knowing whether Lux had done the same.
What if the man had kept them?
At the thought of the worst possible outcome, Vincent ground his teeth, his clenched fist trembling violently.
At this point, I can’t afford to wait and watch any longer.
If he could not meet Lux face to face, he would have to move first to avoid the worst. Even if Lux had not betrayed him, it made no difference. The man had always been a sprout that would need cutting once the scheme was exposed. Acting before everything came to light—that was what he must do now.
Ariel had spent the past four days in truly ordinary fashion. She studied official duties in earnest under Yulken, trained in martial arts with Edgar, and even learned the basics of knitting from Shuri. Her days were an unbroken chain of new lessons.
Yet Ariel found herself enjoying this routine immensely. In the past the burden of having to become the perfect heir as quickly as possible had kept her from truly savoring it. Now that weight had lifted.
“Wouldn’t it be better to start learning from Mr. Creed soon?”
After finishing their usual sparring in the training grounds, Edgar, still catching his breath, tossed the question out casually. Ariel’s skills had improved so dramatically that he no longer had much left to teach her. Was this what true genius looked like? Edgar found himself chuckling at the memory of how Creed had once praised him. If the man saw Ariel now, even Creed’s jaw would probably drop.
“Why? Is it getting too much trouble for you?”
Ariel, unaware of the true reason behind his words, asked in a slightly subdued voice. It sounded to her as if the daily training had become a chore and he was trying to pass the burden to Creed.
“What are you even saying? That’s not it at all. There’s simply nothing left for me to teach.”
“I don’t mind continuing like this…”
She already knew Creed was the superior fighter, and if a truly excellent instructor existed she would have brought them in from outside without hesitation. The only reason she hadn’t was her own personal desire. Having only just sorted out her feelings for Edgar and wanting to draw him closer little by little, she had created this opportunity out of selfish motives to increase their physical contact. Of course there were legitimate reasons to train as well, and Edgar’s skill was genuinely outstanding, but the balance had now tipped.
If things continued this way she would inevitably end up studying under Creed. Left with no choice, Ariel decided to tell a small white lie. If she were found out later, she could simply deny it.
“Can’t we just keep going like this? Mr. Creed said it would be enough for him to keep learning from you.”
“What? Mr. Creed said that?”
Ariel lied without so much as blinking. Edgar looked doubtful for a moment, but since Creed had always viewed him favorably, he decided it was plausible. He could hardly doubt the word of Creed of all people. In the end Edgar agreed to continue overseeing Ariel’s training.
Fearing her delight might show and raise his suspicions, Ariel only cheered inwardly while nodding with perfect composure on the outside. Even her parents could never have guessed that the Robeheim family teaching—to hide one’s emotions completely during negotiations—would prove useful in a moment like this.
With the matter settled, the two sat down on the floor of the training grounds. Their recent sessions had focused more on real combat than on form correction, so their stamina drained quickly.
“It’s been strangely quiet these past few days.”
“Quiet?”
Ariel tilted her head at Edgar’s sudden murmur. She had already guessed what he meant, but she deliberately exaggerated her confusion to feign ignorance.
“After what happened, it makes sense to be extra careful when going outside. But it’s so quiet it almost feels unsettling.”
“Isn’t quiet a good thing? It makes it easier for the two of us to spend time together.”
“That’s true.”
Peace was certainly welcome news. Still, one thing nagged at Edgar: Ariel had not spoken a single word to him about the incident. He knew she had reported it to Yulken, but she had given him no information about how the investigation was proceeding. It almost felt as if she were intentionally avoiding the topic.
It couldn’t possibly be resolved already.
The chance was slim, but even if it were, she would surely have told him. Perhaps the matter was so confidential that she could not even share it with him. As someone directly involved, he wanted to know how things were unfolding, yet he could hardly throw a tantrum and demand answers. After all, now that they knew the enemy lurked within, Edgar—who knew almost nothing about them—could offer little help. Nor did he have the ability to order others to gather information.
“Edgar, what are you thinking about?”
The sudden appearance of those crimson eyes in his vision made him flinch slightly before he let out a soft laugh. They were such beautiful eyes, yet whenever they appeared without warning like this, even he—who had grown used to them—couldn’t help but be startled. Perhaps it was precisely because they were so otherworldly.
“Ah… nothing. It just feels unsettling when things are this quiet.”
“What’s there to be uneasy about? I’m right here beside you.”
“How reassuring.”
Coming from the next head of the Grand Duchy, the words carried considerable weight. Well, with the power of the Robeheim family, an incident like this should be resolved without much trouble.
No news was good news. Deciding to think that way and put his mind at ease, Edgar gently patted Ariel’s shoulder where she had nestled against him.
“Hey, Edgar. There’s something I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“If someone had killed or tried to kill your family or the person you love… what would you do?”
The rather abrupt question made Edgar’s brow furrow in confusion. At first he thought she might be joking, but the deadly seriousness in her eyes told him this was no light matter.
After thinking for a moment, he offered a balanced answer.
“I’d probably want to kill them. Though I’m not sure answering murder with murder can ever be justified.”
“Really? Our thoughts differ a little, then.”
“What about you?”
Though the question seemed trivial, such topics often revealed a person’s true heart. At Edgar’s counter-question, Ariel stared at him quietly for a moment, then pulled him into her arms, buried her face in his shoulder, and whispered.
“I would show them the same terror I once tasted. I want to carve into their very bones the fear of possibly losing the person they love most.”
“…That’s brutal.”
“Grace twice over, revenge a hundredfold. It’s a tradition in our family.”
The smile Ariel gave was so bright and refreshing it was hard to believe she had just spoken such chilling words. She tightened her arms around Edgar’s neck, savoring the steady heartbeat she felt there, and offered a small apology in her heart.
I’m sorry, Edgar.
Even if it isn’t the way you would want, I will repay them in my own way on your behalf. The mere fact that those who dared reach out with filthy hands toward you are still breathing is something I intend to make them regret with every fiber of their being. If you knew of this method, the kind-hearted you might hate it, so I cannot tell you the truth. Resent me for that if you must. But even so, I cannot let you go. Because the one you fell in love with is this kind of woman.
A woman so greedy that there is no other like her in the world, who will never hand over what is hers to anyone else. A selfish woman who will do anything to keep you from leaving her side. You have become the most precious treasure to such a witch.