Chapter 610: Jealousy is My Power (110)
Chapter 610: Jealousy is My Power (110)
“Ian... he would never say something like that...!”
“You really trust that man, don't you?”
“Ian would never... he would never abandon me...!”
Yes, to be perfectly honest.
Celine couldn't be certain what kind of relationships Ian had with those other women. However, since the illusions the woman before her showed weren't entirely false, there had to be some truth among them.
Even so, it wasn't as if she couldn't understand.
Even if she hated it enough to want to die, even if it was agonizing, and even if she fell into a pit of wretched inferiority every time she compared herself to the women standing by Ian’s side.
She felt it couldn't be helped. No, she was doing her absolute best to think that way.
Even though she felt resentful.
Even though she loathed and detested the world that had given her nothing, and the fate that had snatched away even the little she once possessed.
She endured. She endured and endured again.
Tears fell because she felt so pathetic. Her heart burned with pain, and though self-reproach and inferiority had been gnawing at her mind like insects for months, ruining her spirit, she remained patient.
For none other than Ian.
“We made... a promise...!”
As a single teardrop rolled down her cheek, Celine murmured as if making a vow to herself.
She hadn't forgotten. There was no way she could ever forget.
The promise she had made with Ian in the field where the Sepia flowers were in full bloom.
The red-eyed woman didn't bother to deny Celine’s faith. She simply rested her chin on her hand, watching Celine let out silent groans, before asking a casual question.
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ve told you a dozen times...!”
“You said you wanted to see the truth, not an illusion.”
Whoosh.
The woman’s face drew closer. At a distance where their breaths mingled, Celine felt momentarily dizzy from the sweet fragrance.
Those red eyes flickered like a lamp in the dead of night.
“Shall I show you?”
Celine’s breath hitched.
The eyes of the woman making the offer held an emotion more terrifying than lies or hypocrisy.
Truth.
Straightforward eyes that allowed for not even a single speck of doubt.
She wasn't lying. Celine felt that fact deep within her heart.
“The choice is always yours, Celine Haster... Do you want to see it? The truth?”
“W-what are you talking about...?”
“The man you love.”
With that, the woman grinned.
It was an arc of a smile tinged with pure goodwill.
“I’ll show you. But... it might be better if you didn't look.”
What does that mean?
Just as Celine was about to scream that she trusted Ian without a shadow of a doubt.
A familiar voice played in her ear. It was a hallucination she had heard many times before.
‘Incompetent.’
‘Useless.’
‘A burden.’
Why?
Celine was suddenly struck by fear; her eyelids trembled, and she couldn't offer an immediate answer.
Even then, the woman’s whispering continued.
“Now, choose. Shall I show you? Or would you rather close your eyes like this?”
It didn't matter either way.
No matter what she chose, her faith in Ian would not waver.
Yes, that was why.
“Sh-show...”
“Hmm?”
“...Show me.”
It wouldn't be so bad to accept the woman’s goodwill.
At Celine’s answer, the woman flashed a beautiful smile.
It was a laugh brighter than any she had shown before.
*
One of the professor's offices in the Department of Commerce.
I visited this place to discuss the aftermath. Although I was wrapped in bandages and splints from head to toe, there were issues just as urgent as my recovery.
My counterpart was someone I had faced several times already.
“...It’s been a while, Sir Ein Kurkur.”
“Good to see you, Senior Riera Elphenhauser.”
It was the other party who flared up first at my calm greeting.
The older of the Alphenhauser twins, Sienne Alphenhauser.
She had a chronic habit: she never bothered to memorize people's names correctly and called them whatever she pleased. Yet, she seemed to remember her own name quite well.
“My name is ‘Sienne Alphenhauser’!”
“What a coincidence. My name is ‘Ian Percus.’”
I spoke as if it were nothing and took a seat, guided by the woman standing behind Senior Sienne.
Luna Alphenhauser.
The younger of the Alphenhauser twins, and the one who was relatively normal.
She was several times better than her sister, who was currently grumbling with her arms crossed.
“Hmph. For a mere second son of a rural viscount... normally, even speaking with this Sienne would be...”
“Please find the missing person.”
She was someone I was starting to develop a sort of begrudging fondness for.
Knowing that I would only lose out by entertaining her antics, I decided to get straight to the point. That way, Senior Sienne wouldn't be able to wander off-topic.
As if proving my prediction right, Senior Sienne puffed out her cheeks and let out a coy retort.
“...A missing person?”
“Celine Haster.”
Hooo.
As soon as that name came out, Senior Sienne made a strange sound and covered her mouth with her folding fan.
“I want you to find my childhood friend. I'm going to need a lot of manpower...”
“And why should we?”
“Shall I take this matter directly to Her Highness Iris?”
At my seamless reply, Senior Sienne clicked her tongue and averted her gaze.
It was as I said.
Princess Iris coveted my talent and was currently desperate to win my favor. If I asked, there was a high probability she would grant any request.
Whether it was manpower or wealth.
Knowing this, there was no way Senior Sienne would reject my proposal. If word of this reached Princess Iris’s ears, she would end up being a confidant who couldn't even properly fathom her master’s heart.
Senior Sienne raised her hands slightly as if in surrender.
“Fine. Only because of Her Highness the Princess...”
“And.”
I sipped my tea as if nothing were wrong, casting a slightly heavy gaze across the table.
“There are personal grudges involved, aren't there? Consider this a form of atonement.”
For what you must continue to do in the future.
I left the rest unsaid, but my intent must have been conveyed through my eyes alone.
This was a sort of probe.
The Alphenhauser family had seized the gold mine in the Haster territory, which ultimately led to the Haster family's downfall. Since then, Celine had harbored a deep hatred for high-ranking nobles.
They were, quite literally, her ‘family’s enemy.’
And if they were Celine’s enemy, they were as good as mine.
This process was essential to clarify the targets and the extent of any future retaliation.
Senior Sienne reacted exactly as expected.
“Personal grudges? I wonder. What business would we have with such a lowly, insignificant family...?”
“The Sun of Alphenhauser, who may not remember names or places, but knows where the money flows like a ghost.”
Stiff.
Senior Sienne froze right in the middle of shrugging her shoulders.
I added one more pointed remark.
“...Am I wrong?”
“Sigh.”
Senior Sienne let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
Her attitude suggested I was hopeless.
“Sir Hand-Axe Dummy-Dummy...”
“It’s Ian Percus.”
“In this world, there are truths that are sometimes better left unknown. Haven't we been on good terms lately?”
“We’ve never been on good terms.”
“So, don't go poking at old wounds... Argh! How can a man be so narrow-minded!”
Senior Sienne, who had been trying to coax me somehow, finally declared her surrender.
However, it seemed there was some sincerity mixed into that playful attempt, seeing as she pressed her hand to her forehead and tried to persuade me until the very end.
“...Once you know, there’s no turning back.”
“I must hear it.”
An answer without a shred of hesitation.
There was no room for persuasion. Luna’s hand came to rest on the shoulder of the hesitating Sienne.
“Sister, it’s a fact that can’t be hidden for much longer anyway...”
That was the final blow.
After wearing a reluctant expression for a while, Senior Sienne finally let out a long sigh.
“Fine. I’ll tell you.”
“Just what kind of circumstances could there be...?”
“You said the Alphenhauser family brought down the Haster family, right?”
Straight to the point.
It was a style of speech unlike Senior Sienne. While I was momentarily speechless, she continued without hesitation.
“That was a ‘hunt.’”
“What do you mean...?”
“Don't you know the Alphenhauser family's nickname?”
I fell silent for a moment.
Come to think of it, I felt like I had heard it before.
One of the Empire's Five Great Noble Families.
Among them, the nickname of the Alphenhauser family, which symbolized financial power and the capital, was...
My lips faltered as I was about to recite the answer. Suddenly, my throat felt parched and my lips went dry.
What if this answer was wrong?
I would be committing a grave act of blasphemy. Nevertheless, Senior Sienne continued her silent pressure.
Finally, a hesitant voice leaked from my mouth.
“...‘The Emperor’s Hound.’”
And Senior Sienne’s response to that was.
“Correct.”
Snap.
She folded her fan and flashed a smile that was almost refreshing.
“The Haster family fell by the will of His Majesty the Emperor.”
Only then did I fully understand Senior Sienne’s warning.
This was a story I couldn't possibly handle.
But the story wasn't over yet.
Senior Sienne began to reveal the secret history entwined with the Haster family. Her tone was calm and composed.