How Marquis Würetti had obtained the prophecy book, and what he had sought to gain through his daughter’s marriage.

Roina thought she needed to learn about these things she had been ignorant of, even if belatedly.

After a brief silence, Bleon answered in a low voice.

“I don’t fully understand Father’s intentions, but I can tell you this much.”

“……?”

“Aila’s partner has been decided.”

Roina had somewhat anticipated that her sister’s partner might have been determined by now.

‘But why does he look so unhappy about it?’

Sensing something was amiss, she swallowed dryly while looking at her brother.

“Is there some problem?”

After hesitating briefly, Bleon continued in a composed voice.

“I hear her partner is the Second Imperial Prince.”

“What…? What are you saying?”

Roina’s pupils shook uncontrollably at these unbelievable words.

No matter how much Marquis Würetti led the progressive faction, he had never officially shown support for the Second Prince.

Wasn’t that why the current Emperor had arranged the union between the Asheter and Würetti families?

Making the Second Prince her partner essentially meant using Aila as a chess piece in political strife.

“How… could this happen. This is absurd!”

The cruel temperament of Benjamin Duke Kaldebaum was infamous throughout the Noxtan Empire.

At first, even the imperial family had tried to conceal the Second Prince’s antisocial personality disorder.

But when screams of servants never ceased and the stench of blood permeated the prince’s palace, the Emperor had no choice but to cast out his own son.

Learning that such a person was to be Aila’s partner made Roina’s heart sink.

‘I’ve been too complacent. I should have paid more attention….’

Facing this overwhelming situation, she covered her face with both hands.

Bleon, who had been quietly watching his sister, also heaved a deep sigh.

“I couldn’t tell you beforehand because I feared you’d react this way.”

“At the very least, you should have protected Aila.”

Roina had firmly believed he would shield their sister from their father.

That’s why even when she heard about Aila’s marriage talks, she never imagined the match would be this terrible.

‘What on earth is Father thinking…!’

Roina clenched her fists with trembling hands.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

At Bleon’s sudden words, Roina tried to suppress her despair and gather her thoughts.

The promise he mentioned must have been made during the period when she had lost her memories.

Bleon began speaking while gazing at a large canvas hanging on one wall of the studio.

“Roina, you originally didn’t want to marry Conrad.”

Roina’s hands trembled slightly at her brother’s soft recounting of past events.

‘I… didn’t want to marry?’

She closed her bewildered eyes tightly before opening them again, focusing intently on Bleon’s words as if determined not to miss anything.

“When the marriage proposal came, you were desperate to refuse it.”

At that moment, an unpleasant memory fragment suddenly surfaced.

“Father, I absolutely cannot accept this marriage!”

“Is that so? Then from now on, Aila will have to fulfill your share as well.”

From the beginning, children were merely tools to the Marquis, so it wasn’t a difficult matter for him.

In the end, Roina had no choice but to accept an unhappy marriage with a man who despised her.

Yet the Marquis, seemingly without any pangs of conscience, was now trying to break even that agreement.

Anger toward her father welled up, and she chewed her lip finely.

“Aila sincerely wishes for your happiness.”

“What does that mean?”

“Think about it, Roina.”

Bleon closed his mouth as if he had nothing more to say, and soon Roina realized what his words meant.

She desperately hoped that what she was thinking wasn’t true.

Surely her father would have forced Aila the same way he had forced her.

‘Perhaps promising to expedite my divorce.’

Only then could Roina gauge Aila’s situation.

Just as she had chosen marriage for her sister’s sake, Aila was making the same choice for her sister.

‘Aila, you really….’

One trampled weed in the Würetti family should have been enough.

It was because of Aila that she had been able to endure life in the marquis’s residence, which had never been smooth.

Wiping the tears flowing down her cheeks, Roina looked at Bleon with reproachful eyes.

“You should have stopped him at least!”

She knew that venting wouldn’t change anything. This was beyond her brother’s control.

Bleon simply rose from his seat and patted Roina’s shoulder.

After some time passed, he cautiously spoke as if trying to comfort his sister.

“Father hasn’t completely decided on Aila’s marriage yet.”

Since Marquis Würetti never revealed his true intentions even to his family, Roina nodded slightly.

‘I need to meet Father first.’

Pale as a sheet, she organized her complicated thoughts as best she could and rose from her seat.

“I understand what you’re saying. I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, I don’t want to be accused of making you cry either.”

Knowing exactly whom Bleon was referring to, Roina bowed her head before leaving the studio.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

After that day, Roina sent several letters to the Würetti residence.

She wanted to inquire about her sister’s well-being, but for some reason, she received no reply.

Just in case, she also sent a letter to the Dillon Trading Company, but there was no contact from the Marquis there either.

Unable to wait any longer, she eventually visited the trading company in person.

Even then, she was told he was away on business for a few days and couldn’t meet her father.

“What am I supposed to do?”

She wondered if she needed to negotiate with the Marquis again, but Roina held no cards to play.

Once again feeling her uselessness, helplessness made her miserable.

Moreover, she had yet to inform Conrad about the marriage talks between Aila and the Second Prince.

‘How should I tell him about this?’

Nevertheless, it was an issue she would eventually have to face, so her face grew increasingly troubled.

Like a habit that emerged when anxious, she left nail marks on her palm before biting her lower lip firmly.

“I should go see Aila first.”

Of course, she anticipated Conrad’s anger when he learned of this, but she couldn’t just sit idle forever.

‘I’ll just check that Aila is well, then return straight to the duke’s residence.’

The carriage that had been racing along gradually slowed down and stopped in front of the marquis’s residence, a place both familiar and infinitely uncomfortable to Roina.

Astor, who felt like he was entering an enemy’s lair, couldn’t hide his expression as if he had come somewhere he shouldn’t have.

With his help, Roina stepped down from the carriage and soon faced the approaching head butler of the Würetti household.

“What brings the Duchess all the way here….”

Since she had come without prior notice, his displeasure was evident.

Nevertheless, the butler was managing to contain his temper.

Looking at him indifferently, Roina answered in a cold voice.

“I’ve merely come to my family home. Is there a problem with that?”

“…Of course not.”

Though he didn’t show it, the butler’s discomfort was clearly conveyed. Of course, only she would know this from her long observation.

“The Marquis is currently away.”

“I know that. Today I’ve come to see Aila.”

At those words, the butler’s eyebrows twitched.

Noticing this, anxiety flashed across Roina’s face.

‘Has something really happened to Aila?’

Just as she was tightly clenching her fists in anxiety, a man emerged from the mansion and approached them.

“Roina, what are you doing out here? Come in.”

“…Brother.”

Bleon, who had been pleased to see her, soon directed a cold gaze at the butler.

“No one would have prevented her from entering, I assume.”

“I apologize. I’ll escort her inside right away.”

Under Bleon’s pressure, the butler bowed his head and stepped back.

After instructing Astor to wait with the carriage, Roina followed her brother into the mansion.