Chapter 82

“…I’m crazy, instead of pushing him away, I closed my eyes!”

Lia tangled her hair with both hands as she leaned back against the carriage seat.

Her heart was still pounding like mad.

She cooled her flushed face with her hand, fanning herself.

‘It’s a relief he had business to attend to.’

Otherwise, she would have had to ride all the way back to the manor with him….

“Sigh.”

A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

‘But his expression looked rather serious in front of the carriage—was something going on?’

She furrowed her brows unconsciously, then shook her head.

“What does it have to do with me….”

Anyway, how was she supposed to face him from now on?

‘Why did I chug down beer when I don’t even usually drink….’

If she hadn’t, that strange atmosphere wouldn’t have happened.

“…Haa.”

Both of them, caught up in the mood from the alcohol, made a mistake.

‘I should tell him tomorrow that it was just a mistake.’

She didn’t want to hear those words from his mouth for some reason.

But even if she was drunk and the mood was like that, still—

How could she have thought of kissing him!

She had promised herself not to give her heart to him anymore!

‘Besides, he’s the head of the Blumhart Ducal House, one of the five great Dukes of the Empire.’

Not just her feelings, but now their social status was farther apart than heaven and earth.

Lia took off her flats and pulled her knees up onto the edge of the seat, hugging them.

She turned her head slightly and rested her face on her knees.

Her face was still burning.

Was it because of the beer, or because the heat from the kiss hadn’t faded?

It had been a long time since she’d kissed him, but the familiar sensation felt as if it had happened just yesterday, and it made her feel oddly restless.

‘…He must have made that mistake because he was drunk, too.’

Otherwise, why would he have kissed her?

“…It was a mistake for me, too. Just a drunken mistake.”

She kept muttering, almost as if brainwashing herself.

Because she thought Johann had made a mistake, she wanted to believe it was a mistake for her, too.

Before she knew it, the carriage arrived at the manor.

Lia was surprised to find that four knights escorted her all the way to the house after she got off the carriage.

“You escorted me?”

“Yes, Miss Lia.”

“But, why me….”

Not even Lady Rafaella, nor Duke Johann, but just a guest—yet she was being escorted….

It was a little bewildering.

“We’re simply following His Grace’s orders. Please, go inside, Miss Lia.”

The knight escorted her all the way to the manor’s entrance hall.

He stood at the entrance, watching her until she went up the stairs.

His determined expression said he absolutely had to see with his own eyes that she entered safely.

‘What is this, is something going on?’

Lia glanced at him as she climbed the stairs.

Rafaella was still sound asleep in bed.

After washing up and lying down, Lia stroked the soft cheek of her child.

‘I hope she doesn’t complain tomorrow about missing the fireworks.’

As she caressed her daughter’s cheek, she looked down at the child’s neck.

The goddess’s mark was still there.

She seemed to be doing everything the goddess asked, but the mark still hadn’t disappeared, weighing on her heart.

The next morning.

“I wanted to see it too!”

Rafaella pouted her lips and grumbled.

“But Raffy, you were sleeping so soundly.”

“Hmph, you still should have woken me up!”

Rafaella puffed her cheeks and skillfully popped a grape into her mouth.

Johann only returned at dawn today.

And then he left again right away.

Whatever it was, something must be going on.

‘I was worried about what to say if I saw him in the dining room this morning.’

Lia was secretly relieved.

“Next year, make sure to take me too. Even if I’m asleep, you have to wake me up no matter what!”

“Alright, Raffy. I’ll definitely wake you up.”

Lia lightly kissed her daughter’s cheek.

“Mom, did you have fun at the fireworks?”

Rafaella, her mood somewhat settled, asked.

“…Yeah, it was fun.”

As soon as she heard Rafaella’s question, what came to mind wasn’t the beautiful night sky embroidered with fireworks, but the kiss she shared with Johann.

Feeling her face flush again, Lia took a sip of the cold water in front of her.

“Ugh, I really should have seen it too.”

“My Raffy is so upset about missing the fireworks.”

Lia picked up Rafaella and hugged her.

“Shall we go to the garden later and have a flower picnic instead?”

“Yeah, I’d like that!”

Rafaella answered in a slightly excited voice.

* * *

“What? Demonic poison was used?”

Matthias shot up from the sofa with an angry face.

“Yes.”

“And they tried to use it not even on you, but on Rafaella’s birth mother….”

He roughly stroked his chin with his hand.

“Of course, she might have been a nuisance, but isn’t this the first time since they tried to assassinate you that they’ve used such an extreme method?”

“I can’t understand why they went so far to try to kill her.”

“I don’t get it either. Not even to me, the Crown Prince, did they do such a thing, yet they tried to use that horrible poison on an ordinary woman….”

Matthias held the vial of demonic poison Johann had brought.

“What’s certain is that the Interim Empress possesses demonic poison that no one should have, and she doesn’t just use it recklessly….”

Johann spoke, his brows furrowed.

“It seems she only uses it for those she absolutely must kill, right?”

Matthias continued Johann’s words.

“Yes.”

“Then it means that, to the Interim Empress, Rafaella’s birth mother is even more threatening than me, her political enemy.”

Matthias muttered, tapping the armrest of his chair with eyes full of doubt.

“…Yes, it seems so.”

Johann’s eyes darkened.

What on earth had that woman done to become the Interim Empress’s target?

His chest felt tight.

“Johann, you said you have feelings for Rafaella’s birth mother, right?”

After a brief silence, Matthias spoke.

“…Yes.”

“It might be an awkward suggestion, but how about getting engaged to her for now?”

“What? Engaged?”

Johann asked in surprise at the unexpected turn.

“Yes, engaged.”

Matthias repeated, emphasizing it.

“You might think it’s out of order, but consider it a way to protect Rafaella’s birth mother.”

“Why?”

Johann narrowed his brows slightly.

“The Interim Empress tried to kill her, even using demonic poison. If you just hide her away, it’ll be hard to protect her.”

It wasn’t wrong.

He couldn’t just keep Lia locked up in the manor because it was dangerous.

“Rather, it might be safer to officially have her by your side as your fiancée.”

Matthias leaned toward Johann.

“If a woman goes from being a commoner to the fiancée of Duke Blumhart overnight, not only high society but the entire Capital will be curious and keep an eye on her for quite some time, right?”

“Exactly!”

Matthias slapped his knee.

“If you take her to various parties as your fiancée, it’ll provoke the Interim Empress, but you might also find out why she’s targeting her.”

“…That’s true.”

Johann replied in a subdued voice.

It was a way to protect Lia, but he was also worried about whether she could adapt to high society.

“Johann, I understand your concern.”

Matthias patted Johann’s hand.

“It’ll be alright.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe the Interim Empress will be so flustered by Rafaella’s birth mother’s actions that she’ll make a mistake.”

If that happened, they could bring down the Interim Empress.

“Let’s hope so.”

Johann murmured, his voice full of desperate hope.

“For all our sakes, let’s wish for that.”

At Matthias’s words, Johann nodded.

“For now, get engaged as soon as possible and bring her to my birthday banquet.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After finishing his conversation with Matthias, Johann returned to the manor.

He had wanted to win Lia’s heart completely before proposing or marrying her.

But in the current situation, protecting her more effectively was the priority.

‘She seemed pretty flustered yesterday. How should I ask her to get engaged….’

Lost in thought, he went up to the third floor and ran into Lia on the landing as she was coming down.

“Lia.”

“…Your Grace, you’re back.”

Lia, noticeably flustered, averted her gaze.

“About yesterday….”

“A-About yesterday, let’s just forget it as a drunken mistake.”

Before Johann could say anything, Lia quickly blurted out her words.

‘A mistake?’

She thought it was a mistake.

Even if she didn’t, he certainly didn’t.

“I didn’t think yesterday was a mistake….”

“I drank when I usually don’t, so I was a bit tipsy. It wasn’t a good thing for either of us, so let’s just forget it. Please.”

Lia said firmly, her eyes unwavering, and it hurt him.

“…I see.”

“Well, I need to stop by the annex for a bit, so I’ll be going. Please rest well, Your Grace.”

Lia bowed her head, then quickly walked past Johann and down the stairs.

He placed his hand on the banister and couldn’t move for a while.

‘…It wasn’t that way for me. Was what happened yesterday so insignificant to you that you want to forget it?’

It wasn’t because she had feelings for him that she hadn’t pulled away, but because she was drunk.

He felt strangely empty.

‘Of course, she wouldn’t accept me so easily.’

But that didn’t mean he had any intention of giving up.