Chapter 89

Lia pressed the back of her hand to her flushed face.

Her cheeks felt hot, even to the touch.

No, how could he say something like that so suddenly?

That man really is strange.

‘……He keeps acting as if he actually likes me.’

Could that be possible?

But if not, then she couldn’t understand why he kept being so kind.

If she wanted to stop him from saying such embarrassing things, she would have to ask him directly at least once.

“Your Grace.”

Lia parted her lips.

“…Do you like me?”

“If I say I like you, would that make you uncomfortable?”

He gave an unexpected answer.

‘I thought he would say something like, “What are you talking about?” or “I’m just being nice for Rafaella’s sake,” but…’

She hadn’t expected him to ask if she’d be uncomfortable.

“…It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. But please don’t like me, Your Grace.”

Her words came out a little cold.

“Why, can’t I like you?”

“I can’t give you anything in return.”

She had resolved never to give her heart to him again.

‘…So don’t say you like me and shake my heart for nothing.’

Even if his memories returned, she wasn’t confident she could give her heart again.

While he was gone, she had exhausted herself resenting and missing him so much.

So, when she died before her regression, she made a vow.

‘If I’m born again, I won’t love you—the one who hurt me so much.’

Lia bit the inside of her lip, holding back the surge of sorrow.

“If it doesn’t matter if you don’t return my feelings, can I still like you?”

Johann asked in a rather desperate voice.

“…Don’t do something so foolish.”

Lia couldn’t bear to look at him, so she closed her eyes tightly as she spoke.

“…….”

He said nothing.

A heavy silence settled in the carriage.

Lia kept her gaze fixed outside the window until they arrived at the temple.

Before she knew it, the sound of hooves stopped, and the coachman announced their arrival at the temple.

Johann got out first and helped Lia down from the carriage, taking her hand.

“…Let’s go in.”

“…Yes.”

An awkwardness lingered between them.

Lia turned her gaze to the great temple she was seeing for the first time.

The great temple, built of pure white marble, exuded a noble presence.

Just looking at it made her feel as if her faith in the goddess would deepen.

On either side of the temple entrance, statues of lower deities serving Goddess Hecate stood in poses guarding the temple.

“Welcome, Duke Blumhart.”

As Lia followed Johann toward the great temple, someone approached them.

“My name is Sven, an apprentice priest. I’ll guide you to the chief priest who will officiate your vow.”

They followed the priest’s guidance and entered the temple entrance.

Several nobles who had come to the great temple glanced at Johann and Lia.

The noblewomen covered their mouths with fans and whispered among themselves.

For some reason, Lia felt a little intimidated.

“Don’t mind them.”

Johann whispered, lightly squeezing Lia’s hand.

“…Yes.”

Lia fixed her gaze straight ahead and followed behind the priest.

“Please enter here.”

The priest stopped in front of a wide, doorless space.

“Then, may Goddess Hecate’s blessings fill your future together.”

After offering his blessing, the priest withdrew.

Johann entered first, and Lia followed behind.

In the center of the room, a statue of Goddess Hecate sat majestically on a chair with a large snake, looking down with authority.

And before it stood a priest in a pure white robe.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Erna, the chief priest who will oversee your engagement vow today.”

The priest, with orange-tinted brown hair, greeted them with a gentle smile.

Johann and Lia returned her greeting with a polite nod.

Lia lifted her head and looked up at the statue of Goddess Hecate.

Seeing the giant snake, she shivered, thinking of the mark on Rafaella’s neck.

‘…I still haven’t erased the snake mark on Raffy’s neck.’

The goddess’s gaze seemed to reproach her for not having changed her daughter’s fate yet.

“We’ll begin the engagement vow now. Please stand on either side.”

Johann and Lia stood facing each other on either side.

The priest held a holy book in her hands and recited the contents of the engagement vow.

Johann and Lia took turns repeating after her.

“Johann von Blumhart, do you accept this sacred engagement?”

After finishing the scripture, the priest asked Johann.

“Yes.”

Johann placed his hand over his heart and answered.

“Lia, do you accept this sacred engagement?”

“Yes.”

Lia also brought her hand to her chest.

“With this, your engagement cannot be broken unless there is divine intervention.”

The priest gently pressed her thumb, dipped in holy water, to their foreheads in turn.

Johann had been through an engagement twice, but never had he pledged himself with such sincerity.

The first time had been for political reasons, the second had been forced.

“Then, I sincerely wish for Goddess Hecate’s blessings on your future together.”

The priest put her hands together and prayed for them.

Johann and Lia also prayed and left the room.

“Lia.”

Johann handed Lia a document stamped with both the Emperor’s seal and the chief priest’s seal.

“You are now ‘Lia von Blumhart.’”

“…Lia von Blumhart.”

Lia spoke her newly given surname with her small lips.

“From now on, no one can look down on you for being a commoner or of low status.”

He hoped that, even when he couldn’t be by her side, the ‘name’ he had given her would at least protect her.

“Even the Imperial Family.”

He emphasized the word ‘Imperial Family.’

“So you, too, can be as confident as Rafaella, wherever you are. As my fiancée, as ‘Lia von Blumhart.’”

“…Yes.”

At his urging, Lia nodded.

The Duke of Blumhart had openly brought his commoner-born fiancée to the great temple and made their engagement vow, so soon the entire capital would hear of it.

The nobles would listen with curiosity to the rumors about the Blumhart estate, and the Imperial Family would be on high alert.

He wanted that.

That way, he could protect Lia and more closely monitor the enemy’s movements.

“Let’s go now.”

Lia handed the paper back to him.

“Lia.”

In a heavy voice, Johann stopped her as she tried to leave.

“Yes?”

Lia answered, her voice tense.

“Even if I do something foolish, I can’t help it.”

Lia was flustered.

‘Could he be talking about what we discussed in the carriage earlier?’

“Even if I never get anything back from you for the rest of my life, I simply can’t help but give you my heart.”

“…….”

“I already love you.”

“…How can you love me when you don’t even have your memories?”

Lia asked, her voice strained.

“Loving you and not having my memories back are separate things.”

He was confessing that, regardless of his memories, he had fallen in love with Lia again.

Her throat stung.

“…….”

Tears welled up in Lia’s eyes.

“I guess I was fated to love you after all.”

“…Well, I’m not, so do as you please.”

Lia held back the tears that threatened to escape and turned her head.

Then she quickly walked toward the temple entrance.

‘…Does he think I’ll be swayed by that?’

I will never……

……never love you again.

* * *

“What!”

Patrizia jumped up from the sofa at what she heard from her maid.

“The Duke of Blumhart went to the great temple and made an engagement vow with that wench?”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

“They dressed up properly and acted all proud in front of everyone?”

“Yes.”

The maid answered, watching Patrizia’s mood.

“…Aaaaargh!”

She’d expected they would do it soon, but now that they were really engaged, rage boiled up inside her.

Patrizia vented her anger by throwing and breaking everything in the sitting room.

The maids only hoped this moment would pass quickly and did their best to calm the princess.

“Now what will people think of me! Won’t everyone gossip that I lost my man to a mere commoner girl!”

“Who would dare compare the noble Princess to such a commoner?”

“They will compare! Even I would have!”

While Patrizia was whining like a child, the Interim Empress also heard the news.

“…So they finally got engaged.”

Narcissa paused as she was about to lift a fragrant teacup.

“Yes.”

The attendant bowed her head.

“…Ha!”

Narcissa set the teacup down with a clang.

The Duke had deliberately brought that woman to the great temple at the busiest time, so the whole capital must already know.

The Interim Empress bit her lips hard.

Already, rumors must be swirling about how the Duke of Blumhart’s fiancée, who rose in status overnight, looked.

‘I should have killed her when she was still unnoticed!’

Even Carmen, whom she had trusted, had failed.

Narcissa pressed her throbbing temple with slender fingers.

‘Has anything ever gone so wrong before?’

She was so irritated she wanted to crush her right away, but with all eyes in the capital on that woman, she had to watch quietly for now.

She picked up her teacup again to cool her rising anger.