“So she sent the letter through that woman. To your residence.”

‘Marie quit her job. She just stopped showing up, so I’ve been handling deliveries all month.’

The delivery person’s irritated grumble about their irresponsible coworker suddenly came back to her vividly, too clear to ignore.

“This is the letter. At the end, she kindly wrote that it wouldn’t matter if I showed it to you.”

Would she still look away? The duke smiled smoothly, his expression reminiscent of that of a snake closely watching its prey and waiting for it to move.

“It’s not what I wanted.”

“……”

“It’s a favor your sister asked of me. If you don’t believe it, you could always go back and ask her yourself, couldn’t you?”

He wasn’t wrong. If it was truly what her sister wanted, Hailla felt that she needed to know. Composing herself, she sat down again and picked up the letter, pretending to be calm.

Until that moment, Hailla had been confident that her trust was unshakable. She thought a mere sheet of paper couldn’t possibly change anything. She had convinced herself that her world was far sturdier than it actually was.

Yet it was shockingly easy to fall into the mire.

[I was the one who recognized Lian Huriet’s noble status first and approached him with a deal.]

The handwriting was unmistakably her sister’s, neat with a distinctive upward curl at the ends.

[I verbally and physically abused my sister repeatedly, following his instructions. Lian Huriet wanted Hailla to become dependent on him. In return, I could choose any jewellery I wanted from a catalogue every fortnight.]

How could this possibly be her sister’s doing? The page detailed specific acts of violence, words cruel enough to incite humiliation, and explicit, clearly listed rewards for the wickedness committed.

[It was also prearranged that I would force her to go get Tabae fruit. If she returned late by even a day, I was to beat Hailla, injuring her further.]

Actions seemingly unrelated aligned around Hailla herself, perfectly balanced. Memories surged chaotically through her mind: her sister tormenting her daily, the man comforting her afterward. Rethe’s absurd demand to get Tabae fruit, and Lian following along to “help.”

[Recently, he ordered me to take both poison and medicine to completely trap Hailla. Afterward, everything went exactly as Lian Huriet planned.]

When she discovered his noble identity and tried to distance herself, her sister’s health suddenly deteriorated — rather too conveniently — and Lian was immediately on hand to comfort her. Feeling guilty and restless, he anxiously insisted that marriage was necessary to save Rethe.

[I am certain the Duke can offer me far greater rewards.]

She had always believed it was God destroying her life—

[Please show this letter to my sister later. She will then willingly follow your wishes.]

But it was her loved ones who were truly ruining her.

Clear sentences entered her mind, only to shatter again. The boundaries between her emotions blurred like brushstrokes on a canvas. Dizzying confusion took hold.

Yet one final sentence stood out sharply, clear and unmistakable.

[And the woman who delivered this letter should be disposed of quietly.]

***

There was no further explanation. Hailla clenched her trembling jaw and traced the words with her shaking fingertips. The paper wasn’t an illusion.

“You thought your sister was incapable of anything, didn’t you? You believed she’d lost everything because of you.”

Still stunned, the woman slowly shook her head, resisting the chaos now flooding in. But Tassen had no intention of stopping.

“You shouldn’t have thought that way.”

“…”

“Thanks to your absurd guilt, your sister held all the power.”

Overwhelmed by a storm of emotions she couldn’t fully grasp, Hailla slowly raised her head and met Tassen’s gaze directly. He looked straight into her beautiful yet hollow golden eyes and spoke clearly.

“That woman, Rethe — she knew Lian would kill her in the end.”

“……”

“Unlike you, she’s clever. She knew exactly whose side to take to survive while also gaining rewards far beyond her station.”

“What a waste of a woman, considering the circumstances of her birth.”

He chuckled softly. Yet Hailla couldn’t concentrate on the duke’s voice. A strange buzzing filled her ears as though insects were burrowing deep into her head.

Upon seeing her in that state, Tassen sighed quietly, leaned forward and removed his hands from the backrest. He placed his hands together on the table. Regardless of Hailla’s condition, it seemed as though he intended to finish what he had started.

‘Now, I suppose it’s time I offer you a choice.’

Any choice offered by the duke was bound to bring Hailla misery. She lacked the strength to curse the man causing her pain, and tears silently rolled down her face. Yet Tassen did not stop. After finishing, he fell briefly silent.

The man who had watched another person crumble seemed as dry as a stone worn down by years of erosion. He was so exhausted and tormented by pain that he longed to break apart someday, waiting for a massive wave to wash over him. This weary, worn-out person had that look.

“Prepare your answer by tomorrow.”

—

Hailla couldn’t remember how she had got home. Following the instructions of the subordinate who had betrayed Lian, she left the small room and found herself back at the entrance to the mountain path. From there, she began to run desperately. She ran and ran and ran towards home.

She burst through the old wooden door and rushed inside, stopping in front of her sister’s room. Gasping for breath, she placed her hand on the doorknob. A cold chill seeped into her palm.

She had to hurry inside. She needed to open the door quickly, face her sister, and tell her everything she had heard. Then she would wait for Rethe to scold her for believing such foolish, ridiculous words.

“I’m trying to give you a chance.”

Why did she suddenly recall that day?

“Come in.”

It was a firm command. The voice belonged to Rethe, who was standing beyond the door. Hearing her voice, Hailla felt tears suddenly fall from her eyes. It was the same voice as always. The coldness that usually chilled her heart felt strangely comforting today.

No, this couldn’t possibly be true.

Hailla smiled softly and turned the doorknob. Her hand trembled, but that didn’t matter. Once she was face-to-face with Rethe, this insignificant trembling would quickly subside.

“Sister.”

“I heard something so strange. They said you’ve been pretending all this time, selling me off to Lian. Lian gave you medicine that made you cough up blood, and you took it knowingly. It’s nonsense, but the duke made it sound so believable that I almost fell for it. I was so shocked…”

These were the words she had rehearsed endlessly while travelling down the mountain in the carriage. She had planned to rush straight to her sister’s bedside and pour out her anxieties and relief at once.

Yet, oddly, once she stood in front of her, she couldn’t utter a single word. Something felt deeply wrong.

Rethe was staring out of the window. Although Rethe always ignored her like this, Hailla knew that the unsettling feeling rising within her was her own issue entirely. She composed herself and took a step forward with her right foot.

“Sister.”

There was no reply. Although Rethe had turned her head towards Haila, she didn’t move closer.

“Yes?”

“…”

“Did you have a good trip?”

In that instant, Hailla realised why her mouth had frozen shut.

“You returned quickly, just as I told you to.”

She had been afraid of seeing a face like this. She was afraid of confronting that repulsive smoothness and the smile that betrayed everything she knew.

Hailla forced her heavy feet forward. She needed to see Rethe’s face more clearly. She needed to open her mouth and ask something, anything. But her vocal cords were frozen, like a burst water pipe, and she was unable to produce a sound.

“It’s exhausting.”

“…”

“Isn’t it exhausting for you, too?”

For a moment, a dark silence hung between them like a deep, gloomy lake. Rethe moved her lips briefly, then twisted her face slightly before speaking.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Where?”

“Back to how things were.”

“How things were.”

Hailla repeated the words she had heard. It was her desperate attempt to understand what her sister was saying and to deny reality. But misfortune didn’t bypass Hailla any more than waves could avoid hitting a ship.

“You heard it today, so you should know now. What kind of man Lian Huriet is.”

“…”

“How obsessed he is with you. He’ll ruin—”

“It’s a lie.”

Hailla slowly and painfully shook her head from side to side, as if moving a heavy stone.

“Just tell me it’s a lie. Tell me everything I heard is a lie.”

“…”

“Get angry at me like you always do. Call me a fool for believing such nonsense.”

Hailla looked straight at Rethe, her gaze filled with the trust that had been built up over a lifetime of loving her sister. She was ready to believe whatever excuse Rethe offered. Even if it sounded absurd, she would smile and nod, proudly declaring that she would never be fooled by the schemes of villains.

After all, she was a good child who always listened to her sister. She believed that by doing exactly as Rethe instructed, trusting what she said and following her teachings, she would never be abandoned. She expected that her endless devotion would eventually be repaid with love.

But even if that wasn’t true—

“Why?”

Wasn’t it too cruel to reveal now that his promise had always been one-sided?

‘It was me. Everything you’ve probably heard is true. I asked the duke to handle it that way. It was far more convincing than anything I could have said, wasn’t it?”