/
“I have a good memory.”
Calix set down his wine glass.
“You looked so sad when you told me about the music box, that I wanted to find it and give it to you someday.”
Despite his playful tone, there was a gleam on his eyes, mirroring the light from the pavilion.
“If I didn’t find it, I was going to find out the melody of the song and make an exact copy for you, and luckily I found it in an antique store not long ago.”
Erin wrapped her arms around the music box.
A warm glow burned in her chest, warmer than the bright lights on the pavilion.
“Thank you, Sir Calix.”
Erin had thought she’d lost everything when she lost her parents, and when she lost her position as duchess.
“It’s good to know that sister-in-law likes it.”
She thought that she’d lost everything and have nothing left to start over with.
Nine years away felt meaningless, and she felt a little sad.
But she didn’t know that she still had something left.
Erin listened to Calix’s words and said in a low tone,
“Please, call me Erin. I’m not your sister-in-law anymore.”
Calix stared at Erin for a moment after hearing her words, before responding with a satisfied smile.
“Yes, Erin.”
His blue eyes sparkled, and stared at her so deep it felt like it was about to pass through her.
⚘
Erin walked out of Calix’s mansion and rode home in the carriage.
Calix offered to accompany her to the shop, but she said no thanks, and gave him a salute.
She had already been indebted to him enough today, and she didn’t want to bother him.
‘I’m taking his carriage anyway, so I won’t be in any danger.’
Still, just in case, Calix still offered one of his knights, to accompany her.
‘How attentive and sweet.’
The carriage raced through the streets of the capital shrouded in night mist.
It was so late that the streets were already deserted.
There was no longer any signs of people on the streets, not a single house on the street had a light on.
‘Everyone must be sleeping.’
Even the shops in the distance had their lights off.
Erin was about to pull out the key she’d fumbled to open the door later, when she saw a carriage pull up in front of her shop.
‘What?’
The closer she got to the shop, the more clearly she could see the carriage parked in front of it.
Even in the darkness of the night, she could clearly make out the ornate crest on the carriage door.
It was the coat of arms of the imperial family.
As Erin stared in amazement, the carriage she was on came to a halt.
“We have arrived, Lady.”
The servant who had accompanied her opened the carriage door.
Erin slowly stepped out into the dark street.
Another person also stepped out of the carriage, parked in front of her shop.
It was a man with silver hair shining coldly in the dimly lit alleyway.
She could immediately tell who it was just by looking at it.
It was Raymond.
It was already late at night, almost dawn, but he was impeccably dressed and gave off a haughty, stuffy air.
He stepped outside, stared intently at Erin and the grand carriage she rode on.
His handsome face, like an immortal painting, was grim.
Erin stared at him blankly and asked,
“Why are you here?”
“I need to talk to you for a moment.”
Raymond said, with his voice filled with mixed emotions.
⚘
Serena was sitting in her room.
It was the bedroom she had inside the crown prince’s palace.
It was already the middle of the night, but the room was brightly lit.
Gold candlesticks were lit everywhere on the desk, table, and nightstand.
The warm glow of the beeswax candles cozily illuminated the ornate bedroom.
As befits a crown prince’s residence, it was as lavishly decorated as the emperor’s palace.
Carpets covered the vast floor, and the mahogany furniture was elegant and luxurious.
The great bed in the center of the room was surrounded by a canopy of golden threads.
Serena sat down groggily on it and turned to the full-length mirror on the opposite wall.
‘
.’
She caught a glimpse of herself in the room, beyond the wavering lights.
She could see her own face, sitting on the bed in her white pajamas.
Her beautiful blond hair was loose, and she was lying on her back with a mesmerized look on her face.
Then her beautiful face contorted in anguish.
‘Don’t do this again, I will never tolerate it.’
Raymond warned Serena a few minutes ago.
‘Your highness, what do you mean I—’
Serena tried to move closer but
Raymond blocked her attempts, and spat out irritably.
‘You think that I didn’t know you sent an assassin to kill Erin.’
Raymond said sternly.
His expression was grave.
Serena froze in place, a look of fear flashed across her fair face.
‘Your highness, I was just—..’
‘I— I was thinking that
 I–If she’s gone, we can finally get married
’
Serena stammered and pleaded.
She thought that if the old emperor keeps refusing to allow them to marry and wants to bring Erin back, then she will have no choice but to do so.
If divorce doesn’t work, then she just had to eliminate her.
Once Erin was dead and gone, maybe then the Emperor would finally give up.
‘God, you are so stupid.’
Raymond said in an exasperated tone.
‘The Emperor had refused to allow me to marry you even when I was still unmarried, and Erin wasn’t around. There was no way he would allow you to marry me once Erin was dead.’
Raymond clucked his tongue, giving Serena the look of pity for not being discerning enough.
‘I warn you, Serena. You can never touch Erin again without my permission.’
With those words, Raymond turned and walked away, ignoring the devastated Serena behind him.
Now, Serena who was left alone in the room, was desperate.
She was angered by the fact that people caught on her plan of trying to humiliate Erin.
No she hated that she wasn’t able to humiliate Erin even more, and now she had a feeling that Raymond wasn’t exactly thrilled with marrying her anymore.
In fact, he had been from the very beginning.
It wasn’t love that drove him to humiliate Erin and want Serena the crown princess.
Half of the reason was simply out of his rebellion against the Emperor.
Serena remembered Raymond’s eyes on Erin at the ball tonight.
Just recalling the scene made her unbearably angry.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mrs. Brennan pacing around, and watching her closely.
Serena picked up the vase from the table and threw it into the mirror.
Boom!
The petal-embossed porcelain clattered to the floor and shattered.
Mrs. Brennan, who was about to walk over, stopped in her tracks.
“Lady Serena
”
Serena didn’t answer.
Mrs. Brennan guessed that something probably happened at the ball.
Maybe it had something to do with Erin.
However, it didn’t really matter. She’d been kicked out, and it was now Serena, who occupied the crown princess’ palace.
But for Serena, the reigning queen of the social circles, to be humiliated in front of everyone was an unbearable insult.
“Don’t be so angry. Lady Serena. I’ll try to find a way to deal with her.”
Mrs. Brennan said in a creeping voice.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t walk around the capital with her head held high.”
‘I’ll make sure Erin will be unable to show her face in front of the other nobles in the future. It doesn’t matter if we can’t get rid of her.’
Mrs. Brennan thought.
⚘
Erin glanced up at the dark night sky and pondered for a while.
She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it would be probably be around midnight soon.
What a rude thing to do for him, to drop by unannounced at this hour.
When she met Raymond at the front of the shop, Erin’s first thought was that he was being a nuisance.
She was obviously tired from the ball, the cake incident, and even the trip to Calix’s mansion exhausted her.
“What a surprise to find you on a day like this. I don’t know what you want to talk about, but come in the light of day, not this late, and unannounced.”
Erin’s tone was colder, perhaps because she was tired.
Well, she obviously had every right to.
It’s not like he’s the kind of guy you can be nice with easily.
Raymond gave a short sigh and asked again.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
She wanted to refuse and walk away, but Raymond was very serious and solemn, like he wasn’t going to leave unless she listened.