The fingertips holding my chin felt hot. I stared at the fiery red eyes without even realizing I had stopped breathing.
"This must be unfamiliar to you."
His voice snapped me back to reality. I bowed my head to hide my blushing face.
"Oh, you're really teasing me today."
"Teasing?"
There was a hint of anger in Terdeo's voice, which was right above my head. He suddenly grabbed my waist and pushed me down.
"Ah!"
My body fell backward instantly. I felt the soft cushion behind me.
"Does this still feel like teasing?"
When I opened my tightly shut eyes, I was already lying on the bed. I could feel the man's scent and weight on top of me.
"I've never played around before."
"……!"
My body stiffened at the heavy feeling on top of me. Terdeo looked down at me with his long eyelashes, his red eyes decadent and lazy.
"I told you before. People who learn about the curse feel contempt just from a touch. They even find it disgusting to breathe the same air."
I couldn't even speak, overwhelmed by the dangerous aura he exuded.
"Look. Even when I touch you like this."
The large hand that held my wrist moved up and intertwined with my fingers. An indescribable tingling sensation flowed between our entwined fingers.
"You're not looking at me with contempt, but with a blushing face. So I……."
The hand around my waist moved gently along the curves of my body but suddenly stopped. His red eyes, which met mine, were filled with intense desire, confusion, and self-loathing.
"How can I not play around?"
Terdeo quickly pulled me up. I sat on the bed, blinking.
"You went too far. I apologize."
Terdeo, who was now far from the bed, shook the ice pack that had melted.
"Since the ice has melted, I'll go get a new one. You can go to sleep first."
He had a calm expression as usual, and even his voice was dry. However, he hurriedly left the bedroom with quick steps. I looked at the empty space, then raised my hand that had been intertwined with his.
"Was it really just teasing?"
The tingling sensation remained. Terdeo never returned to the bedroom until dawn. *** A few days passed. The three families who had tormented Selphius left the capital as promised. I secretly wished they would receive some punishment on their way out. Strangely, my wish came true. It was said that the Denier family's carriage was isolated at every turn on their way out of the capital, blocked by rocks and trees. They had to carry all their luggage and the carriage by hand. Since only family members were available to move the luggage, it took so long that the noble family had to carry their belongings themselves. Rumors circulated that the nobles, who were not used to physical labor, were still bedridden. The Loremba family's carriage overturned during their journey. Due to the loose wheels, the carriage fell off a cliff. Fortunately, there were no major casualties, but the injuries were severe. Rumors also said that it would take time to recover, and they couldn't get out of bed. Lastly, the Trelan family encountered bandits. The bandits' sword skills were so excellent that even the viscount and his knights couldn't defeat them. The bandits took all the Trelan family's luggage and injured the viscount's wrists, making it impossible for him to hold a sword again, according to rumors.
'Who punished them on my behalf?'
As I spent time joyfully hearing the news of the three families, the trial day approached. Following Rebecca's advice, I wore a relatively calm and colorless dress to attend the temple. Terdeo and Selphius stood firmly on either side of me, tense. In contrast, my stepmother attended alone, wearing a dark dress as if it were a funeral.
'Did Leina not come because she was serving the princess?'
My stepmother didn't even glance at me, unlike her usual self. The sham trial began. As soon as my lawyer started his rebuttal, my stepmother wiped her tears with a handkerchief and sobbed. Especially when the topic of my father's death came up, she wept as if she couldn't bear the sorrow. It was so intense that sometimes the lawyer's voice was drowned out. It was a level of grief I had never seen at my father's funeral.
"The trial doesn't seem to interest you."
Terdeo, sitting next to me, crossed his arms and muttered softly. Following his gaze, I saw my stepmother's lawyer yawning and stretching.
"You're right."
He seemed to have no intention of winning the trial. He only raised formal questions and appeared indifferent to the trial itself. Occasionally, he comforted the crying stepmother and sniffled along with her.
"Adeus was right."
Their goal wasn't to win the trial but to trip me up. Both sides had finished their prepared arguments. The arguments were so stark that the temple official didn't hesitate to pronounce the verdict.
"There is no evidence or witness to suggest that Peresatti Laphireon tampered with the will and murdered her father, Zahart Viscount. Therefore, based on mere speculation, we cannot deprive her of her inheritance rights……."
At that moment,
"Wasn't it a curse?"
A bold voice loudly interrupted the temple official's verdict. Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice.
'Why is she here?'
I clenched my teeth, looking at the radiant blonde hair among the spectators. Dodelea, who had revealed her identity without hesitation, smiled at me. Leina was also there, always following her like a shadow. The sudden appearance of the royal family made all the nobles, including the temple official, bow respectfully to Dodelea.
'Did Leina bring her?'
Dodelea's clear green eyes sparkled with joy. I forced a smile, trying to appear calm.
"I heard there's no evidence or witness."
Dodelea sat down, looking at me intently.
"Then, perhaps the Grand Duchess Laphireon cursed the viscount to kill him and take the inheritance?"
The atmosphere of the trial was immediately thrown into chaos. Although it was a ridiculous claim, some nobles seemed to be listening to the royal family. Dodelea's face brightened.
'If they knew I could curse, would I have let you live?'
I held back the urge to shout this out loud. Sensing my discomfort, Terdeo gripped the sword at his waist and muttered.
"Would no one notice if I pretended to make a mistake and cut her head off now?"
"That's a good idea, Your Excellency. I'll distract the others."
The two of them looked ready to jump up and cut Dodelea's head off immediately. Honestly, it was a tempting offer. I swallowed my positive response.
"If I could cast such a curse……."
"……."
"I would have cursed the princess who interfered first."
Leina, standing behind Dodelea, took a sharp breath. Regardless, I smiled as beautifully as I could.
"I'm really glad I can't cast curses, Your Highness."
Dodelea's eyes flashed with a chilling look. The room buzzed with murmurs.
"A curse?"
"There's no such thing."
"But I did learn about it at the academy……."
"Then you're saying the princess is making irrelevant statements?"
"If it were a real curse…… it would be disgusting."
The temple official looked around at the noisy crowd with displeasure. He seemed annoyed that his trial was being disrupted.
"Everyone, please be silent."
His authoritative and deep voice silenced everyone. The temple official looked at Dodelea with a disapproving gaze.
"Princess. That is merely a fictional story passed down from long ago."
"Fiction?"
"Yes. Even if it were true, without evidence to prove it in court, it wouldn't significantly affect the outcome."
In other words, he was telling her not to interfere with my trial. Even as a royal, disrupting a trial like this was improper. The temple official continued his verdict with a firm expression.
"There was a commotion. Let's continue. ……Based solely on the opinion of Lady Zahart, we cannot deprive Her Highness Grand Duchess Laphireon of her inheritance rights. Therefore, this trial is dismissed."
The verdict was pronounced, and the trial ended. The temple official left first, and everyone stood up. Despite winning the trial and the public opinion being in my favor, I wasn't particularly happy. Everyone, including the temple official and the spectators, looked uneasy. Some nobles avoided eye contact with me and hurried out of the temple, likely due to the 'witch' and 'curse' remarks from Dodelea.
"Let's go now."
Terdeo stood up. His sharp gaze was fixed on one spot. Following his gaze, I saw her still sitting alone after everyone had left. Dodelea was sitting leisurely, even waving her hand.
"Your Excellency married my mother. The princess's actions are a nuisance to her. Shouldn't you ask the Emperor to intervene?"
"Enough."
If the Emperor had intended to intervene, he would have done so before the rumors about the princess desiring Terdeo spread. He would want to grant any request from his daughter, who had fought a long battle with illness. In fact, the Emperor was deeply distressed when the fourth princess, Dodelea, was dying before my regression. I turned away from Dodelea.
"Let's ignore her. ……Come, Selphius."
The best way to deal with someone who wants attention is to ignore them. As I turned, my eyes met my stepmother's, who was just leaving the temple.
"……I guess my luck is really bad today."
"Peresatti."
Whether she didn't hear my mutter or pretended not to, my stepmother slowly walked over to me. Unlike her weeping during the trial, her face was emotionless and colorless.
"Mother, you must be disappointed."
I smiled brightly at her approaching figure.
"You couldn't deprive me of my inheritance rights. And you couldn't sway public opinion as you planned. What will you do now?"
My smile bloomed with the truth. What would she say now? Adeus said her family's fortunes had declined to the point where she had to lay off her staff. She would have to pay off those debts, so would she beg me for money on her knees? Or would she try to kill me and take the inheritance? No, if I died now, the inheritance would go to my husband, Terdeo…….
'She'll try to get me divorced somehow.'
I waited for her next words with a mocking smile, feeling a thrill as if imagining a scenario.