After drinking several glasses of the strong liquor Gloria handed us, we finally calmed down.
“The princess answered my question honestly. She said that my stepmother killed my father and also...”
Only then did I recall the answer I had forgotten. I had intended to tell him this first, but I was so startled by that kiss... Yes, that’s right, because of that!
“Theo, the pill you ate in front of the temple. It was Dodea’s doing.”
“What?”
“You almost ate it, but you ended up taking it instead and suffered from a high fever. You also kept having strange nightmares.”
Terdeo’s face hardened, revealing a fierce expression, as if the bad memories from that time had resurfaced.
“She admitted it herself. She must have laced the pill with some kind of drug.”
I decided not to mention that it wouldn’t have killed him or that it wouldn’t have mattered even if it did. There was no need to upset Terdeo by telling him such things.
“So.”
I quickly forgot about what had just happened and, as if in prayer, I firmly held Terdeo’s hands with both of mine. His fingers twitched slightly, but I ignored it.
“You shouldn’t have died.”
At that moment, Terdeo had talked about his death. To him, I strongly said, “You will never die.” I was afraid that he might always be thinking about death, even while we were having conversations, drinking tea, and laughing. Although he was someone I was only bound to by contract, I had come to genuinely hope that he would live. After learning about the people of Laphireon, I wished for everyone to live happily, without pain or sorrow, and to enjoy their insignificant days with smiles.
After looking at my determined expression for a while, Terdeo’s usually calm demeanor softened. His eyes and the corners of his mouth seemed to be smiling.
At that moment, a low sigh was heard from the side.
“It seems you two haven’t noticed me since just now.”
Oops. I hastily released his hand and moved away from Terdeo.
‘I was showing Grandma that I kissed and held hands with my grandson!’
I really wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. As I awkwardly turned my gaze, Gloria, who had almost finished the strong brandy by herself, was looking at us with a disgusted expression, her chin resting on her hand. Despite drinking almost all the strong brandy, she looked completely fine and unbothered. With a gentle voice tinged with sighs, Gloria spoke, and Terdeo, realizing his mistake, quickly greeted her.
“Lady Gloria...”
“If you’re going to greet me now, just don’t.”
Gloria’s firm words, despite her smile, made Terdeo tightly close his lips and stand up.
“And Selphy and Cessia?”
“...The princess’s mistreatment of the duchess consort made Selphy very upset. She was causing a commotion, saying she would make the princess drink blood, so Cessia took her back to the mansion.”
“So you came to fetch your wife?”
Gloria’s sly question was answered by Terdeo without hesitation.
“Yes.”
His answer was immediate and without any hesitation. I thought he would at least hesitate a bit, but he admitted it without any thought, which seemed to surprise Gloria.
“To see you move for someone else. It’s a rare sight.”
“It’s not for someone else, but for my wife.”
“I never thought I’d hear such words before I die. ...Though I didn’t expect to see such a scene either.”
I flinched. She must be referring to that (kiss) and (hand-holding)! Her shocked voice betrayed her joy. Gloria seemed to be very pleased with Terdeo’s change.
“Cessia said that Miss Fereshati thinks you’re too good for her, and it seems to be true.”
“...”
“You really are too good for her.”
Terdeo, who seemed reluctant to admit it, finally smiled, as if he had no choice. His eyes were as fragrant and soft as the petals carried by the wind.
“...Yes, she really is too good for me.”
Gloria’s face also broke into a broad smile. Listening to the two of them, I felt as if I were eating cotton candy, my heart floating up sweetly and ticklishly. Gloria, who had stood up, took my hand.
“As I said, I would do anything for my children, without hesitation. I don’t care about the means or methods.”
So, she’s warning me not to mess with Terdeo! She must have been shocked by that (kiss) and (hand-holding) earlier!
Just as I was about to say I would be careful, Gloria pulled me into a light embrace and whispered.
“...And you are also included in my children. You are one of the children I need to protect.”
“...!”
“If something like today happens again, feel free to use me. I mean it. My name, my status, my reputation, the position I’ve created, and the people around me. All of these are for you.”
It was a warm embrace I had never felt in my previous life. Being in her arms, I was reminded of my childhood, when I would fall asleep on my mother’s lap, feeling the gentle breeze. Gloria smelled like a mother. Just thinking about it made me feel at ease and smile naturally. It was as if I had returned to being an infant, where the world was nothing but my mother.
“...There’s something I want to know.”
“Tell me. Helping you is the only joy and reason for my life.”
“I heard that my stepmother is involved with the heretics. They say all the noblewomen she associates with are heretics.”
This was the information Rebecca had given me about my stepmother.
“I want to meet one of those heretic noblewomen.”
“Hmm, I do remember hearing something about that. What do you want to do when you meet her?”
When I slapped Dodea, my stepmother definitely called her ‘the chosen one.’ If the princess’s involvement with the heretics were to be discovered, she would be immediately expelled from the capital. Without their strong shield, dealing with my stepmother and Reina would be much easier.
“I want to know more about those heretics. I want to take revenge on my stepmother myself.”
The person who killed my father and tried to kill me. My voice, which seemed to echo from the depths, was filled with a chill. Gloria, who seemed to understand the situation, patted my back with her palm.
“It’s not difficult. Can I just look into it for you?”
“One more thing.”
“I’m glad. Go on.”
“Can you also find out about Aedus Fortun?”
I didn’t want to secretly investigate him, so I had tried to hear the reason for his intentional approach from his own mouth. However, sending a letter to the Count of Fortun yielded no response, and Aedus showed no signs of coming to see me. I didn’t want time to pass aimlessly in this state. It would be better to clarify things before our relationship deepened further.
“Aedus Fortun?”
Gloria, who had pulled me out of her embrace, narrowed her eyes. Unlike Terdeo, who worked in diplomacy, she seemed unfamiliar with him.
“He’s the illegitimate son of the Count of Fortun.”
“Oh, yes. I remember hearing about a troublesome little boy.”
“He recently returned to the empire after studying abroad... I’m curious about his time abroad.”
Before I could finish, Terdeo abruptly joined the conversation.
“What about him?”
His voice was strained, as if he was holding back. The prominent vein on his forehead seemed to express his dissatisfaction with the situation.
“I met him the other day to ask him something, but I didn’t get a proper answer due to an accident.”
“You have something to investigate about him?”
“You also said Aedus was suspicious, right? I felt the same way.”
Terdeo’s lips twitched in satisfaction at my words that I also found Aedus suspicious. Then, he composed his expression and furrowed his brows.
“Did you become friends with a suspicious person?”
“Even if I had told him not to come back, he would have lingered around anyway. If the outcome is the same, it’s better to have a suspicious person as an ally rather than an enemy.”
“...You even met him separately.”
Gloria, who had never seen Terdeo’s possessive and obsessed reaction, covered her mouth. Her shoulders shook as if she was trying hard not to laugh at how adorable her grandson was.
“Are you so anxious about a mere viscount, Theo?”
“...I’ve never been anxious. And that guy, despite being just a viscount, openly declared he wanted to be the duchess consort’s lover, showing clear hostility.”
“He must think he has nine lives.”
Yes, a mere viscount would never do such things. Not just to Terdeo, but his every action was far from that of a noble. From the moment we first met on the parade route, when he casually brushed off his dirty clothes with his own hands, I had found him suspicious.
“Can I ask you for this favor?”
Gloria smiled and nodded readily.
“Yes.”
*** The very next day, Gloria sent a servant to introduce us to a noblewoman involved with the heretics, the Countess of Verdicht. It was a very quick response. Since the hunting competition had ended the day before, Terdeo was resting, so we decided to go together in a carriage to the Verdicht estate. Terdeo’s opinion was that we should be cautious since the heretics were involved. The estate was quite far, and even after a long ride, we hadn’t arrived. Just as I was starting to get a bit bored,
“...But does this revenge have to be done by you personally?”
Terdeo, with a crumpled face, looked up at the sky and muttered helplessly.
“I said I could do it for you.”
“I know. I remember.”
“You don’t need to dirty your hands...”
“I remember that too.”
Leaning against the carriage window, I answered immediately. Seeing that nothing had changed despite my remembering everything, Terdeo tilted his head in confusion.
“Then why don’t you use me?”
As if he was useless if not used for such matters. Terdeo asked anxiously. I turned to look at him directly and said firmly. Of course.
“I don’t want your hands to be stained with blood either.”