Adeus's expression was unreadable. He stared at me intently, and I met his gaze without flinching. Our eyes locked, and Adeus opened his mouth.
"…Did Rebecca say that?"
I observed Adeus carefully and opened my lips.
"No, Rebecca didn't tell me anything."
"…Rebecca isn't the type to do that."
"Maybe. I can't tell if the Rebecca I saw was real or fake. I didn't know her since she was a child like you did."
Adeus took a deep breath. He lowered his hand from his chest, got up from his kneeling position, and sat down in a chair.
"Did you investigate Rebecca?"
"Yes, there were several things that puzzled me."
"So that's why you expelled her from the mansion."
"Exactly."
I stared at Adeus intently.
"Adeus."
"Yes, Your Highness, the Duchess."
"Are you someone who would harm me?"
Adeus lowered his head and looked at me with unwavering blue eyes.
"Last time you said you wanted to prove that you wouldn't harm me, so you told me everything."
"Yes."
"Were you lying then?"
Adeus shook his head hastily.
"No, it was the truth. I would stake my life on it. If I had lied, I would be torn apart by wild beasts and have my throat ripped out…"
"Enough."
Adeus clamped his lips shut.
"Then I'll ask again. Did you know that Rebecca was lying to me?"
Adeus's eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to make a decision and was about to speak when someone knocked on the carriage door.
"Your Highness, the Duchess."
It was the butler's voice. Since the carriage was parked in front of the mansion, he must have come looking for me.
"I'm coming out, wait a moment."
I replied briefly to the butler and stood up. Glancing at Adeus, I saw that he was frozen like ice.
"Adeus,"
"Yes, Your Highness, the Duchess."
Adeus lifted his head and looked at me with a face that seemed on the verge of tears. He appeared to be waiting for me to threaten or coerce him into revealing something.
"You don't need to be so afraid. You must have your reasons."
"…Thank you."
"Adeus, you said you approached me with a plan, right?"
Adeus's shoulders tensed with a guilty expression.
"Did you try to get close to me to become friends and then take revenge on Theo?"
"…Yes, to make Your Highness fall in love with me…"
"Fall in love, what?"
Did I hear that right? Fall in love? I frowned, recalling the procession where we first met. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't understand.
"But why did you act that way? Anyone would find it suspicious and strange."
If you act like that, no one will fall in love with you.
"To leave an impression, of course. At that time, making an impression on Your Highness was my priority."
"…In a way that makes me hate you?"
"…And I heard it was an effective method. I didn't know it wouldn't work on Your Highness."
"…An effective method?"
What? How is that effective?
"Yes, the so-called 'No one has ever treated me like this' strategy."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"Adeus, you've never been in love, have you?"
Adeus looked at me with a blank expression.
"When you fall in love, you'll understand. Instead of a calculated approach, a simple smile and eye contact are more effective. And since you have a handsome face, it's even better to smile without saying anything."
Adeus's ears turned bright red. Unaware that his face was flushed with the setting sun, I opened the carriage door.
"Adeus."
I leaned back and looked at him.
"You didn't even ask what Rebecca lied about."
"…!"
Adeus's face turned pale. His trembling blue eyes fixed on me. He seemed to want to say something, his lips moving for a long time.
"You said you went to study in 'Zicelia,' right? …Next to the Schwartz Kingdom."
"…Your Highness, the Duchess."
"I look forward to what you'll tell me next time we meet."
I stepped out of the carriage, waving lightly.
***
As Perechati got out of the carriage, Adeus unconsciously clutched his chest and let out a breath he had been holding. Cold sweat drenched his body. It felt like everything had been seen through. Yet, strangely, a peculiar pleasure enveloped him. The more Perechati understood, the more a small thrill arose. He wanted her to look at him more, to understand him more, to pay attention to him. A twisted affection sprouted.
Panting, Adeus turned his eyes to the window, following Perechati's retreating figure.
'Please look back.'
He wished she would look at him like the bright sun. Despite his wish, Perechati didn't look back once. Even though the carriage hadn't started, and she must have known he was still there, she didn't care at all.
"Have you ever been in love…"
The carriage was filled with the scent Perechati left behind. The lingering fragrance pierced his heart. Adeus unconsciously stroked the black hair tie she had given him and gripped it tightly.
"…I am in love."
Adeus kissed the hair tie in his hand and closed his eyes. It was an unforgivable emotion. Even with his eyes closed, Perechati's smiling face became even clearer. With each meeting, his feelings grew, and he couldn't deny them anymore. Adeus opened his eyes. His useless eyes immediately sought Perechati, but she was now just a small dot, out of sight.
"…Actually."
Adeus, looking at the distant Perechati, began to confess what he hadn't said.
"I wanted to tell you everything about why Rebecca acted that way."
There was no response, as expected.
"Besides trying to make you fall in love, I also approached you because I was curious about the secret of the ducal family that couldn't be killed by poison."
It was a secret he wanted to reveal. But he knew the repercussions of those words, so he couldn't just spill everything. Adeus's words could mean life or death for many people.
'Next time we meet, I look forward to what you'll tell me.'
Perechati always gave Adeus the chance to be honest. This time was no different. She gave him the opportunity and trusted him to come prepared next time.
"At first, I wanted to become Your Highness's mistress to uncover the family's secrets."
Clearly, the ducal family had been poisoned, yet no one died. There was no major controversy, and everyone remained silent as if nothing had happened. So he pretended to capture the rebels and approached her, either by feigning coincidence or emphasizing necessity.
"Your Highness seemed to know what the pill was, so I couldn't stay away."
He recalled the fight over the pill in front of the old temple between Perechati and her stepmother, Lady Zahart. When her stepmother took out the pill, Perechati was enraged, acting as if she knew what it was.
'…I was surprised when she suddenly said she would take the pill.'
But ultimately, it was Terdeo who took the pill. It must have been a fake since he didn't die.
'Was it really a fake pill?'
To test this, Adeus unknowingly revealed his past and saved Perechati from the fire at the restaurant. Reflecting on his actions, he couldn't understand himself.
'When did it start?'
When did his heart start to move? When she said she would take the pill, and he instinctively tried to stop her? When she was troubled by the inheritance issue? Or when they shared a cake?
"There are too many clues."
Adeus let out a hollow laugh. Sighing, he got out of the carriage when he couldn't see Perechati anymore.
'You said you went to study in 'Zicelia,' right? …Next to the Schwartz Kingdom.'
Perechati's words stung his heart. Perhaps she already knew everything.
"Did it show so much? I thought I was doing well."
After all, at a point where he couldn't hide his expressions, Adeus's defeat was already decided. He couldn't hide anything from Perechati anymore.
"…Yes, next time we meet, I'll come prepared with everything."
And he would confess everything without hiding anything. Adeus bowed to the mansion where Perechati was and turned around. He walked slowly away from the ducal family's mansion toward the nearby forest. As soon as he stepped onto the path, Adeus stopped abruptly. With his hands in his pockets, he tilted his head and spoke menacingly.
"Come out."
It was a side of him that Perechati had never seen.
"I know you've been following me for days. Come out."
"…"
"Or do you want me to kill you?"
The woman, who had been hiding behind a tree, slowly appeared.
"I have something to settle from today. I want to finish it quickly and get praised."
"…"
"But I can't let anyone else know what it is. So I want you to stop following me here."
"You."
The woman called out to Adeus. Adeus scanned her. She was exposed in too many vulnerable spots, making it easy to kill her with a sword.
'Is she trying to kill me?'
Given that she couldn't hide her presence while following him, she didn't seem to be an expert. As Adeus instinctively checked where to stab her, the woman spoke.
"Do you love the Duchess?"
The sudden question made Adeus frown.
"I've been watching you for days. You seem to genuinely love the Duchess."
"…Do you know the Duchess?"
"Really, if you truly love her, take her away from that hell. She would want that too. I always secretly wished someone would kidnap me and take me away."
"…Hell?"
Adeus dropped his defensive stance and approached the woman.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before making such a statement? How can I trust you?"
"I am Harari Ackerman."
The worn-out woman, Harari, smiled bitterly, as if she had accepted her fate. Adeus quickly recalled her name. Harari Ackerman. He had heard it before. The ex-wife of his deceased brother, Terdeo.
"I know everything about the Laphireon family. They have secrets."
"Secrets?"
It was an intriguing word. Adeus bent down to meet Harari's eyes.
"But can you just spill those secrets to me? They are supposed to be secrets."
"…It doesn't matter. I'd rather die than live like this."
Adeus's usually expressionless face twisted into a bitter smile.
'While I'm curious about the Laphireon family's secrets… a woman this loose-lipped would only get in the Duchess's way.'
Adeus smiled as he pondered how to deal with Harari. He had to eliminate anything that would obstruct the Duchess's path. Even if it meant eliminating himself.