In an instant, a chill ran down my spine, but I made an effort not to show it.
However, the sound of my heartbeat had grown so loud that I could hardly control it.
The sense of rejection I had felt earlier rushed over me once more.
“It’s a name erased from history. Eileens wasn’t a mage known for making her name known in the first place.”
“Then was the statue made to honor her?”
“We don’t know the details either. We heard the name Eileens through the Kingdom of Orphen. I presume it’s a statue erected by the kingdom to commemorate her.”
From a distance, I heard the voices of Cedric and the priest. My mind screamed that I had to follow them, but my legs didn’t move, as if rooted to the spot.
It was then.
Whirr, whirr.
The key I had kept in my arms began to resonate, as if responding to something.
“Why is this…?”
The only item that didn’t belong to this world.
It was the key that proved what I experienced wasn’t just a dream.
The key in my hand was burning hot, as if heated by fire. At the same time as I felt suffocated, my mind became dizzy to the point of madness.
At that moment, someone’s voice echoed in my head.
〈Remember.〉
The familiar emotion I had felt when I first came to the Drimokan Forest surged back like the tide. But I couldn’t remember whose voice it was.
〈What happened with that child, you must not forget. You promised me.〉
Who is it?
Who on earth was speaking to me…
“Bianca?”
As I was helplessly being dragged into the swamp of memories, Cedric’s voice cut through the fog and reached me.
“……!”
When I looked at Cedric with surprised eyes, he asked in a puzzled voice,
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
I moved my lips slightly and clenched the key tightly in my hand.
As if she had never looked at me, Eileens’ eyes remained closed.
‘It wasn’t a dream.’
If that was true, then the one who had just spoken to me must have been Eileens.
Her voice was still vivid in my head.
Though filled with resentment, as if scolding me for forgetting, there was a deep earnestness within it.
While I blankly stared at Eileens, I spotted a green life form sprouting from the rotted tree trunk.
“……!”
It was a sprout. A shoot had budded on the World Tree, which had been barely clinging to life.
I gasped. Fortunately, the priest and Cedric were moving away from the World Tree.
Goosebumps ran down my arms.
…Did I just cause an accident?
* * *
A few hours earlier.
‘Sister must have gone to the forest.’
After the coronation ceremony ended, Bonica quickly slipped out of the Grand Temple Hall while humming.
‘That means the Roygin family will soon be mine, right?’
She had always believed that this world was terribly unfair.
There was no difference between her and Bianca. Except for pure luck.
Blua Roygin, the third son of the Roygin family.
If he had died in the Mage War, the title would have gone to Bonica’s grandfather.
Not only had he returned alive from the war where she had wished him dead, but he had even come back victorious.
If Blua had died there, Bianca’s position would have been Bonica’s.
Everything Bianca had was originally meant to be hers. Even the necklace she had tried to take yesterday—she had only gotten her hands on it a bit earlier.
And yet, they called it theft…!
‘But it’s fine.’
Blua had killed countless people in the war. As punishment, all his family members had perished, and his descendants—Cedric and Bianca—would surely meet the same fate.
A hero who saved the Empire, yet failed to save his own family. What a cruel fate.
The reason she came to the mansion this time was also to check Blua’s condition. As expected, without her lifting a finger, Blua’s state was already critical.
She recalled Elizabeth’s words.
〈Just wait a little longer. Once that man meets his end, the tragedy unfolding at the Roygin family will come to a close. And we won’t need to hide anymore.〉
The Roygin mansion had always been Bonica’s dream. Even though she had only been there a few times as a child, she wanted it so badly.
She was envious of Bianca, who had greeted her in a dazzling dress like a princess.
The way she handed her a teddy bear as if doing a favor felt so hypocritical, and it annoyed her even more that people praised Bianca for her kindness.
Bianca surely must have laughed at her poverty behind her back.
‘People don’t know my sister’s true nature.’
She had wanted the one who ignored her to be unhappy. She hoped Bianca would be left alone after losing all her family, married off to an ugly, old man, and spend her life drowned in sorrow.
She wished Bianca would be miserable, and found solace in the fact that Ricardo supposedly hated her.
But lo and behold, the gods were on her side.
Bianca was breaking off the engagement.
The arrogant and selfish Bianca!
She was so happy she nearly fainted.
Bonica’s gloating was short-lived, however, as she spotted Ricardo in conversation with Harnen.
‘How kind of him. Even though it’s the family of his ex-fiancée, he came.’
Despite his sharp features, he exuded a magnetic aura that drew people in. Perhaps because of that, Bonica found herself walking toward him as if possessed.
Perhaps hearing her approach, Ricardo’s gaze snapped to her. His icy, sharp blue eyes locked with hers, and Bonica couldn’t look away.
“...Do you know her?” asked Harnen.
Ricardo shook his head.
“D-Duke! Don’t you remember me?”
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Bonica was slightly flustered, but quickly regained her confidence.
The best way to get close to someone is by gossiping about someone else.
And between Ricardo and Bonica, there was a perfect target.
Just as irritation flashed across his face, Bonica made her move.
“I’m Bonica Roygin. Bianca’s cousin!”
At that, Ricardo paused. Seeing that, Bonica gave him a bright smile.
This was it.
Ricardo hesitated for a moment before stepping closer to her.
“...Did you come with a message from Bianca?”
While Ricardo spoke, Harnen seemed to be heading back toward the carriage. Feeling elated, Bonica beamed and continued speaking.
“Something like that!”
Ricardo’s eye twitched slightly.
“I heard you broke off the engagement.”
“……”
“Congratulations! My sister has a difficult personality—must’ve been tough on you all this time. How did you endure it?”
Ricardo’s jaw tightened.
“...Did Bianca say she broke off the engagement?”
“Yes! Goodness, even she’s unbelievable.”
Bonica lowered her gaze and spoke gloomily.
“She’s already found another man. You know Lord Leonhart, right? Even on the day of the coronation, she was busy chatting cheerfully with him.”
As Ricardo silently listened to her story, he tilted his head slightly.
“And why are you telling me this?”
“Well, because her behavior is unacceptable! When you break off an engagement, the one at fault should…”
Ricardo cut her off.
“So, you’re saying her fault is flirting with another man while still engaged.”
“Exactly!”
Bonica nodded quickly. But anger slowly rose on Ricardo’s face. He turned his gaze to the empty air, trying to calm himself.
After a moment, Ricardo asked, his face a mix of disbelief and displeasure.
“Are you badmouthing me right to my face?”
“Pardon…?”
Bonica blinked, stunned. Realizing the situation, she hurriedly shook her head.
“Of course, the situation is completely different for you, Duke! You were forced into the engagement. You agreed to it because of her demands, but she’s the one who went and did something wrong.”
“Is that really a problem?”
Bonica was struck speechless.
“I don’t care if that woman finds a new partner or not.”
Ah, so he didn’t care because they were no longer engaged.
Bonica was just about to nod in agreement—
“Because I’m still her fiancé.”
It felt like a blow to the head. His words sounded calm, but his expression didn’t match.
Even so, Ricardo looked like he was trying to convince himself.
…Though that couldn’t possibly be true.
The rage he couldn’t suppress rippled out like a quiet wave. A chilling tension swept over, like a blade grazing skin, as Ricardo took a step toward Bonica.
“More importantly, what exactly do you want from me, telling me stories about that woman?”
Bonica’s jaw began to tremble uncontrollably as a wave of fear washed over her.