RAMHM Chapter 126

The Count's expression changed moment by moment before he sighed deeply.

"As death approaches, one experiences even this sort of thing. This situation is far too difficult for an old man from the frontier to accept, my lady. In any case, it's true that Lady Bliea saved my life."

"I—or rather, Bliea did?"

"Yes. She told me to hide if I had a will. She told me that the Grand Duke or His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince would kill me from the moment I became inconvenient."

"Then the Count's death was fabricated from the start?"

"Yes, the carriage in that accident had no one riding in it. I pretended to board and got off midway. Fortunately, the estate was small enough that I already knew who the Grand Duke's spy was. When I confirmed that communication between the spy and the Grand Duke was increasing, I conspired with my guards to fake my death before I could be killed."

The moment when I'd been heartbroken at never finding the Count's body. And Novian's face as he insisted to the end that he hadn't killed Count Acacia—both surfaced in succession.

Novian hadn't lied. It was just that around the time he'd decided to kill the Count, the Count had independently chosen to fake his death.

I blinked slowly, my eyes growing heavy as if crushed under the weight of truth.

"In any case, it means the Grand Duke did intend to kill you, Count."

"Lady Bliea said that His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince or the Grand Duke would certainly stop at nothing to obtain the mana stone mine. She even suggested that perhaps the reason she was married to me was so the Grand Duke could use the wife inheritance law to acquire the mine."

My fingertips went cold rapidly.

"Though this old man with no heirs didn't leave any particularly significant will. She said that when I died, Lady Bliea would become Count Acacia, and her lover the Grand Duke would manipulate her to obtain the mine. She warned he might even forge the will. Since the Grand Duke was so thorough in his work, he'd set up double and triple safeguards."

As expected.

There was no way Novian had taken the bomb that was Bliea as his mistress for love alone.

[Count Acacia, too, is merely someone who was in league with Novian Trovika before being discarded.]

Those words had definitely been written in Bliea's diary I'd found in the Count's safe.

Bliea had known that Novian wanted to use her to obtain the mine.

"But Count, how did you believe everything Bliea said? She didn't seem like someone particularly trustworthy."

"How could I not believe? Lady Bliea had dealings with His Grace the Grand Duke even before we became husband and wife on paper. Not only did she already know about the mana stone mine, she explained in detail why the Grand Duke had created something called the wife inheritance law."

Unbelievable stories poured forth.

I followed Count Acacia through the cave, staring openly at the Count moving about perfectly alive.

'So this is what it feels like to see someone you thought dead moving and breathing.'

The longer the Count spoke, the more real his survival became, and I pressed my hand to my chest in relief.

Because I'd always felt like I was carrying a boulder in one corner of my heart, thinking he'd died because of me.

"Though Lady Bliea was rather rough in manner and quite extravagant... contrary to the servants' opinions, she was occasionally brilliant enough to be extraordinary. I didn't see her often since I was busy, but she once said this:"

I listened carefully to the traces of Bliea emerging from the Count's mouth.

"She said that even if she suddenly became strange, I should complete what we'd planned."

Rotsy, who'd been walking ahead of the Count, turned her head toward us with a flash in her eyes. I immediately met Rotsy's gaze.

"She said that from the moment she demanded a divorce, I should probably always be prepared for death. She asked for the lady's keyring once she became more docile."

The Count smiled hazily, perhaps remembering that time.

"Weren't you pleased when Bliea asked for a divorce because you disliked her?"

"Yes, well... it's true I was caught in the middle, so I was enthusiastic about the divorce. But I paid attention to the last advice she gave this pitiful old man before leaving for the Grand Duke's side, like a final act of charity. I'd always wanted to follow my predecessor's will of remaining on my lands to protect the mine rather than advancing into central politics."

"That was how she originally was. Rough-mouthed. Seeming to say whatever she felt honestly and frankly. But always thinking differently behind the scenes, skilled at plotting. A master at deceiving people. That's how she managed to fool even her teacher and steal medicine before running away."

Rotsy spoke as if astounded after listening quietly, but I was busy marveling while trying to gauge just how far Bliea's design extended.

"Miss. We're pressed for time. Since we don't know what other variables might arise, let's wake Bliea first and hear the whole story from her."

I agreed with those words.

What more could I do than marvel at tracking down past actions that had already passed? The priority was to perceive the magic that might exist in my body and receive Rotsy's help to wake Bliea.

I glanced quietly at Rhodness following behind us.

His darkened gaze touched my face briefly before falling away. Like someone who lacked the confidence to meet my eyes despite having done nothing wrong.

Perhaps conscious of the still-lingering scent of blood on his body, he flinched and pulled back whenever I tried to approach.

"Count, touring the mine is fine, but we came to borrow a raw stone for a moment."

Eventually postponing my conversation with Rhodness, I requested the Count with a sigh.

"Yes. That's not difficult. But what should I do about the mine investigation Lady Bliea ordered?"

"The task Bliea ordered was to investigate this mana stone mine?"

"Yes. Actually, the Grand Duke and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince knew about the mine's existence and ordered me to offer it as proof of loyalty. But since this barren, small territory has nothing but the mine, we'd agreed to lend it to them for a period..."

Compared to its tiny entrance, the inside of this mine spreading like an anthill was vast enough to be another world entirely.

We passed several maze-like branching paths before finally arriving at our destination.

A thorn fence that seemed to permit no one's entry greeted us.

It was the same kind as the brambles covering this cave entrance.

When Rhodness strode forward and tapped the fence, the writhing thorns parted to create a path.

Then Rhodness, who had entered inside the fence, stopped dead at the entrance.

The Count nodded as if he'd expected this and spoke while trembling slightly.

"As you can see..."

Unable to continue, both Rotsy and I walked past the Count toward Rhodness, struck completely speechless.

My trembling gaze shifted to Rhodness without my awareness.

Rhodness's eyes—as if he'd forgotten to breathe—flashed in reflection of the torch the Count held before crumbling in an instant.

"What... is this?"

The presence of another group came from behind us.

Prince Epero, Neil, and even Vincento—who should have been in the capital—had apparently followed us secretly.

"What the hell is this?!"

Epero's scream-like cry echoed off the cave walls, reverberating through the space.

Epero rushed past even the frozen, rigid Rhodness through the thorn fence toward the interior.

The sound of Epero's sharp intake of breath pierced clearly into my ears.

I approached Rhodness with trembling steps and gripped his hand tightly. His hand—unable even to think of avoiding me this time as before—flinched, ice-cold.

In the inner space where all our gazes converged...

There were seven glass coffins containing seven bodies, including Empress Letina.

"Empress Letina and... if my memory serves, the six Imperial Princes that Empress Grace sent early to their rest."

After countless screams, shock, and silence, the Count finally answered.