RAMHM Chapter 49

I Have to Kill That Bastard

Rhodness's hand flew to his sword hilt in a single motion. I caught his hand at the same instant—stopped him. The large hand beneath mine trembled. I felt it completely, that shaking.

"Adrienne... I have to kill that bastard."

The gentle air shifted in an instant. A peaceful interior, moderately buzzing with conversation—but around us alone, a massive whirlwind raged. And in the eye of that storm, our gazes tangled, dizzying. I could see it nakedly—the blood vessels rising around Rhodness's pupils, thread by vivid thread. Probably I looked the same, reflected in his eyes.

"Fine, but..."

I forced a smile, pressing down the old anger that surged up like a rabbit's leap.

"After I kill him first."

"......"

Rhodness, who had been listening intently to my words, now shook his head as if he could no longer hear me. If I hadn't been holding his hand, he would have mounted his horse immediately and ridden out to take Novian's head.

"Rhodness. I know why you're angry."

"No, you don't know."

Rhodness spoke as if chewing and spitting the words.

"You really don't know, Adrienne."

"At first, I felt like the world was collapsing too."

My hand moved slowly from his trembling hand to the sword grip. Though the position changed, the trembling I felt beneath my palm remained the same.

"Thinking back, I wasn't devastated by Novian's betrayal itself. I thought Novian was my first love, my last love... I felt a greater sense of betrayal because it seemed like all those many times we spent together were being denied entirely. When actually, most of those times weren't even spent with him."

"Truth doesn't change."

"I know, I know... But over these two months, I've learned to view the current situation from more of a distance."

When I placed my hand on Rhodness's cheek as he endlessly shook his head, his eyes shook violently. He couldn't shake his head anymore, but his cheek trembled as much as his hand had.

"Even if I were alive now, if I think about living believing a love filled with deception was truth... sometimes I think it was better to die like this and know the truth."

Since I'm already dead, there's nothing to be done about it. I really did think that way sometimes. Rhodness laughed coldly—a mockery. Not directed at me, but my heart felt a chill nonetheless.

"I'm okay because I have you."

"No, you're not okay."

Remember clearly. Remember how hurt you were, how you cried while endlessly denying that you were Adrienne. It's still vivid before my eyes. Rhodness murmured ceaselessly. His trembling jaw and cheeks made it abundantly clear how much he was restraining himself right now because of me.

"If you kill Novian Trovika now, you'll feel satisfied for the moment. But what comes next? What will you say to your father and brother who trust him?"

"Adrienne."

Rhodness, who had raised the corners of his mouth coldly, placed his hand over mine that gripped his cheek.

"I'm already a troublemaker known throughout the entire Empire. No one will tell me they're disappointed if I kill someone."

His coolly shining eyes were, ironically, settling deeper.

"Whatever great punishment I receive, I'll avenge you."

I had no chance to say anything. Rhodness forced a smile at me, then rose abruptly from his seat. It was the first time I'd faced someone so filled with murderous intent—my whole body trembled.

"I'll have Neil escort you to the estate. Don't worry about anything. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will be over."

Over? What would be over? What would change if Novian left this world now? The moment I saw Rhodness raising his hand to summon Neil, I rose and embraced him from behind. His slender waist was impossibly solid compared to his broad back.

"An, I don't want meaningless blood on your hands."

Rhodness froze, standing completely still.

"If it's avenging me, my heart should feel at ease, shouldn't it?"

"...Adrienne."

From his throat—which had never once shouted—a low, hoarse voice flowed out, rough and ragged. Rhodness forcefully freed his arms and slowly turned to face me.

"If executing him brings even the slightest harm to you, my heart won't be at ease at all—won't be happy at all."

"Watching you enter the house of the man who killed you again... I don't have the confidence to stand by."

Rhodness forced his voice out. But no matter how I thought about it, if Novian's head were severed, I would have to live on as Bliea knowing nothing. Living a new life with all truth buried. Would that really be revenge? I shook my head. And I looked up at Rhodness, who was gripping my arms like rope.

"If I need help, I'll ask. Please believe in me."

Like you believed I was Adrienne, believe in me this time too. Let me finish it with my own hands—that's what I said.

"...At least you, at least you listen to me."

Rhodness's solid chest—which had been rising and falling rapidly—stopped abruptly. The murderous intent that had filled both eyes suddenly diminished considerably. I carefully approached Rhodness and burrowed into his arms. Not an embrace of desire, but one that comforted us both simultaneously. He didn't embrace me back at first, his chest heaving several more times before he finally, with difficulty, wrapped his arms around my shoulders. After considerable time passed, Rhodness's warm, solid body separated from mine. Gripping both my shoulders, Rhodness put all his strength into his face and spoke heavily.

"...If an opportunity comes, I'll eliminate him anytime."

"An."

"I know what you're worried about and hoping for. But if an opportunity comes where I can kill him without anyone knowing..."

The grip on both shoulders grew hotter.

"...Then no matter what you say, I'll kill that bastard with my own hands."

Blood vessels bulging in his neck, yet unable to raise his voice—I couldn't shake my head at him. Because I suddenly realized I didn't have the right to oppose even that.

Second Prince Rhodness's palace was unusually busy for the first time in a while.

Unlike before when he'd acted as if on strike, Rhodness wasn't just sitting in his office drinking—he was ordering everything brought to him. Neil had a mountain of documents to approve, so he diligently carried them back and forth, but somehow even while working frantically, Rhodness's soul seemed to be somewhere else entirely.

"Don't just stand there gaping—put them down."

"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"Neil."

"Yes."

"From now on, never be rude to Countess Acacia."

"When was I ever rude?"

The moment he said that, Neil felt awkward remembering how he'd enthusiastically talked about using His Highness's chest to seductively overpower the Countess.

"Yes. I absolutely won't be rude."

Neil wasn't a fool. Whatever they'd discussed yesterday—he didn't know what—but the atmosphere had been tremendously serious. The angry lord and the Countess restraining him, pulling him into an embrace. Wasn't it an obvious romantic entanglement? His Highness had clearly been seduced while trying to seduce her.

"And investigate any connection—any connection at all—between Novian Trovika and Bliea Acacia. Start from the beginning."

"Investigating a lover's past isn't chivalrous..."

"Investigate it as if it's a murder case."

"Pardon?"

Rhodness, who muttered ominously, said nothing more. Neil only blinked at the unexpected word, then saluted and left the office.

"Ha."

Rhodness loosened his cravat as if suffocated. Everything the attendant had carefully knotted came undone in one motion. The impulse to draw the sword at his side right now and behead Novian Trovika surged.

'Would the crime of killing his own wife with his own hands be enough?'

He still felt the illusion of Adrienne's voice strangling his neck. With a voice so firm he couldn't possibly stop her, Adrienne had definitely said that. Regardless of the truth, Novian Trovika was already a criminal. Whether Novian actually killed her or not had become an unimportant matter to Rhodness. When he remembered Adrienne in despair, it was so. The sword hilt in his hand and Adrienne's voice asking him to believe she could finish it—they alternately blocked his airways.

"Vincento!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Toward Vincento, who entered crisply, Rhodness opened his mouth as if resolved.

"Go to His Imperial Majesty and tell him I'll take on that task he wanted."

"...!"

Vincento's eyes widened, immediately understanding what that meant. The Baroness Kuroseida disappearance case! While Vincento rushed dumbfounded to the Emperor's office, Rhodness ground his teeth, staring at the closed door.

There would never be a day in his lifetime when he could win against Adrienne anyway. Then there was no choice. He had no choice but to achieve great merit the Emperor couldn't ignore and shake Novian Trovika. Since she wanted so desperately to finish it with her own hands—he had no choice but to help.

'The troublemaking Second Prince who achieved merit wants Bliea Acacia, who has a husband.' If Bliea didn't hear those words but the Emperor or Novian himself did, it would surely provoke a bigger reaction. Novian Trovika, who hid everything and repeated his deceptions. The seat beside the Second Prince, who didn't care about others' gazes at all. His mistress would know best what choice he'd make.

The night before. I barely slept at all, tossing and turning all night. Neil and several of Rhodness's knights were hiding around the Count's estate to protect me, they said.

The next afternoon, I was invited to a tea party hosted by Nora at the Crown Princess's palace. It was the first proper social activity since becoming Bliea Acacia. Mostly wives of major nobles from the Crown Prince's faction had gathered—for me, a place filled entirely with people I'd never seen, so I just sat near the Crown Princess and Nora with Irene, listening blankly.

"That noblewoman disappearance case. Have they narrowed down suspects?"

"I heard they haven't found any evidence yet."

"Even the Capital Guard Commander was dismissed—His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince must have many concerns, Your Highness."

"His Highness has much work besides such problems, so it probably isn't quite like that."

Doris rarely spoke at these gatherings; mainly the hostess Nora smoothly fielded anything related to the Crown Prince and answered herself. Thanks to that, the ladies who'd hoped to catch the Crown Princess's eye after so long were growing slightly frustrated.

"What does Countess Acacia think?"

Then one of the frustrated ladies asked me. The ladies were clearly curious about me, who had suddenly secured the position of Crown Princess Doris's lady-in-waiting.

"...Well."

I'd recently learned the rumor that Baroness Kuroseida was the Emperor's mistress. But how should I answer about what I thought regarding the disappearance case of a lady whose face and personality I didn't know? Just because Doris wasn't saying anything didn't mean she wasn't watching me.

"I don't really know."

"Madam."

Nora looked at me with somewhat sharp eyes, perhaps thinking this was an insincere attitude. I only shrugged. It was a perfectly fitting answer for my image going forward, so I didn't care what Nora said.

"Pardon the interruption, but Countess Acacia came to the capital from her estate not long ago and truly doesn't know much. Isn't that right, Madam?"

"......"

When Nora seemed subtly inclined to scold me, Irene made excuses on my behalf. I smiled like someone without a thought in her head. This was my guess, but Irene seemed to quite like my conversational style of 'perfect etiquette in body but seeming thoughtless when opening my mouth.'

"Yes, but I did hear the rumor that His Highness Second Prince Rhodness will handle that case. Won't it be resolved soon, then?"

The moment I mentioned Rhodness, the tea party's atmosphere heated up instantly. I stared pointedly at Nora as I spoke, and her expression grew quite peculiar.

There was no way Nora, well-versed in gossip, didn't know about Rhodness's and my relationship. I remembered the portrait of Rhodness and me printed large as a door in this morning's gossip sheet. The image of us embracing each other at the cafe yesterday was printed exactly as it happened.