TPOTLPIM Chapter 27

There was another woman who had become as emaciated as Asen Odik, and that was Cecilia.

She sat at a table in the Serin family's garden, embroidering on pure white cotton cloth. The autumn sunlight had grown harsh, beating down on her, but she remained seated there, never stopping her needlework.

From a distance, it appeared to be a peaceful scene, but her heart was filled with nothing but despair.

Nearly a month had passed since the assassination attempt on the Emperor. The Empire had been unable to extract any information from the captured assassins, and the nobles were divided into factions, engaging in fierce debates about the incident.

Among the names mentioned during this turmoil was that of Cecilia's father, Otmin Serin.

The bomb used in the assassination conspiracy was a new form unlike anything seen before. When the debris scattered throughout the banquet hall was collected and analyzed, it was found that despite its destructive power, the bomb's size was extremely small. Small enough that there would be no great difficulty in smuggling it into Alpensio Palace and installing it.

Otmin Serin was mentioned as one of those capable of creating such a weapon, and Count Serin happened to be away from his estate for a month, collecting weapon materials. In a situation where he could not defend himself, he began to attract countless suspicions.

To make matters worse, he had not returned even now, having far exceeded the one-month period. Initially, Cecilia had also defended her father's position and sent letters to relatives pleading for help. However, with Otmin Serin himself not returning, as if he had run away, the path to defending her father was becoming increasingly hopeless.

At this rate, the Empire might release soldiers to issue a warrant for her father's arrest and search for his whereabouts. The imperial knights had already once thoroughly ransacked the weapon manufacturing materials in the Serin family's underground research facility.

The great achievements built alongside her father had been reduced to mere piles of paper in an instant. The great secrets of weapon manufacturing were no longer secret, and thus had lost their value.

Worry for her father and guilt over her failure to protect the Serin family in his absence weighed heavily on Cecilia's shoulders.

She finally threw down the embroidery hoop she had been working on, setting it on the table. This was not the kind of worry that would disappear through needlework.

"Miss, the Marquis has arrived."

"Please show him this way. And bring some tea, Dalein."

Teros, dressed in his navy blue military uniform, appeared through the garden's foliage. Seeing the tall, dependable man, Cecilia felt her heart ease.

"Please come in, Lord Teros."

Ah, without this man, it would have been difficult to endure this period. He had been visiting the Serin estate almost daily since the explosion incident. Given the circumstances, they could not go on special dates or have lengthy conversations, but just meeting his eyes and locking gazes with him for a moment provided great comfort.

"Were you doing embroidery?"

He pulled up a chair across from Cecilia and leaned forward toward the embroidery hoop on the table.

"Oh, I thought this might help me organize my thoughts a bit. Don't look! It's terrible work."

She hastily tried to hide the cloth with its unidentifiable pattern behind her back, but Teros was quicker. He took the cotton cloth in his hands, turning it this way and that while narrowing his eyes.

"Is this a new artistic style that's popular these days?"

"I was trying to embroider a religious painting."

At the mention of a religious painting, his eyes widened, and a smile spread across his smooth lips.

"Aren't you trying something too difficult from the start?"

'It's not my first time embroidering.' Cecilia thought to herself, but didn't say it aloud.

"Give it here. I was just about to throw it away and start over."

He dodged Cecilia's outstretched hand and swiftly lifted the embroidery hoop.

"If you're going to throw it away, give it to me. I'll treasure it."

"What would you do with it? I'll make you a new one."

"It would be a shame to throw away. This sacred pattern."

A silly smile was already spreading across his lips.

"You're teasing me now, aren't you?"

"My fiancée is adorable today as well."

Teros's large hand approached and gently stroked her cheek. Then he tucked a strand of blonde hair that had come loose behind her ear. The small face that fit entirely within one hand was endearing.

The blue eyes visible beneath her soft arched eyebrows, the plump lips pouted as if saying 'hmph,' the slightly shy expression—seeing all this brought an uncontrollable surge of satisfaction.

Above all, he was dizzy with joy that she no longer shrank away from his touch. He had to protect this happiness they now shared.

To protect this happiness, there were things he needed to do. The preparations weren't perfect, but he could delay no longer.

After strolling through the garden with Cecilia and conversing as if nothing was wrong, Teros soon had to bid her farewell.

"I have somewhere I need to go. I may be busy for a few days, Cecilia."

Ah. At his words, Cecilia felt despair, and she had to compose her expression to keep her emotions from showing on her face. Time with Teros was like sweet medicine that let her momentarily forget the hopeless reality from which there seemed no escape.

She wanted to hold onto him and ask him not to leave, but she couldn't. Some intangible fear prevented her—the fear that if she relied on him any more than this, she would never be able to stand on her own again.

Teros, who had been intently observing her complicated face that looked ready to cry, consolingly stroked her hair.

"It's all right, Cecilia. I'll solve everything and come back."

Seeing her puzzled expression as if asking what he meant, Teros smiled instead of answering.

"When I come back after solving everything well, give me a reward, Cecilia."

"I don't have anything worthy to give you, Lord Teros."

"If you think about it carefully, there should be plenty."

He smiled with a mischievous expression, the corners of his eyes crinkling. It was that expression he showed very occasionally. Cecilia stared blankly at him as if collecting a rare gemstone, then blushed at the inexplicable mischief in his gaze.

"No, there isn't! Nothing like that!"

She unconsciously frowned slightly and turned her head away sharply. But his large hand approached without hesitation, gently gripping her chin and turning her head to look at him again.

Being forced to meet those night sky-like eyes made her feel as if he was reading all her inner thoughts. Strangely, her fingertips began to tingle and her heart started pounding as if it might leap out.

"My name."

"Pardon?"

"From now on, call me by my name. Without the 'Lord.'"

"...Is that the reward you want?"

His head nodded once in affirmation.

"Ah, here I was thinking it was something else."

That was something she could do anytime without conditions attached.

"What did my fiancée imagine that made her so disappointed?"

"I've never been disappointed though?"

"Then call me by name now."

She quickly moved her lips to say his name, but soon had to stop.

Looking into those eyes gazing at her so deeply, his name just wouldn't come out comfortably. Why was such a simple thing so embarrassing?

"Go ahead."

Teros, who had been looking at her with longing eyes, urged her on as if impatient with waiting.

"Well... that is, I'll give it to you as a reward later!"

She could see his gaze slowly sink from longing to disappointment.

"Ah, then! Even if it's not a reward, I'll naturally call you by name the next time we meet! It's just awkward trying to say it suddenly."

Why was she sweating and her face getting hot while explaining this? Over something so trivial.

Teros chuckled helplessly, then bent down and kissed her cheek.

"All right. Then take care of yourself until I return."

The brief moment of fluttering he had given her quickly faded after he left, and winter-like desolation began to swirl around her.

Twice a day. When the door that never opened except to bring meals made its heavy sound as it opened, Hadel painfully turned his head toward the door. It seemed those tiresome imperial knights had come again to extract information.

"Have you been well?"

But the voice he heard belonged to someone he knew well.

"Marquis D'Anstone!"

Seeing Teros enter with a cold expression, Hadel instinctively shrank back.

That man couldn't have come here out of goodwill. He had either come because he had some use for him, or this might be a scheme to make him talk under the Emperor's orders. Perhaps he had noticed that Asen was the existence Hadel had wanted to hide on the day of the explosion.

"When cornered, the honorifics disappear."

Teros sat down as if he owned this space, pulling out a chair from Hadel's desk and tapping the desk, gesturing with his chin for him to come over.

Hadel, grinding his teeth, obediently pulled up another chair and sat across from Teros.

"I was quite disappointed that day. I called for help several times, but you didn't even blink. As if you wanted me to die. I shouldn't have trusted someone who attempted poisoning after all."

"If I hadn't cast the barrier that day, you would have died instantly, Your Lordship. I thought you had come to offer thanks, but I was mistaken."

"No, no. I've already sent someone to the person I should be thanking."

At Teros's words, Hadel's heart sank. Teros knew that it wasn't Hadel who had cast the barrier. Hadel's green eyes wavered greatly then soon settled coldly.

"...I don't know what you're talking about. No one has visited here except those ignorant imperial knights."

"You know what I'm talking about."

Hadel's fine-featured face began to contort with despair. He tried to regain his composure with clenched fists, but it wasn't working.

As despair washed over him—the realization that everything was over—trembling began throughout his body, starting from his hands and spreading to his shoulders.

Teros stood up and placed his hand on Hadel's shoulder with a light touch.

"Don't try so hard to hide your sister. Let her out into the world moderately. You think too much, which is why you're rejected everywhere. For the family's sake as well, it would be better if Miss Odik had that power rather than you."

Hadel's trembling had turned into sobbing. He grabbed onto Teros's hand on his shoulder and began to plead.

"...That child can't handle it. That naive, soft thing is easily swayed by the world. Please, just until that child learns the control methods, keep it secret..."

"She doesn't know the control methods yet. I didn't know that. All this time I thought Miss Odik's strange behavior was an act to hide her special power."

Hadel wanted to sew his own mouth shut. He had been swept up in Teros's pace. By thoroughly intimidating him and psychologically cornering him, then touching a corner of his heart as if comforting him, Teros had broken him down.

"Well, in that case, I can understand why you're keeping it secret."

Whether he knew the self-reproach Hadel was feeling or not, Teros sat back down in the chair across from him with an expressionless face.

"Hadel, I've never tried to think about what you wanted from me all this time. I only thought about using you to suit my tastes."

"I wanted nothing from you, Your Lordship."

"Be a bit more honest. There must be a reason why you let me have leverage over you and why you've been dragged along by the ridiculous threat of attempted poisoning. I know you're not simply a coward and a fool."

Hadel's mind raced quickly. The reason he had obediently complied with Teros's various demands all this time. It wasn't simply because of Teros's threat to frame him as an attempted poisoner. He had wanted to become Teros's confidant. When all the nobles of the Empire, including the Imperial family, ostracized the Odik family, he wanted to gain strong backing to protect them.

He wanted to become a trusted aide and win his heart. But even if that didn't work out, just having rumors circulate that he was closely associated with Teros would be good. It would serve as an appropriate warning to the relatives trying to drive him from the head of the family position.

However, expressing such inner thoughts as they were would be unsophisticated. Rather than winning his heart, it would only invite ridicule.

Hadel bit his lip and delayed his answer.

"Hadel, if you honestly confess, I'll keep quiet about your sister's matter as well."

Teros looked into Hadel's green eyes, lost in deep thought. This moment was the last chance he was giving Hadel. If he clumsily tried to be clever, Teros was prepared to cast him aside.

Hadel stiffened like a deer being chased by a predator, then soon let out a deep sigh.

"I wanted to become your trusted confidant, Your Lordship. I wanted to use my power for you, and also receive strong protection from you. Because you have the power to protect our family, which is ostracized by the Empire, from storms."

As Hadel painfully confessed his inner thoughts, Teros smiled faintly.

"If you want my protection, you can't just offer me your power. Miss Odik's power must become mine as well."

"I will take responsibility and teach her the control methods. If it's for the family, I'll gladly offer it."

Was this how a knight felt when swearing loyalty? Hadel felt that he was clinging to Teros with all his might.

"For a deal to be completed, I need to show that I have the power to protect you first. You'll be released soon."

As Teros stood up, Hadel looked up at him with a bewildered expression.

Teros had changed. Even though he knew Asen's secret and could sufficiently manipulate the Odiks using that secret as leverage, he was proposing a deal instead. Did he feel some gratitude that Asen had saved his life with her barrier?

Hadel tried to understand Teros's change, turning it over in his mind.

"I did send Marcel, but if you meet your sister, tell her this: thank you for saving my fiancée's life."

Ah. Only then could Hadel understand what had caused Teros's change. Teros now had someone more precious to him than himself, and for that person's sake, he could do anything. Enough to make deals rather than give orders or threats, even to those in positions more vulnerable than his own.

"Dmitri, I told you I'd visit separately later, didn't I?"

Rosein, wearing a headband decorated with pearls, drooped her long eyelashes and puffed out her cheeks.

Dmitri seemed to find this adorable as he poked her inflated cheeks with his finger.

"She's your closest friend. Considering the Serin family's current situation, how could you just sit still?"

"We can't be of comfort to Cecilia right now. That girl needs time alone."

"She's had enough time alone. She hasn't come out of her house for over a month, hasn't she? Come on, let's go."

Dmitri gently pulled Rosein's waist, helping her into the carriage.

"You're too kind. I wish you'd only be kind to me."

"I only do this kind of thing with you."

Dmitri stroked Rosein's head, then gently pulled her close and kissed her cheek. When Rosein pushed against his chest as if telling him to stop, Dmitri caught her pushing hand and kissed her cheek again.

"Really!"

When Rosein glared at him, Dmitri flashed a bright smile. His smile always made Rosein's heart weak. When she saw that boyish smile that seemed to light up his entire face, she couldn't help but smile along.

Being drawn into this ridiculous suggestion to visit Cecilia and even getting into the carriage was entirely because of that smile.

No, it wasn't only because of that smile. She was also curious to see what expression Cecilia was wearing now that their families' positions had been reversed.

How annoying it had been to see her constantly looking for paper and pen whenever she had an idea about weapons, at all hours.

Every time she saw Cecilia deliberately showing off so ostentatiously, Rosein had to struggle to hide her twisting insides.

When Count Serin, in his rage, had cut off dealings with the DeNeuve family, Rosein couldn't bear her hatred for Cecilia. She wanted to throw their friendship to the ground and trample on it, but she swallowed her pride, waiting for the day when the two families would resume dealings.

["Rose, there must have been some misunderstanding between the adults. Everything will be resolved."]

Facing Cecilia, who held her hands with innocent eyes, Rosein had to confine and control the rage that kept trying to burst out with nowhere to go.

Now it was her turn to comfort Cecilia. Rosein smiled with satisfaction at the thought that she would be able to see in Cecilia's eyes the same bitter taste of defeat that she herself had experienced.

It would be more satisfying to thoroughly turn her insides upside down if Dmitri weren't there. She couldn't shake off Dmitri, who was determined to see Cecilia at least once.

If Cecilia, unable to control her emotions, treated her coldly, she wouldn't be able to strike back refreshingly in front of Dmitri and would just have to take it. Come to think of it, Dmitri knew the two of them as close friends, so he might be flustered seeing Cecilia's cold attitude.

"Dmitri, actually... I'm worried that Cecilia might not want to see me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Cecilia might be misunderstanding our family."

"Ah, Count DeNeuve was assigned to consult about the bombs in this incident."

To investigate the explosion incident at Alpensio Palace, it was necessary to collect and analyze the bomb debris. Several weapons experts participated in the investigation, and one of them was Count DeNeuve.

After suspicions were raised about Otmin Serin, the materials confiscated from the Serin family's weapons research facility went entirely to Count DeNeuve. The Emperor had ordered him to find evidence related to this explosion from the confiscated materials, but Count DeNeuve planned to forge nonexistent evidence while using the Serin family's materials to expand his business and provide abundantly for his descendants' livelihood.

Of course, this was only the DeNeuve family's secret; publicly, Count DeNeuve was simply a faithful servant carrying out the Emperor's orders without any personal interest.

"The Count is simply doing what he must. Having extensive knowledge about weapons from long involvement in weapons distribution, receiving the Emperor's orders is unavoidable. Miss Cecilia will understand."

Rosein leaned her head against Dmitri's shoulder with a pitiful expression.

"What if Cecilia hates me?"

Dmitri's hand brushed through Rosein's disheveled red hair, then stroked her face.

"Rosein, at times like this, we must visit even more. If you stay still in a situation prone to misunderstanding, you're only confirming the misunderstanding as fact."

His seemingly admonishing tone suggested that visiting Cecilia was ultimately for her own benefit.

Rosein, leaning against Dmitri's shoulder, glanced up to observe his expression. His gentle brown eyes looked even more transparent in the sunlight, as always.

"Brothers share parents, and friends share time together. Turning your back on friendship is like tearing out a period of your life—it's bound to be painful. Show Miss Cecilia that you're an unchanging friend, Rosein."

"Yes, I will."

Rosein smiled like a rose and reached for Dmitri's hand, clasping it.