Chapter 35

Antonio felt a sudden chill run through his body.

"…Why did you—"

"Where is it?"

His tone brooked no refusal.

Antonio reflexively held out the documents he was carrying.

As Reisch examined the contents, Antonio finally realized a possibility.

"Lucrezia? Did she betray me!?"

"Betray is a strong word. You stole the documents and came to enemy territory on your own."

"You even had Reisch in your pocket, shameless wretch!"

Reisch snorted. His attitude only fueled Antonio's anger.

"You conspired with Lucrezia!?"

"That's unlikely. This time, it was just—"

Reisch began to rise from his seat, as if to say there was no more business to discuss.

"…Prince Antonio. You were simply foolish, that's all."

Then he showed a smile filled with the utmost malice.

"The execution is tomorrow. We'll make it grand. A farewell gift to Lucrezia, who even gave us such lovely jewels. The port town alone would have been enough for me."

The crown prince turned his back on him, walking away. Antonio wanted to lunge at him, but he was surrounded by Reisch's soldiers, unable to move a finger.

Antonio, no longer caring about his dignity, shouted.

"Wait…! Please help me…! If you help me, Lucrezia will give you more money! Her wealth is far greater than you think! So, please…!"

Reisch turned slightly.

"You've truly entertained me. Goodbye, until we meet again."

That day, it was said that the sound of a man crying and screaming could be heard throughout the castle.

The next day, when Prince Antonio's execution was carried out grandly in the courtyard, the screams abruptly stopped.

***

The following week, Lucrezia read through the Illuminati newspapers collected by her agent and gasped.

Her father's execution was prominently featured on the front page.

The agent, who seemed to be reading the article for the first time, looked surprised.

"I'm sorry…"

"Yes… What should I do? How can I explain this to Rosa…"

—That child was so attached to her father. She will surely be sad.

Her heart ached, and Lucrezia realized something.

—I'm… not really shocked. Why is that?

Perhaps it was because she was in a daze. After the meeting, she sat on the terrace, lost in thought, and Ramiro became worried.

"What's wrong, Lucrezia? You look terrible."

"Lord Ramiro…"

Lucrezia didn't feel like talking and simply showed him the newspaper.

"Executed…!? What a terrible thing… It must have been hard on you."

While being held in his arms, Lucrezia felt an emptiness in her heart.

"It was my father's own doing. He knew war was coming but still went for the quick money."

"But to be executed immediately… The Kingdom of Reisch should have at least contacted me first. I could have paid a ransom."

"Why would they have any obligation to you?"

Lucrezia looked down, feeling uncomfortable.

"…Because they raised me."

She touched the small pendant hidden under her clothes.

"He even gave me a gift. This pendant."

She took it off her neck, placed it in her palm, and showed it to Ramiro.

"…Anything else?"

"…"

For Lucrezia, this was the only gift she had ever received.

"What about dresses and hair accessories? At eight years old, you would have needed more as you grew."

"If I received money from my grandfather, I was told to buy them myself."

"Do you really think you were raised that way?"

A sharp pain pierced her heart.

This was something she had always felt, even if she hadn't put it into words.

When she lived with the old herbalist, she didn't get fancy dresses, but her height was measured regularly, and she was always given clean, new dresses made from fresh fabric.

Her hair was combed, and her growth was celebrated. On special occasions, she was treated to a slightly more luxurious meal.

There were many warm memories.

But after moving to the Seravalle mansion, Lucrezia was always treated coldly.

What hurt Lucrezia wasn't the lack of fancy dresses.

It was being treated coldly, as if she didn't exist.

Through her agent, Lucrezia learned to gather her own daily necessities. Not just dresses and books, but also bedding, dishes, and even tutors—everything was chosen by her.

As she grew, to support the financially troubled Seravalle family, she learned to increase her wealth through investments, using her assets as capital.

Of course, the freedom to choose and do as she pleased brought her great joy. In that sense, Lucrezia was fortunate.

But she always felt a deep loneliness.

She lived in a large mansion and lived freely, yet she always felt alone.

Ramiro reached out and took the pendant from Lucrezia, putting it in his pocket.

"There's no need to wear such a cheap pendant anymore. I'll give you a better one, and you can wear that from now on."

She didn't feel like taking it back.

She felt relieved to have it taken away.

"…But I should be grateful to that man. If he hadn't been such a man, he wouldn't have thought to marry his precious daughter to someone like me."

Ramiro's self-deprecating words made Lucrezia look up slightly. She couldn't see his face because she was being held, but she didn't want to move away.

"…Do you need me, my lord?"

The desire to be needed stemmed from her loneliness.

"Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Lucrezia secretly smiled.

"Lord Ramiro, you are very handsome."

"I'm not unpleased, but I'm not that interested. I'm just glad that people no longer say, 'Poor you, being married to such a man.'"

Ramiro's whisper reached her ear.

"I can proudly say that I love you."

Lucrezia couldn't keep smiling. Her heart was pounding loudly.

"Your presence is the greatest joy in my life."

A kiss was placed on her cheek, making her stiff with embarrassment.

This time, she couldn't bear it and pulled away slightly.

She didn't want him to hear the loud, thumping sound of her heart.

"Lucrezia, it's a pity about your father. You might consider mourning. It might not be wise to have the parade this winter."

"Ah…"

Lucrezia discovered that she was genuinely disappointed—

and trembled, thinking how unfeeling a daughter she was.

"Let's have a grand ceremony next year. It will be delayed, but don't forget. I need you, no matter what. I can't bear to let you go."

"Such a thing… I would never say."

She smiled and peered into Ramiro's eyes.

—I like this person.

She slowly accepted the feelings welling up from the depths of her heart.

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