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A few hours ago.
For a long time, Reynaldo hid, his teeth gritted against the pain of his wounds. Sometime later, all signs of the enemy disappeared. He went to check on the carriage the coffin had been stolen from. A letter was left in its place. After Reynaldo read it, he steeled himself. He couldn’t imagine the queen returning Rosemary’s remains unscathed, whether he allowed himself to be captured or offered up his life or not.
Could I at least take the life of the queen, who’s a blight on our country?
Usually, Reynaldo wouldn’t have entertained such short-sighted ideas, but he decided to storm the fortress with this goal in mind. More importantly, heading into enemy territory would buy time for help to arrive.
Returning to the site of the attack, he counted the number of hoof prints left behind. He compared the number of enemy horses to the number he’d brought with his guards. According to his calculations, one horse safely escaped. Based on the hoof prints, the rider was heading towards the capital.
“Good choice.”
Reynaldo intentionally left the letter in the carriage. Likewise, he used a rock as a paperweight to keep it from blowing away. Then he headed towards the fortress.
Albert and others would react as soon as they learned of the attack on Reynaldo. So long as the letter remained intact, the queen’s involvement would come to light, even if his attempt to buy time failed. Though he worried about the letter being disposed of, he would have to leave this single factor to chance. He had no comrades or tools to help him.
His only other concern was Mary. Tia would likely use her as another trump card. However, if Mary had been captured, she would probably be taken to the same fortress, supposing Tia meant to trot her out in front of him.
When the image of Mary rose to his mind, Reynaldo offered her a silent apology. He’d wanted to protect her from everything, to shield her from suffering. He sighed wearily at the idea of getting her wrapped up in this ordeal.
At the very least, I hope you’re safe. So long as Albert is there, I can’t foresee you coming to any harm.
Yet, he remained concerned.
Arriving at the fortress, he received a rough welcome. Based on the familiar northern accents of the soldiers, Tia had indeed used the enmity of the small tribes to her advantage. They despised him. Even now, they skirmished with Rose, and he settled what accounts he could financially. That said, grudges didn’t just disappear. Reynaldo knew that all too well.
Revenge was an endless cycle.
Ah, I see, he thought with a humorless chuckle. That’s why Mary put a stop to my vengeance.
Mary was the reincarnation of Reynaldo’s elder sister. Even if Rosemary’s remains were cremated, her soul would remain with Mary. Even so, he couldn’t ignore his sister.
I might as well be cursed.
Reynaldo brought this calamity on himself. While Rosemary reincarnated into her desired form and found contentment, Reynaldo hadn’t changed. When vengeance was within his grasp, Mary told him what his sister wished for until the moment of her death. Even now, Rosemary was everything to him. He had no regrets about that. If he had one regret, it was involving Albert and the small tribes in his vengeance.
Rosemary only wished for my happiness, and yet… I can’t find happiness without her.
After being dragged to a room, Reynaldo was shoved through the door. He recovered from a stumble and looked to find a woman elegantly drinking wine.
It was Tia.
“It’s been too long, Lord Reynaldo.”
She greeted him with the same innocent smile as always, but Reynaldo knew the terrors lurking beneath that expression.
“Being the queen of bandits suits you perfectly, Tia,” he spat back.
“Now, now, don’t be rude. These fine men are going out of their way to help poor little me.”
The tribesmen in the room relaxed when Tia smiled at them. This was what made her so frightening. By acting like a pure and innocent girl, she drew the attention of men. She wasn’t seductive in the same way as a prostitute, but men fell for her wiles all the same. Despite seeming innocent, her gaze was that of a vile enchantress. How many men died or suffered cruel fates due to those eyes?
“How about you drop the little girl act?” Reynaldo asked. “It makes my skin crawl coming from an old hag. Just looking at you gives me secondhand embarrassment.”
Though he tried to get under Tia’s skin, it didn’t bother her.
“Oh, Reynaldo, you never were one to mince words,” she said with an impish giggle.
This woman had killed Rosemary, crushed House Hubert, and wrapped the prince around her finger while feigning innocence and frailty. In the end, she even won the northern tribes over to her side.
“To be honest, I’ve always wanted to play one of my games with you,” Tia continued.
After finishing her wine, she approached Reynaldo. Perhaps due to the dim lighting, he sensed something off about her appearance, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.
“You’ve always found such wonderful ways to delight me,” Tia crooned, closing the gap between her and Reynaldo. The wine had rouged her cheeks, and she stroked Reynaldo’s jaw with a slender finger. “I’ve been wondering what game we should play for so long.”
“You’re as vile as ever,” Reynaldo spat.
Tia brushed off his comment with a smile. “Come now, my lord, I only meant to praise you.”
Reynaldo furrowed his brow. An odd sense of déjà vu overcame him as he looked at Tia’s smiling face from mere inches away. The sense of wrongness he’d felt earlier intensified. For whatever reason, something about the queen seemed familiar. Not her face, as Reynaldo had always detested looking her in the eye.
Then what could it be?
The design of her dress was different from what she usually wore. As soon as he realized this, Reynaldo’s blood boiled with murderous rage.
“Did you finally notice?” Tia asked with a smile, enraptured by his wrathful expression.
“You stole from my sister, you thieving whore?!” Reynaldo bellowed.
“Of course,” Tia replied. “I’ve taken good care of all her favorite dresses and gems.”
She wore a flower-embroidered dress that had been one of Rosemary’s favorites. Reynaldo’s vision turned red. The lily-colored dress had looked splendid on Rosemary, but it would never suit a woman as wicked as Tia.
When Reynaldo lifted his bound arms to strike Tia, the men on either side of him restrained him, beating him into submission. Ignoring the pain, he glared at Tia. However, she merely responded with a sweet smile, enjoying the fury in his eyes.
This woman is insane, Reynaldo realized, warning bells going off in his head. I have to kill her, and not for vengeance or national security. Her mere existence poses a threat to this world.
“I’ve invited a woman here today for this very occasion,” Tia said, her words plunging him into even deeper terror. “What was her name again? Ah, yes, it was Mary. You know her as well, I believe?”
Tia smiled sweetly as she spoke Mary’s name, causing the blood to drain from his face. His terrible premonition had been right on the mark.
Does she mean to continue tormenting us even further?
Tia’s smile changed to one of deep satisfaction as she observed him. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing what kind of woman she is. You have a certain fondness for this handmaid, don’t you?”
“…You could say that. She’s a pure young woman. Her heart isn’t an ugly husk like yours.”
“You’re making me jealous,” Tia said with a giggle, absorbed in her merrymaking. “And how might I make a game of tarnishing that purity?”
Tia’s unusual behavior made the surrounding men uneasy. Her suitors were as numerous as the stars, but in the end, those men all died with terror etched upon their faces. Reynaldo had witnessed this countless times in the past. At first, she would seduce them with her harmless, innocent smile. In the end, she always betrayed them cruelly, turning them into playthings.
“Would someone bring her in here?” Tia called.
“I-I’ll do it!” one of the men restraining Reynaldo cried out, leaving the room.
Reynaldo tried to form a plan for protecting Mary when she arrived. He considered killing Tia with the dagger hidden up his sleeve, but with Mary being taken hostage, he would have to stay his hand for now.
No matter what happens, I have to protect Mary, Reynaldo thought. Tia will have her way over my dead body. Never again will she defile Rosemary’s spirit.
Moments later, a different man from before dragged none other than Mary into the room, her hands bound. Despite being taken hostage, Mary stared Tia in the eye, boldly and directly.