INWY~99

Chapter 99

***

Their reunion came sooner than expected.

It had been barely half a day since the night bathed in moonlight.

It was early morning.

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone at the door jolted Riena awake.

Momentarily bewildered, she groggily rose and slowly made her way to the door.

Without the slightest caution, she opened it. And there stood Dante.

“You’re fearless.”

He frowned beneath his disheveled blond hair, staring down at her.

“Ah, not fearless… There must have been someone you expected at this hour,” Dante sneered. Even as he spoke, his sharp yellow eyes flickered with a hint of irritation.

“…It’s early morning. Everyone else is asleep.”

“You’re not asleep,” his eyes swept over her relentlessly.

Indeed, she hadn’t woken up recently; Dante already knew what her face looked like upon waking.

He twisted the corner of his lips slightly. Whether it was from some lingering habit of waiting for someone or not, he didn’t care.

Riena hesitated for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words, then took a step back.

“…Come in.”

The unexpected permission made Dante pause briefly.

Clinking softly, Riena brought out two teacups. She swallowed a sigh, unnerved by the unwelcome visitor at this unholy hour.

Even ignoring all prior circumstances, Dante Venachert alone was enough reason for her unease.

Only hours ago, their relationship had seemed on the brink of collapse.

Yet why was he here now? Nothing about this situation made sense. His intentions were impossible to read.

He had always been unpredictable.

And now, approaching like this, fear gripped her.

Had he come to threaten her?

At worst, he might truly accuse her of defying royalty and throw her in prison…

Ssshh.

The kettle whistled.

Riena forced herself to focus and poured the tea skillfully, then turned toward the table.

At that moment, she almost dropped the tray.

If she hadn’t quickly set it down, it surely would have slipped from her hands.

It was inevitable.

Anyone would have reacted the same if faced with Dante’s piercing gaze, unflinching as he stared straight at her.

Riena swallowed nervously and forced a composed expression.

Carefully, she placed the teacups in front of him.

Once seated, Dante spoke as if he had been waiting.

“You’re not asking why I came. Aren’t you curious?”

Riena fiddled awkwardly with her teacup, glancing at him. The sharp anger he had displayed before was gone.

As always, his voice was emotionless, and his eyes bored into her with a lazy indifference. She lowered her gaze and answered slowly.

“…Did you come to be angry?”

Dante raised an eyebrow.

“If that’s enough to calm my anger, then I suppose I will.”

Did he mean that mere anger wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him? His answer was ambiguous.

“Then… if that would calm you, go ahead. Or, if not, perhaps you plan to put me on trial—”

“Oh, put you in prison?”

Riena opened her mouth to say more but quickly shut it. Silence was the wiser choice for now.

If he was already angry, adding words would achieve nothing. Mention Henry’s name, and he wouldn’t hold back.

“You wouldn’t, Riena. Why would I?”

Dante let out a small laugh.

“Are you genuinely clueless, or is this on purpose?”

“….”

“If you leave me, the only one benefiting is you. Or maybe Bailey would cover for you?”

Her silence was pointless. Dante’s lips curved into a smooth line despite his furrowed, displeased brow.

“Covering for him isn’t bad… If you listen well, I’ll at least put you in the same cell. As for the charges, my lawyers will handle it.”

Riena flinched at the eerie, playful threat. Her heart pounded fiercely with rising anxiety.

“…You’d put Henry in prison?”

“You deceived me openly; I can’t just let it go. I don’t know when you two started seeing each other, anyway.”

Dante’s intense gaze drilled into her trembling dark brown eyes. Then, as if amused, he lifted the corner of his mouth.

Even this emotion was acceptable to him. If she was afraid, it meant she couldn’t flee further.

“…Henry has done nothing wrong, Your Highness. I only met him…”

Riena faltered and couldn’t continue.

Lies were like this: nothing could be answered fully. If Dante truly knew everything, any word would betray her.

Perhaps he already knew. Perhaps this was all a test.

Would it have been better not to deceive him from the start? To confess everything honestly and apologize?

Riena forced back the late-arriving regret and faced him with trembling eyes.

Then it happened. The thought from last night surged unbidden:

Even now… even now…

She rose, then slowly knelt to the floor.

Dante’s brow furrowed slightly as he watched. Kneeling right before him, Riena’s eyes met his. He spoke.

“…If all else fails, you’ll beg now?”

His harsh voice rumbled like a growl.

“For your lover?”

“Yes.”

Even saying the single word, Riena’s voice trembled. Yet she spoke it clearly, as if forcing herself to mask her fear.

“…I’m sorry for deceiving you. As I said before, I don’t seek forgiveness. So please, take your anger out on me alone. I… I was wrong.”

Dante tapped his leg with his fingers, twisted slightly.

“Begging is easy. Even if you lived as a Grand Duchess briefly, your origins don’t change, so I suppose it’s natural.”

A dry, mocking voice slipped from his twisted mouth.

“Even thinking the methods you used on your father would work on me… that angers me.”

“….”

“What to do, hmm?”

His merciless words struck, and unexpectedly, tears surged. Shame pressed in, overwhelming and precise.

She hadn’t thought he would be ignorant. But hearing her past directly from him was far more humiliating—

Something felt like it was striking her heart.

Clenching her fists, Riena struggled to hold back tears.

“…!”

Suddenly, her chin was grasped, her head forced up. Dante’s golden eyes, burning with anger, met hers.

Tears she had fought to restrain slipped down her cheeks anyway.

“Yes, this suits you. Should’ve done this long ago… I’ve treated you far too gently.”

He held her chin, smirking slightly, his gaze lingering on every falling tear.

“Cry as much as you want. If you collapse, I’ll take responsibility.”

He had no intention of wiping her tears. If consequences came, even tears, he would accept them fully.

If this was all she could give, then he would take it.

As Dante’s golden eyes darkened with obsessive intensity, Riena finally spoke.

“Why… are you doing this?”

Tears rolled down onto Dante’s hand.

“If it’s because you’re angry at me, shouldn’t it be only toward me?”

A sudden wave of exasperation rose. Her tears blurred her vision, yet his golden gaze remained sharply clear, and that made her even angrier.

Who do you think you are? What right do you have? Her mind cleared abruptly, and she reaffirmed her earlier resolve.

She could not let Henry be harmed.

Frowning through her tears, Riena focused her sight and spoke firmly.

“We’re strangers. Everyone knows we have nothing between us…”

“….”

“Who I like shouldn’t matter to you. You have no right, no authority over that person. You and I are already finished.”

“Enough.”

“…So don’t touch the one I care about. If you touch Henry, I won’t stay silent anymore.”