TRETTHD 99

#99. Misunderstanding

“Did you rest well yesterday?”

“…….”

Belia glared at Raoul, who was smiling cheerfully, seated before a luxurious crimson teacup in the garden of the First Prince’s Palace.

She had just arrived at her office and was about to begin her work when Raoul’s servant suddenly arrived, requesting a visit to the First Prince’s Palace. It was an extremely polite invitation—but only on the surface.

Both Belia and Raoul knew very well the meaning hidden behind it.

“If you’re curious, come find out.”

Belia twisted her lips in a crooked smile as she looked at him.

“You must have a lot of questions.”

“You spoke casually back then, and now you raise your words again,” she mocked, prompting Raoul to laugh loudly. He brushed his hair back lightly and stared directly into her eyes.

“As you said, I am not the Emperor… yet.”

“So, what is it that you want to say to me?”

“That, you must ask me. I’m sure you have more questions than I do.”

Raoul remained relaxed, but Belia mirrored his composure as she continued the conversation.

“How amusing. It seems that the one impatient here is not me, but Your Highness.”

“Belia.”

“You called me here because you wanted to show me something, didn’t you?”

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Then say what you want to. I don’t even need to ask if it was you who tried to harm Khalid—I can already guess.”

“Hahaha. I did nothing of the sort,” he replied.

Of course. They had only rearranged the schedule so that Belia’s group would pass through that area. In reality, Raoul hadn’t done anything to trigger the landslide, so although she was frustrated, she could not immediately show her anger toward him.

“It was strange. Princess Ronica, who clearly liked me and seemed ready to declare her love at any moment, suddenly cooled off and rejected me,” Raoul continued, stroking his chin.

“And now she’s suddenly Khalid’s lover. Looking back, I was the fool being played by that farce—but I suppose I can’t blame anyone but myself…”

A cruel smile spread across his face.

“Every time I was interfered with, every rumor spread to ruin Khalid’s reputation… knowing it was all from future information, I have to say, it left a rather unpleasant feeling.”

“If you know something, shouldn’t you make use of it?” Belia replied calmly.

Since they both knew each other was using knowledge from the future, there was no need to hide it anymore. At first, she had considered pretending ignorance, but Raoul already seemed convinced of her regression from her past actions. It was better to confront him directly and see how much he knew.

“Ha. Yes. I should have believed that wretched dream the moment I first had it. If I had, I wouldn’t be moving so late, and I wouldn’t have been foolishly outsmarted by you.”

‘What?’

The hand Belia had been holding suddenly went icy cold. There was something odd in his words.

“…A dream?”

What on earth did that mean?

“You must have been asleep in the gardens of Ronica Castle that day, weren’t you?”

“I’d rather not answer.”

She couldn’t reveal her doubts just yet. Perhaps this could even become a clue to get the upper hand. A small hope flickered.

As Belia sat quietly, holding her hand down, Raoul glanced down at the table and asked sullenly,

“Hm. You’re not drinking even a sip. Do you dislike the tea I gave you?”

“Do you think I would drink tea from someone who tried to poison me?”

Belia had been given poisoned tea by him. How could she ever drink with him again?

For the first time, Belia’s expression turned to one of pure contempt as she looked at Raoul. He merely smiled at her reaction.

“Was my negligence the problem? Or was it because of Erze? But you chased Erze away splendidly, didn’t you?”

“Ha……!”

“I admit I was neglectful toward you.”

Belia could no longer contain herself. She ground her teeth and shouted in a trembling voice,

“Admit it? You dare admit it? I remember perfectly well how cruel and brutal Your Majesty was…!”

How could he dare say that? He had killed families, trampled kingdoms, and attempted to kill her too. He had no right to speak of negligence.

Even calling him “Your Majesty” instead of “Your Highness” was automatic; her eyes welled up, but she held back the tears. She refused to cry in front of him—absolutely refused.

Raoul smiled gently and spoke,

“Belia. Nothing has happened yet. I understand why you doubt me. But the me of back then is different from the me now.”

He stood, knelt at her feet, and clasped her cold hands in his.

“I won’t disappoint you. I promise nothing like that will happen, alright? So, Belia, release your heart now.”

Raoul held her hands against his cheek. This was something he often did when they were dating.

“It was such a vivid dream that I almost mistook it for reality, so it must have been even more horrifying for you. But I’ll make you see that it was just a dream…”

Before he could finish, Belia hastily pulled her hands away.

She had always felt something was off—some subtle dissonance that now crystallized into certainty. Her rationality cooled sharply.

“…Why did Your Highness tell me about the dream?”

If he had hidden it and used it against her, she could have gained a greater advantage. Belia voiced a legitimate question.

“You have no idea how much patience I exercised to separate Khalid from you.”

Raoul gently held her hands again. Belia forced herself to shake off the awful feeling. Just a little longer… just a little more.

“Just revealing the truth because Khalid disappeared… You’ve become quite soft. Showing weakness to an enemy doesn’t suit Your Highness.”

“Enemy? Hahaha. Belia, how could you ever be my enemy?”

He stroked her hands gently.

“Gathering fragments of short memories and forming a single story took a long time. You took quite some pondering to confirm, like me, that you can see the future. But sharing those memories—just you and me—tells us we are truly fated. How could we ever be enemies?”

“Your Highness, as you said, it’s just a dream. And I’m already married to Khalid. You are also preparing to marry Princess Canterif.”

Belia gently pushed Raoul’s hands away and stood.

“Therefore, stop. Even if it truly happened, the memory of you being my partner should remain a dream.”

“Belia.”

“I will wait for Khalid and live my life with him.”

Raoul stood and grabbed her shoulder.

“Don’t speak of him! That place by your side was mine to begin with!”

Belia shook her head, though she no longer looked at him with contempt. She controlled her anger and cooled her mind. She needed to return to the palace first and sort out her thoughts.

“Say that to your fiancée, Princess Canterif.”

“…Belia.”

“I’ll be going now.”

As Belia turned to leave, Raoul grabbed her arm.

“Stay here. Don’t remain in an abandoned palace—move into mine instead.”

“What will you tell Princess Canterif if I stay here?”

“She cannot oppose my decision.”

Belia sighed and pushed him away again.

“I don’t want unnecessary rumors. Just spending time with Your Highness here today has already sparked enough stories. Let me go.”

She faintly smiled as she added,

“After all, why, even after that dream, would you do this to me instead of Erze?”

“It was a misunderstanding! That dream clearly showed that it had to be you!”

“Then I suppose you know what you did to me for Erze?”

“You locked you in the palace…!”

Of course. Belia forced down a twitching smile and said firmly,

“You may dismiss it as a dream, Your Highness, but I felt every emotion as if it were real. I cannot simply hold your hand as if nothing happened.”

Without looking back, Belia left the First Prince’s Palace and headed toward the Second Prince’s Palace. The distance through the royal gardens was long, but her steps felt unexpectedly light.

A sneer of suppressed amusement tugged at her lips.

‘Raoul hasn’t regressed.’

Just knowing that halved her worries. A dream… only a dream, and he was merely viewing fragments of a past life. He didn’t even realize that Ronica Kingdom had fallen or that he had personally tried to kill her. He wasn’t hiding it—he simply could not conceive that Belia had regressed.

‘I need to test him a bit more. I need to see how much he knows.’

Belia quickened her pace.

“Unforgivable…!”

Watching Belia walk toward the Second Prince’s Palace, Elin shouted furiously. Her silver hair whipped in the wind, her heart sinking deeper with each step. She had steeled herself to visit the First Prince’s Palace today, yet now she saw Belia here again!

“Princess…”

A maid guiding Elin looked at her sympathetically. Yesterday’s incident must not have faded from memory.

“…Why did Your Highness summon me today?”

“Princess.”

“What did he want to show me…?”

Tears slipped from Elin’s eyes. Her delicate shoulders shook.

‘It was definitely her I saw yesterday…!’

Elin had visited the palace as usual to see Raoul, yet she could not forget the scene she had accidentally witnessed in the garden. The sky had been unusually beautiful that day.

Looking up, her gaze met a window, and Raoul’s face appeared. Moving closer to confirm, she looked up at the second-floor window.

Raoul was kissing someone.

At such close range, facing each other’s faces, it was unmistakably a romantic kiss. And the person had flowing silver hair. Even from the back, it was unmistakable.

Elin clenched her fists.

‘Belia Ronica…!’

Elin wiped the tears from her chin and watched Belia disappear toward the Second Prince’s Palace, then entered the First Prince’s Palace as if nothing had happened.

Yet in her eyes, a sharpness and ruthlessness had appeared that had never been there before.