Chapter 9
It seemed my strategy had worked quite well.
Just looking at how murderous Lucian’s expression had become was proof enough.
Good.
Smiling inwardly in satisfaction, I urged him again,
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to confirm the contents of the letter yourself?”
“……”
“Go ahead. Read it.”
Lucian clenched his teeth and pulled the letter out of the envelope.
His blue eyes scanned it quickly—so sharp it was almost frightening.
Then—
His expression began to change moment by moment.
Anger, despair, frustration, and hostility.
All kinds of negative emotions flickered across his handsome face.
I watched him calmly.
After all, I had expected this reaction from the beginning.
That letter was proof—
Proof that the cousin Lucian trusted had betrayed him.
And I already had a rough idea of what it said.
Something like: make sure no one ever finds out Lucian is here.
In return, Baron Craig had been sending a large sum of money to the school every month.
Which made Lucian the most “valuable” student in Rosenkreuz.
Anyway—
Crunch!
After finishing the letter, Lucian crumpled it in anger.
Still not satisfied, he tore it into pieces.
“That bastard!”
He ground his teeth.
Meanwhile, I stared blankly at the torn pieces falling like dead butterflies.
…That letter—
I had stolen it from Victor’s study.
And not just any letter—it had been entrusted to Victor by Dante himself.
More precisely, it was bait Dante had deliberately left behind to trap him.
In the original story, the incident where Elje got completely betrayed by Victor—and lost major points with Dante—
Was also related to this letter.
I had planned to return it before Victor noticed after showing it to Lucian, but…
Well, life.
Still, it wasn’t a big problem.
I hadn’t taken it carelessly enough to get caught.
“Don’t tell me… you forged this letter?”
At that moment, Lucian glared at me and demanded.
Meeting his blazing blue eyes, I tilted my head.
“Do you really think I made it up?”
“……”
Looks like I hit the mark.
He was biting his lip so hard it might bleed.
Lucian probably already knew the truth.
Before he was brought here, he and his cousin had been very close.
They exchanged letters often.
So he can tell.
The handwriting, the phrasing, even the way the letter ended—
Everything would match perfectly with the letters he had received before.
“…Yeah. You’re right.”
As proof—
Lucian muttered in a voice filled with rage,
“If my brother didn’t write this… that would be stranger.”
“……”
“How could he do this to me? How?!”
He shouted as if coughing up blood.
Watching him silently, I stood up.
Then I brought over the tray of food I had placed on the table.
Cream soup with finely ground meat and vegetables, fresh milk, and sweet pudding for dessert.
Since he had been starving, everything was soft and easy to digest.
I picked up a spoon and took a bite of the soup.
It had cooled a bit, but it was still fine.
“…What are you doing?”
For a moment, Lucian forgot even his anger and looked at me in disbelief.
Well, of course he would.
He was in turmoil from betrayal, and I was calmly tasting food in front of him.
I answered casually,
“I’m tasting the food.”
“Why?”
“So I can prove something to you.”
“Prove what?”
“That there’s no poison in it.”
At my calm reply, Lucian’s eyes widened slightly.
Ignoring that, I elegantly picked up the glass of milk and took a sip.
Clink.
The glass made a clear sound as I set it down.
Lastly, I took a bite of the custard pudding.
Then I looked up and met his gaze.
“So?”
“……”
Lucian stared back at me, his face stiff.
I shrugged lightly and continued,
“The Kaleid ducal family is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the empire.”
“I don’t need you to tell me something so obvious.”
Lucian spoke through gritted teeth.
“I know better than anyone the honor of Kaleid—as its rightful owner.”
“That’s right. You are its rightful and only master.”
I nodded.
Then I asked softly,
“And yet, that precious family has been taken by Baron Craig.”
“What?”
“Are you planning to just stay here, helpless like this?”
Lucian froze.
At the same time, my smile deepened.
“Or will you escape this dreadful place… reclaim your family…”
The room fell completely silent.
Only my quiet voice lingered.
“And to Baron Craig, who dared covet what belongs to you—”
Lucian looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe.
I finished calmly,
“…Will you choose revenge?”
With that—
I pushed the tray of food toward him.
“The choice is yours, Your Grace.”
My whisper must have sounded quite wicked.
But demons usually tempt their targets—
By offering exactly what they desire most.
Gently dangling it right in front of them.
And then—
Lucian’s eyes flared with fire.
“…Fine. I’ll admit it. You’re absolutely right.”
He grabbed the utensils roughly.
“Kaleid is mine.”
His voice dropped, cold as ice.
“…I won’t let anyone take it from me.”
Good. That’s how it should be.
I simply smiled in response.
* * *
After that, Lucian recovered quickly.
It was probably because he now had a clear motivation—revenge.
Either way, it worked perfectly for me.
Then one day—
“There’s something I want to ask.”
Under my strict supervision, Lucian was forcing himself to finish his meal.
With a tired expression, he set down his spoon and spoke.
“What is it?”
“The first day we met, you said you were on my side.”
…Right. I did say that.
Since he never brought it up again, I had almost forgotten.
Lucian asked again,
“Why did you say that?”
“Well…”
Because I need to win you over and use you to escape.
…Obviously, I couldn’t say that.
I searched for an excuse.
Fortunately, Lucian continued,
“I understand that you want to live freely. And staying by Oppenheimer’s side… is dangerous in many ways.”
Well, that made sense.
Dante’s many crimes and scandals were widely known.
And most of them were true.
“But you chose to become his lover knowing all that, didn’t you?”
Lucian hesitated slightly.
“I’ve heard that you… I mean…”
“That I’m obsessively in love with him.”
I finished his sentence for him.
And yet—
My chest tightened painfully.
Is this… Elje’s original emotion?
In the original story, Elje was described as being obsessively in love with Dante.
Why is it that just hearing the name of someone you love can shake you like this?
Even though her feelings weren’t really “love”—
But something twisted and rotten.
Something that had decayed into something foul.
Meanwhile, Lucian looked slightly awkward.
“Well… that’s what people say.”
“It’s not entirely baseless.”
I shrugged.
Seeing how calm I was about such rumors, Lucian made a strange expression.
Meanwhile, my mind was racing.
Is now the time?
The right moment to present a new bait.
I reviewed Lucian’s recent behavior.
Letting me treat his wounds.
Speaking more calmly than before.
Trust gained from showing him the letter.
And now—he was trying to understand me.
That meant—
He was starting to see me not as a villainess, but as a person.
Then… maybe it’s okay to push a little further.
If I wanted to use this shift to my advantage—
I spoke casually,
“Shall I tell you a secret?”
“A secret?”
Lucian asked, suspicious—but clearly curious.
Well, at eighteen, “secret” is still an intriguing word.
I spoke calmly.
“I want to escape this place.”
Lucian’s eyes widened.
The bait I offered him—
Was my truth.
