IJWQLBIV 12

Chapter 12: You’ll Pay the Price
December 11, 2021

Rohel was soaking wet, just like in the original story. But there was a clear difference between him heroically taking the water for Noxcia and getting drenched like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. Drip, drip, drip—Rohel silently pushed his dripping red hair back. Annoyance radiated from his face.

“…You’re not calling this an accident, are you?”

It seemed as if he was referring to my stepping on his foot. He had to move because of me, and the water happened to fall right there—it was understandable that he would be suspicious. I quickly composed myself to manage the situation.

“I think I stepped back in surprise because of an unexpected firework, and I accidentally stepped on Your Highness’s foot. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

In a split second, I had improvised a plausible excuse. I couldn’t admit that I tripped him on purpose to bring the two of them together, so I needed a reason Rohel could accept.

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

But Rohel didn’t seem convinced. Perhaps, after hearing what he said in the royal garden, he assumed that Noxcia and I were trying to get back at him.

“It was my fault, so there’s nothing I can say, even if I had ten mouths. At least, let me offer this…”

I tried to hand him the handkerchief I had, but Rohel was faster. Snap—he snatched it out of my hand. His action made it clear he still suspected me. And that’s when the real problem arose: Noxcia, watching from the side, was suddenly furious.

“So, what you’re saying is that my sister and I deliberately conspired to soak Your Highness?”

Of course, Noxcia felt wronged; she hadn’t done anything to deserve such an accusation. Stepping forward, surrounded by nobles, naturally drew Rohel’s attention to her.

“So you’re saying that’s not true? One of you tripped me, the other threw the water. Twins really do have perfect coordination.”

“You’re accusing us without any proof.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. What more proof do you need?”

I had thought, from the novel, that Rohel and Noxcia were destined for each other, but now, after the first misunderstanding, it felt like they were running on completely parallel lines.

“Wait! I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

I tried to mediate, but both Noxcia and Rohel turned to me simultaneously.

“Stay out of this, sister.”

“It seems this isn’t your place, young lady.”

Even though I was involved in this incident, the two of them were now fighting as if I didn’t exist.

“My sister and I don’t go around causing trouble for others. I apologize that Your Highness got soaked, but that was clearly an accident. And you should apologize for being rude to my sister earlier.”

“Hah, are you telling me to apologize? I think I’m the one who should be receiving an apology.”

Murmurs spread. Nobles had gathered here, and Rohel and Noxcia’s argument had them whispering among themselves. After all, the most entertaining thing is watching fires or fights, and nobody here was bored.

“Haah—”

I held my head against the incoming headache. Neither Rohel nor Noxcia would back down. It was like sparks were flying between them.

“Your Highness, perhaps we should move somewhere else—”

Reigald tried to mediate belatedly, but it was futile. I squeezed my eyes shut. The plan to make Rohel and Noxcia’s first meeting go smoothly had failed. I had no choice but to accept it.

I stepped away from Rohel and Noxcia. The situation between them was no longer under my control, so watching further was meaningless.

‘Now, where’s Ascan?’

The crowd had gathered around the quarrel, but Ascan and Reyana were nowhere in sight. I remembered asking Ascan to keep Reyana occupied for as long as possible. Being a slave, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to hold back a noble like Reyana.

‘And Crisha’s personality isn’t exactly ordinary…’

Just as Tanasia in the original story mistreated those of lower status, Reyana was similarly headstrong. I couldn’t just stand still worrying about Ascan. I began searching the ballroom quickly.

“Have you seen my valet?”

I asked everyone I met working at the ballroom, but no one had seen him. Very few people knew Ascan’s face, and even if he was described as handsome, beauty is subjective.

“Lady Crisha?”

“No, I haven’t seen her.”

I paused and decided to change my approach.

“Is there anywhere here where a commotion might be happening?”

“…Ah!”

The servant seemed to remember something and pointed in a direction cautiously. If there had been friction between Ascan and Reyana, it would have caused noise.

“Where is it?”

“Well… um…”

The servant hesitated, probably afraid of getting in trouble. I urged him firmly.

“Time’s short. Tell me quickly.”

Perhaps sensing my authority, he finally pointed carefully.

“I trust you won’t tell anyone I showed you this, Miss.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it secret.”

I followed the direction he indicated and soon found Ascan leaning against the door with his arms crossed. He looked more elegant than any noble, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Ascan seemed unharmed, and I was about to ask him what was going on when a hysterical female voice shouted from inside.

“You! Won’t you open this door?! If I get out, you won’t like it!”

I was suddenly struck by a thought and looked at Ascan.

“Could it be… Lady Crisha inside?”

“Yes.”

“Did you lock her in this room?”

“Yes. You asked me to keep her there somehow.”

I couldn’t help laughing at his deadpan expression.

“…Haha.”

It reminded me that Ascan was the ultimate mastermind in The Beloved Saint—not only possessing monstrous powers but also brilliant intellect. Locking Reyana this way was a perfectly suitable method.

“What did you say to lure Lady Crisha?”

“Miss Tanasia told her to wait inside here.”

“Smart. And you’ve been guarding the door this whole time?”

“Yes.”

“Up until now?”

“Yes. I didn’t know how long I had to keep her there.”

Another shout came from inside:

“Open this door!”

Ascan whispered, gesturing to the door, “As you can see, I didn’t think I could handle her if she got out, so I waited for you.”

His plan had accounted for my arrival—truly impressive.

“Did I do wrong?” he asked.

“No, you did well. I’m impressed at how perfectly you handled my request.”

He showed no change in expression, but after being around him for so long, I felt he was quietly satisfied.

“…This is the first time I’ve received a request like this.”

Before I could respond, loud banging came from inside. Reyana was probably throwing things at the door. I raised my voice deliberately before opening it.

“Reyana, it’s me.”

As expected, she stopped her tantrum.

“Tanasia?”

“Yes. I’m opening the door now, wait.”

I opened it once she calmed. The scene inside was catastrophic—sofas, tables, even the carpet were all ruined. Reyana glared at Ascan behind me.

“How dare you lock me in here?!”

I blocked her path calmly.

“You have nothing to say to my valet. This was my order.”

“What? Why do this—”

“Just wanted to surprise you. I was a little late, sorry.”

“Impossible!”

I tried to pass it off as a harmless prank, but she didn’t believe me.

“You knew what I had prepared today! You expect me to believe that?”

Apparently, Tanasia in the novel also knew she’d set off fireworks. My judgment had been off. Even if she had known, with the current situation, finding a proper excuse was impossible. I laughed loudly to ease the tension.

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot. But at least the fireworks went off properly, so no worries.”

Reyana remained silent, staring at me. I tried to ease the tension further.

“So, who set off the fireworks?”

“…I signaled the underlings to set them off. Even without a signal, the fireworks went off as I had instructed.”

“Ah, I see.”

Finally, I fully understood the situation.

“Being stuck here must have been frustrating. Shall we go down to the ballroom together?”

“No, you go first. I’ll fix my dress.”

Her dress was slightly disheveled from her tantrum. I couldn’t do more; my head already hurt from Rohel and Noxcia’s argument, and knowing Ascan was safe, I just wanted to return to the Brellovf estate.

“Alright, see you later.”

She nodded, and Ascan and I left the room. I didn’t get a clear look at Reyana’s expression, but her last glare lingered oddly in my mind.

‘Did I imagine it?’

Her gaze had been too fierce for just a friend.

Once Tanasia was gone, Reyana couldn’t contain her anger. She knocked over everything on the table with a crash. Glass shards scattered everywhere. She continued to breathe heavily, unable to control herself.

“…So, you really are part of the Brellovf family, huh?”

I had trusted Tanasia but had instructed the underlings to set off the fireworks just in case. If everything had gone according to the original story, my suspicion of Tanasia would have disappeared, and my bond with Reyana might have strengthened—but now the situation was different. Tanasia’s actions had seemed to shield Noxcia from embarrassment.

“Hah, you said you hated Noxcia more than I did… But it’s all about blood, isn’t it?”

It was infuriating. Pretending to be an ally and then betraying me… Reyana clenched her fists, and the wind power she had contained began to gather. Whiiiiiish—the force that had been dormant finally responded. Like Noxcia, Reyana had inherited the supernatural abilities of the Crisha family. Unlike Noxcia, her power was weak and uncontrolled, but it allowed her to manipulate wind.

The Crisha family, notorious for indulging in extramarital affairs, had countless illegitimate children. Reyana was one of them. Even if her mother, a tavern hostess, had tried to claim Reyana’s birth, no one in the family would acknowledge her. Normally, she would never have been recognized as a member of the Crisha family. But one day, her wind powers manifested, a special ability only for Crisha descendants. From that day, her life turned 180 degrees. She became recognized as a noble and lived the life she dreamed of. Initially, it was like a dream, until Noxcia appeared, shattering it.

─“Lady Crisha has powers? Hah, she’s no match for the Brellovf heiress anyway.”

─“Right? Just because she has some powers doesn’t mean she can compete with Lady Brellovf.”

─“She’s far too lowborn to mix with us; her mother’s a hostess.”

Because the powers had skipped generations, few in the Arwen Empire had abilities. Unfortunately, Noxcia and Reyana were close in age and always compared. Noxcia, the social darling, was adored by all, while Reyana, the second, had to give up all glory.

─“We brought her in expecting our family powers to be inherited, but she’s useless.”

─“She’s lowborn; what did you expect? Did you really think Reyana would be like Lady Brellovf? Wake up. Send her off to some rich noble instead.”

Her father clicked his tongue, her stepmother schemed to marry her off to anyone.

─“You’re my brother? What a joke. Filthy!”

The man destined to inherit the Crisha family and called her brother denied her very existence. When her powers manifested, it felt like she had the world, but reality was far from her dreams. Social attention, love, wealth, power—all belonged to Noxcia. She had every reason to be furious; Noxcia’s existence felt cursed.

‘If only Noxcia weren’t here…!’

She had always thought this, until she met Tanasia, who shared the same eyes and focus on Noxcia. Reyana and Tanasia naturally aligned, united in anger. But Tanasia had changed. Unexpectedly, she saved Noxcia from a near predicament.

‘If everything had gone according to plan, Noxcia would’ve been humiliated in the social sphere…’

Many who had praised Noxcia would have gone silent. Some attention might have shifted to Reyana. But the chance was lost.

‘I thought she was my ally…’

She momentarily forgot that Tanasia was part of the powerful Brellovf family and wouldn’t be dismissed due to low status.

‘Turns out she deceived me.’

The betrayal stung more than Noxcia’s apparent goodness. Tanasia hiding her intentions was far more loathsome.

‘Tanasia…’

Reyana unclenched her fists. The wind gathered in her hands dispersed, cutting through the room like blades. She smiled coldly at the devastation.

‘You’ll pay for deceiving me.’