Chapter 72
Elrome blinked in shock, unable to do anything else.
“Say that you disguised yourself as the astrologer, that everything was your doing, Elrome.”
She had never expected Grania to say such a thing.
The sudden words made her head burn and throb.
“My lady.”
“What? Can’t you? Can’t you do at least that much for me?”
Elrome tried to pull her hand free, but Grania wouldn’t let go.
“You will, won’t you? You can do it, right?”
“My lady, I…”
“I can’t end it like this. I absolutely won’t!”
Elrome gripped Grania’s hand a little tighter.
“My lady, please. Calm down.”
“……”
“Getting worked up won’t help anything. Breathe slowly, steady yourself—”
“Elrome, promise me first. If you don’t promise, I don’t think I’ll ever calm down!”
Grania was throwing a tantrum.
“My lady, what kind of promise are you asking me to make?”
Elrome’s face looked as if she was about to cry.
“Do you really not know what I mean?”
“My lady, please don’t do this.”
The words Elrome couldn’t say aloud burned in her chest.
Please let me go on liking you.
Please, my lady.
“Elrome, you know as well as I do—we’re almost there. It’s almost within my grasp.”
But Elrome slowly released Grania’s hand.
Her expression was firmer than before.
“My lady, I told you from the beginning. You might change the circumstances, but you can’t change someone’s heart at will.”
“……”
“It’s not time yet. Not at all, my lady.”
“Elrome.”
“My lady, if you only see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear, you’ll never achieve anything.”
Elrome stared straight into Grania’s eyes, as if trying to hypnotize her.
“And sometimes… you must accept that there are things you simply can’t change, that fate or inevitability exist.”
“What did you just say?”
“It’s not the first time, is it? My lady, it’s important to resist fate and try to overcome it, but there are limits.”
With a cold expression, Grania lifted her hand to cut her words short.
“What exactly are you implying?”
Elrome folded her hands and stayed silent.
She knew Grania’s nature well.
Of course, she had changed since the day they first met.
Back then, she had been innocent and gentle.
She was the kind of woman whose heart fluttered just from gazing at someone she could never reach.
“Are you saying I shouldn’t even look at the tree I can’t climb anymore?”
“My lady, what I mean is—”
Elrome saw Grania’s ears flush red and tried to wave her hands quickly.
“Sigh.”
But suddenly, Grania took a deep breath and changed her expression.
A silence fell between them.
Elrome stood quietly with her hands folded, while Grania seemed to be sorting out her emotions.
After a long while, Grania spoke first.
“I’m sorry, Elrome.”
“My lady.”
“I just panicked, I was so scared.”
She slumped into the sofa with drooping shoulders.
“You’re the only one I can rely on.”
“Yes, I know.”
“My mind feels broken. Whenever I think of His Grace, I can’t think rationally.”
Grania clutched her head and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Stay strong, my lady. This is your last chance.”
“Yes. The last.”
“Then it’s over. Once this time passes, nothing can be changed.”
Grania grabbed Elrome’s hand again.
“Elrome, don’t say ‘the end.’ That sounds terrifying.”
Her lashes trembled. Elrome sighed as she looked at the shrunken figure of Grania.
“My lady, shall I bring you a warm cup of tea?”
Grania slowly shook her head.
“You need to think calmly at times like this.”
“But what can I do when it’s impossible?”
“You’ve done well up to now.”
“All that I’ve built is about to collapse.”
She couldn’t calm down.
“You know how desperate I am.”
“I know. That’s why I’ve helped you.”
“I’m so afraid, Elrome. What if His Grace already knows everything?”
“That’s impossible.”
Elrome deliberately spoke firmly.
Of course, it was a lie meant to reassure her.
“My lady, were there any other huts or stalls that day besides ours?”
Grania shook her head.
“No, none.”
“Then His Grace might have mistaken you for another astrologer.”
“……”
“He meets so many people and handles so many matters at once.”
Her reasoning sounded plausible, but Grania shook her head.
“Father won’t let this go.”
She flinched as she recalled her father’s furious face.
Since he had received the duke’s order, he would hunt down whoever gave the command.
All it would take was asking one of the workers to find out whose scheme it was.
“Elrome, please.”
“My lady.”
“Even if you’re punished by His Grace, I’ll find a way to free you.”
“What?”
“If you say it was you, it’ll be simple to settle.”
“……”
“Then, once I enter Cygnus Castle, freeing you will be nothing.”
“Enter Cygnus Castle?”
“Once I become His Grace’s woman, everything will be solved!”
Grania begged and threatened by turns, clinging to Elrome.
“Elrome, if you think about it, I only ever did what you told me to. I was no more than a puppet!”
“My lady.”
“You were the head, and I was the limbs. So confessing isn’t even that unfair!”
Her pomegranate-red eyes filled with tears.
“I’m begging you like this, please!”
But seeing her tears only made Elrome calmer.
“My lady, do you really want me to do that?”
Even so, Elrome wanted to understand her.
She knew better than anyone how much Grania longed for Jeralac’s affection.
It pained her to watch her twist this way—especially since she herself had given her the means.
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“My lady, if you stood by His Grace like that, do you think you’d truly be happy?”
“What?”
Grania wiped her tears away and spoke coldly.
“You may have talent, and I’ve treated you well because of it, but remember—you’re just a maid.”
“……”
“Do I still look like some clueless soul possessed by another?”
“My lady.”
“Do I still look naïve and clumsy in your eyes?”
“That’s not true. I swear, I’ve never thought that—”
Elrome’s face was stiffening when—
Knock knock.
Someone rapped on Grania’s door.
She quickly smoothed her face and answered in a composed voice.
“Come in.”
The one who entered was none other than Marte.
Perhaps from being harassed by their father downstairs, his complexion wasn’t good.
With hollow eyes, Marte asked his sister:
“Are you… all right?”
“What?”
Grania’s eyes widened in alarm at the question.
“What do you mean?”
Marte gave an awkward smile at her reaction.
“Just now, what Father said—”
“I told you already, I don’t know anything about it, brother.”
Grania tilted her head sweetly with a smile.
“Ah.”
“His Grace must have been mistaken, or there was some mix-up. I don’t know anything about it. Why are you following me up here and tormenting me?”
Marte looked at his sister with a strange gaze.
“Yes, I know. You already said so downstairs.”
He shrugged lightly and continued.
“I was just worried that you might be upset, since the good intentions behind your gathering were being distorted.”
Grania then realized she had overreacted to his words.
“I’m sorry. I thought you meant something else.”
Even as she apologized, her heart pounded.
She was embarrassed for raising her voice, and worried that her brother might grow suspicious.
“I see.”
Thankfully, Marte smiled softly and went on.
“In any case, once Mother and Roheimo return, this should be resolved.”
Grania only nodded without answering.
“Father seems ready to drag you to the castle immediately. Mother will be here soon, but who knows where Roheimo is or what he’s doing.”
“Um… Brother.”
Just then, Grania called out to him gently.
