Chapter 140 : Severance
“Aracila, it was all for your sake.”
Frederick’s expression shifted abruptly, as if he’d only just realized his mistake. After a brief silence, he spoke. Aracila let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“Cut the nonsense, Frederick. Just how long have you been deceiving me, playing your little games?”
Frederick merely furrowed his brow, saying nothing. His silence felt like a quiet pressure, as if he were wordlessly demanding, Isn’t that enough?
His imposing demeanor stirred another memory in her mind. The anonymous high-ranking imperial figure tied to Damian’s assassination attempt. Could that have been Frederick too? Aracila’s voice, more certain than questioning, cut through the air.
“During the western beast subjugation, were you the one who tried to have Damian killed?”
“Aracila, we’ve known each other for seven years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
“Don’t dodge the question. Answer me straight.”
Aracila leaned forward, her tone unyielding.
Frederick’s face went blank, every trace of emotion wiped away. He exhaled deeply, lifted his chin, and looked down at her with an air of arrogance.
“How rude, Lady Vandemir. Are you seriously accusing the Crown Prince of a crime without a shred of evidence?”
“Your Highness’s attitude is evidence enough. You’re the kind of man who would clearly deny something if it weren’t true.”
Frederick neither confirmed nor denied it. As Aracila stared at his inscrutable expression, her voice cracked with emotion.
“I trusted you, you know.”
Because in the prophetic dream where my sister died, you were the friend who helped me.
That’s why, even when Frederick acted strangely, she kept her distance but didn’t cut ties completely. She believed this was just a phase, that he’d eventually return to the person he used to be. He had been the true friend who extended a helping hand when she was in trouble, so she didn’t want to cast him aside easily.
But she was wrong. Frederick had used their friendship as a mask to satisfy his own desires, manipulating her under the guise of camaraderie. While pretending to respect her, he’d interpreted her words to suit his own ends, steering her life as he saw fit.
The realization hit Aracila like a blade, a bone-deep betrayal that left her reeling. The thought that every moment she’d treated him with sincerity had been a lie to him made her heart grow cold. Not a trace of lingering affection or regret remained.
“Our bond ends here.”
“Aracila, are you throwing away a friend over some man? What, now that you’re married, is he more important than your dreams?”
Even at the end, Frederick stubbornly shifted the blame onto her. Aracila, her eyes burning red, glared at him and said, “You’re showing your true colors now, aren’t you? Is this who you’ve always been?”
“You knew, didn’t you? Deep down, you sensed how I felt about you. Did you really think all the kindness I showed you came without any expectations?”
“Yes, just like the kindness I showed you.”
Aracila rose abruptly, offering him a formal bow—a gesture of courtesy she rarely used, even at official events. For so long, they had been friends who didn’t need such formalities.
“I never told you to leave,” Frederick said.
But Aracila ignored him, turning on her heel. As she walked away, Frederick’s voice rose sharply behind her.
“You’ll regret this, Aracila! I’m the one keeping you from being punished for treason against the royal family! Without me, you’ll face the consequences!”
“You don’t need to protect me anymore.”
Aracila, now at the door with her hand on the knob, replied coldly. Frederick bit his lip hard.
“Don’t be ridiculous… You’ll come back to me eventually, Aracila. Our bond isn’t something that just ends like this.”
“No, Frederick. It’s over.”
Still facing away, she spoke firmly.
“Things will never go back to how they were.”
Those were her final words. The door closed behind her, severing their connection completely.
And so, their friendship ended.
Forever.
The carriage heading back to the estate suddenly changed direction. Lost in a daze, Aracila didn’t notice until it came to a stop and she realized they’d arrived somewhere unfamiliar.
“What’s this? Why are we here? I clearly said to go home…”
As she opened the window to scold the coachman, a gentle voice interrupted her.
“I gave the order. Please don’t be angry.”
Aracila turned toward the voice. Damian stood by the window, a faint smile on his face. The autumn sunlight glinted brilliantly off his silver hair and golden eyes.
“…Damian?”
“I told the coachman to bring you here instead of home once your business was done.”
His blue eyes blinked slowly. Sensing her unspoken question, Damian’s smile widened.
“Winter’s coming soon. It’ll be too cold to wander outside, so I wanted to enjoy a late autumn stroll with you while we still can.”
He gestured toward a path leading to a park, lined with trees. Half of them stood bare, their leaves already fallen, while the rest displayed a vibrant mix of colors. If they were to enjoy the foliage before it was gone, now was the time.
“You could’ve told me,” Aracila said.
“I didn’t want you to feel rushed, in case you hadn’t finished your business.”
Damian knew that knowing someone was waiting could make a person anxious. So he’d waited quietly, giving her the time she needed to sever the ties of a seven-year friendship.
He extended his hand through the carriage window.
“Will you walk with me?”
“…Alright.”
With a faint smile, Aracila stepped out and took his hand.
They walked slowly down the street. A cool autumn breeze sent brown leaves swirling through the air. Once these leaves fell, winter would arrive—the fourth season Aracila and Damian, married in the spring, would face together.
Damian glanced down at her. The sword-shaped pendant at her neck gleamed like ripples on a lake under the sunlight.
A quiet, proud smile crept onto Aracila’s lips.
“Did your conversation with His Highness go well?” Damian asked.
“Yes, I decided to cut ties cleanly,” Aracila replied calmly, though her brow soon furrowed as she offered an apology. “I’m sorry, Damian. Because of me, you almost died. I should’ve been sharper, noticed Frederick’s intentions sooner, and kept my guard up.”
It was a thought that had gnawed at her ever since the truth came to light. It wasn’t the Vandemir ducal family but Frederick who had tried to kill him. The realization that this danger stemmed from her filled Aracila with guilt.
“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault. The one who tried to kill me was His Highness the Crown Prince, wasn’t it?” Damian responded firmly, having endured his own share of unwarranted guilt in the past. He didn’t want Aracila to suffer the same unnecessary burden.
More than that, he knew he wasn’t entirely blameless in this matter. Feeling the need to be honest, Damian spoke cautiously. “Actually, I haven’t been entirely truthful with you.”
“What do you mean?” Aracila asked.
“I knew the high-ranking imperial figure who ordered the western beast subjugation was connected to Marquis Grant, but I didn’t tell you.”
Marquis Grant was Frederick’s kin, so Aracila would have immediately deduced who the figure was. If Damian had shared this information earlier, perhaps she could have been spared some of the pain.
Acknowledging his own selfishness, Damian lowered his head. “I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. But why didn’t you tell me? Because Frederick was my friend?”
Damian hesitated, shaking his head. While that was part of it, the real reason lay elsewhere.
“It wasn’t just that. I was afraid that if I told you, you might realize how His Highness felt about you… and I didn’t want to be the one to make you see it.”
“Why? Were you worried I’d break our contract and run off to Frederick?” Aracila asked.
“No, that’s not it. It’s just…” Damian trailed off. He knew Aracila wasn’t the type to abandon her responsibilities. She was too dutiful to break their contract midway, even if she were to choose Frederick in the end. What Damian feared wasn’t the contract’s end but losing her altogether.
Even if their bond was destined to fade someday, he wasn’t ready to face that end just yet.
“For the first time in so long, I felt like I had someone truly on my side. I didn’t want to lose you. I’m sorry, my lady. I was thinking only of myself.”
Aracila fell silent at his half-honest confession, lost in thought. After a long pause, she spoke. “I’ll accept your apology.”
“…Really?” Damian asked, surprised.
“Yes. When you think about it, you didn’t exactly lie. You just didn’t share what you knew.”
If Aracila had pressed him, sensing something, Damian likely would have told her the truth. He wasn’t the kind of man to lie to her outright.
With a stern expression, Aracila grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “But if you do something like that again, I won’t let it slide. Tell me everything, no holding back. Because… we’re husband and wife, aren’t we?”
Her lake-blue eyes gazed at him, clear and unwavering.
“Like you said, I’m on your side, and you’re on mine.”
“…”
“People on the same side should be honest with each other.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Damian said, a soft chuckle escaping as he nodded.
Aracila now saw him as her true ally, her partner. Though their relationship had begun as a contract, both of them knew it was no longer purely pretense. They weren’t a real husband and wife, but they weren’t entirely fake either. A subtle, intangible intimacy had undeniably taken root between them.
“I’ll make sure to do so from now on,” Damian promised.
“Good,” Aracila replied, a bright smile spreading across her face. The corner of Damian’s mouth lifted in response, his expression softening.
They clasped hands naturally and resumed their walk.
“By the way, what are you planning to do about the Magic Tower matter?” Damian asked. “I’ve gathered evidence to prove Travis’s crimes.”
“Thank you. I was already planning to arrange a proper reckoning for Travis this week.”
A smooth, confident curve formed on Aracila’s lips. She wasn’t just preparing to deal with Travis—she was ready to make the entire Magic Tower pay for what they’d done.
It was widely revealed that the scandalous rumors of an affair between Frederick and Aracila had been spread by the White Marquisate. Aracila hadn’t been the one to expose it. She had wanted to implicate the Grant Marquisate as well, but Frederick had preemptively cut ties to protect himself.
The White Marquisate faced a storm of criticism and public scorn, forcing them to issue a formal apology. When the backlash didn’t subside, the entire family retreated to their estate for a period of self-imposed exile.
Nora, who had only just returned to high society, was once again cast out—this time alongside her mother.
It’s not exactly a satisfying outcome, Aracila thought. Knowing Nora had been unwittingly used didn’t make her punishment feel gratifying.
Aracila clicked her tongue in distaste as she turned her attention away from the newspapers, which had once attacked her but were now scrambling to defend her.
What mattered most to Aracila now was something else entirely.
The Magic Tower, to which she had devoted a third of her life.
Even when called an oddity, even when ridiculed as foolish, Aracila had pressed forward, driven solely by her goal. She had always known the path to her dream would not be easy, that it would be fraught with obstacles, and she had steeled herself for it. Never once had she regretted her choices.
But the sanctimonious, deceitful figures within the Magic Tower had, in a single moment, invalidated all the time she had poured into it. That, she could not forgive.
With those feelings burning in her chest, Aracila poured her thoughts onto paper, each word deliberate and precise. Beside her, Colin sat sorting through documents.
“Thank you for helping me, Colin,” she said.
“Not at all, my lady. I’m just glad to be of some assistance,” Colin replied, adjusting his glasses and offering a gentle smile. At Damian’s behest, he was currently aiding Aracila. As an aide, his competence and vast knowledge made him invaluable in countless ways.
“For this part, I think it’d be better to frame it in terms of compensation rather than restitution,” he suggested.
“Oh, got it,” Aracila said.
She worked tirelessly, consulting with Colin, revising and refining the words on the page. When she finally placed the last period, a proud smile spread across her face as she patted Colin’s shoulder.
“Good work. Thanks to you, this came together smoothly.”
“I only did what needed to be done,” Colin replied modestly, beginning to tidy up the desk. As he prepared to leave, a thought seemed to strike him. “My lady, would you like me to submit those documents on my way?”
“No, I’ll handle it myself. It’ll draw more attention that way.”
If she wanted to capture the public’s eye, it was better for Aracila to take the lead herself.
She saw Colin off and began preparing to go out. Dressed simply yet elegantly, she exuded an air of quiet dignity. Climbing into the carriage, she gave the coachman her instructions.
“To the courthouse.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The coachman urged the horses forward, and Aracila’s carriage sped through the streets without hesitation.
The empire was thrown into an uproar the very next day.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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