Chapter 39.
I went to the prison where Lady Noivan was confined.
As soon as she saw me, Lady Noivan flinched and began trembling uncontrollably. In an instant, she hurriedly dropped to her knees and bowed her head to me.
“Y-Your Highness. I’ll explain everything. It’s all a misunderstanding. I just…!”
“Come closer.”
I beckoned to her calmly.
Lady Noivan stared blankly for a moment, then scrambled toward me on her knees. I continued to gesture.
“Closer.”
Now, she was close enough that I could reach out and touch her.
I gazed steadily into her eyes, filled with desperate hope, then slapped her cheek hard.
“Aaah!”
Lady Noivan let out a scream and tumbled to the ground where she stood.
She clutched her cheek with a terrified expression and looked up at me. I watched her impassively and repeated,
“Come closer.”
“Y-Your Highness…”
“Are you going to defy my command?”
When I asked quietly, Lady Noivan approached on her knees again, her eyes wide with fear, shaking all over.
When she was close once more, I slapped her cheek again.
“Ahh, Your Highness…”
With a tearing sound, Lady Noivan let out a groan close to a scream and rubbed her hands together in supplication.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s all m-my fault… Sob.”
“Yes, now we’re getting somewhere.”
I stared at Lady Noivan expressionlessly and asked,
“You need to answer properly. One slap for every lie. Understand?”
Lady Noivan nodded while crying. I paused in silence for a moment before speaking again.
“Confess what you’ve done to Princess Mari. Don’t leave out a single thing—all of it.”
“W-Well…”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Lady Noivan’s face.
She still had room to think, it seemed. I raised my hand once more.
“Aaaah!”
Then, casually shaking off the blood on my hand, I asked,
“Didn’t you say you understood earlier?”
“I’ll talk. I’ll tell everything…”
Lady Noivan began her story in a sobbing voice.
“His Majesty the Emperor assigned me to care for Princess Mari when she was seven, but he only provided her share of the privy purse and paid no further attention… Before I knew it, I…”
“You embezzled that money. And?”
“I didn’t provide Princess Mari with proper meals. I bought food in bulk cheaply, and later even gave her spoiled food…”
“Yes, and?”
“Sometimes, when I was in a bad mood, I’d raise my hand to her…”
Yes, up to this point, it was content I’d somewhat prepared myself for. That’s why, even as anger surged, I could still endure it.
My clenched nails dug deep into my palm. A stinging pain arose in my hand.
“A-And because caring for her was bothersome, I gave her medicine too…”
An unexpected detail emerged.
I narrowed my eyes at Lady Noivan, and fearing I’d raise my hand again, she blurted out in panic,
“I mixed sleeping pills into her meals so she’d spend most of the day asleep…”
“…What did you say?”
The moment I heard those words, something inside me snapped with a sharp crack.
“Gh, gah…!”
Lady Noivan clutched her throat and began groaning in agony. I stared at her blankly and asked,
“From when?”
“Y-Your High… ness. P-Please, spare… me…”
“Answer me. When did you start?”
“Wh-When she was… t-ten… years… old…”
“Your Highness.”
The moment Lady Noivan’s eyes rolled back, showing the whites, the fidgeting guard approached me.
“You mustn’t kill her. There are procedures to follow… Urk!”
“Don’t you see I’m not doing anything right now?”
“Y-Your Highness. Please calm your anger for a moment… I-I can’t… breathe…”
At the guard’s words, I furrowed my brow and slowly took a deep breath.
Suddenly, the two of them, who had been gasping, let out choked breaths at the same time.
They panted desperately, like people who hadn’t breathed for a very long time.
“Hah, hah! Y-Your Highness. Th-Thank you.”
“…You couldn’t breathe?”
I glared at the guard and asked.
“I didn’t do anything?”
“W-Well, that’s true, but…”
The guard continued, still catching his breath.
“Your Highness’s magic is threatening enough to people like us just from your anger alone.”
“…So my magic.”
I felt as if I’d been struck on the back of the head.
“Made it so you couldn’t breathe?”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”
…But I don’t have any magic right now?
Anger and confusion collided, making my heart pound painfully fast. Soon, the guard, breathless again, clutched his throat.
“Y-Your Highness. As long as you don’t… k-kill her… I’ll just… turn a blind eye. So, p-please let me… go…”
-Thud
At that moment, Lady Noivan’s body slumped sideways with a thud. Simultaneously, the guard’s urgent breathing filled the air.
He hurriedly checked Lady Noivan’s condition and let out a long sigh.
“Fortunately, she’s not dead. Shall I call the court physician…”
“….”
“No, I suppose not, haha. Don’t worry.”
I left the prison without looking back.
It didn’t seem like there were any omissions or lies in Lady Noivan’s confession just now.
‘So that’s why she was always sleeping whenever I visited.’
How could she boldly keep feeding her sleeping pills, knowing I was showing interest?
I gritted my teeth. Actually, I knew the reason.
She must have believed my whimsical interest as Rene would soon fade.
‘I should have found out sooner.’
The original story didn’t include details like this, so I had no idea.
The heroine was inherently taciturn, but there was no need to hide something this important from the male lead.
‘How could she do that to such a young child.’
To think of feeding her sleeping pills from age ten until now, keeping her asleep. It was a miracle she was still alive.
Tears kept streaming down my chin. I wiped them away irritably. The rage surging in my chest felt like it was battering my entire body.
“Your Highness.”
Upon returning to Rene Palace, Elsa approached with quick steps and bowed her head.
“I’ve settled Princess Mari in the guest room and called the court physician for an examination. She’s suffering from severe malnutrition, and there’s damage to her organs. It seems the problem is long-term ingestion of a specific drug, but what it is hasn’t been identified yet…”
“It’s sleeping pills.”
“…Pardon?”
“Lady Noivan said she mixed sleeping pills into the princess’s meals starting when she was ten.”
No matter how many times I said it, it didn’t feel real. I swallowed dryly with effort and continued.
“Inform the court physician and have him prepare treatments and tonics for the princess immediately. Ensure every effort is made for her recovery.”
“Understood.”
After her brief reply, Elsa asked with a tense expression moments later,
“Did you kill her?”
I stared at Elsa and shook my head. I saw her let out a short sigh of relief.
“I know. Even I can’t just kill a noble arbitrarily.”
“…I was worried. Knowing and acting don’t always align for you.”
“She can’t die. I’m someone who believes in karma.”
I’ll pay her back in kind. Muttering softly to myself, I headed to the room where Mari was resting.
For the first time in Rene Palace, I knocked before entering the room. I saw Princess Mari lying on the bed, asleep.
Her still form, as if dead, made my heart start pounding rapidly. Then, Mari slowly opened her eyes.
“…You’re awake?”
I smiled awkwardly and spoke. Mari stared blankly, then tried to sit up.
“No, stay lying down. You’re a patient.”
I quickly grabbed her shoulders and laid her back on the bed.
Mari looked at me with a restless expression, but I shook my head firmly.
“Stay down.”
“….”
With no choice, Mari lay back and avoided my gaze.
Is she still afraid of me? As I wondered, her lips suddenly parted.
An unexpected word flowed out from there.
