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TN: There is another revelation about about this lilac field in later chapters which is also shocking. To think Ardion says it 'smells' nice but in fact he couldn't... ahem, I won't spoil so explicitly. Leave a comment below now!
I simply smiled.
Ardion stared at me intently and said, “And when we’re married, don’t think about going out for a while.”
“Why?”
“Because once we’re married, I want to spend all my time with you.”
“But I might have things to do.”
“Laila, your health isn’t good right now. If you go outside, you might collapse. More than that, you need me. I’ll do everything I can to help stabilize your mana.”
I just smiled and turned my head away. “So much for marriage making someone more gentle.”
If anything, the way he looked at me, the desire in his gaze, wasn’t fading—it was only more persistent, more wanting. Even now, I could feel his eyes on me.
The hope I had earlier was quickly fading.
It was clear now that Ardion’s obsession with me wasn’t going to fade. In fact, in the original story, he had never given up on the female lead. That was what made it such a dark, twisted tale.
In truth, I was afraid of Ardion. I had been relieved before because he didn’t act the same way as in the original story… But now, the way he was looking at me, the way he was acting, made everything complicated again.
Knowing what he had done to Serina, I couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t do the same to me.
I understood why Serina had wanted to kill Ardion. In her past life, he had clung to her obsessively, tormenting her, so it made sense she wanted revenge.
But I was caught in the middle of it all. And now, I couldn’t live without Ardion—I needed my mana to stabilize.
It felt like I was caught in some kind of fate, like I was bound to Ardion. Whether at the Duke Orchid estate or now, I was constantly in situations where I needed him.
I lowered my head and stared at my hands.
Suddenly, I heard the judge’s voice.
“The evidence recently adopted was submitted by His Highness the First Prince. And, belatedly, His Highness the Crown Prince has also submitted evidence.”
I could hear whispers in the courtroom. I wasn’t the only one surprised.
“The crown prince also submitted evidence?”
Ardion didn’t seem surprised, as if he already knew. He just nodded. “He likely submitted it a day ago.”
“No way. Rowell was the one who did everything wrong. What evidence could he have?” I voiced my displeasure.
Ardion chuckled softly and assured me with a voice full of certainty. “But in the end, Rowell himself will end up trapped in the very trap he set.”
Curious, I asked, “How do you know that so well?”
“Can you see that?” Ardion moved closer and pointed downward.
But I couldn’t tell exactly what he was pointing to. “Where?”
Ardion slowly took my hand and stopped it in midair. “Over there.”
I followed the tip of his finger and saw a person—someone with a twisted face, looking around nervously.
“That person who keeps turning their head?”
Ardion, still holding my hand, nodded. “That’s Duke Delrit. He helped Rowell a lot, but since Rowell has no way to escape, he’ll pin the blame onto the duke.”
Just then, the judge’s voice rang out. “Based on the final evidence presented, Jonok will serve a 20-year sentence in prison for his previous crimes. His Highness the Crown Prince, though innocent, has provided proof that points to Duke Delrit as the sole perpetrator, so he will serve a 30-year sentence.”
Duke Delrit, sitting on the first floor, suddenly stood up. “I am not a criminal!”
But as the commoners shouted and jeered, he was dragged away by the guards. Even then, he twisted and struggled in their grip.
It seemed he was furious about being caught. As he passed near Rowell, he yelled, “Do you think I’ll stay quiet?! I didn’t do those things!”
But despite his outburst, Rowell calmly watched as Duke Delrit was taken away. That alone sent a chill down my spine.
Now I knew that everything Ardion had said earlier was true.
“How did you know?”
“I visited every member of the nobility. When Delrit saw me, he begged for his life.”
“So what happened?”
“None of Rowell’s people kneeled before me at once, but Delrit was the only one who begged as soon as he saw me. I thought it was strange, so I asked him why, and he said Rowell was trying to kill him.”
“Trying to kill him?”
“It seems Delrit was deeply involved in Rowell’s activities. Originally, his family was more of a commoner background, but Rowell took him in and helped him rise to a noble family, so he had to do whatever Rowell told him. And that was what happened in the end.”
“So, what will you do?”
Ardion’s green eyes sparkled with intensity. “What do you think we should do, Laila?”
“Well, it seems like Delrit knows Rowell’s secrets. What if we use him?”
“I thought the same, but it turns out Delrit only knows what I already know.” Ardion stood up.
“So, what now?” I asked again.
Ardion smiled. “We’ll discard him.”
“Discard him?”
“He’s of no use to us. Besides, he’s done so many things under Rowell’s orders, so a sentence like that isn’t a bad thing for him. But sending Delrit to prison is a mistake for Rowell. Now, Delrit has nothing left to lose.”
But the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. All the evidence I had gathered might
unravel once more. Come to think of it, in the original story, Rowell had burned down the temple and tried to poison the emperor.
I had tried to gather evidence about that at the Duke Orchid estate, but Rowell had burned the mansion down, and things got strangely out of hand. And until now, the temple hadn’t been burned down.
But in the original story, Rowell had tried to kill the emperor. Given his current nature, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t attempt something like that again.
“Your Highness.”
Ardion turned to face me.
“How is His Majesty now?”
“He’s been ill for a long time and can’t even open his eyes properly now. Why do you ask?”
“I just have a feeling that Rowell might be targeting His Majesty as well.”
Ardion’s face hardened.
Just then, an unexpected voice interrupted. “I heard you’re getting married soon.”
I turned my head, and there stood Rowell, staring at me. Beside him was a tall, expressionless man, someone who seemed too intimidating to walk around on his own.
“Well, it seems like Ardion is stirring things up in this area.”
The newspaper article I saw in the reception room said that Ardion had been using a lot of mana lately. In addition, I heard that he had visited each and every member of the House of Nobles, so it seemed that he was threatening them.
If I hadn’t gone to Duchess Heverun, Ardion would have used mana and threatened them.
Now that I think about it, Ardion seems to have inherited the nature of a tyrant…
I glanced at Ardion, and our eyes met. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly. When I saw him smiling so sweetly at me… it seemed like he was suppressing his nature only for me.
At that moment, I heard Rowell’s voice.
“Congratulations, little brother.”
“I don’t really want to receive congratulations from you. Can’t you tell the difference between what’s yours and mine?”
Rowell’s expression hardened in an instant, and his eyes flashed coldly. “Rather than saying that I can’t tell the difference, didn’t you take everything that’s mine? Starting with mana and even the oracle of the temple… And you’re even an illegitimate child.”
“What can you do about something that you were born with? It wouldn’t be bad if you were reborn right now.”
Rowell sneered. “You’re talking nonsense again. I know you’ve gone to the nobles like a crazy person, but don’t forget the temple is full of people too. You never know when they’ll hit you in the back of the head.”
“It’s not that I trust the temple. It’s that the temple trusts me.”
Rowell looked at Ardion with a cold, hard face. Then he turned his gaze to me. When our eyes met, his eyes widened. “Then I hope to see you again.”
Rowell turned and pushed his way through the crowd.
Ardion stared at Rowell’s back with a blazing gaze and then grabbed my hand tightly. “Laila, the wedding is tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Why is the date—”
“Do you want to postpone it to another day?” Ardion’s eyes pierced me. His eyes showed firmness, as if he had been preparing for it since long ago.
“… No. Let’s do it tomorrow.”
It seemed strange that the wedding would be held tomorrow, but it looked like Ardion couldn’t wait any longer.
Ardion immediately smiled. His face glowed, as if he had heard a happy story. He kissed my cheek. When I turned around, I saw Ardion smiling brightly and looking at me.
Before I knew it, people were gathering around us. Ardion led me out of the courthouse, and outside was the carriage waiting for us. Ardion and I got on the carriage without hesitation.
The carriage passed the courthouse and Ardion’s mansion.
“Your Highness, aren’t we going back to the mansion?” I glanced out the carriage window.
“I have somewhere to go, Laila.”
“Where?“
“The lilac field.”
“Lilac?”
Ardion nodded. “When I was in the frontier, I sometimes smelled the scent of lilacs. Whenever I did, I thought of you. I also thought of the lilacs I gave you.”
He gently touched my hand and looked at me with a smile. “So what I thought at that time was that I wanted to plant a lot of lilacs and smell their scent as much as I wanted once I left the frontier, just like I always thought of you.”