Chapter :11
Railly did not leave her room for several days, like someone sunk deep in grief. She simply stared out the window, as though waiting for something to happen.
She stayed hidden in her own room—the only place in the ducal estate where she could be alone—holding her breath and living as if she did not exist. The door was firmly locked, and Ren’s barrier stood guard over her.
Knock, knock, knock.
As always, Theo knocked on her door again today.
—Madam, are you really going to keep this up?
Just hearing Theo’s voice made her heart feel as though it might burst. Her entire body trembled, and resentment boiled up inside her.
Railly spat out her words as though grinding them between her teeth.
“…Leave me alone.”
—Ha.
At her response, Theo let out a sigh and stood in front of the door, staring silently at the unopened entrance.
‘This is becoming a problem.’
He, too, had waited for that child. But what he thought would be grief lasting only two days had dragged on, and his patience was beginning to run out.
—How long are you going to stay locked inside your room? I, too, regret what happened to the child.
“…What?”
At Theo’s words, a hot surge of emotion rose sharply up her throat. Railly’s eyes were bloodshot and red, and from barely eating, her body looked gaunt, her bones sharply outlined.
She could even feel the mana inside her twisting and moving erratically.
“Railly, calm down.”
Ren covered Railly’s eyes with his hand and whispered by her ear. A faint blue light seeped into her green-tinged pupils, shimmering with an eerie hue.
“Your body isn’t okay right now. Your mana is agitated.”
Ren hurried to soothe her. With her mana already unstable, her condition was dangerous.
He had not told her, but for the time being, it would likely be difficult for her to conceive again. Unless she formed a contract, her mana would continue to fluctuate.
‘I want to kill him right now, with my own hands.’
Railly wanted nothing more than to twist his neck until it snapped.
But she couldn’t.
If he died so easily, then the child who had been inside her would have died in vain.
When no sound came from inside the room, Theo sighed again.
—…I understand how you feel. But isn’t it better for everyone to forget what’s already passed as soon as possible? And… let’s talk when you come out.
For some reason, Theo could not bring himself to open the door. Every time his hand reached for the doorknob, it hesitated and stopped.
‘She’ll open the door tomorrow.’
There were things Railly needed to know. Right after she fell down the stairs, a physician had been summoned. He said she had miscarried, and that her condition was poor enough that conceiving again in the future would be difficult.
He explained that her pulse was inexplicably blocked and that it was nearly impossible—because he knew nothing about her mana.
‘Well, it can’t be helped. I still have Anna…’
Once again, Theo failed to enter Railly’s room. He glanced back over his shoulder, but some unknown force kept driving him away.
Railly spent her days in a daze, eating only the food the maids brought her—barely enough to wet her lips.
“I want to leave this place as soon as possible.”
No more tears came. At some point, as if she had dried out completely, even sorrow stopped coming.
With only empty eyes remaining, she looked like someone who had lost even the will to live. She survived day by day, as though living only because she could not die.
“It’s not too late, even now.”
Ren tapped the table out of habit, his expression dark with displeasure. His dissatisfied gaze fixed on Railly’s hollow eyes.
“Please. Just do that.”
“Just say the words. It’s simple.”
“…Ren.”
“Kill them. Just say that one word.”
Ren sprang to his feet irritably and dragged a hand over his face. Thankfully, he could protect Railly with his own power—but he hadn’t been able to save her child.
He was tired of watching Railly get hurt over such an absurd situation. That madman of a duke still hadn’t come to his senses and kept making Railly cry.
‘Without even knowing whose bad side he’s fallen on.’
If Theo knew who was watching over Railly—including Ren himself—he would never dare treat her so carelessly.
“How about killing everyone in the ducal estate?”
Until now, Ren had barely managed to stabilize Railly’s mana with his power, but it was becoming harder. He wondered if eliminating everyone in the estate and living here alone might at least give her some peace.
“…They can’t die so easily.”
Railly shook her head. She wanted them to sink into despair just as deeply as she had—to feel what it was like for everything to collapse, to know in their bones how painful it was to lose something precious.
In a few days, newspapers carrying the duke’s scandal would arrive. As for the divorce petition, a response would come once the imperial family finished reviewing it.
“What about what I asked for?”
“Here.”
Ren handed her a document envelope. Railly took it and carefully examined the contents. It detailed the ducal family’s assets down to the smallest particulars.
“I’ve handled everything the way you asked. I’ll ask again—are you sure you don’t want to kill them?”
Railly nodded. Ren collapsed into a seated position, crossing his arms and twisting his face.
“He’s not even worth calling human. Wouldn’t it be fine to kill him?”
“Ren.”
“Ah—okay. I’ll shut up now.”
Ren raised both hands and sighed. Internally, he thought:
‘I should clean up the trash around here.’
If they somehow continued to live, he would kill them with his own hands—without Railly knowing.
In truth, Ren had already done one thing without Railly’s permission.
‘Tch. I don’t like it… but if I tell her later, it’ll just cause an even bigger mess.’
If he couldn’t do it himself, he wanted to kill them using someone else’s hands.
Someone who might be even angrier about this situation than he was.
After briefly imagining it, Ren smiled in satisfaction.
“Railly, just to be clear—I didn’t do anything, okay?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“No reason. Just wanted to make that clear.”
Ren shrugged as if it were nothing and urged her to hurry and prepare. Railly resumed moving her hands, which had stopped.
“By the way, Railly… you—no, never mind.”
Ren closed his mouth just as he was about to mention Kaber. The moment he heard about her miscarriage, Kaber had rushed over immediately.
“Don’t forget—there’s someone who thinks only of you, and who would do anything for you.”
“…Did Kaber come looking for me?”
Railly turned her gaze toward Ren. As their eyes met, her gaze dropped to something in Ren’s hand.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, this… I wasn’t sure you’d accept it, so I was going to hide it.”
Ren gently handed her a box. When she opened it, inside lay a tiny pair of baby shoes, clearly handmade.
“I couldn’t throw them away.”
With trembling hands, Railly lifted the shoes. Along with a congratulatory note, she saw Kaber’s name—and she collapsed all over again.
“Ugh…”
Everything she had suspected until now—it really had all been him. The one she had hated and pushed away had secretly continued to watch over her.
Even so, Railly could not reach out her hand.
She did not want to return to the place she had fled with her own two feet.
“Don’t cry.”
Ren wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently patted her back.
‘Maybe I really should’ve just thrown it away.’
Ren squeezed his eyes shut in regret over what he had just done. Still, he couldn’t ignore Kaber’s efforts. Even today, Kaber had brought medicine that could suppress Railly’s mana.
If she found out, I might get hit.
Ren swallowed a bitter smile as he lamented internally.
Someone entered Railly’s room while she slept. Ren, who had been keeping watch, lifted his head and looked at the intruder.
“…How is she?”
Kaber approached Railly’s side and examined her. Her face looked drawn, as though she hadn’t been sleeping well. When he gently placed a hand on her forehead, black mana flickered.
Railly’s expression softened, and she slept more peacefully.
“Well, in moments like this, it seems I’m useful.”
“…I really should kill you.”
Ren shook his head, crossing his arms, and looked down at the sleeping Railly with displeasure.
“She doesn’t want that. More importantly—how’s the progress?”
“I heard a letter will be sent to the estate soon.”
“That’s slower than I expected.”
Kaber sat beside Railly and brushed back her sweat-dampened hair. The sound of her soft breathing filled the room. He noticed the strong barrier set around the door.
“Oh, that. The bastard was completely out of control.”
“Don’t tell me he tried something with Railly—”
“Something like that. And it wasn’t just one of them.”
Theo, Anna, and the maids acting under her orders hadn’t left Railly alone. In the end, Ren used magic—anyone who tried to open Railly’s door would be forced back.
‘Railly…’
When he heard she had miscarried, Kaber had rushed straight to the ducal estate in shock. Seeing Railly sobbing hysterically, he nearly lost all reason and tried to appear before Theo, ready to cut him down.
『Your Highness, no. Please.』
『…Let go.』
『Even if I die, I truly cannot allow this.』
Despite the murderous aura tearing at his skin, Haban never released Kaber. As a result, Kaber had to undergo treatment for a week—but even so, he believed stopping him had been the right choice.
“Stay by her side. You’re the only one she can trust.”
“As I always have, I’ll protect her—with or without your concern.”
Ren shot back as he stood up. He opened the window and gestured with his chin.
“So go back and do what you need to do.”
“…Once I finish, I’ll come again. Take good care of her.”
“We might not be here by then.”
Ren replied coolly.
Kaber’s face twisted at Ren’s words. But he couldn’t remain here. From afar, he could sense the presence of the knights waiting for him.
“I’ll be in touch.”
With reluctant steps, he left the ducal estate. Watching the window Kaber had exited through, Ren let out a sigh.
“I’ll never tell her. The only way Railly can be happy is if everyone forgets her.”
Ren locked the window and returned to Railly’s side. Sitting beside her, he stayed awake all night, never once closing his eyes.
