It appeared as though Raniero’s mood had improved on the outside, but on the inside, he was still speechless. Even with his self-brainwashing that what Angelica had done was amusing, an unshakable sense of anxiety and turmoil surged fiercely in his eyes.
Count and Countess Tocino couldn’t raise their heads in fear as they thought to themselves.
‘I wish Duchess Nerma would’ve come.’
Even though she did help the Count and Countess Tocino to apprehend Cisen and Sylvia, she didn’t show the level of enthusiasm they had hoped for when coming to the County.
It was about saving herself.
In the first place, Actilus was the epitome of ambition and cunning. The fundamental reason the Empress had escaped was the negligence of the Count and Countess Tocino, so there was no room for blaming the Duchess of Nerma for pulling out of the situation.
In the meanwhile, Raniero occupied the parlor, leaving the Count and Countess Tocino to cower in fear.
He called for Cisen.
Cisen entered the reception room with her hands tied behind her back and bit the tip of her tongue to keep from fainting from her fear. The man before her right now was far more terrifying than the day Angelica had left her seat to meet Eden.
Raniero asked.
“Where is she?”
She remained silent.
“Why didn’t she take you with her?”
Her response was still silence.
“If it wasn’t you, then who did she take?”
Her tightly sealed lips remained closed.
Seeing Raniero’s furrowed eyebrows tighten as he stood up from his seat, Cisen began to tremble noticeably.
“I heard you paid for your room and board with my wife’s belongings. I assume you were caught on purpose?”
As he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered, he could clearly feel her arms twitch visibly in terror. It was as if a bug was being lured by the sweet voice. At the sound of his voice, she felt an enticement that felt like many-legged creatures crawling into her ear canal.
Cisen didn’t respond, but it didn’t matter to him. He didn’t expect an answer. All he needed was a piece of wood to listen to him, and Cisen was an excellent piece of wood in front of him. Her trembling and breathing provided clear clues. Even if she tried to maintain her composure, it wouldn’t be easy in front of him.
Deceiving him was extremely difficult.
As far as he knew, the only one who had ever managed to fool him was that dastardly little woman.
‘This is fun.’
He thought with a wide smile, trying to suppress the rising anger. There was a slight twitch in the corner of his eye.
“You deliberately went south and exposed yourself in a crowded place. You must have known that investigative personnel would draw attention in that direction.”
Raniero reasoned, with his lips still close to Cisen’s ear.
“It seems my wife went north.”
Even though Cisen tried to remain calm, he could clearly hear that her breathing had become a little heavier.
Yes, it was this easy to pick up on signals from other people’s bodies.
Still, Angelicalied.
Angelica had always clung to him and begged for his affection, never showing a hint of reluctance, yet she didn’t love him.
It was nonsensical.
The feeling of being forcibly lifted up had crashed back down again, and he was left overwhelmed by the surge of emotions. He grabbed Cisen by the hair and forced her head to turn. Despite being stained with fear, her brown eyes still held a sense of dignity and devotion towards her master.
Raniero twisted his lips.
“Your master has abandoned you.”
Cisen, who had remained silent the entire time, smiled faintly.
“What’s the use of being so stubborn when your master has forsaken you like this?”
Her dry lips parted.
“My princess, the master of my life… She… has changed for a long time.”
Her voice was dry and cracked.
Still, it was also heavy, like a damp cloth.
The Count and Countess Tocino seemed to have tortured her to the point where she couldn’t sleep. They must have wanted to find out Angelica’s whereabouts before his return, so they would have used every possible means, and there were also signs of physical torture visible.
Cisen laughed, even though the pain unlike anything she’d ever known, must be eating away at her every second.
Her smile was entirely different from Raniero’s laughter… it wasn’t the expression of someone deceiving themselves. Although he couldn’t distinguish the individuality of people’s faces, Raniero could recognize facial expressions.
The forced smile vanished from his face.
“No matter how much she has changed… I’m still on her side. As much as her trust and my loyalty…”
She possessed a solid pillar of trust that he lacked.
She even looked happy.
“Even if she betrays me, I’ll still be on her side… No matter how many times she betrays me, I’ll believe. I’ll be deceived by her…”
Her solemn confession sounded like a question directed at him.
‘If the Empress had betrayed you, would you turn away from her? Would you no longer trust her?’
Raniero was confused.
Wasn’t it natural not to believe? It would be foolish to trust someone who has lied to you.
He could no longer trust Angelica. Even though he had promised to forgive and embrace her, he didn’t think he would be able to trust her in the future. Cisen declared that she would embrace Angelica more deeply and broadly than him. Her sincere and unconditional affection easily pushed aside his obsession.
Was that love?
A sense of defeat washed over him.
At the same time, a fiery jealousy began to consume his heart. He had completely forgotten his original intention of interrogating Cisen.
Raniero contorted his face and stared down at the woman before him.
He wanted to win.
He knew thousands of ways to elicit betrayal from people like them. No matter how strong one’s loyalty may be, they could betray their master in just ten minutes.
‘Should I do that?’
Or rather…
His hand moved toward Cisen’s throat.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill her? His fingertips dug into Cisen’s throat at the thought. However, in that moment, what interrupted him was Sylvia’s sharp sneer. It seemed as if he was having an illusion of Sylvia’s taunts, daring him to kill her once more.
The woman in front of him was no different from Angelica’s spiritual sister. If he were to kill her, Angelica would be saddened, and she would fear him.
…She would never be able to love him again.
Abruptly filled with dread, he hastily released his grip on Cisen’s throat. His pupils trembled as he wiped his face and paced nervously around the parlor before leaving the room, leaving Cisen behind.
It was when he was crossing the corridor that Countess Tocino approached from the other side.
“Your, Your Majesty. I went through the list of passes for the northern gate as you ordered…”
She bowed deeply, extending the pass with trembling hands.
“About a month ago, it is reported that an unidentified couple passed through the northern gate.”
A couple.
Raniero looked down at the two passes.
“But it’s…”
The Countess hesitated with a face full of embarrassment before she continued.
“A few days before this pass was used, my key was stolen. I’m ashamed to admit it, but my mind was very weak as I’m currently facing a difficult situation at home…”
The voice, filled with moisture, was unpleasant to hear. He also didn’t want to hear the long and drawn-out explanation of her circumstances.
When he threatened her to get to the point and speak briefly, Countess Tocino hurriedly revealed the main point. On the day Angelica and her party first arrived, it seemed that one of Cisen’s servants had stolen the Countess’s key and taken the pass. However, the next day, Angelica had the key in her possession, but there was an explanation that there was a good reason not to suspect anything at that time.
Raniero glanced away from the Countess.
Angelica had brought three people with her to the Tocino Estate. Two of them were maids from the Empress’s Palace, and one of them was Cisen’s servant.
He recalled Angelica’s face when she informed him that she was taking a porter with her.
“…She left with a porter.”
Raniero mumbled under his breath.
They referred to each other as a couple. Quite endearing…
She left for the north with the porter. However, the northern wilderness wasn’t a forgiving place, and without a guide, it was very likely they would have become lost, wandering and starving to death. Besides, Angelica was fearful. She wasn’t the type to recklessly charge into the wilderness, so there must have been some kind of insurance.
Perhaps the porter was already hired as a guide early on.
‘There must have been a definite destination.’
So, where could the destination have been? It certainly wasn’t her homeland, the Unro Kingdom. The direction didn’t match, and if it were there, they would have expelled Angelica again. The King of Unro feared Actilus, to the extent that they wouldn’t even inquire about their daughter’s well-being after marrying her off.
‘A place to go… a place Angelica would go.’
It was a time when he kept thinking and speculating about where such a place might be that a memory abruptly popped into his mind.
It was when he heard Angelica’s voice while walking through the Temple of Tunia… At the place he was unintentionally drawn to, a man hurriedly closed the door and said that this was a space where outsiders weren’t allowed to enter. And Raniero, who hadn’t seen his wife for a long time and thought he had heard voices in his head, obediently stepped back.
The color drained from his face.
It wasn’t a hallucination.
…Angelica was really there.
They had lived in the same space for several days, and she must have known as well. Not only she but everyone at the Temple of Tunia knew. Only he didn’t know.
He was completely deceived.
Raniero’s throat tightened, and his vision went dark.