Chapter 76.1

After Emily was dragged away, Yurina stood at the window for a long time. Her gaze rested on the flowers in the garden, but in reality she was distracted and the flowers didn’t catch her eye.

In fact, she didn’t even think about anything in particular. Her thoughts wandered here and there.

‘It’s because I’m tired.’

Yurina tried to justify it like that. However, the throbbing in the stomach still didn’t subside. She closed her eyes and slammed her forehead against the window until there was heard a bang.

She felt pain in her forehead, but it didn’t seem enough, so she hit her forehead a few more times. At some point, instead of hard and cold glass, Yurina felt a familiar warmth.

“Why are you doing this?”

Raynard gently kissed Yurina’s red forehead.

“Don’t do that. You’ll hurt.”

“…”

“That’s not your fault.”

Reynard muttered as if reading Yurina’s mind.

“She was by my side for six months. But I never, not once, doubted Emily.”

Looking back, she should have been suspicious of some of those around her. Had such thoughts come to her mind earlier, all this could have been prevented.

Raynard pressed his thumb against Yurina’s pale lips and rubbed them.

“Don’t do that. Why do you keep doing that?”

You almost died because of my incompetence. Yurina held back those words.

“And it’s not your fault.”

Raynard presented her with the necklace he held in his hand.

“What’s this?”

“It was worn by a maid named Emily. This necklace had an illusion spell on it. Needless to say, no one from the Carthia House doubted that maid. So there is nothing for you to reproach yourself like that.”

Yurina quietly took the necklace and examined it. Even knowing in advance that there was some kind of magic in it, Yurina didn’t feel any energy.

‘Are you saying it’s black magic?’

Even Dave didn’t notice, so it was only natural that she didn’t realize it either. But that didn’t stop her from feeling guilty. Yurina grabbed the necklace tightly and handed it to Raynard again.

“Give it to Dave. This will help us figure out the whole backstory.”

“Don’t worry too much. We are already figuring out the whole course of events. They didn’t have much time to hide the evidence…”

“Wait a minute. Ray. Give me a minute.”

Yurina returned the necklace from Reynard’s hands. She was furious when she spoke to Emily earlier.

She didn’t listen to her, but if you think about it calmly, there was something about it.

“I was threatened, I was threatened!”

“Yes, and?”

“I was ordered to bring any item stained with the lady’s blood. Before the tournament! Otherwise, my mother and sisters would…”

“When did it happen?”

“Before I arrived at your mansion…”

Apparently, she had been threatened even before she started working at Carthia house. She was also ordered to steal Yurina’s things.

“Yurina?”

“How did they know?”

“Hm?”

“At the beginning of this year, we decided that I would go to the tournament. If my mother were in good health, I wouldn’t even go on this hunt. But why did they make Emily steal my thing?”

Emily arrived at the estate last autumn. And in the autumn of last year, the Marchioness fell ill for no apparent reason.

When she finished her thoughts, Yurina’s face turned pale.

“Yurina? What’s the matter?”

Yurina grabbed Reynard’s hand and hurriedly screamed.

“I need to get to the capital as soon as possible.”

“This suddenness?”

Yurina looked at him and firmly said:

“Right now.”

* * *

It takes one day by horse or three days by carriage to get from the Jenus Mountains to the capital. Yurina and Reynard could use magic and arrive at the Carthia mansion in half a day.

“Yurina? What are you doing here alone?”

Embarrassment flickered across the Marchioness’ face when she saw Yurina returning with only Reynard.

“What about your father and brothers? Something went wrong?”

Yurina found out that her mother hadn’t reached the news from the tournament.

‘Well, I wouldn’t say that.’

The weakened Marchioness might have fainted in shock as soon as she heard everything at once.

“I just missed my mother. I couldn’t wait there anymore.”

Raynard squeaked, trying to contain his burst of laughter. Yurina firmly dug her nails into his hand.

“I wanted to see you too. Since you’re here, I’ve been waiting for you to come quickly because I’m alone. Come on Ray too. Let’s go in and have a cup of tea together.”

Now they were adults, but the Marchioness still treated them like little children.