CH 35

A Father’s Fate

Antonio felt his body go cold.

“…. Why do you ask that?”

“Where is it?”

Reisch’s tone of voice was one of nonchalance.

Antonio reflexively held out the documents he was carrying.

As he watched Reisch inspect the contents, Antonio finally came up with a possibility.

“Is it Lucrezia? Did she sell me out?!”

“Sold is an exaggeration. You stole the documents on your own and came here to the enemy territory.”

“She even reached out to Rai, how shameless of her!”

Reisch snickered. Antonio’s anger was fueled by this attitude.

“You were colluding with Lucrezia?!”

“It’s not exactly true. This time, it’s just….”

Reisch started to leave halfway through the conversation.

As if to say, “I have no more to say to you.”

“…. Prince Antonio. You were just stupid, that’s all.”

Then, he showed a malicious smile.

“The execution is tomorrow. Let’s make a big show of it. It’s a parting gift to Lucrezia, who even gave me some nice jewelry. The port town alone would’ve been enough for me.”

The crown prince turned his back on him with ease. He wanted to leap at him, but he couldn’t move a finger because he was surrounded by Rai’s soldiers.

Antonio then screamed, no longer pretending.

“W-wait…! Help me, please…! If you help me, Lucrezia will pay more money! Her assets aren’t only that! So, please, please…!”

Reisch looked back just a little.

“I’ve really enjoyed your company. Goodbye, until we meet again.”

That day, in the royal palace, it was said that the voice of a man crying and screaming can be heard for a long time.

The next day, when Prince Antonio’s execution took place in the garden with great fanfare, the screams stopped abruptly.

***

The following week, Lucrezia looked through the Illuminati newspapers that her agent had gathered for her and gasped.

Her father’s execution was written in a large front-page article.

It seemed that the agent also looked through this article for the first time, and he looked suprised.

“My condolences.”

“Ah… What am I going to do? How should I explain to Rosa….?”

‘She was so close to father. I’m sure she will be sad.’

Lucrezia’s heart ached, but then she realized something.

‘I… I’m not too shocked. I don’t know why.’

Perhaps it was because she had been in a daze, but when she went to the terrace to dawdle after the meeting, Ramilio was worried for her.

“What’s wrong, Lucrezia? You look troubled.”

“Ramilio-sama…”

Lucrezia couldn’t bring herself to say anything, so she showed him the newspaper she was holding.

“He’s been executed….?! Oh my god… it must have been hard.”

Lucrezia was glad to be embraced, but her heart was empty.

“Your father had it coming. He knew that war would break out soon, and he jumped into it for the immediate money.”

“But, I didn’t expect that he would be executed on the same day…. If only the Kingdom of Rai had contacted us first, we could’ve at least paid the ransom.”

“Why should you go to such lengths for him?”

Lucrezia looked down in pain.

“… Because he raised me.”

She fumbled for the small pendant she wore hidden under her clothes.

“He even gave me a gift, this pendant.”

She pulled it from around her neck, placed it in the palm of her hand, and showed it to Ramilio.

“… Aside from that?”

“….”

For Lucrezia, this was the only thing she received.

“What about dresses and hair ornaments? At eight years old, you would’ve needed a lot more as you grew up.”

“That’s…. If you’re getting money from your grandfather, you can buy it yourself…. That’s what he said.”

“Do you really think that’s how parents raised their child?”

Her heart ached.

It was something that Lucrezia had felt for a long time, even if she couldn’t put it into words.

When she was staying with the old pharmacist, even if she didn’t have a luxurious dress, she was always given a new one-piece dress made of clean cloth, and her height was measured frequently.

She would fix Lucrezia’s hair, rejoice in her growth, and feed her a sumptuous meal at every milestone.

There were many warm memories there.

However, after moving to the Duke of Serravalle’s residence, Lucrezia was always subjected to cold attitudes.

What was hard for Lucrezia wasn’t that she couldn’t afford a luxurious dress.

She was treated coldly as if she didn’t exist.

Through her agent, Lucrezia learned to provide for her own daily necessities. She chose not only her own dresses and books, but also her own bedding, tableware, and even her tutors.

And as she grew older, she learned how to increase her money through investments, using her assets to support the Duchy of Serravalle, whose finances were in doubt.

Of course, there was great joy in being able to choose with one’s own hands and have the freedom to do anything. In this sense, it was fair to say that Lucrezia was blessed.

However, somewhere in her heart, she had always felt a sense of loneliness.

Lucrezia was allowed to live in a large mansion, but although she lived freely, she felt as if she was all alone – she had always felt that way.

Ramilio reached for Lucrezia’s pendant, who was lost in thought, snatched it, and slipped it into his own pocket.

“There is no need to wear such a shoddy pendant forever. I’ll give you a better one, so I hope you’ll wear it in the future.”

She wondered why she didn’t feel like getting it back.

She found herself feeling more gratified after it had been taken away from her.

“… But, I guess I have to thank that person. If it wasn’t for such a man, anyone wouldn’t have thought of marrying their precious daughter off to someone like me.”

At Ramiro’s self-mocking line, Lucrezia looked up at him a little. He was hugging her, so she couldn’t see his face. But, she didn’t want to force him to move away from her.

“…. Does my husband need me?”

Lucrezia’s desire to be needed by someone stemmed from her loneliness.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for you.”

Lucrezia smiled quietly.

“You’re looking very cool, Ramilio-sama.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m not happy, but I’m not that interested in anyone else. I’m just glad that people are no longer saying, ‘Poor you, being forced to marry that man.’”

Ramilio’s whisper fell on her ear.

“I can proudly say I like you too.”

Lucrezia could no longer smile. Her heart thumped loudly.

“You being here is the greatest joy of my life.”

Lucrezia, who was embarrassed and stiffened, received a kiss on the cheek.

This time, Lucrezia couldn’t take it anymore and pulled away a little.

She didn’t want him to hear her pounding, noisy heartbeat.

“Lucrezia, I’m sorry again about your father. Considering the mourning period, it’s not a good idea to have the parade this winter.”

“Oh…”

Lucrezia found herself genuinely disappointed―

What a heartless girl, she shuddered.

“Let’s have a gorgeous wedding again next year. I know it’s a little postponed, but remember, I really need you. Don’t tell me you’re quitting after all.”

“Such a thing……There’s no way I’ll say that.”

She chuckled and looked into Ramilio’s eyes.

‘I like this better.”

She slowly accepted the thoughts that welled up from the bottom of her heart.