Chapter 17: The Duke's Daughter Speaks on Crimes Committed

Chapter 17:
The Duke's Daughter Speaks on Crimes Committed

 

THANKS TO THE port town’s garrison, all those responsible for the hoarding operation were arrested. By the time the soldiers arrived, none of the culprits could even stand with how badly they’d been beaten.

According to a concerned female citizen (Tanya), it was the Boltik family who had left them in such a state. The going theory was that the Boltiks had investigated the matter to clear their name and punished the perpetrators accordingly.

It was understood that House Armelia had sent one of the duke’s daughter’s bodyguards to secretly investigate the incident as well, and he had been rescued by the soldiers of the eastern garrison. This proved that the rumors of House Armelia’s collusion with the gangs were entirely baseless.

That was the official report from the garrison, which was now circulating through the town. We still had some loose ends to tie up, but overall, the matter was settled.

It wasn’t until three days later that I was able to fulfill my promise to Dida and hear him out. First, he had to give an official statement at the garrison about what had happened to him, and then he had to get his injuries checked out at the hospital.

After all that, he came to see me in my study. The first thing he said to me was: “I’m deeply sorry.”

I knew it was rude of me, but my mouth hung open in shock. I mean, this was completely out of character for him.

All jokes aside, I asked, “And what are you sorry about?”

“For everything. If it weren’t for me, none of this would’ve happened. But then I went out east without thinking, got caught, and got you stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was selfish to confront Tory on my own—I mean to say, it was unbecoming behavior of someone in your service, my lady. If you wish to dismiss me, I would not blame you.”

I smiled at the effort he was putting into his language. “Dida, the only thing I’d like an apology for is how much you made me worry about you. That’s all.”

His eyes widened with surprise. “But!”

“You say none of this would have happened if not for you—but Dida, I knew of your past, and I kept you by my side regardless. Without you, I would have only one guard in whom I could place my absolute trust. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to walk my streets so freely and without worry. You are essential to how swiftly I’ve been able to complete my agenda. You said you came here without thinking, but I appreciated your decision to investigate. You knew the lay of the land. The error in judgment was mine—I didn’t consider the ramifications of your actions. As for Tory…I chose to step forward and speak in the moment. You absolutely mustn’t apologize for that.”

Dida grimaced. “But I can’t forgive myself.”

Once again, his response was so grave. I sighed and smiled at him. “Haven’t you already been punished enough, Dida?” I asked him gently. “You trusted Tory. Glaus was right when he guessed how you’d been caught, no?”

Dida looked at me with surprise.

“I know what it feels like to be betrayed by those you trust. I know our circumstances were different, but I understand the sort of wound your heart has taken.”

Who had been hurt more terribly between the two of us? I would never dare compare. There was no way to know. I wasn’t Dida, and he wasn’t me. Neither of us could ever clearly articulate how much our betrayers had meant to us.

I was nevertheless sure that Tory had meant a great deal to Dida. That much had been obvious by the look on his face at the end of their confrontation. I didn’t know how deep Dida’s pain ran. It very well might have been deeper and greater than any pain I’d ever felt. I couldn’t honestly say I knew exactly what he was feeling—but I wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone. And if he was suffering that sort of pain, no further punishment could possibly be necessary.

“If you still can’t forgive yourself, then dedicate yourself to making it up to me through your work. If you still wish to work for me, of course.”

Both the knights and the military had their eye on Dida and Lyle, and now Glaus had tried to recruit him, too. Dida had the skill to take any job he wished.

Dida bowed his head. “I do. I wish to remain in your service, my lady.”

“You have my thanks. That means the world to me.”

Dida kept his head bowed. It behooved me to continue.

“Dida…I’m so glad you’re safe. I needed to hear your cheerful voice again. I kept imagining the worst might have happened. Please, rest today. And tomorrow, I’m looking forward to seeing you back to your old self.”

“Yes, my lady.” Dida lifted his face and smiled at me, and I sagged with relief.

After Dida left, Tanya entered and placed several reports in front of me. “Has Father Rafsimons responded?” I asked.

“Y-yes. Here it is.” She handed me a letter.

“All right. Well, I need to read all this. You’re free for the rest of the night, Tanya.”

“My lady?”

“You have a number of things you’d like to say to him, don’t you? I know how worried you were about Dida.”

Tanya frowned deeply. “No, I…” she started to say in a hard voice, but she didn’t finish.

I handed her a stack of papers as she stood there, frozen. They were the reports on the eastern garrison that Lyle had prepared for us. She needed to read them before we got back to work.

“I was only teasing,” I said. “Can you look over those and then give them to Dida for me?”

“Oh, well, in that case…” Tanya reluctantly took the documents and left the room.

I watched her go and then read the letter from Rafsimons.

“He certainly acts quickly, just as I expected… Now it’s time for me to make a move as well,” I murmured as I folded the letter and put it away.

 

***

 

“It’s me, Dida. I’m coming in.” Tanya knocked on the door and opened it.

Dida was sitting in a chair by the window, looking thoughtful. Servants’ quarters were typically quite small, but Dida, Lyle, Tanya, and all those serving Iris, including Sebastian, had always enjoyed large rooms for their personal use.

“This report is from Lady Iris. She says to read it before you return to work.”

“Thanks.” Dida took the papers from her with a smile.

“You should do something about your face before you return as well.”

“Did Lady Iris say that, too?”

“Of course not. That’s a warning from me.”

Dida laughed. Tanya could tell it was forced.

“Just so you know, I haven’t forgiven you,” she said.

“Harsh. I’ve already been thoroughly lectured, though.”

“Thoroughly? Please! I’ve barely even started.” Tanya scoffed.

She couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Dida where he’d been imprisoned. When he’d seen her enter the room, he’d laughed—not in relief, or with delight. It had been scornful. Desperate…

 

“Are you badly hurt?” Tanya asked.

“Naw, I’m fine. Sorry, but could you get me free?”

“What are you talking about?! I’m here to ensure your safety before the soldiers get here—same goes for the little rich boy over there. We’re making sure you aren’t used as hostages. And you just want me to untie you? What do you think you’re going to do, with all those injuries?”

“Settle things.”

“Settle things? Ha! Settle what? Don’t make me laugh.”

“I’m just doing what I have to.”

“What you have to do is wait here, with him. If you go out there and Mr. Spoiled here catches sight of you in the fray, he’ll link you to the Boltik family and we’ll all be in a world of trouble! Or what, are you angling to get captured again? You’re too hurt to fight at your usual strength.”

“I know my own limits. Those rubes don’t stand a chance against me.”

Tanya was unmoved. “Bravado. You’ve been captured once already.”

“I let my emotions get in the way of my judgment. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’ve chucked all that petty sentiment right out the window.”

“Then what could you possibly have to settle?”

“I want to end this. If I don’t, my ghosts will keep haunting me. This time, they’ve endangered the person who means more to me than anything. So I need to go out there and settle it, once and for all.”

“You can’t. Look, what would we even do with him?” Tanya looked down at Dorssen, who lay unconscious on the floor. He was an awfully heavy sleeper if he hadn’t woken up by now.

“You’re here. If he wakes up, knock him out again.”

“But—”

“Please! Otherwise I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I could never show my face to Lady Iris, or you, ever again.” Dida was, in a word, frantic. “Lady Iris is my mistress. She saved me. I’d lay down my life to protect her. And I’m the reason she’s in this mess. I don’t expect her to forgive me. If I get caught again or cause any more trouble for her, then I’d rather die than let her get hurt.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Yes.”

And so, Tanya released Dida from his bonds. He swung his arms about for a bit, testing them, and then stood.

“Even when this is all over,” said Tanya quietly, “and you see Lady Iris, and she forgives you…I won’t.”

“That puts you in the right then, doesn’t it?” Dida said, and with that, he rushed out into the fray.

 

In the present, Tanya opened her eyes. “Do you remember? I won’t forgive you.”

“I know.”

“When I saw you face him, that’s when I knew. I knew that he never could’ve stood a chance against you. That meant you were caught precisely for the reason you cited—you lost to your memories. You turned your back on the things precious to you now.”

That was what Tanya could not forgive. She wasn’t angry with Dida for going to investigate by himself, or even for getting caught. Rather… “Do you truly wish to protect Lady Iris? I thought you were the same as Lyle. But this is the truth of you?”

“I don’t blame you for thinking that,” Dida said with a weak smile.

An answering weakness took over Tanya’s heart. She let out a sigh. “So? Is it settled?”

“Yeah.”

“Was Tory your ghost?”

“Yeah.” Dida sighed deeply. “When I started asking around here in the capital, I realized right away that Tory was involved. So I decided to go see him. Try to get him to stop.” Dida spoke so quietly that Tanya had to focus to hear every word.

“And the reason you wouldn’t take no for an answer when I tried to tell you to stay behind…was because of your relationship with him?”

“Yeah… He and I, we were like Lyle and me now. Brothers. We were always together. When we scavenged for food, when we played around, even when we joined the gang—we were together.”

“Sounds nice. I was alone on the streets.”

“Maybe I was lucky in that regard. But look how things ended up.” Dida laughed. “One day, the boss ordered both of us to go to another gang’s turf. Don’t ask why—I don’t know. I just had a feeling that it was something dangerous. Like he wanted us to steal something, make trouble. We were just some dirty kids with no protectors. If we were lucky enough to succeed, he’d be happy. If we failed, his rivals wouldn’t even peg us for his rats. Whole thing struck me as off, so I told Tory we should make a break for it. But he said, ‘If you run from here, where would you go? We don’t have anywhere else.’ So I went with him, even so.”

“And?”

“Went smoothly at first. But halfway in, the other gang caught us. I offered to be the decoy. Told Tory to go ahead and grab the loot and make a run for it. Told him to call for backup. The gang caught me, and they beat the crap outta me, but when they let down their guard, I bolted. And while I was running—that was when Lady Iris found me. You know the rest.”

“I’m surprised her father let her take you in. Surely they suspected what you’d been involved in.”

“I thought so, too. But Lady Iris was stubborn as ever. And I guess they figured I couldn’t do much mischief, what with all the people looking out for her.”

“That makes sense.”

“And that’s how Tory and I parted ways. I was the only one who really escaped. I wish I could’ve gotten him to come with me, before we ever made that last run. But you saw how it ended up. When I got out there and he told me that he finally wanted out—that he was ready to escape for good…I believed him. But when we met up…”

“He captured you.”

“Yup. Looks like I’m no negotiator.” Dida laughed, but his face held no hint of a smile. “I probably wouldn’t have trusted anyone else in that situation. It was shady as hell. I was a fool to take him at his word. But I wanted to trust him. I thought that was who we were to each other. …Didn’t work. I shouldn’t have expected anything. It’s just as you said—I lost to my memories.”

Dida’s fists were balled so tight that his knuckles had turned white. His nails were likely digging into his skin, drawing blood.

“I see…” Tanya let out a sigh and stood. Then she walked over to Dida’s desk. The document from Lady Iris was still there. She picked it up again and pushed it into his chest. “Read this. You’re coming back to work tomorrow, yes?”

“Y-yeah.” Dida was clearly confused by the rapid change in subject.

“You settled the matter, didn’t you? And the lady gave you a second chance—so don’t blow it. Focus your entire attention on work. No more ghosts to distract you.”

“Right,” Dida agreed, and his head turned toward the ceiling. But his arm lay across his face; he wasn’t actually looking at anything.

“You’re hopeless.”

“Wanna comfort me?”

“Shan’t. How could I ever show my face if I gave in to a man so pathetic?”

“Good point.”

Tanya laughed, a bit helplessly. “The thing that connects you and I—and Lyle too—is our desire to protect Lady Iris. As long as we don’t waver from that goal, we’ll always be headed in the same direction.”

Even if they had a difference in opinion or didn’t see eye to eye, if their ultimate goal was the same, they would never part ways.

“You’ll never waver, will you?” he asked.

“Of course not. I’ll protect Lady Iris with my life,” she said firmly.

Dida laughed.

“You deviated from this goal in one instance, but in the end, you returned. You settled the matter on your own terms. I suppose I’m relieved. I can’t forgive you yet, but I’m confident we can keep on in the same direction.”

“I’ll have to do my best to stay the course—and to reassure you to the point that you feel comfortable having me at your back again.”

“You will.”

“Really… This place is so comfortable, I can’t stand it… I just can’t stand it,” Dida murmured, his voice shaking the smallest bit. A tear streaked down his cheek.

Tanya pretended not to see it as she took her leave.

 

***

 

I was somewhat nervous. To be more precise, my body was heavy with the gloom welling within me. The day had come for me to face Dorssen. He had involved himself in Armelia’s business. I couldn’t just let him off the hook without a word.

More than anything, my concern was with his family. I had to be polite. I couldn’t do anything to lower my own house’s reputation. So I invited Dorssen to my estate. Of course, Tanya, Lyle, and Dida were with me.

I’d been worried about Dida, but he’d returned to work looking refreshed. Perhaps he’d felt better after talking to Tanya?

I was mulling this over when I received word that Dorssen had arrived. I sat straighter and waited for him to enter the room. A few moments later, there was a knock on the door, and a servant showed him in. He was wearing plainer clothes than usual, likely because he had been traveling. I assessed the look on his face and found that his eyes were peaceful and calm.

“It’s been a long time, Dorssen. Please have a seat.”

He quietly bowed and did as directed.

“Now what brings you to Armelia?” I asked as Tanya poured us some tea.

“I wanted to learn more about you.”

“Oh…” I said, and that was all. That was the last thing I had expected him to say.

“I realized I didn’t know a thing about you. All I knew were things I’d heard secondhand before I participated in your humiliation. I realized it was too late, but I started to wonder if I’d done the right thing. Thus I decided to come here and ask your people about you.”

“It is too late,” I said harshly.

No, I needed to listen calmly. Dorssen had asked my people about me because he wanted to learn what sort of person I truly was, had he? But then he would have been relying on secondhand information all over again, just as he realized he had before.

How had he concluded that he’d made a mistake? I wasn’t looking for some kind of apology from him. Not at all. In fact, it made me uneasy to have him lurking around my domain.

Even though I spoke harshly, Dorssen didn’t protest. I would have expected as much from the boy he’d been.

“And what were you planning on doing with the information you gained? You said you were trying to determine whether you had done the right thing. Well, what if you concluded that you had done the wrong thing? What then?”

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

“This is a waste of my time,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“At first, I thought I would apologize to you.”

“Oh? So you thought you might have made a mistake, asked around, then decided you hadn’t after all?”

“No, that’s not it. I thought that I couldn’t apologize to you. Apologizing wouldn’t change the fact that I’d hurt you. It wouldn’t let you go back to school. It wouldn’t return your fiancé. That’s what I concluded.”

“Oh, how wonderful for you. True, if you’d come wanting to apologize, I would’ve turned you away immediately. But let me offer a correction—you didn’t hurt me. Furthermore, I have no desire to renew my relationship with the prince.”

“I hurt you when I restrained you.”

“Oh, so you meant physical injury. Well, physical or mental, there’s nothing you can do to change it,” I snapped. “You’re right. Your words mean nothing to me, and I want nothing from you. Did you go to eastern Armelia knowing the troubles there? Did you involve yourself on purpose?”

“I wanted to help you.”

“Your ‘help’ is nothing but trouble!” I laughed harshly, and his eyes widened in surprise. “You’re a knight. But before that, you’re Doruna’s only son. What if something had happened to you? How could I ever make it up to your family? People already know that we bear each other long-standing grudges. If some evil befell you in my domain, people would say all manner of things—most likely, that I’d taken my revenge on you.”

“Well…”

I let out another sigh. How many times had I sighed since I met him? “You haven’t changed a bit. It’s wonderful for anyone to have such integrity. But yours is self-righteous. You’re so concerned with what you think is right that you ignore the needs of the people around you. Then you end up causing trouble because of it, and you don’t even take responsibility for your mess. You’re like a child dreaming of being a hero.”

“I…”

“Am I wrong? The proof is in your lack of conviction when it comes to me. As you said, regardless of whether your action was right or wrong, I’ll never return to the academy. Your apology won’t undo the damage done to the relationship between Houses Kataberia and Aremlia. The only thing you can do is accept your actions.”

Dorssen fell completely silent.

“You’re no longer a child who can afford to sit around with his daydreams. In short, if you understand, stay away from me. Stop following me and stalking my lands. Leave Armelia and never come back.” I snapped my fan closed. I had a feeling that I was smiling for the first time that day.

“May I ask you one last thing?”

“What?”

“What do you think of the knights?”

“I think they’re very proud. They’re guardians. But I only know one knight with any degree of familiarity, and sometimes I worry that he traded his pride for arrogance.” And that was this knight’s cross to bear.

I realized I was basing my opinion of an entire group on one person—but these were my honest beliefs about Dorssen. I wanted to think about him as a person unto himself, but at the same time, I nursed deep suspicions about him.

“I see.” For some reason, Dorssen seemed entirely satisfied with that answer. “I’m sorry I took up so much of your time. I’ll be going now.”

With that, he left.

“Maintain surveillance on him until he leaves Armelia,” I ordered Tanya as soon as he was gone. She nodded, bowed, and left the room.

“What do you think?” I asked the two men still standing behind me.

“About him?” Lyle asked. “Well, I can’t read his mind…”

I burst out laughing.

“But if a woman my age whose accomplishments far outstripped mine gave me a tongue-lashing like that…I wouldn’t be able to sit down and do nothing. It would make me less than a coward.”

“Do you think he’ll try something again?”

“No. I think he’ll grow.”

“Grow, will he? I think you’re right, Lyle, but…I just can’t picture that spoiled little rich boy turning into some kind of man.” Dida cracked up.

I had to agree with him. “It seems like you know all too well what Lyle means, Dida.”

“Yes. I got quite the earful yesterday.”

I didn’t ask from whom; I already knew. But I also knew it was why Dida looked so calm now.

I couldn’t imagine what would happen with Dorssen, but it didn’t matter. I’d said what I needed to, and if he approached me again, I would be merciless. Although I hadn’t exactly gone easy on him this time either. I just didn’t want to have to deal with him in the first place.

But when it came to a certain other young man…things were different.

“Let’s get ready to head out,” I said.

Lyle and Dida nodded.

“I’ll need both of you with me—as my bodyguards.” I smiled. I was more than a little relieved to have them both back at my side, my true guardians.

 

***

 

“You never learn, do you?” I giggled. I was gazing at Van, who was in a prison cell.

“Lady Iris! Please, save me. Someone suddenly grabbed me and put me here! I have no idea what’s going on!”

“Do you really think I don’t know what you did?” I said, still smiling.

Van’s eyes widened with surprise.

You really shouldn’t be such an open book, I thought, laughing all the more. “You really were easy to sweet-talk. But thanks to you, I know the names of every last one of the pope’s remaining supporters. The church adores me again!”

After I fed the names to Father Rafsimons, he’d moved rather quickly. He owed me a favor because of it. I’d reaped numerous rewards from this harvest.

“How did I give myself away?”

“Do I really have to list your mistakes? You believed them, first of all, and you allowed yourself to become their puppet. Then you used the matter of this imports crisis and tried to manipulate Dorssen to place the blame on me.”

The rumors that I was colluding with the Boltik family to steal from my own citizens were grave indeed. If Dorssen had witnessed anything to support the rumors, it would have set off a perfect storm. I’d thankfully chased him out of Armelia before he’d sunk any ships.

Even so, I’d had no active part in this incident. Blaming me for an ongoing problem was a weak argument in theory, but that didn’t necessarily matter to someone like Queen Ellia.

Queen Ellia had power and influence; she also had designs on my life. I dreaded to think what would have happened if I hadn’t been watching Van and Dorssen—I might not have noticed this vulnerability before the queen took advantage of it.

“I have all the proof, so it’s no use inventing explanations. Thanks to your father, your family name means nothing. You’re nothing but a regular citizen. The people you were involved with have either been captured or likewise disenfranchised. You have no shield. I am an aristocrat, Van—don’t tell me you thought you could plot against me and never suffer the consequences.”

“Forgive me! I fell for their words—and they used me!” Van seized the iron bars so hard that they rattled.

My bodyguards stepped in front of me, glowering at him.

“Of course, I’ve sent a report on this incident to the crown on behalf of Armelia. They’ll decide whether you’re to be tried under the kingdom’s law or under the duchy’s. We also need to consult with the church. At any rate, I’m sure your punishment will be quite severe,” I said as I turned my back.

Van wailed behind me, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“I feel much better now,” I said as we left.

“Do you?”

“I thought seeing his face would weaken my resolve.”

In my past life, in Japan, I had of course known we had the death penalty for those who committed truly heinous crimes. But it had seemed surreal, like the last resort used in a far-off country. Thus, I had been hesitant to see Van again.

But I hadn’t quailed from that brutal likelihood at all. In fact, my thoughts were already drifting back toward my other responsibilities.

“I’m glad, that if it had to be anyone, it was him.” I’d handed him a chance to prove me wrong, and he’d smacked my hand away. He didn’t even seem honestly remorseful; I’d felt no need to hesitate. “Well, we’ve done what we came here to do. Let’s go.”

 

***

 

“Ahh… Looks like we can’t use Van or Dorssen anymore.” Yuri giggled.

“You never had high hopes for either,” Divan noted. “We always said if they actually accomplished anything, it would be by sheer luck.”

Yuri nodded in agreement. “You’re right. They did all we could have hoped just by stirring up trouble for her.”

Their master plan was running smoothly. To Yuri, everything happening in Armelia right now was just a way to kill time. She had fun imagining Iris’s panic; that was enough for her.

“You’re a terror,” said Divan, amused. “Thanks to your tricks, multiple houses have fallen out of favor, and there’s a rather amusing merry-go-round of family heads under house arrest.”

“Oh, I was being nice. Those people were already whispering so loudly about their loyalty to the pope. They would’ve fallen sooner or later anyway. I gave them one last chance, but they failed.” Yuri shrugged. “They would’ve caused friction in Queen Ellia’s faction anyway, so it isn’t like we lost anyone important.”

It was Divan’s turn to laugh.

“It’s a bit unfortunate about Van and Dorssen, though. I thought I’d be able to have more fun with them. I do hate little rich boys.” Yuri had been putting together a more elaborate plan for Van, but Iris’s spies had been too keen, and she’d had to abandon it. Yuri was put out about it, but she’d at least had a bit of fun.

“That’s cruel. I thought you were more like your mother.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop talking about my mother?”

“Oh, pardon me.” Divan smiled. “You should be more grateful, though. She’s the reason you grew to be the person you are now.”

Yuri laughed coldly. “What is that, some kind of joke?”

“No, just my honest observation. Her example taught you what not to do.”

Yuri thought on that for a moment. Divan was right. Her mother had been a prime example of how not to conduct herself.

 

Yuri’s mother had been born in Tweil. She’d come to Tasmeria as a spy, assigned to investigate and send word home. She had infiltrated the royal palace as planned, and at first, things had gone smoothly. But for some fool reason, she had fallen in love with a baron. Yuri wasn’t sure why.

Yes, her mother had been very beautiful, and yes, physical appearance could be used as a weapon. But you had to know how to use it wisely. If you were plain, you could blend in with the citizenry. If you were beautiful, you could seduce anyone you liked—the most important people in an enemy country, for example.

Mind you, physical appearance was just one tool.

At any rate, someone as strikingly lovely as Yuri’s mother could have used her beauty to seduce whomever she wanted. Why, then, had she fallen in love with a baron?

After Yuri was born, Divan had made contact with her mother, though she’d tried to ignore his directives. This scene had been witnessed by a servant of the baron’s wife—who had then realized the true identity of Yuri’s mother. With that, Divan’s plan to have Yuri recognized by the baron and integrated into aristocratic society had become a failure.

The baron’s wife sent a threat to Yuri’s mother: “You’re a stain on the baron’s name. You’re nothing but trouble. Leave, now—get out of town. If you don’t, I’ll reveal you to the royal family.”

And so, Yuri’s mother left. The baron’s wife, eager to protect House Neuer’s reputation, never said a thing.

Yuri didn’t understand why her mother had so easily abandoned her plan. She could have blackmailed House Neuer, simple as anything. The house would have been dishonored if the baron’s indiscretion with her mother had come to light. Instead, her mother up and left, so as not to cause him trouble. She didn’t even make preparations for her departure—she fled with nothing but the clothes on her back. She managed to safely give birth to Yuri, but they had no money, and life was terribly hard.

On top of that, when a pregnant woman was on her own with nothing to her name, people were given to speculate. Even as a child, Yuri picked up on this. People said and did many cruel things to her. It started small—exclusion and the like. Then it escalated to verbal harassment and insults. When Yuri asked her mother why she didn’t have a father, she received no answer.

If Divan hadn’t found Yuri one day and told her the truth, she likely never would have known.

Divan had taught her a lot of things. He taught her how to observe people and how to speak to them in a way that would win their favor. He taught her that the world was big, much bigger than the small world she was confined to, where everyone was cruel to her.

Yuri kept the fact that she had met Divan a secret from her mother. She felt a bit guilty for keeping a secret, but at the same time, it was thrilling.

Then, soon after she first met Divan, her mother collapsed from a sudden illness. It might have been cured with a certain medicine, but that medicine was horribly expensive, and Yuri couldn’t afford it.

Divan had been away at the time—some manner of business. Yuri had been unable to go to him for help. So, she had gone to see the baron whom Divan had told her so much about. She hoped that maybe he would help. She didn’t even get the chance to ask; she was turned away at the gate. Worse, the baron’s wife, who had already threatened to kill Yuri’s mother, came after the girl herself.

Luckily, Divan saved her in the nick of time. Who knew what would’ve happened to her if not for him?

He gave her a good scolding afterward. If she’d only put some thought into her actions, he said, she would have realized showing her face would anger the baron’s wife—not to mention the trouble it could have caused for Tweil.

“But the baron is my father, isn’t he?! I’m sure he’d help me if he knew what was going on!” Yuri screamed.

But Divan chastised her. “Stop dreaming,” he said.

It didn’t matter if the baron had truly loved her mother. He wouldn’t divorce his wife. After Yuri’s mother disappeared, he hadn’t even searched for her. He hadn’t cared.

Yuri didn’t argue. In fact, she accepted Divan’s words as truth.

When it came down to it, she realized, relationships were all about deception. The person who could outmaneuver the other was the winner. Divan had taught her that. Love was the same as all the rest. Whoever truly fell in love first lost. Whoever believed love was real lost.

So her mother had lost. It was so simple, so obvious. Therefore, Yuri would fight, and she would get the best of everyone else. The townspeople who looked down on her, the baron and his family—even her mother, who had trapped her in this situation in the first place.

Outsmart, get revenge, stand on top of all those who’d stood on her. Yuri vowed to do just that.

She lost her first battle, however. Yuri’s mother died before Yuri could overcome her. Divan had acquired that expensive medicine she needed, but it was too late.

Strangely, Yuri didn’t cry. All she felt was pity. Her poor, pathetic mother. When you lost, the only thing waiting for you was a miserable death. So Yuri would never become like her mother. She wouldn’t be able to show her mother true triumph, but she could use her mother’s past choices to her benefit.

Yuri had no attachment to Tasmeria. No one there had ever helped her. They were nothing but her enemies, and the kingdom had been nothing more than her prison. She didn’t care what happened to it. Instead, she would succeed her mother—and she would be even better.

 

“You were right. As soon as the baron’s wife died, he took me in right away. That man became quite a good teacher. It was so amusing, I had to laugh.”

Yuri lived among the aristocracy now. She had nurtured relationships with the nobility before making her official debut into society. Most importantly, it had become her hunting grounds for a potential husband.

In the name of that hunt, she had exhaustively studied etiquette before she entered the academy. She knew better than to just learn the bare minimum required to attend.

When she arrived, she had to admit that it was a bit refreshing to see other people using their family members as pawns as well.

Her father had wanted her to use his family’s connections to make friends, but she’d laughed off the idea. What, go straight from the streets to charming high society? Please. She was far more realistic than that.

But she knew how to use what he had correctly, and to her true advantage. The lessons she’d learned from Divan were, in the end, far more useful than the ones she took from the baron.

“Well, none of that matters, in any case. Divan, isn’t it about your time to shine? Do please entertain me.”

“Of course,” Divan replied with a grin.

Seeing the smile on his face brought a smile to Yuri’s face as well.