Chapter 134: Tug of War
I had so little memory of what happened last night. I couldn’t recall properly as my head pounded like crazy, as if someone had hammered it. This was a familiar feeling—a hangover. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Ouch…”
If I ever drank again, I should just accept being a total fool.
I looked around and found myself in bed, back in my room. I couldn’t remember everything clearly, but it seemed I had returned safely.
[“You weren’t that drunk, were you?”]
Suddenly, memories of Sigren and Livya flashed in my mind. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
I whimpered, grabbing my aching head, trying to piece things together. I was sure I hadn’t done anything too embarrassing. Luckily, I didn’t black out. I remembered hugging Sigren, and it seemed like we talked for quite a while.
I tried to focus, hoping I hadn’t said anything weird.
[“Fiona… comfortable… what’s going on… huh? Letter?”]
Ah, I think I told him about that. Bit by bit, I remembered what had happened in the carriage. Sigren’s beautiful smile, the way he kissed my face and gently soothed me—it all came rushing back.
As soon as those scenes resurfaced, I was dumbfounded. In embarrassment, I threw a pillow. How pathetic. My lover had used his charm to get information out of me, and the worst part was that I fell for it! So pathetic.
I grabbed my hair, whimpering for a while.
Eventually, I managed to calm down after drinking the tea Celine brought me to cure my hangover. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Celine, did anything strange happen with Prince Sigren yesterday?”
“Yes. He brought you home, young lady, and left right afterward.”
He’s never the type to let things slide.
I sighed. For now, I’d just focus on what I needed to do.
Thanks to the hangover, my morning was completely wasted. By the afternoon, I finally got around to dealing with paperwork.
Then, later in the day, the main culprit who had been disturbing my thoughts showed up.
“Do you remember?” Sigren asked, looking at me curiously.
“Of course!” I huffed.
He giggled at my angry expression and quickly pressed his lips to my cheek.
I was stunned by his shamelessness. “How could you use your looks to trick a drunk person!”
“It’s your fault for falling for it,” he replied, still amused. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Well, that was true…
Sigren chuckled, clearly enjoying my frustration. “Even I can’t believe the Heilon successor would fall for my beauty trick.”
“You’ll regret it someday,” I muttered sullenly. The reality of this third-rate novel hit me hard. Why did I have to like him so much? Why did his face have to be exactly my type? It was truly heartbreaking. I liked him so much that I couldn’t even resist his charm and spilled everything while drunk.
I decided to change the subject. “So, what did you do with the information you got from me, Your Highness?”
“What do you think I’d do?” Sigren’s smile was subtle as he stroked my cheek and lowered his head closer. “Hmm? Dear, the lady who secretly hid her love letter?”
“…” Oh no. He was really upset, wasn’t he?
I bit my lower lip nervously. But he gently swept his thumb across my lips, making me stop. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Okay, time to assume the worst.
I looked into his eyes. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
Sigren smiled. Normally, it was a beautiful smile, but this time, it felt a little unsettling.
“No.”
I let out a small sigh of relief.
“Then what did you do?”
“I did some research on a man named Bill Curtis. He’s not a good person, no matter how you look at it.”
Suddenly, Bill’s unsettling words came back to mind.
[“I know Lady Fiona very well.”]
At first, it seemed like just a random remark, but for some reason, it bothered me. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“What did you find out?” I asked.
“He’s involved in many things. And his fortune has been growing rapidly lately.”
Hmm, interesting. Maybe I should pass this info to Arrendt and suggest a tax evasion investigation. That could be fun.
“He also claims something rather strange,” Sigren continued. “He says he returned from the darkness alive, found new salvation in it, and discovered the truth for the people.”
That sounded familiar. Livya had mentioned something similar.
[“He came back alive from the darkness.”]
“So… he’s a con artist?” I asked.
“Possibly. But his argument seems to be convincing a lot of people. Many are paying him.”
I couldn’t understand why people would fall for such nonsense. Then, I remembered something Donna, an academy researcher, had once told me:
[“Some say the darkness is God’s wrath. In fact, there are people in this town who believe they were punished for their sins. I’ve also heard rumors about a new religion related to it.”]
That’s right. I had heard this before. Back then, I’d laughed it off, knowing the darkness wasn’t divine punishment. But now, it seemed like those rumors might’ve started with Bill Curtis. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
It became clear why Bill was trying to rope me in. I had literally defeated the darkness and survived, making me a perfect example to back up his claims.
Sigren continued, “His followers aren’t just nobles. His most fervent supporters are those who lost loved ones to the darkness.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because they’re desperate. Grasping at anything that feels like hope,” Sigren said, his voice low.
“People can’t resist reaching for the light when they’re at their most hopeless.”
He looked at me with a distant expression, and I realized just how deep the situation had become.
After hearing all this, I decided that ignoring Bill Curtis was the best course of action for now. He seemed like a cult leader of sorts, peddling pseudo-religious nonsense. Most people feared the darkness, yet he revered it. That alone made me deeply uncomfortable. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. But confronting him directly would only validate his point. Plus, as the head of a noble family in the capital, any rash action on my part could lead to a full-blown conflict between families.
One thing was certain—Bill Curtis wasn’t a good man. Once I had something concrete on him, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring him down.
With that resolve, I went about my daily activities. But to my surprise, the situation with him escalated far worse than I had anticipated. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
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