“Are you asking me about the result, Eclas?”

“It’s you who holds the key to the betting outcome, sir.”

“It’s none of my business.”

Sched put down the documents with a thud and turned his head.

There’s no need to get involved in the maids’ silly bet.

Rather, stepping in would make the situation more ridiculous.

“But you should be concerned.”

Eclas smiled, flicking the hand holding the coin.

As he said, it would be funny to go out of his way to caution the maids.

Rather, it would make people more interested in the betting result.

However, the fact that the bet was becoming an issue was something to watch carefully.

Whether true or not, it meant people saw him as interested in Riana.

Sched knew this too, which is why he reacted that way to talk of the bet.

“Public perception changes the course of history.”

Eclas rotated his wrist, flipping the hand with the coin back and forth.

“So, what’s your point?”

“A bet always has a winner.”

It’s not about who wins or loses money.

The ripples this bet creates, those ripples should always be under the master’s control.

“You should steer the outcome in the direction you want, sir. Even if it’s just a trivial bet among maids.”

At Eclas’s advice, Sched’s mouth closed again.

His head became complicated over something so trivial.

“What outcome do you desire, sir?”

Desired outcome?

Sched mulled over the betting conditions.

Does he want to get Riana into bed?

No, that kind of love had long since turned to ashes.

Then, conversely, does he want Riana to leave the Lester house?

No, he didn’t want that either.

Then what betting outcome does he want?

What ending does he desire with Riana Serpens?

Revenge? Her suffering? And death?

Yes. That’s what he wants.

Clearly, he thought he should someday end her life with his own hands.

But…

Sched pressed hard on his temple.

His mind became tangled over a simple question.

Eclas stared intently at the pensive Sched before parting his lips.

“Why don’t you join the bet yourself, Lord Lester?”

At the unexpected suggestion, long eyelashes lifted to reveal purple eyes.

“A bet? With whom?”

“With me.”

Eclas pointed to himself, his eyes curving.

“I’ll bet 100,000 della that Miss Riana Serpens leaves.”

He smiled, slamming the lucky gold coin on the table.

His red eyes, brimming with laughter, were clearly provoking Sched Lester.

100,000 della. An amount that could easily build several buildings.

Even for the Bitel family, it was a large sum to bet on such a thing.

“…Isn’t that an unfavorable bet for you? What if I drag Riana to bed to win the bet?”

“I believe you’re not that kind of person, Lord Lester. And…”

Eclas lifted his hand from the coin on the table.

In its place lay a smooth gold coin with no engraving.

“By that logic, isn’t it quite unfavorable for you too, sir?”

“Unfavorable?”

“If I set my mind to it and secretly smuggle Miss Riana out, the bet would end simply.”

It wasn’t an empty boast.

With the Bitel family’s information network and power, smuggling out one Riana would be no problem.

For a moment, a murderous glint flashed in Sched Lester’s eyes.

At that, Eclas raised both hands in surrender and laughed.

“I’m just saying. As much as you won’t resort to tricks, I won’t either. The match should be fair and square.”

Eclas’s sly voice grated on Sched Lester’s nerves.

“So, will you take the bet?”

Sunlight seeped through the old window crack.

A breeze brushed past the lemon tree that had begun to bloom white flowers one by one.

A fresh, sweet scent wafted in through the open window with the wind.

It was the scent of Ideana that Riana remembered.

Riana looked up at the sky of the spring day that had grown warm before she knew it.

The faint patterns of the protective barrier embroidered on the deep blue sky were visible.

Like opal or mother-of-pearl, the barrier that subtly shimmered depending on the light was truly a beautiful work of art.

It had been just a week since Dietrich and the other priests arrived.

They had surrounded the entire Paradel Castle with a protective barrier of a different dimension from the existing one.

Even someone with no knowledge of holy power could see at a glance that it was a much stronger and better barrier than the previous one, which barely surrounded the mansion with a clumsy structure.

“Now you can move around a bit and get some fresh air.”

The doctor said as he cleared away the medicine bottles and remaining bandages.

Only then did Riana’s gaze, which had been directed outside, turn inward.

“Thank you.”

Riana bowed her head slightly toward the doctor who had treated her.

“I’m the one who’s grateful. For you living.”

At those words, Riana felt a pang in her heart.

Is living really something to be grateful for?

“Your recovery is really fast.”

At his praise of her miraculous recovery rate, Riana awkwardly lowered her gaze.

Though she was suppressing the natural regenerative ability of black magic, she couldn’t completely suppress it, so she was regaining her health faster than others.

“The weather’s nice today, so why don’t you go out for a walk?”

The doctor said that and left the room.

Riana was lost in thought for a moment.

As he said, staying in the room seemed to be making her mood sink more and more.

Old memories clung stickily, heavily pulling her body down into a swamp.

She had to somehow shake off the uncontrollable depression.

Would it be a little better if she got some sunlight?

Or would the scenery of Ideana becoming closer be too much?

She pondered, but it wasn’t a problem that would be solved by sitting.

Besides, she had always disliked spending time just in bed since she was young…

In the end, Riana left the room for the first time, borrowing the afternoon hours.

If there’s a good thing about becoming a maid, it’s that she can move freely without having to accompany other people.

When she walked around this mansion as Louise Ideana, she was always accompanied by maids and knights.

Back then, she believed it was her father’s affectionate measure for her, who kept collapsing from illness…

Perhaps her father had people attached to her to monitor her.

To report side effects, or to see if she had noticed anything about the experiments.

‘Ah… Stop thinking about the past, Louise.’

Once again, she’s being sucked into old memories like a swamp, sinking again.

She shook her head, trying somehow to shake off the self-destructive memories.

But despite her efforts, she headed to the backyard of the mansion, following the familiar path her body remembered.

It was the walking course she habitually took in her childhood.

In the backyard were the lemon tree and wall visible from the window.

In the past, multicolored flowers bloomed along the white wall.

But now everything except the lemon tree had lost its luster. Small bushes and grass were covered in overgrown weeds and messy vines, tinted by the fading of time.

Riana felt newly grateful to the lemon tree for standing guard here.

She sat leaning against the crumbled wall, in a spot where shade and sunlight intersected.

In the distance, she could hear birdsong and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The heretic was still present, and the past wasn’t erased, but Riana thought for the first time that it felt a little, just a little bit peaceful.

At that moment.

“And, and the groundwater purification work is also nearing completion. Um, that, I regretted not finishing it before…”

The sound of people could be heard from afar.

Riana turned her head toward the direction of the sound.

“When, when the groundwater purification is complete, we, we won’t need to dangerously travel far upstream to fetch water.”

As she turned her head, she saw Dietrich in his high priest robes, along with other priests and Sched’s group moving together.

They seemed to be discussing the purification of Ideana and the barrier situation while touring the mansion.

Riana was surprised and raised her body that had been leaning.

“It’s all thanks to the High Priest.”

Sched’s gaze, who was talking with Dietrich, fell on her.

As soon as Riana met his eyes, she turned her head away like someone caught doing something wrong.

Why am I avoiding eye contact?

Riana couldn’t understand herself.

She felt like a pebble that had intruded into a space where it shouldn’t be.

As she was debating whether to ignore it and leave or politely greet them.

“Let’s talk about the rest next time.”

“Ah, yes…! May, may the divine be with you…”

Sched dismissed the others.

As Dietrich, Werner, and the others withdrew, the backyard became quiet.

Even the birds that had been singing until just now had flown off somewhere, not a single song to be heard.

Only a warm breeze blew between the two people.

Unable to leave her spot, Riana stood awkwardly with her hands clasped.

“Your Excellency.”

As she greeted him with a slight delay, Sched’s eyes quietly gazed at her.

“…Is it alright for you to be outside?”

He asked after a brief silence.

“They said it’s good to move around a little now…”

Riana answered in an unsure voice, like a child giving a wrong answer.

For the first time, Riana felt awkward in the moment of being with Sched Lester.

It was strange that it had never been this awkward even when their emotions were at knife’s edge.

The two wandered in silence, not knowing what to say to each other.

There were too many wounds to exchange kind words. Conversely, they knew the pain too well to hurl hurtful words.

They lacked the courage to ask questions, and were too afraid to offer answers first.