I'll Abandon the Fake Savior (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15

Yuricien, whose habits from three years of banishment caused her to wake at the hour the maids rose, blankly looked around the room.

It had already been three days since Jorgen returned and Kendali was locked in the underground dungeon. That also meant it had been three days since Yuricien reclaimed her room from Lafine.

Staring blankly at the room slowly brightening with dawn, Yuricien slowly sat up. The soft bedsheet winding between her fingers felt somehow irritating. Even the cloud-like plush bed felt as uncomfortable as wearing ill-fitting clothes.

Leaning against the headboard, Yuricien murmured quietly.

“Just as I thought… it doesn’t feel like my room.”

No matter how much Lafine had restored it to how it looked before she changed it to suit her own taste—even if it matched exactly how Yuricien remembered it from three years ago—there were still clear differences.

‘For example…’

The new doll that now occupied the spot where Jorgen had bought Yuricien a teddy bear on her first outing, or the childhood dress made by shortening Lillian’s gown—both were gone.

Gone too was the feather pen Jorgen had personally carved for Yuricien, whose fingers were unusually slender, and the diary Lillian had hand-bound for Yuricien while she was still in the womb. Kendali and Lafine had burned all those affection-filled items before Yuricien could do anything.

‘If only they’d thrown them away somewhere or given them to someone—I’d at least have hope of retrieving or reclaiming them.’

They’d even scattered the ashes, leaving those memories to exist only in Yuricien’s mind now. How could a room stripped of those things possibly feel like Yuricien’s own?

Thus, Yuricien had even begun to think over the past few days that the attic room Lafine had been driven from might feel more like her true room. She kept this thought to herself, though, knowing Jorgen would surely fret if he heard it.

‘He’s already burdened enough because of the last incident.’

That incident referred to Jorgen’s declaration that he would keep petitioning for the prince’s severe punishment unless it was carried out—and his eventual surrender to the vassals. The House of Windsor had eight vassal families in total, six of whom had pleaded with Jorgen to relent.

[“No matter how great the Windsors may be, once branded with treason, recovery is nearly impossible.”] [“We’ve only just found Your Grace again. We cannot afford to lose you a second time!”] [“You haven’t yet seen how weakened the House of Windsor became during the three years of your disappearance—yet you speak of defying the Opfenhide Imperial Family?”] [“Do you think we enjoyed watching Lady Kendali and her daughter humiliate the young lady? What could we do when that woman wielded the head’s authority? The damage caused by an outsider wielding the house’s power has been immense!”] [“Exactly. We must begin restoring our strength now—or else the very prestige of the great Windsors will truly be tarnished.”]

Faced with such fervent pleading, Jorgen ultimately decided, after consulting with Yuricien, to prioritize the welfare of the house first. Though the vassals were somewhat extreme, their words weren’t entirely wrong, so Yuricien agreed.

Just thinking about what happened at the wine bar made an unfamiliar whirlwind of emotions surge within her, as if she’d developed a nervous disorder. But as the vassals had said, the Windsors were no longer what they once were—Kendali had damaged them deeply.

‘Some even say the great Windsors are now just a thing of the past.’

Moreover, people were now watching the Windsors’ movements with bated breath, as those who had declared neutrality following Jorgen’s disappearance had switched allegiance to the Empress’s faction merely to survive. But now that Jorgen had returned, no one knew what might happen.

‘Rumors even say the Crown Prince’s faction, who’ve been holding their breath fearing for their lives, are now preparing to raise their heads again. That says it all.’

Yuricien understood all too well that Jorgen’s return was far more than just a father coming home—and that demanding an apology from the Imperial Family and Heathcliff right now would likely be futile.

‘If the Windsors fail to reclaim their former glory, then just as Kendali told Lafine, we might truly be buried by the Imperial Family.’

Therefore, before seeking a sincere apology, the house needed to stand tall once more.

For a moment, Yuricien felt a pang of sorrow at the realization that even receiving an apology for the shocking wrongs done to her required the strength of her house—but she quickly brushed it aside.

An apology for the prince’s actions would be enough. Besides, she had learned since childhood that a noble lady could never be just an individual. This was something Jorgen worried over, though Yuricien herself remained unaware.

‘Don’t act emotionally. Act rationally. We’ve come this far.’

Pull yourself together, Yuricien. Think clearly and act wisely.

She merely took a deep breath, suppressing and calming the surge of disappointment welling up inside.

After quietly watching the sunrise through the dormer window beside her bed for a while, Yuricien’s eyes suddenly lit up with delight.

‘Right, I should organize what I’ll write in my letter to B.’

So much had happened since her last letter. There were too many stories to share in her next reply—if she didn’t organize them now, she might forget and leave something out.

Yuricien’s movements as she got out of bed were lively.

Jorgen, who had suffered amnesia so severe he couldn’t even read or write, looked at documents he’d once authored, copied a few characters, and quickly rediscovered his own handwriting. The saying “a genius remains a genius forever” wouldn’t leave his mind.

Since returning to the ducal residence, Jorgen had diligently practiced writing. Now, seating Yuricien before him, he spoke.

“I must send word to Her Imperial Highness the Empress.”

It was the same thing he’d said before.

Jorgen showed Yuricien a letter that anyone could clearly see was written by him.

“At this point, no one will suspect I’ve lost my memory.”

“Father…”

Only now did Yuricien understand why Jorgen had been studying letters even while eating, sparing only his sleeping hours.

“Even the Coperador failed to track down the messenger, didn’t they?”

“…”

“This is now our only way to stop the marriage covenant.”

Jorgen spoke with eyes that betrayed his determination to convince Yuricien at all costs.

The marriage covenant was a binding betrothal contract that took effect the moment both houses’ seals were affixed and submitted to the temple—and remained valid even if one party died.

Among noble houses, divorce was considered deeply shameful—not merely because it lowered the family’s prestige, but because noble marriages were often politically motivated.

‘Marriage itself is a kind of alliance.’

Thus, divorce inevitably brought headaches like property division and other complications.

‘Especially when the Imperial Family is involved.’

The marriage covenant was essentially a lifelong contract created by the Imperial Family precisely to prevent such scenarios. Not just anyone could use it—but the Windsors were a great noble house standing shoulder to shoulder with the Opfenhide Imperial Family.

Though the Windsors had never used a marriage covenant before, it was understood they could obtain one without difficulty if they wished.

‘And Kendali—that woman—used it first to sell me off.’

The moment Kendali learned Jorgen had returned, she immediately sent a marriage covenant stamped with the Windsor seal, desperate to dispose of Yuricien as quickly as possible and claim the Windsors entirely for herself.

Kendali admitted she’d brainwashed Jorgen—but for some reason, the brainwashing hadn’t worked on Yuricien. She claimed that since Yuricien was the one who’d brought Jorgen back, eliminating her would allow Kendali to re-brainwash and ultimately dispose of Jorgen.

Carly, who uncovered this through Kendali’s interrogation, urgently contacted the Coperador—but even they had failed to track the messenger. After all, no matter how skilled a guild might be, how could they trace a messenger whose appearance they didn’t even know?

‘There are plenty of messengers leaving our duchy daily. They might not have gone straight to the Hopgrand March Count’s domain—they could have taken a detour.’

Thus, Jorgen concluded his only recourse now was the Imperial Capital. Though he still hadn’t received an apology from Heathcliff for his crimes against Yuricien, circumstances had changed.

“Even if the Imperial Family offers to persuade the Hopgrand March Count or annul the covenant using imperial authority as a form of apology, we must first stop that covenant from reaching the temple.”

Fortunately, the Hopgrand March Count was also Empress Greta’s maternal uncle. If Greta explained Heathcliff’s situation as her nephew, persuasion should be easy.

Moreover, Yuricien was still officially Heathcliff’s betrothed. Even if persuasion failed, the Imperial Family could still annul the covenant—or Yuricien could proceed with her original plan to formally engage Heathcliff.

But that evening, an urgent dispatch arrived from the Imperial Capital containing an unthinkable message: a unilateral breakup notice, along with Heathcliff’s offer to actively support his marriage to the Hopgrand March Count as a gesture of apology.

There was even more shocking news.

Holding the dispatch, Yuricien spoke coldly.

“Father… how exactly does Her Imperial Highness the Empress know you suffered from amnesia?”

Just then—

“Your Grace! Miss! Something terrible has happened!”

Andersen knocked on the door. Startled, Yuricien quickly opened it—to find Carly covered in blood, breathing heavily.

“Carly!”

“What on earth has happened!”

Jorgen leapt up from his seat in alarm. Supported by Andersen, Carly spat out a handful of black blood and cried out.

“Kendali and Lafine—they’ve vanished…!”