Chapter Title: There Won't Be a Second Chance
"Blessings of the Goddess. I'm sorry to receive the daughter of Della Valle in such a state."
"B-Blessings of the Goddess! L-Lord Cesare… Y-You called for me…" Lucrezia, who had entered gracefully like a dove, halted. Her expression changed three times. First, she seemed shocked to see Cesare's large, bandaged chest. Then she turned pale at the sight of the bandages, and finally, her eyes widened in shock when she saw Adèle sitting closely beside him.
"L-Lord Cesare…"
"Sit down." Cesare gestured with his chin. His gaze flowed past Lucrezia to the two people behind her.
"A maid and a knight?" Adèle looked at the two people following Lucrezia. The knight was someone she had seen in passing in the Water Garden. But the maid was not the hazel-haired girl who had tried to kill her. This one had ash-gray hair and wore glasses, slightly plump.
_Already replaced her._ It wasn't sad, but it wasn't amusing either. Adèle's lips gradually fell. Meanwhile, Cesare's smile grew more mocking.
"Was that the original maid?" At Cesare's sweet voice, Lucrezia nodded enthusiastically, her face alight with joy.
"Yes…! M-My maid, Anese…"
"I don't think so."
"Pardon…? M-My maid has always been Anese… Right, Anese?"
"Yes, my lady." Lucrezia looked back at Cesare, as if seeking praise. Adèle watched this scene with discomfort. It was unsettling. Even as an outsider, Lucrezia's blind devotion was palpable. The moment she saw Cesare, her mind seemed to be entirely consumed by him. Even with the person she tried to kill sitting right next to him.
"Miss Lucrezia is quite efficient. If only she didn't dislike me, we could've made good partners."
"Th-Thank you…" Cesare laughed, clearly amused.
"Really? Thank you?"
"Yes? Y-Yes…" She seemed unaware of what she was saying or what Cesare meant. Seeing the other side of this once graceful and dignified lady made Adèle feel even more uneasy.
"B-But my lord…" Lucrezia stammered.
"D-Did you get hurt…?"
"Ah." Cesare's eyes curved into a smooth arc.
"A mermaid fell from the sky, and I caught her." He quickly pulled Adèle into his arms. Adèle stiffened as she was pulled close. Not stopping there, Cesare briefly kissed Adèle on the forehead.
"…" Lucrezia's face turned deathly pale.
"Are you all right now, Adelaide?" Cesare's eyes met Adèle's, and she read the unspoken signal in his gaze.
"…Yes. Thanks to you, brother." Adèle immediately leaned her head on Cesare's shoulder and gently placed her hand on his thigh, making it look as if they were lovers. For a brief moment, when her hand touched his thigh, Cesare's act seemed to falter. But if it was a mistake, it was brief. Cesare chuckled and kissed Adèle's left cheek.
"It's better for me to get hurt than you. It will always be that way." The message was clear: if she didn't want to keep harming the head of the Bonaparte family, she should control herself. Cesare squeezed Adèle's shoulder once more before letting her go. His gaze returned to Lucrezia.
"But thank you for your concern, Miss Della Valle."
"…" Throughout this performance, Lucrezia's face remained as pale as a ghost. She no longer looked like a beauty. Her lips were tightly pressed into a line, and her eyes, bulging in horror, were fixed solely on Adèle.
"…"
"Miss Lucrezia?"
"…Yes?" Only when Cesare slowly called her name did Lucrezia snap back to reality.
"Ah…" Lucrezia alternated her gaze between Cesare and Adèle. The man she loved and the woman she wanted to kill. Caught between them, she finally focused on Cesare.
"T-Then, should I nurse you back to health…?"
"It's not your fault, so you don't need to trouble yourself."
"B-But…"
"And my sister will take care of the nursing, so it's fine."
"…" Lucrezia's face contorted and then forced a smile. Adèle felt a chill watching her.
"B-But an unmarried lady… n-nursing in the same room… It might cause misunderstandings…"
"A 'sister,' Miss Della Valle." Cesare laughed cheerfully.
"I did think it was a bit of a waste to give her to Ezra."
"…"
"Just kidding." Cesare toyed with Lucrezia. Each of his words seemed to send her between heaven and hell. Finally, Cesare smiled warmly, with dimples in his cheeks, and looked intently at Lucrezia.
"Miss Della Valle." Lucrezia looked at him with tearful eyes, holding onto a sliver of hope.
"Y-Yes…?"
"There won't be a second chance."
"…" Lucrezia froze.
"I'll overlook it this time. But there won't be a next time. If you try such tricks again, it'll be a matter between families." Cesare finished with a smile.
"Now, please leave."
---
Called out quietly from the ballroom, Flavia found herself confined to a room in the inner palace of Bonaparte. The doors and windows were guarded by knights, and no maids were allowed in. She couldn't contact her family. As midnight passed into the early hours of the morning and no one came to find her, Flavia realized.
_Lucrezia has failed and revealed my name!_ Flavia paced the room anxiously, feeling her hair stand on end with fear. Cesare, who always favored capable and rational people, was equally ruthless in dealing with traitors.
"I need to explain…" Just then, the door opened without a knock. Flavia, lost in thought, flinched at the sudden appearance of a dark figure but then lit up with recognition.
"Aegir!"
"Lady Flavia Loredan." The dry voice belonged to Aegir, Epony's "younger brother." The young man with auburn hair was short but sturdy. Flavia had seen him occasionally in Cesare's office. He always carried a faint smell of metal. He looked no different now, wearing a black cloak often seen on braccieri, with an unadorned black cocked hat. The standard attire. Under the triangular hat, his lifeless blue eyes focused on Flavia.
"Follow me." It was a brief command, but Flavia hesitated. Aegir stared at her without any change in expression.
"Wh-Where are we going? I need to see Lord Cesare!"
"Follow me."
"Let me explain to Lord Cesare! I can explain everything!" Without another word, Aegir strode toward Flavia. His lifeless blue eyes approached like silent death, causing Flavia to scream and back away.
"All right! I'll go! I'll go on my own!"
"…" Aegir stopped. He stared at Flavia for a moment, then pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her.
"A blindfold. Wear it."
"…" Flavia, holding back her tears like a noblewoman, took it with trembling hands and put it on. Once her vision was obscured, Aegir stood on her left and began escorting her. She was led out of the inner palace, through the garden, to a place so quiet not even birds could be heard.
"A carriage. Get in."
"…" Aegir's dry voice increased Flavia's fear. Santnar was an island nation. The land wasn't vast, and the roads were narrow. Nobles usually preferred horses over carriages. The roads, except for the main ones, were barely wide enough for two horses. The fact that they were using a carriage meant…
_They want to hide me…?_ Flavia trembled as she listened to the carriage moving through the pre-dawn streets of Fornatie. Soon, the sound of waves grew closer. The cries of early-waking seagulls could be heard.
_A port…?_ Flavia's eyes, covered by the blindfold, began to tremble.
_No, it can't be. I was loyal to Bonaparte…_