/
I pointed out the reality I knew to Lania, as a noble lady, who had already thrown all of her grace out the window.
“Lania, there are reasons for being a coward. If you want to cling onto a man, do it in front of him. Don’t threaten me behind his back like that.”
“Are you saying that I’m a coward?” Lania’s cackling filled the entire room, while Rebecca retreated, and her hands were now covering her ears instead.
Lania then reached out to me as soon as she stopped that horrifying cackling. “Sure, I’ll become more than a coward. Give it to me.”
“What?”
“Why, that precious hostage, of course. You’ve been acting suspiciously ever since you got your hands on that white baby swan. I could only be grateful for you pouring all your emotions into this little one since no one else here is worthy of them. Hand it over!”
Her fingers which were as heartless as herself turned ferocious and were about to grab ahold of Haniel.
“Hand it over right now. How do you expect me to trust someone as vulgar as you?”
“. . . You’re determined to take my bird away from me?”
“I have to have collateral so that you won’t do anything unnecessary. If you spoke recklessly before His Majesty one more time, I’ll snap that neck in an instant.”
Sweetie, I hope you didn’t hear this.
That was all I’m asking for.
Bones sprouted through the gaps from my grasp that were covering Haniel’s head. Blood seemed to trickle from my heart as Lania’s words rang in my head.
“Hand it over when I’m asking nicely. It’ll be that bird you treasure getting hurt no matter how hard you try.”
“Will His Majesty sit by and do nothing?”
“. . . What?” Lania threw back her head and cackled once more.
“I suppose you might have thought you’re someone important after hanging out with His Majesty so much, but how absurd! He’s a heartless man who wouldn’t even bat an eyelid even if hundreds of thousands of soldiers died, so why would he care about a bird like that?”
“So you think you know His Majesty very well?”
“More than I do?” I slowly lifted my hands off Haniel’s head.
Something flashed across Lania’s blue eyes, but it wasn’t because of Haniel.
“This ribbon here is tied on personally by His Majesty himself,” I said, as I showed her the silver ribbon. She knew more than anyone else that I wasn’t well off to afford something like that, thus she couldn’t deny it so easily.
“He tied it on, thinking that it’s suitable for it.”
“You’re asking me to believe that?”
“You can ask His Majesty yourself if you don’t believe me.” Lania continued staring at me.
“You can go with you to ask if he really did tie this ribbon and jewel on it personally. We’d know the answer immediately and see who that ‘heartless and vile’ man would get rid of.”
“How dare you!”
“I’ve made it clear that you wouldn’t have to worry if you didn’t provoke me, and have done so countless times at that.” I covered the exhausted Haniel’s head once more. The house was gigantic, but there was no space for a young child like her to put her guard down.
It was the first time ever that I felt sick and tired of this place so much that I wanted to escape.
“Get out immediately if you’ve understood.”
“You should be the one lying low instead. Don’t forget your place and keep your mouth shut.”
I felt her deep resolve to push me till the end with those blue eyes glaring right at me. Lania’s white knuckles turned red after opening her tightly clenched fists.
“Catherine, you’ll definitely be regretting running your mouth like this today in the near future.”
“Are you going to continue?” I was deeply regretting my decision of being easily satisfied and putting up with all of this from the start of my life here in this world.
Try me.
Even the pouting Rebecca could only look at me speechless and gulped. “You’re acting up like that with the trust you have in His Majesty alone?”
“Haa . . . In conclusion, it’s all about that man.” I chuckled at the realization, not expecting any kind of reaction from Lania.
“To think that the aloof noble lady’s end goal was just a man without a care of what’s going on in the world . . . You should know that there are things much more important in this world.”
“What?!”
“L- Lania. Stop it!” The situation had turned catastrophic such that Rebecca had to take the initiative to drag Lania away. There was nothing more to add on seeing how Rebecca was the calm one in this situation.
I flung the door open and watched as the sisters ran off. “. . . Lania, it’s because you’re always acting like this . . .” The mumbling lips didn’t feel like my own.