Chapter 35
Giselle’s voice, heard in the silence with a faint hint of laughter, sounded terribly sly. It felt as though her breath was being choked off, as if the body of a snake were binding her.
At that moment, Venya understood. Why Giselle, who had called her out in the middle of the night, had hanged herself.
“…Are you threatening me now? Are you saying that if I don’t betray Master and help you, you’ll take your own life and make His Highness spend his days in regret?”
“That isn’t a pleasant way to put it, Venya. Threatening you? I’m only asking for your cooperation.”
“……”
“I told you, didn’t I? That I hold Grand Duke Barietsch in my heart, that I love him, and that I wish to become his. I merely don’t care what means or methods I use in order to fulfill my love.”
The voice Giselle shamelessly spoke with was composed, unlike someone who had attempted suicide only moments ago. For some reason, it even carried a sense of ecstasy.
Venya simply couldn’t gauge Giselle’s true intentions.
How much of what those bewitching lips spoke was truth, and how much was a lie. Whether she truly loved Raven at all…
It was when several questions rose in Venya’s heart like that. One of them suddenly slipped out of her mouth.
“Miss, do you truly love my Master?”
It was the greatest question Venya had carried all along ever since hearing Giselle’s unexpected confession.
“If you truly love Master, Miss, why are you doing this? You know Master would grieve if you died, so why… why did you do this?”
“Because I love Raven.”
The answer that returned was so excessively clear that it could not even be refuted. In an instant, Venya’s expression grew distant.
“If I can become His Highness’s, I can do anything, Venya. Hanging myself right when you were due to arrive is nothing at all.”
“……”
“What do you think? Do you still not feel inclined to cooperate with me?”
Venya finally became certain.
Giselle was not in her right mind. Also, she would repeat this kind of thing until Venya cooperated.
This time, by some stroke of luck, Venya had discovered her and was able to save her, but the more Giselle carried out things like this, variables would inevitably arise, and someday, the moment would come when she truly died.
The reaction Raven would show at that moment would surely not be very different from what Giselle had said. Because Raven Barietsch loved Giselle Vellasi terribly.
This was a fight Venya could never win, and a battle whose outcome had already been decided. The only thing in her hand was a flag of surrender.
Venya only now realized that fact.
“…If I help you, Miss, will you stop doing dangerous things like this and love my Master?”
She whispered in a low voice, as though telling a secret.
While facing Venya’s serious gaze looking down at her straight on, Giselle answered calmly.
“If only you help me, I promise I won’t do something like trying to take my own life again. Of course, I’ll keep silent to Father and Mother about the fact that you’re a spy, and I’ll also turn a blind eye to the spies other than you.”
“……”
“And once what I want is achieved, I promise you that I will love Raven Barietsch, only him, forever.”
Giselle’s words were still not trustworthy. But Venya had no way not to listen to the words of someone who had even attempted suicide in order to win her over.
In the end, Venya, who had not betrayed him even once since becoming a person of Grand Duke Barietsch, gritted her teeth and accepted Giselle’s proposal.
“…Understood, Miss. I still find it difficult to understand your love, but I’ll help you. I won’t report this matter to His Highness. The fact that you attempted suicide today too…”
She was about to say she would pretend it had never happened. At that moment, Giselle cut off her words.
“No, report that to His Highness.”
“…Why?”
The purpose of Giselle hanging herself had clearly been to threaten Venya, who was a spy, into changing her mind. So reporting this fact to Raven would not only expose their deal, but also expose Giselle’s intention of pretending to want to break off the engagement in order to become Raven’s possession.
Giselle spoke to the bewildered Venya.
“Because it’s night now, the crows with poor night vision and the others planted in the mansion don’t know what happened, but when morning comes and the sun rises, I won’t be able to hide the marks left on my neck. Even if I cover them with a handkerchief, there will be limits.”
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