Chapter 166
Warm steam rose from two teacups placed on a deep brown table. After fidgeting with her teacup for a moment with her eyes lowered, she asked what she had been curious about all along.
“You knew, didn’t you? That Zephyros had set up the whole thing.”
Two days before manifesting her ability, Terche had said that the process of kidnapping her had gone more smoothly than expected. At that time, she was too exhausted both physically and mentally from the side effects before manifesting her ability to dwell on those words. Only after exiling Zephyros did she remember what Terche had said then, and since then she had been constantly wondering.
In what sense he had said those words. Whether he had guessed that Zephyros had set up the whole thing, and had subtly informed her of that fact.
“…….”
There was no answer. Psyche glanced up. The man sitting across from her was just looking at her with eyes that revealed none of his inner thoughts.
Seeing that gaze suddenly reminded her of the time when she was imprisoned in their mansion. Back then too, Terche was always watching her with an observant gaze.
Even though half a year had passed since then, this man really hasn’t changed at all. Just as she thought that, the man’s lips parted.
“Is this all you wanted to confirm?”
Psyche narrowed her brow. She was about to tell him to just answer, when a blunt voice settled over the table.
“Shall we make a deal?”
She laughed hollowly. She hadn’t expected him to answer readily, but to suddenly propose a deal? She rose from her seat expressionlessly.
“I seem to have wasted my time.”
It was meant as a sign for him to leave, but Terche didn’t move at all. He simply examined her face carefully with a probing gaze.
“You attended the banquet with Serdin recently.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. Despite her sharp gaze, Terche continued nonchalantly.
“At the Emperor’s birthday celebration next week.”
“…….”
“How about attending with all of us?”
“Surely you don’t think I would agree to such a ridiculous request?”
Terche, who had been quietly looking into her eyes that clearly showed disbelief, seemed to be pondering something, then slowly parted his lips.
“You must be curious about the truth. Just attend together with us, and afterward, we won’t interfere with whatever you do.”
“……I don’t need it. Please leave now.”
She spoke firmly, thinking that a tactful expression wouldn’t work, but again, Terche didn’t listen. Just as Psyche was about to order him to leave once more.
“Your guess is correct. The fact that Zephyros set up the whole thing. I knew it.”
Terche indicated his willingness to answer what she had asked earlier. Psyche, who was about to use her ability to force him out, hesitated.
“I didn’t know from the beginning. I only suspected.”
She didn’t sit down, but she listened to his words.
“As I told you before, kidnapping you wasn’t difficult. But Zephyros’s behavior afterward was strange.”
It was a well-known fact that Zephyros cherished her dearly. However, Zephyros acted without constraint despite her being held hostage. Rather, he provoked the family heads of Arje even more severely.
“At some point, such a thought occurred to me. That he was hoping to break you further and provoking us more.”
“…….”
“But there was no reason for that. There was nothing for him to gain by breaking you.”
Then one day, Terche said he began to seriously suspect after hearing Rezus say they should wait until Ruon manifested his ability.
“Zephyros also seemed to be waiting for you to manifest your ability. But you’re not the type of person who would kill anyone.”
Psyche couldn’t say anything. When the mask she had tried to maintain to stay calm in any situation completely fell off, what was revealed was a delicate face as fragile as glass. Staring at that face, Terche continued his explanation in a respectful tone.
“I’ve been observing you for a long time.”
“…….”
“I knew that you had an interest in us when you were young. And I knew that you were trying to hide it.”
Seeing her lips press firmly shut, Terche spoke as if sighing.
“Psyche, even I, who had never properly exchanged words with you, knew that fact. Do you think Zephyros wouldn’t have known?”
“…….”
“He knew. That you had an interest in us, and that you wouldn’t be able to kill us even if you had power.”
He crossed his arms and buried his body deep into the chair.
“So that’s why he set up such a scheme. To make you hate us, so that you would kill us after manifesting your ability.”
An unpleasant expression shadowed his face. But it was only for a fleeting moment, and as always, his face was overlaid with an inscrutable expressionlessness that made it difficult to guess his thoughts.
“Still, I wasn’t completely sure.”
The process of kidnapping wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t difficult either. Terche added that even when he said that, it was still just a guess. That guess turned into certainty.
“It was the day you revealed Zephyros’s main ability.”
The moment he learned that one of Zephyros’s main abilities was ‘foresight,’ Terche became certain. Through foresight, Zephyros had seen when she would manifest her ability, and had timed his scheme accordingly.
“It was also quite predictable that you would manifest a strong power. So that’s why he set up such a scheme. To use you, who had manifested a powerful ability, to kill us.”
“……Ha…….”
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and turned her head to the side. For a long while, she couldn’t continue speaking and just stared somewhere at the floor, until finally her gaze returned to Terche.
“Did the other family heads know about this too?”
“You rejected the deal.”
“…….”
“I think I’ve given you sufficient answers for now.”
With a languidly relaxed gaze, Terche buried his body even deeper into the chair. Judging from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like he would explain any further.
“Take your time to think more about the deal.”
Terche, who had been meeting Psyche’s glaring gaze as if enjoying it, slowly rose from his seat. She looked at Terche, who was nodding his head lightly, with a complicated expression.
* * *
Psyche had resolved not to agree to the deal at all. However, his words about just attending together and then not interfering with whatever she did afterward kept circling in her mind, and eventually, the day before the Emperor’s birthday celebration, she changed her mind and went to see Terche. And she learned the truth.
The family heads of Arje knew through Terche that Zephyros had set up the scheme. Yet Rezus didn’t stop tormenting Psyche. He thought that to stop his feelings for Psyche, he had to make their relationship even worse.
In other words, Rezus knew that Zephyros had set up the scheme, but instead of trying to persuade Psyche, he tried to ruin things even more. Even though he knew he could die at the hands of Psyche after she manifested her ability.
So, all in all…… Rezus had known the secrets from the beginning. Despite knowing this, he continued to torment her by pressuring her to betray, all to ruin their relationship.
Learning all this made her feelings complicated.
Perhaps that’s why, when she finished getting ready and all the family heads of Arje came to escort her, Rezus didn’t feel as uncomfortable to her as before. His attempt to ruin their relationship meant he was that attracted to her.
“Shall we go, Phrena?”
As always, but particularly dazzlingly beautiful today, Helios curved his lips smoothly and extended his hand to Psyche.
“Can’t you see she doesn’t want to touch your filthy hand? Get it away.”
At that, Serdin harshly pushed that hand away and extended his own hand to Psyche. Rezus and Terche were also extending their hands to her in front of the carriage.
“…….”
As she had expected, attending the banquet together with all the family heads of Arje was indeed not easy from the start. Somehow, she had an intuition that tonight would be very long. Psyche looked at the four hands extended to her and gently took Serdin’s hand.
She could see a victorious smile appearing on his face.
* * *
The banquet hall instantly fell silent. The beautiful princess of Mathes attending together with all the family heads of Arje!
It was a sight that was difficult to believe even while seeing it with one’s own eyes.
Psyche Rosebel, dressed in a pink silk dress, was always beautiful but particularly more so today, and on either side of her stood four muscular, handsome men as if protecting her.
They were all overwhelmingly superior in appearance, each radiating different charms and youthful, robust physical beauty like a brilliant light.
Helios Zen, beautiful like an angel; Terche Fontos, cold and intimidating; Serdin Hwi, handsome enough that one couldn’t take their eyes off him; and the leader, Rezus Anocton, all exuded a strong masculinity that drew spontaneous admiration.
And in their midst, Psyche Rosebel crossed the banquet hall, receiving their escort gracefully and naturally as if she had always done so. The sight was as beautiful as a painting, but they all surrounded themselves with an atmosphere that made them difficult to approach casually.
People held their breath.
The banquet hall became noisy again only after they had left.
“Did you just…… see that?”
“I couldn’t take my eyes off them at all.”
“But…… do you think she fell in love while being held captive? The way they were looking at Psyche…….”
“I know. How could something like this happen…….”
“Whatever it is, I envy Lady Psyche. She was commanding all four of them so naturally, like flowing water. What must it feel like to command the family heads of Arje?”
Even though it had been quite a while since Psyche and the family heads of Arje had left, people couldn’t stop talking about them.
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