When the One-Sided Love Female Lead Loses Her Memory - Chapter 20

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“I was so grateful that day. If it weren’t for you, Your Grace, I surely would have sunk to the bottom of the lake.”

A servant from the marquis’s household brought warm tea. Leaning against the headboard, Sophia cupped the teacup in both hands and smiled faintly.

The conversation unfolded mostly with her speaking and Viern nodding or giving brief replies. As her gentle voice droned on, Viern had to swallow his boredom. It was dreadfully dull, but for the sake of cleaning up after his Princess’s blunder, he had to extend at least minimal courtesy to his prospective fiancée.

“It seems Her Highness’s feelings for you run very deep. I had thought those were exaggerated rumors. The ones about no woman you meet escaping the Princess’s wrath.”

At that moment, the mention of Diana’s name from her lips jarred his nerves.

“I suppose the necklace you gave me must have made Her Highness uncomfortable…”

It was just as Sophia bowed her head with a bitter expression and began fiddling with the blue emerald hanging around her neck.

“It would be wise not to bring Her Highness’s name to your lips so casually.”

At the chillingly cold voice that immediately followed, she looked up, startled.

“Your Grace…?”

“Lèse-majesté carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Tarnishing the honor of the royal family with false words and actions also qualifies.”

Viern set down his teacup with an impassive face and looked at her. His gaze felt as if it were piercing right through her, but Sophia forced the corners of her mouth up in an awkward attempt to act innocent.

“…Did Sir Aisen say that? That everything on the boat that day was an act I staged myself?”

Sophia let her eyebrows droop sorrowfully and murmured in a pitiful voice.

“I had heard Sir Aisen admires Her Highness, but this is a bit hurtful. I wanted to make a good impression on my future brother-in-law, but to slander me like this…”

“Slander?”

A dry chuckle escaped Viern, from whom a momentarily chilling aura emanated.

“Lady Sophia Silberk. Let’s get one thing perfectly clear. The reason I’ve tolerated your little games despite knowing about them is because I believe a woman who will become the mistress of Erkman shouldn’t be someone who just takes hits.”

“Wh-What do you…”

“However, if Her Highness’s body had suffered any real harm because of you that day…”

Viern casually cut her off, watching her teacup-holding hand tremble slightly as he slowly curled the corner of his lip upward.

“…you would not be sitting here, safe and sound, meeting with me right now.”

“……!”

The implication was clear: he knew she had framed the Princess, and he knew she wasn’t sick anymore. Shame flooded her, painting her face a bright red.

“Did you truly believe the body of a mere marquis’s daughter is more valuable than the kingdom’s sole heir?”

Swish—

His hand reached out and enveloped Sophia’s trembling one. The cool touch of his leather glove made her hand go rigid.

“From now on, know your place and act accordingly. If you wish to keep your grip on the position of Ducal mistress in this hand for a long, long time.”

Viern gave her hand a few light taps as a warning.

“Do you understand, my lady?”

“…….”

Sophia, her face now pale, could only nod in reply.

Viern looked down at her with cold eyes and withdrew his hand. How utterly dull. The woman who had cornered his Princess with such a shoddy scheme. And his Princess, who had fallen for such a woman’s petty trick.

Given the Princess’s notoriously bad reputation, those who hadn’t witnessed the two up close were, as usual, quick to chatter that the Princess had once again harmed the Duke’s woman. Hadn’t the women who passed through the Duke’s life suffered from Diana’s viciousness more than once or twice? Even though Aisen was there telling people of her innocence, no one believed him.

But Viern, who knew Diana better than anyone, knew the incident wasn’t her doing, even before Aisen came to report what he’d seen. If his Princess had caused trouble, this woman wouldn’t have gotten off so lightly. And yet, that day, in front of countless people, he had turned his back on Diana and tended to Sophia.

He had deliberately pretended not to know her, to correct her wicked habits, yet now he couldn’t understand why he felt so displeased. Perhaps it was because he disliked the idea of someone other than himself influencing her.

Diana Rosenheir was a beast cub I pulled from that old tower, I took in, I raised. A woman I painstakingly tamed to look only at me and follow only me. Therefore, even if the other party was to become the mistress of Erkman, the very idea of someone daring to place my possession in the palm of their hand and toy with it was bound to be displeasing.

Amidst the chilly silence, Viern savored the last of the tea before setting the cup down. He spoke with a cool smile and a soft voice.

“Then, my lady, please do not forget that this engagement is a union between the House of Erkman and the House of Silberk. Also remember that your value lies not in your well-maintained face and figure, but in the name of Silberk. I sincerely hope you do nothing to damage the value of Silberk yourself.”

“……Yes, Your Grace.”