When My Enemies Began to Regret

“Let’s hear it…”

Fortunately, after a few seconds, the words she was thinking about flowed out safely.

“I don’t understand a single thing. Is it my fiancée’s fault that Naverius died?”

However, it wasn’t Fanora herself who brought up these words. Fanora widened her eyes and turned around at the familiar voice she heard. By the time she turned her head, Aloken was already close to them.

“Duke Jalier?! Why are you here…”

“Didn’t you know? I just arrived. To have dinner with my soon-to-be family members.”

Aloken smiled, curling the corners of his eyes. And soon, he put his arm on Fanora’s shoulders as if to show off their closeness.

“My fiancée said she was going to check on the preparations for the dinner, but she didn’t come back after a long time. I thought… she went somewhere else to catch a pig.”

“…”

“So what now?”

As Fanora remained still, Aloken grabbed her shoulder and pressed her closer to his body.

“It’s nothing. I just talked a little with my family.” Purson took a step back and answered lightly. However, the reply to his words wasn’t at the level that he had imagined.

“Haha, even if it’s bullshit, make it more plausible.”

“What?”

He was taken aback by the words that came back. However, Purson’s complexion began to change at Aloken’s cold voice that followed.

“Do you think I’m deaf? I heard every kind of thing you said.”

“…!”

“So, where is the proof of cheating? Wait, even if you could prove it, you shouldn’t have said it out loud. She is my fiancée, and she is the one who will become the duchess.”

Aloken hadn’t shown any expression since earlier. He didn’t frown or smile, only stared coldly at Purson.

“Celsius is a family where there is no superior or inferior, but how dare a younger brother to mess up with his older sister?”

There’s nothing good about talking about family to Purson. As Fanora expected, when Aloken brought up the family, Purson became angry.

“How could you unilaterally insult me without knowing the details—”

  “Ah! Come to think of it, you’re late to know about the rumors?!”

But soon after, Aloken cut him off in a loud voice. As Purson closed his mouth grimly, Aloken continued the conversation with a half-smile.

“The dirty rumors about Fanora and Naverius. I wondered what kind of person dared to damage the reputation of my love. Still, the source of the rumors was none other than the young Master Demangdwi himself.”

“…”

“And yet, did you still believe the words that came out of Naverius’s mouth and intimidated Fanora? Oh my, you’re really ignorant of the information~”

If you listened to Aloken’s tone quietly, it was a soft tone, as if he was worried about her brother. But that mood didn’t last long either.

“Naverius was already a thorn in the eye. He didn’t know his subject and was waiting for my fiancée to cheat on me. But it turned out rather well.”

“…?!”

“Even if he didn’t die today, he was going to die in my hands anyways.”

“…!”

Could that be true? Aloken gritted his teeth to the extent such a question could arise.

“So… Purson Celsius? You’d better watch your mouth from now on. Ah, it’s even better if you consider that Fanora is no longer Celsius.”

“…Are you saying she’s from the Jalier family now?”

“Looking at what you’re saying, you don’t seem very stupid. Yes, because if I hear the same story from before again, my words for you wouldn’t be very different from Naverius.”

In other words, that means he would die.

Since Purson grew up receiving endless affection from his family, he became a person with great pride. So he responded to this threat right anyway.

“This…! No matter how duke you are, you’re being so rude to me! I’m the sole heir of this family, and I’m the future Count and your brother-in-law!”

In a way, it was true, but Aloken’s reaction was cold. “If you want to die, repeat the same words you just said.”

“…!”

As Aloken widened his eyes and uttered those words without hesitation, Purson soon became quiet. It must be because he had never heard such harsh words while conversing with nobles, so he wasn’t immune to it.

“So pathetic.” Aloken saw that and thought his opponent had lowered his tail, so he tapped Fanora’s shoulder with a sound close to mockery. It meant to let’s go now.

“Anyway, you know that, Brother-in-law. Be good to your only sister from now on. If Fanora cried and clung to me to spare her brother, I wouldn’t listen to her request.”

It was a mad threat that wasn’t noble at all. However, his opponent’s title is duke. He is the current owner of the Jalier family, which is on a different level from Celsius in terms of wealth.

Purson couldn’t make a single glaring expression while listening to Aloken’s blatant threat. He was afraid that the crazy man might really use his power to harm him.

* * *

Step, step. After a while, while walking toward the dining room, Aloken broke the silence and said his words first.

“I guess younger brother’s rudeness seems to be the same here.”

“…Thank you for your help.”

Aloken showed a bright smile that didn’t fit the situation. Fanora, who had been watching him, lowered her gaze to the floor and said in a quiet voice.

“But Purson is right. He will later take over the title and become the next Count of Celsius.”

“So?”

“The one who actually has the power is my younger brother, so you didn’t need to protect me that much when considering the future.”

Fanora immediately stopped her steps and stood tall. Then Aloken also stopped walking slowly.

“…”

What on earth is he thinking? Looking at that laid-back face, Fanora hesitated to ask this question all the time because he always seemed to be playing around. But now she had to hear his answer.

“Do you really like me?”

Aloken remained silent for a while as Fanora stood and spoke with a really questionable look. He didn’t answer the question in the end. Instead, he just brought up another sentence.

“It’s my wish.”

“Pardon?”

“The thing you promised to grant my wish during the Jousting Tournament.”

Aloken suddenly reminded her of the past promise and spoke with a determined attitude. “I will use it now. My wish is for you to spend time with me in two days.”

“Ah, is it because you haven’t been doing social activities for a while…?”

“Not to show off to others.”

Now he had no expression again.

“Because I want to.”

How could she complain about this shabby courtship? Fanroa stood at a loss for words for a moment, and before long, Aloken spat out an answer that she finally knew.

How time went by after that? She couldn’t tell the dinner the cook had worked so hard went into her mouth or nose, and when she came to her senses, Aloken had already finished his work and left the mansion.

“Day after tomorrow…?”

Fanora lay in bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Obviously, when in the carriage, her thoughts were full of Naverius. But now, other thoughts keep popping up in her mind.

“The day after tomorrow?”

* * *

26. However

It was the next day, in the royal capital autopsy center. In the morning, with the sound of small birds chirping, the two men were sniffing dead bodies in the dark room.

“Have you got the autopsy results?”

Then a woman in glasses entered the room, and one of the men replied.

“What’s the point of taking a long time? It’s obvious when you look at it, but why do you even do an autopsy?”

The rest of the man, who remained in the room, objected with a blunt face as if he was dissatisfied with the remark. He was none other than the investigator in charge of the case.

“A healthy nobleman is dead. And suddenly, at the royal ball. If this wasn’t a strange death, how many things would there really be in the world that needs to be investigated?”

“So what. After all, you didn’t get anything, did you?”

However, it seemed that the chief investigator was also dissatisfied with the autopsy. He then detailed the incident to the woman who entered the room.

“Now, the result of the autopsy of Naverius Demangdwi is simple. Instant death from a head injury. This was because he fell off the terrace by himself after drinking alcohol.”

“Then?”

“It fits perfectly with the testimony collected and the field investigation results.”

It was because no one couldn’t avoid the eyes of the knights if they went up to the terrace at the time of Naverius’s estimated death.

This year, people’s testimonies had great power in investigation cases. There was no equipment to test drug reactions, not even a microscope, so in the end, no evidence of murder was found in this case. Even if the investigator asked the question why there was no brain bleeding occurred, as Naverius had fallen like that.

“No matter how much I look at it, I suspect he’s taking drugs…”

If the tail is long, it is bound to be stepped on one day. However, it seemed that the world was still on Fanora’s side.

* * *

“I feel strange.”

It was the day after the autopsy of Naverius. Early in the morning, Fanora, who woke up in Celsius Mansion, washed her face with cold water and reflected on the night before. How long has it been since I slept this well?

Apparently, she had been waiting for the midnight novel at her desk yesterday. However, the black window suddenly became bright when she closed and opened her eyes. She accidentally fell asleep yesterday. That’s how she missed the midnight novel. Besides, this had happened twice.

“…”

Perhaps her head was blank because she had a long sleep after a long time. Everything in the past was like a dream. Everything from being insulted by Purson to being asked out on a date by Aloken.

“This is not the time. I have to get ready to go out.”

“Yes? Lady, do you have any appointments?”

“Ah, that. Come to think of it, I didn’t hear when the appointment time was.”

However, she clearly remembered only one thing, even in the midst of being distracted. So Fanora ordered her maid with a sincere smile after a long time.

“Anyway, go get me a dress for going out.”

The fact that Naverius is dead. The person who had tormented her for half of her life was finally purged. Even if others knew this and pointed fingers at her against humanity’s revenge, it was the best ending for him. She naturally laughed as if she had read a satisfactory book.

No. Don’t be too nervous. That picky-looking investigator might find the evidence I don’t know about.

Then what should she do now that she has achieved another goal in her life? Should she have a toast? Aloken asked her to go around the city with him today, so she didn’t mind quenching her thirst with an expensive drink at a coffee house. Fanora thought about this and that while dressing up herself.

“It’s done, Lady.”

“Yes, yes.”

In no time, a woman in a neat shape was sitting over the mirror.

“Because this year’s trend is the off-the-shoulder dress that Vasago wore in her debutante…”

Originally, Fanora liked a stuffy and uptight dress that completely covered her neck. She didn’t really like this trend as she forced herself to keep up the trend in the capital, but it was still fine.

“It can’t be helped.”

Soon Naverius’s stupid death will be announced. She had no doubt that she would be invited to the funeral of Naverius. And then she could finally wear clothes of her favorite color there.

“Cecil. Did the funeral dress I ordered the last time come safely?”

“Yes. Today’s delivery—”

It was then. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Hearing a faint muffled sound through the curtains, Cecil went to the window to examine the situation.

“Hmm?”

And Cecil noticed who had come in the shape of a carriage seen at the far front door.

“Lady, it seems that the duke has arrived.”

“Already?”

For a moment, Cecil felt sorry for her. Lady’s appointment today is to meet her fiancé!