Chapter 53: Because She Was the Reincarnation of a Goddess

Letting out a deep sigh inwardly, Vered fixed his gaze on the three people who, on the surface, were radiating an unnaturally tense atmosphere.

Vered and Ciel had been guided into the reception room by the Duke and Duchess of Vitkenstein.
Vered had tried to slip away unnoticed, but Ciel sensed it and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, dragging him along to this place.

Who in their right mind would want to be present for what was about to happen?
The Duchess’s face was deathly pale, her body trembling uncontrollably.
The Duke spoke to her in a soothing voice, but it did nothing to help.
The reason she was this terrified was simple.
She was afraid.

“Now then, what should we talk about?”

A smile was pasted onto his otherworldly beautiful face, yet the presence he gave off clearly warned that even a single misstep in one’s words would not be forgiven.
Ciel was extremely dangerous when he was like this.
Vered, who had known him for many years, let out another sigh.
When things came to that point, the only one who could stop him was Vered.
He prayed that the knife hidden in his left sleeve would not need to come out.

At Ciel’s opening remark, the Duke—Citrine—showed confusion.

“What topic… are you referring to?”
“The group that kidnapped Faustina?”

“Do you really think I would bring up something so trivial?”

Vered sighed yet again.
No good.
Ciel was completely furious.
He had already exceeded his limit during the conversation with his half-brother Sirius, but now that he had actually come to the Vitkenstein Ducal Mansion and the Duke had asked such a misguided question, his irritation had only grown.

Is it already my turn?
Leaning against the wall where he could observe all three of them, Vered continued to watch in silence.

“I have already uncovered who was behind the kidnapping.”
“Stealing children was easier for them than stealing jewels or money.”
“…What do you suppose that means, Duke?”

“There were no flaws in our security.”
“However—”

“However?”

“…We failed to see through him.”
“That Cain—seven years of loyal service to the ducal house—and yet he was one of those who revered Arva.”

Vered himself, who had served the Vitkenstein household under the name Cain Fuchs, did not know what kind of woman Arva truly was.
He had never even seen her.
All he knew was what Ciel had told him yesterday and the image of her he had heard about eight years ago from the real Cain.

As soon as they learned Faustina had been kidnapped, the guards were interrogated.
Yet none of them had reported any suspicious individuals, objects, or even suspicious traces.

The very culprit who had outmaneuvered the security and kidnapped Faustina without anyone noticing felt nothing at all as he watched Citrine speak with difficulty and Ludmila tremble with a pale face.
The only thing he worried about was whether Ciel’s anger would finally explode.

“I see.”
“Well, you can hear the details of the kidnapping from His Majesty later.”
“I will also compile the necessary reports and submit them once I return.”

Ciel’s words made it clear that the real issue lay elsewhere, heightening the tension of the ducal couple even further.

“Duke, do you remember the ‘promise from eight years ago’?”

“O-Of course.”
“Not a single day has passed that I have forgotten it.”

“I see.”
“Then you already know what I am about to say, don’t you?”

“W-Wait!”
“The fact that Faustina was kidnapped is indeed our failing.”
“But the moment we learned she was missing, we immediately began searching—”

“So?”

Ciel cut off Citrine’s plea with a dark blue gaze that stripped away all warmth and beauty.

“Searching for her is only natural.”
“She is the reincarnation of Rinnamorato, born for the first time in hundreds of years.”
“On top of that, she is the ‘crown prince’s fated partner.’”
“There is no way the head of the Vitkenstein family does not know how necessary that child is to this country.”

“……”

“Those were your words, and His Majesty’s, eight years ago.”
“Have you forgotten?”

“N-No.”
“Never.”

The truth from eight years ago.
This was the root of the rift between Ciel and Sirius, as well as the Vitkenstein family.

Vered had heard the full story yesterday.

Even without knowing Arva, it was clear that she had been an irreplaceable treasure to Ciel.

And then—

“Eight years ago, when you took that child in, you said this.”

“‘We will never make her unhappy.’”
“‘We will never let her face danger.’”
“‘We will raise her to be a happy child.’”

“And this is the result?”
“A kidnapping?”

“……”

The true kidnapper stood just behind them as these words were spoken.

Ciel had told Vered about it.
About Faustina’s visits to the church every year on her birthday to receive blessings.

How, year by year, her smile had vanished from her face.
How she had stopped smiling even at Ciel, who played the role of the priest who was exceptionally kind only to her.
How she would walk with her head down behind her parents.
How many times Ciel had wanted to embrace her and run away with her.

This year, however, her parents—especially Ludmila—had said nothing, and Faustina had seemed cheerful throughout, so he had refrained from threatening the Duke.
That was what he had told Vered.

“You don’t truly believe that an unmarried, still-child noble lady can be abducted and then return to high society unscathed, do you?”

“…Depending on discussions with His Majesty, but most likely we intend to forcibly continue her engagement to the crown prince.”

“As expected…”

A goddess’s reincarnation, finally born at last.
And not just that—she was the crown prince’s fated partner.
There was no way the royal family—Sirius—would let her go.
And that wasn’t the only reason.

“Don’t you think you share some blame too, Ciel?”

Suddenly, Vered cut into the conversation.
The servants who had brought tea had already left, leaving only the Duke and Duchess, Ciel, and Vered in the room.
All three turned their attention to Vered at his unexpected interruption.

“The king is obsessed with you, Ciel.”
“If the engagement between the young lady and the prince were annulled, he’d lose any legitimate reason to be involved with you.”
“Isn’t he afraid of that?”

“Stop making jokes that give me goosebumps.”

“Jokes?”
“Please.”
“You know it’s true.”
“You know it, and you’re choosing to ignore it.”

Because—

“It truly doesn’t matter to me.”

Ciel spoke the words as if expelling them, his voice colder than absolute zero.
Even Citrine’s face drained of color, matching Ludmila’s.
If Sirius had been present, he would have looked the same.
Even Vered, who had teased Ciel, felt a chill run down his spine.

“That’s enough of the pointless talk.”
“Vered, stay quiet for a while.”

“Sure, sure.”

If Vered spoke again, he would not get off lightly.

The coldness required of someone who stands above others was something Ciel possessed many times over compared to Sirius.

“Let’s get back to the topic.”

With an icy smile, Ciel took a sip of the tea that had been set out.

“Duke.”
“What do you intend to do about that child’s engagement to the crown prince?”

“…If possible, I would like it to continue.”
“However, no matter how much the royal family or our house tries to conceal it, if it were to be exposed, it would become irreparable damage to both families.”
“Needless to say, the same applies to Faustina and His Highness.”

Rather than holding onto a bomb that could explode at any time, the only option was to somehow persuade Sirius and dissolve the engagement between Faustina and Bernhard.

“That’s so,” Ciel replied, his smile unchanged.

But—

“…N-No!”

“Ludmila?”

The Duchess, who had been pale and trembling all this time, suddenly raised her voice.

“Faustina has been doing her utmost to become crown princess, even if it has only just begun!”
“And that’s not all!”
“She has devoted herself to her education as a ducal lady and worked desperately to be worthy as the crown prince’s fiancée!”
“If the engagement is annulled now, all of Faustina’s efforts until now—”

Ludmila lacked the courage to continue.

All color drained from her face as deep-sea blue eyes fixed upon her.
Her trembling worsened as the blood left her entirely.
Citrine wrapped his arms around her protectively, shielding her from Ciel.
Looking closely, his own complexion had grown even worse.

This is bad.
Vered judged instantly.

At the exact moment Ciel opened his mouth, Vered closed the distance in a flash and pressed the knife hidden in his left sleeve against Ciel’s carotid artery from behind.

“You’re more short-tempered than you look, Ciel.”

“…All right, all right.”
“I’m not angry, so put the knife away.”
“Your knife feels alive, and it’s scary.”

Forced to suppress his irritation by Vered’s interference, Ciel complied.
Vered withdrew the knife as told but did not move away, remaining right there.

“Good grief…”
“When too many irritating things pile up at once, this happens.”
“Once this is over, I feel like soothing myself by looking at that child’s smile.”

“That sounds fine to me.”
“After all, you’re the one who saved her.”
“Right, Duke?”

“That would be acceptable, but…”

Citrine looked at Ludmila with pity and rang the bell.
When a servant entered, he instructed them to let her rest in her room.
Supported by the servant, Ludmila left the room with unsteady steps.

Once she was gone, Citrine turned back to Ciel.

“Please do not blame Ludmila.”
“She is desperate as well.”

“I didn’t say anything, though.”

“Your expression alone was intimidating enough.”

“Fine, fine, don’t tease me.”

“…Ciel.”
“Neither Ludmila nor I have ever neglected Faustina.”
“My wife, especially, was perhaps too strict in her efforts to raise her into a proper crown princess and ducal lady.”
“But everything was for Faustina’s sake.”

For the young lady’s sake, huh.
Vered glanced sideways at Ciel.
Ciel’s expression did not change at all.
It seemed he had gone beyond rage and reached a state of emptiness.
Only that pasted-on smile remained.

When Faustina cried in secret over Ludmila’s harshness, Citrine had indeed sought her out and comforted her.
He had even urged Ludmila several times to soften her attitude.
But in the end, he was persuaded that it was all for Faustina’s sake, and could say nothing more.
As Faustina cried more often, and as Ludmila doted only on Elvira, Faustina began snapping back at her mother.

The reason Ludmila was so terrified of Ciel was because she sensed the abnormal, murderous aura he radiated.
It was understandable that Citrine had chosen to have her leave rather than let her remain any longer.

“…You know, Duke.”

Ciel spoke in a voice as calm as flowing water.

“Even if you cherish that child, how do you suppose your wife truly feels?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“To her, that child is the daughter of her husband’s cousin.”
“Not her own.”
“Even if she is the reincarnation of a goddess…”

Citrine began to deny it, saying, “That’s not true,” but what Vered had heard, and Ludmila’s behavior toward Faustina at the church up until last year, said it all.

Ciel rose from the sofa.

“This time, thanks to information reaching my ears quickly, the kidnapping did not end in disaster.”
“But if it had—”

He cast a meaningful glance at Vered beside him.

“—I might have killed you.”
“And His Majesty as well.”
“I have never once stopped hating you and the king for taking away my daughter, whom Arva risked her life to protect and give birth to.”

Eight years ago—
The look on Ciel’s face as he recalled that time was unbearably painful.
From his wavering blue eyes, regret and fury threatened to overflow.

With nothing left to say, Citrine remained silent.
As if declaring the discussion over, Ciel said, “Let’s go,” to Vered.

“…Yeah.”

Vered did not know what kind of person Arva had been.
But he had known Faustina even before serving the ducal family as Cain.

Because—

He had seen Ciel crying as he held a newborn baby girl in his arms.