The necklace Caroline took out looked familiar. Jeremiah's brow furrowed as he recognized it immediately.
'Isn't that the necklace I bought to give to Karina?'
It was the necklace that he had bought to give to Karina just before the charity event, but it was discovered in Caroline's room later. So he brought it with him from the North to the capital to give to Karina, but he ended up not giving it to her until today.
'Why is that coming out here?'
It was even curious that Caroline had it. But there was no one here to answer his questions.
"As for this necklace, it is considered to be a lifetime masterpiece created by the famous jeweler Paolo."
Caroline continued to brag with a smug look on her face.
"It is a one-of-a-kind piece of work that is so excellent that it is difficult to put a price on it."
She went on and on about how amazing her necklace was, using the word "piece" in the name.
"Karina. Look at this beauty. The size and the color are extraordinary."
Her boasting didn't end until Karina took her eyes off the mess of flowers and started to clap her hands. Karina, who had been sullen and helpless, eventually forced herself to smile, raising the corners of her lips to fit the mood.
"Yes. It's really pretty."
"Are you sure you're looking at it correctly? If you look closely, you'll see that the emerald is shining a deep green and transparent glow whenever it reflects sunlight."
Caroline urged her for a more active response. Karina reluctantly reached out to examine the necklace she had held out in front of her, telling her to look at it. Then.
Snap!
"...!"
Caroline hit the back of Karina's hand with her fan. Startled, Karina withdrew her hand and cupped the back of her reddened hand with her other hand.
"Don't touch it, just look at it. What if you touch it carelessly and it gets a little scratch?"
It was as if Caroline was saying that the necklace would get damaged if she touched it.
“Ah...”
Karina's lips twitched in embarrassment. Caroline's serious expression disappeared, she picked up the necklace and placed it against her collarbone.
"But the necklace has found its rightful owner. I am the only one in the empire who can wear this necklace according to its true value."
She haughtily grumbled for a while. Then, she suddenly looked at Karina and opened her mouth with a meaningful expression.
"Actually, this necklace almost ended up in the hands of someone who didn't even know its true value."
"..."
"Luckily I found out about it in advance and brought it with me. It almost ended up like a pearl necklace around a pig's neck, but I'm glad it didn't end up like that. Isn't that right?"
She openly encouraged Karina to agree.
"Yes... That's right."
Although she didn't know the details, Karina continued to give Caroline the answers and reactions she wanted.
"Karina, you think so too? As expected. Hohohoho"
Caroline smiled with satisfaction, saying something incomprehensible. Even the maids standing behind her were giggling and laughing. Karina just smiled back, not knowing what was going on.
"..."
Jeremiah was frozen in place at the sight of Karina being treated like an idiot. The malice of Caroline and the surrounding maids towards Karina was so vivid. It was behavior he had never seen before when they were together.
'Surely... those things couldn't have really happened?'
Even the smallest assumption was enough to make him suffocate. He was confused.
As far as he knew, the picture frame was unbroken. The same was true for the emerald necklace. He clearly remembered keeping it deep in the desk drawer of his office in the capital.
'Yeah. It's all a dream. A bad dream.'
This was Karina's consciousness. Based on that, what he could infer was that the situation he was seeing right now was all Karina's dream. While denying that it was not real, his face turned a little pale. As he stood there blankly, his surroundings distorted and returned to darkness.
"..."
He barely came to his senses. The beam of light from the lamp in his hand had been shining on the same spot since a while ago. Jeremiah began to take heavy steps one by one. As he walked forward following the beam of light, the scenes he had seen earlier did not leave his mind. A strange sense of anxiety and impatience remained, tormenting him. Small lights continued to float around him. Jeremiah began to examine each light in detail without realizing it.
'That's..!'
And in it, he found a scene he also knew. Finding Karina was the top priority. However, he had an inexplicable conviction that he had to check something here and now. He felt that way without even knowing what he had to check.
Jeremiah hesitated for a moment and reached out into the light. Then, just like before, the scene in the light expanded and the surroundings changed. A familiar place unfolded before his eyes. The study of the Northern Grand Duke's house, where bookshelves filled the entire wall. Karina was lying down in the study with Lord Genon. Caroline and him, with their expressions set hard, stood in front of the wide-open door.
'That was the incident at the charity event.'
Jeremiah quickly searched his memories. He recalled what had happened that day and what would happen next. Before he knew it, Jeremiah had entered the body of the man standing in front of the door. Karina, who was flustered, was looking up at him, not knowing what to do.
"What are you two doing right now?"
Jeremiah was startled for a moment. A voice as cold as frost came out of his mouth, even to his ears.
"Oh my God, Karina! What on earth could you do with another man! How could you commit such a crime as a Grand Duchess?"
Caroline, who was standing next to him, shouted with a shocked face. Then as if that was a signal, Lord Genon pushed Karina, who was on top of him, away. He got up and strongly asserted his innocence.
"I am the victim! The Grand Duchess suddenly ran to me and hugged me. I feel wronged."
Just before the study door opened, Karina was shocked to hear such an absurd threat that she couldn't speak properly.
"No... I ..."
She just shook her head with a pale face.
"How could someone in the position of Grand Duchess do such a vulgar thing!"
Caroline showed her disgust without hiding it.
"I really didn't do anything! I swear to God. Please believe me!"
Lord Genon began to frame Karina while asserting his innocence.
"The Grand Duchess brought me here on purpose. She kept secretly looking at me at the banquet hall, so I couldn't believe it..."
Lord Genon, who had been hesitating while watching Jeremiah's expression, continued speaking.
"You kept tempting me by saying you wanted to be alone with me, and you even pushed away all the maids who followed you."
"...!"
Karina looked horrified at his claim. Jeremiah, who had been absorbed into the memory, became seriously angry.
"Is what he says true?"
"No!"
Karina denied it hastily. But her words were instantly turned into a lie by the testimony of the maids Caroline had called.
"The Grand Duchess said she had something to say to the Lord separately and asked everyone to leave."
"Even though we told them to leave the door open, she said it didn't matter and told us to leave."
"She also told me not to come back in until she came out."
Karina was quite embarrassed by the maids' testimony.
"What the... I told you from the beginning that there was something I had to do. I told you that Caroline had asked me to do something, so I had to go do it."
Karina said that with a trembling voice and looked at Caroline. Her eyes clearly showed a need for help. Caroline, who received that gaze, crossed her arms and sighed with a serious expression.
"Karina. This is really not the case. This is not a situation where I can just give in and let it slide."
"Yes?!"
Karina looked shocked at Caroline's words.
"What are you talking about, Caroline? You clearly told me earlier..."
"Stop lying now, Karina!"
While everyone else was saying the same thing, only Karina was saying something different.
"Tell me the truth."
Jeremiah gritted his teeth as if he was suppressing his anger and asked.
"I asked you what the two of you were doing!"
He frowned and pushed Karina away in a menacing manner.
"...!"
Her body trembled in fear at his scream. She gasped for breath and barely managed to speak.
"I'm not lying. Please... please believe me."
Karina desperately clung to him, begging him to believe her, but Jeremiah glared at her with fierce, sharp eyes.
"Stay in your room until I tell you it's okay to come out. That means don't let me see you."
He turned away with those words, Karina, left alone, was devastated by the fact that he didn't trust her at all. She sat down in that place with a bewildered expression.
'What the heck is this...!'
Jeremiah, who had come out of his body, covered his mouth with his hand. He broke out in a cold sweat and his breathing became rapid.
'Is this...?...just a dream?'
He felt so sick that he couldn't stand properly. He was very confused by the situation that was different from his memory. However, the emotions he had felt just a moment ago were too vivid and vivid to be dismissed as just a dream. He felt like this was a prank. A really bad prank. It was like a child's crude play. Malicious words poured out of the mouths of those who had gathered after hearing the commotion.
"You betrayed your husband and tried to seduce another man. That's treacherous and evil."
"That sly woman coveted the position of Grand Duchess without even knowing it. It's disgusting."
"If you're like that even after getting married, how bad must it have been before you got married?"
"If she were a man, she would be a lewd woman who couldn't even use her legs. How dirty."
An unspecified number of people looked at Karina with eyes of contempt and condemnation. She alone had to bear the brunt of their malice and contempt.
'Stop...!'
A pitiful groan leaked out from Jeremiah's teeth. Karina's situation was so horrible and cruel. Karina's appearance was clearly visible, hurt and in pain by every word they said. Nausea welled up in her.
"Karina..."
Jeremiah called Karina's name desperately with a trembling voice.
"Karina."
But no matter how much he called, she wouldn't hear his voice,
"Karina. Please look at me."
His heart felt like it was going to burst from the helplessness of being unable to do anything in front of her, who was in deep sorrow and despair.
"No. I trust you. I trust you. So...!"
He tried to embrace Karina, but the hand he reached out to her passed through her body without fail. It didn't reach him at all. His voice, his hands, his heart. Nothing. It felt like the blood in his whole body was running cold.
Please. Please. Please!
If only he could, he wanted to take all of Karina's pain into himself. However, contrary to his wishes, Karina's figure moved away and pitch-black darkness came again. Jeremiah, left alone in it, raised his head. There were still countless lights floating around him. He could no longer look at them indifferently. Fear seeped into his eyes. His body trembled with the ominous feeling that each and every light would be filled with such terrible memories. The beam of light extending from the lamp he was holding was pointing to a distant place.
Each step toward Karina. It was the beginning of an endless nightmare for him.
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