You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 52

After that, many things happened, but Merwen remained unshaken.

She executed her revenge step by step. She was neither anxious nor flustered. Confusion was something only those who did not know which direction to take experienced.

When the time came to put a period to her revenge, Merwen intended to have an open and honest conversation with Lerox’s son about the evil deeds committed by their biological father.

Sioden must already know that Lerox killed Hesen and Lerisa. Lerox wouldn’t have hidden it from his son after telling it to her.

Sioden’s strangely changed attitude since Lerox’s death reinforced her suspicion that he knew the truth.

However, Sioden believed they were killed because they rebelled against the head of the family. That was how it was recorded in history.

Merwen planned to tell him that Hesen and Lerisa died solely because of Lerox’s greed.

And as revenge for that, she would let him know that she had orchestrated the misfortunes that had befallen his life.

When he realized that his terribly hated father had become a trap that continued to bite at his heels even after death, Sioden Raslet would ultimately accept his own fate. That for Raslet, the only way to be freed from the sins of blood was through death, a life filled with suffering.

The final self-destruction of Raslet was like a signature left on the painting she had painstakingly crafted her entire life.

Yet, Lerox Raslet said nothing to his son.

He had rambled on about why he killed Hesen and Lerisa but remained silent to the son to whom he bequeathed everything.

As a result, Sioden Raslet became a fool who couldn’t even guess why she was acting this way.

Merwen trembled with suppressed rage. How could Lerox not even raise a single son properly? Anger surged towards the already deceased man.

Sioden asked her,

“Why did you go outside last night?”

Merwen shot him a glare. Was that really important in this situation? Such words rose to the tip of her tongue. She struggled to suppress it.

Of course, she could have applied for a visit with Sezna after her release from confinement.

If she had done that, she wouldn’t be undergoing this interrogation.

Everything would have been perfectly legal.

Knowing this, Merwen had seduced the knight guarding the prison. One of Rupid’s cousins, the knight easily fell for her gestures, sighs, and slight smile.

With just a word, she brought the knight, who would kiss her feet, and went underground to meet Sezna. Then, she instilled a sense of vengeance in the woman behind the bars.

The reason for all her actions was simple. Merwen still had a face that dripped with anger.

With a single adjustment, she created the same flawless expression as before and spoke softly.

“It was a gift.”

Rupid had brought evidence that Hesen and Lerisa were preparing a rebellion, providing Lerox with the excuse to kill them.

Through this, he gained Lerox’s trust and lived lavishly even after his master’s death.

“You’ve lived your life without punishment, but before you die, you should have a different experience.”

Rupid would not escape punishment this time.

Unlike Lerox, who had a close relationship with the nobles while showing some leniency, his son could not tolerate the crimes happening within the family. It was a near-pathological obsession with cleanliness.

Even though the subject of the sentence was missing, Sioden immediately understood who she was talking about. He scoffed coldly.

“You committed a crime to put your biggest ally in a difficult position? What believable nonsense.”

“You’ll have to believe it whether you want to or not. I have a gift prepared for you, too.”

Sioden raised an eyebrow. Merwen took a step closer to the man, who looked down at her as if daring her to speak.

“You’re looking for Rowen’s accomplice, right? You’re curious about who helped the former Duke Rowen commit crimes? That’s me.”

Sioden didn’t even flinch.

Merwen muttered in a subdued voice, “You’re not surprised. Well, by now, you should have caught on.”

Having watched him since childhood, she knew that Sioden wasn’t completely oblivious. Rather, he tended to misjudge situations by relying on visible evidence instead of his instincts.

In any case, having traveled to the capital, he must have discovered something, so he likely recognized her connection to Rowen long ago.

Now that the truth had been uncovered, an investigation naturally followed.

“Why did you conspire with Rowen?”

This question was less about satisfying personal curiosity and more about his obligation to uncover the truth.

In fact, there was no hint of interest in the man’s expression or voice. Merwen found his reaction unsatisfactory.

She felt as if her heart was truly being torn apart after losing Hesen and Lerisa, yet Sioden seemed perpetually dry, no matter what he experienced.

She murmured, “I told you earlier. People are most unhappy when they live recalling an unchangeable past.”

* * *

“It was always you who delivered a guilty verdict when Iella pleaded for you to believe her just once.”

It was none other than him who made that decision himself.

Merwen understood why Sioden had done that. The conclusion declared by the head of the family could not easily be refuted, so he likely used that point to prevent greater troubles.

In reality, Sioden’s intervention meant that the elders, including Rupid, could not directly express their dissatisfaction to the Duchess.

But no matter how heartfelt his intentions were, who would understand him?

All the circumstances fade over time. What remains is only the result.

To the lady from the south, Sioden Raslet would be the cold husband who wouldn’t even listen to a word.

Merwen spoke to him with a hint of mockery, “Even if you overturn that verdict now, can you change Iella’s memories?”

It was a question with an answer already known.

Even if one were to destroy the laws inscribed on stone tablets, the moments etched in a person’s mind could not be erased, no matter how the world might try.

She worried that if she spoke too indirectly, he might not understand her.

With a small sigh, Merwen let her shoulders droop. She chose a more straightforward expression.

“I wanted you to live your life in unhappiness, recalling what you ruined.”

After realizing that the man before her cherished a woman from the South, like his mother, Merwen had tried to sabotage their relationship.

Knowing that her childhood friend, who had shared most of her memories, wished only for his unhappiness, Sioden’s reaction was far from satisfactory.

He didn’t seem particularly shocked by someone cursing his entire life. His focus was elsewhere.

“So you put Iella in a difficult position.”

“Speak plainly. You made the verdict, didn’t you?”

Sioden’s face twisted slightly. Merwen cheerfully added, “Of course, even if you had investigated, the outcome would have been the same.”

When hunting, one must set traps so that there are no escape routes.

“I don’t understand.”

The man took a step closer to her. A dark shadow stretched over Merwen’s body.

“What wrong did Iella do?”

Merwen scoffed at his straightforward way of thinking.

“Iella certainly did nothing wrong.”

“……”

“She was just unlucky.”

Merwen recalled the woman who resembled her mother. Bright blonde hair like Lerisa’s, with slightly darker green eyes.

Her thoughts were clearly displayed on her face, and she had made the worst mistake by holding the hand of a man who resembled her father, a man with a remarkable talent for ruining a woman’s life.

The phrase “the sin of marrying the wrong husband” was likely meant for moments like this.

Now, Merwen looked up at the man who was finally showing some reaction. His dark blue eyes, resembling her father’s, shot a glare that seemed capable of killing her. But now, those eyes no longer frightened her.

In that brief moment, the man who must have imagined slicing her throat dozens of times finally spoke.

“Dragging an innocent woman into this—yes, that’s what you call misfortune.”

There was a subtle annoyance in his tone. Merwen could have attributed it to the absent woman being dragged into their conversation.

The man spoke as if chewing his words.

“Why would you wish for something like that?”

Something like that?

Merwen frowned.

Sioden Raslet didn’t understand how much his own misfortune, and further, the complete downfall of the Raslet family, meant to her.

This was all because Lerox had silenced his son.

Even though she already knew this, anger surged within her. He could chatter away about things that weren’t even asked, yet the words he needed to say were taken to the grave. She felt an urge to kill him.

Well, if he was going to come at her like this, she had her own thoughts.

All it took was a slight change in her plans. Concluding this in her mind, Merwen coldly replied, “What reason could there possibly be?”

“……”

“Did your mother dislike you for some reason?”