Reinhardt’s subordinate, who had gone to the palace on his master’s orders, lowered his head with gleaming eyes.
“Yes, the Archduke has exerted himself for Evan, so I will surely complete the mission.”
As he left, Reinhardt smirked and spoke to his aide.
“Isn’t it ridiculous? That foolish crown prince actually believes Evan is his enemy!”
The subordinates involved in this task were Evan’s sworn brothers, higher-ranking members of the mercenary guild. They had persistently requested Reinhardt to locate Evan.
Annoyed, Reinhardt ordered his aide to deal with them, who devised a plan to make use of them.
“Even if we can’t avenge Evan’s grudge, at least we can make use of his life in a meaningful way. Isn’t that fortunate?”
“Fortunate indeed.”
With this, the alchemist, who had been lurking around pretending to assist Cornelia, would disappear, and any pathetic weapons would become obsolete.
All due to the reckless crown prince’s covert requests to the assassins.
And if bombs were discovered at the scene, it was obvious who would be implicated in the hotel arson incident.
“With this, we can even use the Crown Prince to our advantage. It seems that even a useless little kid like this is more useful than my brother, who couldn’t even kill a child!”
And…
‘Now Cornelia will never be able to raise her insolent claws at me again.’
She had been so confident with just a gun.
But what would happen if she lost her only weapon?
‘She would seek someone to rely on. To protect herself and her child.’
And that person would not be Duke Blant, but himself.
“Has the accusation Evan sent been prepared as well?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The accusation detailed how the Grand Madam had intentionally mistreated Cornelia, along with evidence of embezzlement and attempts to divorce her.
“Good, before the state council meeting…”
Suddenly, Reinhardt paused mid-sentence and turned to gaze out the window. He quickly rushed over to open it and scanned the surroundings.
However, there was not a soul in sight, not even a single rat.
“What’s wrong?”
Reinhardt only furrowed his brow at his aide’s question.
‘I definitely felt someone’s gaze…’
He soon addressed his aide.
“Is the security of the mansion well in place?”
“Yes, of course. We’ve positioned guards throughout the mansion and optimized the shifts to maximize efficiency. It would be impossible for anyone to sneak in.”
Reinhardt let out a small sigh at his aide’s confident demeanor.
‘Well, it would be impossible for someone to spy from here.’
The mansion had been designed to leave no room for intrusion. It wasn’t just the first floor; spying from the third floor was nearly impossible.
‘…I must have been too sensitive.’
For a moment, he thought this, then turned back to his aide.
“Pass the accusation to Marquis Arzen. This way, he’ll start suspecting Duke Blant regarding the missing funds.”
For years, there had been whispers that Erich was suspicious of the whereabouts of the missing money.
If they could provide the indictment papers and prove that the Grand Madam had been in cahoots with Xenon, they could turn the tables and accuse Marquess Azen of being the one who had embezzled the funds.
“Ah, and have all the nobles attending the state council meeting been bribed?”
“Yes, they’ve all stated they will demand the release of Medelin Arzen.”
The reason the Grand Madam had been imprisoned all this time was the suspension of her execution due to Cornelia’s disappearance. No matter how firmly the Emperor was set on punishing criminals, with Cornelia back, they had to reassess everything.
If it came to light that Medelin Arzen was wrongfully implicated and that all of this was orchestrated by the Grand Madam, the blame would fall squarely on her, and Medelin would be released for lack of evidence.
“Truly, she’s a useful woman, isn’t she? I don’t know how fortunate it was that we got rid of that doctor and destroyed the evidence.”
Unbeknownst to Medelin Arzen, Reinhardt had invested a lot in her.
‘Thanks to her, I could worsen the relationship between Cornelia and Duke Blant.’
Having observed her since childhood, Reinhardt knew that Cornelia felt inferior to Medelin. He used Evan, who infiltrated as Xenon, to push the Grand Madam to bring Medelin into the Duke’s household.
When her son returns, she should get rid of that defective daughter-in-law and bring in a proper one.
The Grand Madam, easily swayed, brought in Medelin and neglected Cornelia. She even threatened her fake son not to sleep with Cornelia, tormenting her further.
‘Thanks to the Grand Madam inciting her servants, things went much smoother.’
As planned, Cornelia became increasingly isolated from the Duke’s household.
Reinhardt was also the one who spread rumors about Cornelia and the Duke’s relationship.
‘If that damn fool hadn’t interfered, Cornelia would already be mine.’
Not just her. There would have been at least two children resembling him.
However, they were still a married couple, and the one by Cornelia’s side was still Erich Blant. Moreover, the child she had was strikingly similar to him.
Grinding his teeth for a moment, Reinhardt then smirked.
Soon enough, Cornelia and that man will part ways.
‘I have a card to play to gain Cornelia’s trust.’
Thinking of Sardin, Reinhardt asked his aide, “Has there been any contact from the barbarian dog I assigned to Cornelia?”
“No, he’s been unreachable since leaving Count Herde’s territory. Should we try contacting him again?”
“No need. Sardin, that barbarian, will come to us soon enough.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
As soon as I returned to the mansion, Demian rushed toward me.
“Mom!”
He looked so adorable that I immediately hugged him.
After a brief moment of laughter, he pointed at Marquis Philippe with his finger.
“Ah, it’s Uncle Marquis!”
Seeing my child being so adorable, the marquis smiled broadly and bowed his head.
“Hahaha, Demian! It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it’s been a while! Uncle, your mustache is cool!”
“Hahaha! You have good taste.”
“Yup!”
Perhaps he was still too young?
Demian seemed unfazed by the fact that the marquis, a higher rank, was addressing him with respect.
His casual speech suggested that.
‘But then again, he’s not even four yet, even if he is smart for his age.’
However, I didn’t correct his behavior.
I had already decided to reveal my true identity to him and tell him about his real father soon.
‘I’ll have to talk to Sardin about it later, so that our stories match.’
At that moment, the marquis bowed his head.
“I think I should be going now. I might get in trouble with my wife if I’m late for dinner.”
I nodded at Marquis Philippe’s farewell.
“Yes, thank you for escorting me.”
As he mounted his horse and left with his subordinates, Demian muttered,
“I’m glad he looks happy.”
Hearing that left me momentarily speechless, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Our little one, how kind you are, even worrying about the marquis’s health!”
Demian flinched slightly, then grinned.
“Yeah! He’s a nice uncle, and he shouldn’t be sick!”
His words made me suddenly recall the marquis’s past before my regression.
‘He tried to advise Fritz until the end, but was hated and exiled to the south.’
I suddenly felt curious. What had happened to him after that?
‘He must be fine, right? He has family, and the marquisate is quite wealthy.’
Just then, I saw my child running toward Sardin.
“Sadi!”
Sardin prepared to kneel and embrace Demian.
Right at that moment—
Grab!
Someone suddenly appeared and scooped up Demian. It was…
“Oh? Dad!”
It was Erich, wearing a black cloak, having just returned from somewhere.
He quickly inspected Demian, then shot a fierce glare at Sardin and said, “We need to talk for a moment.”
I was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected appearance of Erich.
‘What is he going to say to Sardin?’
His appearance suggested he had just come from somewhere, and there was a look of betrayal in his blue eyes.
Anxiety suddenly washed over me.
‘Could it be that he’s realized he is Demian’s biological father and is planning to confirm it with Sardin?’
If that were the case, I had no intention of losing my child.
“Erich, give me my child right now…”
At that moment, Erich approached me, carrying Demian.
“Demian, stay with your mom.”
He handed the child to me and spoke softly. “I just want to discuss your safety with Sardin.”
His blue eyes, clear as a cloudless sky, met mine.
As I looked into those eyes, my anxiety began to fade.
I nodded unconsciously, and he offered a faint smile.
“Thank you.”
Seeing that unfamiliar face reminded me of someone I had buried deep in my memories.
<Your Highness, thank you.>
A boy from the slums who had given me flowers every founding festival during my childhood.
