After the Wicked Wife Leaves

At Reinhardt’s words, Marquis Arzen’s eyes trembled.

 

‘How did he find out? No, since when did he know?’

 

When he heard that Medelin had poisoned Cornelia, he thought his daughter was foolish.

She should have handled it discreetly, without anyone knowing—just like he did.

Despite thinking he had covered his tracks perfectly, he was momentarily in a state of panic upon realizing that this immature person knew about it.

But it was only for a moment.

 

‘Right, there’s no evidence. It’s clear he’s just fishing for information.’

 

Regaining his composure, the marquis decided to play dumb.

 

“Archduke, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“What do you mean…”

 

Reinhardt removed his hand from the marquis’s shoulder and sat down on the opposite side of him.

After a moment, he spoke with a smile on his refined face.

 

“What I’m saying is that the foolish empress had the tonic given by her brother administered to the Emperor daily, but it was actually poison. She made sure it was administered in small doses over a long period so it wouldn’t be detected in the tests.”

 

Reinhardt sat at an angle, resting his chin on his hand, and gazed at the pale Marquis Arzen.

As if he were watching something amusing.

 

“Marquis Arzen, did you really think I was making unfounded assumptions about you? I would never do such a thing. Arrogance is something only fools like you would exhibit.”

‘Was he always like this?’

 

The young royal never hesitated to do anything for the empire.

He was always kind to the weak, modest despite his intelligence, and possessed outstanding leadership—an impeccable figure with no faults.

Moreover, he had even distanced himself from power, refusing major positions at the Emperor’s encouragement.

However, the Reinhardt before Marquis Arzen now seemed like an unknown monster toying with humans, so enigmatic that one could not even gauge his true nature.

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

Reinhardt, with a stern expression, replied authoritatively.

 

“First, get on your knees.”

 

In a situation where he was vulnerable, refusing that command could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Marquis Arzen slid off the couch and knelt down, and Reinhardt smiled with satisfaction.

 

“Good, now you’re at the right eye level.”

 

Though it was highly humiliating, Marquis Arzen couldn’t say a word.

He was fully aware of the clear dominance his opponent held.

 

‘If the Archduke runs his mouth and the poison is discovered, I’m done for.’

 

Then Reinhardt spoke.

 

“Marquis, will you become my dog from today onward?”

 

At those words, Marquis Arzen suppressed his anger and glared at Reinhardt.

Reinhardt twisted his lips and continued.

 

“A loyal dog who obeys my orders and listens only to me.”

 

The title was insulting, but essentially, it meant becoming his close subordinate.

 

‘Even if he has my weakness, this is too much. My nephew is going to become Emperor, not some brat who hasn’t even received the title of archduke yet.’

 

Although he was currently under the Emperor’s scrutiny and exiled from the capital, his nephew, Fritz, would still become Emperor.

If he chose the Archduke, he would become estranged from Fritz.

At the moment, Marquis Arzen was about to say something out of frustration, but Reinhardt interjected.

 

“Oh, I see. Is it hurting your pride to be asked to become a subordinate of a mere archduke when you’re the uncle of the future Emperor?”

 

As Arzen’s face hardened at the precise words that pierced through him, Reinhardt lifted the corners of his mouth.

 

“If that fool Fritz becomes Emperor, how long do you think the empire will last? At most, ten years?”

 

Instead of retorting, Marquis Arzen clenched his fists at Reinhardt’s sharp remark.

It was a very rude thing to say, but honestly, even he couldn’t help but think that the Empire had no future with Fritz as Emperor.

 

‘Yes, it would be fortunate if it lasted even ten years.’

 

Reinhardt, however, did not stop there; he struck at the heart of the problem that had been on Marquis Arzen’s mind.

 

“Moreover, Fritz wouldn’t be able to defy the former Emperor’s will as his child. So how could he wield power from outside the capital?”

 

Indeed, this was why Marquis Arzen was so enraged by the exile decree.

Fritz had no intention of defying the Emperor’s will, nor did he have the brains to come up with a rationale that would allow him to circumvent it and bring himself back to the capital.

 

“So, is this why you called me here today—to mock me?”

“No, I’m sure I mentioned it clearly.”

 

As the voice that had commanded him to become his dog echoed in his mind, the Marquis’s face flushed with anger.

 

“I will take my leave!”

 

At that moment, Reinhardt called after his retreating figure.

 

“Are you thinking of giving up just like this? Do you intend to live as a failure, forever exiled from the capital?”

“Archduke!”

 

At Marquis Arzen’s furious outburst—

 

“I will become Emperor.”

 

At Reinhardt’s words, the Marquis’s eyes widened.

 

“What?”

 

Reinhardt, always with a smiling face, was known for hovering around the Emperor.

He never went against the Emperor’s wishes, and he only did things that pleased him.

For instance, when he was asked to become the leader of the Imperial Knights…

 

<I am not capable. Please reconsider.>

 

Even when offered the most enticing rewards, Reinhardt always refused.

However, it was now unfathomable that such a person was discussing treason.

 

“If you follow my orders well, I promise a reward. It would be a sweeter power than using Fritz as a puppet.”

 

Faced with an unbelievable situation and an offer he could not refuse, Marquis Arzen was dumbfounded.

Then—

 

“So, decide. Whether you want to die here without a sound or become my dog and survive,”

 

Marquis Arzen laughed hollowly.

It seemed like he was given a choice, but there was no real option. He was merely being toyed with by a monster.

 

‘I shouldn’t have come to this mansion…’

 

At the same time, he thought,

However, someone like him could wield power for a long time. Even until the day I die.’

Marquis Arzen lowered his head and spoke.

 

“I swear my loyalty.”

 

At that moment, Reinhardt was about to smile with satisfaction.

 

“But only if you will answer one question.”

“What is that?”

“No matter how capable the Archduke is, you need a proper justification to usurp the throne of the current Emperor.”

“That’s wrong.”

“What?”

“Why usurp? There’s an easier way.”

“What kind of…”

“I will become the Emperor’s son-in-law and inherit the throne.”

 

When Marquis Arzen heard this, he doubted his ears. After all, he knew that the Emperor had only one daughter.

 

“Are you saying that Cornelia is still alive?”

 

At that moment, Reinhardt suddenly stood up and kicked the Marquis in the abdomen.

 

“Ugh!”

 

As the Marquis groaned in unexpected pain, Reinhardt whispered,

 

“You’d better not mention that name again. Her name will now be entirely mine.”

 

As he met Reinhardt’s crazed golden eyes, the Marquis instinctively felt that a wrong answer could mean death right here.

 

“I will keep that in mind, my lord.”

 

Reinhardt returned to his seat with a satisfied smile.

However, Marquis Arzen was still troubled by unanswered questions.

 

‘How on earth is Cornelia still alive?’

 

At that moment, as if reading his thoughts, Reinhardt spoke up.

 

“It seems you’re curious about how the princess is still alive.”

“No.”

“No; you should know. This whole situation was the Emperor’s directive from the start.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

 

After a moment of confusion, the Marquis understood everything.

 

“So, because my family and Duke Blant’s family are powerful, he used the princess as a pretext to get rid of me, so that when Fritz became emperor, I wouldn’t be an obstacle.”

“It’s good to see you catch on quickly. It’s worth having you as a subordinate.”

 

The Marquis smirked at that.

He never imagined that he, the maternal uncle of the Crown Prince, would end up contemplating making someone else an Emperor.

 

‘However, since public opinion on Fritz is currently poor, aligning with him might be a better bet. The key is to secure Cornelia.’

“In that case, determining the princess’s whereabouts is a priority…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve assigned a useful dog to her side. So… you should forget about the princess.”

 

Faced with Reinhardt’s increasingly menacing gaze, the Marquis had no choice but to remain silent.

Reinhardt, observing him, lifted one corner of his mouth and spoke.

 

“In five years, Cornelia will be declared dead and separated from Duke Blant.”

 

A cruel smile appeared on Reinhardt’s face.

 

“When that time comes, I just need to make her choose me.”

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

Flap!

A white bird fluttered its wings and flew up from the window.

In front of it stood Janet, and Sardin approached with a wrinkled face.

 

“Janet, are you perhaps delivering a message now…?”

 

Janet furrowed her brow and pointed at the bird with her finger.

 

“What? Look at its legs.”

 

Sardin could only show an embarrassed expression.

There was nothing attached to the bird’s legs.

 

“I apologize. I made a mistake. My master instructed me to remain vigilant.”

 

Janet relaxed her expression and spoke.

 

“It’s alright. It’s only natural to be sensitive since the madam’s about to give birth.”

 

Sardin sighed and spoke.

 

“Thank you for understanding.”

 

At that moment, someone called out to Janet. It was Cornelia.

 

“Janet, could you come here for a moment?”

 

Janet smiled at Sardin and said,

 

“Then, excuse me.”

 

Turning her back to Sardin, Janet headed towards Cornelia, her smile fading.