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“What did you say just now?” Taylor exclaimed as he got up from the bed.

In an instant, the sleepiness completely vanished from his eyes, making way for sheer astonishment.

“Probation,” he repeated in a disbelief tone.

Kastiel sighed heavily, and it’s only then that Taylor could properly see the knight standing in front of him.

As the leader and commander of a respected knightly order, kastiel had always maintained a neat and dignified appearance. But right now, he looked disheveled, with hastily combed hair, while his strained voice revealed the toll lack of sleep had taken on him.

With a tired gesture, He gently ran his hand over his face, slowly repeating what happened in the palace.

“The star palace has decided on a one-month probation period for her at His Highness’s command. His Imperial Majesty has also consented to the order,” Kastiel revealed.

“By force?” Taylor asked, rising completely from his seat with a tone full of displeasure.

“Well, was it really by force?”

Kastiel’s tone was ambiguous, but Taylor understood the underlying meaning perfectly.

Margaret Eilish never cared about what others said about her. Regardless of the insults and disgraceful rumors circulating among the prisoners, she remained unbothered. Her indifference played a significant role in her absolute lack of presence.

Taylor had a gut feeling that Margaret most likely responded to the situation in the same detached manner as well.

Suffocating with a feeling of helplessness, everything seemed to be turning pitch-black in front of his eyes.

In fact, both Taylor and Kastiel had a defeated expression on their faces..

“His highness intends to negotiate with her father, the Marquis. If the Marquis wants to lift the probation, he would have to break his daughter’s stubbornness first.”

“…What did Mel even do?” Taylor asked, muttering a curse under his breath.

Damn, this was beyond ridiculous.

“The Eilish family is a noble one. Even if Florencia did conspire with the Duke because of her emotions, it’s a fact that she was hostile to the royal family. Margaret might be known to be frail, but the funds she inherited from Florencia and the money from the business she conducted personally are entirely her own. Moreover, her ‘business,’ carries great weight in both society and the media.”

Kastiel Reload then added that the Emperor had been dissatisfied with this fact for some time now.

“She could lose a significant portion of her power and wealth if she comes out of this on her own. His highness thinks that convincing her father, who is family, would be much easier.”

It was truly a bizarre situation for Kastiel.

Justice had clearly prevailed, and all circumstances that posed a threat to Beatrice, including the traitors and their accomplices, were being settled with. Yet, he still felt so dejected.

Kastiel actually spent a long time reflecting on the conversation Margaret and the Crown Prince had three days ago.

And during that time, not even a single breath escaped him.

* * *

“Because i’m not my sister”

When Margaret spoke those words, the Crown Prince immediately turned his head to look at Beatrice.

And unlike when he was glaring at Margaret, his golden eyes were filled with unmistakable concern when they met his lover’s gaze.

However, Beatrice still addressed Margaret in a gentle voice, saying, “I understand, dear. How could I not know of the pain that comes with losing a family member? The pain can be unbearable. But… you know as well as I do…. This is about the relationship between Florencia and I.”

“I know. I am aware that there have been numerous unsuccessful transgressions from my sister, too many for me to even count. I can only imagine the suffering you’ve endured. So, perhaps you don’t even mind mocking that wretched villain’s death. But, Lady Rosen,”

Kastiel read a hint of mockery in Margaret’s tone which had lost all traces of sleepiness.

This caused the atmosphere in the audience room to instantly turn cold, making the situation equally awkward for Beatrice and the Crown Prince.

“I won’t quietly accept your refusal just because you say it’s impossible for you.” Margaret continued.

After her bold statement, the Crown Prince briefly glanced at his sword, and his eyes, reminiscent of the dawn sky, glistened with resentment. It was clear that he fully understood the level of the threat she represented.

“If you continue to resist, you’ll inevitably have to bear the consequences, as is customary. So, why should I agree to your demand?” The Crown Prince retorted with a tone full of disdain.

Then, a powerful surge of energy suddenly emanated from him like a menacing aura, and circled around Margaret.

Kastiel closely observed Margaret’s reaction to the situation, studying her intently.

This energy was usually exerted by someone who had reached a significant level of strength, filled with determination to vanquish their enemy.

And usually, when an ordinary person faces such energy head-on, they would typically experience mental terrors, stiffness in their body, and difficulty in breathing.

Yet here was the Crown Prince, fully aware of this fact, attempting to crush Margaret with his energy, despite her well-known frail physic.

As Kastiel silently watched this unfold, a feeling of disappointment filled him up. His belief that the Prince was, at the very least, not a coward was starting to waver.

“What’s the problem? Was my mercy not enough for you to experience, even after falling for your obvious innocent act? If you dare to shamelessly turn the crime of insulting the Royal Family in your favor, then go ahead!”

“Oh, Your Highness, so you really want to kill me after all.” Margaret said, suddenly bursting into laughter, leaving Kastiel astonished.

He had seen this kind of expression before on the faces of those who had nothing to lose; those who remained indifferent even after being abandoned.

It was also an exact reflection of his own expression.

The Crown Prince and Beatrice were also in the same state as him.

They both had been claiming that every single human life was valuable, going so far as to label people who’d kill anyone as pure evil.

To be totally honest, the Crown Prince did not care about human existence that much, but after meeting Beatrice, well….. He changed.

What did he say again when they were about to sentence Florencia to death?

Kastiel remembered the speeches the Crown Prince had given, filled with apologies and remorse.

He vowed to never kill anyone after this, he swore that he would not snuff out any more lives, for everyone’s sake.

Meanwhile, Margaret cunningly curled her lips into a smile, watching how the Crown Prince and his lover failed to counter her words. She had offered them mercy, and with her head held high, she warned that rejecting it would result in tragedy.

For them.

“Your Highness, do you think that the astronomical sum needed to reconstruct the palace comes from the Imperial faction? No, Your Highness.”

Margaret’s smile took on a chilling tone, before she added, “Your happiness is made of riches that fell off the carcass of the villains, like worthless debris.

A heavy silence covered the audience room, as everyone knew her words were true.

The funds to repair the palace damaged by the rebellion, the profits from the power struggle, the assets they confiscated after the Duke was imprisoned , and the gold coins offered as bribes by Glacius, Taylor’s guild, were all part of the money filling up the Royal Family’s coffres right now.

All these things they took for granted, Margaret had calmly and sarcastically brought them up.

The empire’s security was now guaranteed since Taylor was in prison. However, reviving the Royal family’s power, and keeping the noble faction in check, would all be solved with Eilish’s funds, but only if they kept Margaret alive and that’s exactly why they turned a blind eye to her lies about being sick.

And lastly, Lord Reload would be the one managing the traitors, ensuring they never posed a threat to the Empire again. So now, what had the Prince ‘personally’ done, besides killing some of the Duke’s soldiers?

The Crown Prince was seething with anger. Beatrice was also struggling to hide her discomfort and maintain a stern expression.

Meanwhile, Margaret was laughing her lungs off as if she was completely carefree.

“Now, tell me, oh just and fair Crown Prince, do you think it’s right for your Highness to use the villain’s death as a joyous event?”

Ah, the world is indeed unfair. Kastiel thought as he lowered his head, consumed by a sense of defeat before gazing at Beatrice’s contorted face.

His rediscovery of the fact he had forgotten, wasn’t too long ago.

He stared at her blue eyes, which were looking back at him, knowing what she wanted from him.

Kastiel had once thought there was nothing he wouldn’t do for Beatrice’s safety and happiness. More precisely, this used to be his conviction.

But now, he knew better, there wasn’t much he could do for her anyway.

Margaret Eilish mentioned the entire aristocracy as the only heir of the Ducal family who would fall with the Duke. This literally meant that the nobles had the right to interfere with the Crown Prince’s decisions–who had not yet become the Emperor–and the low-status Beatrice’s as well.

So before anyone could point out Margaret’s rudeness, there was much to consider, and the Crown Prince’s silence in response to her ridicule of the Royal Family was likely because of this fact.

“Lord Reload,” suddenly called Beatrice, her voice exuding a lovely and benevolent nature, devoid of any trace of ill-intent.

Yet, Kastiel started to feel a certain resistance boiling within himself in response to it.

“…Yes,” he reluctantly replied.

That’s right, he no longer wanted to be Beatrice’s loyal attack dog.

Even after he made up his mind to follow Margaret, he had been contemplating the idea of restraining her, taking into consideration Beatrice and the Crown Prince’s dignity. But he now found himself ridiculous.

A feeling of something breaking inside was consuming him, and the corners of his mouth painfully twisted into a smile under his lowered head.

For the first time, Kastiel completely turned away from Beatrice that day.

* * *

Kastiel couldn’t exactly remember when he first met Margaret Eilish.

She was in a position that attracted attention from everyone in the social world, but since Margaret was a high ranking noble, there’s no way for a mere knight like him to cross paths with her.

Furthermore, she had completely withdrawn from the social scene, which had already been dwindling in importance since Beatrice’s debut.

She didn’t even attend events like hunting competitions, so why would anyone be interested in her?

So, Kastiel only started to pay attention to Margaret after she declared herself the chief warden of the Alcatraz prison.

And when he learned later on that she was bribing the guards, he just laughed.

In all honesty, Margaret wasn’t the only one interested in the prisoners here, despite them being incarcerated in a prison renowned to be the worst.

Lord Heisen did the same, as well as the young ladies and attendants who used to admire the Duke. Even the families of a few guards use that method.

The only thing that set Margaret apart from those people, was her good reputation among the guards inside the prison.

You see, unlike regular prisons, Alcatraz was notorious for housing special and political prisoners.

Given that they held criminals who repeatedly escaped from regular prisons, brutal delinquents, and even terrorists, the visitation requirements inside the underground facility were incredibly strict. It goes without saying that the restrictions on visitation time were also tight.

Furthermore, with an adjacent torture chamber visible to everyone, even the relatively mild-mannered prisoners, and nobles held captive in those underground cells struggled to bear the haunting noises from there, let alone a noblewoman.

The guards who maintained control over the prisoners were members of the Royal knight order, and had rough and ill-tempered personalities. Moreover, it was customary for the confined individuals to shout insults at the civilians entering the prison.

Hence why it was highly unlikely for a normal woman to engage in such madness by going there alone every day.

However, Margaret Eilish deviated from the norm by ignoring the dangers this place represented.

She got along well with the brute knights, paying no attention to their vulgar jokes. She even went as far as bringing them food every day as the ‘Prison Warden.’

In such a relaxed manner, she would enter the dungeon, and not come out even after the visitation time had long passed.