Rosalie was considering whether she should throw the fan in her hand out the window and keep playing dumb until the end. As she clutched the fan and gazed outside, Nine fidgeted, thinking ‘just in case.’
This was an act of insubordination like no other.
“…This is an offense against the imperial family.”
“Just for a fan?”
“I heard that a previous emperor cut off a noble’s foot for stepping on his spit. Should I cut off the Duchess’s hand, then?”
“Go ahead and try if you can.”
Rosalie boldly lifted her chin. Not to be outdone, Nine lifted her head even higher. She was the empress, to whom even the Duchesss of the empire had to bow.
“This is your last chance. Bring the fan to me respectfully with both hands.”
Nine’s command strengthened Rosalie’s resolve to throw the fan out the window.
“There’s no need for that.”
Just then, Rosalie heard a familiar voice from behind them, making her pause and turn. Derivis, who had been standing behind her, slowly took the fan from her hand.
Both Rosalie and Nine were so absorbed in their confrontation that they hadn’t noticed his approach.
Derivis presented the fan to Nine in one hand, who deliberately raised an eyebrow and refused to accept it.
“There’s no fan suitable for the Empress.”
With these icy words, Derivis shattered the fan into pieces in front of Nine.
“Crown Prince…!”
Derivis then let the broken remnants fall to the floor. With a crashing sound, the beautiful and expensive fan was reduced to mere trash.
“Now that the fan is gone, there’s no crime to speak of.”
Though his voice was calm, Rosalie could feel his anger without turning to see his face. Nine frowned deeply, unable to hide her expression as she looked at the shattered fan pieces on the floor.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s disgraceful for the imperial family to get angry over a mere fan when they should be a model of composure.”
Nine clenched her fists and trembled at Derivis’s mocking tone.
“…After taking Radinis away from me and pressing false charges against Baroness Andree falsely, now you’re breaking my fan, too…!”
“Neither the fan nor Baroness Andree seems necessary to the palace.”
“Ha, you think I can’t bring Baroness Andree back to the palace?”
Derivis smirked, as if daring her to try. Nine, infuriated by his repeated taunts, was on the verge of losing her mind.
Looking at Rosalie, who stood motionless before Derivis, Nine forced a smile.
“Crown Prince, you’ll regret this day for the rest of your life.”
Her face twisted into an incomplete smile with furrowed brows, looking grotesque like an unfinished doll.
“By showing it so plainly, you’re making it clear that the Duchess is very important to you.”
Derivis’s smile disappeared in an instant. Meeting his cold blue eyes, Nine’s heart raced. It was like an animal’s instinct to flee from death.
“I’m making it obvious on purpose. If you harm the Duchess, I will really kill you.”
Derivis’s voice was menacing. He was like a beast baring its teeth, ready to strike, unstoppable until he had torn out his prey’s throat. Nine realized that Rosalie was his boundary as his lethal intent tightened around her neck.
At that moment, the sound of palace servants approaching could be heard. Freed from the suffocating fear, Nine barely managed to speak.
“We’ll see.”
Saying that, she quickly left. Rosalie glanced at the broken fan before turning around.
“How did you know I was here?”
“News and gossip travel faster than anything in the palace.”
Derivis noticed the red mark on Rosalie’s pale neck from the fan and gently lifted her delicate chin with his hand. Then, he slowly traced the red mark with his fingertips.
“Why is it like this?”
“It happened during an argument with the Empress.”
Rosalie didn’t elaborate, but Derivis quickly understood that Rosalie had ended up with Nine’s fan because of that argument.
“It’s turned red. Does it hurt?”
“It’s not so much painful… as it is unpleasant.”
It wasn’t particularly painful, but the unpleasant sensation of the fan forcibly pushing to choke her still lingered. As Rosalie dwelled on that discomfort, Derivis’s slow touch made her feel ticklish, and she flinched.
“Stop, it tickles… Derivis?!”
Startled by the soft, moist sensation on her neck, Rosalie jumped back.
‘Did he just lick me?’
Her cheeks reddened as she covered her neck with her hand.
“Why did you…?!”
Unlike the startled Rosalie, Derivis calmly smiled after giving her neck a short lick.
“The Emperor is waiting.”
He strode away. Rosalie, still in shock, watched him go and slowly removed her hand from her neck. The previous unpleasant feeling was now gone, though she couldn’t tell whether it was due to the surprise she felt or because of what he had just done.
⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰
Patrick welcomed Derivis and Rosalie into the drawing room with open arms. Rosalie glanced at Derivis, shaking her head.
‘It doesn’t matter if he comes in, but he’s always so naturally smooth about these things.’
“Sorry for the sudden visit.”
“No need to apologize, I had some free time. Rather than that, how did you know? Haha.”
Patrick hurried the servants to bring refreshments, a proud smile on his face.
“It’s wonderful to see you two together.”
“Oh, we just ran into each other outside.”
“I came running to see her as soon as I heard that she was in the palace.”
Their simultaneous but contrasting responses made Rosalie look at him with surprise, and Patrick burst into hearty laughter. His son was completely smitten.
“But, Duchess, I doubt you came just for tea.”
At Patrick’s sharp question, Rosalie took out a hairpin from her pocket. Patrick picked it up, examining it before asking for an explanation.
“This is leverage against the Empress.”
“Hmm… leverage against the Empress…”
“It contains the confession of the Marquis of Windell. It proves that the Empress helped him recruit reinforcements from the Lentil Kingdom.”
“But Derivis’s investigation found no trace of the Empress.”
If they had found such evidence, Nine would have been charged with treason immediately. Rosalie, aware of his intentions, added an explanation.
“It may not be definitive evidence, but it’s enough to accuse her.”
“So you plan to use this to keep the Empress in check for a while?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Patrick placed the hairpin in his pocket. It was clear that Derivis had taken Radinis from Nine and dismissed Andree. He had effectively severed her support.
Now, Rosalie aimed to bind Nine’s movements even further.
‘They’re planning something important together.’
Patrick was willing to accommodate Rosalie’s request. As a father, he felt it was his duty to support his sons’ happiness in any way possible.
“I’ll keep her tied down for as long as I can.”
“Thank you.”
Patrick waved off her gratitude. Now, they only needed to find the place of Nine’s corruption. Following Radinis’s lead, they refocused their search on the Eastern Forest near the lake.
News would come soon.
“Well then, shall we actually enjoy some tea and chat with the nobles for a bit?”
Patrick offered them some healthy tea. Derivis did not touch his and instead he attempted to taste Rosalie’s tea; ultimately, he couldn’t under her watchful gaze.
However, despite her resolve, the tea’s sweet aroma was contrasted by its bitter and astringent taste, leading Rosalie to set it down after just one sip.
By the time they finished, the sun had set, and Rosalie and Derivis left Patrick’s drawing room.
“Rosalie, do you have plans after this?”
“I have some documents to handle. Why do you ask?”
“There’s something I want to show you.”
“Is it important?”
Rosalie agreed to follow him when he replied the affirmative. He then ordered a servant to prepare a saddled horse.
Though curious about not using a carriage, she trusted Derivis and followed him without question.
‘An abandoned… garden?’
The southern outskirts of the capital were once filled with beautiful gardens. As new gardens and noble entertainment spots developed in the west, the south naturally became desolate.
Riding deeper into the overgrown garden, Rosalie followed Derivis.
“What is in here?”
“You’ll see. It’s something very special.”
Derivis replied, extending his hand to Rosalie.
“Take my hand.”
“Is it because it’s dark? It’s not that dark.”
Rosalie teased, feeling mischievous for once.
“No, because I want to.”
Derivis smiled broadly, unfazed, making Rosalie grab his hand. This man surely had a hundred—no, a thousand tails.
Hand in hand, they ventured further into the garden.
“Hmm… the sky is full of clouds tonight.”
Derivis murmured, looking up, Rosalie’s gaze following his. The dark night felt especially gloomy with the moon hidden behind the clouds.
“We’re here.”
‘A glass garden?’
Looking ahead, Rosalie saw an indoor garden entirely made of glass. Derivis, seemingly familiar with the place, opened the door and led her inside.
“Did you hide something here?”
The unlit interior felt eerie. Rosalie asked, puzzled, and Derivis smiled mysteriously.
And as the breeze blew in, stirring up the clouds and illuminating the glass garden in the bright moonlight, Rosalie immediately understood why Derivis had brought her here.
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