“Y, Your Highness the Crown Prince, what on earth is going on here…?”
I glanced at Marquis Thetman, who looked timid and discreetly nudged Julian’s side.
Seeing Julion’s expressionless face, it seemed Marquis Thetman had been frightened out of his wits.
‘You should welcome him with a smile. It would be good if you could smile more!’
Implying this with my gaze, I looked at Julion, who curled an eyebrow and pulled up the corners of his mouth.
“……I did not bring you here to harm you, Marquis.”
However, I couldn’t help but sigh.
What’s the use of just lifting the corners of your mouth? Your eyes aren’t smiling at all!
“I apologize, Your Highness! I have committed a grave offense!”
As if on cue, Marquis Thetman emerged from the sack and prostrated himself on the floor.
As Julion seemed to furrow his brow in annoyance, I hurriedly stepped in front of him and reached out my hand to the Marquis.
“Marquis Thetman, I asked Julion to bring you here because I wanted to meet you. I apologize for using a rather forceful method.”
“Your Highness…”
“Please, get up first.”
As Marquis Thetman reached for my outstretched hand, he looked behind me and shuddered.
“H, how dare I take Her Imperial Highness’s precious hand.”
Then, with an awkward smile, he quickly stood up on his own.
The Marquis’s ashen eyes seemed to tremble as if experiencing an earthquake.
However, he soon regained his composure, placing one hand on his chest and bowing slightly.
“I apologize for the delay in greeting you, Your Highnesses. Graham of House Thetman greets you.”
“That’s right. I deeply regret the rudeness of bringing you here like this. But it was an urgent matter.”
As if he guessed what I was about to say, Marquis Thetman stiffened and avoided my gaze. Without waiting for his response, I gestured to the sofa.
“Please, have a seat. You too, Julion.”
As I sat down on the couch first, Zenid served tea as if she’d been waiting for me.
After Julion and Marqus Thetman took their seats, I broached the matter.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about this through Countess Rivolain.”
“You mean about the …… antidote?”
“Yes. I’ll be straightforward.”
I took a sip of the fragrant chamomile tea.
The warmth flowed down my throat and spread throughout my body.
Setting the teacup back down, I turned to face the Marquis and spoke.
“Cooperate with me, Graham Thetman.”
A troubled look crossed the Marquis’s face.
As I waited for his response in silence, he buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh.
“……I apologize, Your Highness. If you’d just give me a little more time.”
“I believe I’ve given you enough time. Delaying further won’t be beneficial for anyone.”
“What exactly do you expect from me…”
In response to the somber words of Marqus Thetman, I took out the syringe I had prepared.
“It’s simple; I just need you to give me some blood.”
“……?”
Marquis Thetman raised his head and blinked in disbelief.
I smiled and prepared to draw blood.
It was only then that Marquis Thetman, who had just snapped out of his reverie, waved his hands in surprise.
“B-But my blood would be of no use!”
“What do you mean? I need blood that has been exposed to the poisonous beetles.”
“That’s why I’m telling you that my blood won’t work; it’s not me that’s poisoned…… oh.”
The Marquis was surprised by his own words.
However, it was too late; I had already heard everything.
“I see.”
Marquis Thetman, who harbored disgust towards Cassian, wouldn’t have willingly cooperated with him to protect himself. This led me to speculate about the Marchioness.
“Your Highness, guests have arrived.”
Zenid had announced the arrival of visitors just in time. I immediately granted permission for them to enter.
The door opened, and two familiar faces entered.
“Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness!”
Count Rivolain entered first, followed by the green-haired woman, who bowed and curtsied.
Marquis Thetman’s eyes widened slowly at the sight of her, coloring with awe.
“Raviette of the Marquis of Thetman, greets Your Highness.”
Raviette straightened her back and locked eyes with me.
Her green eyes, a shade darker than her hair, sparkled as she turned to me, then widened in surprise when she saw Marquis Thetman sitting across from me.
“Graham?”
Marquis Thetman was equally surprised by Raviette’s appearance. His mouth hung open for a moment before he managed to speak.
“Ravi, why are you here…….”
“Her Highness invited us for refreshments, but they said you had something important to attend to and were running late.”
“I said that?”
“Yes, a servant relayed that to me.”
“A servant……?”
A question mark appeared on Marquis Thetman’s face.
It was understandable since it was Julion who had arranged it.
“He’s the servant accompanying you to the palace. Oh, then I hope I didn’t interrupt any important discussion with Your Highness…”
As Raviette turned to look at me, she belatedly noticed Julion sitting beside me and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
‘She didn’t recognize him right away.’
Prosopagnosia was one of the symptoms.
The less often you see someone, the more they fade from memory and are not recognized immediately.
Normally, even if one doesn’t see him often, there is no way that someone as big as a marquise could not recognize the crown prince at once.
If they did, it was either because they had never met him before or for some other reason.
“It seems His Highness, the Crown Prince, is also with us.”
It was only after Count Rivolain had bowed to Julion that Raviette raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Your Highness, I didn’t recognize you; I’m afraid I’m getting old and my memory is failing me……….”
Raviette’s appearance didn’t look much different from Countess Rivolain’s.
In fact, she wasn’t much older.
‘She’s probably over thirty now.’
Julion greeted Raviette and turned to Marquis Thetman.
“Looks like we have someone who can provide some useful blood.”
The way he said it made him sound like a villain.
Marquis Thetman must have thought the same thing, because he swallowed hard and frowned.
“How on earth did you know it was Raviette and not me?”
“Well, I don’t know. You’d better ask my wife about that.”
Julion’s golden eyes turned to me.
Raviette’s eyes narrowed in confusion as well. I shrugged and replied lightly.
“It’s not like there’s any great reason; everyone knows that the Marquis of Thetman is a philanthropist.”
As if that didn’t answer the question, the Marquis still looked at me questioningly.
I shifted my gaze, this time toward Raviette.
“Anyway, Marchioness, you have a disease, don’t you?”
“Ah…… yes.”
Raviette responded sheepishly and glanced briefly at Marquis Thetman.
It seemed he hadn’t told her about the poisonous beetle.
With a faint smile, I asked, “In that case, would you entrust your treatment to me, madam?”
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“Master, the vassals from the underworld are being discovered one by one.”
“It seems like everything has been turned upside down in Rullios.”
“Master, the funds I had set aside in the north wing have been…”
“A message has arrived that the eastern annex has fallen into the hands of the imperial family, Master!”
Duke Cassian let out a languid breath as he listened to the reports pour in.
One by one, the places where the Duke had been operating were coming to light and being uncovered.
The vassals from the underworld who had been manipulated using the poison of constraints, the nobles who used to work under the surface, and even the hidden places where the assets that should belong to the imperial family were secretly kept—everything was being exposed.
There were still a few left, but it was only a matter of time.
“As expected.”
It must be the work of Rohiriel.
He had suspected that such events might occur since he had been discreetly investigating.
But even if Rohiriel became a Crown Princess, he was still a powerless little brat.
Everything was unfolding as he had foreseen.
Things were moving along without much deviation from what he had prepared and arranged.
Rohiriel had shown some minor rebellion, but it would soon subside.
He had made arrangements for her to crouch beneath Cassian again.
“Master, give me your orders.”
The men who had brought the report bowed before the Duke.
Observing their faces, the Duke solemnly issued a command.
“Open the final chapter.”
‘Once this plan is successfully completed, the rumors and the sins will no longer matter.’
And the darkness and light he so desperately wanted. Both will be within his grasp.
‘I cannot wait to see the look on your face when you return, Rohiriel.
Duke Cassian smiled with satisfaction.
