135. Doubt

Though she already knew who they were referring to, Roselia had asked the question anyway—hoping, foolishly, that the answer might be different.

But confirmation only made the weight in her chest worse.

Her hands clenched into fists without her realizing.

Suicide?

Nora had clung to life with such tenacity.

Even just yesterday, during their conversation, Roselia had seen it—the hesitation, the fear, the clear desire to live when offered the chance.

And now they were saying that same woman had taken her own life?

It didn’t add up.

Convinced that Nora’s death had been staged to look like a suicide, Roselia left her room without hesitation, face set in grim determination.

Eva scrambled to keep up with her.

“Miss! Where are you going?”

“To the palace.”

The firm edge in Roselia’s voice left no room for argument, and Eva followed, flustered.

Just as the two of them reached the entrance, Johannes was already standing there—wearing his coat, as though he had anticipated Roselia’s reaction.

“Let’s go together.”

Without protest, Roselia nodded.

The most important thing now was to get to the Imperial Palace and uncover the truth.

Upon entering the palace, Roselia immediately sought an audience with Crown Prince Aaron.

He, too, looked weary—besieged by ministers, clearly troubled by the night’s events.

When Roselia and Johannes requested a private meeting, Aaron dismissed the others and greeted them with a fatigued expression.

“We greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

The two siblings bowed politely, and Aaron gave them a faint, bitter smile.

“You must’ve heard the news from last night.”

His tone was heavy, and Roselia lowered her head respectfully before speaking.

“Your Highness, just yesterday, Nora still showed a clear will to live. Her alleged suicide… It doesn’t make sense.”

After her, Johannes stepped in with a calm and logical question.

“Is it certain that the cause of death was suicide?”

“They say she bit her tongue. She wasn’t exactly weak-willed. We looked for signs of foul play, but found nothing—no injuries, nothing suspicious around her.”

Despite his age, Aaron spoke about death with a disconcerting detachment—likely because he’d already seen too much of it in the palace, amid the endless web of schemes and rivalries.

That thought made Roselia’s chest tighten even more.

But precisely because Aaron had lived through so much, it was all the more important to uncover the truth—about Prince Alphonse and Grand Duke Rubelio’s involvement in this case.

“Who do you think had the most to lose if Nora had spoken?” Roselia asked, her voice quiet but firm.

Both Aaron and Johannes turned their eyes toward her.

“Nora would’ve known who had the most to gain—and who had the most to fear—from her testimony. She would’ve acted accordingly if her survival depended on it.”

Aaron studied her intently.

“You’re saying someone else put her up to attacking you?”

Roselia shook her head.

Nora was guilty, yes. But the issue ran deeper than that.

The real problem was that Nora had been used as a pawn to dethrone Aaron—the rightful heir.

That she, the daughter of the House of Euciliod, one of Aaron’s most powerful allies, had been attacked in the process—was no coincidence.

Had Nora been allowed to testify, she could’ve exposed Prince Alphonse and Grand Duke Rubelio, bringing their plot to light.

Roselia clenched her fists again, voice cold but composed.

“You’re forgetting the core issue. If I hadn’t revealed myself as a woman of royal blood, Nora’s claim could’ve thrown Your Highness into serious trouble.”

Aaron’s expression hardened.

She was right.

Roselia’s appearance had shifted the focus and completely overshadowed Nora’s existence—but that didn’t change the fact that Nora had posed a real threat to him.

Perhaps, deep down, he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it—that his half-brother would go so far as to bring him down.

Maybe he had held out hope… that if he kept his head down, Alphonse would accept him, acknowledge him as family—and as Crown Prince.

But now, with the facts laid bare, Aaron’s face crumpled.

He tried to act like an adult, but he was still just a boy.

Seeing his reaction, Johannes gently stepped in.

“Roselia and I will go speak with Prince Alphonse.”

“I—I should go myself—”

But Johannes politely cut him off.

“Your Highness, aren’t your ministers waiting outside to speak with you?”

He was right.

A crowd of advisors had gathered again outside the door, all waiting to see the Crown Prince.

Nora’s death—especially as someone allegedly of royal blood—had shaken the court, and the palace was in a frenzy.

Aaron knew he couldn’t step away now.

When he fell silent, Johannes continued in a soft voice,

“Then, please at least send a message. Inform Prince Alphonse that the House of Euciliod urgently requests an audience.”

Aaron nodded firmly.

“I will.”

* * *

Had Johannes and Roselia come alone, Prince Alphonse would likely have refused the audience outright. But with a sealed letter bearing the Crown Prince’s own insignia in hand, they stood before him—earning only his contemptuous gaze.

No matter how displeased he was, even Alphonse couldn’t ignore a summons that carried the Crown Prince’s seal—the second highest authority after the Emperor himself.

Seated arrogantly in the audience chamber’s upper seat, Alphonse crossed his legs, his displeasure clear.

“So the Marquess of Euciliod demanded to see me immediately, did he?”

“We greet Your Highness, Prince Alphonse.”

Despite the prince’s evident hostility, Johannes remained impeccably formal, bowing with perfect etiquette. This only made Alphonse’s expression twitch.

“And what could possibly be so urgent that you’d come bearing the Crown Prince’s seal? This feels more like blackmail than a request.”

He let his gaze slide over to Roselia, standing at Johannes’s side.

“Even brought your little sister, did you?”

His condescending sneer did nothing to ruffle Johannes, who replied calmly and evenly.

“We heard the prisoner is dead.”

“And why bring that to me?” Alphonse retorted.

“What does a prisoner’s death have to do with me?”

“She was your fiancée, was she not?”

At that, Alphonse’s expression went icy cold. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a short, hollow laugh.

“Fiancée? Who says she was my fiancée? Did we have a formal engagement ceremony I forgot about?”

His shameless denial made Johannes narrow his eyes slightly in displeasure.

“Your Highness yourself spoke of an engagement with Nora. There were countless witnesses at the Proclamation Ceremony.”

Alphonse didn’t even blink.

“Oh, Marquess, why are you being so dramatic? How could I possibly marry a woman who attacked a daughter of the House of Euciliod—pillar of Raphelios? And frankly, it was a fleeting emotion. I admit it. I misjudged her. Turns out I don’t have much talent for reading people.”

So it had only been a feverish infatuation. A passing phase, already over.

That’s what he was claiming now. That he’d never had serious intentions—and that, naturally, he would never marry a criminal who had attacked Roselia.

Alphonse’s face remained shamelessly smooth, unbothered.

Roselia’s fists clenched tighter at her sides.

* * *

Johannes and Roselia walked down the corridor with grim expressions after leaving the audience chamber.

Just as they had expected, there had been little to gain.

Of course, Prince Alphonse wouldn’t confess to anything about Nora’s death with his own mouth.

Roselia had at least hoped for a flicker of unease—some subtle crack in his composure. But Alphonse had shown nothing. Not a sliver of remorse or regret. It was as if the death of a person meant absolutely nothing to him.

Roselia grit her teeth, stifling her frustration.

Johannes, watching her expression, spoke with a heavy sigh.

“As expected, Prince Alphonse wiped his hands clean.”

“That’s why we should suspect him even more,” Roselia replied firmly. “If Nora had spoken, he would’ve lost the most.”

Johannes gave a bitter shake of his head.

“All we have now are suspicions. We still need proof.”

He was right. Roselia fell silent, lips pressed tightly together.

“You can’t accuse a royal without evidence. For now, we’ll have to settle for observing his reaction.”

Evidence.

That word struck her like a stone.

Their one and only witness—Nora—was dead. Where were they supposed to find proof now?

At that moment, Johannes abruptly stopped walking and turned to her.

Roselia looked up at him, wide-eyed.

He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke in a low, resolute voice.

“Leave the rest to me, Roselia. Just being a woman of royal blood already makes you a threat in his eyes. Drawing more attention to yourself won’t help.”

His voice was full of concern, and Roselia couldn’t bring herself to argue back.

But this wasn’t just about Alphonse.

Grand Duke Rubelio was entangled in this too. This wasn’t something that could be brushed aside.

And then—on the other end of the hallway—they saw two familiar figures approaching.

It wasn’t just one person. It was two.

Rubelio. And walking beside him…

Hyun—the Zelos envoy.

Roselia’s eyes widened.

What…? Why are Grand Duke Rubelio and Hyun together?

In that instant, she remembered Hyun’s words:
“Meddling can bring disaster.”

He’d been there when she overheard the nobles gossiping about Nora.

And now, seeing him walking with Rubelio of all people—something about it made her skin prickle.

A strange, uneasy suspicion began to stir in her chest.

TL/N: Honestly its getting boring for me fr