97.

There were no words of understanding for arriving without an appointment, no formal apologies, not even a semblance of regret.

Nothing at all.

Brigitte’s eyes narrowed.

“…”

It was clear that Dante had been through a lot of stress; he seemed to have lost some weight since the last time she saw him.

But the most noticeable change was in his expression. The relaxed demeanor he once had was gone, replaced by a sharp, cutting look, like a well-honed blade.

‘Well, Count Luneburg wasn’t much different in that regard,’ Brigitte thought cynically as she spoke.

“You’re a bit late.”

Dante’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Late?”

“Yes. Count Luneburg came by first, yesterday.”

“That bastard.”

Dante ground his teeth in frustration.

Brigitte continued calmly.

“And I’ll have to give you the same answer I gave the Count.”

“What do you mean?”

His red eyes flashed dangerously.

Brigitte took a short breath and answered as calmly as she could.

“I don’t know where Elze is.”

“You don’t know?”

Dante bared his teeth.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think I don’t know about the purchase of that commoner woman’s identity?”

“Yes, you do. But all I did was buy the identity; I didn’t do anything else.”

Brigitte shrugged lightly.

“You must have already confirmed that, right?”

“…”

She had hit the mark.

Dante’s face twisted in anger.

For a moment, Brigitte recalled the last time she saw Elze.

The early autumn night in the palace garden was dreamily beautiful.

And in the midst of it all, there stood a woman even more beautiful than the garden itself.

[I’d like you to purchase a fake identity for me—a woman’s identity. I’ll cover the cost and pay you for your trouble as well.]

[Pay me? What do you mean by that, between friends?!]

Brigitte had been briefly indignant, but then she sighed deeply.

[You’re planning to disguise yourself and run away with that fake identity? You’ll be found out quickly if you do that.]

It was a reasonable point.

Dante had his grip on the Empire’s underworld. If he wanted to investigate, he could quickly uncover any suspicious activities by Brigitte.

But Elze had shaken her head.

[I just need to divert the Marquis’s attention somewhere else.]

[What do you mean by that?]

[You and I have had a close relationship so far, haven’t we?]

Elze had spoken gently.

 

[If I run away, the Marquis will surely come looking for you, Brigitte.]

[That… makes sense.]

[So, all you have to do is buy the fake identity.]

Elze shrugged her shoulders lightly.

[Just that will be enough to make the Marquis focus on you. He’ll be convinced, just as you were, that I’m planning to use that identity to escape.]

Elze finished her explanation with a cool tone.

[And I’ll make my escape in the meantime.]

The two women stared at each other in silence.

The quiet was only broken by the occasional chirping of insects in the grass.

[…What if…]

After hesitating for a moment, Brigitte suddenly asked,

[What if I betray you, Elze?]

[….]

Despite the sensitivity of the question, Elze’s amber eyes remained clear.

Then she replied,

[Well, then it would mean I misjudged you. But you wouldn’t do that, would you, Brigitte?]

Elze flashed a bright smile.

[We’re friends, after all.]

That vivid smile lingered in Brigitte’s memory for a long time.

‘Elze… she told me.’

She had said that no matter how powerful Marquis Offenheir was, he wouldn’t harm Brigitte. After all, she was currently acting as the head of the Martin family. Even Dante wouldn’t dare to mess with a noble family as prestigious as the Martins, knowing the immense consequences that would follow.

Especially since Brigitte was not only directly involved in the boarding school scandal but also the Duke of Kalleid had recently made his explosive revelations about the school.

And indeed, things had unfolded just as Elze predicted.

Even when Benedict came by yesterday,

[So, are you saying you really didn’t help Lady Lepherian?]

Though his face was full of irritation, he couldn’t pressure Brigitte any further. Despite the prestige of the Martin family dimming slightly in the presence of the Luneburgs, who were backed by the Schmaikel Trading Company, he still couldn’t bring himself to act aggressively.

But what puzzled her was,

‘Why did Count Luneburg come to see me?’

Elze had only been concerned about Marquis Offenheir; she never mentioned that Count Luneburg would come looking for her.

At least the Marquis was her lover.

But Elze and the Count didn’t share any special relationship, did they?

‘…But now is not the time to be thinking about that.’

Brigitte lifted her head confidently.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cooperate with you as much as I can, Marquis.”

“What did you say?”

“It means I have nothing to hide.”

Brigitte shrugged lightly.

“Investigate all you want. I really didn’t hide Elze.”

“…”

It was the plain and simple truth.

As she faced the menacing Dante, Brigitte once again recalled that night in the Imperial palace.

[Elze.]

 

After their conversation ended, Brigitte unknowingly grabbed Elze’s arm, stopping her.

[Will we be able to meet again?]

[….]

For the first time, Elze, who had been speaking so smoothly, hesitated at that question. After a long pause, during which her lips moved without sound, she finally spoke.

[I’ll do my best.]

It wasn’t a hollow promise, nor words spoken carelessly to use Brigitte. Rather, it was Elze’s clumsy but genuine sincerity.

[Brigitte, you’re my first real friend.]

[….]

After a moment of silence, Brigitte nodded towards Elze.

[That’s enough for me.]

With that same smile from back then, Brigitte beamed brightly at Dante.

“You can try to squeeze information out of me all you want, but you won’t find any clues, Marquis.”

* * *

The rightful head of the Empire’s most prestigious noble family, the Duke of Kalleid.

Lucian von Kalleid.

He was now looking down at the man groveling at his feet with a cold, expressionless face.

“It’s been a while, Viscount Craig.”

It was “Viscount Craig,” not “brother.”

The Viscount flinched.

Lucian no longer saw Viscount Craig as his beloved cousin but as a complete stranger, an enemy of the family.

“L-Lucian.”

Viscount Craig, curled up like a pill bug, looked up at Lucian with a pitiful expression.

Lucian reached out with his expressionless face.

Gasp!

A pained groan escaped the Viscount’s lips as Lucian grabbed him by the hair and yanked him up.

“It’s not Lucian; it’s Duke Kalleid.”

He snapped coldly.

“Never let that filthy mouth of yours call my name again.”

“…”

“Or I might just rip that mouth right off.”

The Viscount froze in terror, like a mouse before a predator.

“At first, I thought about killing you with my own hands.”

A faint, icy smile appeared on Lucian’s lips.

“But then I realized there was a better way.”

“P-please! Lucian…!”

The Viscount’s eyes darted around in desperation as he begged.

Suddenly—

Bang!

Lucian slammed the Viscount’s head down onto the floor.

“Ugh, ahh…”

Viscount Craig, his face pressed into the floor, trembled like an insect.

Lucian applied pressure to the back of his head.

“Didn’t you understand me?”

“Please, l-let go…!”

“It’s not Lucian; it’s Duke.”

“Duke! Duke, please!”

The Viscount screamed desperately.

At that, Lucian yanked his head up.

“Let’s talk this out! Please!”

Viscount Craig shouted frantically, his face covered in blood. Blood dripped from his nose, and his lips were swollen and bruised.

A normal person might have recoiled at such a gruesome sight, but Lucian’s expression remained calm.

“Talk it out? How amusing.”

Lucian stared at the Viscount with a cold, humorless gaze.

“So, you sent me to that boarding school without saying a word?”

“…”

The Viscount clamped his mouth shut, speechless.

Lucian continued calmly.

“In any case, killing a worm like you with my own hands… would be too good a death for you.”

“D-Duke.”

“There’s no need to dirty my hands.”

Lucian twisted his lips into a smirk.

“I’ll just make sure you end up taking your own life.”