IBYSRHML | Chapter 31

Episode 31

Marius’ mother, Princess Cailen, fell into decline and died after giving birth to her son, just like Princess Elizabeth.

After Princess Cailen’s death, the former emperor married another princess from a different kingdom and had three more sons.

The new empress, Rosalyn, decided to make her eldest son, Lucas, the new emperor when Marius, still only seventeen, inherited the throne.

However, her plan was discovered early and shattered completely.

According to imperial law, both the empress and Lucas were sentenced to death.

— If you swear loyalty to me, I will guarantee your safety and honor for life.

Marius warned his remaining younger brothers.

Don’t betray me—I don’t wish to kill you.

But his brothers fell for their uncle’s schemes and attempted to stage a rebellion by bringing in external noble forces.

Marius, alongside Leopold, suppressed the rebellion and personally beheaded his brothers and uncle.

By the time the purge was over, he was nineteen years old.

With eyes as black as death, he came to believe that family was nothing but an illusion.

That’s why, when he was confronted with that incident, he thought it was inevitable.

— Edgar. Do you understand the meaning of your actions right now?

— I know very well what it means to raise a sword against my own brother.

— And yet, you’re still doing it?

— I’m doing it because I understand it all too well.

He had expected this, but it was still deeply disappointing and painful.

That incident left an irreversible wound in Marius’ heart.

Because of it, he resolved to keep Edgar at a distance.

Who could say that Edgar, once fully grown, wouldn’t one day drive a sword into his back again?

He didn’t want to be wounded anymore.

“I suppose a good beating would be simpler? I’ve found that when you end things in a blaze of blood, the other side gets scared, and there’s no aftermath.”

“…….”

“Max has been investigating the palace. As soon as we find even one piece of evidence, we’re going to start purging. We might as well begin now.”

“Then let His Majesty handle this case, and I’ll take care of the rest afterward.”

Alice slumped into the chair opposite Marius.

Her suppressed power had flared up in anger at the unfair treatment Liliana had suffered.

But seeing Marius looking as if he had lost his mind, her reason returned.

“Hostility toward a foreign empress is understandable. That’s inevitable, and I can handle it. But Liliana is different. I can’t stand seeing her openly disregarded, so grant me full authority.”

“What authority do you seek?”

“The power to appoint and punish court officials.”

“Ah. That’s something you’ll naturally gain once you become empress. But since the wedding is soon, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Marius pulled out the empress’ seal from his drawer and handed it to her.

Alice raised an eyebrow, surprised by how easily he relinquished it.

“Thank you. I’ll also take care of the issue with the young duke.”

“Including Edgar?”

“The young duke has also been barred from entering the palace garden, just like Liliana.”

“Still, you don’t need to concern yourself with Edgar before the wedding.”

“But after the wedding, it’s fine?”

This time, Marius’ eyebrow twitched.

It was a question laced with meaning.

Was it really right to ignore Edgar just because the wedding hadn’t happened yet?

Alice had long since noticed that Marius was deliberately withholding affection from Edgar.

“How did you know?”

His uninjured arm ached for no reason, and Marius unconsciously rubbed it.

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t know? You look at Liliana and Edgar completely differently.”

“Well, I wasn’t trying to make it obvious, but I suppose I slipped. Alice, you shouldn’t grow too attached to Edgar either. It’s just a connection that will end in ten years.”

“The thing I fear most is becoming an adult who neglects the child beside them just because they’re afraid of separation.”

Alice answered firmly, twirling the empress’ seal between her fingers before standing up.

“Then I’ll leave the imperial palace’s cleanup to you. I hope something like this never happens again.”

Marius found himself unconsciously following Alice as she walked out of his office.

Her back, moving forward without fear, looked more resolute and admirable than anyone else’s.

For a moment, he mistook the feeling in his chest for longing.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Liliana nibbled on a cookie like a squirrel.

Fortunately, her chubby cheeks were beginning to regain some color.

Her eyes, which sparkled as she examined the chocolate embedded in the cookie, looked as lively as ever.

“Mister, thank you for helping Liliana stay healthy.”

She grinned when their eyes met.

Visiting Alice’s reception room, François felt a heavy weight in his chest.

A child only six years old was still just a helpless little thing.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Mm-hmm. I’m not sick at all anymore. That’s why I’m going to go with my big sister when she visits the knight order in a few days.”

“That’s good. Then you should start drinking magic potions again.”

“I don’t want to. Can’t we just pretend I drank it and have grape juice instead?”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make that? It was extracted with great effort, so drink plenty and grow strong. That way, you’ll get taller and become an adult.”

“Liliana might not become an adult.”

François frowned at the terrible statement that Liliana uttered so casually, all while munching on her cookie as if it were nothing.

Did this little one know something?
He asked carefully.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I’m always sick.”

“I’ll make sure you get better. So eat lots of delicious food and have fun playing.”

Liliana didn’t respond.

She didn’t even look hopeful or surprised.

Her indifferent reaction made François feel a deep frustration in his chest.

“Why do you keep looking at my face?”

“Because you’re cute.”

“Hmm… Well, I am a little cute.”

Liliana smirked and lifted her chin.

Even François—who had built a wall against kindness and affection—couldn’t help but find small, adorable things endearing.

Liliana was truly a lovable child.

But if someone were to ask him whether he loved her, the answer would be no.

Liliana Berchio was merely a chess piece in his grand strategy.

‘A lovable chess piece.’

A masterpiece essential for all of them—and for fulfilling the contract.

So he wished he could stop feeling conflicted about using this child.

When he slid a plate of cookies toward her, her eyes sparkled with delight, just like an excited little squirrel.

Just then, Alice returned from speaking with Marius and asked Liliana,

“Where’s Regina?”

“Regina unnie is talking with Emilia unnie right now.”

“Then go call your sisters. We have something important to discuss with Mister François.”

“Mister…?”

François frowned in dismay when Alice referred to him that way.

Meanwhile, Liliana jumped up and ran to fetch her sisters.

Click.

As the door closed, Alice—who had been radiating fury toward Marius just moments ago—now wore a gentle expression as she asked,

“Is Emilia handling her work well?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. She’s exceptionally intelligent and tenacious. If you’re concerned about prejudice from the other wizards, you can rest assured—they’d rather read another research paper than waste time on pettiness.”

“That’s a relief.”

At that moment, Regina arrived with Emilia, having heard the news.

Even though she looked like she was on the verge of collapse from staying up all night nursing Liliana, Emilia’s eyes lit up as she began explaining her youngest sister’s illness.

‘Their family love is truly unwavering.’

With that dry observation, François began his explanation.

“After His Majesty requested that I take responsibility for Miss Liliana’s health, I reviewed all the medical records provided by the three of you, along with the high priest and the physician.”

Alice, already on edge from Liliana’s severe illness, cut him off mid-sentence.

“We already know that part. The imperial physician said it was a disease never before seen in medical records, and the high priest, despite his intuitive ability to wield divine power, declined to be her primary physician, citing his lack of specialized medical knowledge.”

“So, the Tower Master has decided to take full responsibility for Liliana’s case.”

Emilia skipped over the details and got straight to the conclusion, causing Regina to furrow her brow.

“Explain it properly. Both Alice and I need to fully understand.”

“Emilia and I have decided to research Liliana’s illness together.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be working as an assistant? I thought you were busy with the transition process.”

Alice questioned her as if she had no idea what was going on, and Emilia stepped in to clarify.

“My official position is an assistant, but my real work is research. I’m collaborating on a study focused on Liliana. The transition process was just about cramming the materials I brought with me and the documents they provided into each other’s heads.”

“His Majesty granted us access to Level 1 classified documents within the imperial palace, so there was a lot to go through. Naturally, that led to late nights of work.”

“And since I’ve also been studying medicine alongside this, there’s been a lot to do. But that’s not what’s important. The real issue is that we’ve figured out what Liliana’s actual illness is.”

“What do you mean? Liliana was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. In an empire with such a large population, research into it should be—”

“Unfortunately, it’s not an autoimmune disease.”

François cut in with a grave expression, drawing Alice and Regina’s full attention.

Emilia shut her eyes tightly, as if the weight of their discovery was unbearable.