The next day, Laslo obtained an invitation from Alexandra and handed it to her.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you very much.”
Agnes smiled broadly and received the invitation.
Upon hearing the news that she had left in a carriage, Laslo also finished preparing for his outing.
“Master, should I follow you?”
“No need. It would seem strange to go to the palace with the knights hanging around.”
Laslo answered briefly and got onto the carriage. It took about fifteen minutes to reach the royal palace.
The chamberlain, who had received prior notice and was waiting, greeted him.
“Your Excellency.”
“Where is His Majesty?”
“He’s in the greenhouse.”
The chamberlain led the way. Before entering the greenhouse, a royal knight demanded his sword.
“My sword?”
“Yes. As His Majesty is the only one inside.”
Laslo willingly unfastened his sword from his waist and handed it to the knight.
Inside the glass greenhouse, it was as hot as midsummer. In the center, the king sat in a relaxed manner.
“Please have a seat, Your Excellency.”
As soon as Laslo saw Sebastian, he bowed lightly and sat on the chair opposite him.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been alone together.”
“Yes. The last time was when I received the title of Duke.”
“At that time, I never imagined that the Duke and I would become family.”
Sebastian chuckled lightly.
Suddenly, his face, which had been as cold as a snake, transformed into a gentle expression.
“Because that’s the nature of human affairs—always unpredictable.”
“I see.”
“But there is certainly something that remains unchanged.”
“And what might that be?”
The king lowered his body with an intrigued expression. Laslo stood tall without a hint of wavering.
“Do you remember the sword that the Arpad family dedicated to the royal family a long time ago.”
“Oh. Of course.”
Sebastian remembered the magnificent yet aged sword hanging in one of the halls of the royal palace.
“You mean the sword that the late Duke Arpad dedicated as a pledge of loyalty?”
“Yes.”
Laslo nodded briefly.
“For over three hundred years, the only thing the Arpad lineage upheld was a promise.”
“Are you sick and tired of your loyalty to the royal family?”
Sebastian laughed, but Laslo did not.
“That’s all I’ve seen and learned since I was born and raised. Your Majesty. I never dreamed or learned anything else.”
“…..”
The king gazed intently at the duke. There was no hint of cloudiness or falsehood in his green eyes.
It was as if he could see through him so clearly, like looking at transparent lake water.
“Indeed. How thick and firm the loyalty the Duke has.”
“The reason we offered a blunt sword that cannot cut is because it is also an oath that we will never point a sword at the royal family.”
As soon as Laslo finished speaking, he bowed his head deeply to the king.
“Please understand Arpad’s long-standing loyalty, Your Majesty.”
“…….”
“All I want is a peaceful life with my wife.”
Sebastian looked at the top of his golden brown head for a long time.
Brief thoughts flashed through his mind and after a long pause, the king spoke.
“Raise your head, Duke Arpad.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never doubted the loyalty of the Duke. So, go without worry.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Laslo got up from his seat. As he turned his back and walked to the door, he heard Sebastian’s voice behind him.
“By the way, give my regards to my sister. Tell her I’m always thinking of her and missing her.”
“………I’ll do that.”
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“Mihai.”
“Who has come?”
The man wearing a white mask crookedly passed the hallway with a quick step.
His subordinate who was walking with him spoke with a troubled expression.
“It’s the Duchess of Arpad.”
“Arpad? Princess Agnes?”
“Yes.”
“What the heck, I’m already busy. Did you check the invitation?”
“Yes, I checked.”
Before they knew it, they reached the end of the corridor. On both sides of the huge red door, there are servants waiting.
He straightened his disheveled attire once and nodded.
The door opened. Before him unfolded a space reminiscent of a grand noble reception room.
“Welcome to Alexandra. Duchess.”
Mihai quickly erased any signs of annoyance and put on a smile.
“I am Mihai, the overall manager for Alexandra.”
“Aren’t you going to take off your mask?”
Agnes casually set down her teacup and spoke.
“I apologize, Duchess. As someone who meets nobles frequently, I have to maintain some level of anonymity. I ask for your understanding.”
“Really? Then it can’t be helped.”
Agnes didn’t press further.
“What information are you seeking?”
“Well, I’d like to know more about the Kiske family.”
“Any specific individual you’re interested in?”
He picked up a pen and wrote Kiske on the paper.
“About Sir Milan Kiske. I want to know where he goes, who he meets, what he likes, and what he desires.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you need?”
“No. I think that’s enough.”
Agnes stood up without hesitation.
“Allow me to escort you out, Duchess.”
With a smile, he rose from his seat as well.
As Agnes adjusted her crooked hat, she threw in a casual remark.
“I heard you’re studying literature these days. How far have you gotten with Linggrant?”
“Pardon?”
Mihai stopped packing the paper in front of him and looked at Agnes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Did you read the grief? What about the Forest of the End? Oh, perhaps you haven’t gotten that far yet?”
Mihai paused for a moment. However, the pause was so brief that it was difficult for others to notice.
“Haha. I enjoy learning various things, but I’m a novice when it comes to literature.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. Agnes chuckled.
“You don’t know? That’s a shame. Seems like you wasted your time studying in Leana. Your father must be very disappointed.”
The ordinary brown eyes were seen beyond the mask.
Mihai responded with silence.
After a long time, he called in the subordinate leaning against the wall.
“Yes.”
“Send everyone out of this room.”
All the servants and several of his men left the room. Now, all the breathing sounds of the two are heard in the room.
“How much do you know?”
Upon hearing those words, Agnes silently cheered inside.
“Well, you brought a bird named Mimi from Leana, didn’t you?”
Mihai took off the mask that was covering half of his face and threw it away.
Agnes stared intently at his revealed face.
She examined it closely, but there was no trace of Roland’s face anywhere.
“How did you change your face like that?”
“Don’t you know that?”
When she asked with a curious look, he responded irritably. Agnes sat back down.
“I don’t know much. All I know is that you manage Alexandra to avoid Sebastian’s scrutiny and that you are Roland Sandor.”
“Damn it!”
Roland kicked at the air and let out a string of coarse curses.
“Why don’t you stop and sit down?”
Agnes spoke in a polite tone.
It took him a long time to calm down and finally sit down.
“What do you want? Princess.”
“Duchess.”
Agnes raised her chin.
“……What do you want? Duchess.”
He corrected his form of address while grinding his teeth.
“Have you always had this kind of personality”
She felt a sense of gap because he is so different from the Roland she knew, smiling and spitting out tactless words.
“Well damn, would I have turned out fine if I spent my childhood with Sebastian, that bastard?”
“Oh. That’s true.”
Agnes readily agreed with his statement.
“Come to think of it, Vivian’s temperament was a mess too. Sebastian has ruined many people.”
“Who else knows about it?”
“Your true identity? No one.”
“How can I believe that?”
“I can’t force you to believe me.”
Agnes nonchalantly ate a pastry brought by the maid.
“In that case…”
Roland casually pulled out a dagger from his pocket.
“If I kill the Duchess and throw her into the river, my identity will remain hidden, and I’ll be safe.”
“That could indeed secure your safety.”
Agnes showed no fear at all. Without averting her gaze from him, she looked directly into his eyes.
“You could kill me and live under the guise of a foolish cousin under Sebastian’s wing.”
Roland could not refute Agnes’ words for some reason.
“If your goal is to just survive.”
“……”
“But keep it in mind. Sebastian will eventually kill you. He will twist every crime and mock you by hanging your neck at the city gate.”
Agnes spoke with conviction. Roland’s expression, who was listening to her, turned strange.
“Sebastian may be insane, but he’s not foolish enough to harm his own family as much as to execute them.”
“The moment he finds out that you are the head of Alexandra, he will no longer treat you as a family. You’ll simply remain a threat to the king.”
“But…”
“Didn’t you create this organization because you didn’t trust Sebastian completely? If you trust him, you wouldn’t do this secretly.”
He seemed to have something to say as his lips moved, but no words came out.
“What do you want to say?”
“I’m going to kill Sebastian.”
“…….”
“And I intend to take the throne.”
He momentarily lost his words. He doubted what he heard.
“Are you planning a rebellion now?”
Agnes nodded lightly.
Thank you for the chapter!❤️🔥