“No, why all of a sudden? The princess had no interest in the throne at all.”
“That’s right.”
“But now, why the sudden change of heart? Why would you choose such a difficult path?”
Roland couldn’t understand her at all.
She would have had a much greater chance of success if she had jumped into the struggle for the throne from the beginning.
“Do you know why I’m not dead like Vivian? Why I didn’t become disabled like Chavolti?”
Agnes continued her words with a very soft smile.
“It’s because Sebastian let me live. Funny, isn’t it? It means I’m not the one who controls my life.”
Agnes’s eyes sparkled, and her voice carried strength as she continued.
“I don’t want to live like that anymore. I’m sick and tired of life where I’m always trembling in fear that he might kill me and constantly watching his every move.”
Roland’s face contorted even more strangely than before. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a rough voice.
“Are you telling me this so I would join you in your plan to seize power?”
“No.”
“No?”
“I just told you my secret. Since I know one of yours, it seems fair to share, doesn’t it?”
Roland still couldn’t understand her.
If he were to run to the king and reveal this fact, Sebastian would undoubtedly kill his youngest sister without any hesitation.
The way she casually mentioned such a significant fact made him doubt whether he should believe her or not.
“Then I’ll go back now.”
As Agnes stood up to leave, Roland also stood up abruptly.
“I think I said everything I had to say. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“You’re just going to leave like this?”
Roland asked incredulously.
“Aren’t you here to threaten me?”
“Threaten you. How could you say such a thing? Do I look like a person who would do that?”
Agnes acted nonchalantly and waved her hands.
“I simply gave you a choice. It’s up to you to decide what to do.”
She walked past Roland towards the door. As she reached for the doorknob to leave, she turned back and called out to him.
“Sir Roland.”
“Yes.”
He responded with a disgruntled expression.
“I’m going back to Sutmar in five days, so organize what I asked and bring it in three days.”
“…Understood, Duchess.”
She heard him grinding his teeth behind her, but she ignored it and left.
Upon returning to the townhouse, Agnes immediately sought out Laslo.
“Where is the Duke?”
“He’s in the office.”
The maid answered politely. Agnes handed her the hat and hurriedly made her way to the study.
“Duke Arpad!”
“Huh? Princess. You have returned.”
Laslo who’s looking at the documents looked up. She ran towards him as if flying and exclaimed.
“Hug me!”
“Ahem.”
He cleared his throat roughly.
Agnes approached the desk where he was sitting and quickly opened her arms.
“Why all of a sudden……?”
Laslo’s face heated up a little.
“I made a big deal today.”
She explained with a serious face. She had set the stage to draw Sandor in, so this was indeed a big deal.
“A big deal?”
The man who didn’t understand what was going on looked puzzled.
“So you should praise me appropriately.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she waved her arms wide as if rushing.
“So, praise me. Hug me.”
“Is this considered praise?”
Laslo still seemed unsure of what was going on, but he got up from his seat and approached Agnes.
“It’s praise. To me.”
It was a praise that only Laszlo could give.
Unable to resist Agnes’s insistence and urgency, he stood in front of her as if he couldn’t refuse. Then, he opened his arms and embraced Agnes.
Their warm body and chest touched.
Agnes also wrapped her arms around his back. A warm feeling enveloped them.
“Well done, Princess.”
He spoke in a low voice. The trembling in his voice was palpable as they stood close together.
“Don’t worry about anything Duke.”
Agnes said quite confidently. Laslo only smiled.
“Don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t.”
She rested her head on Laslo’s chest.
The touch gently sweeping down his back felt surprisingly good.
Agnes found comfort in his quiet voice and embrace.
Laslo simply embraced the princess tightly without asking any questions.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Roland appeared on the exact third day.
“Oh, this time, it’s Sir Roland.”
The silver-haired handsome man placed a thick stack of documents in front of her with a stern expression.
“Here are the documents you requested.”
“How should I pay for the fee?”
“No need.”
He replied curtly.
Agnes carefully examined the documents. The contents seemed quite extensive, indicating that it would take some time to review thoroughly.
“You’ve managed to gather quite detailed information in just three days. Well done. You may leave now.”
As she gestured with her hand while still focused on the documents, Roland’s face contorted.
“Princess.”
“Duchess.”
Agnes corrected him.
“Duchess, is there anything else you want to say to me?”
“There isn’t.”
“Nothing? Really?”
Roland persistently asked. Agnes set down the documents she was looking at and turned her gaze towards him.
“If you have anything you want to say, say it.”
“When are you going to do it?”
“Do what?”
“That, you know. That thing.”
He cautiously asked, lowering his voice.
“That? Oh, usurpation?”
“That, why are you suddenly, wait, wait a moment!”
Although the servants went back a while ago, he continued to look around restlessly, making all kinds of fuss.
“Why are you so nonchalant? I get butterflies in my stomach just hearing that word.”
“What can a man with such a small heart do?”
Agnes clicked her tongue and shook her head instead.
“Is this the time to worry about the heart? It’s a matter of life and death.”
“Oh? Are you willing to risk your life here?”
“When did I say that? I just said it’s a serious matter.”
He quickly changed his words, pushing himself back. Agnes laughed out loud.
“But why do you ask that? Are you interested?”
The tone was so light that Roland was confused at the moment about what topic she was asking.
“I’m not interested. Ha, crap. Do you know how many sleepless nights I had after hearing that?”
“That’s why you don’t look so good today.”
Agnes muttered in a relaxed tone and sipped the tea.
Roland, who was in front of her, felt like his heart was about to burst at her nonchalant attitude.
“Why are you doing this to me? Huh? Did I do something wrong to the Duchess?”
Being exposed was as good as having a leash around his neck.
As Agnes had predicted, if Sebastian found out this fact, he wouldn’t let him off easily.
However, he was afraid of the word usurpation to completely turn to Agnes.
Not knowing what to do, he had trouble sleeping properly for almost three days. Even when he opened his eyes, his mind was too chaotic to focus.
“I’ve done everything to survive under Sebastian, but now……”
He let out a painful sigh. The way he roughly swept his hair back with both hands looked pitiful.
“Then live like that.”
Roland raised his head. Agnes looked at him with a rather cold face.
“Live under Sebastian’s thumb, pretending to be a foolish cousin.”
“But, Duchess…”
“I promise you. I swear on the honor of the royal family. I won’t reveal your identity to Sebastian.”
“……”
He shut his mouth. He got the answer he wanted, but more complex emotions passed by than relief.
“Can you feel at ease now?”
Although her tone was not mocking, Roland felt as if she were mocking him.
He looked Agnes in the eyes, clenching his fist tightly.
“Do you know how many people Sebastian has killed so far?”
“Too many to count.”
Agnes knew the ruthless nature of his older brother better than anyone else.
If he thinks it will be harmful to him, he will remove it right away no matter who it is.
“I’ve witnessed that bastard killing people since I was young. I thought it would get better over time, but it only got worse. That’s why Alexandra was created—to find a way to survive.”
Roland’s voice was filled with sincerity.
Sebastian was a man who did not know mercy.
Nobles who didn’t know him well easily pledged their loyalty due to his charisma.
However, Roland had closely observed what fate awaited those individuals.
“Can you guarantee that I will survive if I join hands with the Duchess?”
“All I can guarantee is that one day you will be killed by Sebastian.”
Confidence overflowed in her eyes. What in the world makes her so confident?
Instead of asking why, Roland bit his lips.
“Please give me some time to think.”
“Take as much as you need. It’s a matter of life and death, so caution is necessary.”
Agnes snapped impatiently, not fitting the situation.
“You should go back.”
She gestured with her hand, indicating for him to leave. Agnes picked up the documents he had brought once again. Roland left with a complex and subtle expression on his face.
