Agnes grumbled and handed the empty glass back.
“What were you trying to gain from that evidence?”
“Why do you want to know? You said the double ledger I found was fake anyway.”
“Is it wrong to ask?”
“I was trying to win the Count over to my side.”
It seemed the alcohol had started to take effect. I inadvertently revealed my honest feelings.
Agnes was already half-giving up. It felt futile as all her ambitious plans turned to nothing.
“Me?”
“Yes. Cellon is quite powerful in the south. They have influence in central politics and considerable military strength. It would be reassuring to have them as allies.”
“If that’s the case, it would have been enough to ask for help when needed.”
“But I can’t just ask you to risk your life.”
“Excuse me?”
Instead of answering, Agnes poured herself another strong drink.
“I want to kill Sebastian.”
She said this as she set down her empty glass.
She imagined it dozens of times a day.
Imagining tearing Sebastian apart or hanging his head at the city gate.
Sometimes, those thoughts kept her alive.
“…Do you want to be king?”
“Well, if I kill Sebastian, I suppose I would have to be king.”
She said this nonchalantly, leaning back. After drinking late into the night, her eyes felt gritty.
“Why do you want to be king?”
“Because I don’t want to die.”
“…….”
Emmerich closed his mouth at the unexpected response.
Agnes shut her eyes and pressed her thumb and forefinger against her eyeballs.
“Sebastian will definitely try to kill me someday.”
“…….”
“So I want to kill him before he kills me.”
“Are you drunk?”
Agnes chuckled at his question.
“Count, my words might sound ridiculous to you right now. But just wait. Soon it will be clear who is right.”
Emmerich remained silent for a while. In the meantime, the last bottle was emptied.
“Oh, there’s no more alcohol. Call the servant to bring more.”
“No.”
Emmerich stood up.
“It’s already dawn.”
“What do you mean? The performance hasn’t even ended yet. I’m still perfectly fine.”
“Your eyes are full of sleepiness, Duchess.”
Agnes opened her eyes wide, but as Emmerich said, she was indeed very sleepy.
“Then what about our wager?”
“I lost.”
He admitted his defeat cleanly.
“I will tell the servant to prepare stationery for tomorrow. You must be tired, so please go to bed now.”
Before Agnes could protest, he left. She felt a strange sensation.
‘As if he never intended to win from the beginning.’
She simply could not understand him.
Logically speaking, it’s strange to be so politely imprisoning someone who had investigated him and uncovered his secrets.
‘What on earth is he planning?’
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Why are you out here at this hour?”
Emmerich barely took a few steps out of his bedroom before he ran into his sister.
“Did you spend the night with that woman?”
“No, we just drank together.”
“Drank? Emmerich, are you crazy?”
Vasa’s eyes narrowed fiercely.
“She’s the woman who dug into the Cellon family to use you. You should have dealt with her immediately to avoid any trouble. What, drink? You drank with her?”
“……I’ll do as you say.”
“When exactly? You locked her in your bedroom, fed her all sorts of nice things, and kept her cool with ice. When are you going to kill her?”
Emmerich remained silent. Vasa read his emotions from her brother’s face.
“My God.”
She pressed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“Are you telling me you still haven’t gotten it all out of your system? Get a grip, Emmerich. She’s already a married woman.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then why are you giving her the Count’s bedroom? What are you thinking?”
“…….”
He didn’t know.
He had no idea why he had locked her up in his bedroom instead of a prison.
Even though Emmerich knew Vasa was right, he couldn’t bring himself to act on it.
“What if Duke Arpad senses something strange and sends someone? Are you planning to start a territorial war?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it before then.”
“If you really can’t bring yourself to kill her, then at least silence her and send her back, or just kill her.”
Vasa delivered her words with a very cold expression.
“Decide quickly. The Night of Roses ends tomorrow.”
Emmerich couldn’t respond until the end. Vasa shook her head and left.
Unlike Vasa, Emmerich couldn’t leave that place so soon.
He repeatedly approached the bedroom door and then stepped back.
His mind was tangled, and his stomach churned.
Eventually, he left the area in front of the bedroom only after dawn had fully broken.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Agnes woke up late in the afternoon because she had fallen asleep just before morning.
A maid, noticing that she had awakened, hurried over and asked,
“What should we do about lunch?”
“I don’t feel like it, so leave me alone.”
“Oh, you should eat something if you’re going boating tonight.”
“What? Boating? Who?”
Agnes asked, her eyes wide open. The maid awkwardly replied,
“The master said he is going on a boat ride with the Duchess tonight…”
“Who decided that? Stop with the nonsense and go fetch some stationery and a pen.”
The maid hesitated before leaving the room. A little while later, the door opened again.
Agnes didn’t turn to look but just extended her hand.
“Give it here.”
“Weren’t you going on a boat ride?”
When she turned her head at the familiar voice, Emmerich was standing there instead of the maid.
“Today is the last day of the Night of Roses. Since you’ve come all this way, you should at least go boating.”
“Ha. Is this really the time for me to leisurely go boating with you?”
“You mentioned you needed to send a letter.”
Emmerich suddenly brought up an unexpected topic. He pulled out a letter paper scented with roses from his pocket and handed it over.
“Here it is.”
“What about the pen?”
“I’ll give it to you when we get back from the boat ride.”
“……You’re quite petty, aren’t you? Or have you forgotten the promise we made yesterday?”
“I apologize for not being generous enough, Duchess.”
“Are you a Count who goes back on his word?”
“What time should I come to fetch you?”
She can’t communicate with him. Emmerich maintained a smooth expression and refused to budge.
“Once the boat ride is over, will you really let me send a letter to Laslo?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be watching to see if you keep this promise.”
“Please trust me. Then I’ll come to fetch you in the evening.”
He bowed politely and left the room.
Agnes clenched her teeth, but there was no other option.
After a while, the maid returned with something simple for her to eat.
As soon as Agnes swallowed the white bread and milk, the maids dragged her to the bathroom.
“Do the Cellons take this long to bathe?”
“Yes, well, it’s a hot region.”
They smiled ambiguously and washed Agnes with great enthusiasm.
That was not the end of it.
After finishing her bath, a luxurious dress and even more extravagant jewelry awaited Agnes.
The maids devoted themselves wholeheartedly to preparing her.
They spent so long on her makeup that she nearly dozed off by the end.
“You look absolutely beautiful!”
“Anyone who sees the Duchess will fall in love at first sight.”
They showered her with compliments without a moment’s pause.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Agnes looked in the mirror and was taken aback.
“How on earth did this happen?”
A woman, transformed into someone unrecognizably beautiful, stood before the mirror.
The dress, cut to the shoulders, elegantly revealed her neckline and collarbone.
A tightly woven diamond necklace adorned that area.
“Oh my! The Count has arrived.”
Just then, Emmerich knocked on the door. The maid fussed around, putting gloves on Agnes.
“Have a good time.”
She added playfully as she stepped back.
Their eyes met as Emmerich entered through the door.
“Ah.”
For the first time, Agnes could read emotions in his eyes.
“You are beautiful.”
With a genuine compliment free of any deceit, Agnes felt a bit shy.
“The maids have worked hard here.”
“They deserve a reward.”
He walked over, extending his arm for an escort.
“Shall we go?”
“I believe you will keep your promise.”
“Yes. I will. Once tonight has passed.”
He muttered that sentence several times.
Since Emmerich mentioned a small boat, Agnes had imagined something like a ferry, but the vessel by the riverside was much larger than she expected.
“Be careful.”
He took Agnes’s hand and helped her onto the boat.
“Oh.”
As soon as she stepped on board, admiration escaped her lips first.
Rose petals scattered all around beautifully blended with lanterns, creating an incredibly mystical atmosphere.
“We usually decorate with lanterns, but this year we changed to light orbs specifically for this occasion.”
“Good. Make sure to buy as many as you can.”
Emmerich smiled and agreed to do so.
“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
He led her to a table in the center of the deck. The attendants approached to serve the meal.
As the food was being served, the boat began to move slowly.
The summer night breeze tousled her hair. Agnes closed her eyes and savored the moment.
For that instant, she could forget that she was a captive of the Count.
“Duchess.”
“Um?”
“The meal is served.”
Emmerich lightly brushed the tips of Agnes’s fingers, bringing her back to reality.
“Oh, I see.”
