Grand Duke Camelon knew that when the Emperor summoned him late at night, it was the moment he had been expecting.
And sure enough, the Emperor, after taking a sip from his drink, spoke up.
“I think it’s about time I step down. I want to spend my remaining years somewhere quiet. I plan to decide what to do with the throne after the Crown Prince’s wedding.”
“…Pass it to the Crown Prince. That would be the best option.”
The Emperor gave him a smile, filled with appreciation and trust for his brother, who always seemed to understand his thoughts before he voiced them.
“You always support me, knowing what I want. I can always count on you.”
“Always.”
There had been a time when Camelon felt proud, thinking this was a face the Emperor only showed to him. But now, he found it infuriating and nauseating.
“He thinks I’ll always follow his every word without question. I’ll make sure he regrets that,” the Grand Duke muttered, gripping his drink tightly as he returned to his mansion.
His mind was filled with thoughts of killing the Emperor and seizing the throne.
But he couldn’t let it appear as though it was a coup. It had to look legitimate. There needed to be justification for any action he took. Even the temple viewed the Crown Prince as the rightful heir.
To overturn that, the Crown Prince needed to fall. He had to destroy the prince’s legitimacy. The easiest and clearest way was to make it seem as though the prince had killed his own father out of greed for the throne.
However, if the Crown Prince officially took the throne, there would no longer be a reason for the accusation.
What use was there in killing a father who had already stepped down?
He needed to act quickly.
“I’ll make my move during the Crown Prince’s wedding,” the Grand Duke declared, setting his drink down and glaring at Nancy.
“If you fail this time, you’re done. You understand that, right?”
“…I understand.”
Normally, Nancy would’ve smirked, her arrogance shining through. But now, her voice was quiet and subdued.
“So, even someone as brazen as you gets nervous at times like this? Not too long ago, you were boasting that killing the Emperor wouldn’t be that hard.”
Nancy didn’t respond, her eyes shifting nervously. She was uneasy. Just a short while ago, she had been confident that she could kill the Emperor.
After all, she could change her appearance with magic. How hard could it be?
“Just watch out for the Mad Dog. That one has sharp instincts and a nose for trouble,” the Grand Duke warned in a low, threatening tone.
Nancy inwardly clicked her tongue in frustration.
‘Foolish master. The Mad Dog isn’t the problem here.’
She held no respect for her employer, despite calling him “master.” The only ones she truly respected were her three mentors.
She had first met her mentors in the temple’s sanctum.
“If you get me out of here, I’ll become your magic teacher. You won’t even need to go to the mage tower,” one had said.
When Nancy agreed, the three orbs she carried were infused with evil spirits. Her secretive teachers had made her smarter and stronger.
But as the years passed, cracks began to appear in the orbs. She tried transferring the spirits to new orbs, but they didn’t last a month before cracking again.
“Orbs won’t work. We need to transfer into humans.”
Following their orders, Nancy placed the spirits into new vessels and hid them in the palace. One had been discovered and destroyed by the Mad Dog, and another was found by a priest.
As things continued to go wrong, the last remaining mentor warned her.
“That woman is in the palace. The palace has become a dangerous place. We need to get out of here.”
When her mentor had made that comment, Nancy might have understood if it was directed at the priests.
But instead, the mentor said it after seeing the Mad Dog and a few others gathered at the Crown Prince’s birthday party.
Nancy had asked if the mentor was referring to the woman with pink hair, but the mentor disappeared without answering. It was a typical move, vanishing when things got tricky or when Nancy asked questions that were uncomfortable to answer.
As for the Mad Dog, Nancy couldn’t be sure. But “a woman”? Who could that be?
Left alone, Nancy had to piece things together herself. Britia didn’t seem like someone who could be a threat to the mentor, yet now, Nancy realized the mentor might have been right.
After being asked if Britia had any siblings, Nancy had made several more attempts to kill her. But every time, she failed.
Whenever she tried to stab Britia with a poisoned needle, somehow, Britia always noticed. She would stare right at Nancy’s hand, the one holding the needle. In reality, Britia was simply watching Nancy’s tail, but Nancy had no idea.
“If you make a mistake, don’t worry—I’m not going to devour you,” Britia had said, trying to be considerate.
But to Nancy, it sounded like Britia was mocking her, as if she could see through every one of Nancy’s thoughts, telling her not to bother with futile attempts.
It made Nancy panic, and she changed her appearance.
This time, she disguised herself as a servant.
“Do you have any siblings? Maybe someone who works as a guard or a maid?”
Nancy had carefully chosen a face that looked nothing like Britia’s. Yet Britia had still recognized her instantly, claiming she looked exactly like her “at a glance.”
Now, Nancy was terrified of Britia. She no longer had confidence that she could get past Britia and kill the Emperor.
—
The day of the Crown Prince’s wedding had finally arrived.
The palace was busier than it had ever been for any other party.
Harty sat in a chair set up for guests, his face gloomy, lost in thought.
The Crown Prince was a good person. He had a deep appreciation for art, and there was no way he would ever mistreat Kyra. He was someone whom Harty deeply respected—there wasn’t a single flaw to point out.
And yet, the thought of Kyra marrying him made Harty feel down. It was probably like the feeling when a family member or a close friend gets married, and people cry. Maybe that was why.
Harty scanned the room for Kyra’s family.
Duke Scandars had a grin stretched wide across his face, clearly thrilled with the success of this first step toward his ambitious goals.
“I should’ve known better than to expect a human reaction from him,” Harty muttered, turning his gaze away from the duke. His mood was still dark.
“You don’t look too happy, especially on such a good day,” said Brian, who was sitting beside him, staring intently at Harty’s face.
Brian, in contrast, seemed to be in a great mood.
“Shut up.”
Harty’s curt response didn’t bother Brian at all.
“Are you upset because you won’t be able to call Kyra over and see her whenever you want?”
“…”
“Did I hit the mark? But if that’s the case, you have no reason to worry. You’ve got me. No matter the situation, if you call, I’ll come running. Rain, snow, even if the sky’s falling.”
“That’s exactly what’s so annoying about you.” Harty retorted, glancing at Brian’s smug smile before sharply turning his head away.
Brian let out a sigh, as if disappointed.
“Even when you’re in a bad mood, you don’t lose your glow. You’re really quite stunning.”
“Stating the obvious, are you?” Harty scoffed loudly, making sure Brian heard it.
Just then, Harty noticed Kyra’s sister, Ashley.
Ashley had been the one the Duke originally wanted to marry the Crown Prince, as she was the most obedient of his daughters. But her face was stiff, and unlike her father, she didn’t seem to be enjoying the day at all.
‘Is she upset because her sister took her place?’
He sighed.
It seemed like he was the only one going through the emotions of watching family get married.
“You look beautiful when you sigh. I wish you’d do it again while looking at me…”
“Be quiet.”
—
Britia, despite it not being her own wedding, felt overwhelmed with emotion.
She wondered if her wedding with Sig would look just like this.
Britia couldn’t help but wonder just how beautiful the dress Sig was making for her would turn out. She had heard he was putting a lot of care into it.
Even though Sig hadn’t shown it to her yet, she already felt excited.
At Crave’s wedding, she had cried so much. Crave had teased her for it, asking why she was crying. But she was sure Crave would cry at her wedding too.
As Britia let her mind wander through various thoughts, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Why are you smirking like that? It’s unsettling.”
Kyra, who was waiting in her dress before the ceremony began, frowned at Britia.
“I’m just happy for you, that’s all. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Congratulations, Kyra.”
Britia smiled warmly as she spoke, and Kyra let out a small, incredulous laugh. How many times was she going to say it today?
“I’ll be following your lead soon, so just wait.”
“Following my lead?”
“I think I’ll be having my wedding here too. The Emperor said so.”
It was happy news, something to celebrate, but Kyra’s expression looked strange. She didn’t seem too thrilled about it.
“Are you upset that I’m getting married here? Is it because I’m daring to marry in the same place as the Crown Princess?”
“I’m not upset that you’re getting married.”
“Then what is it?”
Kyra hesitated for a moment before meeting Britia’s eyes.
“I just think it’s better if you don’t follow in my footsteps.”
“Why?”
“I plan to divorce in a year.”
Britia froze for a second, trying to process what she had just heard. Today was Kyra’s wedding day, and yet, here she was talking about getting divorced in a year.
“What?”
“I’m going to get a divorce in a year.”
“…Why?”
Britia, still in shock, asked with wide eyes. Kyra shrugged.
“That’s what I’d like to ask. Why do you think I’d stay married?”
Britia couldn’t make sense of the woman standing in front of her. She stared at Kyra in disbelief.
“My father only wants me to become Empress so he can build his power step by step. Do you think I’d do that just to make him happy?”
Kyra could already picture her father’s stunned face when she told him she was getting a divorce, just when he was starting to solidify his power.
“Then why even get married in the first place…!”
Britia was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t finish her sentence. She covered her face with her hands.
“This is the worst. You’ve completely ruined my mood.”
Kyra gave Britia a small, amused snort.
“I’m saying this because I want you to be happy. I hope you don’t have to go through a divorce.”
“Then why don’t you avoid divorce yourself?”
Britia peeked through her fingers to look at Kyra. But Kyra shook her head firmly.
“I refuse to let my father enjoy a single victory.”
“So you’ll just divorce? Does that satisfy you?”
“If it means I can get revenge on him, then yes.”
“And you’re sure you won’t regret it?”
Britia had heard Kyra complain about the Crown Prince, saying he seemed strange to her. But despite that, when Britia saw how Kyra’s face softened when she spoke about him, she knew Kyra didn’t hate him as much as she let on.
But divorce? Just to spite her father?
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“I won’t.”
Kyra’s voice was resolute.
The wedding ceremony went smoothly, and soon, a grand banquet followed.
Kyra, no longer Lady Scandars, felt strange. There was a sense of freedom that felt good, but every time she glanced at her father, who was practically bursting with excitement, she felt a surge of anger.
‘Just hold out for a year. Then I’ll show him.’
Kyra smiled to herself at the thought.
“Kyra.”
The Crown Prince, sitting beside her, called her name softly.
“Now that you’re officially part of the royal family, I think I should let you in on a little secret.”
He leaned in close, and though Kyra didn’t find him intimidating, the proximity made her feel a bit ticklish.
“It’s hard to divorce someone who’s married to the Emperor.”
At the mention of divorce, Kyra’s eyes widened, and her playful mood disappeared.
“If the Emperor refuses an amicable divorce, you’d need to go through legal enforcement. And even then, the Emperor’s signature is required.”
In other words, if the Emperor didn’t want the divorce, it wouldn’t happen. For proof, the current Empress had been trying to divorce for 20 years, but she eventually gave up.
“The Emperor plans to abdicate to me before the year is over. That means, before a year passes, I’ll be Emperor.”
Kyra’s lips parted slightly in surprise.
“So, I suggest you give up on the idea of divorce early.”
The Crown Prince smiled gently at her as she sat there, speechless from shock.
