“Our Lady is even joking about death.”
“By saying ‘honey’.”
“Yes, you said you won’t leave me.”
“…….”
“You won’t leave, right?”
“Do you know how many times you’ve asked? It’s already over ten times.”
“So, you won’t leave?”
“Yes.”
“…… Then, am I better than death?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
****
The Duke of Monde’s family was not just going to end as another nobles who indulged in luxury and pleasure, but was about to become a name too shameful to even mention.
On the first day, there were only suspicions, but on the second day, more detailed circumstances were reported, along with the approval of an investigation for the honor of the nobility.
The suspicious merchant group that occupied Monde Castle willingly opened the castle to the group of high-ranking inspectors.
It was none other than a family murder.
Those who knew that the Duke of Monde had lived obsessed with gambling would click their tongues behind his back, but when they heard that the suspects were his equally pleasure-obsessed wife and daughter, they would shake their heads, saying, “Well, that’s that family for you.”
The fall was quick, simple, and certain. The Monde ducal family, pushed from a very high place, began to shatter without even leaving a trace.
No one could precisely say whether the corpse discovered at the peak of the incident was the Duke of Monde’s or the Duchess of Monde, who had been caught collapsed in a liquor pot.
“Why? I didn’t do it. My husband is alive. Ask the butler. Or the physician?”
Isidore Dakiten, the inspector assigned to the case, sighed at the Duchess of Monde’s appearance, which was far beyond discussing nobility’s dignity or grace.
Having been the inspector for the attempted poisoning of the Grand Duchess of Lusenford last time, he was now the inspector for the Duke of Monde’s murder suspicion. He had just changed the case from a murder suspicion to a murder.
If a corpse had been found and the method of murder was revealed, yet someone was still pretending to be alive, that would be a serious crime.
Despite hearing the good news that the Crown Prince was engaged, Isidore entered an increasingly chaotic royal palace, his appointment far from being solidified.
“Hyung-nim.”
His cousin, the Grand Duke of Lusenford, was just rising from his seat. He used to always wear black clothes regardless of the season, but after getting married, he had stopped wearing completely black attire.
Today, he wore a gray with a slight hint of blue. It was like summer had come for a man fighting against winter. This was all Kaela’s skill and eye.
Perhaps because of this, the Grand Duke looked even more handsome and radiant.
“You’ve come.”
Isidore often felt an overwhelming burden when looking at his cousin, to the point of seeming inhuman.
Not just his flawless face, but the oppressive aura he emanated just by standing still was increasingly intense.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the ordinary person could breathe next to him only because Peon had ‘permitted’ it.
Yes, it’s just a feeling. He’s just too talented. Rumors circulated that the Grand Duke of Lusenford had kicked out a penniless government and caught a wealthy heiress, with all sorts of malicious gossip.
These words mostly came from petty men jealous of the Grand Duke.
However, Isidore Dakiten felt no jealousy towards his cousin. There would need to be at least some possibility of catching up to feel jealous.
In that sense, his hyung-nim was not even human.
“Thank you for handling it so well when you must have been surprised.”
His cousin, who used to be blunt, was now indisputably moving politics as the empire’s core. He never overdid it, but always remembered to give praise that was pleasant to hear.
“No, thank you for entrusting me with this.”
“You need to move forward now too.”
“Being the chief gatekeeper is already a significant position for my age.”
Peon glanced at his humble cousin before turning to complete the paperwork, placing it on top of the mountain-like stack of documents.
“May I ask you something?”
“About the case? Isn’t that something you as the inspector would know better?”
See? It’s subtly different. Isidore had become slightly more informal, but the wall seemed even higher in front of Peon, so he involuntarily cleared his throat.
Those who are jealous of his cousin are all men whose brains have been replaced by what’s between their legs. He naturally feels infinite respect and reverence, not jealousy.
“No, about the work I’ve been authorized to do.”
Investigating a scandalous incident in an old and well-known noble family like the Monde ducal house required formal approval from the Emperor. However, the inspector was approved not by the Emperor, but by the Regency Council.
“Ah. Because the Emperor has fallen.”
Isidore lowered his voice even more.
“Is it serious?”
He is the heir to the Marquis Alemichi family and has an aunt who is the Empress. Now that he has arrested the Duchess of Monde, who is the chief lady-in-waiting to his aunt, he knew that when the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, the future of the Marquis Alemichi family would be quite difficult.
“Perhaps.”
The fortunate thing was that his cousin, who married the Princess of Ostein, was one of the Regency Council members. What would happen to the political situation now? Isidore hoped Peon would say something.
“Isidore.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
“You seem to care quite a bit about Kaela.”
“Yes, well, because she’s a friend. How is her health lately?”
“Better than in Lusenford.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Peon nodded.
“Give up the chief gatekeeper position completely. Return to Alemichi once the investigation is complete.”
“To that extent?”
“I’m planning to go back and not come out either.”
“But…….”
Does that mean the Emperor’s life is in such critical condition? If so, the Regency Council’s activities would likely be short.
“Understood.”
Isidore quickly finished his thoughts and nodded.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
At those words, Peon looked at him.
“Basically, I’m telling you not to come out.”
“Yes? Yes.”
Isidore nodded firmly once more. Only later would it be clear how much he understood. Peon felt he had done just enough about his mother’s maternal family.
His mother, who became an Empress but a shameful one who was silenced. Not close, but a quick-witted and friendly cousin who would become the head of the household. That was it.
If his mother specifically asked him to take care of something, he would follow. But his mother would probably have no time to worry about her maternal family.
“How far have you gotten?”
“For now, the Duchess of Monde was arrested based on the butler’s testimony.”
“Looks like she couldn’t receive loyalty from her subordinates.”
“Recently…she seemed to have many complaints. Though she used to take care of the employees often, after she started drinking this year, she has been quite harsh to the hired staff…”
Isidore let out a deep sigh and tilted his head.
“Hyung-nim. May I speak something just between us?”
“When did you need permission?”
“Still.”
This was the royal palace. Isidore, who had developed a habit of being careful and then more careful, was still cautious in front of Peon, who had mentioned that the Emperor had fallen.
He was careful with the Emperor for a reason, but being careful with Peon was without reason. It was just an instinctive feeling of awkwardness.
“Go ahead.”
“Wasn’t the Duchess of Monde not like this originally? Wasn’t she generous, warm-hearted, and would share things?”
“…She had quite a good heart.”
Even though her friend was the Empress, and despite paying money to take care of her son whom she couldn’t see properly, the Duchess of Monde often felt sympathetic towards Peon himself more than money.
“Right? But she even killed her husband. Moreover, looking at the condition of the corpse, it’s been at least 10 years. Doesn’t that mean she was at least the mastermind of the incident?”
“Are you investigating as an inspector?”
“I’m asking for help. Who else can I ask besides you, hyung-nim?”
Peon was the one who truly saw the hidden side of the Duchess of Monde, which is why he was asking further questions.
Isidore was someone who would unconditionally utilize even peripheral people in his investigation.
“The root of all causes is money.”
Who was Peon thinking about right now? Isidore was curious for no reason.
“You know. Once you do something you shouldn’t for money and succeed, you’ll do it again. That’s how you cross the line and eventually reach a point of no return. It’s not that you’re holding the money, but that the money is dragging you around.”
“I understand that, but isn’t it strange how suddenly she fell into drinking? She was someone who didn’t deviate much from the typical nobility’s refinement… And now it seems drugs were mixed in, making the progression unusually rapid.”
Peon gave a smile that was both knowing and ambiguous.
“If it started from the beginning of this year, it would have been when I was in Lusenford. I just can’t make sense of it… No one told her to fall into alcoholism…”
“That could be the case.”
Isidore decided to brush off his hyung-nim’s nonchalant remark just as nonchalantly. Fine. That wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Next time, we’ll likely interrogate and possibly arrest Lady Ravalley.”
Peon shrugged halfheartedly. His cold face showed not a hint of sympathy for that household.
He wasn’t particularly eager to sever the ties that bound them, nor was he expressing hatred. He just looked completely uninterested. Peon simply brushed off the Monde ducal family like dust on his clothes and didn’t look back.
“Investigate thoroughly.”
The Regency Council member ordered the inspector.
“Yes.”
The predetermined downfall of those whose arrogance had eroded their wisdom no longer interested Peon. The bored man mechanically processed annoying and troublesome tasks.
****
But Kaela was interested in this miserable downfall. These days, as soon as she woke up, she meticulously read three newspapers. She wanted to read seven, but her husband was blocking her, so she had barely negotiated three.
The newspapers she carefully selected were limitless in obtaining necessary information.
After eating, taking medication that was almost too much, checking emergency permission letters from new servants in Lusenford, or financial reports.
Her life had somehow returned to her days as the Princess of Ostein. That was her most comfortable and fitting daily routine.
Though she was only inside the townhouse, Kaela was looking into Lusenford, while also having the entire Craine social circle in the palm of her hand.
No, she was looking at the entire Crania Empire. Even though she was physically weak and currently confined to the house, she was a member of the currently operating Regency Council.
Kaela tapped the documents that Peon was instructed to not view entirely in the morning but to review in parts in the afternoon.
In the past, she would have been excited, staining her hands with ink and rushing in. No, she would have tried to prove herself that way.
Don’t overdo it. I know you’re good at this. That’s why I’m asking. But you’re not worth doing everything.
While she might have been lying in bed under a summer blanket during Peon’s absence, he had carefully instructed her while thoroughly hiding his original intent, while revealing that she wasn’t even worth proving her competence by changing herself.
He was nothing more than a sycophant exclusively for Kaela.
Was this too much to say to her husband? But the sweet words were indeed sweet, and even if Peon were called a sycophant, he would nod understandingly if he knew the reason.
It’s exclusively yours.
That’s what he would say…
–’How do you know that?’
The prisoner in the northern tower, who had been raging about not betraying, suddenly asked. She was staring blankly at Kaela.
–’What makes you so sure? What if you’re abandoned after being certain? Oh, then you can just die again? Aren’t you scared of the pain of betrayal?’
The prisoner was about to say “You’re a crazy girl” but closed her mouth.
The prisoner, who was once emaciated, had now filled out. Her eyes were clearer.
She no longer coughed up blood or screamed. She didn’t even try to curse. It was useless. Because she knew Kaela wasn’t afraid.
The certainty was very small but definite.
I’m not scared. Such a thing will never happen.
“I now believe, a little.”
–’I now believe, a little.’
The prisoner nodded weakly with a faint smile. She was no longer starving.
Enlightenment arrived suddenly, very casually, in an ordinary moment.
“Uh… uh…”
The husband who always turned his back, whose inner thoughts were unclear and difficult and frightening, was now clearly visible. Because he had consistently shown her his whole heart.
“Uh-huh…”
Kaela vigorously rubbed her cheeks with tears pouring down. He was on her side. Her lips curved in joy, and his large hand, wet with cold water, covered her small hand.
“What’s wrong, Kaela? Hm? Why are you crying?”
Though he should have been in the royal palace at this hour, he appeared at her desk and hurriedly embraced her with trembling hands. Kaela looked up at the man who had mercilessly carried out revenge for her today, wiping away her tears.
What will happen to you when all this revenge is over? How will you be, not sleeping properly?
She was starting to care about that now.
💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛