You are at the End of the Downfall

She didn’t even want to win anyway, and she knew that Beatrice had Peon, so she had nothing to say but to let them do well. Or that she didn’t even have the energy to speak.

“Kaela. His Majesty the Emperor is looking for you. Let’s go.”

A strong and clear voice shook the listless princess and woke her up.

“Oh my, our Pe…”

The Duchess of Monde’s face turned rosy. But the greeting she made compared to Kaela, which was a few tones higher, was cut off in the middle.

“Hello, both of you.”

Peon, who had finished his careless greeting to the Duchess of Monde and Beatrice at once, was only looking at Kaela.

“Let’s go.”

As if he was going to escort a lady as a gentleman, he naturally reached out his hand.

‘Why is he like this?’

Peon, whom Beatrice was happy to see, was only looking at her body and only made a careless but barely polite greeting, ‘both of you’.

Kaela looked at Peon as if he was really strange.

But he reached out his hand further and signaled her to hold it, so she had no choice but to put her left hand on his hand.

“Then, Duchess, I’ll be going.”

Kaela, who greeted the Duchess of Monde, quickly turned around.

Maybe Peon is being careful because it’s an official place. Don’t worry about it. She took a step. No, she tried to take a step.

“Duchess, you should be more careful in the royal palace. It’s a place where His Majesty the Emperor’s eyes and ears are everywhere.”

But at the faint voice of Peon, Kaela had no choice but to stop her steps unknowingly. He stood still in his place and looked straight at the Duchess of Monde and spoke.

“I’m afraid someone who knows the difference between a Duchess and a Princess might hear. Then, excuse me.”

Peon completely held Kaela’s hand. Then he lightly pulled her. Kaela, who still didn’t know what was going on, followed him reluctantly. Anyway, she had to get out of the place where the bomb had just exploded.

Just now, Peon clearly pointed out the difference between the Ostein Duchy and the Monde Duchy to his mother’s friend, who often took care of him on behalf of his mother.

How dare the Duchess of Monde act that way towards the Princess of Ostein. He said all that with all the courtesy and politeness.

By tomorrow, no, by this afternoon, this rumor will spread all over the capital of Crain.

In the royal palace, where the nobles gathered at the news of the Empress’s critical condition, Grand Duke Lusenford had caused a huge commotion. Moreover, hot gazes were stuck on the back of Kaela’s head and back.

“I’m sorry, Kaela. They took out their anger on you about what happened at the Altein Palace last time. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

Peon, who had walked a little further and secured enough distance, apologized first.

“No, it’s okay.”

From Kaela’s mouth, a formal humility came out reflexively as a matter of course.

“It seems like neither of us is okay.”

Peon, while smirking, did not let go of Kaela’s hand he was holding.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure you never hear such words again.”

“It’s really okay…”

“It’s not okay. Even if you heard it, it was a word I should have heard, not a word you should have heard instead. Besides, saying that the royal family and the nobility are the same crossed the line.”

The cold and rational nature of Peon that she always felt was directed at the Duchess of Monde, not her this time. But Kaela was familiar with that coldness and slightly shrugged her shoulders.

‘We shouldn’t have gotten married.’

That way, they would have been friendly, she realized again. He was so kind before they got married.

I don’t know about anything else, but this time I must never marry this man. Absolutely. Since my father is still alive, there won’t be a need to get married.

The Emperor will be distracted by shaking Peon by holding Beatrice hostage.

Kaela was relieved that she would never see her husband lose his mind because of another woman. This time, the possibility of a peaceful death coming to her has increased a little.

But the moment she greeted the Emperor in the reception room outside the Empress’s bedroom, the words of the Emperor who was greeting her shattered her hope.

“They look good together as they come in.”

Duke Ostein, who had come in first, just smiled a little at his half-brother’s words.

“Seeing you say that, it seems that Your Majesty wants to marry off his children.”

Rather, Peon turned the conversation around without any problem, but Kaela felt a cold sweat running down her back. It feels like a cold chill is brushing past the back of her head. She quickly let go of Peon’s hand.

“That guy is already twenty-eight years old. His mother has collapsed like that, and who else is there to take care of his marriage but me?”

In Peon’s opinion, the emperor barked well. He barked uselessly well. Who would willingly give their daughter to the Grand Duke Lusenford, who has earned the emperor’s hatred? It would be the Duchess of Monde who needs the property of the North.

So, when her father died and Kaela had no protection, she was pushed to marry him. Because Kaela had nothing and no one, a little bit of threat was enough to manipulate her.

“What’s important is for Her Majesty the Empress to regain consciousness, I’m always the same even if I get older.”

For the unfortunate princess, the only lifeline she could grab at the time was the Grand Duke Lusenford. Even that was a rotten lifeline.

Peon couldn’t bear to look at Kaela, who was sitting quietly next to him, and turned his gaze away indifferently.

Forcing himself not to look at her is something he’s used to doing in his past life. If he looks, his gaze goes, his heart goes, and most importantly, the sharp emperor will find out that his weakness is her. He had to not look.

“What do you mean the same, try getting to my age. Every day is different. Isn’t that right, Adeo?”

When Adeo nodded, Peon added another word indifferently.

“Because Your Majesty personally takes care of Her Majesty the Empress. But you should still think about the empire and stay healthy.”

While cursing him to die quickly inside, he can now calmly wish for his longevity on the outside. The Duke Ostein chimed in with his words.

“The Grand Duke is right, Your Majesty.”

“I heard that Your Majesty can’t sleep, so I brought some tea that helps with sleep. Have a cup an hour before you go to bed, Your Majesty.”

But he couldn’t help but look at the small voice, the polite attitude, and the careful action of putting down the basket filled with tea.

He had to pluck out his clear eyes that had been brainwashed before. No, if he didn’t have eyes, he would chase with his ears, and if his ears were deaf, he would grope the air with his hands. Peon had to repent his sins over and over again inside.

He starved her to death. He starved the precious princess to death. He had no right to see her.

“Thank you, Kaela. The only one who takes care of me so delicately is our niece.”

It’s funny. Kaela sneered inside. The Emperor always despised Duke Ostein as a bastard, and now she’s a ‘niece’ again. Well, she had nothing to say as she was trying to avoid death by pleasing the emperor.

“It’s time, they say a prince is coming from Keruzhan. It was already scheduled, thus it can’t be canceled. So, Kaela, I want you to prepare a banquet to welcome the prince.”

Peon remembered that a prince was coming from Keruzhan. The reason he remembered that was because that prince was also a candidate for Princess Ostein’s husband and was compared with him until the end.

A candidate for Kaela’s husband was coming from across the sea.