Episode 41
“Your Highness… The Lady wishes to see you.”
Not long after the press conference ended, Antonio was summoned to Lady Theodora’s private study.
Warm afternoon sunlight streamed over the rows of ancient tomes that lined the walls. Though the setting appeared peaceful, a sharp tension filled the room.
Theodora sat behind her desk, staring intently at Antonio. Her fingers gripped the edge of the desk tightly, as if trying to suppress a tremble.
Scattered across the desk were several newspapers, layered chaotically.
Each front page bore nearly identical headlines in bold, striking letters:
“Who’s Behind the Hippogriff Incident?”—Shocking Testimony from the Fourth Prince’s Knight Order
Two Brazen Merchants Caught Stealing Eggs from Hippogriff Nest… Source of Market District Attack Identified
Why Did the Hippogriffs Appear?—‘Someone Planted Them in the Forest,’ Sources Claim
Theodora glanced down at the stack. The top paper showed a portrait of Josephine holding a summoning stone aloft at the press conference, her quote printed prominently beneath:
“This summoning stone was found beneath the hippogriff nest. It proves they were not naturally occurring beasts, but summoned here by someone’s intent.”
The woman’s face in the portrait looked resolute.
Theodora sighed quietly and looked back at Antonio. Her fingers were still wrapped tightly around the desk.
“Why didn’t you mention the summoning stone beforehand?”
Her tone was gentle, but the question held barbs.
She hadn’t been present at the press conference and had only just heard the news—learning the hippogriffs didn’t appear randomly, but were placed deliberately.
And she, the de facto lord of the land, had been left in the dark.
Antonio didn’t avoid her sharp gaze. Instead, he leaned back leisurely in his chair, his expression cold and indifferent.
“Because I couldn’t rule out that you were behind it.”
Theodora gasped at his words, disbelief flickering across her face.
“Your Highness… Why would I harm innocent citizens of Cassia?”
Her voice quivered with a mix of outrage and pain.
“A thorough investigation will tell us. It takes a third-tier or higher summoning stone to summon a hippogriff. Only the wealthiest families in the Empire could afford that. Your family is among the top five.”
Theodora clenched her skirt, her expression tightening.
“Why are you so quick to suspect me? I thought you came here to form a marriage alliance.”
“Who said that? I never agreed to a marriage alliance.”
Antonio shrugged and scoffed.
“I assumed you came to propose…”
Theodora narrowed her eyes, peering up at his annoyingly handsome face, which showed no reaction.
“Assumptions like that are usually called delusions.”
“Didn’t you call me a ‘Young Duchess’? Wasn’t that your way of expressing support for my claim?”
Antonio paused. It had indeed been a careless slip. Josephine had warned him—using that title had political implications.
He gave a faint smile and shook his head.
“You’re quite the expert at jumping to conclusions. I don’t see how an alliance with me guarantees your succession.”
Theodora looked down, swallowing a sigh.
“As the Duke’s only heir, losing my inheritance is…”
“Regrettable, sure. But to be honest, I have no particular interest in your family—or in you.”
“Unless you’re the one behind the summoning stone. Then, you might become interesting.”
Theodora couldn’t respond. His words were far too blunt for royalty.
She pressed her lips together tightly, then finally exhaled and spoke.
“I’ve worked hard for the people of Cassia—and for the stability of the Tristram Empire. And yet you still doubt me?”
“You can say all the right things, but I value proof above all else.”
Antonio’s reply was cutting.
“Must you speak so cruelly? Our family has no desire to become your enemy.”
There was an edge in her voice now—a veiled threat. Her pale face suggested she was nearing the limits of her patience.
“Let me ask you something—do you really believe you need to marry me to inherit the duchy?”
“What? N-not necessarily…”
Theodora’s voice trailed off.
“Ah. So you assumed that even if we married, I’d be off swinging my sword elsewhere, leaving you to manage the domain. That was your calculation, wasn’t it?”
She opened her mouth to protest, but Antonio continued before she could speak.
“Is marriage really the only way to form an alliance?”
Theodora arched a brow at the question. His tone remained cynical, but she didn’t miss the shift in meaning.
“Marriage is the most common form of alliance, as you well know. I can offer you freedom. See other women if you wish—just don’t interfere with my domain.”
Having come this far, she decided to speak plainly. A political marriage, in exchange for leaving his personal life untouched.
Antonio raised a hand, stopping her mid-sentence.
“No. I want cooperation in a different form.”
“Cooperation…?”
“I want a thorough investigation into who was behind the stolen hippogriff eggs. Use every resource and method you have. They may be connected to the group that planted the summoning stone.”
“O-of course!”
Theodora answered loudly, as if desperate to prove her innocence.
“Then I expect every detail of your findings to be passed along to me.”
Antonio’s voice was firm.
Theodora stared at his indifferent eyes and bit her lip. She had no way of knowing just how deeply Antonio despised the very idea of marriage.
He loathed pretense.
To him, marriage was just another form of entrapment—decorative shackles.
He’d recently discovered the wreckage of a failed marriage. That discovery had cemented his view.
His mother, the former Empress, had borne three sons while carrying on an affair with the captain of the royal guard. The Emperor had remained oblivious for thirty years.
Her tragic death had hidden that betrayal—buried it with her.
And Antonio had been the product of that betrayal.
Ever since learning the truth, he had lost all faith in the institution of marriage.
“Marriage isn’t a symbol of love. It’s just another form of deceit and lies.”
That was the conclusion he’d reached not long ago.
As Theodora stood in silence, Antonio rose from his seat.
She could only watch, stunned, as he walked away.
The room fell quiet again as the door closed behind him.
“……”
Theodora had no choice.
That rogue of a man, the Fourth Prince Antonio, was still the only person who had ever called her “Young Duchess.”
And for her, that title meant everything—just as much as having the one she loved by her side.
*
In the reception room of the ducal castle, prepared for esteemed guests…
All members of the Scorpios, excluding Commander Antonio, had gathered.
“A meeting is about to begin. Please step out for a while.”
Kallen had dismissed the castle attendants from the room.
I was reading El Cassiano, the most prominent newspaper in the Cassia region, spread open on the table.
The front-page article posed a simple question:
If the hippogriffs weren’t naturally occurring monsters, then who brought them here?
It concluded with speculation that it could be the work of demons.
“Demons are suspected to be involved,” the article stated.
I gave a small, bitter laugh.
There are no real demons in this world.
Only people who act like them.
