Chapter 26
Louise had stopped by Asel’s office several times a day.
Each time, she’d left quietly upon seeing him buried in a mountain of documents.
“There’s no need to announce my arrival. If someone is already here, it’s only right for me to step back.”
Today too, she started to walk away when she learned Asel was deep in conversation with Laura.
But then…
“I’m grateful to the princess,” Laura said.
Those words stopped her in her tracks.
What she heard next came from someone she’d never expected.
‘Is that truly how she feels about me?’
Louise had always assumed Laura despised her.
After all, every time they met, Louise criticized and disapproved openly.
‘But she understands me?’
Louise’s world was a small one. Very few crossed the boundaries she set for herself. Even her husband, despite telling her she had high standards, hadn’t truly tried to understand why.
‘…But you noticed.’
That her behavior came from a desire to protect the Empire and Asel.
For a long time, the lake of feelings deep within her had been still. Suddenly, it surged.
She didn’t know if it was joy, gratitude, or both. But among the tangled emotions, guilt surfaced clearly.
‘That I treated this child like that…’
Louise reflected for a moment on her time in the Empire.
She had kept her distance from Laura based only on a handful of superficial remarks.
It was she herself, not Laura, who needed to adjust her outlook.
‘If I think about it… Asel must have chosen Laura for a reason.’
Yet she hadn’t even tried to understand that.
‘What a wasted life I’ve led.’
Louise glanced at Asel, who was sitting across from Laura.
Although he appeared as stoic as always, the faint softness in the corners of his eyes was unmistakable.
Asel was genuinely at ease with this woman.
‘I mustn’t interfere anymore.’
The younger generation had worked hard to carve out this moment for themselves. An old woman’s prejudices had no place ruining it.
She was about to leave quietly when Laura spoke again.
“Did she just say she already knows who the culprit is?”
Those words pulled Louise right back.
With clenched teeth, she narrowed her gaze at the office.
Rage surged within her.
‘Who dared to ruin an imperial event like this?!’
To protect the Empire’s honor and discipline, this matter couldn’t be overlooked.
‘I will make sure the culprit burns in a purgatory of remorse.’
But first, she needed to know who it was.
Louise was certain Laura wasn’t making baseless claims.
‘That child has always been straightforward, even behind closed doors.’
She must have had reason and evidence for naming a suspect.
‘I just need to listen long enough to learn who it is.’
With that in mind, Louise rose to her tiptoes and crept closer to the door.
But in focusing too much on silence, she failed to notice the statue of the founding Emperor by the door and bumped into it.
CRASH!
“……”
“……Ah.”
A deathly silence engulfed the space.
The sound of shattering marble felt like a crack splitting the air itself. The hallway became suffused with tension.
Unable to raise her gaze, Louise kept her head down, only noticing that the broken fragments of the statue had scattered down the hall.
Her skin prickled with embarrassment.
“Uh… Never mind. Just continue your conversation.”
Although her words tried to brush off the accident, it was too late. Everyone had witnessed it.
“Then it would be rude to leave an esteemed guest standing in the hallway. Your Highness, please come in.” Laura spoke smoothly.
And just like that, a teacup was placed before Louise.
The rising steam brushed the tip of her nose, and she shifted uneasily, unable to look directly at the two across from her.
But the awkward moment didn’t last long.
If she’d been caught eavesdropping, she might as well satisfy her curiosity.
“Why don’t you consider finding the culprit behind the freezer accident as important?” she asked sharply.
Asel turned to Laura, brow furrowed.
“Wait, you don’t mean…?”
Laura offered only a faint smile, and Asel clenched his teeth as if in confirmation.
“As soon as the injury on their leg heals, I’ll have them shipped back to the kingdom immediately.”
Although the hint was enough for Asel, Louise remained puzzled.
But before she could ask further, Laura spoke again.
“More pressing than identifying the culprit right now is another matter — one I hoped to discuss with Your Highness.”
“Another matter?”
A deep smile curved Laura’s lips.
“To be blunt, the second prince is a scumbag.”
“What?!”
The sheer crudeness of the words froze Louise in shock.
“We need to take immediate action. Will you help?”
Louise remained rooted in place, unable to rise for a long while.
Meanwhile…
The second prince, Malken, had thought long and hard about how to kill Princess Louise.
The Empire’s banquet had been the ideal setting for the plot.
If the Princess of Arrieta died within the Empire, tensions between the two nations would explode.
And if evidence pointed to the murderer being a member of the Arrieta delegation?
That would implicate the kingdom itself.
‘It would put both nations in a delicate position.’
Each side would be desperate to bury the matter quietly.
A situation that would enable Malken to spark the flames of civil war.
‘Damn it!’
With clenched fists, Malken cursed inwardly.
Nothing had gone according to plan.
The princess he intended to kill had returned safe and sound.
Even worse, the secret funds he’d set aside to pay for weapons had been frozen.
“What do you mean my trading company is under investigation for money laundering?!”
He had meticulously prepared for weapons smuggling. Created a shell company, laundered money, and even secured illegal loans to cover expenses.
But now one of those shell companies was under suspicion, and its accounts had been seized.
“Find a way to secure the weapons. Even if we can only pay upfront for a portion, we must obtain the first shipment. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With the smuggler pressing for payments and the Empire breathing down their neck, Malken had no choice but to raise the necessary funds elsewhere.
Every step had to be taken discreetly, and every order had to be delivered through trusted subordinates scuttling across the Empire.
He was a visiting royal, after all. Too much movement on his part would draw suspicion.
But one of those trusted men didn’t return.
All through the night, as the hours ticked by, Malken grew increasingly anxious.
‘Why hasn’t he come back?’
Then, the very next morning, the answer arrived.
While pacing the garden, Malken witnessed a scene that shook him.
A man was thrown down to the ground, beaten beyond recognition. Yet Malken knew instantly that it was his trusted aide, Olen.
A voice rang out sharply:
“Last night, this man tried to pass through the gates using a false identity. Upon inspection, he was found wandering in circles and making contact with suspicious individuals. Do you have any knowledge of this?”
Although the man was almost unrecognizably brutalized, Malken didn’t need a second glance to confirm it was Olen.
Louise spoke in an even, cold voice, but Malken felt the sting of suspicion deep within.
‘I’m being watched.’
The easiest route would be to abandon Olen to save himself.
But without Olen, the rebellion was as good as lost. Too many threads depended upon him.
With a deep breath and a practiced smile, Malken responded.
“In fact, I came across evidence of Lady Luweiz’s corruption. I sent Olen to confirm it. That was the only reason — no other motives.”
With that, he pulled out the recording device Marienne had passed to him. It was a card he’d hoped to use under different circumstances, but desperation left him no choice.
Yet Louise didn’t flinch. She crossed her arms, her voice rising coldly.
“If that’s the truth, why didn’t you come to me the moment you discovered it?”
“Because Lady Luweiz may one day be the Empress, and a scandal like this could tarnish the Empire’s reputation. And as you well know, Aunt, I am still deeply devoted to this Empire.”
Malken felt the words land smoothly. But Louise only smiled faintly.
“Is that truly all you have to say?”
