Episode 10
Sevia went to Count Litua’s villa located in the outskirts.
As soon as she gave her name, the servants opened the gate and led her inside.
Count Litua himself came out to greet her.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I should’ve greeted you long ago. Please forgive the delay.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, has no one else arrived yet?”
Sevia asked because she hadn’t seen any carriages or servants nearby.
The Count answered in a cautious tone.
“We’ve instructed all guests to leave their carriages and attendants far from the villa. We’re also being extra careful with the servants so no faces are recognized.”
Count Litua was being more thorough about hiding the tea party than Sevia had expected.
“This way, please. It’s a secret gathering, so the space is small and modest. I hope you’ll understand.”
Sevia nodded, feeling a bit more at ease, and followed the Count.
“The Duke of Trinitor has arrived!”
When the servant announced her, all the gathered nobles stood up.
As Sevia entered the room, they bowed politely.
With a dignified presence fit for a duke, Sevia stood tall and accepted their greetings.
They only sat down after she took her seat first.
“Thank you for inviting me. Since this is a tea party, I’d like to speak comfortably with you all.”
One by one, the nobles began introducing themselves and sharing their stories.
At first, they were careful, but that didn’t last long.
They soon began openly complaining about the emperor.
“The current emperor is handing out noble titles to people from the north that he brought with him,” said Count Litua with a stern voice.
“They’ve also taken over all the government positions. The nobles who served the Empire faithfully have either been kicked out or forced to resign.”
The nobles nodded in agreement with Count Litua, who had once been a trusted official and a respected minister under the previous emperor.
“That’s right. The northern people now control the Empire. They’ve never run a country before, so everything is a mess.”
“And the emperor has killed so many people. It’s terrifying—we’re constantly living in fear!”
Gradually, the nobles all began directing their attention to Sevia.
It was clear why they had invited her to this secret tea party.
As the person with the highest noble rank, they hoped she would take action on their behalf.
Reading the atmosphere, Sevia finally spoke.
“I understand everything you’ve said.”
Her graceful, noble tone immediately silenced the room.
“First of all, I want to express my condolences to Count and Countess Elika.”
Everyone observed a brief silence to mourn, their faces full of sorrow and anger.
Once the room had calmed, Sevia spoke again, her voice steady.
“As nobles of the Empire, we must stop the emperor from committing any more senseless killings.”
The nobles exchanged quick glances, sensing the weight in Sevia’s words.
They were clearly ready to support her as the new emperor.
But none of them dared to say it first.
If their plan were ever exposed, the first person to be executed would be the one who made the suggestion.
Sevia knew this too and didn’t expect anyone to step forward easily.
Just as she was wondering if she’d have to take the initiative herself, a woman in a white dress stood up.
“If Your Grace, the Duke of Trinitor, would rise as the leader of the nobles, we would all follow.”
It was Countess Obeni, a woman with a delicate appearance.
Her husband had died fighting to defend the palace when the emperor had stormed in.
It had been a noble death, but in defeat, it meant nothing.
Now, the countess was openly showing her anger toward the emperor who had killed her husband.
“Please, as someone of Trinitor royal blood, lead us and become the new emperor.”
Her voice was strong and fearless.
Sevia was surprised by her boldness, especially knowing what she had been through.
Still, Sevia didn’t accept the proposal right away.
“If you are all truly determined and ready to work for the Empire, then I will consider it.”
She spoke carefully.
“But for now, it’s best to wait. The current emperor still has a strong army, so we cannot act hastily.”
Despite her cautious words, her emerald eyes gleamed with determination.
“I’ll quietly move things forward. If you have any concrete plans or suggestions, send them to me separately.”
Not one noble interrupted as she spoke.
“It’s better not to discuss anything more here. The more we talk, the more we risk being exposed.”
Sevia stood up, concluding the meeting.
“Today, it is enough that you have shown me your support.”
This was her way of minimizing the risk of any word reaching the emperor—or Casar.
For now, it was enough to know the nobles were on her side. There was no need to push further yet.
The nobles, understanding her caution, also quietly stood without protest.
That night—past midnight—
A man snuck into Countess Obeni’s mansion.
She met him secretly in a small parlor and smiled brightly.
“It wouldn’t look good if word spread that a handsome coachman was sneaking into the mansion in the middle of the night.”
When the man took off his coachman’s hat, sleek black hair fell over his face, revealing himself to be Casar Juan.
Casar didn’t mind disguising himself as a commoner.
After all, he had been one. And he never liked nobles anyway.
Sometimes, hiding his identity made it easier to work in secret—like tonight, meeting Countess Obeni.
“I just thought it’d be better to hear the news about Duke Trinitor directly. I don’t want to attract unnecessary attention.”
He wore a worn vest and gaiters, the kind coachmen used.
Despite the shabby outfit, he was still a marquis, and without asking, he dropped himself onto a sofa.
His red eyes, glowing like garnets, stared coldly at the countess.
She smiled, as if thrilled by the sight of those blood-red eyes.
She acted like the picture of grace and modesty, but her smile was full of greed.
“Here’s the list of people who were at the tea party.”
Wearing white gloves, the countess handed him a piece of paper.
Casar took it and scanned the names.
“The duke was very cautious. She didn’t say anything too decisive, even when we directly asked her to become the emperor.”
“Hmph.”
He had expected the nobles to turn to Sevia.
And over time, she would probably even win the hearts of the common people.
That would be a serious threat to the emperor, who was losing public support with his luxury and cruelty.
It would’ve been best to charge Sevia with treason and execute her after their first audience, but since that didn’t happen, Casar now planned to trap her slowly and thoroughly.
If the emperor were ever overthrown, Casar knew his own life would also be in danger—so he had to be careful.
That’s why he had approached Countess Obeni early on and learned about the secret tea party.
He had been sure Sevia would attend, and as expected, she had.
Countess Obeni had baited her exactly as planned.
If Sevia had let her guard down and revealed any plans or said anything incriminating, Casar would’ve used it to charge her with treason right away.
Still, when Sevia had spared the servant in front of the crown prince… and when she confided in him about her anger at the emperor…
A small part of Casar had hoped she might be the sun-like ruler who could end this bloody nightmare.
But as long as his life was tied to the emperor, Sevia couldn’t be allowed to win.
Ignoring his conflicted feelings, Casar quietly read through the list of names.
He looked like a perfectly sculpted white marble statue.
Countess Obeni stared at him like she was hypnotized.
The gaiters made his already long legs look even more striking.
She slowly leaned toward him, lowering her body in a seductive way.
Matching his eye level, she smiled teasingly.
“Did you find anything out? You’re smart—surely you saw something others didn’t.”
Casar stepped away from her in disgust and stood up from the sofa.
“Even if I did, there’s no reason to tell you.”
He tucked the list into his coat.
“Just do your job and tell me what the nobles at the tea party are doing. Don’t do anything extra.”
“In return, you’ll keep your promise that His Majesty won’t kill me,” she said with a sultry smile.
But Casar left the room with a cold expression.
He was now ready to set the trap and sink the rising sun into the ocean.
