Even as Anix vented his rage, panting roughly, Miro remained composed.
“That may be so, but the first target of any investigation will inevitably be the East. The motive for murder is clear.”
“It wasn’t me! I’m innocent, so let them investigate!”
Miro fell silent for a moment, his smiling expression unchanged.
Anix, who continued to vent his anger by throwing vases, books, and papers around on his own, gradually regained his composure.
Only then did Miro open his mouth.
“During the investigation, your trips to the back alleys may come to light.”
“…”
“If it is revealed that you even disregarded a court decision, you could be accused of treason. It would amount to ignoring an order from an institution directly under the Emperor.”
As if belittling the Imperial Family weren’t enough, there was also the noncompliance with a ruling.
If that were definitively uncovered, House Gloria would have no hope left.
Anix, whose rationality returned only belatedly, bit down hard on his lip.
“Who was it? Who on earth would ambush a carriage from House Keilos at a time like this?”
Was it not done with the deliberate purpose of pinning the blame on House Gloria?
The mind that had been inflamed by the humiliating court ruling suddenly turned cold.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Tap, tap. He gnawed at his thumbnail with his teeth.
Lost deep in thought, he pressed Miro impatiently.
“Bring me the judgment.”
Miro handed him the ruling he had kept in his inner pocket.
He calmly unfolded the document, and when he saw the region whose control had been transferred, he let out a snort of laughter.
“Did you say the Princess personally requested this region?”
The surrounding area, including Gelloa Village, had been designated as the target.
As it was, Valen had recently visited Gelloa Village with Diana, which had already put him in a foul mood.
According to what Miro had relayed, Valen, who hadn’t seemed interested in the trial at all, had even attended in person.
“Of course. It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.”
Snickering, he kept letting out derisive laughs like a man who had lost his mind.
Then, abruptly, Anix stopped laughing and crushed the judgment in both hands.
With eyes wide open, he stared at the door and muttered.
“I will go see Diana. You stay here and wait.”
Before Miro could even reply, he strode out of the office with rough steps.
The ominous force of Anix made even the few remaining servants avoid him, watching his mood carefully.
Standing before Diana’s room, he issued a chilling order to a maid.
“Not even a single rat is to be left in this corridor. Don’t let anyone approach until I summon them.”
“Y-yes, Your Grace…”
Bowing deeply, the servants disappeared quickly, like the tide receding.
Still glaring with bloodshot eyes, Anix flung open Diana’s door without knocking.
“Was this your doing?”
Diana, who had been sitting against the bed reading a book, frowned and asked back.
“What was?”
“I’m asking whether you ordered the ambush.”
Reaching the bedside in a single stride, Anix grabbed Diana’s neck with one hand.
Gritting his teeth, Anix crushed the words out at her.
“Why? Did that bastard say he’d cover for you?”
“L-let go of me right now…”
Diana’s face flushed red as she glared at him viciously.
Digging her nails into the wrist choking her, Diana let out a crooked smile and continued haltingly.
“It seems you don’t understand your current situation… If I’m gone, the one in trouble won’t be me, it’ll be you, won’t it?”
Anix leaned in close, locking eyes with her clearly as he whispered.
“I took in some lowborn wretch and coddled her like a young lady from a Ducal House! Did you really start thinking you were a real noble lady?”
“A lowborn wretch with the Word of Command.”
At Diana’s sneer, he flung away the hand that had been choking her, as if throwing her aside.
Cough, cough. Diana collapsed onto the bed, clutching her throat as she coughed violently.
Regaining herself, she looked up at him with a mocking expression and said.
“I don’t know what you heard to come at me like this, but whatever it is, you’re mistaken. Do you really think you have a choice right now, other than me?”
“What’s the use of the Word of Command? Did you really place an incantation on the Crown Prince? You swore over and over he was safely under your skirt, and this is the result!”
“It definitely took hold properly! What do you expect me to do about it suddenly breaking!”
“Isn’t your Word of Command useless now?”
“Just look at the subjugation force members that are still standing and you’ll know your claim is wrong.”
Anix grabbed a vase beside him and hurled it to the floor.
Still unable to vent his anger, he kept raking his hands through his hair and exhaled harshly.
“Right now, the control rights to Gelloa Village have been taken away. I can’t go outside, so you go and deliver the message to that person.”
“…All right.”
Seeing Diana nod without resistance, Anix asked again, uneasily.
“They did clean everything up back then, right?”
Perhaps sensing the gravity of the situation, Diana’s expression grew calmer as well.
She frowned and replied sharply.
“That’s what I heard.”
***
“Any objections to our victory?”
“None!”
As Liselotte shouted while raising her mug filled with beer, Virki, Hedmilton, Ail, and Taebon lifted identical mugs high above their heads and shouted along.
Meanwhile, Eren and Valen, seated side by side on either side of her, were completely quiet.
To celebrate their complete victory, they had taken seats at an outdoor table in Lergo Village, where the night market was well developed.
The night sky was densely scattered with stars, but Lergo Village’s market was bright and bustling.
Children ran about, and around the fountain, couples could often be seen dancing to the music played by street performers.
Perhaps feeling awkward about the very setting, Taebon kept voicing his worries.
“I am really sorry. This is such a small village that there aren’t any shops impressive enough to entertain you properly.”
With even Valen sitting there so conspicuously, the pressure seemed to double.
Virki, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned, piling all sorts of food in front of Liselotte.
The roast turkey placed before Valen had long since had its legs torn off.
“Lise, eat a lot!”
Virki grinned shamelessly as he placed the torn-off leg onto Liselotte’s plate.
Faced with that attitude, Taebon could only keep watching the situation nervously.
With her arms crossed, Liselotte tapped Valen’s arm, which remained untouched by food, and gestured with her chin.
“Why are you killing the mood?”
“…Is the hygiene here actually okay?”
He asked seriously as he examined the wooden cup.
‘This is why people who grew up too pampered are a problem.’
Liselotte smiled brightly and replied cheerfully.
“Then let’s go!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Eren, who had been sitting motionless like a statue with a blank expression, lifted his cup and downed the beer in one go.
“Ha… Grand Duke. I didn’t expect that — You’re pretty slick.”
“I am accustomed to subjugations, so street food is not unfamiliar to me.”
Seeing Eren reply without batting an eye, Valen let out a dry laugh.
After taking a long, refreshing drink of beer, Liselotte asked him casually, as if in passing.
“More importantly, how did you even decide to come to the trial, Brother?”
She had only sent the schedule in a report-like manner, simply because of the control rights to Gelloa Village.
Valen had never seemed particularly interested in the trial.
Nor had he shown any especially welcoming attitude toward Liselotte.
Having even the remaining meat taken away by Virki, Valen reluctantly picked up a single grape and answered.
“Father said it might help if I went.”
“…Father did?”
She recalled that it had also been their father who had subtly prompted the investigation into Gelloa Village before.
Strangely, the Emperor kept coming up in everything.
“Why…?”
When Liselotte blinked and asked again, utterly unable to understand the situation, Valen shrugged.
In the meantime, even the bowl of fruit was taken away by Virki.
“All he said was that if I was conflicted, I should see it for myself and decide. The choice was mine.”
Suddenly, a question occurred to Liselotte.
‘Come to think of it… what exactly is the Emperor’s divine authority…?’
All members of the Imperial Family received a divine authority at the temple.
Even if Liselotte had long been known as powerless, that couldn’t be the case for the Emperor.
And yet, for some reason, Liselotte had no memory at all of his power.
Even in the original story, there were only stories about Valen, the Male Lead.
