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Chapter 38
“The fiefdom granted to Marquis Linburton by the Imperial Family shall be revoked, and the military-lord contract annulled. The assassins who attacked the Marchioness of Linburton and the Grand Duchess shall be executed by hanging. The Marchioness and Emily Linburton shall be stripped of their titles and exiled from the empire.“
At the Emperor’s declaration, the nobles all bowed their heads in unison and paid their respects.
Duke Rodion, pleased that everything had gone according to his plan, smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
After the noble council had ended.
Adrian let out a heavy sigh as he listened with a grim face to Duke Rodion and Marquis Cadogan, who informed him of what had occurred during the meeting.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince. The execution will take place tomorrow morning.”
Duke Rodion said with a casual smile that betrayed no emotion. Adrian looked silently at the duke for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
“Why did you say such things? What does my honor even matter?”
“Pardon? …What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“It wasn’t just anyone—Daniela nearly died because of this. That’s why we should have conducted a thorough investigation, found everyone involved, and punished them accordingly.”
Though Adrian spoke calmly, inwardly, his emotions were in turmoil beyond description.
He recalled Daniela on the day of the hunt, cradled in Ashid’s arms, her body covered in cuts and her complexion deathly pale. Seeing her like that, he had desperately wanted to run to her side and ask if she was alright.
His status and situation had prevented him, and for the first time, Adrian had felt truly stifled. He even envied his brother, who could comfort her freely.
But Duke Rodion, unaware of Adrian’s inner turmoil, raised his voice in indignation at the crown prince’s “naivety.”
“How could you say such a thing, Your Highness! While I understand your concern for the Grand Duchess, one cannot forsake the honor of the Crown Prince for such personal emotions!”
“He’s right. His Majesty also agreed with that stance and decided to impose severe punishment on the true culprit, Lady Emily Linburton. Most of the nobility has consented to this as well.”
Marquis Cadogan added his support to the duke’s words.
Adrian remained silent. If that was the will of the court and the emperor, he had no choice but to accept it, regardless of his own feelings.
That was what it meant to be the Crown Prince and the future emperor—he consoled himself with that reasoning.
Duke Rodion breathed a sigh of relief at Adrian’s subdued response. He even gave a dramatic sigh and lamented,
“Still, I never imagined Lady Emily Linburton would do something like this. If I had known her true nature, I would never have recommended her as your betrothed. I’m truly sorry, Your Highness.”
“You need not blame yourself, Uncle. I’m fine.”
“I’ll make sure to thoroughly investigate any future candidates before recommending them. So that by the end of this social season at the latest, Your Highness will have a new consort—”
“Wait a moment, Uncle. What did you just say?”
Adrian, face now hardened, abruptly cut him off. The startled duke blinked in confusion.
“…Pardon?”
“You’re telling me to find another fiancée before the social season ends? Uncle, do you truly think that makes sense right now?”
“W-What? Your Highness, how can you say that? Of course you must! We can’t leave the side of the Crown Prince empty forever!”
For the first time, Adrian let out a bitter laugh as he looked directly at Duke Rodion.
It was because of the duke’s pressure and reasoning that he’d accepted an engagement to Emily, and as a result, Daniela had suffered immensely.
Now, the investigation was hastily concluded for the sake of his own honor, and Emily had yet to be properly punished.
He was already tormented with guilt and remorse over what Daniela had suffered—and now they wanted him to be engaged to someone else? It was unthinkable.
Adrian, his voice cold with anger, spoke icily.
“Do you see me as a man, or as a stud horse, Uncle?”
“What! That’s absurd! I only want Your Highness to be happy—”
“Spare me the twisted logic. If you truly cared about me, you wouldn’t be forcing another engagement on me right now.”
Though the duke tried to justify himself in a panic, Adrian slammed his clenched fist onto his knee and shouted harshly.
Marquis Cadogan and the attendants of the Crown Prince’s palace widened their eyes in shock—they had never seen Adrian like this before.
Taking a deep breath to regain control, Adrian stared coldly at Duke Rodion and spoke.
“Until I say otherwise, do not utter a single word about engagements. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Your Highness, I…”
“I’m tired. Please leave now, Uncle. Marquis Cadogan, you as well.”
At Adrian’s unmistakable command to leave, both Duke Rodion and Marquis Cadogan hesitantly stood and left the room.
Now alone, Adrian rubbed his face and let out a long sigh. Daniela again surfaced in his mind.
Was she alright now? Had the detoxification process completed?
He wanted to face her, to ask if she was okay, to tell her he was sorry and hoped she would recover. To express the feelings he held inside.
Finally succumbing to those feelings, Adrian spoke in a low voice.
“…Chamberlain.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Send the highest-grade recovery medicine and a flower basket made of lilies and white peonies to Grand Duke Alberic’s residence. And make sure my brother and Daniela know… that I’m sorry.”
“Understood.”
The chamberlain bowed with a reluctant expression. He couldn’t hide how displeased he was about all this trouble over the Grand Duchess. It all seemed to him like her fault.
As he exited the Crown Prince’s palace, Duke Rodion seethed with fury.
“How could His Highness treat me like that? How!”
“Please calm down, Uncle. His Highness doesn’t know anything.”
“Still! Who is it that protects the Crown Prince’s welfare?! And yet he’s always parroting things that benefit that bastard Ashid! At this rate, how can we drive Ashid out and solidify His Highness’s rule?!”
Marquis Cadogan tried to console him, but the duke’s anger didn’t subside in the least.
Only after ranting for quite some time and climbing into the carriage did Duke Rodion finally begin to calm down. Then, growling under his breath, he muttered,
“Damn it… Emily Linburton, that foolish wench. She had the flower extract of Saint Polana and the best assassin, yet she still failed to kill the Grand Duchess and ruined everything.”
“The plan sounded perfect on paper… What could’ve gone wrong? Could it have been that Ashid again?”
Marquis Cadogan chuckled bitterly, but Duke Rodion slowly shook his head.
“No. One major reason this plan failed… was Daniela Enchanto, that wretched girl.”
“…That woman?”
“Yes. You heard what the noblewomen were whispering, didn’t you? They said she raised her hand as if to slap a maid’s face—but ended up slapping her own.”
“Yes, I remember… But what does that have to do with the plan failing?”
“Fool! Don’t you get it? That means she resisted the brainwashing Emily cast on her—by sheer willpower!”
Marquis Cadogan’s eyes widened in shock. He murmured in disbelief.
“That’s impossible… There’s no way that foolish noble girl has such mental strength.”
“I thought so too. But what happened? She resisted. She overcame it. And as if that weren’t enough, she even found the letter left by her father. If I hadn’t desperately cleaned things up, I would’ve ended up in prison alongside Emily Linburton!”
This was the second time a plan involving Saint Polana’s flower extract had failed—the first being with Empress Yulia.
That Daniela had ruined everything was a blow he had never seen coming.
Duke Rodion stared into the air with a sinister gleam in his eye.
“Damn it. That ungrateful wench dares betray us? I won’t let her go.”
First, he would make Daniela Enchanto pay dearly for her betrayal.
Then, he would eliminate Ashid Alberic.
Duke Rodion resolved himself, and a wicked grin twisted one corner of his lips.
