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Chapter 20
“Your Grace, shouldn’t you also be heading to the capital?”
“I suppose I should.”
Lucian let out a cold smile. But there was no need to hurry.
“As long as I arrive before the day of the wedding, it’s fine. Before that…”
Lucian’s sharp gaze swept across his adjutants. He originally had four, but after Vallec’s death, only three remained. Lucian studied their faces one by one.
Whether someone in the imperial family bought the poison or not wasn’t what mattered. The problem was that it had been loaded onto the ship by Lucian’s own people.
A hole has been pierced.
Which meant the same thing could happen again at any time. Lucian pressed a finger to his temple, irritation twisting his expression.
“So this is what it truly means—there is no one in this world you can trust. Have you found the leak?”
The adjutants exchanged uneasy glances.
“…Our apologies, Your Grace. We have not yet identified anyone who came into contact with the Crown Prince.”
Lucian stroked his chin. The first one to show symptoms aboard the ship had been Vallec.
“What are the odds Vallec was that hole?”
“Your Grace—!”
The adjutants paled and gasped in horror.
“Vallec was loyal!”
“He may have been diligent in his duties. What I’m asking about,” Lucian replied icily, “is his private life.”
There was no trace of blood or tears in his voice—but his reaction was understandable. Because of this incident, countless lives had nearly been lost. The adjutants swallowed nervously.
It felt sinful to suspect the dead, yet if Vallec had been the leak, everything would make sense. Vallec handled the poison, so he would have shown symptoms first. Thomas, who barely survived, had also been close to Vallec.
Everyone else who showed symptoms, even if only faintly, had some connection to him. Of course, on a confined ship, finding someone completely unconnected to him would have been far more difficult.
Matteo bit his lip.
“We’ll investigate Vallec.”
“And look into whether he had any contact with the imperial family before he boarded.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Once his adjutants withdrew, Lucian exhaled slowly and frowned in disgust. Was it the imperial family again? He clenched his fist so tightly that the veins on his hand bulged blue beneath the skin.
Rage simmered in him, thick enough to burn.
The imperial family tirelessly gnawed at Lucian, never resting, never satisfied.
They were nothing but festering lumps of inferiority. Especially Frederick. Wearing the crown prince’s mask, pretending to shine, while coveting everything that belonged to Lucian—a raider wrapped in silk.
It had been the same before, back when Lucian was still part of the imperial household, before he became Grand Duke and took command of the navy.
Lucian had existed within the palace walls then. As though they wanted to keep an eye on the protruding nail he was, they refused to let him leave the imperial sphere.
The only reason Lucian eventually stepped outside was because the imperial family needed to bury an incident.
Everyone who worked in Lucian’s estate had been killed. Everyone—except Lucian.
Whenever he recalled that day, he felt his body temperature plummet. He still didn’t know who was responsible. But he remembered the eyes of the imperial family as they looked upon the lone survivor—and the way ignorant fools had pointed fingers at him.
Lucian spat a curse.
Among those people were members of his own bloodline.
The emperor, who despised him. And another, a mass of inferiority who both worshiped and hated him. It was then Lucian understood: there was no one to trust, and no one worth trusting. He was utterly alone.
Even if the army had truly been wiped out by the Seiren poison, Lucian would have survived alone. The imperial family would have rejoiced and branded him a monster.
The mention of Seiren’s poison made a name surface naturally—Belisa.
“Belisa Medice.”
She should be on her way to the capital by now. Lucian wondered what she was thinking. When she’d come to him, her eyes had been desperate. When he asked if she meant to bargain with her subordinates’ lives, she had looked terrified.
She’d pretended to be composed, but she was soft-hearted.
If such a woman carried poison, then Frederick must have done something to her.
“…Would he have had the time?”
Belisa had met Frederick for the first time on that very occasion. Yet she had harbored hostility toward him before even seeing his face.
There was something hidden there.
Lucian’s gaze drifted to a painting on the wall—a deep blue sea. There were old stories that daughters of Medice possessed special abilities.
“We’ll uncover it eventually.”
Lucian murmured. And if the princess betrayed him as well—his blue eyes flashed coldly.
He would not forgive her.
Javier hadn’t changed at all since they’d last seen it.
It was lively, crowded, overflowing with laughter and tears alike. Javier was a place steeped in every human emotion—joy and sorrow living side by side.
“Wow…”
Eleanor exclaimed as she stared out the carriage window.
“It’s incredible. Medice didn’t have this many people.”
“So, do you like it?”
Enough to want it?
“Well, I liked Medice too, but this place is wonderful. I’m so glad you’re marrying the Crown Prince, sister! Thanks to you, Eleanor gets to see places like this!”
She beamed. Because of me, apparently.
“Would you like to live here?”
“If I could. Don’t you like it, sister?”
She observed me carefully.
“I don’t have the luxury of choosing.”
The carriage came to a stop with my answer. The door opened, and Eleanor fell silent. The man who had come to greet us was the chief steward of the Crown Prince’s residence.
“Welcome, Princess Belisa.”
I knew that face all too well. Frederick’s steward—the man who stood at the forefront when Frederick betrayed me, when he imprisoned me.
His name was Harry. Devoted to Frederick. He obeyed without hesitation, believing the imperial way was righteous. His gaze was stern as always.
The instant our eyes met, my skin crawled—as though a serpent slithered across it. Harry offered a faint smile.
“It must have been a long journey. His Highness arrived earlier and is resting. Allow me to escort Your Highness to your quarters.”
“…Thank you.”
My reply scraped out of a throat that felt sealed shut. I was back here again. I turned. Eleanor looked bewildered. Jane and Dixie stared at me anxiously.
Last time we entered this place, none of us left alive.
A fear without name gripped me.
“You seem… tense,” Harry remarked awkwardly. Of course he wouldn’t understand my reaction.
It’s all right, Belisa.
Nothing has happened yet. You will leave before it does. Your misfortune will fall upon someone else this time.
Calm down.
I steadied myself. Eleanor moved close, worry clouding her face.
“Are you feeling unwell, sister?”
“…I’m fine.”
Eleanor sighed softly and patted my shoulder.
“I’ll always stay by your side. Don’t worry.”
I shut my eyes, inhaling deeply. When I opened them, clarity returned. Larino’s voice echoed in my mind.
I will protect you until your revenge is complete.
A vow divine.
No matter what you choose, I will remain by your side.
Yes. With a god on my side, what could possibly go wrong? I stepped forward. Harry’s stiff expression eased, and I was led to the room I had once stayed in.
Thankfully, it wasn’t the room where I had been imprisoned.
“The servants here will attend to you, Your Highness.”
The room was already filled with maids and attendants. The woman standing at the front was painfully familiar.
Lady Brianna.
Countess Brianna.
I hadn’t realized it then, but now the truth was clear. All those people Frederick had gathered “for my sake”—they were the ones who watched me, cornered me, and ruined me.
