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Chapter 5
Fragmented words spilled from the crown prince’s lips.
He couldn’t even finish a sentence properly.
Whether it was shock or anger, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to escape the memory of today for a long time.
“That’s enough.”
Ellen was satisfied, having drawn out the reaction she wanted.
“Lord Caidan.”
Her voice was soft and calm, utterly out of place with the situation.
Ironically, it was thanks to that tone that Caidan seemed to finally regain a bit of composure.
He spoke in a more subdued voice than before.
“You go too far with your jokes. This is simply—”
“A joke? If you say so, then doesn’t it seem as if my sincerity is being twisted?”
“What? Sincerity? No, you—!”
His voice, which had barely calmed down, grew agitated again.
Startled at the volume of his own outburst, he flinched, then closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths, as if to calm his temper.
Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
It was an admirable effort, clearly meant to continue the conversation peacefully.
But Ellen had no need to wait for his response.
“Don’t you agree? If it were me, I’d be wondering how many more of these illegal organizations there might be, and the curiosity alone would drive out all worry.”
How many such places exist?
“In this very capital, where Your Highness governs.”
Her voice was quiet, but loud enough for him to hear.
The crown prince, who seemed about to shout again, stopped with his mouth half-open.
Ellen’s unwavering eyes met his trembling ones.
This was the wedge.
“A place that amasses wealth hidden from the crown’s eyes. Operating brazenly in the capital, not even their own territory. Likely unhesitant to kill, confident they won’t be discovered by the royal family. Who do you think that could be?”
Confusion flooded his eyes, clouded with rage and suspicion.
His trembling voice broke the silence.
“…Are you out of your mind? What is your game here? What proof do you have to connect this place with today’s murder?”
“Who knows… why indeed…”
Ellen thought:
At least for this moment, I will not let Gillian have his way.
In the future, Gillian Crembel would kill this man—Caidan Istagio, the ill-fated emperor.
Today, Ellen had shown him the sword Crembel hid in his belly.
“I plan to divorce.”
Her lighthearted words made the crown prince grit his teeth, growling with muddled pronunciation.
“…Nonsense. That almost sounds like you’re accusing Crembel of everything.”
“There’s no need for me to spell it out. You’re a man who cares deeply for your people—I believe you will uncover the truth yourself.”
Caidan was not a fool.
Though anger boiled in him now, he would realize that the only way to resolve this was to uncover the mastermind.
“Shall we leave? I’ll escort you.”
There was no further reason to stay.
She headed toward the exit first.
She could feel his piercing gaze stabbing into her back.
Yet, even so, the crown prince did not question her about anything that day.
“Ha… truly, I’ll go mad.”
Caidan Istagio, crown prince of the Istagio Empire, muttered to himself as he chewed over the events of the previous day.
His eyes stared blankly ahead, his lips pressed tightly together.
Pale cheeks that seemed to lack warmth, perfectly shaped brows exuding coldness.
That was not the face of someone taking me somewhere for my amusement.
From the start, gambling had not been her goal.
Caidan recalled the woman from yesterday, strange in a way he could hardly describe.
And hadn’t she declared she wanted a divorce as well?
He let out a sigh rising from deep within.
The divorce is an issue, but that’s not the urgent matter right now.
Since his return to the palace yesterday, he had been lost in thought.
Why had she taken him there?
What was that place?
And why had no report of such a security issue in the capital reached him?
The city watch was not blind.
They were competent officers.
For someone to run a gambling den of that scale, with security exceeding the city watch’s, only a very small number could do so.
Such as Duke Crembel, Gillian Crembel…
But Caidan shook his head.
No. Gill has no reason.
After all, Gillian had married into the Cryant family precisely for financial stability.
Meaning, as long as the Cryant family remained strong, he had no need for such schemes—especially not by hiding them from his liege and friend.
No, that reeks more of that bastard Crescent.
He thought of his half-brother, who flaunted his hated silver hair like a trophy.
That man is capable of it. But even then…
The question remained: how had she, a woman who should only have mingled in high society, learned of a secret even the city watch could not uncover?
Unless she had access not as an outsider, but as an insider working with Crescent…
But that too was strange.
If that had been Crescent’s territory, and she one of his agents, why hadn’t she killed him when he stumbled into the place?
And if Crescent was out of the picture, then once again the finger pointed back to Gillian Crembel.
But Gillian had no reason.
“Damn it.”
He raked his hands through his hair in frustration.
He was being completely tossed about.
If her aim had been to throw him into turmoil, she had succeeded brilliantly.
“Rook!”
At his call, the crow-like shadow that had been silently watching the prince toss and groan all morning appeared and bowed low.
Caidan gave his order.
“There’s something I want you to look into.”
Late the next morning.
As Ellen enjoyed the luxury of her hotel suite, there came a knock at the door.
“Count Cryant is waiting for you in the first-floor lobby.”
She had expected it to be an announcement that lunch was ready. Instead, it was word that her father had arrived.
Her heart began to pound wildly.
Father. Father…
Much earlier than she had expected. He must have left as soon as he received her letter.
She quickly instructed the servant.
“Bring him here.”
The servant bowed and hurried off toward the stairs.
At most, it was only about three minutes.
Yet the wait for him to return felt unbearably long.
Soon, another knock sounded.
She opened the door wide.
“Ellen!”
Daniel Cryant. Her father, who in another life had been executed for treason.
“Are you all right? What on earth has happened? Your letter made no sense at all—”
There was no trace of suffering on his face. He was just as she had longed for—the father from the days when everything was still whole.
“…Father.”
He must have left in such haste that only two attendants stood behind him.
She could picture it: her father dropping everything to rush to his daughter after hearing of her wish for divorce.
Father, father… Ah, my father, who died in such pain…
“Come inside, let’s talk. I need to know what’s going on… Ellen!”
She had tried to hold herself together, but it was impossible.
Her brows knit as she looked skyward, heat rushed to her eyes and nose, and finally her tear glands gave way.
“My dear Ellen. Don’t cry. Just tell me, step by step…”
His voice was gentle, the same as when he had soothed her as a child.
Since his death, she had not shed a single tear—until now, when she poured them out in his arms, as if a dam had burst.
“Now, tell me. What happened?”
“Father.”
Her eyes were swollen, her nose and cheeks red.
But Ellen’s gaze was steady and firm as she spoke.
“As I said in my letter, I intend to divorce Duke Crembel.”
Daniel let out a low groan.
Even after reading her letter, he hadn’t believed she truly meant to go through with it.
“Crembel is a sinking ship. It’s time to get off.”
The girl who once sat in her father’s lap to chatter about fairy tales now knew that such worlds only existed in stories.
“Do you know what Crembel is truly aiming for, Father?”
“…Go on.”
“He is after the throne.”
Daniel looked at her in shock.
Surely not—that would mean treasonous intent.
“He’s the type who thinks numbers can be whittled down as needed. Who believes that if he kills the one holding what he desires, it will fall into his hands.”
“…You speak as if you know him well.”
“I was the duchess, wasn’t I?”
Ellen smiled bitterly.
“His ambition has grown beyond what we can endure. Even if we helped him seize it, he is not the kind to repay us. As always, he would choose to kill us and take what’s ours.”
“…So your solution is divorce?”
“Yes. We cannot allow our wealth to keep flowing into Crembel’s hands.”
Hearing her firm answer, Daniel sighed.
“Very well. Let’s say Crembel is dangerous, and you divorce him. Then what? What of our house? What of the reprisals from Crembel, or our loss of standing in the power balance afterward?”
It was a harsh truth.
Perhaps not words a father should speak to a daughter who had just burst into tears at the sight of him.
Daniel despised himself for saying it.
But it was reality.
Wealth without honor and power was meaningless.
Hadn’t he lost his wife that way?
“…I have a plan. We will no longer support Crembel to support the crown prince indirectly. Instead, we will give funds directly to His Highness and remain part of the crown prince’s faction.”
Daniel gave a wry smile.
If things could be solved so neatly, he would gladly let his daughter have her way.
But only if it were truly possible.
“Remain in the prince’s faction while avoiding Crembel’s retaliation? If that can be done, then yes, marriage ties are unnecessary.”
“I’ll propose a deal directly to His Highness.”
“You? With the crown prince? What sort of deal…? No, do you even have a way?”
“I’ve met him often enough by Crembel’s side. I’m not asking you to believe blindly. Give me time, and I’ll prove it. After all, I’m your daughter.”
Ellen declared it with confidence.
She was no longer the naïve girl who would let an opportunity slip by.
Knowledge of the future turned coincidence into inevitability. That was her power in this life.
“Time… Yes, time. How long do you need?”
“If possible, about two months. But I believe you can buy me more than that, Father.”
“Two months… Difficult, but not impossible. Very well. I’ll trust you.”
With that, Daniel rose quickly, hiding his face.
Guilt, gratitude, pride, bitterness…
A tangle of feelings he couldn’t fully sort out—but ones he didn’t want his daughter to see.
As he stood, Ellen also lifted her gaze. But he hid his expression once more, this time by resting his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair.
