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Chapter 28
Betty’s condition seemed unstable, and unusually for her, I had to hesitate and choose my words carefully.
Then Betty spoke first, asking,
“Are you not going to ask me about the culprit?”
Ian looked down at her resolute brown eyes, full of determination, and spoke in a low, calm voice.
“Can you explain what happened?”
“The person who attacked the marquis wasn’t the kind of assassin you usually hear about.”
Her immediate answer aligned perfectly with his suspicions.
“I overheard their conversation. They definitely knew the marquis. They spoke about the marquis’ family and the heir. Yes, I clearly heard those two words.”
Ian still held her shoulder, perhaps worried she might stumble. The warmth from his hand seemed to calm her, and Betty’s voice became clearer.
“I saw their face too.”
Ian Devane looked at her face intently—now filled with a firm resolve to catch the culprit. He wasn’t unaware of the potential danger this situation could bring to her.
“And I could accurately describe the face…”
“Dark brown hair, gaunt, and with a sinister look, I suppose.”
“How do you know?”
Rather than giving a long explanation she didn’t need, Ian returned the question.
“Did they see your face too?”
“No, they didn’t.”
Relieved, Ian let out a deep sigh. He then pulled his cloak around her so that she was completely enveloped, and said,
“You’re coming with me to the Prowell Marquisate. That’s the safest option right now.”
He couldn’t let her, covered in blood from head to toe, enter the Saltwell estate or return to Shartega as she was.
It could never be revealed to the duke or prince that a maid from Shartega had foiled Shartega’s plan to harm the Marquis Prowell.
Given the temperament of those involved, even a moment of misstep could have been fatal.
“The Marquisate? Why?”
Seeing Betty’s confusion, Ian realized he had spoken like giving orders to his subordinate and hastily explained:
“If you return like this to the ducal residence, it’ll put you in danger. With me absent, going to the marquisate is safer—for you and for the dowager, who would be shocked.”
“But what about the princess…”
“Even the princess can’t protect you in a situation like this.”
In fact, it was probably safer that the princess of Shartega, Vivian Shartega, didn’t know the full story of the incident.
Ian kept watching Betty, who was still anxiously standing in place. A sigh escaped him, tangled with complex thoughts.
“To put it bluntly, it’s clear that Shartega is behind this. Anyone from Shartega knowing you witnessed today’s incident won’t be good for you.”
Although Vivian Shartega cared for Betty, she suspected Shartega was behind the incident, so the princess couldn’t be completely ruled out from suspicion.
Chances were high she knew nothing, but that didn’t guarantee she was on their side. That’s what being part of the same family meant.
“The princess couldn’t possibly be involved in today’s incident. She’s not that kind of person.”
Betty shook her head repeatedly, her face pale enough to look almost ghostly. Her mind was confused. She couldn’t understand why Ian connected today’s events to the Shartega family.
Even if the prince or duke were hostile to Prowell, Vivian Shartega clearly wasn’t.
“Don’t expect the princess to prioritize you over your father or brother.”
“She may not prioritize me, but she won’t take sides either.”
“That’s just your opinion of the princess. No one truly knows a person’s heart. Circumstances can change. So never tell the princess about this—for your own safety and your family’s.”
Ian Devane, the Grand Duke, understood exactly how deeply Betty resented the princess for the emotional neglect she had suffered.
He also knew how the ‘Princess of Shartega’ appeared publicly.
Betty, seeing the Grand Duke’s unyielding gaze, chose to give up rather than continue arguing.
“So… I just disappear without telling the princess anything?”
“The Emperor has issued a city-wide curfew after the attempted assassination of Marquis Prowell. I am an exception, but I don’t have the capacity to escort you safely all the way to the ducal estate while pursuing the culprit.”
“Is that okay?”
“If you can’t accept it, just say you’re at the Marquisate for the dowager’s safety. The Emperor personally allowed this arrangement.”
The Emperor had ordered Ian to capture the culprit by any means necessary. For now, Ian’s actions were temporarily the Emperor’s will.
“When can I return?”
“By tomorrow morning, we should have caught the culprit. You can return then.”
There was no need for Ian to move personally; his subordinates were already in motion and would report soon.
The objective was precise: the Emperor’s order was a precaution and a way to protect the Empress as much as possible.
“Should I tell the princess that I got lost in the Saltwell gardens and the Grand Duke happened to find me much later?”
“Yes.”
It was a thin excuse. Vivian Shartega might suspect, but the Grand Duke’s stern gaze seemed to chastise such impudence.
Betty realized who she was speaking to and bowed her head quickly.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be rude…”
“I understand. Perhaps, even if the princess knew everything, she might still protect you. But I can’t fully rule out the possibility she wouldn’t.”
There were too many variables to rely on ‘perhaps.’ It was better not to tell the princess. That was Ian’s decision.
‘Using such an obvious move…’
A plan with this many variables was unlike the meticulous Shartega Duke. The Duke was even absent from the capital, making it unlikely he had orchestrated this.
‘Maybe it was the clumsy prince, just imitating his father, acting independently…’
Ian’s expression darkened. Somewhere, information must have leaked that the Arken princess might be considered for the Grand Duchess position.
However, Ian clearly hadn’t overheard the Emperor’s conversation and likely didn’t realize the Emperor held a weakness regarding the princess’ origin.
‘So he probably thought that if he removed the Empress now, the princess would be the most likely candidate for the vacant position.’
Today’s incident, if not for Betty, might have led to the wrong person becoming Marquis, leaving the Marquisate in debt and dragging the Empress into turmoil.
The upright Empress would eventually step down herself to protect the authority of the royal family.
“Shartega resents Prowell for not producing an Empress this time.”
That was all Ian could explain to Betty for now. Unsurprisingly, she looked confused and asked again.
“So that’s why they tried to kill Marquis Prowell?”
“Not just that. The two families have fundamentally different dispositions as well.”
It was difficult to explain further. Betty hesitated for a long moment before quietly saying,
“Still, the princess isn’t the type to crave high positions, whether Empress or Grand Duchess. Please just know that.”
Ian looked at her seriously and said,
“She means that much to you?”
“She’s someone I care about.”
Betty couldn’t express pity for Vivian Shartega in front of the Grand Duke, but in truth, it was correct that she felt compassion for the princess.
