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Chapter 79
Betty quickly stepped into the room and handed over the diary she had managed to retrieve safely.
“It belonged to the dead maid. It explains the circumstances that led to her attempt at poisoning. Someone ordered her to do it, and it seems she felt her life was in danger.”
Ian immediately picked up the diary and began flipping through it.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the rustling of paper.
As he turned the pages, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and his expression gradually hardened.
“Where exactly did you find this?”
“In the flower bed. It seems like a crucial piece of evidence, but for some reason, it looked like she tried to hide it intentionally.”
Hiding something in a flower bed was a crude method. It might not be discovered immediately, but eventually, it would be.
Eventually…
That must mean there were eyes she had to avoid at that very moment.
That question was answered directly by Ian.
“She probably feared that whoever was behind this might enter her room and destroy the evidence.”
“She was that terrified of the people who gave the order? She believed they had that much power and influence?”
“Yes.”
Betty took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
It seemed the ones behind this weren’t just a single person.
“More than anything else, this looks like a decisive clue—but I don’t know what kind of code it is.”
She handed the diary back to Ian and opened the page she had discovered.
Upon seeing it, Ian froze completely.
“…Sir Ian?”
The symbols written on the scrap of paper confirmed his suspicions.
It might not serve as formal evidence, but it undeniably proved that Ian’s doubts were not misplaced.
“It’s the old script of Arken. They must’ve used it as a cipher.”
Only he could recognize it. He remembered asking his mother about the same script in an old book she once owned.
“Arken…”
Arken was behind it.
There was a small chance this was a deliberate move—to make it look as though Arken were behind everything.
But it seemed too elaborate and intricate a scheme just to frame them.
The only thing missing was the final decisive proof.
“Arken… you mean the Kingdom of Arken?”
Betty was taken aback by the mention of a name she’d only ever heard in passing.
“Yes. The herbs used in the poison are mostly ones cultivated in the northern regions.”
He pointed at a section of the poison report he’d been reviewing.
“There are many nations and noble houses in the north, but only one possesses such advanced knowledge of poisons.”
“…But why would Arken do this?”
“Because Arken wants the position of the Empire’s Empress. Their princess is on her way here. She’ll likely arrive very soon.”
“No way, then…”
She recalled how the Empress had suspected she might be pregnant.
From Arken’s perspective, after all those years with no heir to the Empire, the Empress suddenly becoming pregnant now must have been… unwelcome.
Even so, their actions seemed rash—too hasty.
Did the King of Arken truly have such naked ambition—to seize influence over the Empire itself?
“…Then the princess from Arken is truly meant to become the Empress?”
“No. The position of Empress was never to be given to her. That’s the one thing His Majesty refuses to yield. You’ve seen him—you understand.”
Indeed, it was unimaginable for the Emperor to have anyone but the Empress by his side.
“Then, then… she can’t just return home empty-handed, can she?”
At times like this, Ian wished Betty were less perceptive.
He wished her sharp mind wouldn’t work so quickly.
He wished he didn’t have to meet those clear eyes that already seemed to grasp what he didn’t want to say.
“Then the only position that could be offered instead would be…”
The empty seat beside the throne.
The person second only to the Emperor in rank.
There was only one such person in the Empire.
“…His Grace the Grand Duke.”
Yes. The position of Grand Duchess was one befitting someone of her high status.
A princess from a kingdom.
A lady of the Empire.
It was the natural order of things.
Yet, why did his heart feel so heavy?
It was as if something inside him were sinking beneath dark water.
Betty ignored the feeling pressing on her chest and continued.
“So it was planned that, if not the Empress’s seat, she might be offered the role of Grand Duchess?”
“It wasn’t set in stone. I’ve never even seen the princess’s face. It was only ever mentioned as a possibility.”
Even Ian heard how hastily he’d spoken, as if desperate to deny it.
He didn’t want Betty to misunderstand.
“Even before you began your investigation today, I’d already rejected the idea of a Grand Duchess from Arken. I said it couldn’t be done.”
But Betty seemed lost in thought. Her eyes were fixed on the report on the table.
Since she didn’t respond, Ian, feeling oddly uneasy, found himself speaking more than usual.
“Now that it’s come to this, it doesn’t matter anyway. If Arken truly committed this poisoning, then this can’t be undone.”
If Arken had acted so rashly, the moment the Emperor learned the truth, his fury would dissolve the alliance entirely.
Still, there was always that small what if. It wasn’t yet absolute.
“…No. We have to make them believe they’ll at least get the position of Grand Duchess.”
Silence fell between them for a few moments.
Ian met Betty’s clear brown eyes.
What he saw there was unwavering determination—to resolve this case, no matter what it took.
“So I’m to approach the princess, gain her trust, and draw out evidence.”
For some reason, the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Even though she was being completely rational and pragmatic.
Even though her reasoning was flawless.
“If Arken is indeed behind this, the best way to confirm it is directly from the source.”
Even so, Ian found it hard to accept her words at face value.
“It wouldn’t be proper for His Majesty to approach her personally.”
In truth, he simply didn’t want to accept it.
The thought of going to the Emperor, retracting his earlier report, and refusing his new assignment—all because of one reason.
Because of the woman standing right before him.
And yet she, without a hint of hesitation, was the one telling him to stay near the princess.
Setting aside all logic, all pragmatism…
She said it so easily, so calmly.
It almost felt like he was the only one struggling to keep his emotions in check, terrified she might misunderstand his every word or gesture.
“Will you be all right with this?”
“Pardon? What do you mean, me?”
Betty felt a pang of discomfort. She knew why—because even as she spoke, it bothered her.
Of course, uncovering the truth behind the poisoning came first.
But the mere idea that the Arken princess could be Ian’s potential match—
That she might, even in theory, become the Grand Duchess—
That alone made her feel unreasonably upset.
“I’m fine. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be fine. If it’s true the princess will arrive soon, the Imperial Family will need to welcome her grandly. That’ll keep us busy, at least.”
She steadied her voice deliberately.
Why shouldn’t she be fine?
Why did she feel so unsettled?
She reminded herself of her oath when she became the Empress’s lady-in-waiting—to face any situation with composure.
She had to set aside personal feelings and act according to reason.
“I’ll report this matter to Her Majesty the Empress. Sir Ian, you should—”
“I’ll brief His Majesty beforehand. We can’t let the princess suspect that we know anything.”
Ian’s gaze drifted back to the cipher written in Arken’s old script.
Of all possibilities, it had to be Arken.
What a cruel twist of fate.
Had it been any other nation, he might not have uncovered it so easily.
“If she’s to be received as a guest, there’ll likely be an imperial banquet first… But the welcoming ball will probably be the best chance to learn anything of substance. I’ll help you.”
She didn’t have to say that.
It was only her way of suppressing the urge to say the opposite—to tell him not to get close to that princess at all.
Just imagining the faint outline of the princess standing beside the Grand Duke already made her heart ache.
“…All right.”
Even as he tried to tell himself it was simply part of his duty—
For some reason, that thought didn’t make it any easier.
