Chapter 19

Instead of trying to gauge Ethan’s feelings, Adel began listing in her mind the current order of succession to the imperial throne. She intended to work her way back slowly, starting with the person furthest down the line.

Then Jacques Sonnier came to mind again. But she immediately shook her head. He was, of course, a member of the imperial family with red eyes, but as a remarriage prospect, he was undoubtedly the person she should avoid most.

“What are you thinking about?”

Lost in thought, Adel had not realized that Ethan had been staring at her for some time. Just then, the carriage slowed and entered the Devryan countly family’s townhouse in the capital.

When the head of the family, who had appeared late at night and left at dawn, returned bleeding, the mansion was thrown into an uproar.

“Bring clothes the madam can wear at once.”

He gave the order to the head maid and then instructed the head butler to prepare for the return journey to Herbron. Even amid all this, Ethan held Adel’s hand tightly and would not let go.

“But, Count.”

Only when the head butler held out a letter was Adel able to free herself from Ethan’s hand.

“What is this?”

“A messenger came while you were out, Count.”

Ethan took the letter and walked to his office. Since the imperial seal was on the outside of the letter, Adel followed him.

Once inside the room, Adel urged him on.

“What is the letter?”

Instead of answering, Ethan let out a heavy sigh after reading it. Then he held the paper out to Adel.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, the Crown Prince and his wife were sitting across from each other, eating.

“So all the prisoners, including the chieftain, are dead?”

“Yes. I heard nearly all of them are dead or wounded. Since it happened in the Chande Garden, I only heard about it now as well.”

“Did they say the Duke was badly hurt?”

“That is what they say. But they said he would be fine after a few days of treatment. Do not worry.”

The Crown Prince gazed silently at his wife’s worried face, then changed the subject.

“So, you are holding a banquet?”

“Yes. My sister has come up to the capital, and I hear Count Devryan is in the capital as well. They say he urgently requested an audience with me today, but was wounded in the Chande Garden and simply returned.”

Rene, who had people watching House Devryan, knew that the Count had already come to the capital. Judging by the mood, it seemed he had rushed here chasing his wife, so Rene hurriedly sent a letter to the Devryan residence in the capital.

“Are you upset that I did not consult you?”

“There is nothing strange about holding a banquet for the family that received the Medal of Merit.”

“Yes. It is my sister’s matter, so I hesitated a little, but it is something absolutely necessary.”

Silence came and went between the two for a moment.

“You wish to punish them?”

Despite the sudden words, Rene understood what the Crown Prince meant.

“You… knew?”

Of course, Rene had already sensed that Jeno knew everything that happened in the Crown Princess’s palace. Knowing that he did it all for her sake, Rene had overlooked it.

“Of course.”

“Yes…. But I cannot punish them immediately. The honor was bestowed upon the family, so even if the head of the family arbitrarily changed the one credited, uncovering the whole truth is not easy.”

Rene chose her words carefully, but the Crown Prince, marveling at his wife, whose health had improved enough over the past two days to sit across from him and eat, forgot to eat and simply watched her lips.

“Besides, my sister is no different from an accomplice in this matter, so if she testifies that there was no coercion, there is no other way. The honor of the imperial house is at stake as well.”

“And so?”

Rene, who had been concentrating on the food before her, soon let out a faint laugh.

“There comes a day when His Majesty the Emperor’s delay in abdicating proves helpful.”

Then, startled by her own words, she quickly raised her head and faced the Crown Prince. At his wife’s sudden gaze, the Crown Prince subtly turned his eyes elsewhere.

“Ah, I am sorry. I did not mean to insult His Majesty the Emperor.”

“It is all right. Go on.”

At his words, Rene secretly let out a sigh of relief. In truth, if she had succeeded to the throne, the abdication would have long since taken place. But she did not want to have a child. She did not have the confidence to bear leaving a child behind.

“I was merely thinking it fortunate that granting titles is the authority of His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress.”

“So you do not intend to grant the promised dukedom.”

“Yes. If the Medal of Merit cannot be revoked, then something else must be taken away.”

For a family as esteemed as Devryan to steal the merit of the first wife in order to take a maid as a mistress—if such a rumor spread, it alone could become a fatal scandal. If they used that, then even if they could not persuade Duke Jacques Sonnier, they might be able to make Devryan agree to a divorce willingly.

“So that is why you summoned the woman who was a maid as well?”

At the Crown Prince’s words, Rene looked a little surprised. As soon as she heard that Count Devryan had departed for the capital, Rene had sent several imperial knights down to the Herbron estate with orders to bring Annaston to the capital.

“You knew that as well?”

The Crown Prince nodded silently.

“That woman is the greatest contributor to the Medal of Merit, so it is only natural. And should Count Devryan not know clearly as well.”

“Know what?”

“What he lost in order to gain what he wanted.”

* * *

The letter Ethan set down contained the schedule for a banquet.

It said that for House Devryan, which had received the Medal of Merit, the imperial palace would open the Rusalte banquet hall itself and hold a grand celebration.

One week from now.

In truth, a banquet of this scale would require half a year—or at least three months—of preparation. Once it is announced that a banquet will be held, the nobles of the capital, especially the young ladies of eligible families, stake everything on attending. It was that significant an event.

However it turned out, it was fortunate for Adel. The man who was the central figure of the Medal of Merit could not leave the capital.

“Why on earth are you doing this?”

At the sudden words, Adel’s gaze went to him. And she met the blue eyes glaring at her.

“Is this because I gave up the Medal of Merit?”

Ethan knew as well. That Adel could not possibly have had time to meet her sister already and arrange such a thing. But an anxiety and impatience beyond understanding quickly turned into resentment directed at Adel.

“I am asking why you broke your promise and set foot in House Millium.”

“I merely paid my father a visit since I was in the capital for the first time in a long while.”

“Talk sense.”

As he said, there was no reason at all for Adel to deliberately go to House Millium to see her father.

“Did you perhaps go to ask him to look into a remarriage prospect?”

“That is not it.”

That was no lie. Even if she had to choose, she would choose with her own hands. Her own remarriage prospect.

“You agreed to it as well.”

She had felt it on the day she agreed to hand the Medal of Merit to Annaston as well, but when something was so absurd, it was certain that one could say nothing at all.

“I know you were greatly flustered. But Adel, you had everything. The reward you could receive from that medal was already something you fully possessed.”

“I do not want to talk about that again.”

It hurt. It was something that had hurt to overflowing. Just because her feelings for this man were filled with a chill did not mean the wounded heart disappeared.

“I kept telling you. Giving Anna noble status was not for Anna’s sake but for Lewein’s.”

“Whether it was for Anna or for Lewein, nothing changes for me.”

“Why not? Lewein will become your son!”

“When have I ever wanted that?”

“Adel! Then should that child have remained a bastard?”

Adel rose from her seat, not wanting to continue the conversation.

“Sit down.”

“No. I will just go to Millium.”

“No, that is absolutely not allowed. You are a member of this household, so you must stay here.”

Ethan rose after her as well. And he approached her on the opposite side.

“That day, because you burst into tears, I certainly said I would not hand over the merit. But it was you who said that since it was a family matter, you would follow the head of the family’s opinion.”

When Adel had finally been unable to hold back and burst into tears that day, the flustered Ethan had indeed said that. That she should pretend she had not heard it.

“Yes, if you had told me not to do it then, I would not have. I would have let it be as if it had never happened.”

As if it had never happened? In that moment, flustered by her tears, he had said that, but it was for the sake of his child. If not that opportunity, was there any other way to resolve the matter that had been giving him such headaches?

“So please, Adel, let go of your anger now. I will never do anything to hurt your feelings again. I can swear it on the family.”

Adel gave up on the idea of continuing the conversation with him. He and she were walking parallel lines. There was no way their points of focus would ever meet.

“I will go to Millium and get my things.”

“You can send someone.”

“I will go myself.”

“No. And tonight… I will come to your room.”

Adel looked at him in surprise, but he stood with his head turned away, not looking at her. After briefly stroking her arm, he left the office.

At Ethan’s words, the strength drained from her legs and she sank down where she stood.

He probably thought he had already spent the wedding night with her, so nothing would change, and she could not understand at all why he had made such a decision.

“No….”

Fortunately, that night, thanks to Annaston suddenly appearing from Herbron, Adel had been able to escape the crisis. But this matter made Adel’s already complicated heart even more anxious. She needed to carry out what she had resolved as soon as possible, even a day sooner.