Chapter 12
There hadn’t been any major breakthroughs in today’s conversation.
‘I was planning to ask how he ended up with the madness.’
If she treated the madness while staying by Cheyton’s side, she could naturally inquire about how he’d contracted it, and from there, she could smoothly steer the discussion toward the subjugation party at the time.
She might even be able to ask about the hero.
‘But why can’t I still read Cheyton’s presence?’
Perhaps that man was stronger than her current body.
It was as Roshanne was making her way down the long corridor, heading not to her bedroom but to the garden.
“Miss.”
At that moment, a maid hurried over to Roshanne.
“Yes?”
“There’s a guest in the parlor….”
A guest?
He must have rushed off and left something behind. Or forgotten to say something.
“Alright. I’ll go right now.”
Roshanne turned back toward the parlor. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
‘The weather’s nice again today.’
Maybe that’s why.
Roshanne’s carelessness prevented her from detecting the entirely different presence beyond the parlor.
With her mind distracted by the weather, Roshanne approached the parlor with light steps.
Failing to sense the completely different atmosphere, Roshanne opened the door to the parlor and stepped inside.
“Your Highness.”
The moment that voice, brimming with mischievous giggles, called out to Roshanne.
It was as if a cold winter night’s wind had swept over her body, sending chills down her spine.
Roshanne slowly lifted her head. The first thing that caught her eye was hair shimmering in silver, like the snow of winter that freezes everything.
‘Ah.’
Roshanne instantly regretted raising her head.
Every time she saw that pristine hair, untouched by any filth, she was overwhelmed by the urge to stain it with blood.
“Were you expecting someone else, perhaps?”
The man, facing Roshanne’s crumpled expression, smiled seductively, as if he’d discovered an amusing toy.
Each time his shoulders shook with laughter, his silver hair, catching the sunlight, swayed dazzlingly.
His golden eyes, sparkling beautifully as if they held all the bright and radiant light, were ironically boiling with filthy emotions like contempt, disgust, and hatred.
“joseph… Crown Prince.”
It was none other than the emperor’s son and the next heir to the throne, Crown Prince joseph.
‘Why is the crown prince here…’
The imperial family.
Those who had sealed the hero, collared him, and dragged him around like the empire’s dog, wielding him as they pleased.
The emperor had proudly passed the hero’s leash to his next-generation descendants, and those descendants naturally accepted the responsibility of managing the hero.
Not a single member of the imperial family had ever sincerely mentioned the hero’s freedom.
And now, one of those imperials had come directly to the mansion to meet Roshanne.
‘Could it be… has he figured me out?’
Cold sweat trickled down Roshanne’s back. In the quiet parlor, the sound of her swallowing dryly echoed loudly.
“Why so tense? Your Highness. I just came to have a chat. Why don’t you sit down first? My neck is starting to hurt.”
These were the people who had sealed and personally managed the hero for generations. And joseph was the very next in line.
Perhaps he truly had the ability to recognize the hero.
‘…Should I run away now?’
If she set her mind to it, escaping wasn’t impossible. Better to live as a fugitive for life and gain freedom than to be captured and dragged away here.
‘Or else… kill him?’
The sharp sword that had protected the empire could become a cruel blade that tears it apart.
When Roshanne remained unmoving despite joseph’s invitation, he let out a light sigh.
“Fine. You want to skip the preamble and get straight to the point? Good, no need to waste time on both sides.”
joseph rose from his seat.
A pressure and overwhelming intimidation that she hadn’t felt when seeing the young joseph in her hero form now coursed through her entire body.
“Your Highness.”
joseph looked down at Roshanne and sneered dismissively.
“I’ve come to retrieve what’s been lost.”
What’s been lost.
The hero’s soul.
‘I’ve been found out.’
Roshanne’s heart plummeted.
Now, there were only two choices left.
Kill or flee.
Roshanne quickly scanned the drawing room first. Though the decorations were ordinary, in Roshanne’s hands, quite a few items could become weapons.
“It seems like this conversation might drag on—do we really have to keep standing here so stiffly?”
joseph arrogantly tilted his head.
“Anyone watching might think I’ve come here to devour you. Relax, Lady. Even if I were to devour you, it wouldn’t be today.”
joseph scanned the tensed and rigid Roshanne with a languid gaze and sat down on the sofa.
‘Killing the crown prince right here would be a foolish move.’
Outside the drawing room door, countless eyes were watching. Moreover, the attendant secretary who had come with the crown prince would be waiting in the carriage.
‘I can’t kill all these people just to take out joseph alone.’
Roshanne reached a rational conclusion and sat on the sofa, following joseph’s lead.
“So, you called off the wedding, huh?”
No sooner had Roshanne sat down than joseph crossed his long legs, one over the other thigh, and sneered.
His gaze dripped with contempt, enough to cow most people, but Roshanne remained composed.
‘……He’s grown so much. The last time I saw him, he was still learning his letters.’
Inwardly, Roshanne recalled the last time she had seen joseph.
That little child had grown into this young man. It made the passage of time feel strangely vivid.
“Why call it off?”
joseph reached out and opened the translucent sugar bowl on the table.
“Didn’t you say you came to find something you’d lost? Shouldn’t that come first?”
joseph’s hand paused as he picked up a sugar cube. Her words had been unmistakably curt. He looked at Roshanne with incredulous eyes.
“I’ve heard the rumors that you’re mad…… but are you really insane, Lady? Was the marriage that unbearable?”
The story of how Roshanne had recklessly called off the wedding and spoken rudely to the guests had spread throughout the capital—there was no way he hadn’t heard it.
He had hoped it was exaggeration, but apparently it was true.
joseph tossed the sugar cube into his mouth and let out a hollow laugh.
“So, is that why you’re trying to romance Grand Duke Barpheus too?”
“……Grand Duke Barpheus?”
“Lady. Even if you’re mad, you need to separate public from private matters. You know Grand Duke Barpheus is a potential rebel—a dangerous element—and yet you’re associating with him?”
Roshanne blinked at joseph’s aggressive tone. The boy who had struggled just to learn his letters was now calling her a mad lady who couldn’t distinguish between public and private.
“You said earlier that finding what I lost should come first, didn’t you? What I’ve come to find is the empire’s one and only loyal Railaten ducal family—and its lady.”
joseph glared at Roshanne, crunching the sugar cube in his mouth with a sharp crack.
“When I become the next emperor, you’ll need to lend me your strength, won’t you? Don’t make His Majesty doubt the Railaten family’s loyalty, Lady.”
The sugar shattered with a crunch, dissolving sweetly on joseph’s tongue in a clump.
Perhaps due to the exquisite sweetness melting away, joseph felt his sharp edginess softening.
“Whatever Grand Duke Barpheus does, he’ll end up dumped on the battlefield, dying alone. His Majesty will drive him to the front lines until the day he dies.”
joseph seemed more delighted than ever as he spoke of another’s death. His eyes, tinged with glee, were even chilling.
……An ordinary person would surely have been terrified at the sight.
‘He’s still just a child.’
But Roshanne was different. Thinking this impassively to herself, she felt a surge of relief upon confirming that joseph hadn’t recognized her, and she let out a sigh of relief.
‘Good thing I held back from killing him earlier.’
If she had misunderstood and killed the crown prince, it would have been a disaster.
The immature joseph didn’t hide his hostility.
His intentions were clear, his likes and dislikes plainly evident. joseph’s murderous intent was directed at Cheyton.
It made sense that he would feel anxious, with rumors spreading that Cheyton—whom he hated to death—was getting close to Roshanne Railaten, the only daughter of the Railaten ducal family, the core of the emperor’s faction.
But even so.
She had no intention of living like a dog that only moved as the imperial family commanded—not this time.
“I’ve got the gist. You’re jealous that I’m hanging out with Grand Duke Barpheus, right?”
A crease formed between joseph’s brows, where he had been calm until now. What had this mad lady just said?
“But whether I associate with Grand Duke Barpheus or not—that’s entirely up to me.”
“Lady.”
joseph leaned forward from the sofa, his eyes flashing fiercely.
“This is the last time I’ll overlook it because you’re mad. Think carefully before you speak.”
Unlike before, a sharp killing intent emanated from joseph. An indescribable pressure filled the drawing room.
But Roshanne was unfazed. Holding the teacup in front of her, she slowly took a sip of tea.
“You asked earlier why I called off the wedding, didn’t you?”
“Shut that mouth, Lady. This is a warning.”
“It’s the same reason. It was my wedding, so I did as I pleased.”
No sooner had Roshanne finished speaking than joseph roughly grabbed the teacup in front of him.
Without hesitation, he hurled it at Roshanne with all his strength.
But Roshanne didn’t move from her position, still sipping her tea.
She didn’t even blink as the teacup flew toward her. It was as if she knew she wouldn’t be hit.
Her proud, clear eyes gazed calmly not at the incoming teacup, but at joseph who had thrown it.
Thud! Crash-!
The teacup grazed perilously close to Roshanne’s cheek, striking the wall and shattering with a sharp noise.
With that fierce burst as the finale, silence enveloped the drawing room.
Unconsciously, joseph swallowed dryly. In the moment the teacup flew, as he met Roshanne’s eyes, he felt his heart pounding as if it might explode.
Thump, thump.
Without realizing it, joseph raised his hand and clutched his chest tightly.
What was that sensation just now? Something he’d never felt in his life……
“Is it my turn now?”
A thin voice cut through joseph’s thoughts. Startled, he jerked his head up.
Across from him, Roshanne was smiling, holding her now-empty, spotless teacup.
And she assumed the exact same posture as joseph had moments ago, ready to throw the teacup.
“……What?”
