“Seliya Brillion.”
Erphia's face appeared perplexed at the unexpected name.
Illeon spoke in a soft tone.
“Your Majesty the Empress must have seen it too. That woman stimulates man's lust. She loves both young and old men.”
“...What does that have to do with Ben cutting Jeremy's face...”
“Didn’t His Highness the Crown Prince announce it? Seliya Brillion, called her his own mistress.”
Illeon smiled, folding his eyes nicely.
“At that time, almost all the men in the banquet hall, regardless of whether they were married or not, would have turned their backs on him. It’s not like giving the most precious position to the most beautiful woman in Abelon, it’s just the position of government.”
Illeon continued his words, elegantly sipping chamomile tea.
“The attempt to keep the beautiful flower that everyone coveted for oneself caused a backlash. It would have been better if the Crown Prince had said this after sitting on the throne. It was a careless act to announce that we were the government at the birthday banquet.”
Erphia had a hard time understanding what Illeon meant.
Because there didn't seem to be any connection between the men's lust for her and Jeremy's disfigured face.
“So, the Duke, you want to say that she found out that I was trying to ruin his face, so she drugged Jeremy and framed me as the culprit?”
“No way. How could a woman who hasn’t even been in the imperial palace for a long time do such a thing?”
“Surely, didn’t the Duke just say that she was the culprit?”
Illeon laughed softly. Illeon put down half of the remaining chamomile tea on the table and spoke in a slow tone.
“She didn’t do it arbitrarily, but wouldn’t it be impossible if someone who knew the situation of the imperial palace well helped her?”
“!”
“The person she is closest to is Duke Calypso, right?”
Erphia's hand, which was holding the teacup, trembled slightly. Her blood seemed to rush out at once.
“...Are you saying that Ben was Dietrich’s?”
"Well. I’m just suggesting the most likely possibility.”
Illeon's eyes narrowed.
“Your Majesty once complained to me that Ben was acting like an old man living alone. He doesn’t even talk about his family.”
Erphia definitely remembers saying something like that. Illeon was from the same family and always had a gentle expression, so they communicated well.
Ben, on the other hand, was loyal but spoke little. He didn't say anything unless it was absolutely necessary.
“If Ben fell in love with her at first sight and the two of them took advantage of this, wouldn’t it be a completely unlikely story?”
Is it really so?
“Currently, it appears that the person with whom His Royal Highness has the worst relationship is the closest to the culprit. A woman who involuntarily becomes his mistress, and Duke Calypso, who is close to her. Of course, this is just my opinion,”
Erphia was completely persuaded by Illeon.
Well, there is no reason for Illeon to harm her and her son.
She's already been told that Illeon is more like an Emperor than an Emperor, and if there's something he didn't handle properly, he's very easy to sort it out.
“Duke, you probably didn’t tell anyone about this, right?”
“How can I go around saying things like this? I’m not even a member of the imperial family.”
When Illeon spoke clearly, Erphia felt even more relieved.
Of course, she was upset that Dietrich, the man she was so passionate about, would do such a thing, but she didn't show it.
“As expected, there is only one, Duke. Can you help me figure out a way to get Jeremy's ruined face back to its original state? Jeremy doesn’t want to listen to me at all, so I’d like you to talk to him separately.”
Illeon nodded slightly.
“I will, Your Majesty. Don’t worry too much.”
The night was deep.
Seliya was carefully examining the bookshelf located on one side of the wall, using the moonlight as a lamp.
The books on the bookshelf were all thick books.
She was wondering if there were any helpful clues, and Seliya found a book that caught her eye.
'History of the Abelon War.'
Flutter.
In the silence, the only sound was the sound of Seliya turning the pages.
Seliya's hand, which was reading a book containing war records, stopped at a certain place.
In a book containing numerous war records, there was also a record of Abelon's invasion of her kingdom.
[September 13, 313, Imperial Calendar.
The 13th Emperor of Abelon personally led the conquest of the Shan Kingdom.]
It was just one sentence.
A sentence is written from the invader's point of view.
There was no reason or anything written down.
Feeling her blood boiling, Seliya turned the pages of the book back.
However, there was nothing written on the back.
Seliya closed the book.
As soon as she put the book back on the bookshelf, a long shadow appeared behind Seliya.
'Where on earth?'
Dietrich's mansion was not a safe place either.
Deciding that it would be too late to take out her dagger, Seliya immediately used his supernatural ability.
The scent of hyacinths that emanated from Seliya's body immediately enveloped the intruder's body.
At the same time, the intruder stopped moving. Seliya jerked her head to look at the intruder.
"You!"
Seliya, who identified the intruder, achieved this feat at once.
This is because the person who invaded without a sound was none other than Dietrich.
“Why did you come to me without any sign? My heart almost dropped.”
“...I have one thing to tell you.”
Does he really need to sneak up on her at this late hour and talk to her? It was what she was thinking of.
Dietrich's lips parted slightly as he read her eyes.
“I’m telling you now because I might be late tomorrow.”
“...Why?"
“Illeon has put you and me in a corner. It seems like you and I were the ones who gave the Crown Prince poison and put a strong breath on the Empress.”
Why is it that this imperial palace never has a peaceful day?
Seliya felt like she was suffocating.
“The real culprit is Illeon. He first showed me her poison and asked if I was going to use it. I refused it.”
Dietrich's pupils dilated as if it was the first time he had heard these words.
“...It’s not good.”
"What?"
“It’s not good. The situation.”
Dietrich narrowed his brows and looked at Seliya.
“The page you were reading just now was clearly the Shan Kingdom.”
“...”
“Then you must be from the Shan Kingdom. I thought there would be no survivors. Seeing as you have this ability, you must be royalty from the Shan Kingdom.”
Seliya was surprised by Dietrich's accurate point.
Is it simply a stabbing? However, Dietrich was completely convinced of that.
“I heard it from my mother before. In the Shan Kingdom, a Princess with the ability to control people's minds was born. They say that the scent of flowers paralyzes the five senses of the opposite sex.”
Seliya felt her heart sink at Dietrich's words.
“You really think I’m that Princess?”
When Seliya shot back sharply, Dietrich silenced her.
Perhaps because of the moonlight, his eyes shined calmly.
She tried to tell him that she knew that Dietrich was from another principality.
“You are Inata...”
However, Dietrich intercepted Seliya’s words.
"Yes."
Dietrich did not deny it. Instead, he took a strand of hair that was sticking to Seliya's cheek and tucked it into her ear.
“I am from the Principality of Inata.”
Dietrich's eyes looking at her as he said that were infinitely soft.
His eyes were so kind that she felt like a fool for being wary.
“I wish I had known sooner that you were alive.”
He met her for the first time in this imperial palace, and he looked at her with a look on his face as if he had known her for a very long time.
“...Have you known me for a long time?”
“Even though I’ve never seen you, I’ve heard it from my mother, your story. I wonder if I know that your nickname is Asha.”
Seliya became a little scared of Dietrich.
What if he even knew her nickname when she was a Princess?
She knew that denying him would get her nowhere.
By the time her opponent knows everything about her, she has already lost the initiative.
However, she could not end the conversation without any results.
“Who are you and who is your mother?”
Dietrich shook his head and answered.
“I told you. I am from the Principality of Inata.”
“...What I want to know is who you really are. How much are you hiding from me?”
“Do you want to know?”
Dietrich asked in a happy tone.
It was the first time Seliya had seen Dietrich so happy. Seliya, who didn't know what to say when she saw that look, nodded her head slightly.
Then she saw him, who always had an expressionless face, smiling brightly as if he was truly happy.
The corners of the eyes bend under the straight eyebrows, and the lips that had been stiff draw a soft curve.
Even the moonlight seemed to lose its shine due to that smile.
For some reason, Seliya couldn't take her eyes off Dietrich's bright smile.
At the same time, she felt anxious.
Once she learns everything Dietrich is hiding, she will never be able to escape the man in front of her.
That was a kind of intuition.
But more than that, Seliya wanted to know the truth.
Dietrich leaned towards Seliya.
“I’ll tell you who I am just once. Listen carefully.”
Soon, hot breath landed on Seliya’s ear.
"I am...”
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