“You really are a conscienceless bastard. When you dared to frame the Grand Duchess, now you ask for my help.”
Mikhail said with a cold expression as if frost had settled on him.
“Just give me the order and I’ll take care of it.”
“I was wrong! Please spare me.”
Genon kept begging for his life with a tearful face.
“...”
He didn’t care whether that bastard was tortured to death or not, but there was something he had to do.
“Pegyson Genon.”
Karina, who had set the mood with a stern expression, brought out the words she had prepared.
"You showed signs of flirting while showing interest in me, didn't you?
“Just give me the order and I’ll take care of it.”
“I was wrong! Please spare me.”
Genon kept begging for his life with a tearful face.
“...”
He didn’t care whether that bastard was tortured to death or not, but there was something he had to do.
“Pegyson Genon.”
Karina, who had set the mood with a stern expression, brought out the words she had prepared.
"You showed signs of flirting while showing interest in me, didn't you?
“Yes?”
Karina said in a clear voice to the bewildered Genon.
“You said you wanted to meet me secretly when His Highness the Grand Duke was away?”
“Me? No!”
Genon jumped up and denied it.
“Who the hell said that!”
“I heard it directly from Caroline, so there’s no point in trying to evade it.”
“...!?”
At those words, not only Genon but also Mikhail looked at Karina with a surprised expression.
“She told me to be careful because it seemed like you might do something stupid at the charity event today.”
“Who... Who? Who said that?”
“Who? Of course it was Caroline.”
Karina’s lips curled up as she spoke.
“You said it was Caroline?”
“Yes. Thanks to Caroline, I was able to prepare so perfectly. I made you fall for your trick.”
When Caroline’s name was mentioned, Genon looked surprised and bewildered.
He had already been waiting for someone from Caroline to contact him. However, when he had been anxious because there was no news, he was very embarrassed to hear Caroline’s name in this way.
He even solved the question of how Karina had gathered people in the next room in advance.
As Karina said, it would have been impossible without Caroline’s words.
The situation was so perfect that Genon was instantly taken aback.
While Genon was shaking with the betrayal that was rising up, Mikhail looked back at Karina with an expression that said,
“What are you talking about?”
“...”
Mikhail slightly straightened his expression when Karina gave him a hint.
Fortunately, Genon could only see the back of Mikhail’s head, so he didn’t notice the look they were sharing.
“Did Lady Caroline really... really say that?”
Karina returned Genon’s cold gaze to him as he asked in disbelief.
“I told you that Caroline had already told me everything. She was so persistent that it was creepy, but are you still going to pretend not to know?”
“...!”
Genon looked speechless at Karina’s words.
“You tried to deceive and insult not only me but also His Highness the Grand Duke. And furthermore, you tried to insult the Grand Duchy of Colesberg. What a shame.”
When Jeremiah was mentioned, Gennon denied fiercely.
“I never did that! Let me meet Lady Caroline! I’ll ask her myself!”
“You want to meet her in person?”
Karina warned, pretending to look scary.
“What are you going to do when you meet? Are you going to falsely accuse her this time?”
“I don’t know what Lady Caroline said, but it’s all lies!”
Gennon shouted, grabbing the bars of his prison cell in frustration.
“As expected.”
Karina glared at Gennon with a disgusted expression.
“Caroline was right. She said you might deny it and even call her a liar. That was exactly right, wasn’t it?”
Genon protested with a very aggrieved expression.
“That’s not true! She’s trying to frame me for it all! In fact, it was Lady Caroline who ordered me into this!”
Genon, who had been fooled by Karina’s lies, confessed the truth while trembling with betrayal.
“Call His Highness the Grand Duke right now! I will tell him the truth! I have been wronged!”
Genon exploded with anger.
‘We were all in this together anyway, so what can you say is so wronged?’
Karina was dumbfounded, but she opened her eyes wide and pretended to be surprised, continuing her performance.
“Is that true?”
“It is true! I was fooled too! I was just used!”
Genon desperately pleaded that he had been wronged.
“It’s really Caroline who ordered you to do this?”
When Karina looked at her with an expression of disbelief, Genon clapped his hands together and pleaded.
“It’s true. Please believe me!”
“...”
Karina pretended to be confused, kept her mouth shut, and stared at Genon for a while.
“Do you have any evidence to prove what you’re saying?”
“...!”
When asked if there was any evidence, Genon hesitated and avoided eye contact.
“Since you can’t speak, I guess it was a lie. You should brace yourself.”
After saying that, Karina turned around coldly.
“Your Highness! Wait a minute!”
Surprised, Genon reached out through the bars and spoke urgently.
“There’s evidence in the safe in my study! It’s a drawer that only I, only I, can open. If you let me out of here for a moment, I’ll definitely! Bring the evidence!”
Hearing that, Karina glared at him, turned around, and said in a low voice.
“Do you really think I’m funny?”
A frosty aura emanated from Karina.
“...!”
Genon flinched as he met Karina’s sharp gaze.
It was different from what Caroline had said, who had called her a weak and timid woman.
In the end, he knelt down and begged in a mean manner.
“I’m sorry... I’m sorry. The drawer key... You can find it behind the picture frame on top of the safe. If you find the evidence and confirm it, please get me out of here. Yes?”
Genon crouched low to avoid the crisis right in front of him.
Karina narrowed her eyes and responded coldly to his plea to find the evidence and save him.
“The evidence in the safe must be that useful.”
Genon lowered his head in disappointment.
***
At the same time.
Jeremiah followed Karina out.
‘Prison? Why is the Grand Duchess here?’
Jeremiah’s face showed a look of doubt.
‘Could it be that she came to see that guy Genon instead of escorting him?’
She asked to postpone the punishment, but it seemed as if she was hiding something.
However, when he saw Mikhail waiting for her at the prison entrance, his mood sank even more rapidly.
'What are you going to do with that guard?'
He felt Karina and Mikhail, who had entered the prison together, heading towards the cell where Genon was locked up.
Jeremiah stood outside the prison building and listened to the conversation coming out of the small window.
"You showed signs of flirting while showing interest in me, didn't you?
'Always?'
Jeremiah's eyebrows twitched.
“You said you wanted to meet me secretly when His Highness the Grand Duke was away?”
'When I wasn't there... Secretly?'
Jeremiah's expression suddenly crinkled at those words.
Jeremiah swore that he would never let the guy in prison go easy on him.
However, Genon denied it like crazy and said something unexpected.
"No! It's all a lie! Rather, it was Caroline who ordered me to do this!”
“...!?”
‘What?’
Jeremiah’s expression hardened terribly.
‘My sister said that?’
He was completely shocked and embarrassed by the unexpected conversation.
Jeremiah, who had been standing there as if he was nailed to the spot and had heard the entire conversation between Karina and Genon, walked with heavy steps to the office.
Ron, the adjutant and knight commander who had immediately rushed to Jeremiah’s call, bowed to Jeremiah.
“You called.”
“There is something to investigate.”
Ron felt an unusual coldness in Jeremiah’s voice.
Ron swallowed his tension and lowered his head.
“Give me the order.”
“Search all the traces of Lord Genon who is locked up in prison. Search every nook and cranny of the mansion from the study to the bedrooms and basement without leaving anything behind.”
“...”
“In particular, bring the entire safe in his study.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ron wondered how Jeremiah knew there was a safe in the Pegysons’ study, but didn’t ask.
“And...”
Jeremiah’s eyes turned cold.
“I need to know everything my sister has been up to these days.”
“Lady Caroline?”
Ron was taken aback by the sudden order to investigate the Archduchess.
“Yes, Sir.”
But as expected from someone with experience, he quickly collected his expression and retreated after receiving the order.
Jeremiah looked out the window and recalled what he had heard earlier.
‘In fact, it was Caroline who ordered this to happen to me!’
‘There’s evidence in the safe in our study!’
Jeremiah frowned and made a face.
It was uncomfortable to ignore her behavior, which was so ridiculous that she was jumping up and down, saying that there was evidence.
‘If everything I heard earlier is true...’
Wasn’t it, his sister who had been plotting to trap Karina in a pit of misunderstanding?
“...”
Jeremiah pressed his throbbing temple with one hand.
Then suddenly he remembered Karina asking him to hand over the investigation authority regarding Lord Genon.
‘Could it be that she had already known that my sister was behind this incident and had been preparing for it?’
Jeremiah had always thought that his sister and Karina were on good terms.
Before Karina and Jeremiah got married, he heard that Caroline had become acquainted with Karina when she attended a banquet in the capital and the young ladies gathered together to socialize.
So, apart from the fact that he and Karina were not close as a couple, he thought that they were getting along well.
'I heard that the Grand Duchess relies a lot on my sister. Was the report wrong?'
However, he began to think that what he had known might not be true.
"Huh."
Jeremiah's agony deepened.
"Your Highness, everything you said earlier was a lie, right?"
Mikhail asked as soon as he got out of prison.
Karina smiled and answered his question.
"Of course. I just made him confess the truth."
"I thought so. You're really good at acting. I almost fell for it."
"Isn't that a compliment?"
Mikhail just smiled at Karina's question.
“But Grand Duchess. I have a question.”
“What else?”
“Did you know in advance what was going to happen at today’s event?”
“Uh...?”
Karina stuttered for a moment at Mikhail’s sudden, direct question.
“No? No way.”
“Hmm.”
Mikhail snorted as if he had expected her to answer like that.
Mikhail’s gaze followed Karina intently as if asking if she was serious.
Karina added an excuse to his fixed gaze.
“I just assumed that Caroline had planned something since she had been asking me to attend the tea party for the past few days.”
“How much did you know about it and prepare for it?”
“Preparing with knowledge? There was no such thing. I just prepared today just in case.”
“Oh, just in case...”
Mikhail trailed off at Karina’s unconvincing answer.
“Then you also just expected that the Princess’s maid would approach that guy?”
“Yes...”
Jeremiah's expression suddenly crinkled at those words.
Jeremiah swore that he would never let the guy in prison go easy on him.
However, Genon denied it like crazy and said something unexpected.
"No! It's all a lie! Rather, it was Caroline who ordered me to do this!”
“...!?”
‘What?’
Jeremiah’s expression hardened terribly.
‘My sister said that?’
He was completely shocked and embarrassed by the unexpected conversation.
Jeremiah, who had been standing there as if he was nailed to the spot and had heard the entire conversation between Karina and Genon, walked with heavy steps to the office.
Ron, the adjutant and knight commander who had immediately rushed to Jeremiah’s call, bowed to Jeremiah.
“You called.”
“There is something to investigate.”
Ron felt an unusual coldness in Jeremiah’s voice.
Ron swallowed his tension and lowered his head.
“Give me the order.”
“Search all the traces of Lord Genon who is locked up in prison. Search every nook and cranny of the mansion from the study to the bedrooms and basement without leaving anything behind.”
“...”
“In particular, bring the entire safe in his study.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ron wondered how Jeremiah knew there was a safe in the Pegysons’ study, but didn’t ask.
“And...”
Jeremiah’s eyes turned cold.
“I need to know everything my sister has been up to these days.”
“Lady Caroline?”
Ron was taken aback by the sudden order to investigate the Archduchess.
“Yes, Sir.”
But as expected from someone with experience, he quickly collected his expression and retreated after receiving the order.
Jeremiah looked out the window and recalled what he had heard earlier.
‘In fact, it was Caroline who ordered this to happen to me!’
‘There’s evidence in the safe in our study!’
Jeremiah frowned and made a face.
It was uncomfortable to ignore her behavior, which was so ridiculous that she was jumping up and down, saying that there was evidence.
‘If everything I heard earlier is true...’
Wasn’t it, his sister who had been plotting to trap Karina in a pit of misunderstanding?
“...”
Jeremiah pressed his throbbing temple with one hand.
Then suddenly he remembered Karina asking him to hand over the investigation authority regarding Lord Genon.
‘Could it be that she had already known that my sister was behind this incident and had been preparing for it?’
Jeremiah had always thought that his sister and Karina were on good terms.
Before Karina and Jeremiah got married, he heard that Caroline had become acquainted with Karina when she attended a banquet in the capital and the young ladies gathered together to socialize.
So, apart from the fact that he and Karina were not close as a couple, he thought that they were getting along well.
'I heard that the Grand Duchess relies a lot on my sister. Was the report wrong?'
However, he began to think that what he had known might not be true.
"Huh."
Jeremiah's agony deepened.
***
"Your Highness, everything you said earlier was a lie, right?"
Mikhail asked as soon as he got out of prison.
Karina smiled and answered his question.
"Of course. I just made him confess the truth."
"I thought so. You're really good at acting. I almost fell for it."
"Isn't that a compliment?"
Mikhail just smiled at Karina's question.
“But Grand Duchess. I have a question.”
“What else?”
“Did you know in advance what was going to happen at today’s event?”
“Uh...?”
Karina stuttered for a moment at Mikhail’s sudden, direct question.
“No? No way.”
“Hmm.”
Mikhail snorted as if he had expected her to answer like that.
Mikhail’s gaze followed Karina intently as if asking if she was serious.
Karina added an excuse to his fixed gaze.
“I just assumed that Caroline had planned something since she had been asking me to attend the tea party for the past few days.”
“How much did you know about it and prepare for it?”
“Preparing with knowledge? There was no such thing. I just prepared today just in case.”
“Oh, just in case...”
Mikhail trailed off at Karina’s unconvincing answer.
“Then you also just expected that the Princess’s maid would approach that guy?”
“Yes...”
Karina muttered, averting her gaze.
“Hmm, I see.”
Mikhail smiled strangely.
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