"Huh? Madam, what is that...?"
Rio looked around me with a bewildered face. The newspapers and noble yearbooks scattered on the desk were all messy.
"What? The Master is definitely not here, but I have the Illusion that he is back...."
"Mr. Rio. Please listen carefully from now on."
I told Rio what I had deduced so far. Rio's eyes widened.
"Madam, if everything you said is true, there will be a huge uproar."
"Of course."
I nodded and got up from my seat.
"So I'm going to go get some confirmation now."
"Huh?"
"How do I get down to the palace prison?"
Rio's eyes widened even more.
***
"Madam."
Inside the eerie dungeon. Rio looked around and swept his arm as if he was scared to death.
"If the master finds out that I brought Madam here, he'll kill me... Oh, no. He'll scold me severely."
"Thank you so much for showing me around."
I looked back at Rio and spoke sincerely. Rio scratched his cheek with an embarrassed face and said with an earnest face.
"Please don't push yourself too hard. I wonder if you must face such a vicious man in person... Then I will go."
"Madam! Me too!"
I nodded the guard as I felt Rio hurriedly following. When the guard opened the prison door, a familiar face appeared beyond it. It was much more worn out than when I last him, but his ghostly pale skin still radiated a strange light. I stepped into the prison, facing the white face. The man, who seemed exhausted from the long interrogation, noticed me, and his eyes lit
"Hey, whoa. Who is this? Isn't that our girl?"
The smiling face was disgusting. The last time I saw him, he had begged for mercy. The fact that someone so arrogant meant that he knew that his forces were invading right outside this system. I turned around and slowly looked at the guards. That also meant that an informant was informing the man of the situation outside.
Even inside this prison. The enemy forces were deeply rooted in the system, shallow and wide like a thread.
"Would you all please leave? I would like to quietly interrogate the prisoner."
"Oh, Duchess. However..."
"My husband is out of town, so all of the authority of the Duke of Heigenberg has been delegated to me as his wife. I am currently giving orders as the Duke of Heigenberg."
When I spoke firmly, the guards flinched and lowered their heads. After the guards left, I stared down at the white-faced man. The man who had been so arrogant just a moment ago was now a little anxious, rolling his eyes.
"... What's going on?"
"Please feed him."
"What- Heuk!"
The shadow knights appeared and began to move. One grabbed the man's chin, and the other fed him the confession pill he had brought. The man who had been choking realized what he had eaten and soon gasped and laughed.
"Confession pill again? I ate so much that I'm almost full..."
It was obvious why he could act so relaxed. Even though it was a confession pill, it didn't have absolute efficacy. If the question was inaccurate, its efficacy would diminish. However, this only meant that 'the question was inaccurate'. I looked down at the man and opened my mouth.
"Since when has the Marquis of Verdin and the Dawn Order been colluding?"
The man's face hardened like a mask. I felt the knights who had been holding him back also look at me with surprised eyes. It was only natural. The name of the Minister of State came out of my mouth. An hour later, I received a summons from the Emperor.
"There were so many dark figures hiding in the country."
Those were the first words the Emperor uttered in the audience room. I looked up at the Emperor in silence. The Emperor's face was more worn-out than when I last saw him.
"Even so... Minister of State."
The Emperor looked at me with haggard eyes.
"Isn't it impossible that the Duchess was wrong?"
The white face was already pushed by the efficacy of the confession and spat out the truth.
"Ten years ago, since."
Ten years ago, it was around the time the First Prince died. Last night, while looking through the almanacs and newspapers, I realized my own mistake. I shouldn't have just pursued those who had risen higher after the deposed Prince ascended to the throne in my previous life. The real culprits might have disappeared altogether. Like the Marquis of Verdin, who suddenly declared retirement upon his succession to the throne and bought an entire city in the south to reign like a King.
Rio, who heard my suspicions, immediately began Investigating the Marquis of Verdin. In just a few hours, some notable evidence emerged. However, it seemed that that alone was not enough to remove the Emperor's thick trust in the Minister of State. No, to be exact, the Emperor, who had already been betrayed by his own son, might simply not want to admit any more betrayals.
'But there is no time to examine the Emperor's mind.'
Even at this moment, Dante was fighting a battle at his own risk. I didn't want to waste even a single minute or second.
'What should I do?'
It was a moment of worry.
"Father."
The door to the audience room opened wide with a loud voice. I turned around and opened my eyes wide. It was Princess Katarina who appeared. She was walking forward with her lips pursed. Behind her were the imperial guards who were hurriedly chasing her, unable to even touch her body.
"Katarina!"
The Emperor scolded the Princess with a flustered face.
"You barged in without permission. What kind of rudeness is that!"
"I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry, Duchess."
The Princess apologized to me and the Emperor in turn and then looked at the Emperor again.
"However, I couldn't help but step forward after hearing that the Duchess had reported the Minister of State. Father, I also have evidence that the Minister of State had accepted bribes on several occasions."
"What did you just say?"
The Emperor glared.
"Katarina! If that's true, why didn't you tell me until now?"
"I told you."
The Princess pursed her lips tightly and continued speaking.
"But you never listened to me."
"..."
The emperor looked at his daughter with wide eyes.
"Your Majesty only liked me when I drew pictures and thought I had a funny talent, but other than that, you never gave me any time."
I too was speechless for a moment and looked at her. The appearance of the Princess, whom I had thought had grown up noble, suddenly brought on a sense of deja vu, as if looking in a mirror.
"I understand that Your Majesty trusts the Minister of State, who has been with you through thick and thin, more than me, the youngest daughter. But I am also a Princess of this country, Your Majesty."
"..."
"So please listen to my story just this once. If you don't like me, listen to the Duchess."
"..."
The emperor, who had been silent for a while, nodded with an even more complicated expression.
***
The search was quickly carried out based on the list I had written.
"We've made great progress thanks to the certainty that there's an enemy within and the narrowing of the target range!"
Rio reported with a bright face. The shadows under his eyes were long due to the continuous all-nighters. The Minister of State had to be searched and seized by imperial personnel who suddenly came in the middle of the night. As a result, it was revealed that he had not only colluded with the Dawn Order, but had also committed numerous corruptions for decades.
The war had unearthed and exposed the cancer cells that had been hiding throughout the empire. With the support from within cut off, the enemy army began to falter rapidly. News that the situation was tilting heavily toward our side came every day.
'God.'
On dreary nights, I would touch the dozen or so opera tickets that Dante had collected in my drawer and pray.
To the God who had turned back my death. To look down on me just once more, as You had granted me one miracle. Even a small bit of luck would be fine. That would be enough for me.
Praying. Now there was really nothing else I could do. And on the seventh day of the war.
Whoosh!
The long blaring sound of a horn cut through the pale dawn air of the island.
"Ah!"
I hastily woke up from my deep sleep and ran to the window.
Whoosh!
The sound of the horn was so loud that it seemed to shatter my still hazy eardrums. Unlike a week ago, I was so happy that I almost cried. This time, the sound of the horn meant that our army had finally defeated the enemy and won the battle.
***
"Madam, madam! Come here! This way is better!"
Sophie urged me in a bright voice. I walked up a step higher, led by Sophie's hand.
"How is it? Can you see everything at a glance?"
As Sophie had said, it was a place where I could see the main street at a glance. The wide street was clean and empty, and there were many onlookers lined up on both sides. They were all gathered to cheer the triumphal procession.
"No matter where you go, all you hear is the story of our master and the knights."
Sophie whispered with a proud face. True to her words, no matter where you turned your ears, you could hear praise for the Duke of Helgenberg. How bravely his army defeated the enemy, how great his achievement was in finally capturing the deposed Prince. Even after hearing that had not fully recovered, they were all full of enthusiasm.
Soon, the tightly closed inner gates began to open. The people were beginning to appear beyond.
"Waaaaa!"
"Hurray! Hurray!"
A week. It was short enough to be called a war, but for the citizens who were trapped in the system with the enemy right before their eyes, it felt like an eternity. The people of the system that they had finally encountered at the end of that time.
"Hurray for His Excellency the Duke!"
"Hurray for His Majesty the Emperor!"
The soldiers responded to the enthusiastic cheers by raising their hands. The more they did that, the louder the cheering became. I strained my weak hearing to hear the sound and got excited along with the people. My heart raced with the heat of the people filling the entire street. I grabbed my chest and looked around the procession.
'He should be around here.'
The general of the triumphal procession usually stood at the very front. I looked around, imagining Dante leading the soldiers with dignity at the very front of the procession. But...
'Strange.'
I looked around the procession with blank eyes.
'Where...'
I couldn't see the figure I was looking for anywhere in the triumphal procession.
"Where is His Excellency the Duke?"
"He was at the very front of the triumphal procession a few years ago."
I could hear people whispering loudly. Whenever Dante was not within sight, my heart raced with a rapid beat.
Where, where.
My heart, which had been filled with excitement, gradually cooled down. It was when I was nervously looking around the procession.
"Madam."
Rio called me. He must have run in a hurry, breathing hard.
"I think you should go back to the mansion right now."
My heart sank.
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