The dismissal of the divorce suit was a personal tragedy for Ilya, but it did not become a tragedy for society. There were three reasons.
First, many people were fooled by Malone's lies. Second, the marriage was blessed by the Emperor himself, and it was the will of God. Third, there were more interesting things to do than to be interested in trivial personal matters.
“The Third Prince won?”
“Wasn’t it the Duke of Burnett whom His Majesty the Emperor had in mind?”
A few days later, the second round of the Crown Prince competition was announced. Most people predicted Eden’s victory, but surprisingly, Damon won. Above all, the fact that the Emperor raised Damon’s hand was particularly significant.
It was proof that the Emperor considered both of them as potential Crown Princes. The nobles of the Empress's faction snorted in excitement.
“She was right, Mother!”
Damon was no different. For Damon, who was filled with a sense of entitlement as a son neglected by his father, the result of the second competition was hope itself.
“That woman?”
The Empress asked in a relaxed voice. Her face was no different than usual, even after his victory.
“There was a woman who told me I would win the second round.”
“You seem to have a discerning eye.”
But there was nothing she could do about her son's excitement. The Empress, like a child, tried to cheer Damon up.
“I met a woman a while ago who said she could see the future.”
“She see the future?”
Damon rambled on and on about his story.
“Can we trust her?”
But the Empress tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression. It was a face that did not seem very trustworthy.
“At first, I didn’t completely believe it, just like my mother.”
“It was like that?”
“But that woman told me that I would definitely win the second competition.”
As much as Damon lacked a bond with his father, the Emperor, he was close to his mother. As a result, he confided many things to her without hesitation.
“She told me to come to her after I won the second competition because she thought I might not trust her. She said she would definitely give me a winning answer.”
Hmm, the Empress snorted with interest and rested her right chin on the back of her hand.
“That’s funny. Who is that?”
At the Empress's question, Damon looked at his mother with an "Oh, my" expression. It was not because of anything else but because he realized that he had overlooked something related to his mother's honor.
“Actually, the place where I met that woman wasn’t a very pleasant place...”
Damon trailed off. The Empress waited with a generous expression for her son to continue speaking.
“It’s the theater company that had strange rumors going around last time.”
Damon tried his best to avoid making unpleasant comments, but it was enough to give an idea.
“I heard that the theater company had reopened, so I went there intending to beat up the theater company owner...”
Damon spoke, glancing at his mother's expression. The Empress had a blank expression on her face as if thinking about something and did not respond.
“There was someone who advised them to put the play on stage. She said it would definitely be a success.”
The Empress quietly rolled her eyes at Damon's words. Damon reflexively flinched as his mother's eyes turned to him.
“Isn’t it too hasty to believe that just based on that?”
It was a somewhat cold tone of voice.
“Just meet her. And whatever she says, don’t just follow her. Come to me and tell me.”
The Empress spoke firmly, demanding an answer with her eyes.
“Do you understand, Damon?”
“I will do that.”
But when there was no immediate answer, a nervous question stabbed Damon. Only then did Damon answer with a determined expression on his face.
“Don’t be complacent because you won the second competition. You’ve worked hard, so go and rest today.”
“Aren’t we going to eat together?”
“I have a bit of a headache. I need to rest.”
At the Empress's words, Damon stood up with a regretful expression. The Empress sent her son away with an expressionless face and called the maid to bring her a pipe.
“Phew.”
Acrid smoke rose into the room. The herbs mixed with the tobacco slowly began to calm her mind.
“What were you thinking..."
The superficial extremism didn't matter. She already knew that Cecilia was the one who controlled that extremism. However, what she couldn't understand was Cecilia's attitude.
“Are you planning to spread false information to defeat Damon?”
It is suspicious and strange that she reveals her identity and helps Damon. However, since the reason was unknown, there was no way to guess her intentions. Unless she was reborn, there would be no reason for Cecilia to betray her husband.
“...”
The Empress, who had been thinking that far, stopped wiggling her toes.
What if she were born again?
An unauthorized guest opened Cecilia's bedroom door and sneaked in.
'Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess is enjoying a drink after taking the medicine.'
The identity of the rude guest was Eden. As the owner of the townhouse and Cecilia's companion, no one could stand in his way.
“...”
Cecilia, sitting in the rocking chair by the window, was fast asleep. Eden approached his wife as if possessed. She had taken medicine, and the closer he got, the faint smell of medicine could be smelled.
But even the unpleasant smell was nice because the face revealed under the pouring sunlight was clean and peaceful.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke.”
As he was watching Cecilia, who was sleeping soundly, Madame Monte quietly appeared and called Eden.
“Enon has arrived.”
“I’ll be out soon.”
Eden answered softly. However, he looked back at his wife several times, full of regret. Madam Monte smiled happily like a mother watching her child’s love life.
“Did you find anything special?”
Finally, Eden left Cecilia's bedroom and headed to the office. Enon, who was waiting for Eden, just shook his head.
“Nothing in particular. He don’t even go out that often these days.”
James Morak, or Diego, was not particularly unusual. He had quite a few visitors. But that was because of his work.
“The only time he went out was when he couldn’t handle work at home or to visit a herbal medicine shop.”
Was it really a delusion caused by his own anxiety? Eden chewed on the thought, uncertain.
“What’s on the shopping list?”
In response to Eden's question, Enon handed over a list of things Diego had bought. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“I underlined the ones I purchase regularly.”
“Raditus?”
Eden's gaze scanned the underlined list again, and then he saw an unfamiliar name.
“They say it was imported from a foreign country. It is said to be a medicinal herb with antipyretic properties.”
Eden's gaze lingered on the name of the herb, Raditus. The name of the herb, which seemed to have an ordinary fever-reducing effect, strangely caught his attention.
“Any other benefits?”
“I haven’t heard anything else.”
Enon answered hesitantly.
“Would you like to know more?”
Just as he was about to answer, a knock shook the silence.
“Your Highness, we have a guest.”
“I don’t think anyone is scheduled to visit.”
The butler nodded at Eden's answer.
“Who is it?”
“This is Count Casper.”
Count Casper was already dead, and now the only person who could be called Count Casper was his son, Owen.
It was reprehensible that he had tried to insult Cecilia, but it was only recently that he had buried it in the name of his mother, Countess Casper.
“What happened?”
“He said he had something he had to tell you. It was something related to Her Highness the Grand Duchess...”
Even if it hadn't been for the mention of Cecilia, the butler wouldn't have informed Eden of his visit.
But, Owen had mentioned Cecilia's name, and the butler could not ignore it. His master, Eden, had told him not to overlook even the smallest thing related to Cecilia.
“Let him in.”
After a moment of silence, Eden gave the order. After the butler said he understood and left, he let Owen in.
“It’s been a long time, Your Highness. I am Owen of House Casper.”
Owen's complexion was somewhat pale. His clothes were also extremely shabby. It was no wonder that he was out of his mind, seeing as his family was suddenly in debt.
“What’s your business?”
Eden asked briefly. It was clearly a tone bordering on hostility, indicating that he had little intention of having a long conversation with him.
“You are investigating James Morak.”
Was he going to ask for help again? It was a completely different topic than he had expected. Eden's eyes sharpened.
“I don’t know about anything else, but I can tell you one thing.”
Owen took a step closer and spoke. Enon reflexively flinched and stopped him in his tracks.
“What do you know?”
Owen chuckled at Eden's question.
“You may think I am being sarcastic, but from my perspective, Her Highness the Grand Duchess is suspicious.”
“...”
“I kept looking around.”
It was an unpleasant conversation. Even Eden didn't attach anyone to Cecilia and her entourage, except Diego.
“By the way, I found out that a certain James Morak had connections with gambling houses. But he also frequented the Grand Duke’s residence frequently.”
“Who are you to dare...”
“James Morak provides Her Royal Highness with herbs regularly.”
Owen smiled as he noticed Eden's eyes shaking.
“There are many people who don’t know about the herb called Raditus because it doesn’t grow in Wyatt.”
“...”
“It is a medicinal herb native to a country called Lederick and is said to be more famous there as a contraceptive.”
First, many people were fooled by Malone's lies. Second, the marriage was blessed by the Emperor himself, and it was the will of God. Third, there were more interesting things to do than to be interested in trivial personal matters.
“The Third Prince won?”
“Wasn’t it the Duke of Burnett whom His Majesty the Emperor had in mind?”
A few days later, the second round of the Crown Prince competition was announced. Most people predicted Eden’s victory, but surprisingly, Damon won. Above all, the fact that the Emperor raised Damon’s hand was particularly significant.
It was proof that the Emperor considered both of them as potential Crown Princes. The nobles of the Empress's faction snorted in excitement.
“She was right, Mother!”
Damon was no different. For Damon, who was filled with a sense of entitlement as a son neglected by his father, the result of the second competition was hope itself.
“That woman?”
The Empress asked in a relaxed voice. Her face was no different than usual, even after his victory.
“There was a woman who told me I would win the second round.”
“You seem to have a discerning eye.”
But there was nothing she could do about her son's excitement. The Empress, like a child, tried to cheer Damon up.
“I met a woman a while ago who said she could see the future.”
“She see the future?”
Damon rambled on and on about his story.
“Can we trust her?”
But the Empress tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression. It was a face that did not seem very trustworthy.
“At first, I didn’t completely believe it, just like my mother.”
“It was like that?”
“But that woman told me that I would definitely win the second competition.”
As much as Damon lacked a bond with his father, the Emperor, he was close to his mother. As a result, he confided many things to her without hesitation.
“She told me to come to her after I won the second competition because she thought I might not trust her. She said she would definitely give me a winning answer.”
Hmm, the Empress snorted with interest and rested her right chin on the back of her hand.
“That’s funny. Who is that?”
At the Empress's question, Damon looked at his mother with an "Oh, my" expression. It was not because of anything else but because he realized that he had overlooked something related to his mother's honor.
“Actually, the place where I met that woman wasn’t a very pleasant place...”
Damon trailed off. The Empress waited with a generous expression for her son to continue speaking.
“It’s the theater company that had strange rumors going around last time.”
Damon tried his best to avoid making unpleasant comments, but it was enough to give an idea.
“I heard that the theater company had reopened, so I went there intending to beat up the theater company owner...”
Damon spoke, glancing at his mother's expression. The Empress had a blank expression on her face as if thinking about something and did not respond.
“There was someone who advised them to put the play on stage. She said it would definitely be a success.”
The Empress quietly rolled her eyes at Damon's words. Damon reflexively flinched as his mother's eyes turned to him.
“Isn’t it too hasty to believe that just based on that?”
It was a somewhat cold tone of voice.
“Just meet her. And whatever she says, don’t just follow her. Come to me and tell me.”
The Empress spoke firmly, demanding an answer with her eyes.
“Do you understand, Damon?”
“I will do that.”
But when there was no immediate answer, a nervous question stabbed Damon. Only then did Damon answer with a determined expression on his face.
“Don’t be complacent because you won the second competition. You’ve worked hard, so go and rest today.”
“Aren’t we going to eat together?”
“I have a bit of a headache. I need to rest.”
At the Empress's words, Damon stood up with a regretful expression. The Empress sent her son away with an expressionless face and called the maid to bring her a pipe.
“Phew.”
Acrid smoke rose into the room. The herbs mixed with the tobacco slowly began to calm her mind.
“What were you thinking..."
The superficial extremism didn't matter. She already knew that Cecilia was the one who controlled that extremism. However, what she couldn't understand was Cecilia's attitude.
“Are you planning to spread false information to defeat Damon?”
It is suspicious and strange that she reveals her identity and helps Damon. However, since the reason was unknown, there was no way to guess her intentions. Unless she was reborn, there would be no reason for Cecilia to betray her husband.
“...”
The Empress, who had been thinking that far, stopped wiggling her toes.
What if she were born again?
***
An unauthorized guest opened Cecilia's bedroom door and sneaked in.
'Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess is enjoying a drink after taking the medicine.'
The identity of the rude guest was Eden. As the owner of the townhouse and Cecilia's companion, no one could stand in his way.
“...”
Cecilia, sitting in the rocking chair by the window, was fast asleep. Eden approached his wife as if possessed. She had taken medicine, and the closer he got, the faint smell of medicine could be smelled.
But even the unpleasant smell was nice because the face revealed under the pouring sunlight was clean and peaceful.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke.”
As he was watching Cecilia, who was sleeping soundly, Madame Monte quietly appeared and called Eden.
“Enon has arrived.”
“I’ll be out soon.”
Eden answered softly. However, he looked back at his wife several times, full of regret. Madam Monte smiled happily like a mother watching her child’s love life.
“Did you find anything special?”
Finally, Eden left Cecilia's bedroom and headed to the office. Enon, who was waiting for Eden, just shook his head.
“Nothing in particular. He don’t even go out that often these days.”
James Morak, or Diego, was not particularly unusual. He had quite a few visitors. But that was because of his work.
“The only time he went out was when he couldn’t handle work at home or to visit a herbal medicine shop.”
Was it really a delusion caused by his own anxiety? Eden chewed on the thought, uncertain.
“What’s on the shopping list?”
In response to Eden's question, Enon handed over a list of things Diego had bought. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“I underlined the ones I purchase regularly.”
“Raditus?”
Eden's gaze scanned the underlined list again, and then he saw an unfamiliar name.
“They say it was imported from a foreign country. It is said to be a medicinal herb with antipyretic properties.”
Eden's gaze lingered on the name of the herb, Raditus. The name of the herb, which seemed to have an ordinary fever-reducing effect, strangely caught his attention.
“Any other benefits?”
“I haven’t heard anything else.”
Enon answered hesitantly.
“Would you like to know more?”
Just as he was about to answer, a knock shook the silence.
“Your Highness, we have a guest.”
“I don’t think anyone is scheduled to visit.”
The butler nodded at Eden's answer.
“Who is it?”
“This is Count Casper.”
Count Casper was already dead, and now the only person who could be called Count Casper was his son, Owen.
It was reprehensible that he had tried to insult Cecilia, but it was only recently that he had buried it in the name of his mother, Countess Casper.
“What happened?”
“He said he had something he had to tell you. It was something related to Her Highness the Grand Duchess...”
Even if it hadn't been for the mention of Cecilia, the butler wouldn't have informed Eden of his visit.
But, Owen had mentioned Cecilia's name, and the butler could not ignore it. His master, Eden, had told him not to overlook even the smallest thing related to Cecilia.
“Let him in.”
After a moment of silence, Eden gave the order. After the butler said he understood and left, he let Owen in.
“It’s been a long time, Your Highness. I am Owen of House Casper.”
Owen's complexion was somewhat pale. His clothes were also extremely shabby. It was no wonder that he was out of his mind, seeing as his family was suddenly in debt.
“What’s your business?”
Eden asked briefly. It was clearly a tone bordering on hostility, indicating that he had little intention of having a long conversation with him.
“You are investigating James Morak.”
Was he going to ask for help again? It was a completely different topic than he had expected. Eden's eyes sharpened.
“I don’t know about anything else, but I can tell you one thing.”
Owen took a step closer and spoke. Enon reflexively flinched and stopped him in his tracks.
“What do you know?”
Owen chuckled at Eden's question.
“You may think I am being sarcastic, but from my perspective, Her Highness the Grand Duchess is suspicious.”
“...”
“I kept looking around.”
It was an unpleasant conversation. Even Eden didn't attach anyone to Cecilia and her entourage, except Diego.
“By the way, I found out that a certain James Morak had connections with gambling houses. But he also frequented the Grand Duke’s residence frequently.”
“Who are you to dare...”
“James Morak provides Her Royal Highness with herbs regularly.”
Owen smiled as he noticed Eden's eyes shaking.
“There are many people who don’t know about the herb called Raditus because it doesn’t grow in Wyatt.”
“...”
“It is a medicinal herb native to a country called Lederick and is said to be more famous there as a contraceptive.”
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