A guard rushed to Cain's side, who was grumbling, unable to contain his anger. When Cain glared at him, the guard shrugged and reported.
“Your Highness, we have captured the Marquis of Amber! Shall we bring him in?”
“What? What did you just say?”
The escort shouted a little louder.
"We've captured the Marquis of Amber! He appears to be fleeing from here to the capital! Should we escort him?"
Cain's fierce eyes gleamed white. He had come here to question the insolent Grand Duchess, but it seemed Kaiser, wandering around, was also there, searching for the cause. Cain made an impatient gesture.
“Bring him here now! Now!”
At his command, the escort immediately brought Kaiser. Kaiser, practically dragged in, looked worn out, as if he'd been wandering around for days. His hair, usually neatly combed back, was disheveled, and his expensive buttons were grimy from neglect.
“Your Highness...”
Kaiser's expression was visibly confused. He seemed oblivious to the reason he was being treated so poorly by Cain. Cain glared at him and then kicked him in the calf.
“Ah!”
Kaiser screamed in pain and fell to his knees. His knees trembled as they hit the dirt floor.
“Your Highness, please tell me what I did wrong...”
“You really don’t know what you did wrong?”
Cain spat in Kaiser's face in anger. Kaiser's face flushed red at the humiliation. But his opponent was the exalted Second Prince. His status as a Marquis meant he couldn't be easily attacked.
“Does the name Marian bring to mind anything?”
“Oh, Marian...”
Kaiser bowed his head deeply at the mention of Marian's name. Something came to mind, and he realized he needed to be even more careful and cautious with his words.
"I thought Your Highness would want Marian anyway. That's why I came here to offer her up. Then I heard that woman, Laila, had taken Marian up to the capital... But then I heard she had returned quickly..."
“Why can’t the smart Marquis Amber speak properly?”
"Please, Your Highness, trust me. I'm indeed incompetent, but I'm not lying at all."
Cain touched Kaiser's shiny cheek and asked. Even in his hand, he could clearly feel Kaiser's cheek trembling with fear.
“But why is the rumor I heard different?”
At the eerie voice, Kaiser's shoulders trembled involuntarily. He had always secretly looked down on Cain, but the pressure from their differences in status was by no means small.
“What are you talking about...”
“I heard you were struggling to keep Marian, whom you were planning to give to me, from being taken away?”
“Your Highness! Do you believe such nonsense?”
At Kaiser's scream, Cain kicked Kaiser in the stomach.
“Ugh...”
Kaiser slumped forward. His finely-grown face was scraped viciously against the dirt, and his teeth clenched with rage. Foolish Cain didn't see it. He was simply venting his anger.
"Rumors are circulating throughout the capital that you coveted the woman who was originally meant to be my wife! Because of that, I became a disloyal bastard who tried to take a mistress without my father's knowledge, and then lost a woman to my subordinate!"
To be honest, it wasn't a wrong statement. After all, Cain already had Eri Eriant as his secret government.
“Are you hiding a woman more beautiful than Eri from me?”
“Your Highness, Your Highness... Have you not seen Marian’s face?”
Kaiser asked, his hands on the dirt floor, pleading. When Cain frowned, as if asking what he meant, Kaiser continued.
"Marian is by no means more beautiful than Lady Eriant. She is merely a more beautiful woman! The rumors are false. Your Highness, I have always supported you..."
Kaiser told his story, the hidden truths of rumors, in detail. But Cain listened with one ear and let it go out the other. He had never been good at listening to others. The only person Cain would listen to was his younger sister, Abigail.
“Did you say everything?”
Cain poked his eardrum and lowered his gaze. He saw Kaiser's hand on the dirt floor. Kaiser had foolishly cut off his pinky finger at his ex-fiancée. It was a clean cut, not unsightly, but it was enough to arouse Cain's evil plans.
“Even if what you say is true, isn’t it also true that I have lost my father's trust?”
Cain chuckled and drew his sword. He then placed it against Kaiser's wrist. Fear flashed in Kaiser's eyes. He remembered the little finger he'd lost in a previous duel. The empty spot twitched.
“Your Highness, please, please, just one chance...”
Crunch.
As usual, Kane didn't listen to much of the story. He simply smiled pleasantly, watching Kaiser's right hand roll across the dirt. Cain kicked the trembling hand and threw it into the grass.
“First, let’s go lock this son of a bitch up in the basement.”
The sergeant standing next to Cain opened his eyes wide and asked cautiously.
“Your Highness, no matter what, he is still a Marquis.”
At those words, the Second Prince spat in the sergeant's face.
"After all, it was I who gave him the title of Marquis! If it weren't for me, how could someone with even a little brains beat out his older brothers and become a Marquis?"
Cain clicked his tongue as he looked at the Duchzan's mansion in the distance. He wanted to cut off that damned bitch's feet, too. The pain in his core, where she'd kicked him, still lingered.
However, even a Prince could not so easily invade the Northern Grand Duke's territory. Even the Emperor would be reluctant to treat the Grand Duke carelessly.
But the only way to meet that woman wasn't necessarily to enter Duchzan's territory. On the contrary, wouldn't it be possible to summon her?
After bathing, I changed into light clothing. It was summer, but the northern air was still a bit chilly. I wrapped myself in a thin shawl and went out alone. The servants bowed to me and continued their work.
“What about the Second Prince?”
“They are fighting with Marquis Amber, who is on his knees.”
“Really? Looks like he's already caught.”
It seemed that the rumors that had been asked of Shuan had finally reached the Second Prince's ears.
At first, I only spread lucrative rumors to bring Marian into Cain's government. But when I learned that Kaiser was Cain's scapegoat, I was filled with rage, but a better idea struck me.
Cain was narrow-minded and could not recognize talent. Therefore, if rumors spread that Kaiser had humiliated him, Cain would quickly grow resentful of him.
But I didn't know it would be this easy... I had prepared several similar rumors, but he fell for them all at once. Cain was so foolish.
Aside from his vengeance, Cain was someone I didn't want as Emperor. If he ascended the throne, the palace would be filled with lavish banquets every day, loyal subjects would perish, and only traitors would thrive.
A messenger came in alone. He stopped to look for Julian.
“You can report to me.”
"But..."
“Report to me. What’s happening outside?”
The messenger noticed. I had replaced all the attendants, but not the soldiers. They had always treated Julian as their superior, and to them, the hostess was merely the superior's wife who had suddenly appeared.
"Understood. Then come with me. I'd like to hear it too. If the Grand Duke permits, I'm sure there will be no objections, right?"
"Yes!"
A look of relief appeared on the messenger's face. It seemed the situation I had presented was quite precarious.
“Where is His Excellency?”
When I asked the attendant waiting nearby, he guided me as if he had been waiting for me.
Julian, as always, was in the study. I went in first, then the messenger. Julian put down his pen and looked at the scout.
The messenger glanced at me for a moment, observing me closely. He was waiting for his superior's order to decide whether or not it was okay to speak in front of me.
I wasn't that nervous. This was something that concerned me, so it was only natural for me to know.
But Julian said more than that.
“You may speak. Madam is the mistress of this mansion, so it does not matter if he knows anything.”
Those words pierced my heart.
I knew it was just a sense of responsibility. Julian may look scary, but he's a man of integrity. Even if it's a political marriage, he probably wants to protect his wife.
But for the first time, I had a warm husband. I was glad that our relationship, which had always been a burden to me, was truly protecting me.
As I listened quietly with my hands clasped together, the messenger finally opened his mouth.
"His Highness the Second Prince has cut off the hand of the Marquis Amber. He has decided to escort the Marquis Amber away and retreat for now, heading towards the capital."
"What?"
Although I wanted Cain to kick out Kaiser, I was the one who wanted to cut off his hands and feet. I was distraught at the thought of losing that role.
I sent the messenger away with a frown. Perhaps because of what Julian had said earlier, the messenger obediently retreated at my command. After I had even bitten Anna, I approached the desk where Julian sat.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“Yes. I have a suggestion.”
At my words, Julian pulled a chair next to him. He meant for me to sit down instead of standing. I considered standing, but then quickly sat down.
Julian's knees and mine touched. The touch felt ticklish, so I straightened up and pulled my knees toward mine.
"There's no way the Second Prince would forgive me like this. He'll summon me when he returns to the capital."
“You don’t have to go.”
If all I wanted was a life of security and comfort in a mansion, then so be it. Julian was the Emperor's favored nephew, possessing power and land no one could ignore. The Grand Duke's wife, too, had hidden away in the mansion, and that was it. But I didn't desire that kind of life.
“Then I will never be able to attend banquets or get involved in the struggle for the throne, right?”
And my family will die again, falsely accused.
I didn't know what absurd and dishonorable accusations I would face in the future. This time, Cain even had a personal grudge against me. A death even more humiliating than the past awaited me.
I couldn't do that. This time, I would protect my family. Even if it meant burning the remaining days of my life, I would at least ensure their happiness.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
Julian looked at me with calm eyes. I'd once thought those red eyes were frightening. But now, that wasn't the case at all. His clear eyes were honest and kind.
“Did you know that the mine you own produces rare magic stones?”
And unlike Julian, I had a lot to hide.
“Your Highness, we have captured the Marquis of Amber! Shall we bring him in?”
“What? What did you just say?”
The escort shouted a little louder.
"We've captured the Marquis of Amber! He appears to be fleeing from here to the capital! Should we escort him?"
Cain's fierce eyes gleamed white. He had come here to question the insolent Grand Duchess, but it seemed Kaiser, wandering around, was also there, searching for the cause. Cain made an impatient gesture.
“Bring him here now! Now!”
At his command, the escort immediately brought Kaiser. Kaiser, practically dragged in, looked worn out, as if he'd been wandering around for days. His hair, usually neatly combed back, was disheveled, and his expensive buttons were grimy from neglect.
“Your Highness...”
Kaiser's expression was visibly confused. He seemed oblivious to the reason he was being treated so poorly by Cain. Cain glared at him and then kicked him in the calf.
“Ah!”
Kaiser screamed in pain and fell to his knees. His knees trembled as they hit the dirt floor.
“Your Highness, please tell me what I did wrong...”
“You really don’t know what you did wrong?”
Cain spat in Kaiser's face in anger. Kaiser's face flushed red at the humiliation. But his opponent was the exalted Second Prince. His status as a Marquis meant he couldn't be easily attacked.
“Does the name Marian bring to mind anything?”
“Oh, Marian...”
Kaiser bowed his head deeply at the mention of Marian's name. Something came to mind, and he realized he needed to be even more careful and cautious with his words.
"I thought Your Highness would want Marian anyway. That's why I came here to offer her up. Then I heard that woman, Laila, had taken Marian up to the capital... But then I heard she had returned quickly..."
“Why can’t the smart Marquis Amber speak properly?”
"Please, Your Highness, trust me. I'm indeed incompetent, but I'm not lying at all."
Cain touched Kaiser's shiny cheek and asked. Even in his hand, he could clearly feel Kaiser's cheek trembling with fear.
“But why is the rumor I heard different?”
At the eerie voice, Kaiser's shoulders trembled involuntarily. He had always secretly looked down on Cain, but the pressure from their differences in status was by no means small.
“What are you talking about...”
“I heard you were struggling to keep Marian, whom you were planning to give to me, from being taken away?”
“Your Highness! Do you believe such nonsense?”
At Kaiser's scream, Cain kicked Kaiser in the stomach.
“Ugh...”
Kaiser slumped forward. His finely-grown face was scraped viciously against the dirt, and his teeth clenched with rage. Foolish Cain didn't see it. He was simply venting his anger.
"Rumors are circulating throughout the capital that you coveted the woman who was originally meant to be my wife! Because of that, I became a disloyal bastard who tried to take a mistress without my father's knowledge, and then lost a woman to my subordinate!"
To be honest, it wasn't a wrong statement. After all, Cain already had Eri Eriant as his secret government.
“Are you hiding a woman more beautiful than Eri from me?”
“Your Highness, Your Highness... Have you not seen Marian’s face?”
Kaiser asked, his hands on the dirt floor, pleading. When Cain frowned, as if asking what he meant, Kaiser continued.
"Marian is by no means more beautiful than Lady Eriant. She is merely a more beautiful woman! The rumors are false. Your Highness, I have always supported you..."
Kaiser told his story, the hidden truths of rumors, in detail. But Cain listened with one ear and let it go out the other. He had never been good at listening to others. The only person Cain would listen to was his younger sister, Abigail.
“Did you say everything?”
Cain poked his eardrum and lowered his gaze. He saw Kaiser's hand on the dirt floor. Kaiser had foolishly cut off his pinky finger at his ex-fiancée. It was a clean cut, not unsightly, but it was enough to arouse Cain's evil plans.
“Even if what you say is true, isn’t it also true that I have lost my father's trust?”
Cain chuckled and drew his sword. He then placed it against Kaiser's wrist. Fear flashed in Kaiser's eyes. He remembered the little finger he'd lost in a previous duel. The empty spot twitched.
“Your Highness, please, please, just one chance...”
Crunch.
As usual, Kane didn't listen to much of the story. He simply smiled pleasantly, watching Kaiser's right hand roll across the dirt. Cain kicked the trembling hand and threw it into the grass.
“First, let’s go lock this son of a bitch up in the basement.”
The sergeant standing next to Cain opened his eyes wide and asked cautiously.
“Your Highness, no matter what, he is still a Marquis.”
At those words, the Second Prince spat in the sergeant's face.
"After all, it was I who gave him the title of Marquis! If it weren't for me, how could someone with even a little brains beat out his older brothers and become a Marquis?"
Cain clicked his tongue as he looked at the Duchzan's mansion in the distance. He wanted to cut off that damned bitch's feet, too. The pain in his core, where she'd kicked him, still lingered.
However, even a Prince could not so easily invade the Northern Grand Duke's territory. Even the Emperor would be reluctant to treat the Grand Duke carelessly.
But the only way to meet that woman wasn't necessarily to enter Duchzan's territory. On the contrary, wouldn't it be possible to summon her?
***
After bathing, I changed into light clothing. It was summer, but the northern air was still a bit chilly. I wrapped myself in a thin shawl and went out alone. The servants bowed to me and continued their work.
“What about the Second Prince?”
“They are fighting with Marquis Amber, who is on his knees.”
“Really? Looks like he's already caught.”
It seemed that the rumors that had been asked of Shuan had finally reached the Second Prince's ears.
At first, I only spread lucrative rumors to bring Marian into Cain's government. But when I learned that Kaiser was Cain's scapegoat, I was filled with rage, but a better idea struck me.
Cain was narrow-minded and could not recognize talent. Therefore, if rumors spread that Kaiser had humiliated him, Cain would quickly grow resentful of him.
But I didn't know it would be this easy... I had prepared several similar rumors, but he fell for them all at once. Cain was so foolish.
Aside from his vengeance, Cain was someone I didn't want as Emperor. If he ascended the throne, the palace would be filled with lavish banquets every day, loyal subjects would perish, and only traitors would thrive.
A messenger came in alone. He stopped to look for Julian.
“You can report to me.”
"But..."
“Report to me. What’s happening outside?”
The messenger noticed. I had replaced all the attendants, but not the soldiers. They had always treated Julian as their superior, and to them, the hostess was merely the superior's wife who had suddenly appeared.
"Understood. Then come with me. I'd like to hear it too. If the Grand Duke permits, I'm sure there will be no objections, right?"
"Yes!"
A look of relief appeared on the messenger's face. It seemed the situation I had presented was quite precarious.
“Where is His Excellency?”
When I asked the attendant waiting nearby, he guided me as if he had been waiting for me.
Julian, as always, was in the study. I went in first, then the messenger. Julian put down his pen and looked at the scout.
The messenger glanced at me for a moment, observing me closely. He was waiting for his superior's order to decide whether or not it was okay to speak in front of me.
I wasn't that nervous. This was something that concerned me, so it was only natural for me to know.
But Julian said more than that.
“You may speak. Madam is the mistress of this mansion, so it does not matter if he knows anything.”
Those words pierced my heart.
I knew it was just a sense of responsibility. Julian may look scary, but he's a man of integrity. Even if it's a political marriage, he probably wants to protect his wife.
But for the first time, I had a warm husband. I was glad that our relationship, which had always been a burden to me, was truly protecting me.
As I listened quietly with my hands clasped together, the messenger finally opened his mouth.
"His Highness the Second Prince has cut off the hand of the Marquis Amber. He has decided to escort the Marquis Amber away and retreat for now, heading towards the capital."
"What?"
Although I wanted Cain to kick out Kaiser, I was the one who wanted to cut off his hands and feet. I was distraught at the thought of losing that role.
I sent the messenger away with a frown. Perhaps because of what Julian had said earlier, the messenger obediently retreated at my command. After I had even bitten Anna, I approached the desk where Julian sat.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“Yes. I have a suggestion.”
At my words, Julian pulled a chair next to him. He meant for me to sit down instead of standing. I considered standing, but then quickly sat down.
Julian's knees and mine touched. The touch felt ticklish, so I straightened up and pulled my knees toward mine.
"There's no way the Second Prince would forgive me like this. He'll summon me when he returns to the capital."
“You don’t have to go.”
If all I wanted was a life of security and comfort in a mansion, then so be it. Julian was the Emperor's favored nephew, possessing power and land no one could ignore. The Grand Duke's wife, too, had hidden away in the mansion, and that was it. But I didn't desire that kind of life.
“Then I will never be able to attend banquets or get involved in the struggle for the throne, right?”
And my family will die again, falsely accused.
I didn't know what absurd and dishonorable accusations I would face in the future. This time, Cain even had a personal grudge against me. A death even more humiliating than the past awaited me.
I couldn't do that. This time, I would protect my family. Even if it meant burning the remaining days of my life, I would at least ensure their happiness.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
Julian looked at me with calm eyes. I'd once thought those red eyes were frightening. But now, that wasn't the case at all. His clear eyes were honest and kind.
“Did you know that the mine you own produces rare magic stones?”
And unlike Julian, I had a lot to hide.
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