Episode 79. Light and Shadow in the Palace
“Is it your father’s doing?”
“What are you talking about as soon as you wake up?”
Her nerves, already on edge because of the Grand Duke, became even more tense.
“Giving your father that look? Who did you take after to be so unruly? You look fine, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
This was not the typical affectionate father and daughter.
He turned his back on Diana and was about to leave the room.
However, a sharp voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Father!!”
He stopped in his tracks at Diana’s scream and slowly turned around.
“Without shame, who taught you to shout like that?”
The Princess stared at her father with blank eyes.
“I didn’t want to believe it...”
Were all her suspicions true?
The former Emperor, the former Empress, and even her own mother... Did her father kill them all?
This incident shattered the faith she'd held onto in her father.
"Really... You changed my brother's wine to poisoned wine."
Diana was deeply distraught, confronted with the truth she didn't want to believe.
Even when the Grand Duke of Artaeum told her all this, she didn't believe him. And because she didn't believe him, she accepted his offer.
It never occurred to her that her father would poison her wine.
If nothing happened, the trauma of poisoning wouldn't come back to her...
However, her hopes were shattered.
She didn't want to believe the truth unfolding before her eyes, but the reality was cruel.
Diana bit her lower lip and struggled to open her mouth.
"...How many people do you have to kill to be satisfied, Father?"
Diana's gaze at the Emperor wavered like an aspen leaf.
"What nonsense?"
Unlike her, the Emperor seemed remarkably calm.
"Didn't you... kill him right before my eyes?"
The Princess's voice trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut, looking utterly exhausted as she spoke.
Diana swallowed hard and stared at her father. Then she muttered softly,
"You gave my uncle poison..."
The Emperor glared at Diana with a cold gaze. She had just spoken of the taboo subject of poisoning right in front of her.
Diana had three memories she wished to forget.
First, the death of her biological mother. Second, the death of the late Empress, who had loved her more than anyone else, even after losing her mother at a young age. And finally, the death of the late Emperor.
She was the unfortunate child who was the first to witness these three deaths.
While her mother's death was the most heartbreaking, the most shocking was the death of the Empress.
The Empress had met her death before Diana's eyes.
The image of the Empress coughing up blood and collapsing while they were enjoying a snack was vivid even years later.
Although she had experienced the death of her own mother, after witnessing someone die before her eyes, she found it difficult to lead a normal life.
Having lost anyone to rely on, Diana found strength in the form of the Grand Duke of Artaeum and her uncle, the late Emperor.
The Grand Duke, in particular, shared an understanding of losing his mother at a young age, allowing her to become even closer.
The Emperor looked at Diana with cold eyes.
“You speak so blasphemously, Diana.”
He sighed deeply and continued silently.
“You know how much I respected my brother.”
The Emperor slowly approached the Princess.
“Our friendship was truly extraordinary. I respected my brother. He was a great Emperor.”
A wistful look appeared on his face, as if reminiscing about the past.
The Emperor truly admired his brother.
Unlike himself, he was capable of everything. Although they were born from the same womb, the late Emperor and his own abilities were strikingly different. It was his fate to be compared from birth.
He and the late Emperor were like light and shadow.
Compared to the shining Emperor, who received praise from all, he was nothing but a mere figure. He had never received the love and attention of his parents.
While everyone else focused on his older brother, Diana's biological mother alone had looked upon him.
She was a palace maid at the time, and their status was different, but that didn't matter.
He loved Diana's biological mother that much.
But why did he kill such a woman?
The Emperor, recalling the deceased Emperor and Diana's biological mother, hardened his expression.
"The person I believed without a doubt was my woman, and now I know she actually loves my older brother..."
He couldn't help but be furious that his brother, who possessed everything, had stolen his woman's heart.
The only thing he had was taken away by his brother.
His admiration for the former Emperor had grown beyond resentment and into rage.
His suppressed anger erupted cruelly.
The Emperor, who had already approached Diana, lifted her chin with his finger and said softly,
"You remind me of my late brother."
The Emperor's gaze on Diana was strange.
Her kind blue eyes, her straight nose, and her thick lips—everything resembled his older brother's.
Perhaps that was why he felt so distant.
Deep within the Emperor's heart, the suspicion lingered that Diana was not his daughter.
He thought Diana was his brother's blood, and that's why he killed her biological mother.
Diana flinched at the Emperor's strangely creepy gaze. The way he looked at her was so unnaturally chilling.
Diana was overwhelmed by her father's gaze.
However, she couldn't back down like this. She opened her trembling mouth with difficulty.
"I... saw it all. That day, my father personally administered the drug to my uncle."
The Emperor's previously calm expression suddenly twisted into a chilling expression.
"You saw...? How? There was clearly no one there."
On the day of the crime, Diana had been playing hide-and-seek with the Grand Duke, hiding in an unused warehouse-like room.
She giggled as she waited for the Grand Duke, dozing off, only to be awakened by the sound of the late Emperor and her father entering.
Rubbing her hazy eyes, Diana was about to call him "Father," but she had no choice but to cover her mouth.
Because her father was stuffing something into her uncle's mouth, limp and limp. He was gulping down an unknown liquid for the half-unconscious former Emperor.
Young Diana covered her mouth and trembled at the sight she saw. Then she lost consciousness.
A few hours later, she regained consciousness and quickly checked the room. There was no one else in the room besides her.
'Yes, that's why I thought it was a dream.'
She had thought it was a scary dream. But she couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
Diana went to check on her uncle, who was still walking around, and found him collapsed in his study.
"East of the palace, in the room where the art is stored. You killed him there, didn't you?"
"...!"
The Emperor flinched and shook at Diana's words. She wasn't just saying it. Her words were accurate.
"I saw it all..."
They say there are no perfect secrets in the world, but who would have thought his own daughter had seen her crime?
The Emperor let out a low sigh. Gently rubbing the bridge of his nose, he didn't take his eyes off her.
Diana tensed under the chilling gaze of her father, who was staring at her.
It was the gaze of a ferocious beast, as if it were about to tear her windpipe apart at any moment.
"...Diana,"
He said in a low voice, his lips quivering.
"What do you think of me? As much as their deaths were a shock to you, I still miss you, my brother."
The Emperor slowly stroked her face.
"You truly resemble my brother. It's hard to believe you're my daughter."
The Emperor's caressing hands held no trace of affection.
"Especially... your gaze right now, it almost makes me think I'm staring into my brother's eyes, my child."
Rose trailed off, and the Grand Duke seemed to hesitate, then quickly opened his mouth.
“The confession at the banquet hall was truly impressive.”
“Ah...!”
She had completely forgotten that she had made a confession that wasn’t really a confession to him.
‘That’s right. I forgot to explain it to the Grand Duke!’
Rose’s eyes seemed to indicate that he was urging her to explain.
‘You might have been offended. Because I confessed publicly, having just gotten divorced.’
Perhaps he thought that her confession had blocked his bright future...
Besides, she confessed with completely impure intentions. He must be incredibly offended that she used him as a means to get Eric off of her.
Rose hastily bowed her head and apologized.
“I’m truly sorry. If I offended you, I apologize!”
Rose thought it was just a means to get Eric off of her, but he didn’t feel that way.
The Grand Duke found Rose’s helpless appearance simply adorable.
He was simply amazed by her courage in trying to win him over in front of so many nobles.
Rose wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said,
“Please forget everything I said. I had no intention of stopping the Grand Duke from getting married!”
Rose muttered, rolling her large eyes.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum was puzzled by Rose’s insistence on pretending it never happened.
“Why are you suggesting we pretend it never happened?”
After confessing her hidden feelings so confidently, why are you pretending it never happened? What on earth was she thinking?
“Is it your father’s doing?”
“What are you talking about as soon as you wake up?”
Her nerves, already on edge because of the Grand Duke, became even more tense.
“Giving your father that look? Who did you take after to be so unruly? You look fine, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
This was not the typical affectionate father and daughter.
He turned his back on Diana and was about to leave the room.
However, a sharp voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Father!!”
He stopped in his tracks at Diana’s scream and slowly turned around.
“Without shame, who taught you to shout like that?”
The Princess stared at her father with blank eyes.
“I didn’t want to believe it...”
Were all her suspicions true?
The former Emperor, the former Empress, and even her own mother... Did her father kill them all?
This incident shattered the faith she'd held onto in her father.
"Really... You changed my brother's wine to poisoned wine."
Diana was deeply distraught, confronted with the truth she didn't want to believe.
Even when the Grand Duke of Artaeum told her all this, she didn't believe him. And because she didn't believe him, she accepted his offer.
It never occurred to her that her father would poison her wine.
If nothing happened, the trauma of poisoning wouldn't come back to her...
However, her hopes were shattered.
She didn't want to believe the truth unfolding before her eyes, but the reality was cruel.
Diana bit her lower lip and struggled to open her mouth.
"...How many people do you have to kill to be satisfied, Father?"
Diana's gaze at the Emperor wavered like an aspen leaf.
"What nonsense?"
Unlike her, the Emperor seemed remarkably calm.
"Didn't you... kill him right before my eyes?"
The Princess's voice trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut, looking utterly exhausted as she spoke.
Diana swallowed hard and stared at her father. Then she muttered softly,
"You gave my uncle poison..."
The Emperor glared at Diana with a cold gaze. She had just spoken of the taboo subject of poisoning right in front of her.
Diana had three memories she wished to forget.
First, the death of her biological mother. Second, the death of the late Empress, who had loved her more than anyone else, even after losing her mother at a young age. And finally, the death of the late Emperor.
She was the unfortunate child who was the first to witness these three deaths.
While her mother's death was the most heartbreaking, the most shocking was the death of the Empress.
The Empress had met her death before Diana's eyes.
The image of the Empress coughing up blood and collapsing while they were enjoying a snack was vivid even years later.
Although she had experienced the death of her own mother, after witnessing someone die before her eyes, she found it difficult to lead a normal life.
Having lost anyone to rely on, Diana found strength in the form of the Grand Duke of Artaeum and her uncle, the late Emperor.
The Grand Duke, in particular, shared an understanding of losing his mother at a young age, allowing her to become even closer.
The Emperor looked at Diana with cold eyes.
“You speak so blasphemously, Diana.”
He sighed deeply and continued silently.
“You know how much I respected my brother.”
The Emperor slowly approached the Princess.
“Our friendship was truly extraordinary. I respected my brother. He was a great Emperor.”
A wistful look appeared on his face, as if reminiscing about the past.
The Emperor truly admired his brother.
Unlike himself, he was capable of everything. Although they were born from the same womb, the late Emperor and his own abilities were strikingly different. It was his fate to be compared from birth.
He and the late Emperor were like light and shadow.
Compared to the shining Emperor, who received praise from all, he was nothing but a mere figure. He had never received the love and attention of his parents.
While everyone else focused on his older brother, Diana's biological mother alone had looked upon him.
She was a palace maid at the time, and their status was different, but that didn't matter.
He loved Diana's biological mother that much.
But why did he kill such a woman?
The Emperor, recalling the deceased Emperor and Diana's biological mother, hardened his expression.
"The person I believed without a doubt was my woman, and now I know she actually loves my older brother..."
He couldn't help but be furious that his brother, who possessed everything, had stolen his woman's heart.
The only thing he had was taken away by his brother.
His admiration for the former Emperor had grown beyond resentment and into rage.
His suppressed anger erupted cruelly.
The Emperor, who had already approached Diana, lifted her chin with his finger and said softly,
"You remind me of my late brother."
The Emperor's gaze on Diana was strange.
Her kind blue eyes, her straight nose, and her thick lips—everything resembled his older brother's.
Perhaps that was why he felt so distant.
Deep within the Emperor's heart, the suspicion lingered that Diana was not his daughter.
He thought Diana was his brother's blood, and that's why he killed her biological mother.
Diana flinched at the Emperor's strangely creepy gaze. The way he looked at her was so unnaturally chilling.
Diana was overwhelmed by her father's gaze.
However, she couldn't back down like this. She opened her trembling mouth with difficulty.
"I... saw it all. That day, my father personally administered the drug to my uncle."
The Emperor's previously calm expression suddenly twisted into a chilling expression.
"You saw...? How? There was clearly no one there."
On the day of the crime, Diana had been playing hide-and-seek with the Grand Duke, hiding in an unused warehouse-like room.
She giggled as she waited for the Grand Duke, dozing off, only to be awakened by the sound of the late Emperor and her father entering.
Rubbing her hazy eyes, Diana was about to call him "Father," but she had no choice but to cover her mouth.
Because her father was stuffing something into her uncle's mouth, limp and limp. He was gulping down an unknown liquid for the half-unconscious former Emperor.
Young Diana covered her mouth and trembled at the sight she saw. Then she lost consciousness.
A few hours later, she regained consciousness and quickly checked the room. There was no one else in the room besides her.
'Yes, that's why I thought it was a dream.'
She had thought it was a scary dream. But she couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
Diana went to check on her uncle, who was still walking around, and found him collapsed in his study.
"East of the palace, in the room where the art is stored. You killed him there, didn't you?"
"...!"
The Emperor flinched and shook at Diana's words. She wasn't just saying it. Her words were accurate.
"I saw it all..."
They say there are no perfect secrets in the world, but who would have thought his own daughter had seen her crime?
The Emperor let out a low sigh. Gently rubbing the bridge of his nose, he didn't take his eyes off her.
Diana tensed under the chilling gaze of her father, who was staring at her.
It was the gaze of a ferocious beast, as if it were about to tear her windpipe apart at any moment.
"...Diana,"
He said in a low voice, his lips quivering.
"What do you think of me? As much as their deaths were a shock to you, I still miss you, my brother."
The Emperor slowly stroked her face.
"You truly resemble my brother. It's hard to believe you're my daughter."
The Emperor's caressing hands held no trace of affection.
"Especially... your gaze right now, it almost makes me think I'm staring into my brother's eyes, my child."
For someone who professes to miss you, it was a remarkably aggressive gaze.
"Rest. And stop with your useless fantasies. You're old enough to be married, yet you still confuse dreams with reality. It's truly pathetic."
With those words, the Emperor turned his back on Diana.
“...Father!”
Diana belatedly called her father, but he showed no intention of returning.
The Emperor, with a stiff expression, left Diana’s room.
"Rest. And stop with your useless fantasies. You're old enough to be married, yet you still confuse dreams with reality. It's truly pathetic."
With those words, the Emperor turned his back on Diana.
“...Father!”
Diana belatedly called her father, but he showed no intention of returning.
The Emperor, with a stiff expression, left Diana’s room.
***
Rose boarded the carriage returning to the Artaeum estate with the Grand Duke.
For some reason, the Grand Duke's expression as he looked at her felt quite burdensome.
Sitting next to Rose, he was staring at Rose with his body almost turned away.
Rose glanced at the Grand Duke next to him.
‘Do you have something to say?’
Seeing him giving her such a sincere gaze, she feels like there must be something there...
‘Since he’s not saying anything, maybe he’s not looking at me but staring into space.’
Rose hesitated and moved her body. Then, the Grand Duke's eyes naturally followed her.
It wasn’t an illusion. The Grand Duke of Artaeum was staring at her steadily.
“Um... Grand Duke.”
Rose called the Grand Duke first.
“Yes.”
“If you have something to say...”
For some reason, the Grand Duke's expression as he looked at her felt quite burdensome.
Sitting next to Rose, he was staring at Rose with his body almost turned away.
Rose glanced at the Grand Duke next to him.
‘Do you have something to say?’
Seeing him giving her such a sincere gaze, she feels like there must be something there...
‘Since he’s not saying anything, maybe he’s not looking at me but staring into space.’
Rose hesitated and moved her body. Then, the Grand Duke's eyes naturally followed her.
It wasn’t an illusion. The Grand Duke of Artaeum was staring at her steadily.
“Um... Grand Duke.”
Rose called the Grand Duke first.
“Yes.”
“If you have something to say...”
Rose trailed off, and the Grand Duke seemed to hesitate, then quickly opened his mouth.
“The confession at the banquet hall was truly impressive.”
“Ah...!”
She had completely forgotten that she had made a confession that wasn’t really a confession to him.
‘That’s right. I forgot to explain it to the Grand Duke!’
Rose’s eyes seemed to indicate that he was urging her to explain.
‘You might have been offended. Because I confessed publicly, having just gotten divorced.’
Perhaps he thought that her confession had blocked his bright future...
Besides, she confessed with completely impure intentions. He must be incredibly offended that she used him as a means to get Eric off of her.
Rose hastily bowed her head and apologized.
“I’m truly sorry. If I offended you, I apologize!”
Rose thought it was just a means to get Eric off of her, but he didn’t feel that way.
The Grand Duke found Rose’s helpless appearance simply adorable.
He was simply amazed by her courage in trying to win him over in front of so many nobles.
Rose wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said,
“Please forget everything I said. I had no intention of stopping the Grand Duke from getting married!”
Rose muttered, rolling her large eyes.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum was puzzled by Rose’s insistence on pretending it never happened.
“Why are you suggesting we pretend it never happened?”
After confessing her hidden feelings so confidently, why are you pretending it never happened? What on earth was she thinking?
'Perhaps she doesn’t even think I have any feelings for her?'
If that were true, then her actions made sense. After all, love isn't a one-way street.
The Grand Duke, determined to show Rose some affection, opened his mouth leisurely.
"It's okay."
Rose finally felt at ease at the sight of the Grand Duke's smile.
But that was only for a moment, as the Grand Duke's next words left her momentarily taken aback.
"Because I'll just marry you."
"Cough, cough!"
Marriage? Did I hear correctly?
The Grand Duke, who had barely survived, suddenly became strange.
If that were true, then her actions made sense. After all, love isn't a one-way street.
The Grand Duke, determined to show Rose some affection, opened his mouth leisurely.
"It's okay."
Rose finally felt at ease at the sight of the Grand Duke's smile.
But that was only for a moment, as the Grand Duke's next words left her momentarily taken aback.
"Because I'll just marry you."
"Cough, cough!"
Marriage? Did I hear correctly?
The Grand Duke, who had barely survived, suddenly became strange.
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