Chapter 24.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
The butler, Dave, entered the Lavender Room and greeted with perfect decorum. But the warm welcome he expected from being summoned by Rozea turned out to be a cold rebuke.
“I didn’t realize the Spes Duchy had fallen into such dire straits while we were out of touch. Judging from the young lady’s meals, it’s pitiful.”
Dave’s face turned pale. He had also just seen Eluana’s table. It was no different from what the maids were fed.
Instead of asking what had happened, Dave bowed his head immediately.
“It’s my fault.”
Eluana quickly added, feeling like she was unnecessarily tormenting him.
“It’s suitable enough for breakfast. Washing with cold water is fine too. It’s not like it’s a full bath….”
At the mention of washing her face with cold water, Dave’s face lost even more color. His shock was so visible that Eluana shut her mouth.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’
Rozea began scolding Dave with the fierceness of an ogre.
It felt strange to see someone she’d just met getting worked up about how she was being treated. No doubt, Cindy would be punished severely over this.
Eluana knew Cindy was neglectful in her duties. She simply let it be because it was easier that way. With everything on her mind, she didn’t have the energy to deal with someone constantly chattering beside her.
Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, Eluana watched as their one-sided conversation came to an end. Rozea, now wearing a kind grandmotherly expression again, spoke.
“I’d like to see the young master.”
“Ah, yes. Louis is in the next room.”
With an awkward smile, Eluana led the way.
It was still early, and Louis was probably still asleep, but she figured it was better to move for Dave’s sake. Rozea and Dave followed naturally behind Eluana toward the Daisy Room.
When they opened the door, Rozea let out a sigh. Hair was scattered on the floor. As she glared again, Dave dropped his head.
“This way is the bedroom. Louis, we’re coming in.”
As Eluana opened the door, Louis, lying in the center of the bed, stirred and sat up.
“Sis?”
Rozea’s face twisted as if she might cry at the sight of Louis.
“So this is the little one.”
Still groggy, Louis smiled in response to her gentle tone.
“Hello. I’m Louis.”
There wasn’t a trace of noble decorum in him either. But to Rozea, he only looked adorable.
“I’m Rozea Lys. What a lovely young boy you are.”
Louis blinked his pink eyes a few times and then asked, as if confirming the kindness being shown.
“Am I pretty?”
“Of course. You’re the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen.”
As Louis’s eyes rolled around, he spotted Dave and gave a big grin.
“That’s a relief. Even though Louis is a burden, it’s okay if I’m pretty, right?”
Eluana, Rozea, and Dave all froze at once. Eluana was the first to recover, kneeling to meet Louis’s eyes.
“Who told you that, Louis?”
Louis answered with a bright smile.
“Cindy.”
And with that, Cindy’s fate was sealed.
*
A vase smashed into the wall with a loud crash, shattering into hundreds of sharp shards. The Empress, still furious, kept hurling anything within reach. Glass shattered, wood splintered—destruction echoed throughout the Ruby Room, one of her twenty chambers and the most beautiful, or so they said. Now, it was a wreck. But even then, her anger had not cooled.
Sweeping her fiery red hair back, the Empress glared at her son, Regis. Her crimson eyes blazed menacingly, and Regis swallowed nervously.
“M-Mother.”
“Do you not understand the significance of me sending you to Aden?”
“I do. But didn’t I take care of things?”
Regis responded meekly. This time, a jewel box flew across the room. Smash.
Still unable to calm her rage, the Empress screamed again.
“Spes Duchy knights are scouring Aden, and you call that taken care of?”
“They won’t find anything. Even Duke Spes won’t notice.”
Regis blinked and tried to spin it positively.
“You think that’s acceptable?”
“Even if they find it, they’ll just think it’s an old ruin.”
Only then did the Empress realize—Regis had no idea how serious this was.
If they hadn’t imprisoned Ron Vita’s child, things wouldn’t have escalated. They could’ve taken the children to the Duke’s estate, leaving just a few behind to wait for the traveling Ron Vita.
But Spes Duke, having seen the children’s condition, launched a wide search for Ron Vita, sending knights all over Aden and nearby territories. If they stumbled upon the northern forest and discovered its secret, House Fortuna was finished.
The Emperor would use this to pressure her, questioning Regis’s qualifications and weakening their position.
To make matters worse, they lost Kazar—the opportunity to ruin Princess Mahel and the entire Bellua Kingdom was gone.
“Prince, have you heard from Princess Mahel?”
“Not yet, but she won’t decline the invitation.”
Regis added cautiously, sensing his mother’s rising irritation.
“If you’re worried about losing that Kazar bastard, don’t be. We cut all ties cleanly. No matter how hard Bellua tries, they’ll never find ‘Jay of the Deep Night.’”
“You think the 4th prince will let this go?”
“He hasn’t returned yet. He was poisoned with Redfire, remember? Even if he’s alive, he’s probably disabled. That poison isn’t easy to cure. We confirmed Duke Spes didn’t take him.”
“He passed through a teleport gate, so he’s alive. We don’t know what he’s doing now, but if he returns, it’ll be trouble.”
“He has no evidence. No one will believe Kazar’s words.”
“You’re the one who said he escaped with Ron Vita’s daughter. Who knows, she might testify for him.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. He abandoned Eluana Vita while escaping. No way she’ll stand up for him.”
The Empress stared at her foolish son.
“There’s nothing in this world you can be certain of.”
Not fate. Not love. Not people. She sighed quietly.
She wanted to sigh every time their eyes met. But she had no alternative—Regis was all she had. There was a relatively sane princess, but a woman couldn’t become emperor. A female successor was symbolic, nothing more.
‘I should’ve had another son.’
But it was too late. The Emperor was already enamored with his fifth wife.
As the Empress finally stopped throwing things, a waiting maid approached.
“Marquis Pegimul has sent a letter.”
“Give it to me.”
She snatched the letter, and as she read, her eyes sharpened at Regis.
“Prince, did you touch Ron Vita?”
“What? I tried to kill him, but we couldn’t find him.”
“The Spes knights found his body last night. He was already dead. There was a sword wound, and depending on the circumstances, we might be blamed.”
“I swear it wasn’t me. If it had been, I wouldn’t have left a trace.”
Regis raised both hands in protest.
“Fine. I believe you.”
The Empress stroked her chin, deep in thought.
She hadn’t really suspected Regis—she just asked to confirm. Everything Regis did reached her eventually. All his attendants, guards, even his maids, were her people.
If it wasn’t Regis or Marquis Pegimul—then who?
‘Coincidence?’
No, no such thing. Death never comes by chance—it only looks that way.
She wanted to investigate further, but moving rashly could bring suspicion. She would have to closely monitor the Spes Duchy for a while.
‘This is a headache.’
She glared at her carefree son again, but nothing changed.
She resumed reading the letter. As she got to the latter half, her expression sharpened even more.
“Impossible…”
The Empress crushed the letter and turned to Regis.
He sensed something was wrong and stepped back cautiously.
Then she spoke.
“Prince, did you strike Ron Vita’s children?”
“What? Yes, just the girl.”
“Duke Spes has decided to adopt them.”
“Then…”
“If the Duke remains unmarried, they’ll be the most likely heirs.”
The Empress pressed her temples. Her nonexistent headache was starting.
“Shabia really miscalculated. She bragged about becoming Duchess and birthing the next heir.”
Regis scoffed, thinking of his ever-proud cousin.
“You should be worried about your own standing. You think those kids will support you after being imprisoned and beaten? I told you not to antagonize the Spes Duchy.”
“Mother, I don’t need their help to become Emperor. I’ll be named Crown Prince next month.”
“You know the 5th prince’s faction is doing everything to delay that, right?”
“…Yes.”
“What if the Spes Duke sides with the 5th prince at this critical time?”
“Uh, then…”
“The Emperor already dotes on the 5th prince. If Spes supports him too, our influence shrinks.”
And rumors about Regis beating a young noble lady would ruin his reputation.
It was fine to kill maids or attendants. They were the Empress’s people, and she could cover it up. But hitting a noble? An adopted daughter of Duke Spes? That was another matter.
“You don’t touch nobles. If you want to eliminate them, do it quietly. Leave no traces. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Empress tossed the crumpled letter onto the floor.
“The Duke is in the capital. This is your chance. Go find the girl.”
