IMNTI CHAPTER 58

CHAPTER 58

“Hmm, well that makes more sense. So the person who plagiarized copied that failed wine?”

“I-I don’t know why they’d copy a failure instead of something already being sold—oh! I mean, not that they should copy anything at all!”

“I understand. Even if orders have been backed up lately, if someone was going to go this far, they could’ve easily gotten rosé through other means.”

“Y-Yes…”

“Maybe they mistook it for a new product in development. If they were trying to avoid accusations by adding subtle differences instead of copying it exactly, then it would’ve been the perfect material.”

Albert Rosé fell silent, lips pressed into a tight line. His expression was filled with guilt, making him look so remorseful that it was hard not to feel sorry for him.

“Do you know the person’s name?”

“They only said they were a noble from the East. Their clothing certainly matched that claim.”

“Understood. Don’t let it weigh on you too much. Use this situation as a stepping stone to rise higher.”

“I sincerely apologize. If only I’d been more cautious…”

“Baron, I’ve already accepted your apology. And honestly, you might have a harder time going forward because of this, so I should be the one apologizing to you.”

“Please don’t say that! Absolutely not!”

“All right, then shall we call it even?”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Look at him still trying to be polite—he might seem easygoing, but he’s surprisingly stubborn. Then again, maybe it’s that kind of personality that’s helped him keep trying new blends despite so many failures.

“Now, shall we get started on rising up?”

Luisa smiled faintly.

“Remember that sparkling wine we talked about last time?”

“Ah! That bubbly one…!”

“Yes. Let’s pop it open in style this time.”

A sly smile crept onto Luisa’s lips. While Albert Rosé was distracted with thoughts of sparkling wine, she fully intended to catch the plagiarist, make sure they couldn’t even release the product, and watch their investment go down the drain.

Meanwhile…

Raphael gazed into the distance and let out a long sigh. His blue eyes, the color of the sky, were clouded with concern.

He should have been completely focused on the subjugation and purification efforts that began as soon as he arrived at the Eastern Temple. But despite the chaos, his thoughts were elsewhere.

‘I was going to monitor the situation for a few days, then go see Luisa… but of all times, I get tied into this schedule.’

Being far away from Luisa made unease well up in his heart. If she were in the North, he might’ve felt more at ease—but having her in the capital with the Empress unsettled him.

Had he not known the truth, he might have brushed it off. But as soon as he heard the rumors about Luisa’s supposed terminal illness, Raphael had used his information network to trace the source—and what he discovered shattered that illusion.

Because the source turned out to be a maid from the Empress’s palace. One who wouldn’t act without orders. Which meant—

‘Why go after Luisa?’

He could understand being cast aside. If the Empress had rejected him outright, he would’ve quietly accepted it. But her current behavior baffled him.

His open loyalty to the temple, seemingly in defiance of the emperor, made it clear to anyone that he had no ambitions for the throne.

And though the emperor had forced him into an engagement with Luisa in an attempt to rein him in, it was still just an engagement. The Empress, who had watched him all this time, should know what that meant…

“Commander, we’ve stationed knights at each of the perimeter points.”

“…Then have the rest search the surrounding area.”

Raphael briefly stopped thinking, then gestured to the deputy commander behind him with a short wave.

He hadn’t intended to come—Chancellor Bedaal had insisted that Bella couldn’t be sent to the East without the commander of the Holy Knights, so here he was.

At first, he thought it a waste of manpower. Bella constantly trying to chat had only annoyed him. But now, seeing the actual conditions, he figured it was for the best.

No monsters had yet appeared in the East, but the rapid spread of demonic energy from the corrupted sanctification meant the defensive barriers might soon fail—there was ample cause for concern.

Still, even in such a dire situation, Raphael’s thoughts remained tangled.

‘You said you knew what you were doing…’

Thinking of the Empress again, Raphael clenched his jaw.

‘…But was it truly just an engagement?’

His actions contradicted that. He had approached Luisa out of curiosity, then out of growing interest—hardly what someone planning a breakup would do.

‘Maybe that’s it…’

Maybe the Empress had seen through him, seen his interest in Luisa. That would explain a lot.

‘She’s trying to keep me in check just in case.’

After all, how could she fully accept the former Empress’s child?

Even if she pretended to show him care, Raphael had always seen it as mere formality or sympathy.

Not that he meant to belittle her efforts. He understood the political game well enough to appreciate her position. Even the way her eyes occasionally dulled when looking at him…

“The prince has arrived? What brings our son…”

“Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty.”

“Ah.”

“…”

“Welcome, Prince.”

But that had been rare.

When Raphael was young, those moments could be counted on one hand. They passed so quickly that unless he’d been sensitive to the emotions around him, he might not have even noticed.

The Empress wanted Seinf, the crown prince, to inherit the empire. That was only natural for a mother.

So when the engagement, which was supposed to fall apart, proceeded without issue—and worse, when she saw how often he and Luisa met—she must’ve grown anxious.

The moment the neutral Blake family sided with him, the balance of power would shift drastically. The Empress had reason enough to be wary.

But it was him she should have been wary of—not Luisa.

That the Empress, known for her poise, had stooped to such a petty, underhanded move to hurt an innocent person—it didn’t sit right with the Raphael he knew.

She had tolerated the prince she considered a thorn in her side—yet now she did this?

Now, even if Luisa had once been the one more invested in the relationship, it was clear to anyone that he was the one chasing her now.

The Empress couldn’t possibly be unaware of that. Yet to scheme in the shadows, harassing Luisa like this?

His perception of the Empress began to crack.

‘If what I thought I knew about her is wrong… then what will I do when the next crisis comes?’

He could no longer look away. The time had come to face reality.

He couldn’t just let things fester. Like a long-overdue assignment, it was time to investigate the Empress seriously.

‘…And to do that, I need to clarify my relationship with Luisa first.’

He had to be clear. He couldn’t continue to hide from reality, satisfied with what was right in front of him. Curiosity alone wasn’t enough to maintain an engagement.

Nor could he simply cancel a planned breakup just because his feelings had grown stronger.

Their rocky start hadn’t even been the issue. It was more that she had changed so much from the girl he remembered, and that change had disappointed him—made him search for traces of the past.

“Don’t just breathe and waste space—if you must, offer your life and achieve glory!”

He was ten when the Empress had hit her breaking point.

Jealous of the attention the Emperor gave the concubine and afraid that the second prince might steal the crown prince’s position, the Empress lashed out at Raphael. That outburst drove him to the North—to join a monster subjugation.

He had trained in swordsmanship since the age of five, but it was his first real battle. The harsh wind bit into his skin, the scent of blood soaked his clothes—but Raphael was unfazed.

The North, quiet and cold, felt preferable to the palace.

“Are you going again tomorrow?”

Duke Blake, uncomfortable with sending a child to war—even at the Emperor’s command—had brought Raphael to the Blake estate instead of leaving him at the temple. He took the boy with him.

Raphael accepted everything with indifference. After returning from the battlefield, he’d retreat to the empty corners of the garden.

And there, a little girl would find him every day.

Despite his deadened eyes, as dark as the deepest sea, they focused on the small girl who introduced herself as Luisa.

Six-year-old Luisa’s chubby cheeks were rosy like peaches, and her pale violet eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

“My brother says it’s scary here. Aren’t you afraid to fight?”

Luisa came every day, no matter where he hid.

“You got hurt today. Don’t go tomorrow!”

“…It doesn’t matter.”

“If you’re hurt, you should say so. You have to get treated!”

“…”

“Why suffer in silence? When I get hurt, I want to cry.”

“Crying doesn’t fix anything.”