~Chapter 71~
At those words, the Grand Duke’s face went ashen.
“Escalus is a good city! Of course it is!”
“A city that pretends to prosper while being devoured by darkness—do you really call that good?”
“Dane!”
The Grand Duke slammed his hand down on the desk, his face twisted as if he had been personally insulted.
“You wouldn’t understand. You’ve been running around outside for business and never once set foot in the imperial palace. What could you possibly know?!”
His entire body trembled with rage before he finally pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Yes. The dark organization, Glamis. It was a name only whispered in secret gatherings of high-ranking nobles.”
So he had known the name all along.
Dane glared at him sharply, but the Grand Duke continued in a calmer voice.
“Do you really think Her Majesty the Empress Dowager would so easily discard Glamis, which works as her hands and feet?”
“Since when has our family needed to watch the Empress Dowager’s mood?”
The Grand Duke gritted his teeth and shouted,
“Since the moment His Majesty the Emperor’s condition worsened!”
“…His condition?”
Dane’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected revelation. He had heard nothing about the Emperor being ill.
“It’s something the palace is guarding with extreme secrecy.”
“What kind of condition?”
As if afraid someone might overhear, the Grand Duke lowered his voice to a whisper.
“…Madness.”
Dane’s eyes flew open. Madness in a ruler was bound to bring countless problems.
“If His Majesty were still sound of mind, I wouldn’t have agonized over this either.”
But as someone who frequently came and went from the palace, the Grand Duke knew the truth. The Emperor’s madness had only been worsening.
At times he was excessively benevolent, then suddenly flew into rage. He confused past and present. He burned portraits, threw himself into the lake—acts of pure madness.
“And in that gap, the Empress Dowager began to control every decision in His Majesty’s name. The ministers pretend not to see it, but how could they not know?”
“…Ha. That’s treason, isn’t it?”
No matter who she was, even the Empress Dowager could not trample over the Emperor’s authority so freely.
“But to oppose her would mean gambling everything.”
The Grand Duke recalled the secret ledger from Glamis that had reached him.
That ledger, which appeared as if from nowhere, showed the flow of Glamis’s profits leading straight into the Empress Dowager’s vaults. It was proof enough that she was their strongest patron.
To clash with her now was no different from plunging headfirst into a struggle for imperial power.
“…So you’re saying you’ll lower your tail and retreat without a fight?”
“Dane—watch your tongue—”
“That doesn’t align with the duty I was taught as the heir of Escalus.”
To be loyal to the imperial family.
To cherish the citizens.
To make the city prosper.
And never forgive those who hinder it.
These were the responsibilities drilled into him since childhood—the reason he was treated as someone precious.
“…Dane. Don’t tell me the reason you’re acting like this is because of the Mowin young lady?”
Dane stared straight at him.
“What does my duty as heir have to do with Lady Mowin? Still, it’s true that the reason I survived to adulthood and can stand here now… is because of her.”
Veins bulged on the back of the Grand Duke’s hand.
To him, it now felt as though everything—his son daring to oppose the Empress Dowager, daring to demand the ducal seat—was all because of Camilla.
“That bastard-born girl has truly driven you mad?!”
There was no reasoning with him.
Dane looked coldly at the father he had once respected.
“Isn’t the one failing his duty as lord… you, Father?”
“What did you say?!”
“And let me be clear.”
Dane’s voice was steady, unwavering.
“That so-called bastard changed my life.”
The Grand Duke found himself at a loss for words. His son, now fully grown, was pushing him into a corner.
“I think I can judge which carries more weight—my life, or my sanity.”
No longer the fourteen-year-old boy who couldn’t even command the knights, but the master of the gate and the knight order, he drove the final nail in.
“If that’s impossible, then give me the title of Grand Duke.”
That night, after parting from Dane, Camilla didn’t know how she had endured until morning.
Sonya looked after her with concern, noticing the dark shadows beneath her eyes, but Camilla was far from herself, sunk deep into despair.
“Her Grace the Grand Duchess Lunellia has granted you an audience.”
The head maid’s voice was polite as always, yet there was a strange chill beneath it.
Supported by Sonya, Camilla stood up.
“Will you be all right, my lady?”
“…Yes. Thank you, Sonya.”
As she walked down the corridor behind the maid, Camilla felt her heart pounding.
It had been five years since she last saw the Grand Duchess.
What does she think of me now?
She had met her while hiding the truth of her birth, learned medicine from her, been promised a place as her saffron—yet after the trial, she had withdrawn from society entirely. Even after reentering high society, she had never once taken the Grand Duchess’s hand.
She was unwell all this time… that must be why we couldn’t meet.
Lost in thought, she soon arrived before the Grand Duchess’s chambers.
The head maid opened the door.
“Please, go in.”
Camilla stepped inside slowly—and immediately felt something was off.
Incense burned in the room, and the air carried a refreshing scent of medicinal herbs.
This scent… where have I smelled it before?
Dozens of fragrances came to mind, but none fit. Still, she was certain she had smelled it somewhere before. Without realizing it, she took a deep breath—then quickly turned her head away.
At the center of the spacious sitting room, the Grand Duchess Lunellia sat in a cushioned chair.
Her hair, touched by sunlight, was nearly silver, and her smile was gentle.
“It’s been a long time.”
“…Your Grace.”
But the next words were nothing like what Camilla expected.
“You’re… the child from Dunbarton, aren’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
The Grand Duchess nodded.
“Dane is twelve this year. It’s time for him to make friends. His body is weak, but he’ll recover soon enough.”
What…?
Camilla’s heart dropped.
Something was wrong.
“Your Grace? I’m Camilla.”
“…Ah.”
At that, the dull gentleness in the Grand Duchess’s eyes sharpened.
“Camilla?”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
“Oh my. Camilla… my student. It’s truly been so long.”
Tears welled up in the Grand Duchess’s eyes. Being called her student even now made Camilla’s chest ache.
“What is the date today…?”
When the Grand Duchess looked to her attendant, the maid bowed and answered softly.
“…I see. Then it’s already been five years. That little child has become a lady.”
She seemed so weakened she could no longer keep track of time. Yet she offered no reproach for Camilla’s deception, no resentment for her long absence.
She simply extended her wrinkled hand.
“Come closer, won’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Camilla stepped forward and bowed slightly.
The wrinkled hand gently touched her cheek.
“…It’s real. This isn’t a dream.”
Tears threatened to spill.
No. This isn’t the time.
Camilla lightly grasped the wrist resting against her cheek, examining her pulse and skin.
Her pulse is far too weak.
Her brows knit together.
“I sent you letters constantly. Did you never receive them?”
“…Ah. My health was poor, so I couldn’t.”
Letters? It was the first she had heard of them. The baron must have intercepted them.
For a moment, the Grand Duchess seemed to revert to her former, clear-minded self as she whispered,
“When I first heard about the trial, and you hadn’t confessed the truth about yourself… I felt deceived. I was angry.”
“…I—”
Back then, Camilla hadn’t been able to speak. She thought she could simply run away—and she was afraid of how people would look at her.
Seeing her falter, the Grand Duchess patted her gently.
“But raising Lucy taught me something. Have you met my daughter, Lucy?”
Camilla thought of the adorable five-year-old girl.
“…I have. She’s very lovely.”
“Hehe. Yes. I raised her with care, so she wouldn’t grow trapped in one place.”
After a brief pause, the Grand Duchess spoke softly.
“Did you know, my dear? Lucy is very honest. It’s something Dane never quite had.”
“…Dane carried many burdens from a young age.”
“Yes. Illness, status—there were too many constraints placed on that child. And you… you must have endured many such things as well.”
Camilla’s eyes widened as the Grand Duchess’s gentle gaze met hers.
“My dear… were you very afraid?”
