Chapter 26
Impossible Mission
“I gave up all titles as soon as the war ended.”
“You know I’m not talking about some hollow title.”
So now it’s just an empty title? During the war, they were desperate to shove that position onto me.
“The knights and soldiers of our house are used only to protect the domain.”
“People’s hearts can change a dozen times a day… How about proving your loyalty again?”
“I believe the Side family’s loyalty was proven when I personally went to war.”
“Oh? To my ears, that sounds as though the loyalty you once gladly showed has faded.”
“…How could it?”
“Either way, if you win the wager, none of this will matter, will it?”
As if it were that simple.
The very fact that the emperor spoke those words aloud meant he was determined to bring the Side family’s forces under the empire’s control.
“Brother and Mother aren’t like that.”
“……”
Before Mariana’s pure faith, Anze chose silence.
“They’ll understand that you’re accompanying me to the ball, and that we have to start preparing now. Mother already gave her permission.”
Finishing her words, Mariana clapped her hands.
“You said it was because of the fragrance, right, Josh? Then shall we start with that?”
“No, my lady, I think that’s not the only issue.”
Josh, eyeing Anze’s dull, tired skin and bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, spoke carefully.
“First that skin—and really, the biggest issue is that you need sleep.”
“We don’t have time. We need to fit the dress quickly so we can pick the jewelry. Should we call in a professional for the hair?”
“Madam’s schedule is probably full.”
“It’s fine. If I ask her to work on Anze while she’s doing mine, she can’t refuse.”
Mariana and Josh bent their heads together, making plans step by step.
Naturally, Anze’s opinions or circumstances weren’t even considered.
Growing anxious, Anze finally opened his mouth.
“My lady, I really must be going.”
But Mariana and Josh seemed not to hear.
“Josh, remember that purple dress we saw?”
“The beautiful one we passed on because it didn’t match your silver hair?”
“Yes, that one. Don’t you think it would look perfect on Anze?”
“Oh my, now that you mention it.”
“My lady, I’m leaving.”
Anze raked a hand through his disheveled hair and shifted as if to stand.
The duke would be back any moment.
“Since it’s a pale purple, a blue gown would match well. Where’s the jewelry catalog?”
“I organized it beside the parlor table. Shall I bring it?”
“Yes, please.”
Anze stared blankly as Josh hurried out of the room.
Fine, let it happen. Mariana clearly wasn’t listening no matter what he said.
Bowing slightly to Mariana, Anze began to edge toward the door.
“Anze, where are you going?”
“My lady, I told you I can’t attend any ball. I must finish my report by tomorrow or His Grace will—”
“Who said anyone would throw you out?”
A sudden voice made Anze whirl around.
Right behind him, the duke stood leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed.
How long had he been there?
Despite years of gathering intelligence and honing his senses, Anze somehow always failed to detect the duke’s presence.
Flustered by the man’s nearness, Anze opened and closed his mouth several times before finally forcing out a voice.
“I was just about to return to work. Truly.”
“Brother, Mother already said it’s fine for Anze to attend the ball with me. But Anze claimed you wouldn’t allow it… You wouldn’t be so cold, right?”
The duke smiled at Mariana, then turned his gaze to Anze.
He’d only been gone since morning, yet Anze looked far worse than he had earlier.
Women are said to pull hair when they fight… Could it be—
“Did you two fight?”
Annoyed, Anze brushed a hand through his hair and shot a glance at Mariana.
“As if I’d dare? Of course not.”
“Mariana, was it you?”
The duke’s voice sharpened, accurately singling out the culprit.
He’d always thought Mariana was kind and gentle. Had he been wrong? Or had Anze done something to deserve it? Still, how could she rough someone up so badly?
Anze already needed grooming for the ball; now his appearance was an even bigger problem.
“You think I made him look like that? That’s unfair—this is all your fault, Brother!”
“What?”
What on earth did I do?
The duke’s brow furrowed deeper when Mariana, instead of admitting fault, bristled.
Though her normally gentle brother’s expression darkened, Mariana didn’t shrink back.
“I heard you’ve been working him day and night. I doubted it, but… do you realize how important sleep is to a lady? Can’t you see his bloodshot eyes and pale face from exhaustion?”
At her protest, the duke’s gaze returned to Anze.
His eyes swept from head to toe, then closed with a troubled look.
He hadn’t begun this wager to win at any cost, yet the situation was becoming impossible.
Just then he noticed the maid standing hesitantly in the doorway, clutching the catalog and unsure whether to enter.
“Josh, bring Mother here,” the duke ordered.
At the mention of summoning the duchess, worry flickered across Mariana’s face. She’d followed Anze’s advice to stand her ground, but perhaps she’d pushed too far.
“There’s no time. Hurry.”
“Yes, sir!”
Realizing the duke’s mood was different, Josh darted down the hall.
Warm sunlight shimmered across the table, raising a faint haze.
Anze, barely daring to swallow, lifted his gaze. He looked from the duke to Mariana, then to the duchess seated with them.
“So you’re saying you made a wager with the emperor?”
Snap! The duchess folded her fan with a sharp sound.
“Yes, Mother.”
Mariana, seated between them, glanced nervously from one to the other.
“Why?”
“Does the reason matter?”
“Perhaps you harbor some other feeling for this child…”
The duchess’s implication made the duke rub his forehead. This was why he’d wanted to settle things quietly.
But because the matter involved the imperial ball, he needed his mother’s and Mariana’s help.
“Let me put it this way: if the emperor were to call the butler, the housekeeper, or any diligent servant of this household ‘mere’ or ‘just a servant,’ could you endure it, Mother?”
As the duke finished, a sharp cracking sound filled the quiet parlor.
Turning toward the noise, Anze saw the duchess’s fan snapped clean in two.
Without a hint of regret, she tossed the useless fan onto the table and sprang to stand beside Anze.
“So, at the grand ball, this child must win first place, is that it?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“And if you win, he promised to return Ahandel?”
“That is what he said.”
But could they truly get it back? Three pairs of skeptical eyes turned to Anze.
He instinctively hunched his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut.
He too was appalled that the duke had accepted such a wager over wounded pride.
“And if you lose?”
“He wants the ducal forces reduced to a tenth of their current size.”
A soft sigh escaped the duchess.
Outwardly benevolent and gracious, the emperor’s greed knew no bounds.
Prince after prince—including the crown prince—had perished in suspicious accidents: falls from horses, drowning, food poisoning, mysterious plagues.
By the time he ascended the throne, some nobles already harbored dark suspicions.
But it was far too late.
“Perhaps the emperor sees the Duchy of Side as a greater threat than the kingdom we fought,” the duchess murmured.
At her words, the duke’s eyes chilled.
Indeed, the recent war had many suspicious aspects.
He thought of the secret imperial letters found in Count Norfolk’s ledgers and clenched his fist.
The countless lives lost—perhaps the entire war had been the emperor’s scheme to destroy the Duchy of Side. The more time passed, the more that suspicion hardened into certainty.
