Chapter 49
Abeline, having returned to her room, tossed and turned all night, trying to deduce a newly formed hypothesis.
Could this really be related to the Empress being poisoned?
Was it because she was worried she herself might be poisoned?
No.
That would be a speculation far too personal.
“…Wait.”
Suddenly, a new fact struck Abeline like a lightning bolt in her mind.
That day, the Empress had not been alone.
There was someone with her when she was poisoned.
“…Mother?”
Her mother, who was pregnant with Abeline and Ares at the time, had also been there.
After ingesting a small amount of poison, her body had weakened, and she had struggled to give birth to twins. Since then, she had been recuperating continuously.
Could this be related?
Her father’s fear of her becoming entangled with the royal family.
Maybe there’s a possibility.
Otherwise, her father, a loyal supporter of the emperor, would never have passed up the chance for her to form a direct connection with the royal family.
Having spent the night filled with endless speculation, Abeline went to see her father, Count Herols, as soon as the day broke.
“What’s so urgent this early in the morning?”
Count Herols, reading the newspaper in his study, asked, surprised.
Sitting across from him, Abeline went straight to the point.
“You said you wanted to retrieve Duke Rives’s documents again.”
“You heard it from Ares, huh?”
“Yes.”
Abeline had spent the night pondering what she could do in this situation.
She wouldn’t leave things to chance; she wanted to accomplish something herself.
“I’ll go fetch the documents.”
“…You?”
Count Herols dropped the newspaper he was holding.
“Yes. I can meet the Duke more easily than Ares can.”
“Hmm.”
Her words made Count Herols look thoughtful.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“So you’re saying you intend to continue meeting Duke Rives from now on?”
Why he had been pondering so much was now clear.
“I’ll be running into him anyway.”
“….”
“I know that when you sent me out with Duke Rives yesterday, it was to suppress rumors related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have openly shown himself mingling with the head of the opposition faction.
“…Quite clever.”
Count Herols admitted readily.
“Even just yesterday morning, an overwhelming number of letters poured in. We had to prevent rumors solidifying that you were the prospective Crown Princess.”
Before she knew it, Count Herols had started revealing his honest opinion to Abeline.
Just a few months ago, this would have been unimaginable.
“Previously, Duke Rives told me he didn’t want me to become the Crown Princess.”
“That’s because he was courting you at the time.”
When Teron’s name came up, Count Herols muttered in a low voice, seemingly believing Teron’s feelings might be somewhat sincere.
Abeline decided to clear up her father’s misunderstanding.
“No, it’s not because he’s interested in me…”
“Not?”
Count Herols leaned in, listening closely.
“Well….”
However, once she began speaking, Abeline found herself at a loss.
She couldn’t possibly say it was because of Teron’s magic residing within her.
“Ahem. So, um….”
Struggling for an excuse and stalling for time, Abeline eventually gave up.
“No, actually… he is interested in me.”
Count Herols raised his eyebrow, suspicious.
Seeing that, Abeline reinforced her statement.
“He is truly sincere.”
More precisely, sincere regarding the magic she possessed.
“Ahem. Indeed, he wouldn’t have barged into someone’s home twice this morning if he weren’t sincere.”
Though he muttered, there was satisfaction in his tone.
“Had it been false, I would have been even angrier. Who does he think the Herols family is!”
“…Haha.”
Unable to reveal the full truth, Abeline awkwardly laughed along.
“Anyway, I’ll take care of the documents.”
“Hmm. Go ahead, then.”
Count Herols subtly granted her request.
“On one condition.”
Having secured permission, Abeline finally revealed her true purpose.
Meanwhile, Serio was sprawled in his palace, reading newsletters sent by his informants.
Being sensitive to issues and news, he wanted to catch up on the big and small events of yesterday.
He lounged in a large, luxurious sofa, surrounded by stacks of white papers.
With his opulent blond hair and loosely worn clothes, he looked like a lazy god.
As he diligently read through the pages, his gaze stopped at one passage.
“Yesterday, Duke Rives and Lady Herols appeared in the city and circled the square four times…”
Clearly, this was a public display.
Yet to make a lady walk around four times…
Even Teron was naive in such matters.
Serio scoffed and continued reading.
“But suddenly, Duke Rives picked up Lady Herols and disappeared…?”
He straightened in surprise.
He quickly shuffled through other pages, picking several to read.
“In a high-end salon in the city, Duke Rives brought Lady Herols and ordered her shoes to be brought… Hah, he really did everything.”
Serio let out a hollow laugh.
“What could Teron do, having never even spoken to a woman… hmm?”
But as he turned to the next page, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“…Duke Rives held Lady Herols’s bare feet in his hands?”
Why did the level suddenly spike?
Serio rubbed his eyes in disbelief and read again.
“When people appeared, Lady Herols kicked Duke Rives… hmm.”
Finding a part he liked, he leaned back comfortably.
“That lady isn’t ordinary either.”
He smiled with satisfaction and finished reading the papers.
“….”
However, the later contents were unusual.
After being kicked, Duke Rives reportedly placed Lady Herols’s hand on his chest, attempted to entice her, instructed that the most comfortable shoes be brought, and after leaving the salon, sent someone to order more clothes, hats, and shoes for her.
To outsiders, Teron would appear completely smitten with Abeline.
“Hah.”
He had expected something beyond mere fleeting feelings when Teron had barged into his palace previously—but this was more than he imagined.
Serio had never seen Teron show private interest in anyone before.
In fact, calling Lady Herols to the palace had been to see Teron’s reaction when he later heard of it.
Even if Lady Herols became enamored by his appearance, it was not unwelcome.
After all, one day he would need a Crown Princess, and the Herols family, having been loyal to the emperor for generations, was beyond reproach.
But Teron’s reaction exceeded Serio’s expectations.
He had not anticipated Teron would appear so disheveled, almost like rescuing her from a tainted place, as if he were her guardian.
Lady Herols’s reaction was also notable.
When she initially cried upon seeing him, Serio had been curious, and seeing her constantly evade explanations confirmed that she had been genuinely moved by his appearance.
After four years of isolation, Serio realized his presence was overwhelmingly sensational to her.
Serio was familiar with such reactions.
There was another reason for his misinterpretation.
Lady Herols couldn’t meet his gaze directly.
Serio, unaware that she resembled Abeline’s favorite, assumed it was shyness.
He thought she would quickly warm up with just a little attention.
When Teron appeared in the greenhouse that day, the emotion on Abeline’s face was delight.
“Hmph. Thinking back, it still feels unpleasant.”
He had deliberately chosen a place to highlight his appearance.
The glass greenhouse had been selected so the sunlight would make his blond hair shine brilliantly, giving a radiant, almost holy effect.
But the moment Teron entered, the space seemed to shift its ownership.
“Wait.”
Serio, who had felt annoyed all along, sensed something strange.
How did the reclusive Lady suddenly get entangled with Teron?
Where had they formed a bond strong enough for her to show delight in a strange place?
Why would a member of the Herols family, traditionally loyal to the emperor, feel more familiar with the leader of the opposing faction than the Crown Prince?
“Hmm.”
Indeed, something was off.
Serio’s crimson eyes flashed sharply.
