“There is nothing I can do to help this time.”
“I am sorry, Eoret.”
“Do you even have proof that the Duke and Duchess did not commit treason?”
The end of treason is execution. Eoret sought help day and night to prove their innocence, but they were met only with cold shoulders. Even those who had once owed their lives to the Escutere family cruelly shook off her hand. They looked down at her with icy eyes, clicking their tongues as if it were simply an unfortunate, inevitable fate.
“My father, a traitor…?” Eoret let out a hollow laugh. It was an absurd frame-up. It was even more sorrowful that she couldn’t prove their innocence against such a ridiculous lie.
The Duke and Duchess of Escutere had served Obruxen their entire lives. Eoret was the same. She had sacrificed sleep to work for the future of Obruxen.
“How pitiful.”
“I guess the lady won’t be Queen then?”
“Queen? She’s about to be executed.”
“The King has been merciful enough just by not dragging her away yet.”
Those who had bowed respectfully to her until recently now whispered with mockery and contempt. Her years of effort felt futile. She loathed her own helplessness. She thought she had achieved so much, yet she couldn’t even protect the people she loved most.
She left the palace with heavy steps. Back at the Duke’s mansion, only a chilling silence remained. The place that had been brilliant just two days ago now looked like a ruin.
“Lady Eoret.”
There were a few people left who wanted to help. Her loyal maid and Viscount Hugo, a young man who had recently received his title thanks to the Duke’s support.
“I’m sorry, I’ve come empty-handed.”
“It is a relief enough that the lady’s shoulders haven’t grown heavier with more bad news,” the young Viscount comforted her with a bitter smile.
The execution was tomorrow. There was no time.
“We couldn’t catch the maid who fled the mansion. It’s highly likely the Aristocratic faction has already disposed of her.”
Duke Escutere had been taken away for treason a few days after his seal was stolen. Documents were “found” showing he had made secret deals with a large army. Viscount Hugo believed the missing maid had stolen the seal and chased her, but he couldn’t find her trail.
“But no matter how I think about it, it’s strange. Could they drive him to treason just with forged documents?”
Eoret was being monitored, though not yet arrested, so she had no way of knowing the details of the investigation. The idea that a mere seal could condemn a family made her want to rob the mansions of the Aristocrats and steal all their seals in return.
“The army has already laid down their weapons and surrendered.”
Surrender without even a fight…
“And…” The Viscount spoke while watching Eoret‘s reaction. “A witness has appeared at the request of the Aristocrats.”
“A witness?”
For a witness to carry weight, they had to be perceived as a neutral party. Viscount Hugo hesitated, his lips trembling.
“There are rumors that the witness is the Prince.”
This couldn’t be true. She couldn’t believe this one thing.
“They say he testified that he discovered the rebels while out viewing the mountains with Lady Sina.”
Shocked, Eoret couldn’t speak. She didn’t believe the Viscount. She couldn’t. Even if Caleb had betrayed their love and promise, she believed he at least possessed a sense of honor. He wasn’t the type to blindly give false testimony for a frame-up. If anything, Caleb was so prideful that he would get angry if someone asked him to lie.
“…That is impossible.”
Her heart felt like it was being torn to shreds. She headed for Caleb. She had to see him and confirm it herself. If he were truly innocent of this lie, she wanted to beg for his help. She believed he wouldn’t refuse. Right now, he was the only one who could help. Surely, he was also agonizing over the situation. She thought she would be happy if he at least believed her parents were innocent.
But.
“…Eoret.”
At the worst moment of her life, while she was drowning in the fear of losing her parents, what she witnessed was Caleb and Sina lying in bed, naked.
‘What have I been living for all this time?’
Because she had lived only looking forward, trying to become a woman worthy of him, the sight was even more devastating. While she was about to collapse, Caleb was busy flirting with his mistress. Had she run toward him all this time just to see this? It was miserable.
“…Ah.”
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed powerlessly onto the floor.
“Io!”
Eoret had constantly built walls to protect herself, determined to live with a heart like a fortress. But she couldn’t hold on anymore.
“…I’m sorry, I am sorry.”
She didn’t want to show such a pathetic sight. She stood u,y leaning against the wall, and fled. Her throat was so tight that she couldn’t even scream; she could only gasp for air. With a flushed face, she let the tears flow. The world she had built had collapsed into betrayal. It was all a futile dream. She had gained nothing and lost the most precious things in the world.
“Eoret! Wait!”
Caleb chased after her. He had scrambled into his pants; his belt was loose, and he was shirtless. It really was you. You were the one who testified. Eoret laughed hollowly.
“Eoret, that…” Caleb seemed to search for words as he looked at her wrecked face. After a long hesitation, what he finally said was:
“Don’t worry. They said they would let at least you live.”
Beyond anger, she felt like she might burst into laughter.
“Who said that? Did Count Abrecht say so?”
“You know the Count?”
“I do. How could I not know the man who has been dying to kill my father?”
At her mocking tone, Caleb‘s face twisted into a frown.
“Are you saying I saw wrong?”
“Caleb, have you never considered that you were deceived?”
“Me? By Count Abrecht?” Caleb didn’t even seem to consider the possibility. “That’s impossible.”In the end, Caleb would not swallow his pride.
“How can I trust your words? You’re the one who always treated me like a fool.”
“……”
“The Duke and Duchess eventually let their arrogance lead them to plot treason. My eyes are never wrong. In the end, you used me, too.”
A prejudice born from an inferiority complex—that was what clouded Caleb’s vision.
“Caleb, have you lived all this time without even knowing who was on your side?” She had lived for him, but ironically, he was the only one who didn’t know. “Someone who makes you happy isn’t necessarily on your side. Please, think about who truly cared for you. It wasn’t me who used you—it was the Count.”
“What do you know, talking like that!” Caleb pushed her back as if denying reality. “Are you going to keep treating me like a fool until the end? Are you trying to use me!”
A Prince’s testimony couldn’t be flipped like a coin. Count Abrecht knew this and used Caleb so that even if he realized the truth, he couldn’t speak it. Who would believe a successor who was tricked by a noble’s scheme? Not the people, nor the confused Royalists. The King would likely turn a blind eye for his son’s sake, as he was the only heir.
So, Eoret gave up on persuading Caleb. Like the time she spent living for him, it was all a waste of time.
“I saw it clearly that night! Even so, I was going to be merciful and let you live! How dare you speak to me like that!”
“Do you really think I’ll be able to survive?” Eoret laughed. Caleb stopped shouting and stared at her blankly. “There’s no way.”
They would remove her by any means necessary. Having said everything, Eoret turned her back without regret. She heard a voice trying to stop her, but she didn’t look back. That was the last image of Eoret that Caleb ever saw.
The jailer opened the cell door far too easily for just a few silver coins. She understood now why the maid at the mansion had been so easily bought.
“At least you must survive,” Duke Escutere said, taking Eoret’s hand.
In the few days she hadn’t seen him, the Duke’s face had grown gaunt from torture. Eoret bit her lip to hold back tears; she didn’t want to waste their precious time sobbing.
“What about you, Father?”
“I had a feeling something like this would happen one day. So I am fine. But you must live.”
After her engagement to Caleb, the pressure on the Escutere family had become extreme. They wanted to cut the buds before she could become Queen. Would her parents have been okay if she hadn’t gotten engaged to him? Her mind felt dizzy.
“I’ve prepared a carriage. I’ve prepared some money, though it isn’t much. I am sorry you had to go through something so scary, Eoret,” the Duchess said. “I am sorry I won’t be able to attend your wedding one day. Eoret, even if we aren’t by your side, our hearts will always be with you.”
People called the Escutere family as stiff as wood. They said they were emotionless because of their stern faces. But Eoret knew. They were just unpracticed in expression, but they were overflowing with love. The freezing cell, as cold as a morgue, was warmed by the love of her parents.
“I can’t leave Mother and Father behind.”
“No, you must go,” they urged their hesitating daughter. “On the day you achieve everything you have longed for—on that day, let us meet again.”
“…Father.”
“Not until then. Not now.”
Viscount Hugo placed a hand on Eoret’s shoulder, signaling it was time to leave. She couldn’t easily move her heavy feet, burning the image of her parents’ faces into her memory.
“I love you, Eoret.”
The Duke and Duchess blessed their daughter’s future with a smile. Because of that, Eoret was able to remember them laughing.
