Chapter 59
Aunt revealed the vulnerable side of herself that had been sleeping deep within.
She feared the imperial palace—and the emperor—enough to speak to her nephews in such a manner.
“Madam…”
The Grand Duke wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gently patted them.
Morren also looked at this unfamiliar side of Aunt with pity, while occasionally glancing at me.
Of course, I had already anticipated that Aunt would react this way.
I remembered how unusually tense she always became whenever she spoke with the emperor.
That’s why, without hesitation, I took out the medicine I had prepared in advance and placed it on the table.
Thump.
“You already know that I’m skilled in herbal medicine,” I said.
“What?”
“Do you know what this medicine is?”
Aunt looked at the bottle with a trembling gaze.
I glanced at the purple, opaque bottle and smiled faintly.
“Have you ever heard the rumor?”
Then, in a soft voice, I continued.
“Two years ago, the Marchioness of Kedmon, who had long struggled with infertility, finally appeared with her child in her arms. At that time, rumors spread that she had taken a miraculous elixir that cured her infertility.”
“Ah…!”
Aunt’s eyes widened until they nearly split.
The same went for the Grand Duke.
In an instant, Aunt snatched the medicine from the table.
“Madam?!”
“Could this… really be the rumored…”
Even if the Kedmon family’s influence was no longer what it once was, they were still a prominent noble house with close ties to the royal family.
No one could forget how anxious the Kedmon Marquis and his wife must have been without an heir.
“At some point, the Marchioness carefully avoided leaving the mansion for months,” I thought.
Then, months later, she returned to high society… with a very healthy child.
Since the child looked exactly like Kedmon, no scandal arose.
“Moreover, the ball the Marchioness returned to was for Darian’s birthday, the pride of the Helta family,” I reminded myself.
It was a Kedmon-like choice, to challenge their greatest rival, Helta.
“They had finally obtained an heir, and they must have wanted to show him off before his first birthday,” I mused.
I had seen it myself.
“At the prince’s birthday ball, Aunt had no choice but to return to the palace—and she couldn’t take her eyes off that child.”
The Marchioness proudly displayed her child, yet she never revealed exactly how she had successfully conceived.
Naturally.
“She didn’t even know who had helped her,” I thought.
She had only obtained the medicine through Hebaro, the emperor’s personal physician.
But over time, the noble class’s persistent requests made her gradually reveal some information:
“What kind of miraculous elixir cured her long infertility.”
Knowing the Marchioness’s nature, I had predicted this.
And now…
“That loose tongue is serving as an excellent tool to persuade Aunt.”
I hadn’t even considered this effect when I planted the seed.
“Madam, my intention is not to bring you back to the palace,” I said.
Aunt lifted her gaze from the bottle to look at me.
I whispered gently:
“Rather, it is to protect the Telum Grand Ducal House.”
“You mean…”
“Until now, both of you have lived in fear of Heaven, holding your breath in silence. But how long can you sustain this? The same thing that happened yesterday could happen again.”
I turned my gaze from Aunt to the Grand Duke.
“Then shouldn’t we build a new shield based on the current circumstances?”
“Do you mean choosing Prince Morren to enter the royal contest?”
“Yes.”
I nodded lightly.
“In that way, you can avoid the emperor’s greed. Once the contest begins, all participating royals are treated like junior crown princes. Likewise, the Telum Grand Ducal House under Morren’s command becomes difficult to touch at my discretion.”
Once the royal contest begins, every participating royal gains undeniable influence.
Assassination is not easy in Lornod, and no one knows who will survive to become the ultimate ruler.
It was a long-standing tradition of Lornod, and even the emperor could not violate it.
“If we ultimately succeed, Grand Duke and Madam, you will be able to keep everything you desire. Even what you were forced to give up will be returned to you.”
“Give up?”
The Grand Duke’s question went unanswered, as I focused on Aunt—or more precisely, the medicine she was holding.
Aunt now cradled it tenderly.
“What I gave up…”
She muttered softly.
Recognizing that familiar look, I glanced at Morren.
Reading my gaze, Morren spoke next.
“Please help us, Grand Duke. We will become a new heaven that treats the Grand Duchy fairly and without bias.”
At Morren’s words, the Grand Duke, who had been staring at the purple bottle with Aunt, finally spoke.
“Do you really believe you can win? Darian Helta Lornod, Brindel Zelour Lornod—they are superior royals in every way.”
Even as he spoke, his voice quivered.
Morren, however, remained calm.
“But we… no, my sister and I,” Morren said, holding my hand firmly.
“We are the only royals who can save the Telum Grand Ducal House. The emperor tried to erase its future, didn’t he? If ruin is all that remains, then choose us, Grand Duke… and Aunt.”
At Morren’s words, the Grand Duke’s eyes wavered.
The Telum Grand Dukes had traditionally been mild-tempered.
They had long chosen obedience rather than rebellion, preferring the peace of their lands and subjects.
But…
I turned my gaze to Aunt.
The Telum Grand Dukes were like that, but Aunt…
“Will you truly become our new heaven?”
“Madam.”
“Will you help us dream of a new future?”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Morren answered firmly.
“We will win. And in a completely different way than His Majesty.”
“Ah…”
Aunt trembled as she looked at the Grand Duke.
Her eyes glimmered with determination to never let go of the medicine in her hands.
“Grand Duke.”
“…Madam, are you truly certain?”
“The palace is tedious… but I cannot endure submission to Laurum any longer. If we cannot escape anyway, we must act.”
The Grand Duke’s expression was unreadable, likely conflicted.
“I feel the same… Madam,” he whispered, embracing Aunt briefly, then turning to us.
He lowered his head respectfully.
“Please become the heaven that leads us to a new future, great Lornod.”
There was awe in his voice, reminiscent of dawn.
Showing him that side had indeed been a masterstroke.
“Thanks to that, we’ve brought the Grand Ducal House to our side without delay,” I thought.
Morren seemed to feel the same and smiled confidently.
“Of course, Grand Duke.”
“It will be a difficult path, but aren’t we all cornered? Let’s move forward together, Grand Duke… Aunt.”
I looked at Aunt as I spoke.
“If you’ve heard the rumor about the Marchioness of Kedmon, Aunt, you must know—the medicine doesn’t work with just one or two doses.”
“Yes… it must be taken consistently.”
“From now on, news of my skill in herbal medicine will spread. Then, even if you send Aunt the medicine every season, no one will notice anything unusual.”
“Ah… Neroli.”
At my words, Aunt finally shed tears.
Yet her mouth was lifted in an uncontrollable, radiant smile.
“Neroli… Princess Neroli! Thank you! You are… my savior!”
I smiled lightly in response, unmoved.
“Aunt has finally left the palace and become part of the Telum Grand Ducal House.”
But she was still an unstoppable Lornod at heart.
Even her tears could not hide the madness I recognized instantly.
“Who said her madness was mere insomnia?”
Aunt’s madness was something far deeper.
It was fortunate—or unfortunate—that the object of her obsession had not yet appeared.
“But judging by her current state, Aunt may instinctively know what will bring her greatest happiness—and greatest unease.”
“Grand Duke. I am happy. Who will our child resemble more?”
Aunt caressed her empty belly, unable to stop crying.
“My child… finally, I will have a child!”
The Grand Duke, oblivious, held her with eyes full of pity.
“I am happy too, Madam. Truly.”
Morren, however, noticed something amiss and whispered softly.
“Sister.”
I looked at Morren for a moment and gently patted her head.
“It’s okay.”
“Huh?”
“It will be okay.”
Aunt too. And you.
For now, the urgency forced us to leverage her madness, but before her obsession deepens, I will find a solution.
“I should contact Hyst and Hebaro soon.”
Having reached the mountain’s peak, it was now time to aim for a new summit.
