Chapter 2

“Young lady, did you call for me?”

 

“Yes, Ena. Come here for a second.”

 

Karina had been quiet lately.

 

Giving up this easily when it came to Edwin? There was no way.

 

Even the way Ena moved while delivering meals lately was suspicious.

 

Knowing Karina’s usual behavior, she must have done something to Ena.

 

‘She probably told her to keep an eye on my movements.’

 

Alice looked at Ena, who hadn’t taken her eyes off her for days.

 

When their eyes met, Ena looked away at an angle, looking exactly like a thief with a guilty conscience.

 

‘But I can’t exactly ask Ena directly…’

 

If Ena was indeed following Karina’s orders, she was likely either receiving a bribe she couldn’t refuse or being threatened.

 

“Ena, did you hear the news?”

 

“What news?”

 

“I’ve ended up in charge of a child. But I don’t know the first thing about taking care of kids.”

 

“…”

 

“So, Ena, you have to take care of him.”

 

Ena’s expression darkened. Alice felt bad for dumping work on her, but she couldn’t think of any other way.

 

“From now on, Ena, you are my exclusive maid. You eat here, you wash here. I won’t allow you to leave my side even for a moment.”

 

If she was going to be monitored anyway, it was better to keep Ena by her side all day. That way, she wouldn’t have a chance to report back to Karina.

 

She hadn’t told Evan, but part of the reason she took in Michael was to create a justification for keeping Ena glued to her.

 

Ena’s face remained lukewarm, though she looked a bit worried at the mention of childcare.

 

Then came the next day.

 

“Why do I have to be here?”

 

Michael, who had been sighing since morning as if the sky were falling, saw Ena and his eyes instantly sparkled. Short silver hair fluttered over his fair, chubby face.

 

Michael grumbled with his tiny lips, looking around as if he was displeased.

 

He had been scowling since he entered the room, looking like he was in a foul mood. Alice asked: “Is something wrong?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“El left something at home.”

 

“Brooother!”

 

Evan answered in his stead.

 

Michael stomped his feet and desperately covered his brother’s mouth.

 

“If you say it, I’m not eating!”

 

“So he says.”

 

Evan smiled and nodded at his cute younger brother’s rebellion. Alice didn’t mind much; even a sulky Michael was adorable.

 

Evan comforted him.

 

“We can just make another one, so don’t be so sad, El.”

 

There was only one reason the younger brother was in a bad mood. He had left behind the flower crown he had painstakingly made for Alice as a thank-you for hers.

 

Since it was made of real flowers, it would wither by the next day, which was why he had looked gloomy since arriving at the Duke’s castle.

 

“I don’t know what it is, but El looks prettiest when he smiles, so let’s smile.”

 

Alice chimed into their conversation. Seeing this, Ena looked bewildered, as if she were seeing a complete stranger.

 

“Don’t call me El.”

 

Michael said, tilting his eyes upward. Ah, I got caught. I tried to sneak in his nickname, but he noticed immediately.

 

‘I need to make Edwin and Michael meet soon.’

 

I might give up on the nickname, but I can’t give up on this. Alice recalled their first meeting in the original novel.

 

The first day Michael went to the spire because Alice pushed him to. Edwin, just like now, refused treatment.

 

Then, Michael snapped at him.

 

‘If you want to drop dead like that, then don’t get treated. It’s not like I wanted to come here either.’

 

While saying that, Michael prepared for the treatment. Edwin then said to him: ‘Using that arrogant tongue of yours is something you can only do while you’re alive, isn’t it?’

 

As he gave a chilling warning with a smirk on his red lips, Michael approached him.

 

If it were his brother, he wouldn’t have abandoned a patient just because he felt he was in danger.

 

Seeing Michael touch him without hesitation for the sake of treatment, Edwin felt interested for the first time.

 

Everyone else went to extremes to avoid touching his body, fearing his curse would spread, but there wasn’t a speck of fear on Michael’s face.

 

Naturally, Edwin became interested in Michael, which eventually led to obsession…

 

And I transmigrated right before that fruition. How could this be?

 

Every time Alice thought about how the book had evaporated from her hands, she lamented.

 

Wouldn’t it be better to have them meet while they’re young and speed up the emotional progression?

 

Maybe I’ll become the bridge that connects them!

 

Seeing Alice get excited at that thought, Michael looked disgusted.

 

‘What? Why is she flaring her nostrils?’

 

Michael looked at her as if she were loathsome. Embarrassed, Alice quickly fixed her expression.

 

Man… it seemed like giving up on gaining Michael’s favor was for the best.

 

‘Bringing Ena along was good, though.’

 

Things were going too smoothly, which made her anxious.

 

Isabella giving permission meant, implicitly, that Karina had given permission.

 

What was the reason for being so compliant?

 

Did they simply think it was a child’s whim? Or was it because Ena would be in a better position to monitor me easily?

 

When Alice glanced at her, Ena’s gaze shifted away at an angle.

 

‘There’s definitely some intention behind this.’

 

She decided she had to keep Ena by her side and watch her until she could safely be kicked out of the family.

 

“Are you going to that person again today?”

 

Evan was asking if she was going to the spire again today.

 

“Yes, I want to take Michael to the spire today too…”

 

Alice glanced at Michael.

 

He met her gaze with a look that asked what on earth she was talking about.

 

“El?”

 

Evan’s expression was clouded with bewilderment.

 

Alice signaled Evan to come closer. She whispered in his ear: “I told Edwin about Michael, and he seems interested.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

Evan looked skeptical, but soon nodded.

 

‘I suppose he needed a friend his age.’

 

If that was why Edwin was particularly sharp with Evan, it made sense.

 

However, he wasn’t sure if it was okay to send Michael—who was more cowardly than he looked—to the spire.

 

“Spire? Where’s that?”

 

Michael looked at Alice with a curious expression. Alice spoke plainly, hiding her ulterior motives as much as possible.

 

“A good place.”

 

“Then I’ll go.”

 

Michael answered readily.

 

 

***

 

 

Ena was left waiting in front of the spire, and Michael, having climbed up alone with Alice, asked suspiciously:

 

“You said this was a good place…?”

 

Michael scowled deeply at the dingy, strange-smelling place.

 

Evan was currently out for an external consultation.

 

Before he left, Alice had boasted loudly that he should leave Michael to her, since Evan had been a bit worried.

 

“Come this way.”

 

Alice stood in front of the iron door to Edwin’s room and signaled him. Michael, looking terrified by the dark atmosphere, shook his head and backed away.

 

“My friend is in here. I’ll introduce you.”

 

“A person lives in a place like this?”

 

Michael looked at her with a suspicious face. She scratched her head awkwardly.

 

It really didn’t look like a place where a person should live.

 

“Yeah. He’s been locked up here alone for a long time. So he’s probably very lonely.”

 

When she tried to open the lock with the key, he asked: “Who locked him up?”

 

Alice realized that Michael was looking at her hand holding the key.

 

But Michael’s expression was strange.

 

It was a look full of caution and suspicion.

 

Edwin locked inside, and her holding the key to the lock.

 

She understood instantly what kind of misunderstanding he was having.

 

‘From an outsider’s perspective who doesn’t know the circumstances, this looks exactly like what he thinks.’

 

When she didn’t answer immediately, the light in Michael’s eyes became increasingly filled with distrust.

 

Seeing him like that made her mouth itch.

 

Hiding her playful intent, she opened her mouth with a blank face.

 

“I locked him up.”

 

His green eyes grew impossibly wide.

 

It was like a child finding out the secret of Santa Claus.

 

Frozen like a statue, he stuttered:

 

“R-really?”

 

“…”

 

“L-liar.”

 

Michael seemed to desperately want to believe her words were a lie.

 

Seeing that, Alice’s smile deepened.

 

She intended to correct the joke soon, but the reaction was more fun than expected. She quickly wiped the smile and said seriously:

 

“Why do you think so?”

 

“B-because. There’s no way you would do that.”

 

“Did I look that nice? Michael, you’re more naive than I thought.”

 

Her impression was actually closer to being a bit of a troublemaker.

 

But when Michael thought of Alice, he only remembered her smiling like an idiot while looking at him.

 

Alice opened the door, leaving the statue-still Michael behind.

 

Clang.

 

Entering through the iron door, Alice gestured to him.

 

“Hurry up and come in, Michael.”

 

“N-no. You’re gonna lock me up too!”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him, thinking, ‘Oh, really?’

 

“So you’re just going to run away alone and leave the person inside behind?”

 

“N-no, I’m not.”

 

Seeing Michael completely terrified, she felt a bit sorry for teasing him too much.

 

But with his eyes wide and round with fear, Michael was as adorable as a cat on high alert.

 

‘He’s too scared.’

 

Intending to tell him the truth now, she approached him.

 

“Actually, I’m not the one who did this—”

 

“D-don’t come any closer!”

 

As she approached, Michael let out a shriek and ran away just like that.

 

“Huh…?”

 

She stared blankly at the now empty space.

 

 

***

 

 

“The misunderstanding is cleared up, so don’t worry, Alice.”

 

“Please tell him I’m sorry too.”

 

Michael had gone straight home, and Alice, who had been talking to Edwin alone, was glad to see Evan arrive late.

 

As soon as he arrived, he visually inspected Edwin’s wounds.

 

“There’s no improvement in the wounds. Is it the same even after applying the new ointment?”

 

“Yes…”

 

She nodded with a slightly dark face. She couldn’t exactly say that the cure was holy power.

 

However, seeing that Edwin’s wounds weren’t healing, Evan fell into deep thought.

 

This was definitely no ordinary kind of wound.

 

*‘Does he need holy power?’*

 

A human body could naturally heal wounds.

 

But Edwin was like a dead person; his wounds remained the same without healing.

 

The more he thought about the condition, the only one conclusion could be reached.

 

Since it had come to this, there was no other choice. Evan said: “Alice, could you wait outside for a moment?”

 

“What? Suddenly?”

 

“I need to examine the wounds more closely. To do that, I need to have him undress…”

 

“Ah, okay.”

 

She understood his words and immediately went outside.

 

Once they were alone, Evan gulped. As soon as she left, he felt the room temperature drop significantly.

 

Evan slowly approached Edwin. A bleak energy appeared in the red gaze.

 

“If you come any closer,”

 

Edwin muttered in a casual tone.

 

“You die.”

 

“…I-it’s for the sake of treatment.”

 

Evan’s words came out stuttering in fear. If he fainted here again, he would be a laughingstock for Alice for the rest of his life.

 

“Treatment?”

 

A curious glint appeared in Edwin’s eyes. He recalled what Alice had said before.

 

‘Once you get treated, you’ll be even prettier than you are now.’

 

Evan nodded with a tense face.

 

“Yes, treatment. No harm will come of it.”

 

In terms of size alone, Evan was much larger than Edwin. It was almost the difference between an adult and a child who still had baby fat.

 

However, Evan couldn’t let his guard down.

 

In truth, just standing in front of Edwin made him feel like a herbivore in front of a predator.

 

It was already far beyond the point where he could dismiss it as a feeling.

 

“Sigh.”

 

Evan let out a heavy breath.

 

The intangible energy that had been tightening the air just moments ago released.

 

A little while later, a bright light leaked out from the gap in the closed iron door.

 

Alice, who was looking out the window of the spire, didn’t notice.

 

‘Ugh, it’s cold.’

 

Though spring was coming, the night air of the high spire was still cold.

 

Alice didn’t feel good imagining Edwin shivering here alone in the cold.

 

After some time, the iron door opened. Evan came out.

 

“How is Edwin?”

 

“There were many wounds.”

 

“Mmm.”

 

It wasn’t a surprising statement. Alice suddenly realized that Evan’s face looked extremely tired.

 

“Am I keeping you too long? Go back and get some rest. It must have been hard with the external consultations…”

 

“That’s not the reason, but I am a bit tired.”

 

Evan smiled gently and nodded. For someone who rarely showed signs of exhaustion to say he was tired, he must have been through a lot.

 

Alice nudged him to hurry home, unaware of what would happen next.

 

 

***

 

 

The next day, Evan spoke in a level tone. In his hand was the key to the spire.

 

“I am confiscating this key.”

 

Because he spoke in his usual, casual tone, Alice doubted her ears.

 

 

***

 

 

Four days had passed since the key was taken by Evan.

 

Watching Evan’s back as he left the room after a routine check-up, Alice fell into deep thought with a troubled gaze.

 

‘Why is Evan doing this?’

 

She remembered what Evan said when he confiscated the key.

 

“The air in the spire isn’t good, so it’s dangerous for Alice, who is in poor health, to keep going there. I’ll take care of that person instead, so Alice, please rest until you get stronger.”

 

It was a look of uncharacteristic, almost puzzling determination for Evan.

 

It almost felt like a warrior’s resolve before heading to a battlefield.

 

“He confiscated the key because of my health…”

 

There must be another reason. Since her health had been quite good lately, that couldn’t be the real reason.

 

“This is problematic…”

 

She needed to create more opportunities to get closer to Edwin before leaving the family.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Seeing Alice’s depressed expression, Michael asked bluntly. She said: “Just… because I can’t see someone I want to see.”

 

“Who?”

 

‘Your future husband’, she couldn’t say that.

 

If she said that, Michael would find her even more loathsome. Her mouth was itching, but Alice gave a plain excuse.

 

“A friend.”

 

“…You have friends too?”

 

Michael asked with a face that suggested it was truly a mystery.

 

Wow, to be looked down on by a five-year-old; that’s a new feeling.

 

Since it was Michael, she didn’t feel bad, but Alice sniffled with a depressed face and said:“Weren’t you my friend, Michael?”

 

“…”

 

Michael looked like he realized he’d messed up and clamped his mouth shut. His chubby white cheeks gradually turned red. He was clearly flustered.

 

“W-were we friends?”

 

Michael didn’t even seem to realize what he was saying. Alice was impressed, knowing he spoke with a lisp when he was flustered.

 

‘He’s so cute!’

 

She felt she understood why Edwin provoked Michael so much in the original—as for how he provoked him, she’d leave that to the imagination.

 

She wanted to burst into tears right then to make Michael even more flustered.

 

However, a knock sounded at the door, and she had no choice but to suppress her desire.

 

Knock, knock.

 

It was the maid, Ena.

 

She entered pushing a trolley with a delicious-looking strawberry cake on it.

 

“Wow…”

 

Michael stared at the cake, mesmerized.

 

Unlike Edwin, he didn’t just like sweets; he adored them. He was a man who was prickly to people but tender to desserts…

 

Alice’s eyes flashed. That’s it!

 

A chance to score points with Michael!

 

“…”

 

Michael was only looking at the cake in front of Alice.

 

Alice knew Ena was staring intensely at them, but she quickly realized the reason.

 

Young Michael’s beauty was so cute and lovely that it was hard for anyone to take their eyes off him.

 

Like a person truly serious about dessert, Michael quickly finished the cake in front of him. On the other hand, Alice was just picking at the strawberries. Michael, with his mouth full of cake, asked curiously: “Why aren’t you eating?”

 

But his intention was too transparent.

 

He was looking at her with sparkling eyes.

 

Alice grinned and slid her plate with the cake toward him.

 

‘Remember this favor, Michael.’

 

“Ah…!”

 

She heard Ena’s flustered voice, but Alice didn’t think her reaction was strange.

 

Until Michael collapsed after eating her cake.

 

 

***

 

 

“……It is poison.”

 

There was no need to call another doctor. The feeling Evan had as he examined his young brother, who had collapsed after eating poison, was beyond measure. Alice had never had a family of her own, but seeing Evan’s devastated face and Michael covered in cold sweat made her heart ache.

 

“Is Michael…… going to be okay?”

 

“Fortunately, El has a constitution that is more resistant to poison than others……”

 

He seemed to struggle to continue. Was it because he was seeing his brother like this for the first time?

 

“He has escaped death.”

 

A cold wind seemed to sweep through Alice’s entire body. In truth, Michael could purify poison himself using holy power. Alice knew this well because, in the original story, Edwin had used poison to keep Michael by his side.

 

“Then, does that mean it’s a poison strong enough to kill an ordinary person?”

 

Evan looked at her with a confused face for a moment, then shook his head.

 

“Please tell me the truth, Evan.”

 

“Alice, you weigh more than El, so it wouldn’t have killed you.”

 

“Does that mean it just wouldn’t have killed me?”

 

“……Yes.”

 

“It means I would have been unconscious at the very least.”

 

Evan did not deny it. A silence fell for a while. It was Alice who broke the stillness.

 

“If that had happened, would I have been able to wake up?”

 

“This poison is a reaction from a poisonous herb called ‘Silician.’ It’s easy to obtain because it’s used as a painkiller for medical purposes, but if misused, it becomes a powerful hallucinogen. So, if taken in excess…… one falls into a coma.”

 

Hearing his words, Alice easily realized that if she had eaten it, she might never have woken up.

 

“This poison leaves a scent of peppermint in the mouth even after ingestion.”

 

The peppermint scent from Michael’s mouth reminded Alice of what had happened earlier.

 

‘Do you want to eat it if you want?’

 

The poison had been in the cake she had given to Michael before she could eat it herself. It was the poison that she was originally supposed to eat.

 

She felt cold from her head to her fingertips, as if she had been hit with freezing water. This was an unexpected development. It was an arrogant miscalculation—her own arrogant judgment in failing to anticipate that Karina would use such a vicious scheme. As a result, Michael had collapsed after eating the poison instead of her.

 

“……”

 

Alice’s gaze moved with difficulty. At the end of her gaze was Ena. Since this happened while she had left the cake and gone out, Ena probably hadn’t expected Alice to give the cake to Michael. Ena, who entered the room late, was pale with shock at what she had done. She tried to hide her expression, but there were things she couldn’t quite sweep away.

 

‘Guilt and bewilderment.’

 

To sum up the situation, Karina had put the poison in through Ena’s hands. It was an easy fact to discern that Karina was trying to silence her daughter. Was that why Karina had remained still even when Alice demanded to keep Ena as her exclusive maid—to make her do something like this? One question arose.

 

‘Why didn’t she kill me?’

 

Why didn’t she use a lethal poison, but only enough to put me into a coma? The most certain way to silence someone is to kill them. The more she thought about it, the more her head felt hot and dizzy.

 

‘I provoked Karina too much.’

 

Just in case, she had lied and said she was acting to get her attention, but Karina hadn’t completely withdrawn her suspicion. She had decided to pluck the very buds of suspicion. And she had put that into action. As her thoughts reached this point, Alice’s heart pounded wildly.

 

‘I have to find a way to save myself.’

 

Meanwhile, Evan stood up, holding Michael. His face, like Michael’s, was dripping with cold sweat. He wasn’t actually sick, but he seemed exhausted from watching his ailing brother. Alice forced her lips to move.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Alice, what are you saying right now?”

 

Evan’s gaze was more serious than ever. That look felt like a reprimand, making her shoulders shrink.

 

“Do you perhaps think I resent you, Alice?”

 

“……I’m sorry.”

 

“Truly…… there is no need to apologize. This is like a disaster. We cannot know all disasters in advance and deal with them.”

 

Could putting poison in a cake be called a disaster? But the kind Evan was framing someone’s malice as a disaster just to comfort Alice.

 

“I will take El home and treat him. And Alice, you come to our house too. It’s dangerous here.”

 

It was a proposal so warm it brought tears to her eyes, but Alice shook her head. Evan called her with a desperate face.

 

“Alice!”

 

“I have something important to do here. Isn’t that right, Ena?”

 

“……!”

 

Ena jumped, startled by the sudden call. Alice spoke while looking at her.

 

“From now on, I’m going to find the culprit who poisoned the cake.”

 

This was not a disaster. Because there was someone here who already knew what was going to happen.

 

 

***

 

 

‘It’s unsettling to leave Alice alone.’

 

Before leaving the Duke’s castle, Evan stood in front of the entrance to the flower garden.

 

‘She needs to know.’

 

No matter how little interest she had in Alice, the Duchess wouldn’t stay relaxed after hearing that her daughter almost ate poison. Karina was at a table in the garden, arranging flowers in a vase.

 

“Madam, I have come for a moment because I have something to tell you.”

 

“Is that so? What is it?”

 

Her reaction was not the usual Karina. She was looking at him with a crooked smile. It wasn’t the look that used to find Evan annoying and troublesome whenever he asked her to pay more attention to Alice. Seeing Karina’s smile, Evan somehow couldn’t bring himself to speak. He thought that if he told the Duchess what had happened, Alice would be better protected than she was now…… but the moment he saw her smile, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t be the case.

 

Seeing him hesitate, Karina’s brow narrowed.

 

“I don’t have time, so speak quickly.”

 

“The Young Lady has caught a cold from the chilly wind, so I suggest you see to it that she drinks warm ginger tea frequently.”

 

“You should tell that to the kitchen, not me. Are you telling me you came here just to say that?”

 

Karina’s gaze turned cold. But Evan sensed dissatisfaction in her gaze. A gaze filled with suspicion and concern that things might not have gone as planned. Seeing that look, Evan had an intuition. At the very least, he must not tell the truth to the person in front of him.

 

“I am sorry for taking up your precious time, Madam.”

 

“But wait a moment.”

 

Karina called Evan. Her gaze reached Michael, who was on Evan’s back.

 

“The child’s complexion doesn’t look good. He seems very sick.”

 

Contrary to her regretful tone, her eyes narrowed like a snake.

 

“That is……”

 

“I’ll take a look for a moment.”

 

“I-it’s fine! It’s a severe cold, so it might spread to you, Madam.”

 

“Oh dear, the poor cute child. How can a mother with a child of her own just stand by and watch a sick child? Quickly, show me that child.”

 

This was a command. Evan, who could not go against the Duchess’s order, had no choice but to hand Michael over. Karina’s eyes widened slightly as she held Michael. A scent of peppermint came from his mouth. It meant only one thing: this boy had eaten the poison she had used for Alice.

 

 

***

 

 

Alice made a swift decision because of this. Because of what she was about to do, the date of the Duke’s return would be moved forward—significantly. To do that, she had to obtain a specific tea leaf.

 

‘Rube.’

 

It was the tea leaf that Karina had made the former Duchess drink. The crucial evidence to solve this case was the Rube tea leaf. She had to get it. As soon as possible.

 

“Ena, I know you put the poison in the cake.”

 

“……”

 

Ena did not deny it, keeping her head down. But this was something Ena hadn’t expected either. She had simply followed the order to put a sedative in because Alice’s condition was strange. There hadn’t been a single word that it was a poison that would bring about such a result.

 

“I’m not saying this to blame you right now. You must be being threatened too.”

 

Ena’s confused gaze wavered. Did she already know everything? Even though she had almost eaten the poison Ena had put in, Alice’s appearance was excessively calm. If it were the old Young Lady, at the very least, Ena’s hair would have been pulled out or she would have been strangled. She thought of the ointment she had received from Alice before, then hurriedly pushed it out of her memory. This was not the time to think about that.

 

“But Mother will pin everything on you, Ena, if this is revealed. Or she will use this to blackmail you.”

 

Ena’s expression grew darker and darker. Alice’s words were accurate. The Duchess would continue to hold a knife to Ena’s throat using this incident as an excuse.

 

“Help me break that cycle,” Alice said.

 

“……”

 

Ena just stood there with her mouth shut like a statue.

 

“I don’t want to sit still and die at Mother’s hands. I think it’s the same for you, Ena.”

 

If one can never wake up, how is that different from death?

 

“……If I help the Young Lady, I might die.”

 

“You’ll die even if you sit still anyway. You know it too, Ena. Once you’re involved in this, it will be hard to survive.”

 

Alice pointed to herself and said, “Would it be hard for someone who tried to kill even me to silence me, to kill someone else?”

 

At her words, Ena realized that the jewel ring she had received was the price of her life. She unknowingly let go of the jewel ring she had been holding. Looking at the fallen ring, Alice slowly bent down, picked it up, and handed it back to her.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to at least resist before you die?”

 

Those were words Alice was also saying to herself. She said, “Right now, get me out of the Duke’s castle.”

 

 

***

 

 

Outside the castle, it was now a lively spring festival with many people. Ena and Alice began to walk around, holding hands. This was also the time when Stella, a back-alley peddler, would come out disguised as an ordinary peddler. She would surely be selling rare tea leaves at this festival too—like Rube.

 

“A blue bird is drawn on the black sleeve.”

 

That was the only clue about Stella that Alice remembered. She carefully surveyed the surroundings. Karina might have already sent guards. As she thought of that, Alice’s heart began to feel rushed. How much time had passed? Her robe was already drenched in sweat.

 

But at that moment, the hand Ena was holding tightened. Alice, reflexively looking at Ena, followed the end of her gaze. A young woman wearing clothes with a blue bird on black sleeves was selling things in a slightly secluded alley. It was Stella.

 

‘She’s alive, after all.’

 

Karina thought she had killed her to eliminate any future trouble, but Stella didn’t die. This was because Stella was not human to begin with. Her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest, but she whispered to Ena without showing it.

 

“Is there anyone nearby who looks like a soldier of the Ducal family?”

 

“I don’t know……. There are too many people. I don’t see anyone in armor.”

 

“Let’s act separately from here.”

 

Ena was startled by Alice’s sudden statement.

 

“What are you saying……!”

 

“If we get caught together here, both you and I are dead. One person has to act as bait,” Alice said.

 

“Mother will want to catch me sooner than you, Ena. I’ve come to hold Mother’s weakness. So, if you get caught by the searching soldiers, just pretend to look for me, saying the Young Lady has disappeared.”

 

“You’re telling me to buy time.”

 

After agonizing over it, Ena agreed, let go of her hand, and headed in the opposite direction. Soon left alone on the festival street, Alice walked slowly toward the stall. Stella, with brown hair and brown eyes, was a young woman of mysterious age with a plain and simple impression. However, the items she traded behind the scenes included narcotic herbs and poisons.

 

‘You really can’t judge people…… no, witches, by their looks.’

 

Alice marveled with a curious face.

 

“Wow! There are so many pretty things here!”

 

“Oh my, cute little lady. There are many beautiful shell pearls here too.”

 

“Do you sell tea leaves here too? My mom loves tea……”

 

“What a dutiful daughter. Of course I have them.”

 

As if seeing a truly praiseworthy child, she gave a warm smile and chattered. Then she pulled out a box containing tea leaves. Alice scanned the inside sharply. Rube wasn’t a flower, but it was said to have a rose scent. Even when brewed, it tasted similar to rose tea. That was why Karina hadn’t been suspected even when she brewed Rube instead of rose tea for the former Duchess.

 

There was no Rube in the box.

 

“Don’t you have tea that smells like roses?”

 

“Roses? I’m sorry, but I don’t have any flower teas.”

 

Stella replied with an expression that seemed truly regretful. ‘This sister is quite the actress too.’ Alice thought.

 

“That’s strange……. My mom said they were sold here.”

 

“Are you on an errand?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The look in Stella’s eyes as she watched Alice changed.

 

“She sent me, saying there was a need to use it once more.”

 

Stella spoke slowly while looking into Alice’s eyes. “……Now that I think about it, you look like someone. Do you know your mother’s name?”

 

“Hmm, I wonder if I should say it.”

 

Alice rolled her eyes, acting like an innocent child.

 

“Tell me. I might be friends with your mom.”

 

Stella urged her with a friendly smile. She never traded with someone who used a childhood name or a pseudonym when trading special items.

 

‘Because most of it is illegal.’

 

So, she would take a person’s identity as collateral to prevent anyone from reporting her. There were high-ranking nobles among them too. Therefore, it was a common occurrence for clients to personally step in behind the scenes so she wouldn’t get caught. But even if they didn’t exert their power, Stella would not be caught by the Imperial family. As long as the Emperor didn’t change.

 

‘The current Emperor has already passed through Stella’s hands.’

 

The Emperor was a heavy smoker, so he was probably one of Stella’s special customers. Since most of what she handled was illegal, she didn’t even want to know what he was buying.

 

“Hmm…… then only you must know, sister.”

 

Alice approached her and whispered Karina’s name. Then she gave a beaming smile.

 

“My mom’s name is very pretty, isn’t it?”

 

“It is. But I like the little lady’s name even more.”

 

Stella smiled at Alice’s answer.

 

‘Did I ever give my name?’

 

While Alice tilted her head, Stella pulled out a box. When she opened the box, a strong rose scent wafted out.

 

“Is there water?”

 

“……Yes, of course. Do you need a cup too?”

 

“I’d appreciate it if you gave me one.”

 

A curious light appeared in Stella’s eyes. “Here.”

 

It was an empty cup. There was no water anywhere. Alice, who was about to ask where is the water……, stopped abruptly. Water was filling up on its own in the empty cup.

 

“……!”

 

“Here, it’s water.”

 

Alice stood there with her mouth open like a fool, then hurriedly fixed her expression. Perhaps finding that sudden shift funny, Stella burst into a jovial laugh.

 

“Is this your first time seeing magic?”

 

“Don’t laugh.”

 

Embarrassed, she took out the tea leaves Stella gave her and floated them on the water. The tea leaves, which were green, turned red—like rose petals.

 

‘It’s Rube.’

 

Alice took a small ring from her bosom. At first glance, it looked like a cheap toy with cubic zirconia, but it was an expensive genuine piece made of pure gold and crafted with emeralds. She had deliberately chosen a ring that looked like a toy because carrying around a conspicuous, flashy jewel would only make her a target for pickpockets.

 

Stella’s gaze turned sharp as she recognized at a glance that it was a valuable jewel.

 

“It seems you’ve come fully prepared.”

 

“This much should be enough of a price, right?”

 

“Yes. I wish you luck. And this is a gift.”

 

She pinned a blue butterfly-shaped pin into Alice’s hair.

 

“Thank you.”

 

It was a hairclip that looked quite expensive even at a glance. Alice accepted it immediately with a look of joy. One should never refuse something for free. The mysterious parting words weighed on her mind, but Alice walked away quickly.

 

‘Now, it’s over once I put this in a letter and send it.’

 

She had originally planned to wait and show it to the Duke when he arrived, but the situation had changed. She looked around while going to send the messenger, but no search party was seen. And Ena was nowhere to be found either.

 

‘Did I successfully lose them?’

 

Maybe there never was a search party to begin with, but Alice’s footsteps became a bit lighter.

 

 

***

 

Elgorth Imperial Palace.

 

After finishing a staff meeting in the grand hall, Duke Esteban entered his private office set aside in the palace.

 

“Your Grace, a letter has arrived,” said Kaden, the aide.

 

At those words, he found a letter lying on his desk. The Duke opened the letter addressed to him with an indifferent face. He intended to read it quickly and move on if it was a trivial letter, but his gaze stopped. Kaden stopped organizing the files at the Duke’s unusual reaction.

 

Soon, the Duke’s gaze was fixed on the corner of the outer envelope.

 

Sender: Eliza Esteban.

 

Eliza Esteban. This name belonged to the deceased former Duchess and Edwin’s mother.

 

‘Who is playing such a prank?’

 

The Duke’s hand tightened. The letter in his hand was crumpled. Separately, becoming curious about the contents of the letter, he tore open the crumpled envelope and began to read it quickly. The Duke’s dry face gradually froze cold. An unusual tea leaf was slightly visible inside the envelope.

 

He spoke with a face as cold as frost, clutching the letter tightly.

 

“I must return to the castle.”

 

 

***

 

 

The die was cast. Alice had no doubt that the letter would safely arrive at the Imperial Palace. It was because she had given a generous bribe to the postman delivering the letter. Half of the accessories she possessed had disappeared just on paying bribes.

 

‘Tsk.’

 

It was a bit of a waste, but it was better than dying. She believed in the power of bribes. For now, she had no choice but to rely on that one thing. The sky was already setting in a sunset. Returning to the Duke’s castle, Alice sensed that something was strange about the atmosphere.

 

“Young Lady, the Madam is waiting for you.”

 

Before she could enter through the main gate, a servant approached her and led her toward the spire. She felt that things were taking a bit of a bad turn. She thought about running away as she was, but it was an unrealistic plan for a child’s body. And it bothered her even more that the servant was leading her to the spire. Arriving at the top of the spire, Alice saw something and spoke.

 

“The lock is……”

 

The lock on the room at the top was open. Had Evan stopped by? But he would be preoccupied with Michael’s business, so it made no sense for him to have come to see Edwin. If not him…… Karina?

 

As the servant opened the iron door, Ena, tied with ropes, was immediately visible. Noticing that the situation was taking a serious turn, Alice stopped in her tracks.

 

“What are you doing not coming in?”

 

But Karina opened the door wide with a smile. Isabella and a few servants stood by her side.

 

“You were plotting something as cute and audacious as a little mouse, Alice.”

 

Karina said, scanning Alice up and down. “I heard you tried to kill the doctor’s child by poisoning him?”

 

“What are you talking about……”

 

“Ena has confessed everything. How could you plot such a shameful deed against a child smaller than yourself? Alice, Mother is truly disappointed.”

 

At those words, Alice looked at Ena. Ena, who had a handkerchief in her mouth, shook her head violently. It meant she had never said such a thing. Karina toyed with the key in her hand with a sad face.

 

“I have decided to keep this key now, so as a punishment, you too must be locked in here and have some time for reflection.”

 

“Where did you get that key?”

 

“I took it from the doctor who lies, saying his brother has food poisoning, not that he was poisoned.”

 

It seemed Evan had made an excuse for her.

 

“I will question you later about the poison in your room’s drawer, and for now, let me ask something else.”

 

She gestured to the servants beside her. Then, the servants approached, holding iron chains. They intended to bind her with iron chains just like Edwin.

 

Even while her hands and feet were being shackled with iron chains, Alice could not focus on the situation. For a while now, the gaze watching her from the corner was becoming stronger. The hair on her entire body stood up, and she felt a chill.

 

At that moment, clank, the sound of iron chains was heard. It was a presence felt from a corner of the room.

 

‘Edwin?’

 

It was exactly from the side where Edwin was. Alice’s eyes grew incredibly wide as they met Edwin’s.

 

‘The wounds are healed.’

 

His face, arms, and legs, which had been stained with wounds, had become clean beyond recognition. Could it be that Evan, who took the key, had been……? While Alice was distracted by him, Karina drove everyone in the room outside.

 

“No matter what happens, do not enter until I call you.”

 

The maids and servants left, and the iron door slammed shut. Only Karina, Alice, and Edwin remained inside.

 

 

***

 

 

In a room shrouded in deep darkness, there seemed to be no way for Alice to escape. The rhythmic click-clack of heels echoed as Karina slowly approached, her face twisted in a murderous expression.

 

“Why did you visit her?”

 

“Who do you mean…?”

 

Alice’s face paled.

 

‘Did she find out I went to see Stella?’

 

Karina’s blue eyes gleamed with a chilling light as she glared at the girl.

 

“You visited Stella. That woman everyone thought was dead.”

 

“I don’t know who Stella is.”

 

“The woman who gave you the pin you’re wearing right now! Don’t act like you don’t know—I’m onto you!”

 

“I just… I just went to buy a hairpiece…”

 

The faint smile vanished from Karina’s lips. “Impossible. That pin is something Stella wore every single day.”

 

‘Damn it.’

 

A cold shiver ran down Alice’s spine.

 

‘What was the intention behind putting this pin in my hair?’

 

“It can’t be helped, Alice. If you had just stayed a good girl, your mother would have left you alone. In fact, I might have even doted on you more.”

 

Sensing danger, Alice struggled, but Karina gripped the chains binding her and tightened them.

 

“You’re the one who made things this bad,” Karina whispered.

 

The moment Karina realized Alice had sought out Stella, she felt a genuine sense of crisis for the first time. Alice noticed a small vial in Karina’s hand.

 

‘Is that… poison?’

 

Karina intended to strangle her into unconsciousness and then force the poison down her throat. As Karina’s hand drew closer, Alice squeezed her eyes shut. As the vial opened, the faint scent of peppermint wafted out. It was the hallucinogenic herb Michael had consumed.

 

Alice immediately understood Karina’s plan: she was going to frame Edwin, making it look as though he had strangled Alice into a coma. Though she tried to escape, a seven-year-old girl was no match for an adult woman’s strength. Alice braced herself for the pain, but as time passed, it never came.

 

“Gasp…”

 

Alice heard a series of strange, intermittent choking sounds. She peeked one eye open, and her eyes immediately went wide. An unbelievable sight unfolded before her.

 

With an expressionless face, Edwin had pinned Karina down and was strangling her with a chain. With a heavy thud, Karina collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

 

‘Is she… dead?’

 

Alice instinctively scrambled backward, her body trembling violently. “Is she… is she dead?”

 

“…”

 

Edwin didn’t answer. Now that she looked, the chains that had bound his hands and feet were shattered. They weren’t cleanly cut; the ends were mangled as if torn apart by sheer, brute force.

 

‘They were fastened so tightly just a moment ago.’

 

Alice wondered if she had misremembered. Still bound by her own chains, she crawled toward Karina and checked for a pulse. She was still breathing. Edwin watched Alice’s every move in silence.

 

“…Why didn’t you kill her?”

 

Shocked beyond reason, Alice let the question slip out unfiltered. She was so stunned by Edwin’s actions that she momentarily forgot Karina was her own mother. After a long pause, Edwin finally spoke.

 

“…Because she’s someone Alice likes.”

 

If I kill someone you like, you might stop visiting me.

 

Edwin kept that last part to himself.

 

“…”

 

Alice quietly chewed over his response.

 

‘I like Karina?’ Two massive questions swirled in her head. ‘He didn’t kill her because she’s someone I like? And… did I ever say I liked her?’

 

Then, she remembered. A year ago, she had followed Karina to the tower and lashed out at Edwin. She realized Edwin was recalling that specific moment. And she was right. Edwin had remembered Alice crying and screaming at him in defense of her mother. Back then, he had been annoyed and indifferent, but the thought of the current Alice looking at him with such contempt and leaving him… he didn’t even want to imagine it.

 

He looked down at the chains in his hands. He had no intention of losing the first spark of interest he had ever received. Alice remained conflicted. She understood Edwin had done this for her sake, but she wondered if things were truly supposed to go this way.

 

Before the silence could linger, the iron door burst open. It was one of the servants who had chained Alice earlier.

 

“M-Madam! Huff, huff… The Duke has just returned to the cas—!”

 

The servant froze, catching sight of the unconscious Karina. ‘The letter arrived just in time.’ Alice thought, breathing a sigh of relief. It was time for the villain to exit the stage.

 

 

***

 

 

The letter reached the Imperial Palace swiftly, and everything thereafter moved at lightning speed. Upon receiving Alice’s message, Duke Esteban sought out the Imperial Physician. As he was the most renowned doctor in the Empire, the secret hidden within the ‘Rube’ tea was quickly unmasked.

 

Duke Esteban returned to the estate immediately to demand answers. Karina, who had regained consciousness after Edwin’s attack, wept piteously and denied everything, but no one fell for her crocodile tears. With the Emperor’s permission, the physician confirmed that Edwin’s hair color had been altered by the effects of the Rube tea.

 

Unfortunately, there was no way to reverse the change. Edwin was diagnosed to live with black hair for the rest of his life. Learning the full truth seemed to leave Duke Esteban in a complicated state of mind.

 

‘Well, he’s still a jerk regardless,’ Alice thought.

 

She was currently confined to her room. Even Evan couldn’t visit her. Or rather, he wasn’t allowed to. The clanking of armor echoed from outside her door—the Duke’s knights were standing guard.

 

‘I’m being treated like a total criminal.’

 

Following the incident, Alice was branded alongside Karina as a pair of malicious mother and daughter. It was revealed that Karina had poisoned the previous Duchess with toxic tea to steal her position. As the new Duchess, she had not only committed countless atrocities within the household but had framed his own son, Edwin, as illegitimate. Given the circumstances, Alice felt lucky she wasn’t being pelted with stones.

 

However, no visitors meant no meals. Alice was starving.

 

‘I’m not going to starve to death, am I?’

 

The thought was terrifying. Having nearly starved in her previous life, she knew exactly how agonizing it was.

 

Alice looked out the window. It was a beautiful spring day, perfect for a walk. She began to seriously contemplate a jailbreak—or rather, an escape.

 

Knock, knock.

 

Startled by the sudden sound, Alice jumped up from the bed, her heart racing.

 

‘Is it a knight coming to arrest me?’

 

The image of Karina being dragged away was still vivid in her mind.

 

She cleared her throat. “Come in.”

 

She doubted the Duke’s knights would have the courtesy to knock on the door of a “sinner’s daughter.” To her relief, the person who entered was Ena—the maid who had once shared meals and life-or-death moments with her. Alice let out a long sigh of relief.

 

“Ena.”

 

“Young Lady.”

 

“I’m not the lady of this house anymore. Just call me Alice.”

 

Many maids had suffered under the previous Alice’s tantrums, and Ena was no exception. However, Alice had saved her life this time. Ena’s feelings were complicated; Alice had saved someone whom her mother had tried to poison.

 

“It makes me uncomfortable, so please, speak informally to me,” Alice insisted.

 

“O-okay.”

 

Alice’s tone was so firm that Ena found herself complying.

 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Ena asked, looking frustrated.

 

“About what?”

 

“Aren’t you the one who revealed all of this?” Ena was asking if Alice was the whistleblower. Surprised, Alice immediately denied it.

 

“No? Why would I do that? I’m not an idiot.” It was better for her to remain perceived as someone entirely ignorant of the situation.

 

“Then why did you ask to go to the festival back then?”

 

“I was bored staying inside the castle all the time.”

 

“To risk your life just for that…” Ena looked at her in disbelief. Alice gave her a cheeky smile.

 

“I thought you wouldn’t play with me otherwise.”

 

“I don’t know what’s really going on, but I’ll act like I don’t,” Ena sighed.

 

“By the way, are you okay, Ena?” Alice worried she might have faced punishment, but Ena nodded. So many people had been threatened by the Madam that they had all come forward to testify in Ena’s defense, allowing her to escape reprimand.

 

“That’s a relief.” Alice smiled and sat on the bed. Then, like a thief, Ena began to pull something secretly from her clothes. Alice recognized the shape immediately—it was wrapped in paper, just like the bread she used to bring to Edwin.

 

“Is this for me?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Score! Thank you!” Alice happily began to eat the bread. It wasn’t the head chef Danny’s work; it was a bit dry. But after a day of fasting, it tasted wonderful.

 

‘So this is the kind of bread the maids usually eat. It’s a shame they don’t know how Danny’s bread tastes.’

 

Then she caught herself.

 

‘Who am I to feel sorry for them? I’m the one in trouble right now.’

 

“Did you sneak this in?”

 

Ena looked at the floor in silence—a silent “yes.”

 

“Did you come all the way here just to give me bread? Through all that guard?” Alice was nearly moved to tears by Ena’s bravery, but then Ena spoke again.

 

“No…” she said slowly. “Miss, the Duke is calling for you.”

 

The tears vanished instantly. Alice felt a knot in her stomach. “Why me?”

 

She hadn’t expected Duke Esteban to call for her personally.

 

‘What does he want to say?’

 

In her memory, the Duke hadn’t been particularly cruel to her. He provided an ample allowance and never stopped her tantrums.

 

‘Technically, it was just neglect.’

 

If the Duke had to categorize Alice, she was likely on his “tolerable” list. If he had truly hated her, he wouldn’t have let her run rampant.

 

‘Should I try to trigger some sympathy?’ she wondered. ‘Ask him to be lenient with my punishment?’

 

But she shook her head. He was a cold pragmatist. Since he had become the head of the house, the already prestigious Esteban family had grown even more powerful. Nervous, Alice followed Ena down the hallway toward the office. Servants whispered as she passed, looking at her as if she were a prisoner heading to the gallows.

 

She reached the office door.

 

‘I hope the Duke has enough grace to pity a child.’

 

She took a deep breath and knocked.

 

“Come in,” a deep, low voice replied.

 

As she entered, the faint scent of cigar smoke filled the air. Alice shuffled inside.

 

Click. The door closed, leaving her alone with the Duke. The office was dim and chilly. Despite the goosebumps, Alice carefully observed the man before her.

 

He was a cold, handsome man with blonde hair and red eyes. He looked young enough that no one would believe he had a seven-year-old child. He sat there, his face scrunched in irritation.

 

‘Well, the reason is obvious.’ Because of Karina, his biological son and heir had been imprisoned. Furthermore, he had to leave the palace in the middle of a sensitive southern war issue. He might even be annoyed that he missed a chance to gain merit. He ignored her at first, silently smoking his cigar.

 

Alice studied him more boldly. In terms of color, she looked more like his child than Edwin did, but in terms of facial features, he was Edwin’s father through and through.

 

‘How did he not realize he had a little clone right there? You’d have to be blind. Or maybe he just never bothered to look at Edwin’s face after throwing him in the tower as a baby.’

 

Alice felt a surge of bitterness on Edwin’s behalf.

 

The Duke stubbed out his cigar in a glass ashtray. For the first time, his red eyes turned toward her.

 

“Alice Garnet.”

 

Garnet.

 

That was Karina’s maiden name. By using that name, the Duke made Alice feel like she was sitting on a bed of needles. It was a stark reminder of her new status.

 

“Did you know about this?”

 

“About what?”

 

The Duke leaned his chin on his hand, his gaze dry and cold. “There’s no way you haven’t heard the rumors circulating the estate.”

 

Though they were sitting at the same level, it felt as though he was looking down on her. ‘How annoying,’ Alice thought. Outwardly, she acted flustered and tearful, rolling her blue eyes. She had no intention of telling the truth. She had to distance herself from Karina’s crimes to survive.

 

‘Alice… what a name.’

 

Like the girl who chased a rabbit into a nightmare. She had enjoyed a month of luxury; perhaps it was time to wake up from the dream. She had seen Michael and Edwin; that was enough.

 

‘I can read about the ‘big events’ in the book later…’

 

Alice decided to prioritize her safety. The memory of Karina being dragged away was too vivid. Her mother would likely be disposed of soon. Though Karina was a villain, the thought of her mother dying made Alice’s hands shake.

 

“I… I really didn’t know! Hic!” Alice began her performance as a confused, innocent child. Her goal was to be seen as a blameless third party.

 

The Duke frowned. “Quiet. Get out.”

 

“Hic… what?”

 

“I said, get out.” His gaze was piercingly cold.

 

Alice stopped crying for a moment to process his words. Get out? Did he mean get out of the office, or get out of the castle?

 

‘Probably the latter.’

 

Though it was an early exit, she decided to retreat quickly. If she insisted on staying, she might share Karina’s fate.

 

‘Still, throwing a child out on her own…’

 

Her hope for his sympathy died then and there. She wondered if he’d at least give her a place to stay or some money, but that seemed unlikely with a man like him.

 

“Hic… yes…” Alice wept as she left the office. She wasn’t usually a crier, but in this body, the tears came easily.

 

“You heartless jerk. I’m the one who sent that letter!” she wanted to scream. But doing so would only send her to her grave faster than Karina.

 

Returning to her room, she caught Ena before the maid could leave. “Do you know how Edwin is?”

 

“The… the Young Master?” The title felt awkward even to hear, as Edwin had been a taboo subject for so long.

 

Ena looked around nervously before whispering, “They say he’s still in the tower.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Rumor has it he’s refusing to come out…”

 

Alice didn’t understand. *Refusing to come out?* The Edwin who had left the tower the moment Michael treated him wouldn’t do that.

 

‘Well, it shouldn’t matter to me anymore.’

 

She had done her part.

 

But the image of the healed Edwin flickered in her mind. *I should have looked at him longer back then.* He was more beautiful than she had imagined. She also worried about Evan; if the Duke found out he used holy power to heal Edwin, he’d be in trouble.

 

‘I have to leave a letter.’

 

She also had to stop the Duke from going back to the war after she left.

 

 

***

 

 

Soon, Alice reached the tower. Leaving her room hadn’t been hard. She told the guards, “I’ve been expelled,” and they stepped aside. She saw a flash of pity in their eyes, quickly replaced by contempt—the look one gives to a pair of scammers.

 

‘Technically, they’re not wrong.’ In the original story, Edwin didn’t leave the tower for another ten years. The thought was chilling.

 

Alice searched around the tower until she found a depression in the ground. She dug and found a collection of jewelry—things the original Alice had bought with her allowance.

 

‘I couldn’t even say goodbye to Evan or Michael.’

 

She felt a bit bitter. She would leave a letter containing the original plot; if Evan believed her, he wouldn’t die.

 

‘I included the bit about the holy power, so he’ll have to believe it.’

 

She also worried that her intervention might prevent Michael and Edwin from becoming friends, so she added a final request: [Please, could you make a friend for Edwin? Michael will surely be a good friend to him. This is my last request.]

 

She hoped the kind-hearted Evan would grant it.

 

 

***

 

 

Evan sat in the reception room, having been summoned by Duke Esteban. He looked troubled. He had been asking to see Alice since yesterday, but the Duke had ignored him and the knights had blocked her door. He hoped this meeting would finally allow him to see her. He was worried sick that the frail Alice might have collapsed from hunger in her room.

 

The door opened without a knock. Evan stood up. “Hello, Your Grace.”

 

The Duke sat across from him, the scent of cigars following him. He lit another one. Watching him, Evan couldn’t help but think of Edwin. Though Edwin had been covered in filth and wounds at first, the treatment and Alice’s care had revealed his true features. They were strikingly similar—father and son.

 

“I heard you treated the boy,” the Duke said. His voice was casual, but his gaze was high-handed. “Those wounds don’t usually heal through normal means. I’m curious about your method.”

 

Evan fell silent. They don’t usually heal. It sounded as if the Duke knew the cause of the wounds. Knowing how holy power was viewed, Evan couldn’t tell the truth.

 

“I used ointments and diligent disinfection,” Evan said. It wasn’t a total lie, just a partial one. But he was tense; the Duke wasn’t a man to be fooled by wordplay.

 

“Ointment and disinfection?” One of the Duke’s eyebrows rose. The pressure was immense.

 

“Yes, I formulated them myself.” Again, a half-truth. Evan felt guilty, but he maintained his composure.

 

The Duke flicked his ash into the tray. “They must have been very effective. What was the recipe?”

 

Evan gave him a recipe—a total fabrication. He swallowed hard.

 

‘Did I get away with it?’

 

“You deserve credit for treating the heir. Is there something you want?”

 

It was an arrogant offer, but Evan didn’t want money or fame. He wanted only one thing.

 

“Could you allow me to see Alice?”

 

The Duke looked intrigued. Evan added, “It wasn’t just my effort. Without Alice, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to treat him.”

 

Evan hoped this would soften the Duke’s heart toward Alice. The Duke knew Alice had changed the locks on the tower. He found Evan’s defense of the girl interesting.

 

“I see,” the Duke mused. He thought of his conversation with Alice. “I really didn’t know” He knew how Karina and Alice behaved, but he had never cared enough to stop them. But a girl who beat maids suddenly treating Edwin out of pure sympathy? It didn’t add up.

 

He knew the doctor was hiding something. A family curse—mana side effects—couldn’t be cured by simple ointment. But he decided to keep them close to find out the truth.

 

“Fine. I’ll allow it.”

 

Evan smiled, unaware of the Duke’s hidden thoughts. But as he left the office and headed for Alice’s room, he was stopped by shocking news.

 

“Alice… has been expelled from the family?”

 

Ena nodded. Evan’s face went pale. “How is a child supposed to survive alone…?”

 

“She left a letter for you, Doctor.”

 

Evan took the letter. [From Alice to Evan]. The handwriting was too mature for a child. He pushed the thought aside. “Where is she now?”

 

“We’re looking for her, but she’s nowhere to be found.”

 

Evan panicked.

 

‘Did she already leave the castle?’

 

“When did she give you this?”

 

“It was on her nightstand…”

 

Evan immediately turned. “Where is the Young Master?”

 

“In the tower. But why…?”

 

Evan didn’t wait. He ran. Alice wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Edwin. He sprinted up the tower stairs, bursting into the top floor.

 

There stood Edwin, dressed neatly. He looked entirely different from when he was imprisoned. He looked at Evan with an expressionless but chillingly cold gaze. Evan felt a primitive fear, as if he were looking at something non-human. He remembered Karina’s words about Edwin looking at people like insects. He hadn’t believed her then, but now he understood.

 

“Young Master… have you seen Alice? She’s gone!”

 

Edwin’s gaze darkened. “Alice?”

 

Evan realized even Edwin hadn’t seen her. “She’s disappeared! A child out there alone…!”

 

Suddenly, Edwin began to leave the tower. Evan was stunned. Edwin was still sensitive to sunlight, and today was blindingly bright. Yet, Edwin didn’t care. He walked toward the main castle, his red eyes cold as ice.

 

 

***

 

 

“She just… walked out?”

 

On the other hand, the Duke’s eyebrows shot up upon receiving the report from the gate guard.

 

The soldier, realizing too late that the situation was taking an ominous turn, broke into a cold sweat and answered.

 

“The… the Young Lady said that Your Grace had exiled her from the family.”

 

“I did?”

 

The Duke’s expression shifted.

 

Looking at him, the soldier doubted his own eyes. Was this not the man who was always expressionless or looked at others with a coldness that felt like being slashed by a blade?

 

Yet, a flicker of sheer absurdity passed over his face. Only then did the soldier judge the gravity of the situation.

 

“I—I will rectify this immediately!”

 

As the temperature in the room grew increasingly chilly, the soldier hurriedly rushed out of the office to find Alice.

 

Left alone, the Duke let out a scoffing breath and massaged his furrowed brow.

 

 

***

 

 

Caw, caw.

 

Flocks of seagulls flew across the clear sky of the pier.

 

‘Heartless jerk.’

 

The fact that the Duke had neither blood nor tears made Alice feel as if her own heart was drying up. A human being should have at least some emotional side!

 

This novel wasn’t a “rehabilitation” genre about reforming a cold-blooded Duke. If she stubbornly insisted on staying, she would surely have been tied up in ropes right alongside Karina.

 

So, Alice had given up on clinging to the Duke early on and had set a firm plan in motion.

 

In the middle of <The Tyrant’s Silver Flower>, there is a scene where Michael escapes from Edwin. Having narrowly escaped Edwin’s grasp, Michael luckily settles down safely in a generous and quiet countryside village.

 

Alice carefully went over the list of people who had helped Michael.

 

The blacksmith Mueller’s family, Felice who runs the bakery, and Adeli from the fruit shop.

 

If she acted like a pitiable but well-mannered child in front of them, she wouldn’t at least starve to death on the streets. She knew these facts because she had read that specific scene several times.

 

‘Once some time passes and I’ve saved enough money, I should keep it instead of buying a house.’

 

In the long run, it was better to open a shop to settle down safely in a foreign land, but considering the original story, that was an impossible plan.

 

‘Because the village gets destroyed.’

 

Edwin’s obsessive madness eventually led to the ruin of Heiden Village, where Michael was hiding. Everyone living there at that time was slaughtered. Of course, it was Edwin’s doing.

 

There were two reasons.

 

Retaliation for trying to escape from him.

 

And Edwin’s scheme to isolate Michael completely, leaving him with no one else to turn to but himself.

 

‘Later, when Michael escapes to Heiden, I’ll have to evacuate the people first.’

 

Recalling the original plot from the perspective of a supporting character made it feel like a horror movie.

 

Alice quietly waited for the boat to Heiden Village, pulling her black hood down low. Since the events at the Duke’s castle had spread far and wide, her face was already well-known.

 

Booooooom—

 

The loud blast of a ship’s horn echoed from the pier, announcing its arrival.

 

Because they wouldn’t sell a ticket to a child, she had no choice but to pay a large sum to a black-market dealer for a boarding pass. Now, she was ready to board.

 

Just as she was about to step onto the ship, after finishing a small mental farewell to the Elga brothers and Edwin…

 

She heard a commotion behind her.

 

“What are all these knights doing here suddenly?”

 

“Someone must have committed a great crime. Tsk tsk.”

 

“That’s why they say you shouldn’t live a life of sin.”

 

‘It’s probably not my business.’

 

She had an ominous feeling, but she ignored it and took another step forward. However, this kind of intuition somehow never missed its mark.

 

One of the knights stepped forward and blocked Alice’s path with his sword.

 

“Eek!”

 

Alice let out a shrill scream as a sword was thrust abruptly toward her neck.

 

The knight asked her in a stiff tone.

 

“Are you Alice Garnet?”

 

This place really defied common sense. Did people here start by brandishing a sword when asking someone a question?

 

“Ally… what? No, I’m not.”

 

She reflexively denied it. The faces of the nearby sailors were written with expressions like, ‘I don’t know what happened, but that poor child is in trouble.’

 

Who would follow willingly after seeing that?

 

Alice didn’t show her inner thoughts and looked at the knight with a terrified face, acting as if she knew nothing.

 

Her brazen innocence made the knight look confused. He glanced back and forth between a piece of paper and her.

 

“Messy, curly blonde hair. Blue eyes. The description matches, but…”

 

“You’re saying this is me? I’m not this ugly. Oh? I’ve seen that in the newspaper. That Alice Garnet?”

 

Anyone could see that the drawing on the paper was her portrait. Alice stubbornly maintained a brazen and offended attitude.

 

“And there are so many people with blonde hair and blue eyes here. Oh, look, that mister over there is like that too.”

 

Alice pointed at a man boarding the ship. The man, suddenly pointed out, was startled and rushed deep into the ship.

 

“Don’t treat an innocent person like a criminal just because they look a little similar.”

 

The child’s remark was rude and bold.

 

The knight, looking at her for a moment, shifted his gaze back to the paper.

 

“…”

 

A faint ripple appeared on the faces of the knights, who had been expressionless throughout.

 

“Is it really not you?”

 

“I told you it’s not.”

 

Alice smiled inwardly.

 

‘This just might work. But why are they looking for me?’

 

The problem was she didn’t know the reason. Did they realize late that they should tie her up with Karina and send her away?

 

Alice’s expression stiffened. If that was the case, she had to deny it to the death.

 

“She is Alice Garnet.”

 

At that moment, a clear voice that hadn’t yet hit puberty cut in. It was a voice she had heard somewhere before. Alice reflexively looked over.

 

There was a handsome boy with brown hair and cool gray eyes. On his wrist was a green bracelet in the shape of a pigeon. That was…

 

‘The mark of the Marquis Erdman family.’

 

She realized who he was immediately. He was the child who would later become the commander of the family’s knights and Michael’s close friend, volunteering to be his guard. He was also the child destined to die while blocking Edwin’s path for the sake of the fleeing Michael.

 

‘Poor supporting characters.’

 

She didn’t know why the lives of supporting characters in tragic novels were all so miserable. Alice let out a deep sigh at the fact that she had witnessed another “poor lamb.”

 

Meanwhile, Alois felt a subtle sensation seeing her.

 

‘Who is pitying whom?’

 

At first, he thought she was looking at him with resentment, but then their eyes met, and she looked at him with compassion. Alois frowned at the completely unpredictable flow. She had certainly become stranger than her state three months ago when she only threw tantrums.

 

 

***

 

Bang!

 

The door to the Duke’s office burst open. Though the door closed quickly, the knights collapsed on the floor were glimpsed in the gap.

 

At the rude visitor, the Duke’s gaze turned cold. Then, identifying the visitor, he slowly spoke.

 

“You acted as if you’d stay buried in there and never come out; what is this about?”

 

A sneer played on Duke Esteban’s face.

 

For a first appearance of a biological son he never knew existed, his words were excessively dry and cold. Edwin, appearing uninterested in his words, stared straight at him and said:

 

“Find Alice.”

 

“There is no reason for me to find someone who left on their own feet,” the Duke replied, leaning lazily back in his chair.

 

Seeing that, Edwin’s lips twisted bleakly. It was an expression he never wore in front of Alice. His cold, red eyes fixed on the Duke.

 

‘Should I kill him?’

 

Sensing Edwin’s unusual aura, Duke Esteban reached for an object on his desk. It was a magical tool for calling the knights.

 

Crunch!

 

Having already read his movement, Edwin snatched the magical tool from his hand and crushed it. Since it was made of magic stone, it was something that couldn’t be easily broken even by magic monsters, let alone a normal person.

 

However, the Duke spoke dryly, as if he had expected it.

 

“You have bad manners.”

 

“…If I kill you, I will become the master of this place.”

 

After that, he could just use the subordinates to find Alice first. Having finished the calculation, Edwin’s red eyes flashed. Then, he leaped from the spot. Landing on the office desk, he reached out. His haunting gaze was fixed only on the Duke’s neck. As if he would snap it at any moment.

 

It was the small hand of a child, but it was a grip strength that had snapped chains with one hand and smashed a magic tool. If caught in that hand, a human neck bone would surely be shattered.

 

Duke Esteban quickly put his hand on the sword at his waist.

 

However, that action didn’t lead to drawing the blade. It was because Edwin stopped dead in his tracks. Having retreated from the Duke and stood before the desk, Edwin turned his head and stared intently at the door.

 

A small sigh was heard from outside the door. It was Alice.

 

 

***

 

 

‘What on earth is going on?’

 

The knights had brought her back to the Duke’s castle without any explanation. Like leader, like subordinate—both sides were silent and cold.

 

Then, she thought of Edwin.

 

‘At least Edwin is cute.’

 

A satisfied smile appeared on Alice’s lips as she recalled the last sight of Edwin. By now, he must have returned to his original state under the family’s care.

 

‘I ended up leaving without saying a final goodbye.’

 

Actually, it wasn’t that she couldn’t say it; it was more like she didn’t.

 

The details of Karina’s evil deeds had been revealed, and Alice was in a position where she could only be considered an accomplice as the daughter of a criminal. And she was afraid Edwin would think of her that way, too. If Edwin looked at her with eyes full of resentment and hatred…

 

‘It would be heartbreaking, but I’d be okay with whatever expression Edwin made.’

 

In fact, it didn’t really matter what Edwin thought of her. What mattered was what he thought of Michael. But if this was a matter of her own life and death, the story changed.

 

That’s right.

 

Alice had fled without a word because she was afraid she might be killed by Edwin.

 

‘Those chains, with one hand…’

 

His natural strength was extraordinary from the start. He could probably easily suppress an adult man with brute force. She didn’t want to use her own life as a sample to see just how different that natural talent was from a normal person.

 

However, in the end, Alice returned to the Duke’s castle in the hands of the knights. They led her to the office, saying the Duke was calling for her.

 

“What is this…”

 

However, the hallway to the office was a bit strange. Were the knights not sprawled out on the floor in a row? Judging by their bruised faces, it looked as if they had been soundly beaten by someone.

 

The knights who came with her began to take a defensive stance with nervous faces.

 

“There are no signs of resistance.” Alois scanned the situation keenly.

 

The knights nodded at his words. “It wasn’t an intruder.”

 

If there had been an intruder, there would have been signs of a struggle, but this situation looked as if one side had just been unilaterally beaten.

 

“Go in.” Alois told Alice to enter the office. Alice hesitated, feeling uneasy. But his gray eyes, urging her, didn’t leave her face for a second. She sighed and knocked on the door.

 

“Come in.”

 

Alice, hearing the answer, opened the door and entered. Her pupils dilated uncontrollably as she saw the figure in the room.

 

‘Edwin.’

 

She had heard from Ena that he was in the tower; when did he come here?

 

Edwin now had a clean, clear face like a white porcelain doll. Although he was still thin with no fat on his body.

 

‘You’ve healed a lot.’

 

Alice examined Edwin with a relieved face. This was the first time she had seen him in such a bright interior rather than the tower.

 

‘He really looks like a devil.’

 

He looked like a beautiful young devil, the kind said in the Bible to bewitch women and children. Even in his neat attire with a cravat, he drew a line as elegant and graceful as a nobleman despite being a child. No trace of mismatch was felt, as if this was his original self.

 

Alice slowly examined the situation in the office. Edwin and Duke Esteban were facing each other. It seemed they had been having a private conversation. However, since she entered the office, two pairs of red eyes were staring intently at her.

 

Feeling burdened by the attention, Alice’s gaze couldn’t find a place to rest and scanned only the air. Eventually, she dropped her gaze to the floor and thought.

 

‘I—I feel like I did something wrong.’

 

Alice peeked at the subtle atmosphere between the father and son and then spoke.

 

“I—I’ll come back a little later. Excuse me—”

 

“Wait.” Duke Esteban called out to stop her. Alice froze like a stiff wooden doll. Turning her head like a rusty doll, she wanted to leave the office again. Even at this moment, weren’t Duke Esteban and Edwin staring at her as if they would pierce through her?

 

“Why did you leave the castle with such a lie?”

 

“M—Me?!”

 

When did I ever lie! Alice felt a surge of indignation, but under the two pairs of eyes, she answered with a timid face.

 

“I—I never did that.”

 

“They say you were expelled from the family. Who said such a thing?”

 

His gaze was one that suggested he couldn’t understand the more he looked at the situation. Alice felt a surge of unfairness again.

 

“Your Grace told me to get out…”

 

The voice, which had come out quite loud due to her emotions, gradually lost confidence and grew smaller under the cool gaze flying toward her face. She practically mumbles the end, but Duke Esteban understood all her words and soon narrowed his eyes. Without even realizing that the ash from the cigar in his hand had fallen onto the documents, he said:

 

“How absurd. You left the castle after being told to leave the office?”

 

“Wh—What?”

 

Alice asked back with a blank face. What on earth was this? It meant to leave the office? A moment of silence passed.

 

In the quiet and awkward silence, she looked at the boarding pass in her hand. You mean all this effort was for nothing?

 

“Then… does that mean you want me to stay here?”

 

“Well.”

 

He replied with an arrogant face, his arms crossed. It was a jerk-like and ambiguous answer that would normally have annoyed her, but Alice just carefully examined the Duke’s face. If that was the reason the Duke’s knights had dragged her back…

 

Staying here was the best option for her young self. She could wear clean clothes, the security was perfect, and she didn’t have to worry about going hungry.

 

The Duke made a thoughtful face for a moment, then spoke. His gaze was fixed on Edwin.

 

“I prefer children who listen well.”

 

“I really listen well! You saw it this time! I even went outside the castle because Your Grace told me to get out…!”

 

Alice replied promptly, thinking the Duke was speaking to her. The Duke looked at her as if he were seeing a strange person.

 

‘Oops, was this not the right answer?’

 

While Alice was feeling troubled, Edwin slowly spoke.

 

“Please don’t send Alice away. Father.”

 

‘Father?’

 

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched at the polite tone.

 

“Edwin…”

 

Alice called him with a flustered face. But gradually, Edwin’s face blurred. His face was stained with sadness. Alice’s heart pounded at the sight of him looking as if he would cry if nudged just a little.

 

She thought he would despise and hate her after knowing all the facts. However, contrary to her expectations, Edwin was saying not to kick her out.

 

Her eyes began to redden, too. Mixed with moved emotions and relief, Alice felt like she might cry as well.

 

‘At least I won’t be killed by the male protagonist.’

 

Is this what it feels like to be a parent raising a child? She felt the reward of teaching him writing and making him read books. Maybe the fairy tale she made had some effect!

 

But soon, Alice felt a little pained seeing Edwin’s red-rimmed eyes. Ah! I made that pretty child cry! If only she could turn back time, she wanted to scold herself severely for trying to leave without even a goodbye.

 

‘Edwin, I’m sorry!’

 

However, Duke Esteban was watching her and Edwin with an interested gaze. To think he wouldn’t grant his son’s request even after seeing those tears. Alice cursed him inwardly, calling him a man truly without blood or tears.

 

Edwin said: “Alice is my ‘friend’.”

 

It was a word with a strange amount of weight placed on the word ‘friend’.

 

Alice was too swept up in emotion to notice, but while saying that, Edwin’s red eyes held a strange light.

 

Duke Esteban realized instantly what Edwin meant by that.

 

‘This wasn’t a child; it was a wolf.’

 

If possible, a docile beast was easier to handle than a wolf running wild without manners. Anyway, he had no intention of sending away Alice Garnet, who was a hidden card.

 

The Duke’s lips curled up in a straight line. Alice, who had been absentmindedly admiring the smile of the cold handsome man, suddenly shuddered at a lingering ominous energy.

 

“Fine. Alice Garnet shall stay here for the time being.”

 

She couldn’t be purely happy, so she gave an awkward smile. She felt uneasy as if there were some strange ulterior motive she didn’t know about.

 

‘Well, whatever.’

 

“Thank you!”

 

As long as she could live without dying right now, it was fine. Alice laughed brightly and bowed. It was a polite, disciplined greeting.

 

The Duke looked at her with an interested face, saying, “Hmm.”

 

‘It’s as if she’s become a different child.’

 

It was a completely different reaction from what he had expected—that she would cry and cause a fuss because her mother was imprisoned.

 

“Um, excuse me…”

 

Alice rolled her eyes and peeked at the Duke. Before she could even open her mouth, a signal rang from her stomach.

 

Gurgle.

 

“…”

 

The Duke, knowing what she was going to say, tilted his head.

 

“Get out.”

 

“Yes…”

 

“But don’t leave the castle.”

 

Damn it. Her face burned with embarrassment.

 

 

***

 

 

“Ah, I’m full.”

 

Alice smiled satisfactorily as she looked at the more than three bowls of beef stew she had eaten and the empty bread basket. Fortunately, not long after leaving the office, Ena had brought her a meal.

 

‘I avoided starving.’

 

Although the Duke had allowed her to stay, she had been secretly afraid that the most important thing—food—might not come. Her liking for Duke Esteban rose slightly. Though it was only to a minuscule level that wouldn’t even be visible.

 

Knock, knock.

 

At the sound of the knock, Alice, wondering if they were bringing dessert too, promptly told them to come in. However, the person who entered the room was Edwin, not Ena. Alice, who had been lying lazily with soup on her mouth, quickly got up and wiped her mouth.

 

“E—Edwin. What brings you here?”

 

“Why were you trying to leave without a word?”

 

Edwin looked at Alice with eyes full of resentment. His red eyes no longer looked haunting and scary. Alice decided to completely change her mind about Edwin. He was just a normal child who liked friends and shed tears. Although he had the monstrous strength to break chains with one hand…

 

“Alice.”

 

Edwin, looking down with a sorrowful expression, opened his small red lips. Alice was flustered by his reaction. Looking closely, his eyes seemed to be wet.

 

“Do you hate me?”

 

“Th—That’s impossible!”

 

Greatly flustered, Alice quickly shook her head from side to side. She shook it so vigorously that her neck felt stiff.

 

“No. I like Edwin so much!”

 

Alice brought out her true feelings lightly, as she would to Michael. Most of it was made up of fan-like affection. Although it was worlds apart from the original story, the cute and kind image of Edwin also had a quite different charm.

 

‘Edwin was this innocent when he was young.’

 

Rather, she felt excited and fluttery at getting a glimpse of his innocent days. It felt like opening a Pandora’s box that no one else could see and peeking inside. How would this boy speak to Michael after he grows up!

 

The gap between the Edwin who showed a crazy obsession in the novel and the Edwin she saw before her eyes was enormous. Alice unknowingly gave a sly smile.

 

Edwin’s eyes curved slightly like half-moons.

 

“Then you won’t leave here, right?”

 

“Of course!”

 

Leaving without money is just asking for a hard time. She didn’t bother to say that she would cling here as long as the Duke didn’t kick her out first, or until she had enough spare funds. She didn’t want to teach a child the reality of cash-centrism already.

 

‘How can even his smiling face be this cute and pretty?’

 

Alice couldn’t help but smile at Edwin’s smile.

 

“Then it’s a promise.”

 

Edwin mumbled so she couldn’t hear. A thick obsession dwelled in the red eyes shaded under his long eyelashes.

 

 

***

 

 

The next day, Evan came to her room and asked, “Alice, why did you ask for the letter back?”

 

When Evan had reunited with Alice the previous day, he had welcomed her with a face that looked as if he were forcing back tears. The letter in his hand had been so soaked with sweat that it was on the verge of tearing, but she had desperately managed to reclaim it.

 

“Just… because I was embarrassed.”

 

If anyone were to read a letter containing details of events yet to happen in the future, they would surely view the sender as a mad person.

 

‘Besides, I even wrote about holy power to add credibility to the story.’

 

If he had read it as it was, she would have been interrogated about her true identity.

 

“Perhaps I should have tried reading what was written inside,” Evan said with a faint, regretful smile, having apparently interpreted her words differently.

 

“If I ever get kicked out of here, you’ll see it whether you want to or not,” Alice joked, but Evan’s expression hardened as he recalled the previous day’s events.

 

“I hope the day never comes where I have to see that letter again.”

 

Alice burst into laughter at his swift change in attitude. He insisted he was serious, repeating himself with a grave expression.

 

“Even if you go out in the future, please tell me in advance.”

 

“Hmm… Why?”

 

“It is reckless for a young child to go out alone.”

 

“That’s true,” Alice nodded in agreement. Though she hadn’t shown it, she had been incredibly anxious the entire time she was outside the castle.

 

“Since you know that so well…!” Evan shouted, uncharacteristically flushing red with anger at her quick agreement.

 

“Heh, are you angry with me right now?”

 

“Oh, no, Alice.” Evan fell silent, looking restless. He worried that Alice might have been intimidated or hurt by his reaction.

 

“It’s okay. Evan, you’re even pretty when you’re angry.”

 

Alice gave him a wide grin. Evan felt relieved by her reaction, which was different from his fears, but he was mostly flustered.

 

“Wherever do you learn to say such things…”

 

Unhearing of his muttering, she was already thinking of someone else.

 

‘Is Michael doing okay by now?’

 

She wondered if he was recovering well after collapsing from the poison. However, she couldn’t bring herself to ask Evan about him so easily. Strictly speaking, Michael had ended up consuming the poison in her place. It wouldn’t have been strange if Evan resented her for it, especially since he adored his younger brother so much.

 

Yet, far from resenting her, he was sincerely worried about her well-being. Gaining courage, Alice slowly spoke.

 

“Is Michael okay?”

 

“Well…” Evan avoided her gaze, looking troubled.

 

“Did he… did he die?!” Alice jumped up from her seat at his reaction. Seeing her go pale, Evan waved his hands frantically to calm her down.

 

“It’s not like that. El—El is fine.”

 

“Phew, of course he is.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

In this world, even if supporting characters died from tripping and breaking their noses, the protagonists wouldn’t die whether they were stabbed or fed lethal poison. Evan looked puzzled by her mysterious reaction.

 

“It’s nothing. So, has he fully recovered now?”

 

“A slight fever remains, but he regained consciousness yesterday morning.”

 

“That is such a relief.”

 

It meant that Michael, who was invincible to all curses and poisons thanks to his innate holy power, had been in a coma for several days. What if she had eaten that poisoned cake? It was a truly chilling and spine-tingling thought.

 

As she shivered, Evan spoke with a face heavy with concern. “Are you alright, Alice?”

 

“Me? I’m fine, of course.”

 

Michael ate the poison instead of me; how could I not be fine? As Alice stared blankly, he shook his head with a complicated expression.

 

“Never mind. Please rest, Alice.”

 

“Okay…”

 

However, Alice watched Evan as he left with a lingering gaze. Sensing her look, he hesitated before speaking. For some reason, he felt as if he could read her mind right now.

 

“Come visit whenever you like, Alice.”

 

The moment she heard those words, an excited Alice nodded her head so vigorously it looked like her neck might snap. A startled Evan rushed to stop her, and fortunately, Alice’s neck bones were preserved.

 

 

***

 

 

“Have you found the sender?” the Duke asked.

 

His aide, Kaden, shook his head while holding the letter. This was a first.

 

“The sender is unknown. It appears they used money to destroy all evidence.”

 

“It wouldn’t be easy with just a modest amount, would it?”

 

A typical bribe wouldn’t be enough to escape the Duke’s investigative net. According to his words, an astronomical sum must have been involved. As the Duke pointed this out, Kaden continued his tense report.

 

“It seems the money was paid twice. The only clue we’ve gathered is that the people who paid the money were different individuals. I am sorry.”

 

Kaden bowed his head in apology. The Duke fell into thought, a cigar in his mouth.

 

“So, there is an accomplice.”

 

An accomplice—an unfitting nuance for someone who had revealed the truth. Kaden found it strange but didn’t bother to point it out. It was dangerous to know too much about the family’s inner workings, especially if it involved the man standing before him.

 

“The possibility that Evan Elga is the sender hasn’t disappeared,” the Duke said, looking at a paper on his desk. It was a copy of the letter transcribed by a calligraphy expert.

 

He had first suspected Evan Elga, who had treated Edwin, as the sender. However, after comparing the handwriting, Evan’s did not match the letter’s. Thanks to that, Evan had been removed from the list of suspects. But if there were two senders, the story changed.

 

“I will investigate further.”

 

“No, that’s enough.”

 

Kaden had never failed a task before. If he couldn’t find anything, assigning it again wouldn’t solve the mystery. The Duke crushed his cigar out against the copy of the letter.

 

“One side is an insider, the other is an outsider.”

 

A list of people working in the Duke’s castle passed quickly through his mind. No one inside the castle had enough funds to escape his investigation. That meant there was an accomplice on the outside. Eventually, if he identified the insider, the outsider would naturally be revealed.

 

 

***

 

 

“A dinner invitation?”

 

It was dinner time. Since Karina had been taken to solitary confinement, Alice’s meals had always been served in her room.

 

“Why all of a sudden?”

 

The Duke had never invited Alice to dinner before, so it raised even more questions. In response to her query, Ena shook her head, saying she didn’t know either. Then she insisted, “You must attend the dinner.”

 

“Okay.”

 

It felt ominous since the Duke had invited her, but since she was tired of the tough bread served daily, it was a slightly welcome piece of news. However, Ena was secretly stealing worried glances at Alice.

 

‘Do I really seem that untrustworthy…?’

 

Alice placed her hand over her heart as if swearing an oath. “I won’t run away, so you don’t have to worry. I promise.”

 

“That’s not what I’m worried about… sigh, never mind.”

 

If it wasn’t that, then what was it? Alice looked at her, but Ena hurriedly opened the door and left, saying she had other things to do. Alice stood there, her mouth agape in confusion.

 

‘I mean, she could have at least walked me to the dining room.’

 

Whenever she walked through the corridors alone, the gazes of the servants poured over her. Of course, they weren’t gazes of a positive nature. In the family, the reputation of the deceased former Duchess was incredibly good—a benevolent mistress who was strict with herself but generous to her subordinates. Naturally, the servants’ looks toward Alice were sharp. After all, she was the daughter of the woman who had caused that good person’s death.

 

Though she didn’t show it, she felt as if she were walking on thorns, so her pace toward the dining hall quickened. She thought things might have been better if Ena were by her side. As she thought this, the stinging gazes suddenly vanished. Alice, who had been looking down the whole time, cautiously raised her eyes.

 

There was a boy with features as delicate and pretty as a porcelain doll, but with a dreadfully expressionless face.

 

“Edwin?”

 

“…”

 

He must have noticed her, yet his gaze was elsewhere—specifically, he seemed to be looking at her surroundings. She approached him with a delighted face.

 

“Are you here for dinner too, Edwin?”

 

“Yes. You too, Alice?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Edwin didn’t seem to know that she had been invited to the dinner. She inadvertently spoke her mind.

 

“That’s a relief.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Uh, well…”

 

Alice felt like she would get indigestion just thinking about dining alone with the Duke. But she couldn’t say that within the family, so she just made up another excuse.

 

“I wanted to eat with you, Edwin.”

 

Well, it wasn’t a lie. Alice smiled brightly and winked. Edwin’s face remained expressionless. It would be so nice if that pretty face had even a hint of a smile. It had been hard to see him smile since that last time.

 

Just as Alice was about to walk toward the dining room, feeling a bit disappointed…

 

“Me too,” Edwin said softly from behind her. But Alice heard him clearly. Surprised, she whipped her head around to look at her.

 

“Really?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Her face, which had been dark just a moment ago, brightened instantly. This was a celebratory day for her.

 

“Then let’s eat together often!”

 

“Okay.”

 

Edwin nodded. Soon after, they arrived at the dining hall. The Duke had not arrived yet. However, place settings were laid out for only two people. The maids preparing the meal looked surprised to see Edwin.

 

‘Well, Edwin is pretty enough to be surprising.’

 

Alice felt her shoulders swell with pride. Meanwhile, the maids briefly exchanged looks before quickly placing another set of cutlery on the table.

 

Shortly after, the Duke entered. He was a handsome man who exuded an elegant yet strangely overbearing aura.

 

‘Well, at least he’s good-looking on the surface.’

 

When her eyes met his, Alice quickly gave a polite bow. Since she was essentially a guest, it was in her best interest to be well-behaved.

 

“Good evening, Duke.”

 

“…”

 

There was no response. The Duke’s gaze was fixed on Edwin. His eyebrows shot up slightly as he looked at him.

 

“How unusual. You never listened when I told you to come.”

 

This wasn’t the first time the Duke had invited Edwin to dinner. Once his external wounds had healed to some extent, he had encouraged him to eat together, but Edwin had ignored the orders every time and ate alone in his room.

 

“…?”

 

Unable to follow the flow of what the Duke was saying, Alice looked back and forth between the two with a puzzled face. The Duke shifted his gaze to Alice and gave an arrogant smile as if he had realized something. She didn’t know what it was, but it was a strangely annoying smile.

 

As the Duke took his seat, Alice sat down as well.

 

“Thank you for inviting me to such a precious—”

 

“You’re noisy. Just eat.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

She had prepared a long thank-you speech, but he was incredibly cold. Alice silently watched him pick up his knife before she followed suit and picked up her cutlery. Then, the maids began to serve the hot dishes from the mobile trays.

 

‘Wow.’

 

The table was enormous, yet there was still food left on the trays even after filling up that vast space.

 

‘What happens to the leftovers?’

 

Alice couldn’t shake the thought of the wasted food as she quickly filled her mouth. The juice from the steak was exquisite.

 

‘Now that I know this taste, how will I live in the future?’

 

They say the taste you already know is the scariest. Alice felt depressed at the thought of having to eat dry, tough bread and soup without any solids starting tomorrow.

 

Seeing her expression, Edwin hesitated before pushing the plate of meat in front of him toward her.

 

“…?”

 

Alice looked at Edwin, but he just continued his meal. His movements with the cutlery looked elegant even if they were slightly clumsy. Was that just innate noble grace? Alice watched him secretly in admiration.

 

“I see you’ve grown quite close to the Elga doctor.”

 

The Duke spoke. Is he talking to me? Alice realized the Duke was looking at her and said, “Because Evan is a good doctor.”

 

“I recall you weren’t on very good terms before, though—”

 

As if remembering something, the Duke tapped his chin with a long, straight finger. “You used to cry and make a fuss, demanding a change of doctors.”

 

“M—Me?!”

 

Alice briefly searched her past memories.

 

‘Oh, it’s true.’

 

In the past, Alice had once whipped Evan because of his advice that she should take walks for her health. After that, Evan would sneak away whenever he saw Alice. Angered by how he wouldn’t cater to her like everyone else, Alice had rushed to the office and thrown a tantrum, demanding an immediate change of doctors.

 

Alice gave an sheepish smile and spoke naturally. “An enemy can become a friend the next day, right? But I should apologize to Evan later.”

 

“That’s a first.”

 

‘Oh, let’s not be so picky about every little thing.’

 

Anyway, her heart ached at the thought of the frail and kind Evan being hit by a whip. She was moved by Evan’s kindness in crying for her even after she had done such a thing to him. How could a person be so good?

 

“He mentioned that you changed the lock on the tower,” the Duke said.

 

Alice couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation. She rolled her eyes and nodded. Since it was the truth.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything? I heard it was of great help in Edwin’s treatment. Had I known that, your treatment here might have been different.”

 

Alice fell silent for a moment. He had a point, but she didn’t expect the Duke to say it out loud himself. He wasn’t the type of person to mitigate a crime for something like that anyway. Therefore, saying such insincere things must have been a way of testing her.

 

“My mother was taken away… I wasn’t in my right mind.”

 

“…Hmm.” The Duke looked at her with interest.

 

‘This kind of attention isn’t good.’

 

If the Duke found her strange and discovered she was the source of the letter, things would get complicated. Alice spoke while wearing the mask of an innocent but anxious child.

 

“Then maybe… can you let my mom out?”

 

“Karina Garnet will soon be referred for trial. You will also attend that trial as a witness.”

 

“…A trial?”

 

Did he mean a trial for Karina? Alice was bewildered. It meant that something she thought the Duke would handle personally had moved into the legal system.

 

The Duke’s gaze sharpened slightly as he saw Alice’s expression. Her face showed more bewilderment at the situation not going as planned rather than concern or confusion for her mother. Perhaps her attachment to her mother had soured.

 

“Will you attend? It might be your last chance to see her.”

 

Alice’s blue eyes widened uncontrollably. Hearing those words, she felt as if she were sitting alone in a boat stranded in the middle of the ocean. It wasn’t her emotion, but ‘Alice’s’ emotion.

 

“Is Mom… going to die?”

 

When Alice asked while sobbing, the Duke fell silent. For once, her behavior didn’t look like acting. Had he been mistaken for a moment?

 

“It’s okay, Alice. Father will resolve everything.”

 

At that moment, another voice was heard. It was Edwin who had spoken. He was looking at the Duke, gripping his knife tightly. The Duke let out a small sneer at the subtle murderous intent that only he could feel.

 

The Duke looked at Alice and spoke slowly. “Alice Garnet. Are you still sad even knowing your mother tried to kill you?”

 

“…” Alice was flustered while sobbing.

 

Had that news already reached him? It wasn’t good for the Duke to know that Karina had poisoned the cake to kill her.

 

‘He’ll definitely try to find out why Karina poisoned the cake.’

 

The Duke was meticulous. He never let things slide easily. Though it was incomprehensible that such a person had failed to recognize his own son and locked him in the tower.

 

Karina would likely desperately deny trying to kill her own daughter, so she wouldn’t have explained the reason. Just as she feared, the Duke had found that point strange ever since he heard about the incident. He knew Karina’s violent temperament, but she wasn’t someone who would kill her daughter for a trivial reason. There must have been a reason why she had to kill Alice Garnet.

 

Alice quickly thought of an excuse. “I—It’s because I did something wrong. I hid Mom’s wedding ring to get her attention…”

 

Karina’s wedding ring—a diamond ring said to be passed down through the generations of the Esteban family’s mistresses. Karina valued that ring more than her life.

 

‘Because of a ring.’ The Duke’s eyes narrowed.

 

She quickly sobbed and avoided his gaze. Seeing this, Edwin’s red eyes grew colder than permafrost.

 

“This is the first I’ve heard of this, Father.”

 

Edwin’s gaze was fixed on the Duke. It was an intense look that seemed ready to kill if a detailed explanation wasn’t given.

 

“She put a lethal poison in her daughter’s cake that would kill a normal person instantly.”

 

It wasn’t instant death, though. Alice wanted to correct the Duke’s words, but the atmosphere had become so grim that she couldn’t open her mouth. At those words, Edwin lowered his gaze and looked at his hands. At that moment, the sensation of strangling Karina’s neck with chains until she fainted came back vividly.

 

‘I should have killed her then.’

 

His blood-red eyes took on a cruel light. When Alice looked at Edwin, the murderous intent vanished. However, the atmosphere of the meal remained strangely frozen.

 

‘What’s with this atmosphere?’

 

Of course, Alice continued her meal diligently, regardless. She had to eat as much as possible since she didn’t know when she’d get to eat such food again. Fortunately, the Duke didn’t scold her for eating a lot.

 

After finishing dessert, Alice gave a bow. “Thank you for the delicious meal, Duke.”

 

The Duke gave a perfunctory nod and said, “Attending the trial is an obligation, Alice Garnet.” It was a command not to run away. “It will be useless even if you try to flee like you did before.”

 

“I wasn’t running away then, haha…”

 

Alice gave an embarrassed laugh and promised to stay quietly in her room.

 

On the way back to her room from the dining hall, Edwin and Alice walked down the corridor side by side.

 

“Edwin, by any chance…” At Alice’s clear voice, a light returned to his dark red eyes.

 

“Are you free tomorrow?”

 

“…Why?”

 

Alice continued while fiddling with her fingers as if shy. “Because there’s a place I want to go with you. Even if you’re busy, could you spare just a little bit of time?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Edwin would brave anything for Alice. Sparing time for her was the easiest thing in the world for him. This was his first time receiving kindness and infinite affection from someone without expecting anything in return. He had always been accustomed to gazes and attention stained with hatred, contempt, disgust, and fear.

 

But Alice would beam and rejoice like a person who had everything even if he granted the most trivial request. Because of that, he gradually became greedy. He wanted her attention solely on him. And he quickly grasped the way to get Alice’s attention. By acting like a truly innocent child who knew nothing, Alice would look only at Edwin with eyes full of guilt.

 

She likely had no idea how satisfied that small amount of attention made Edwin. Playing the role of a poor, beautiful child in the tower who knew nothing was not a difficult task for him. Edwin nonchalantly wore his mask of the past, his red eyes reflecting an excited Alice.

 

Meanwhile, Alice shouted internally, ‘Finally, the meeting is happening!’

 

Tomorrow, Edwin and Michael would finally meet. It was the day the two protagonists would see each other’s faces for the first time. If the two became an item later, she ought to get at least a set of clothes out of it, right? Alice smiled, praising her own efforts.

 

 

***

 

 

“Oh my god… are you really okay?”

 

Alice headed to Evan’s house with Edwin as planned. Her heart, which had been somewhat excited for the protagonists’ first meeting, sank in an instant. Michael lay weakly, his silver hair messy and soaked with sweat, his lips as dry as if he hadn’t had a drop of water in a desert. His cheeks were flushed red, perhaps because the fever hadn’t subsided yet. He looked more haggard than expected.

 

“He’s much better, so it’s okay. If he stays in bed and receives care for about another week, he’ll even be able to go for walks.”

 

“Who takes care of him while you’re at the Duke’s castle, Evan?”

 

“I don’t know how they heard the news, but thankfully many people came to help. So don’t worry, Alice.” Evan comforted her with a gentle smile. Alice felt a little less worried at his kind words.

 

She suddenly noticed a flower crown made of dried flowers next to the bed where Michael was lying. It looked different from the one she had given him. Whoever made it had better skills than she did.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Ah, that’s…” Evan’s expression clouded as he looked at the object Alice pointed to. His reaction made Alice even more curious. What on earth was that to make him make such a face?

 

“Originally, El made that flower crown to give to Alice in return, but it has withered like this.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“In return?” At Edwin’s question, Alice answered.

 

“Yes, I gave Michael a flower crown as a gift.”

 

At the thought of Michael working hard with his tiny hands to make a flower crown in return, Alice’s eyes welled up. It was cute, but also sad. Seeing the sickly Michael made a few tears trickle down.

 

But then, someone gently wiped her eyes. It was a small, white hand.

 

“Alice, are you crying?” The red eyes of the person asking never left her eyes.

 

Evan said to her with a small smile, “It’s not your fault, Alice.”

 

It seemed there was a small misunderstanding. It wasn’t so much guilt over the incident as it was regret that such a pretty child was sick… Alice nodded while sniffing. After comforting her for a long time, Evan left the room to get some snacks at the sound of a gurgle from Alice’s stomach.

 

Thus, Edwin, Alice, and Michael were left in the room. Michael was still asleep with his eyes closed. Even in his sickness, he looked like a little angel while sleeping. Edwin was watching that sight with a sunken gaze.

 

‘Alice didn’t give a flower crown only to me.’

 

For some reason, that fact was unpleasant and irritating. His insides twisted. Was Alice someone who was kind to everyone?

 

“Edwin.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Doesn’t he look just like an angel?”

 

“…” There was no answer from Edwin, but his gaze toward Michael was intense. He was definitely interested in Michael. The proof was that he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Michael for a while now.

 

At that moment, Michael tossed and turned, his small lips moving. “Mmm…”

 

His silver eyelashes fluttered and lifted. Beautiful emerald eyes were revealed. He had woken up. Alice inhaled sharply. She felt sorry, wondering if he had woken up because of her voice.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

She felt sorry for disturbing the sick Michael’s sleep, yet she felt a conflicting desire for him to see Edwin.

 

“…”

 

There was no answer to her warm greeting. Alice worried if Michael was hurting somewhere, but he was looking at her with an aloof expression.

 

Alice was actually relieved by that sight.

 

‘That’s the Michael I know.’

 

Michael said with a dazed face, “Why are you here?”

 

“I came to visit because I missed you, Michael.”

 

Michael fell silent at her affectionate reply before saying, “Hmph… after not coming all this time.”

 

Glaring at Alice, Michael pulled the blanket all the way up to his face. He had hidden completely inside the blanket cave.

 

“Ah…”

 

Now his pretty face wasn’t visible. Alice felt it was a pity, but she couldn’t stop him and just watched. There was nothing to be gained by bothering a sulky Michael.

 

‘Still, I wish he and Edwin could at least greet each other.’

 

While Alice grumbled internally in disappointment, Michael, hidden under the blanket, glared and thought, ‘I felt a strange gaze earlier.’

 

That was the reason he had opened his eyes. It was an ominous and scary gaze. He wanted to stick his face out of the blanket again and see who was around, but he couldn’t because Alice was there. He felt embarrassed by the gaze that kept watching him.

 

However, a clear voice was heard from above the blanket.

 

“Can’t you come out for a moment? I brought a friend.”

 

‘A friend?’

 

Feeling curious at Alice’s words, Michael peeked his head out from the blanket. Was she talking about that friend she mentioned last time?

 

‘To think she’s friends with such an ugly kid.’

 

Objectively, Alice’s appearance wasn’t ugly, but Michael was in a grumpy state. The word ‘friend’ reminded him of how she had tricked and scared him last time. However, unable to hide his curiosity, Michael just rolled his eyes to look beside her.

 

“Wh—What is this guy?”

 

There was a boy with hair as black as a crow and eyes as red as blood. Meeting his gaze, Michael froze. He had been watching Michael for a while now. His gaze wouldn’t leave him, strangely enough.

 

Michael spoke bluntly, his face full of wariness. Alice, who hadn’t noticed anything unusual in his reaction, answered faithfully.

 

“This is Edwin. He’s the young master of the Duke’s family.”

 

“What? Then are you two siblings?” Michael asked.

 

Alice’s eyes went round. She had completely forgotten that she and Edwin were step-siblings.

 

“Technically… I guess so?”

 

Of course, it was strange to go around calling themselves step-siblings while Karina, who had been the Duchess, was imprisoned. But Alice looked at Edwin with expectant eyes. If she was recognized as his sibling, it might be easier to move between the two protagonists once they got together later.

 

Edwin’s red lips opened. “No.”

 

There was a hint of chilliness in his voice as he answered.

 

“Uh…”

 

To deny it so quickly and firmly. Alice was flustered. Did he hate being siblings with her that much? She searched for a reason and realized she had forgotten a very major fact.

 

‘Karina killed his real mother.’

 

Rube was a herb that was illegal even in the East where it was first discovered because it contained toxic components lethal to pregnant women. Taking it gave a fifty-fifty chance for the mother to live or die. Unfortunately, the former Duchess had died. No matter the reason for the Duchess’s death, it essentially meant Karina had killed her.

 

‘I guess a friend is okay, but family is a no-go.’

 

Alice quickly calculated how Edwin thought of her. There was no time to feel hurt. At this moment, she should be grateful he didn’t call her an enemy.

 

Edwin explained with an expressionless face, “Siblings can only be people with the same blood.”

 

Alice awkwardly turned her gaze toward the window. Edwin was looking at Michael. Receiving that gaze, Michael flinched. It was a chillingly cold and frosty gaze. As if to say he wouldn’t let it slide if he said such a thing again.

 

‘What’s his problem?’

 

This was the first time he’d met someone who radiated such intense hostility right at the first meeting. Normally, Michael would have made a fuss and gotten angry, but he felt an unusual atmosphere.

 

‘Is he… even human?’

 

The aura he felt from him had something strange about it, something not quite human. Furthermore, the color of his soul was a black he had never seen before—a deep, dark color that only a demon king from the deepest underground, the kind that appears as a villain in fairy tales, would have.

 

In this unfamiliar situation, Michael felt fear, yet he also felt annoyed.

 

‘Why is he acting like that toward me?’ He unconsciously muttered his inner thoughts.

 

“So annoying…”

 

“He’s even cute when he’s being annoying.”

 

Alice looked at him as if she were about to die of joy.

 

Michael, flabbergasted by that reaction, suddenly wondered what on earth was in Alice’s head.

 

Then Alice, looking at the two of them, said, “Then would you two like to play together for a bit? I have something to talk to Evan about for a moment.”

 

 

***

 

 

Evan, who was taking cookies out of the cupboard, looked at Alice as she came out of Michael’s room.

 

“I’m sorry. You must be very hungry, aren’t you?”

 

“I’m fine. But why are there so many cookies?”

 

“These are all of El’s favorite snacks,” he said with a smile. Alice let out a small “Oh.” She had briefly forgotten just how much Michael loved his treats.

 

As Evan prepared the snacks, he asked her, “So, what was it you wanted to tell me?”

 

“Well…”

 

Alice took a deep breath and then spoke with a look of firm resolve. “The person who treated Edwin… it was you, Evan, wasn’t it?”

 

“Yes. It was quite a relief that the ointment I prepared was effective.”

 

Alice sized up the situation based on his answer. He had completely healed the wounds of the ducal heir. Surely, the Duke would have summoned him to ask exactly how he had done it.

 

Her head throbbed at the thought that Evan had used such a flimsy excuse to hide his holy power. To claim that such extensive injuries were healed with a mere ointment was something no one would believe—especially not a man like the Duke.

 

‘I knew Evan wasn’t a good liar, but still…’

 

Alice, who had originally intended to warn Evan indirectly, quickly pivoted her strategy.

 

“Did you… tell the Duke that too?”

 

“…Yes, I did.” Evan nodded, looking slightly puzzled as he failed to grasp the true intent behind her questions.

 

“Evan, those weren’t the kind of wounds that could be fixed with ointment.”

 

At Alice’s words, Evan’s expression stiffened subtly.

 

“Evan, I’m sorry, but I saw you treat him. It was definitely holy power.”

 

Though she had never actually witnessed the treatment, it was the only possible cure. The look on Evan’s face hardened as the truth was laid bare.

 

“The Duke plans to offer anyone possessing holy power to the Imperial Palace as a ‘Holy Relic’.”

 

“Alice, I don’t quite understand what you’ve been talking about for a while now.” Evan tried to feign ignorance one more time.

 

“The source of this information is the Duke’s own office. He’s going back up to the capital in two days for a meeting regarding the Southern War. That is our chance.”

 

“…A chance to run away, you mean?”

 

Alice nodded. She hadn’t intended to sound so grave, but the more she spoke, the more her heart raced, making her words feel scattered.

 

“The Duke will be staying in the capital until the day of my mother’s trial. Settle your affairs and escape during that time.”

 

Even if Evan believed her and chose to flee, could he truly escape the Duke’s surveillance net? If the Duke already suspected Evan of possessing holy power, all of this might already be in vain.

 

After a moment of visible confusion, Evan finally spoke. “Alice, please give me a moment to think.”

 

 

***

 

 

In a dark, gloomy room, a woman sat alone, her legs trembling. Karina scanned the pitch-black surroundings with anxious eyes.

 

Her once beautiful, lustrous red hair was now a disheveled mess, looking like a madwoman’s, and her fingernails were tattered. Despite this, she continued to bite them neurotically. An eternity seemed to pass in that darkness.

 

‘Surely. Surely… He wouldn’t kill me, would he?’

 

Having been confined in the dark for so long, she was mentally fragile. She let out a manic smile and whispered to herself.

 

“I am Alice’s mother. There’s no way he would kill me like that.”

 

But her smile soon crumbled and distorted. Duke Esteban had not kept her by his side out of love. There was someone else he had truly wanted. To be precise, he was a man never satisfied with his current power; he wanted a tool that would pull his family into a position of absolute authority.

 

Karina anxiously bit her nails again.

 

Creeak—

 

Suddenly, the door swung open, and the darkness was flooded with light. Once she identified the person entering, she stopped biting her nails and began to weep.

 

“Dietrich!”

 

Karina clung to Duke Esteban’s feet, sobbing. She immediately began to plead her innocence.

 

“I—I know nothing about this. I don’t know what kind of letter you received, but I don’t know anything about that!”

 

Duke Esteban shook her off his leg as if she were a nuisance.

 

“I will tell you only one thing.”

 

He slowly met her eyes as she sat despondently on the floor.

 

“If you don’t want to die, you had better say nothing at the tribunal.”

 

“I… I don’t know what you want me not to say. I truly haven’t committed any crime!”

 

“I cannot tell if you are truly stupid or just acting dull.” The Duke looked down at her coldly. “Just quietly admit to the charges.”

 

At his words, Karina stammered out her grievances. “But… you locked that boy away knowing he was your biological son too!”

 

His eyebrow twitched. “I don’t recall ever saying I knew all of that.”

 

“…!”

 

“Furthermore, the crime you will be charged with is not kidnapping, but the ‘Murder of a Noble’.”

 

It meant the trial was being held for the poisoning of the former Duchess, not for his treatment of Edwin. The last bit of color drained from Karina’s face. Despair and terror filled her eyes.

 

Not just murder, but the murder of a noble! It meant she would be tried for killing a noble while holding the status of a commoner.

 

“I—I am the Duchess. You can’t do this.”

 

“But you were a commoner at the time of the killing.”

 

It was hard to find even a trace of emotion on the Duke’s face as he delivered the facts. Karina trembled violently. To this day, not a single person had escaped execution after being convicted of murdering a noble. Since her childhood, she had grown up watching how death row inmates were executed at the chopping block.

 

The terrified groans, the falling heads, the blood spraying like a fountain, staining the execution grounds. Recalling the past, Karina’s face was painted with horror.

 

“Please, please. Save me… Dietrich, Your Grace, Duke!”

 

She babbled incoherently, begging for her life.

 

“You killed a person, yet you still wish to live, it seems.” The Duke sneered at her. Karina ignored the mockery and continued to cling to him. Then, as if grasping at a final straw, she spoke hurriedly.

 

“That’s right! Alice! I am Alice’s mother. So, even if you only think of Alice…!”

 

A cold smile momentarily flickered across the Duke’s face. To think that a woman who had fed her own daughter a poisoned cake would try to use that daughter as an excuse to survive.

 

While feeding Alice Garnet poison was an unforgivable act of negligence, it was also proof that things were unfolding exactly as he had anticipated. She was personally demonstrating the fact that the best way to manipulate a person is through their very life.

 

And that would hold true even for her own daughter, Alice Garnet.

 

He spoke as if delivering a final ultimatum. “I do not like repeating myself, but I will say it again for this occasion.”

 

He slowly stepped away from her. “At the tribunal, keep your mouth shut about everything else and simply admit to the murder charge. If you do, your life will be spared.”

 

‘Your life will be spared.’

 

At those words, Karina had no choice but to nod her head.