A wave of murmurs swept through the banquet hall.

The nobles instantly turned their gaze towards the Queen.

Valietta’s face twisted visibly with fury.

She had dared to demand the restoration of House Gracie!

To openly declare that she would restore honor to the family that she had personally destroyed and ground into ruin!

The Queen forcefully suppressed the violent surge of emotion threatening to erupt within her.

Swallowing the dark fury boiling in her chest, she painstakingly forced a smile back onto her face.

“Though the prince certainly achieved great merit in this war, requesting the restoration of a family destroyed for treason is still an excessive demand.”

Valietta looked directly at Calix as she spoke, her tone resembling a gentle admonishment.

“Retract that statement while you still can.”

The warning was implicit in every word.

Over ten years ago, House Gracie was annihilated on the basis of accusations that they were plotting to overthrow the royal family.

The duke was dragged to the capital and executed without ever receiving a proper trial.

Though the rest of his family had barely managed to escape at first, they were eventually all hunted down and killed.

And yet, no one was truly ignorant of the truth.

The charge of treason had merely been an excuse.

House Gracie had been the greatest political force supporting Calix, and the queen had destroyed them to send a warning to everyone else.

Standing before Calix, who had lost both House Gracie and his fiancée, Leticia, because of the massacre, Valietta spoke with false sorrow in her eyes.

It was as though everything that had happened was simply unavoidable.

“Remember this, Calix. This is what happens when you covet something that does not belong to you.”

Was it unavoidable?

If so, then surely the same logic would apply when the time came for him to put a blade to the Queen’s throat.

A deeper sneer slowly spread across Calix’s face.

If he had wanted to back out, he wouldn’t have started this in the first place.

He had absolutely no interest in the throne.

The only thing he truly desired was the queen’s death, the woman who had murdered both his mother and Leticia.

“There is evidence proving House Gracie’s innocence. Based on that evidence, I demand a reinvestigation.”

At the time, the trial had been entirely manipulated by the Queen’s influence.

All the evidence that could have proved the duke’s innocence had supposedly been destroyed without trace.

Valietta was certain that the truth had been buried forever. But not everything in this world unfolds according to one’s wishes.

Ten years.

The scene before her was ultimately the result of Calix’s relentless obsession; he had devoted an entire decade of his life to uncovering the truth.

The moment he spoke, all composure vanished from her face.

Even when there was evidence ten years ago, she had still been able to control the trial exactly as she wanted.

At that time, King Philip had withdrawn completely from state affairs, making it easy for her to control everything from the shadows.

But now, far too much had changed.

Urgency flashed across Valietta’s eyes as she leaned quickly towards the king.

“This cannot be allowed. No—it must not be allowed, Your Majesty.”

“……”

King Philip did not answer immediately.

Instead, he pressed his lips tightly together and furrowed his brow deeply.

The restoration of House Gracie.

As Valietta had said, it was certainly not a request that could be granted lightly.

Would he side with Calix or the Queen?

Ideally, there would be a way to satisfy both sides. But no matter what decision he made, one of them would inevitably resent him for it.

The nobles gathered in the banquet hall also waited in tense silence for the king’s answer.

Realizing that all eyes in the room were on him, King Philip stroked his beard, looking troubled.

This was difficult.

The accusation of treason against House Gracie…

Truthfully, he had never wanted to revisit that matter again.

Ten years ago, he had been consumed by grief after losing Luciel, his beloved concubine whom he cherished more than anyone else.

Nothing had held his attention then. He had no desire to involve himself in state affairs or concern himself with anything at all.

So, he entrusted the Queen with complete authority over the matter of House Gracie.

But if their innocence were now proven…

Would that not also mean that he himself had made a terrible mistake?

Nevertheless, the fate of House Gracie had always weighed heavily on his conscience.

For generations, House Gracie had served the royal family with unwavering loyalty, and their miserable end had always seemed unnecessarily cruel.

“Your Majesty, please make your decision.”

The king remained silent for an increasingly long time before someone finally spoke up.

Calix merely watched the king with his deeply sunken golden eyes.

A deep crease formed on Philip’s forehead as he frowned.

Looking at his son, who stood there pretending to accept whatever judgement the king gave him, the king clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Calix… was this your aim from the very beginning?’

Just moments earlier, the king had publicly promised to grant Calix every wish he desired.

To retract those words now would wound his pride considerably.

Even worse, if he changed his decision after reading the queen’s mood, it would further damage his authority.

He was the sun of this kingdom.

“Very well. I hereby order a reinvestigation into the charges of treason against House Gracie. And should they be proven innocent, their family shall be restored.”

When the king made his declaration, the murmuring among the nobles grew louder.

Calix lowered his head slightly, the corners of his mouth turning up.

It had never been particularly difficult to predict whose side his father would ultimately choose.

Naturally, the odds of victory had always been in his favor.

“Your Majesty, forgive my boldness, but treason is a grave crime. This is not a matter to decide so hastily!”

A middle-aged nobleman suddenly raised his voice.

He was one of the Queen’s most loyal supporters.

Since this reaction had been expected, Calix showed no change in expression.

In fact, the more they protested, the more advantageous the situation became for him, so he deliberately allowed them to continue.

Just as he had anticipated, King Philip slammed his hand against the armrest of the throne with a thunderous bang.

“Hastily? Are you suggesting I made this decision without any consideration?”

“T-That is not what I meant. I merely fear the chaos this decision may cause—”

“Aren’t you the one causing chaos right now?”

The king mocked sharply.

The nobleman’s face flushed red and blue with humiliation.

“If you have complaints, voice them another time. Tonight is meant to celebrate Gloucester’s great victory over the Ankerta tribe.”

The king’s warning made it unmistakably clear that he would not tolerate any further disruption.

The nobles had no choice but to fall silent.

They all knew instinctively that provoking the king further would only make matters worse.

As if to ease the tension, the chamber orchestra began to play.

Bright, lively music soon filled the banquet hall.

At the king’s command, the nobles raised their champagne glasses high.

Voices echoed throughout the hall, praising the prosperity of Gloucester and praying for a long reign for King Philip.

No matter what thoughts or ambitions they harbored beneath the surface, everyone appeared to be enjoying the celebration.

Calix slowly turned his gaze towards the queen.

Valietta wore an expression that suggested she was just about managing to endure the humiliation.

There was no question who had emerged victorious in this round.

Dragging the hem of her dress behind her, the queen slowly approached him.

“I told you it would be wiser not to anger me too much. Even my patience has its limits.”

Valietta’s green eyes bored into him.

The old hatred within them overflowed.

Seeing that the queen was no longer bothering to hide her feelings, Calix let out a mocking laugh.

How ridiculous.

Of all people, she should never have spoken of patience.

Who did she think had endured for longer?

“You think you’re the only one holding back?”

Calix spat out the words harshly.

His tall shadow fell over Valietta.

Their gazes met, and his cold, golden eyes pierced straight through her.

Lowering his head slightly, he whispered so quietly that only the Queen could hear him.

“You should be grateful I’m not strangling you to death where you stand.”

There was no need to test whether the royal guards would reach him first or whether he could snap the queen’s neck before they arrived.

At his warning, Valietta let out a low laugh.

“That would certainly be entertaining. If you can do it, then by all means, try.”

The amusement in her eyes had completely vanished as she spoke.

Her gaze was filled with defiance.

For a moment, Calix wondered what would happen if he killed the Queen there and then.

“Don’t rush me. I’ll give you exactly what you want.”

Calix looked down at the Queen with blazing golden eyes before finally turning away.

Continuing this conversation any longer would not end well.

If his limited patience snapped, he might just kill her.

***

The afternoon sunlight cast long, diagonal shadows across the floor.

Lianna carefully moved the pot of yellow daffodils from the windowsill to a spot where they would get more sun.

A gentle breeze blew in through the narrow gap in the window, causing the petals to sway as their sweet scent wafted through the room.

Leaving flowers nearby so that Joel would not feel suffocated from spending all his time indoors had long since become one of Lianna’s quiet habits.

Of course, she rarely had enough money to buy them.

Most of the time, she simply gathered wildflowers that were blooming in the nearby fields.

Sitting beside the bed, Lianna gently brushed the strands of hair away from her brother’s forehead.

Perhaps the medicine prescribed by Doctor Pollux was working after all, because Joel’s complexion looked healthier than before.

This improvement in his condition felt like a small miracle — the hopeful sign she had longed for.

His appetite had begun to return little by little, and even his once gaunt cheeks seemed to have regained some of their former fullness.

Watching these changes in her younger brother filled Lianna with quiet happiness, and a soft smile touched her lips.

Then Joel suddenly spoke.

“Sister… are you feeling better now?”

The worry in his eyes was unmistakable.

Lianna answered with an even warmer smile.

“Of course. I’m completely fine now.”

On the day of the victory banquet, Lianna fell ill with a fever and could not accompany Calix.

Countess Clotilde immediately summoned a doctor to examine her.

Having diagnosed her with nothing more than a mild illness induced by exhaustion, the doctor firmly insisted that Lianna remain at the estate and rest for several days.

However, calling it a ‘recovery’ made it sound far more serious than it truly was.

Ultimately, Lianna simply took her medicine and, for once, allowed herself to sleep properly.

Even so, the effect was remarkable.

Seeing Lianna fully recovered finally eased Joel’s worries, but there was still one thing he could not stop thinking about.

What kind of meaningless banquet could matter enough for his sister to push herself so hard to learn etiquette?

Judging by the Grand Duke himself, being royalty did not necessarily make someone dignified.

In fact, Joel believed that his sister was far more refined and graceful than the Grand Duke.

Joel quietly lifted his gaze towards her.

Lianna had said that the blooming daffodils were beautiful, but to him, no flower in the world could be more beautiful than his sister.

So then…

What did the Grand Duke think of her?

Was he truly sincere with her?

Or did he merely see her as a means to satisfy his desires?

Joel hesitated for a long moment before finally opening his mouth.

“Sister… can I ask you something?”

Lianna, who had been sitting next to him embroidering a handkerchief to pass the time, looked up.

She put down her work and smiled softly, inviting him to ask whatever he wanted.

Finally, Joel voiced the question that had been on his mind for so long.

“That man… what exactly is your relationship with the Grand Duke?”