Vicious words too cruel to even speak aloud described him.

But the Neikan that Heron saw by his side was different.

He always silently fulfilled his given duties and provided various opportunities to those in need.

He was good. Good packaged as ‘evil’ by the world’s necessity.

The steps of one who shouldered that burden and walked forward were heavy.

There was a steadfastness rarely seen.

“If we don’t search for the dragon’s scales because we’re worried many people will be corrupted by evil thoughts, there’s no way to detoxify the Marquis of La Voletta. Then Dame Evolaine will suffer fatal injuries.”

“……”

That wasn’t all. Evolaine getting hurt would just be the beginning.

The imperial guards would somehow subdue the rampaging marquis while evacuating people, but only for a moment.

Eventually the marquis would break free and all the nobles attending the founding festival banquet would be killed.

It wouldn’t stop at the banquet. The berserk marquis wouldn’t stop—he’d sweep through the capital and indiscriminately attack key facilities and innocent people.

A true ‘man-made disaster’ would begin.

“Dame Evolaine is the only one who can stop the marquis.”

“…I’ve thought this for a while, but you’re really good with words, Dame. What would you have done if you weren’t an aide?”

“Probably gone around scamming people.”

“……You don’t need to be quite that honest.”

Cardel answered with a sour expression.

But soon he burst out laughing.

It was a laugh of relief.

“Thanks to you, Dame, I think my head’s cleared up. People should live doing what they want.”

“I agree.”

“Time five minutes from outside. If I search inside, something should turn up.”

After wrapping himself in magic power, Cardel took out the pendant and brought it to the tomb entrance again.

Blue light flowed along the shape of the engraving and the tomb entrance opened once more.

“I’m going in.”

“Be careful.”

Cardel leisurely gestured and entered.

His confident stride had weight to it, like his father’s.

Yes, we’ll find a way somehow.

Like we always have.

* * *

For a founding festival held amid unsettled political circumstances, the banquet atmosphere was quite harmonious.

A smile spread across the empress’s lips at the better-than-expected results. The all-nighters preparing for the banquet had been worthwhile.

Just as she was contentedly surveying the banquet hall, welcome guests arrived.

The Duchess of Arpi, the young duke, and Siana.

“We greet the Moon of Vesasium.”

“My precious sister, Diana. Thank you so much for coming.”

“When Your Majesty is personally hosting a banquet for the first time in ages, of course I had to attend. The goddess of flowers must have come to bless it too—there was a fragrant scent on the way here.”

“Hearing such words from you, who’s stingy with praise, makes me feel good. It’s been a while since I’ve seen our Siana too. You’ve gotten even prettier.”

“We greet the Moon of Vesasium. Time itself must avoid Your Majesty. You’ve become even more beautiful than before.”

“You must take completely after your mother. Your way with words is remarkable.”

The exchanged words were full of flattery.

The empress’s nose rose sky-high at the compliments laid out for all to hear. There was no more effective method for flaunting connections in high society.

The surrounding nobles began stirring at the still-solid relationship between the rarely-appearing Arpi ducal household and the empress.

‘Everyone will feel that I’m still going strong.’

The rumor that she was now a falling thread in the imperial family would become just that—a false rumor.

She would make a comeback with this banquet as the catalyst.

So no one could look down on her.

That’s when it happened. A maid approached the empress with a troubled expression.

A face that suggested something was wrong. She instinctively had a bad feeling, but there were too many watching eyes to ignore it.

When the empress gestured, the maid approached and spoke.

“Um, Your Majesty…… The marchioness says she urgently needs to tell you something.”

“Can you tell her now isn’t convenient?”

“The thing is… she said if you don’t come immediately, she’ll enter the banquet and cause a scene…… We tried to stop her but she absolutely won’t calm down.”

“…Really?”

What business could the child who’d been cowering in fear of her for so long have now?

Even threatening to ruin her precious banquet.

“Where’s Mael?”

“……She’s with the marchioness.”

“Tsk, you’ve really made this into a big deal.”

She surely could have stopped her on her own—why did it need to reach her?

The empress, her mood soured, opened her fan to cover her mouth.

“Diana, I’m sorry but I need to step away for a moment.”

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. Please go comfortably.”

“You’re the only one I can rely on. Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

The empress, having briefly entrusted the banquet to Diana, hurried out the back door with the maid.

The moment she appeared, the marchioness ran to her and fell to her knees.

“Your Majesty, please help me. I’m begging you, please.”

“……”

Her purple eyes sank coldly.

Had the marchioness ever collapsed so pitifully and miserably before?

Though she’d always been a child who lowered her tail before her, this time she’d truly disturbed her mood.

So……

“My husband, Nailik, has disappeared. Sister, please. I don’t know where he is. Help me, please……”

Drip—her thoughts cut off.

More precisely, it felt like her reason evaporated.

What on earth was she saying?

“…What do you mean? The marquis has disappeared?”

“I don’t know where he is. He was definitely in the basement until yesterday…… I went down at the right time to give him medicine but he’s not there. He was gone. Sister, what do I do? Without him, I’m now……”

Her rambling explanation seemed off somehow.

She was stammering and her eyes were slightly unfocused……

Ah, surely not.

She reached a conclusion she should never have reached.

The marchioness was in a state similar to the symptoms she herself had felt when overdosing on drugs.

Then she must have obtained the drugs from the Arpi ducal household.

If they investigated the Arpi ducal household like this, they’d eventually discover she was involved too.

‘Diana, you dare stab me in the back like this?’

She couldn’t understand at all what Diana was thinking of giving drugs to the marchioness.

What if the stupid woman with loose lips blabbed in the wrong place?

The empress squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists hard.

Haah—

Her hands trembled. Deep anger boiled up from within.

But the emotion couldn’t easily subside. Well, she’d never been a patient person to begin with.

Smack—!

The empress’s hand finally rose. The marchioness, struck on the cheek, clutched her left cheek and collapsed to the floor with a dumbfounded face.

She looked like she didn’t understand why she’d been slapped.

“You’ve gone mad.”

“What……?”

“I’m the idiot for trusting you. Really, this is absurd.”

“What do you mean……”

“Even if you had nothing to do, to do drugs! Have you really hit rock bottom now!”

The marchioness gasped as the empress instantly saw through her situation.

Her complexion turned deathly pale, like she might collapse any moment.

“How did you……”

“Guards! Immediately lock this woman in prison.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please listen to me, Your Majesty!”

The marchioness’s cries continued desperately, but the empress didn’t look back.

Eventually the marchioness was confined in the imperial palace’s underground prison.

“…Is it okay to leave her like that?”

“There are many listening ears, Mael. The only method available right now is to immediately shut her mouth.”

“……Then what about the marquis?”

“Obviously it’s a hallucination. Intoxicated by drugs, she probably doesn’t even know what she’s saying.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

The empress squeezed her eyes shut, pressing firmly on the back of her head as though she had a headache.

Her tense eyes and stiff mouth held both anger and tension mixed together.

“But why did you drag her all the way out here? You could have just brought her inside the Rose Palace.”

“Well… she was so strong that even when a dozen or so maids rushed her, she didn’t budge. So……”