Geoffrey Roabel had been exceptionally bright since childhood. Born as the third son of a viscount family, he was in no position to inherit the family title since he wasn’t the firstborn anyway.

Having recognized this fact from a very young age, Geoffrey early on declared that he would dedicate his life to academics. He mastered mathematics, physics, and other subjects in succession while researching steam engines for over a decade.

But research by nature is completed with one success atop a pyramid of countless failures.

The laboratory built with astronomical amounts of money disappeared twice due to explosions.

At first, he borrowed money from his eldest brother, but when he received a letter saying the family could no longer support him, he became enraged and used his connections in noble society to get investments from thirty nobles.

However, the research continued to fail, and when he found himself buried in debt, he was ready to return to cosmic dust. And that’s when the Crown Prince appeared like a miracle.

“Will you help me, Geoffrey? I’ll provide as much research funding as you need.”

As promised, research funds were provided sufficiently for five years. As he locked himself in the laboratory and continued his research, signs of success gradually began to show. When he went to ask for just one more chance because he couldn’t give up, the Crown Prince wanted to make a deal with him.

“You said you’d do anything I ask, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness! Anything you command!”

Geoffrey prostrated himself flat before the Crown Prince. He only hoped that he would continue to support scientific development as he had until now.

“It won’t be a difficult request.”

Selheim sent Geoffrey away with a slight smile. Shortly after that, a woman was sent to him.

“Keep her well confined in a room.”

Geoffrey had no regrets about his choice since he achieved quite good results with the research funds he received then. At least, that was true until he heard the news of Maidos and Kelly’s deaths.

Now success was right in front of him.

He had devoted a full 10 years to this single research, he couldn’t die when he was on the verge of success.

He grew anxious. Since the two men who had been with Melissa were dead, he would be next.

He suffered from nightmares every night. He was afraid that assassins sent by the Crown Prince might appear and take his life in an instant. After several days of not being able to sleep a wink due to anxiety, he suffered from neurotic symptoms.

Now he couldn’t even focus on research. While rumors circulated that Prince Reizen was the culprit, Geoffrey knew better than anyone that this was false.

He had received research funding under Selheim’s subordinates for 5 years.

Around him were several nobles who, like him, received aid from the Crown Prince, including Maidos and Kelly. Even if they didn’t actively interact with each other, there was no way they wouldn’t know they were on the same side. Each time one of them disappeared, his fear grew larger.

“I, I did nothing wrong. I, I, I just took care of a woman!”

Maidos and Kelly had desired Melissa Grey. They satisfied their desire to violate her through violence. But hadn’t Geoffrey acted like an ascetic, deliberately keeping Melissa confined to her room while focusing on research?

Sometimes when he concentrated on research, he would forget she was locked in the room and she would become malnourished, but after that, a maid diligently provided meals, so he was completely innocent.

So I have no reason to die. Why.

“Why! Why is the cabinet dying?”

When he suddenly became afraid, he would shout at empty air. He who had never believed in God in his life was now crying and praying in temples.

God, please help me.

And God answered his prayers. On the very day the Crown Prince’s assassins were about to break in, Prince Reizen appeared like a miracle and saved his life.

“Oh, God. Thank you.”

Geoffrey was moved. On the other hand, he felt it was his destiny that he must not miss this chance given by heaven.

Just as the Crown Prince had appeared when Geoffrey most needed research funds, the prince appeared before him when he most needed safety.

This was clearly the universe’s energy and mission telling him to complete his research.

“Roabel.”

Reizen sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. The man who came at dawn had a colder and harder impression than the Crown Prince. His icy face without even a trace of smile was tinged with killing intent.

“You need to be alive to continue research.”

Geoffrey crawled over, grabbed his legs and strongly agreed. Yes, yes, Your Highness.

“You’ll die anyway if you just stay still, might be better to hide in prison. Who knows?”

The man who bent forward while sitting on the sofa said without even blinking.

“The world might be different when you come out.”

His blue eyes gleamed coldly. Geoffrey froze for a moment as if his heart had turned to ice, then slowly nodded.

“I will… confess. That I committed everything.”

There was no need to say who the real culprit was. But since the real culprit held investigative authority, someone had to take their place.

No matter what evidence was presented or circumstances proven, if the one with investigative authority was the culprit, they wouldn’t walk into prison themselves.

So Prince Reizen had found a noble to substitute. Probably in exchange for saving his life.

For nobles, even the maximum sentence was life imprisonment.

Unless they suddenly lost their title and were sent to somewhere like Sorbet like that unfortunate woman, there was no risk of death.

‘As long as I’m alive, I can continue research!’

Geoffrey finished his calculations in his head. That’s how he diverted the journalists’ attention just before Prince Reizen arrived at the Police Bureau the next day.

Everything was exactly as Prince Reizen had said.

The journalists swarmed like bees and bombarded him with questions. Geoffrey just had to recite the lines as the prince had told him. It was even chilling how the questions didn’t deviate much from Prince Reizen’s predictions.

‘How long has the prince been watching this situation?’

To the journalists’ repeated questions about why he did it, he consistently recited the same answer.

Because of love.

Because he loved Melissa Grey.

***

Selheim laughed as he read the newspaper.

“Right, it was because of love.”

Every word Geoffrey had chirped like a puppet was precious. Selheim’s lips twisted faintly as his eyes scanned through the photos and newspaper.

“It’s quite fresh hearing it from the mouth of a traitor.”

But contrary to his bright words, his eyes were sunken.

“Since he couldn’t catch me anyway, he set up a proxy. What a coward.”

A subtle anger spread. You know how it is? It’s like when you keep going easy on a weak opponent and finally throw a strong punch, but they dodge it.

Oh? They dodged this? I really meant to kill this time, but them dodging it kind of irritates me…

And he felt somewhat wronged too.

After all, he had never sent assassins after Geoffrey.

Why would he want to wastefully kill a scientist he had spent 5 years funding to do research? The research results were about to come out too.

It must have been Reizen who made Geoffrey misunderstand that assassins had been sent.

He probably persuaded the coward trembling in fear by promising to guarantee his safety. Anyway, it was a backstab remarkably similar to his own methods.

“A play for a play, a false charge for a false charge.”

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, is that it?

At first, Selheim had only planned to kill Maidos and frame him. He hadn’t expected Kelly to die too.

Kelly’s suicide was a variable for him, and if only one of Melissa’s three husbands had died, Geoffrey probably wouldn’t have been so frightened.

Wait a minute.

“I’m really curious now.”

Selheim raised his eyes with a smiling face while holding the newspaper. A person who had brought a report silently listened to his words.

“Could it be that child planned this from Maidos?”

Come to think of it, it all started when Count Maidos lost the Tavania merchant guild’s sea route to Reizen.

He considered the hypothesis. What if from the beginning, that child had planned to eliminate all of Maidos, Kelly, and Roabel?

If that was the case…

The smile slowly disappeared from Selheim’s face.

“You know.”

His gentle voice lowered somewhat fiercely.

“If that’s the case, I’m starting to get a bit scared. What do you think?”

The black shadow who heard Selheim’s words spoke.

“Well, that’s true.”

Selheim, who had been listening intently to his words for a while, nodded. A serene smile appeared once again on the Crown Prince’s face.

“Our Mel is the eye of the storm? How fitting.”

His long silver hair scattered and shone dazzlingly.

Selheim looked genuinely delighted.