Something must have happened.

Melissa felt certain. She raised her heavy body. Dizziness swept over her from a headache, forcing her to grab the wall for support.

“My lady! Are you alright?”

“I thought I was getting better, but it’s happening again.”

Melissa smiled politely, folded her hands demurely, and stood straight. After taking a moment to steady her breathing and walk, her strength began returning.

Mrs. Hover followed behind and asked.

“Should I look for a doctor nearby for now?”

“No.”

Her answer rang with firmness.

“It’s dangerous to let strangers in when the Emperor’s supporters have packed up and fled.”

“Ah.”

Mrs. Hover sighed.

“My thinking was short-sighted. Then I’ll have Laila bring up some warm tea.”

“Would you have it brought to the study?”

Mrs. Hover gladly bowed her head at Melissa’s gentle request. While busy movement continued downstairs, Melissa got dressed and headed to the study.

Her lack of deep sleep left her body feeling heavy, and her stomach kept churning. But since the discomfort wasn’t severe enough to prevent movement, she couldn’t justify lying in bed with her eyes closed.

‘A revolution will happen soon.’

She had recently seen the confrontation between the Imperial family and protesters in the newspaper. Since Reizen had ordered weapons to be imported, the merchant ships should be reaching the port soon.

In the capital, the Imperial army deployed noble cavalry to kill commoners like rats. The commoners’ anger had grown beyond control, making headlines day after day.

The situation had already turned serious, and the hasty departure of the Emperor’s people seemed like a signal flare.

‘The revolutionary army must have been waiting for this moment.’

Despite Prince Reizen’s support from the commoners, seizing the Imperial Palace at the wrong time would constitute ‘treason.’

Success meant ascending to the throne, but the new Emperor would need to ally with the nobles – the existing ruling class – to consolidate power. Even with changed laws, inequality would persist, and ultimately the country would continue similarly under new leadership.

Therefore, like neighboring countries, dismantling the Imperial family and introducing a parliamentary republic required waiting for the perfect moment.

They needed time for the commoners’ power to grow and their anger to peak, transforming ‘treason’ into ‘revolution.’

Where did it all begin?

Perhaps with the fall of the ‘Grey family,’ who represented aristocracy?

“My lady, how did you…”

When she opened the study door, the startled old butler blinked his eyes. He appeared to be personally sorting through and disposing of documents.

Melissa scanned the documents laid out in such silence that breathing seemed absent.

Reizen Kalphenster is a revolutionary.

The same revolutionary who killed her grandfather and brought down Melissa’s family. That explained their reluctance about her entering the study and their hopes she wouldn’t interfere.

Because countless documents lay hidden here.

“There are… quite a lot of documents. Are you planning to destroy all of these?”

Paper towers rose high throughout the study. She had heard recently that maids had cleaned because mice had invaded the archives, but perhaps that story merely provided an excuse for the lord to clear out the archives.

It was vexing.

Revolutionary or not, if he planned to risk his life, shouldn’t he have left some warning for his wife?

If he suddenly returned as a corpse one day, was Melissa supposed to learn about Reizen then and feel devastated like a fool?

Was that the position Reizen wanted for Melissa?

Is that what you wanted, Reizen – a stupid woman who knew nothing and just lay in a man’s arms to receive his seed?

“Ah, my, my lady.”

The butler stammered, his white beard trembling while he remained rooted in place.

“You, you shouldn’t come in here…”

The butler’s weak attempt to stop her proved too slow – Melissa had already picked up the documents.

Having watched her grandfather handle state affairs throughout her life, she understood official documents well. Opening them, she needed only to check a few key sections.

While scanning through the pages, Melissa spoke quietly.

“I thought… I thought that even if I pretended not to know, you would tell me when the time came.”

“Ah.”

The butler approached Melissa with an anxious expression and held out both hands. Melissa quietly returned the documents to him.

She hadn’t left with Rael despite knowing he was a revolutionary because she liked him.

Though she recognized it as a childish emotion, she didn’t regret staying because he had given her a measure of confidence when she struggled with thoughts of Florence.

She believed being by his side was enough, that staying together would eventually lead to mutual honesty…

“How could you go to war without a word? When you acted so normal just yesterday.”

Did he intend to keep his revolutionary identity hidden even in death? What drove him to choose such a dangerous path?

A surge of betrayal left Melissa bitter.

Previously, even when he vanished without notice, leaving her waiting at hotels for days, she hadn’t felt such resentment. Had her expectations grown during that time, and had her feelings deepened as Reizen somewhat met those expectations?

Strangely, despite her aching heart, tears refused to come.

The old butler attempted to comfort her.

“It’s, it’s not my place to say… I’m not taking sides, my lady. But His Highness also couldn’t predict that the Crown Prince’s side would seize military power so suddenly… We thought it would be soon, but there were no signs of movement at all.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Her mind comprehended it perfectly.

Yet their excessive secrecy only heightened her anxiety.

True, Melissa had struggled through the past 3 years following her grandfather’s and family’s downfall. But for 20 years before that, she had lived surrounded by everything precious, beautiful, and excellent.

The recent 3 years had revealed how her luxury was built upon others’ blood and tears.

Merely stepping outside Marita’s shop drew unwelcoming stares from commoners, and walking the streets during daylight often resulted in people “accidentally” dumping sewage on her.

Initially, she felt it unfair – questioning whether such intense hatred was necessary. Gradually, she accepted that her grandfather, who had tenderly held her hand during illness, represented pure evil to some people.

Though it would take time, she possessed the strength to understand if they discussed it. She had been steeling herself while waiting for his story.

Preparing herself to remain unshaken by whatever she might hear.

But his departure without a word blindsided her completely. The sensation resembled a heavy blow to the back of her head.

“As you know, there’s been a lot happening recently. Things have been flowing so chaotically that I don’t think we properly explained to you, my lady. That… it was such a difficult story to tell.”

“…So.”

After countless times of preparing her heart, this was how things unfolded?

“Now I’m afraid to hear it.”

She cycled through building up and dismissing her own theories, wondering if he wasn’t merely a revolutionary but directly involved in her grandfather’s death.

The darkness terrified her more because it lacked definition.

The old butler furrowed his white eyebrows sympathetically.

“Though there’s little I can tell you, if there’s one thing I’m certain of… this will be the last time.”

He elaborated upon seeing Melissa’s blank expression.

“I mean His Highness making you wait, my lady.”

His words suggested she should endure just once more. But she had already shown enough patience.

Melissa felt not only bitter but ready to explode. She understood it was natural for the butler, being Reizen’s man, to prioritize his position.

Melissa sat down and began collecting the scattered documents. Though these confidential papers were the old butler’s responsibility to organize, his aching back made floor work difficult.

The task seemed unsuitable for an elderly man who struggled to bend and straighten his legs, requiring the bookshelf’s support just to stand.

“My lady, you don’t need to do this!”

Despite his protests and head-shaking, Melissa remained resolute.

“I won’t reveal the contents of the documents.”

“That…”

“I’m on this side.”

Even though others seemed to doubt her loyalty.

While gathering documents with the butler, wearing a bitter smile, it happened.

Contrary to Mrs. Hover’s promise of tea, Laila came running up empty-handed and knocked on the study door.

Melissa opened the door instead of the slow-moving butler. The girl’s face was flushed from running, and she spoke through tears, nearly shouting.