But nobles who had stayed in the capital for some time would not be able to take that action at face value.

Unfortunately, few nobles were unaware that Gwenael de la Glastia was a notorious scoundrel.

This was Empress Amaryllis’s declaration of war against Princess Lumière. It was demanding to know with what intention she had brought Belle Laure back to the country.

“Valentine!”

At that moment, someone burst into the tea room. With a clatter, Liam, who had rushed in making rough noises, had beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. His black hair stuck to his skin.

Valentine raised her head. It had been several days since Valentine had stirred Liam up and left.

In the meantime, he seemed to have been in constant anguish, as his face was much thinner. Now, it seemed he had finally decided how he should act.

Eyes like those of a wounded beast stared at Valentine and Gwenael. Sparks flew in his eyes when he saw Gwenael holding Valentine’s hand.

“Come here. Quickly.”

Liam growled in a low voice.

Valentine, glancing at Liam, pretended not to know and wiggled her fingers. As if understanding this as a signal, Gwenael looked at Liam and curled up the corners of his mouth crookedly.

“To whom are you giving orders now?”

“This is not a matter for Lord Glastia to interfere with.”

“Then are you telling Mademoiselle Laure to come here, not me?”

Gwenael tilted his head somewhat exaggeratedly, as if he didn’t understand anything.

“Why? Madame Sehera entrusted Mademoiselle Laure to me. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this, Duke Blumir.”

Liam ignored Gwenael. He took a step closer to Valentine and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Pretending to be startled by this, Valentine blatantly shrugged her shoulders and pushed away his hand. A shrill voice rang out.

“Where do you think you’re touching?”

“Valentine!”

“Is that perhaps how you’re addressing me?”

The pretense continued.

“In your eyes, do I look like a man?”

Valentine was originally a male adult name. Liam’s face contorted at her behavior.

“Don’t do this. That person is not someone you should be associating with. Hurry…”

Liam’s words didn’t finish.

Gwenael, who had just been insulted to his face, sprang up from his seat. The sound of the chair scraping the floor was not elegant.

Then, Gwenael’s fist flew lightning fast towards Liam’s cheek. Smack! An unpleasant friction sound covered the tea room.

Caught off guard and taking a hit, Liam lost his balance and rolled on the floor. Bang, the heavy sound of something tumbling on the floor.

In that gap, Gwenael’s sneer softly echoed.

“Are you still living in Astaire’s era, Duke Blumir?”

Astaire’s era. The time when subjects screamed under Astaire’s grip as he committed all sorts of tyranny, when Valentine’s life burned like a candle.

Liam skillfully, as if bouncing off the floor, got up.

Liam de le Blumir was originally the descendant of a knight family. If he hadn’t become Blumir’s adopted son, he would have been knighted, and by now would have been sitting in a key position in the Imperial Guard. Cassian, recognizing Liam’s abilities, had willingly entrusted him with the vanguard of the rebel army.

To begin with, if Liam’s heart hadn’t been disturbed because of Valentine, it wouldn’t have been a surprise attack that would have worked.

The eyes glaring at Gwenael sank coldly.

“What are you doing, Gwenael.”

His way of addressing Gwenael was downgraded. It was possible because of the difference in status, even though they were of similar age.

Gwenael nonchalantly swaggered.

“What am I doing, you ask?”

Gwenael’s straight forehead wrinkled. His eyes looking at Liam were full of contempt, as if looking at something dirty.

“Are you saying that to me now?”

“Do you know what you’ve done and still act like this?”

“Yes, yes, I know very well. But I wonder if Your Grace knows?”

There was a strange emphasis on the honorific ‘Your Grace’.

“That Sehera has become such a nice place to live after the Holy Father’s legacy.”

Gwenael, who had spoken gently, took a step closer to Liam.

“In the old days, you know, a half-breed wouldn’t dare to raise his head, kneeling to my servant from outside the city gates. Now look at him putting on airs because he’s supposedly a duke.”

At those words, even Valentine slightly furrowed her brow and looked at Gwenael.

She knew that Gwenael de la Glastia was famous for being a scoundrel, but she was Valentine. Could there be a more degenerate human than Astaire, who regarded human lives as flies?

However, at this moment, she realized that Astaire was still a human who lived with some thought. Picking a fight with someone they couldn’t handle… It wasn’t something anyone could do.

Liam clenched his fist tightly. He seemed to be trying hard to resist the urge to throw a punch.

“…Say that again.”

“Why do you keep wanting to confirm? Did I say something wrong?”

Gwenael tilted his head. It was a clear provocation.

“If Madame Marguerite were alive, you wouldn’t have gotten that title, Duke. Even now, you can’t be called Your Highness.”

It was an undeniable statement. No matter how much of a meritorious retainer Liam was in the coup, the title of duke was not a position he could have held.

Moreover, Blumir, whose bloodline had effectively been cut off, had been demoted from its nominal position as royalty. Blumir was no longer Your Highness, but merely Your Grace.

“……”

Blue veins popped on Liam’s trembling fist.

Sometimes, people feel more hurt when they hear the truth rather than lies. Liam’s insides, which had already been stirred up once, twisted mercilessly.

“But what did you just say? Valentine?”

Disgust rose in Gwenael’s eyes as he spoke glibly. It came from pride in his innate bloodline.

“Ah. Was Madame Marguerite’s name Valentine? I don’t remember well.”

“How dare you… Tina…”

“Why.”

He intercepted Liam’s words, who was about to say not to mention her name so insultingly.

“Does seeing a woman who resembles her remind you?”

Gwenael’s green eyes glittered. He looked once at Valentine, who had widened her eyes, looking frightened, and once at Liam, who had stiffened in bewilderment.

“Do people like you suffer too? A half-breed fake who killed the real one and stole the title? Or…”

Gwenael tapped Liam’s chest.

“Is only this heart still living in Astaire’s era?”

“……”

There was nothing to say when confronted like this. Aside from the fact that Gwenael was speaking the truth, Liam’s patience, which had been festering for days, was slowly reaching its limit.

“I think I’ve explained my statement sufficiently, Your Grace. But if you still can’t understand…”

He must endure, this is not something to get angry about. Liam desperately tried to soothe himself.

The reason for getting angry at the truth is guilt. Because the sin Liam committed was immeasurably great.

“Your Grace, Duke Blumir.”

Seeing Liam waver at his words, Gwenael curled up the corners of his mouth. A cruel pleasure rose reluctantly.

“Valentine de le Blumir is dead.”

Ironically─ it was the cruelest single sentence for Liam.

The voice in his mind that had been comforting himself suddenly stopped. His insides, which had been churning for days, boiled up again, burning away what little patience remained.

“You killed her.”

Gwenael drove in the wedge. Liam’s face contorted hideously. Gwenael glanced at Liam’s hand. His fingertips were trembling, unable to contain the anger.

“After shedding blood with those precious hands of yours, isn’t it too cruel to seek that shadow in someone who resembles her?”

Just someone who resembles her.

Yes… Liam knew it well.

The dead cannot be resurrected. If the dead could come back to life, the Duke and Duchess of Blumir, who closed their eyes in an unexpected accident leaving young Valentine behind, would have come back to life. The notorious tyrant Astaire, who was robbed of what was his and killed, would have come back to life and turned Sehera upside down.

For reasons unknown, Valentine, only Valentine, defied this law of nature. Like this, she whispered and proved to Liam alone that she was Valentine.

Whatever the case, the moment he called Valentine Valentine, only Liam would become a madman.

However, however…

Gwenael’s provocation was excellent. Valentine, who was listening to the conversation of the two men as if she knew nothing, standing beside them, burned Liam’s insides even more.

Now Liam could no longer remain still. Liam showed everything through action instead of words.

Liam’s fist flew like lightning.

With a thud! Gwenael’s body flew through the air along with the thunderous sound. Soon, he crashed to the floor with a bang.

The small bookshelf in the tea room collapsed. The tea table flipped over and rolled on the floor. Broken teacups and overturned books littered the floor messily.

‘……’

Valentine, who had sprung up from her seat, took a step back.

Thanks to Astaire, she had seen sword fights break out in front of her quite often, but it was the first time she had seen two grown men punching each other. It was more unsightly than she had imagined.

“You!”