Rohana stood up from her seat.

“What brings you here?”

At Aurelia’s question, Rohana looked at her, holding back the same question that had come up to her throat.

‘Something’s off.’

Jody was clearly about to say something. The fire was deliberately set.

‘Why did she suddenly stop speaking?’

Aurelia’s white cloak gleamed even in the dim underground. There were at least twenty guards standing behind the Empress.

“Now that I think about it, I have business with this person too.”

“What kind of…?”

“The chandelier incident.”

Aurelia’s golden eyes sparkled.

“Remember, I was in danger back then too?”

Her soft and leisurely voice made Rohana uneasy.

The chandelier had indeed fallen precariously. It had dropped just as Aurelia was stepping onto the stairs to play the organ.

“So, I need to question her first, here in the capital.”

As the guards began to move, Rohana raised her hand to stop them.

“I understand your intentions, but we are still investigating our case first. Officially, after that…”

“Officially, my foot.”

Aurelia cut her off.

“I’m the Empress, and as per my orders, you, as the Duchess, simply need to comply.”

Rohana let out a small sigh. If anyone knew the laws of the empire, it was her.

Until a formal trial took place at the scene of the incident, extradition of a criminal was, as a general rule, not allowed unless under exceptional circumstances.

As of now, Jody was under arrest for the “Rohana” case, which meant she was under Rohana’s jurisdiction.

“I don’t wish to boast about my knowledge of imperial law here, Your Majesty. Besides, do you have any other place to hold her?”

Deep within her, Rohana’s suspicion grew. Why was the Empress insisting on this?

Rohana glanced down at Jody again. Jody, who had been collapsed and trembling earlier, was now oddly stiff.

Her previously broken expression had disappeared, replaced by an emotionless, rigid face, tinged with strange resignation and an unknown fear.

An instinctive alarm rang in Rohana’s mind.

‘Aurelia is involved too.’

“Scary. You’re just as rigid and terrifying as the Empress said,” Aurelia’s voice drew Rohana’s violet eyes back to her.

“I don’t know how Kaiden manages to live with you. You must be unbearable.”

Rohana had tried to hold back numerous times, but now she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Your Majesty.”

Aurelia’s beautiful face responded with a sweet smile, as if she had been expecting this.

“You should leave now. By the laws of the empire, someone as noble as Your Majesty shouldn’t be entering a dungeon like this.”

It was an ancient law, and no one, not even a baroness, had set foot in a dungeon like this for ages, but it existed nonetheless.

Aurelia’s relaxed face momentarily twisted at Rohana’s calm but authoritative command.

Just then, the noise of movement began to stir again.

“Your Grace.”

Heath, who addressed Kaiden with full respect in front of others, spoke up.

“Kaiden.”

Aurelia turned around with a radiant smile.

Kaiden and Rohana’s eyes met. His gaze seemed to say,

“So you decided to be stubborn, as I expected,” to which Rohana responded with a dry tone.

“As you can see, Her Majesty has graced this unsightly and dangerous place with her presence, quite unbecoming.”

Rohana’s eyes flickered back to Aurelia.

“I was just explaining the law.”

Aurelia let out a short laugh as Kaiden ran his hand through his hair.

“Both of you, please leave now.”

***

“Is this everything?”

Bardi asked with a doubtful gaze.

“Yes, indeed. We’ve gone through it all, so don’t worry.”

Silvius, the son and heir of Count Boudier, spoke with a sharp glint in his eyes.

The report contained information on a girl named ‘Jody,’ along with details on all of Hanover’s employees. It seemed they had gathered every possible scrap of information.

“What about the financial records?”

“Here, these are the public accounting records. The internal details aren’t fully complete yet…”

Bardi frowned, pressing his temples.

“I see, you may go.”

The issue with the chandelier case was that there was no decisive evidence. A confession would settle things, but…

They needed proof to conclusively show that the ‘Kark’ tribe had tried to harm the precious daughter of the Hanover Duchy and that the incident had been orchestrated against them by their enemies, the Arin family.

The real issue began when that crucial chandelier link had gone missing. It seemed someone knew exactly what had happened.

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

“What now?”

Bardi irritably raised his eyes.

“There is word that Duke Delcliff and his subordinate Heath are leaving the palace today.”

“What?”

“It seems they’re moving in secret… doesn’t that feel strange?”

The issue wasn’t that it was strange, but that it was a perfect opportunity.

“Drag that Sirirul or whatever out of the library. Meanwhile, you search the place.”

Bardi spoke slowly.

“Make sure you find it, that damned chandelier fragment.”

As Bardi continued to look through the financial records, his mind lingered on something from before. When Kaiden made that so-called “bombshell announcement” at the coronation, Bardi had seen Rohana’s face.

She had been just as surprised. She clearly hadn’t known about the deal between her father and Kaiden. But what was even more puzzling was how she acted afterward.

“Of course, I should follow my husband, Nopthal.”

It wasn’t the kind of thing she would usually say with such a bright face. She had been cheerful and lively during their engagement, but she wasn’t the type to smile like that at just anyone.

‘Rohana, you must be out of your mind…’

Bardi frowned as he stared at the mountain of documents.

***

“It seems the Duchess isn’t showing proper respect to the Empress.”

Aurelia’s voice rang with discontent.

“You’ll have to do something about it, Duke.”

At Aurelia’s petulant tone, Kaiden looked at her briefly, then shifted his gaze to Rohana.

Even when he spoke to others, his eyes often lingered on Rohana. It was a habit of his.

“My wife is not wrong.”

Aurelia’s brow furrowed.

“What did you say?”

“You should be saying ‘What?’ in a more informal manner, as you’ve been told several times.”

Aurelia bit her lip.

“Does drawing such lines really make you feel better?”

Kaiden shook his head and addressed the soldiers.

“None of you will touch this woman. This is an order from your Duke and liege.”

The guards shrank back.

“From now on, aside from Iz, no one—*no one*—is allowed to enter or leave this place.”

A few of the guards quickly averted their eyes to avoid meeting his gaze.

“Understood?”

His slow, warning voice resonated deeply. The fact that a faint smile accompanied his otherwise calm expression made the moment even more chilling.

The guards, being only guards, had no authority outside their role as protectors on another lord’s territory.

Kaiden, with a grim expression, began walking out. He gave a slight nod in passing and gestured toward Heath.

By now, the morning sun had fully brightened the sky, casting a white light over everything.

“From now on, no one but Iz is allowed in the dungeon, including you.”

“Kaiden.”

“That’s the least I can do.”

As the look in his eyes from the previous day returned, Rohana’s heart sank for a moment.

“Please understand.”

The weight and intensity in his gaze were almost too much, and Rohana, feeling helpless, nodded.

“What about Jody?”

Kaiden cut her off coldly.

“She’s committed a crime deserving of death. I can’t overlook the rules.”

His calm expression seemed to glow in the morning light, though his words were harsh. Nevertheless, Rohana tried once more.

“Kaiden, what if the fire at Pincheser was…”

“I have somewhere urgent to be. Heath and I will go alone.”

Heath had already appeared, leading a black horse.

“Urgent? Where are you going right now?”

Kaiden hesitated for a moment at Rohana’s question. Heath had also been checking the sky for a while now.

“I’ll be back by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Tomorrow?”

Rohana, surprised, repeated in shock.

“We’ll talk about it again when I return. Until then, please rest a little.”

As Kaiden fastened his black leather gloves, his eyes rested intently on Rohana.

“I’m sorry for leaving at a time like this.”

Rohana looked at Heath, already mounted on his horse, then back at Kaiden with a flustered expression.

“You don’t have to go as far as killing her.”

Kaiden didn’t seem to hear her, finishing his instructions.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“My Lady, we’ll be off now.”

Heath’s cheerful voice startled Kaiden, who quickly pulled his hand away. The two soon disappeared from sight at a rapid pace.

“Tomorrow…”

Rohana felt a wave of emptiness. Then her thoughts turned back to Aurelia.

‘What should I do?’

She furrowed her brow as she walked. The cold wind helped cool her mind.

‘Confronting her won’t make her admit anything easily.’

Seeing Jody fall silent again earlier was a sign that Jody was being blackmailed.

And the things that remain as weaknesses, even in the most critical moments, are often more common than one might think. Rohana had to find out what Jody’s weakness was.

“Both my parents passed away when I was young, so I’m all alone.”

That was all she knew so far.

Rohana’s steps slowed as she pondered further.