Chapter 23

Carlisle’s lips twisted at the supposedly easy answer.

“Did Yvonne say she would sign the reconciliation papers?”

“Of course. I confirmed it on my way here.”

“She changed her mind in just two weeks…”

Bernard nodded eagerly, as if expecting a reward.

“Isn’t it obvious? She thought you’d take her back. She was so heartbroken, she cried as she said so.”

“Yvonne cried? I find that hard to believe.”

Facing the Earl, Carlisle paused.

Bernard’s insides burned as he watched Carlisle arrogantly cross his legs and drink expensive liquor alone. Bernard, who would jump up at the mention of alcohol, kept glancing at the bottle on the table.

Dorphenon, aged thirty years.

It was hard to obtain even with a fortune, yet Carlisle drank it as if it were common whiskey, reminding Bernard why he had to beg.

Bernard spoke first, before Carlisle could continue.

“This is troublesome, Son-in-law. You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you? Without my testimony, you would’ve been accused of treason.”

Carlisle’s already cold face grew even colder. Bernard realized he’d made a mistake, but life was a gamble anyway.

“Everyone in Aerondo knows how much King Bernhardt loves his wife, the Queen. If she collapsed in shock and became bedridden, people would be suspicious and investigate the truth.”

A tense silence settled, and Bernard’s mouth felt dry as time dragged on.

Carlisle, showing no reaction, slowly shifted his gaze to the uniform beside him. Bernard followed his gaze and froze.

He glimpsed the sleek pistol in Carlisle’s inside pocket, and his heart dropped.

He wondered if his life might end right here, and his hands trembled. Sweat drenched his back.

Bernard’s eyes darted as Carlisle turned his head and met his gaze directly. The Duke’s gray eyes seemed as dark as if they would swallow him whole. Bernard licked his dry lips.

The Duke’s lips moved slowly.

* * *

“Good heavens. That shaved ten years off my life.”

Bernard wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, gripping the railing as he descended the stairs, his legs shaky.

His heart still raced, fearing the Duke might suddenly draw his gun and aim at him.

He recalled stories from those who’d witnessed Carlisle, from a long line of soldiers, shoot countless enemies in the last civil war.

As he hurried to climb into his carriage, Henry entered the drawing room.

“The Earl has left.”

“Good.”

Carlisle, expressionless, took a sip of whiskey at his subordinate’s report.

‘If persuasion worked, I’ll accept it.’

He thought it was a shallow trick, but he’d responded anyway.

Even so, there was a reason he couldn’t let go of Yvonne yet.

“The report confirming the Queen’s recovery is accurate.”

“She’s up, then.”

For four years, the Queen had been bedridden, unable to leave her quarters, but a few days ago, she was reported to have gotten up and left the palace. The subordinate stationed at the palace to investigate had watched for several days and finally reported.

“As expected, she’s investigating the matter quietly.”

“She met Yvonne first.”

“It wasn’t a scheduled meeting, just a coincidence. She apparently stopped by during the Princess’s lesson.”

“Henry, there’s no such thing as coincidence in this world.”

At Carlisle’s heavy remark, Henry fell silent.

“The weapons used by the rebels who killed the Benoit royal family were made by Rein Kleint, and the address of the missing munitions warehouse was mistaken for Sellus Trading Company goods by the rebels—what are the odds?”

His low voice was as sharp as a finely honed blade.

“So the Queen, getting out of bed after four years, meeting Yvonne—it can’t be just coincidence.”

He hadn’t figured out what was discussed, but the fact that the Queen, who never visited Yvonne during the Princess’s art lessons, moved herself was enough to rule out coincidence.

“What else?”

“She’s meeting various nobles, supposedly for a new salon, but most are former Benoit loyalists, so the salon seems like an excuse. The King hasn’t made any moves, so it appears she’s acting alone this time.”

“I see. She’s still secretly digging into that day…”

Carlisle’s face showed irritation as he recalled the Queen, who bore a grudge against him for that day.

‘I need to know. Why did those ruthless rebels, who didn’t fear the royal family, sl*ughter mine? Why did they use weapons made by the Duke of this country?’

The Queen, glaring at him in accusation, constantly claimed he’d joined hands with the Benoit rebels.

Her brother, the former King Benoit, had incurred massive debts through bad investments, sparking a movement for his abdication. When the King ordered troops to fire on the people, many casualties resulted, and the people rose in revolution, starting the civil war.

It was all because the King failed to read the times.

Windfog also experienced several dangerous riots five years ago, but Carlisle’s efforts in the military quelled them safely.

There was no serious ideological issue, but the sudden escalation was due to foreign powers arming rebels with modern weapons. The economic crisis, fueled by the New Continent investment bubble, led nations to look abroad for solutions. Foreign countries targeting Windfog united to supply rebels with weapons, and their agitation caused the uprising.

Even after his success in quelling the rebellion, the King believed only the Queen’s words and doubted him. Bernard Sellus’s testimony cleared Carlisle of any allegations of collusion with the Benoit rebels. But the Queen never stopped doubting him. After he married Yvonne, her suspicion became certainty.

Since her attempt to incite the king had failed, she would aim for something else. Now that she had met Yvonne, it might be related to her previous claim that Yvonne had lost a child.

Carlisle put down his glass, his eyes cold. If so, he would need to keep her within sight.

Thinking this, he suddenly recalled Yvonne’s smiling face beside Ethan. Remembering her bright smile next to that man, he unconsciously clenched his hand.

“By the way, just before the Earl arrived, he stayed at Lisian House for about an hour.”

“So that’s when the plotting happened.”

He’d arranged for Yvonne’s scandal to reach the Earl, but hadn’t expected him to return so quickly, nor to have time to coordinate with Yvonne before coming here.

The more he heard, the more shameless the father and daughter seemed.

“Um, but…”

Henry hesitated, and Carlisle signaled him to speak.

“There was quite a loud noise inside Lisian House.”

“Loud noise? That family’s bond is strong; they wouldn’t argue.”

Henry read the curiosity in Carlisle’s voice and replied seriously as usual.

“There were shouts and what sounded like screams, but after Countess Denise entered, it quieted down. She was holding a bouquet of lilies.”

“A bouquet to mediate a family argument…”

“But it was more than ten bouquets.”

It probably wasn’t important, but Henry reported everything he’d observed.

“They call her Sellus’s Lily, and even her gifts are impressive.”

Carlisle, as unconcerned as Henry, smiled wryly.

What a remarkable family bond. No wonder Yvonne frequently returned to her family for weeks at a time.

That was the part of her personality he found most difficult.

Yvonne was unpredictable. Sometimes she did things he couldn’t understand, or got angry for no reason and wouldn’t leave her room.

When they were intimate, she insisted all the lights be turned off, and if even moonlight crept in, she became extremely sensitive. On bad days, she suddenly lost interest in the middle and kicked him out of the room. If she were just difficult, he could accept it, but her moodiness made it exhausting.

She began acting strangely exactly half a year ago.

“What about the judge handling Yvonne’s divorce papers?”

“Chief Justice Brussels.”

“Brussels.”

Carlisle murmured the name, his lips curving slowly.