Clang.

Edith accidentally dropped the fork she was holding to the floor.

“Me, a mistress?”

Mistress.

It was a word that had been gradually disappearing from Edith’s mind as she began to hope for a normal life.

“Yes. You won’t have to work at all, and I’ll completely protect you from your brother Neil, just as you want. Of course, once our relationship begins, I’ll give you a sufficient house and money. Isn’t that the life you originally wanted? You asked me to embrace you. Saying you wanted to become my mistress.”

The prince spoke coldly, as if negotiating contract terms, with a dry expression.

“Now… I don’t want that anymore.”

Edith looked directly at Ludwig and spoke calmly.

“Why not?”

“Because I have the ability to live on my own now. I’ve been employed as His Highness the Prince’s subordinate. In the past, I had no choice, but I no longer want to live as a shameful being. So I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this proposal.”

Edith picked up the cookie placed in front of her with an indifferent face, as if she truly hadn’t heard anything.

“Then your birthday.”

“When I was young, it was a beautiful day, and in the ducal household, it was nothing, but now I wish it wouldn’t come. I’m sorry.”

After finishing her words, Edith bowed her head and quietly chewed her cookie.

**

Sachsen ducal palace.

“Grandfather, please save me just this once. My assassins are useless now. Please eliminate that Ludwig for me.”

‘No matter how desperate his situation, to grovel so shamefully without maintaining the dignity of the imperial family… How could such a person be considered the next Emperor?’

Duke Sachsen clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at Joachim clinging to him.

“I am merely a noble. How could we dare harm the noble imperial family?”

Duke Sachsen shook off the Crown Prince who was desperately clinging to him while pretending to humble himself.

“But Grandfather, you’re the most skilled in this field. In fact, Ludwig’s mother was also your work…”

The duke quickly cut off his grandson’s hasty words about Ludwig’s birth mother.

“Your Highness. There are rats everywhere. It would be better to refrain from making such potentially misunderstood statements.”

Though he was using honorifics, the duke clearly drew a line with a dignified attitude.

“If I am deposed, it won’t end with just me. Don’t you understand, Grandfather? Do you think that Ludwig will leave things be?”

“Don’t worry. Just return to the palace and prepare to commend your brother’s achievements when he returns tomorrow.”

“What do you mean? I’ve already tested the waters, and His Majesty’s heart has already leaned considerably toward Ludwig. If Duke Sachsen doesn’t step in, there’s no other way.”

Crown Prince Joachim spoke with a tearful expression, but the duke said nothing more.

‘I need to eliminate this fool who can’t even understand what I’m saying and put Leonard on the throne. For that, I need to arrange his marriage with Mirabella soon.’

After finishing his words, the duke turned away. For a noble to turn away first in front of a member of the imperial family like the Crown Prince was not appropriate behavior, but it was possible for Duke Sachsen.

Duke Sachsen was known as the real power in the Empire. He was the father of the current Empress and the wealthiest duke in the Empire. And…

Though not widely known, he was actually the true owner of the Iron Blood Bank.

The current Emperor had launched four conquest wars, and from the second war onward, he had borrowed all necessary funds from the Iron Blood Bank. The Emperor was deeply indebted to the Iron Blood Bank.

So even without going through the Empress, the duke could exert tremendous influence over the Emperor.

Recently, the Emperor had shown signs of rebellion several times, and Duke Sachsen had been thinking it was time to deal with the Emperor.

Even without the Crown Prince coming to beg like this.

**

“P-please, Your Highness. Kyaaak!”

The mouth of the maid Rosetta, who had been pleading with tears, opened involuntarily. The clear terror revealed between the woman’s pupils slightly lifted the Crown Prince’s lowered self-esteem after spending all day flattering the duke.

“What good is being royalty? They’re just nobles after all. He should report to me specifically what he’s going to do, report!”

The maid being beaten couldn’t help but widen her eyes at the words insulting Duke Sachsen. The duke the Crown Prince was talking about was his own grandfather.

“Why are you surprised? Are you going to tell the duke that I insulted him? Do you want to die too?”

When the woman shook her head while trembling, the Crown Prince finally smiled with satisfaction.

‘This is truly h*ll.’

Imperial Consort Violet, who heard the screams from the next room, covered her ears with both hands. Violet, once called the flower of the east, had never thought she would marry such a monster.

Though she had feelings for Ludwig, he was just one of the princes without succession rights, and her father, Marquis Moor, naturally chose the Crown Prince.

While she did feel some regret about Ludwig, she thought the Crown Prince wouldn’t be bad either since he was also handsome.

No, she had even been happy when she was chosen over Henrietta from the west. It felt like she had been acknowledged as the Empire’s most beautiful woman.

But the Crown Prince called maids into a large room next to the bedroom every night. While he didn’t put a knife to her, he would kill maids in front of her if she didn’t obey him.

“If you go against my mood, you’ll end up the same. Even if you die, there’s Henrietta from the east, so I can just remarry her.”

The Crown Prince had repeatedly threatened Violet with a smile.

“I’ll see if there’s a way, if that duke keeps his promise. If he can’t stop it, I’ll make all the women in the ducal family end up like this.”

The desperate screams of women echoed throughout the Crown Prince’s palace all night, but of course, no one came to save the women against Crown Prince Joachim.

**

After capturing Viscount Arthur, Ludwig drove the carriage without rest from the next day. There was no need to waste time as they had almost reached the imperial capital.

“Your Highness, there’s a problem.”

“A problem?”

When they had almost reached the imperial palace, Ludwig’s subordinate, who had come to report on the imperial situation, gave his report with a serious expression.

“It seems that His Majesty was poisoned last night. The culprit is presumed to be the mistress who spent the night with His Majesty.”

“Are you certain?”

Ludwig asked his subordinate once more, as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

“I can hardly believe it myself, but the facts are certain.”

“D*mn it! Sachsen has made his move again. How dare he!”

Ludwig was so enraged that Edith, who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the carriage watching the situation, flinched.

**

“Why did you come back alone? Mother said you went to hunt pink deer.”

A nervous laugh came from behind Neil, who was looking at horses in the stable.

“It was a silver deer. The child you gave birth to was a boy, wasn’t it?”

Neil turned to look at Henrietta after recognizing the familiar voice.

“Yes. But that child is no longer in this world.”

“Why did you run away, disgracing the family?”

Neil asked something he had been curious about for a long time. Why had his sister done such a stupid thing if she was going to come back so easily?

“Well. Isn’t my brother more familiar with having feelings for someone lowborn? At least in my case, our blood wasn’t mixed, so I was a bit better off.”

Neil quickly looked around. There was no one around Henrietta. It was early dawn, and the world was only quiet.

“But you gave birth to a child with a monk’s blood. Wasn’t that lump of flesh attached to your belly until recently?”

When Neil mentioned the child, Henrietta’s body began to tremble.

“Do you think Mother would spare that filthy field mouse even if you brought her in? Mother who would stop at nothing when it comes to her brother’s affairs?”

Henrietta threatened Neil with a growl, and his expression was turning fierce.

“How dare you…”

“But I’ll let it go. Because I need something too. So listen carefully to what I have to say.”

Henrietta stepped back and began to methodically deliver what she had to say.

“I need money. Even if I were to marry, I might be cornered later if my past comes to light. As you know, even if I marry a nobleman, I can’t transfer his property to my name, right? There’s no guarantee I can bear a son either.”

“So. Are you trying to provoke me to extort money from me now?”

Neil looked down at Henrietta with an incredulous expression.

“You already have plenty of wealth, brother. And you’ll inherit even more. It wouldn’t matter if a mansion or two disappeared from that. I’m also a proper member of this family, so isn’t it a bit unfair for you to monopolize everything?”

“It’s the law of this country that all property is inherited by the firstborn son, Henrietta. If you feel wronged, you should have been born a man. Before me.”

Neil answered with a click of his tongue, as if he found it pathetic. Henrietta continued her speech calmly without checking Neil’s expression.

“I know that. But I terribly hate poverty. I realized that what I hate most in the world isn’t that Edith girl, but poverty. So, brother. I’ll help you. To have that girl. If you just give me the villa and mansion in Arden.”

“What?”

Neil glared at Henrietta with a distorted face. Henrietta continued without hesitation.

“What would happen if I told Mother right now that you didn’t go hunting, but went to bring back that Edith girl? You wouldn’t be able to go out for a while. Isn’t that right? Then you’d only be able to see that Edith girl after she’s had a child or two with the prince. Or maybe she’ll be sold as another man’s mistress before that? Kuk.”

“You call that talking?”

Neil’s face turned red in an instant. His voice rose considerably.

“You’ve come back now after failing. Bringing back that girl. Who knows? Things might be different if I step in. I think they would be. If I lure that girl and secretly lock her up somewhere, I won’t care what you do with her. Just hand her over to me when she gets old and ugly. I’ll take care of her. How about it?”

Henrietta smiled stickily and curled up the corners of her eyes.