“Do you know what that girl said when I told her to come to the café? She brought up the priest story and threatened to spread rumors in high society if I didn’t tell her where her mother is! Really. Did you want to get that close to her? Was it not just a physical relationship?”

The enraged Henrietta began to corner Neil. But Neil maintained a confident attitude without even blinking.

“So what? What business is it of yours what I talk about? It’s the truth anyway.”

“Ha… Brother, do you not have any basic sibling affection? Just because mother favored you doesn’t mean you’re the only direct bloodline of the Köhler ducal family.”

Henrietta sighed deeply as if she found it absurd. Regardless, Neil said what he wanted to say.

“You are just one of the ducal household members I can dispose of as I please, Henrietta. Just do what I ordered properly. I’ll provide whatever support you need.”

“A household member, me?”

“I’m very busy following His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders for the time being, so bring Edith out as you boasted you could. If I judge that you’re no longer useful, I’ll send you back to the Köhler ducal residence. You know that if that happens, you won’t be able to find a groom in the capital anymore. Right?”

Neil didn’t even properly apologize for leaking the secret. Henrietta’s fists clenched involuntarily, but her opponent was Neil.

Henrietta could only tremble; she couldn’t attack Neil any further.

“Oh, and His Highness the Crown Prince asked about you. He wondered how much you’ve changed from three years ago. If you happen to meet at a party, I can’t protect you, so make sure you don’t cause any scandals, Henrietta. Unless you’re planning to drive out Violet and take her place.”

Neil didn’t allow any resistance. At his cold words, Henrietta had no choice but to nod.

**

It was only after several days that Ludwig came looking for Edith. He had truly been busy with his investigation.

“I heard Henrietta Köhler visited. What did you two talk about?”

“Henrietta threatened me, saying she has my mother.”

“Was your mother alive?”

“I didn’t know that fact either. When I asked Duke Köhler about my mother’s well-being, he simply told me in passing, ‘Your mother has already passed away.’ That was all.”

Edith recalled the indifferent eyes of Duke Köhler at the time. Despite having bought the woman with money and her having borne his child, the man had shown an incredibly apathetic expression when speaking of her death.

To men, mistresses were merely such beings.

“So that happened. What did the lady want?”

“She asked me to meet her somewhere other than the imperial palace. I refused, using Henrietta’s weakness as an excuse.”

Edith couldn’t bring herself to say she was afraid to go out because Neil might be waiting.

“I see. Do you want to get your mother back?”

Edith wanted to ask Ludwig for help, as he was the only person with power around her who could help. But since she hadn’t paid him any price, she could only keep her mouth shut.

Fortunately, Ludwig asked first.

“Yes, I want to bring her back. As soon as possible.”

“Everything has a price. Even to accomplish one small thing.”

Ludwig began to talk about compensation. Edith quietly listened, waiting for the price he would propose.

“Then how much are you willing to sacrifice to rescue your mother? Since I’m currently in confrontation with the Crown Prince, it would require some sacrifice on my part to interfere with the Köhler ducal family, which has become the Crown Prince’s right hand.”

The prince gritted his teeth for a moment. He seemed to hesitate about whether to help the woman.

“If it’s something I can do… I can do anything. As long as I can safely rescue my mother. I don’t mind if it’s dangerous.”

Even after rescuing her mother, what came after would be a problem. But the urgent matter was getting her out of Henrietta’s grasp. If Henrietta did to her mother what she had done to Edith… Edith’s heart constricted as if it might tear apart at any moment.

“Can you really do anything?”

Ludwig asked Edith the same question again.

“Yes. If she’s in Henrietta’s hands, she might be subjected to severe t*rture. I want to bring my mother out of there as soon as possible.”

The prince spent some time as if lost in thought. Edith quietly focused on the man’s behavior while waiting for Ludwig’s words.

“Then try to seduce Leonard Sachsen.”

“What?”

An unexpected name came from Ludwig’s lips.

“No matter how much I investigate the poisoning of His Majesty, all trails were cut off long ago, leaving no evidence. But Leonard Sachsen must know something. Even if he doesn’t know right now, he could easily find out as the Duke’s favored grandson.”

The name Edith heard was indeed the same Leonard Sachsen that Henrietta was pursuing.

“And most importantly, if what you say is true, he showed unusual behavior toward you. He didn’t t*rture you or extract information. Whether he found you attractive as a woman or intended to recruit you to extract information from me, either way, he’s likely to approach you again. Seduce him for me and bring back the information I want. Can you do it?”

Seduce? Edith recalled a day at the ducal residence when she was ignored by Ludwig.

“Men want to give everything to a woman they’re infatuated with. Especially men like Leonard Sachsen who normally keep women at a distance.”

Edith couldn’t answer easily.

“I’ll assign a separate teacher to teach you the art of seduction.”

“Isn’t there… something else I could do?”

Edith looked up at the prince with a trembling voice.

“No. You’re just my mistress, and since the situation is unfavorable for me, you can’t go around recruiting high nobles. Right now, you have no other use to me.”

Use… Edith knew she could be sold off at any time if she wasn’t useful. She already knew that well.

“Even I, who have no interest in lowly beings, was moved by you. So it should be possible. He’s a bookworm who’s kept women at a distance all his life, so he might consider you his first love and spill everything he knows. Judging by how he treated you, he must have felt something for you as a man.”

“Is this the last time?”

Edith bit her lip. The familiar taste of blood circled in her mouth, giving her a familiar sense of comfort. Biting her lip was something Edith habitually did whenever she felt anxious.

“What do you mean?”

“Pretending to be a lover and extracting information. Or will I have to do this with other men too?”

“Well.”

The prince slowly tucked Edith’s hair behind her ear with his slender fingers. His fingers traced down her delicate neckline to the end.

Though it felt eerie, Edith couldn’t push his hand away.

“That depends on you. If this mission succeeds and I find the culprit and evidence of who poisoned the Emperor, reclaiming the power I should have had, then you won’t need to do this again. Can you do it, Edith?”

The man quietly gazed into her eyes. His lips seemed to curve into a smile.

“Will you… really help me bring my mother back?”

“Yes, of course. I keep my promises. You can tell by the fact that I haven’t forced myself on you yet.”

The prince gave a hearty laugh as he looked at the tense Edith.

“If it’s confirmed that my mother is alive, I’ll do it.”

Finally, Edith slowly nodded before the prince who was staring at her. She didn’t have the luxury to ask for time to think, not knowing when the prince would seek her out again.

**

“Our investigation suggests that Henrietta Köhler is likely holding your mother hostage. I heard that your mother was taken by the ducal household’s servants two years ago.”

A few days later, Ludwig explained the situation briefly to Edith and got to the point.

“Leonard Sachsen. He’s twenty-three this year and rather quiet. That’s why he rarely associates with his cousin, the Crown Prince. He runs a shipping business and is also a judge in the High Court, so there’s not much time to approach him separately. So it would be best to visit the orphanage he occasionally visits on weekends. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Approach him naturally. Don’t reveal yourself as an agent, but show enough of your true self that he’ll likely trust you. Isabelle will tell you the details.”

“I understand.”

Ludwig observed Edith’s compliant attitude and made a remark.

“You don’t seem to hate the idea. Do you like him?”

“What?”

Edith had simply answered while complying with the order without any particular thoughts.

Though she showed a confused expression, Ludwig didn’t ask further and continued.

“He usually reads books in his spare time and was so academically gifted that he became a judge as soon as he reached adulthood. Well, it’s highly possible he became a judge to avoid conscription. Now he’s aiming to become the next High Court Chief Justice. Though he’s excessively young, it’s possible with the Duke’s backing. Since he’s close to being a bookworm, you might converse well with him. Don’t you think?”

“Perhaps.”

Edith looked up at the prince and answered respectfully. If she failed, she wouldn’t be able to save her mother. Edith had to succeed.

“Isabelle will tell you the details, but there’s one thing you must remember.”

Edith listened silently to Ludwig’s instructions.

“You must not let Duke Sachsen discover that you’re approaching him. Fortunately, the Duke doesn’t assign people to watch Leonard Sachsen, so you won’t be discovered when approaching him separately. But be extremely cautious in settings where the Duke Sachsen is present. Understand?”

“Yes. If it’s discovered that I approached him, someone like me would be as good as dead, right?”

Officially, Edith was the mistress of Ludwig, who wasn’t on good terms with Duke Sachsen. It wouldn’t take much thought.

“You’d be lucky if you could die quietly.”

“Duke Sachsen has an extraordinary love for his grandson. He never particularly cared for the son he had early in life, but he’s especially attached to Leonard Sachsen. If he found out that my mistress approached him, he’d probably skin you alive and cut off your limbs. So be careful. Understand?”

“I understand.”

Edith bowed her head. The man’s words essentially meant that he couldn’t save her if she was captured by Duke Sachsen.

‘Can I really do this?’

Edith recalled those cold blue eyes looking down at her. Though he hadn’t harmed her, he hadn’t been kind or shown any affection either.

‘This time I might really die. But if I can save my mother before that…’

Edith squeezed her eyes shut. She summoned her last bit of strength, hoping that even if she died under t*rture, she could at least save her mother first.

“Are you afraid now that we’re talking about the Duke? Not confident?”

Ludwig asked slowly as he observed Edith.

“You should be confident. Neil Köhler visited me yesterday. He said that now that he’s the Duke, he’d give me part of his territory in exchange for you. He even made veiled threats. You have such a wonderful brother, my mistress.”