Sabina, unusually nervous, stammered her words.

“N-no, it’s not like that.”

“Come with me.”

Without waiting for Sabina to finish, the Emperor turned sharply and walked away.

Sabina stumbled to her feet and followed, trying to read his mood.

The anxiety she had momentarily forgotten began to creep back into her heart.

‘Why is he speaking in such a cold tone all of a sudden? He used to correct me to call him Father when I said Your Majesty.’

Something was definitely wrong.

To avoid angering the Emperor, Sabina kept her head bowed, trying to appear quiet and obedient. She noticed her dress was a crumpled mess from all her fidgeting and quickly tried to smooth it out. Naturally, the dress remained wrinkled.

The Emperor only stopped when they reached a secluded inner room, where no nobles attending the royal wedding would accidentally intrude.

Turning to his tense daughter, the Emperor asked, “I heard you personally made the Crown Princess’s bouquet?”

“…Yes, I was responsible for it. I wanted to celebrate my brother finding someone he loves.”

“Did you make it all by yourself, without any help?”

Sabina clasped her hands tightly.

Why was he suddenly bringing up the bouquet? Her heart sank at the thought that he might have discovered her attempt to sabotage the royal wedding with a potion.

‘But the potion didn’t work anyway. Even if I had bad intentions, I ultimately failed.’

So, she felt she could lift her head with confidence. No one, not even the Emperor, could link the bouquet to her.

‘Then why is he calling me here and asking about the bouquet in such a frightening way? It’s strange.’

Sabina, her heart pounding, stole a glance at the Emperor. Noticing her apprehension, the Emperor softened his tone slightly.

“I thought the combination of flowers was exceptionally well done. That’s why I’m asking. Did someone help you?”

He asked, hoping to believe that someone else might have tampered with the bouquet.

But Sabina’s response dashed even his faintest hope.

“No, I selected each flower myself and made it. How could I entrust the bouquet for a royal wedding to someone else?”

“…I see.”

Sabina’s answer wasn’t wrong.

The Crown Prince’s wedding was one of the nation’s grand events. It wouldn’t make sense to take on such a responsibility and then pass it off to someone else.

Yet, in this case, it might have been better if she had.

The Emperor gave a bittersweet smile at his daughter’s naivety. Gently, he tucked her hair behind her ear.

“You’ve grown a lot. As you grow, you resemble your mother more.”

Though they were blood-related, Sabina’s features bore no resemblance to the Emperor.

The Emperor’s thumb brushed Sabina’s eye corner. Her drooping eyes still evoked a sense of pity in those who looked at her.

Sabina’s mother had been the same. Her round eyes would turn sad, and it made you want to give her anything.

And she caused all sorts of trouble with that gentle face, ultimately being expelled without even becoming a concubine.

‘How can they be so alike?’

He had hoped that while they might share looks, Sabina wouldn’t inherit her mother’s wicked nature.

But in the end, the trust and affection he had given her led to this.

After a moment of caressing his daughter’s face, the Emperor made up his mind and turned away, issuing a command to the guards.

“Confine the princess to the separate palace.”

“F-Father?”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Your Majesty?”

Sabina, panicked, tried to grab the Emperor’s robe, but a guard blocked her.

Desperately, she questioned the Emperor.

“Why are you confining me to the separate palace? At least tell me why!”

“Do you really not know the reason?”

“I don’t! I’ve done nothing wrong! There must be some misunderstanding…”

Watching Sabina brazenly feign innocence, any remaining pity he felt seemed to evaporate.

“The bouquet.”

When the Emperor mentioned the bouquet again, Sabina’s eyes widened. He asked clearly in a low voice.

“Are you truly innocent?”

Perhaps if she had confessed her guilt and pleaded for forgiveness, claiming she had lost her senses for a moment, the situation might have changed.

However, instead of pleading for forgiveness, Sabina let tears hang in her large eyes and wore an expression of injustice.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I only wanted to celebrate the marriage.”

Had he not been forewarned about Sabina’s actions, the Emperor might have been deceived by her seemingly innocent expression.

The Emperor twisted his lips and sneered in a cold voice he had never used with Sabina before.

“So, were you trying to gift the Crown Princess with a flame that wouldn’t extinguish until the potion’s power was exhausted? Was that your way of celebrating?”

“What do you mean? A flame? Are you saying the fire that broke out during the ceremony…”

Sabina’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. The potion she intended to use was meant to control people, not to start fires.

However, the Emperor, unaware of the exact nature of her scheme, glared at Sabina and continued sharply.

“I heard you injected a dangerous potion into the flowers used in the bouquet. I didn’t believe it. I thought you were different from your mother.”

His eyes were filled with disappointment for his cherished daughter.

“But in the end, even your spitefulness is the same. Your mother tried to poison the Empress and was expelled from the palace.”

“No, it wasn’t me! I don’t know anything about it! I would never use such a dangerous potion!”

“I won’t listen to your excuses anymore. Reflect on your wrongdoings quietly while confined to the separate palace.”

The Emperor turned his back completely.

Sabina called out to him desperately.

“Father! No, Your Majesty! Please listen to me! I really didn’t do it! I was just… just a bit envious of everyone adoring Lady Rosemary, and I wanted to play a small prank…”

Hearing this, the Emperor’s face hardened.

A prank! How could she call an attempt to harm the Crown Princess, who carried royal blood, and ruin the royal marriage a prank? He didn’t want to see Sabina any longer.

The Emperor shouted at the knights who had yet to take Sabina away.

“What are you waiting for? It’s a joyous day! Make sure no one sees that child.”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! You can’t do this to me. Think of my mother; you shouldn’t treat me like this!”

“Indeed.”

A bitter smile played on the Emperor’s lips.

“I should never have allowed a criminal’s daughter into the palace in the first place.”

“What do you mean by that…”

The Emperor walked away, as if he couldn’t bear to hear Sabina’s voice.

“How can you say that! You’re the one who caused my mother’s death!”

Sabina screamed at his retreating back.

“Father…!”

***

Sabina never admitted her guilt. She believed that since the Emperor wouldn’t interrogate her, she just had to endure.

However, the servants who were actually interrogated told a different story. Those who served Sabina eagerly revealed suspicious details when the investigators arrived.

Some thought they could clear themselves of suspicion by speaking first, while others simply harbored resentment towards Sabina’s actions.

“Just crossing paths with Lady Morphe outside would ruin her mood for the entire day.”

“She would throw anything in sight, making everyone miserable.”

From Sabina’s usual behavior to key testimonies about the current incident, various statements poured out.

“Recently, she requested something from a mage at the Magic Tower. He was an elderly man I hadn’t seen before.”

“I served them tea. I’m not entirely sure, but it seemed like they were discussing a potion. I think it was supposed to control people at will…”

But the potion, contrary to what the servants had heard, unleashed terrible flames.

“So, to find out exactly what happened, we need to locate the mage who made the potion.”

The investigators immediately began tracking down Autumn Handridge, the mage from the Magic Tower who had taken Sabina’s request.

The last place Autumn was seen was none other than his hometown.

And then…

“It was an accident.”

By the time they found his whereabouts, Autumn was already deceased.

After the investigators traced Autumn’s death, Sabina’s head maid, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke up.

“After receiving the potion, Princess Sabina secretly ordered the mage to be eliminated.”

Having heard all these reports, the Emperor’s expression was not one of sorrow or despair, but rather a sense of inevitability.

After a moment of silence, the Emperor slowly lifted his head and gave an order to his aide.

“Summon Count Esrenche.”