It took only three days for Sabina to be captured and for all her wrongdoings to be revealed.

After the royal wedding concluded, the imperial palace was quiet. Most urgent matters had been addressed before the wedding, so this was expected.

The attendant who came to guide Yujin felt uneasy and shrugged his shoulders.

‘The atmosphere in the palace has been so heavy lately.’

Princess Sabina, who usually brought life to the palace, was nowhere to be seen. According to other attendants, she had been taken to a separate palace, but any mention of it disappeared quickly, leaving the truth uncertain.

‘And suddenly, the Count of Esrenche is here.’

What on earth was happening?

Lost in thought, the attendant noticed Yujin entering the palace with a determined expression and fell silent. There was something resolute in his eyes.

As Yujin walked into the Emperor’s palace, he asked in a blunt voice, “Should I go straight to His Majesty?”

“Please, follow me.”

The room where the Emperor had ordered Yujin to be brought was deep within the Emperor’s palace. As they walked through the long corridor, the attendant felt so uncomfortable it was as if he couldn’t breathe. The closer they got to their destination, the more relieved he felt.

The attendant quickly bowed his head.

“Please wait here.”

Yujin strode into the room.

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

Yujin’s expression as he faced the Emperor was indifferent. The Emperor thought, not an ordinary fellow, as he walked in and sat on the sofa first.

“Let’s have a little chat, Count.”

***

“You were quite close with Sabina, weren’t you, Count Esrenche?”

He hadn’t expected a pleasant conversation, but he hadn’t anticipated starting without even offering tea.

That must have meant the Emperor was in a foul mood.

Yujin feigned ignorance and bowed his head.

“It was merely a childhood acquaintance, wasn’t it?”

Yujin’s tone was so dry that it felt entirely different from the previous generation, who always sounded sly.

‘Childhood acquaintance, huh.’

The Emperor’s lips curled slightly at Yujin’s distancing tone.

“Did you try to sever ties with Sabina recently because you knew she was walking down a path of self-destruction?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You pushed your daughter, who resembled that woman, onto me and had her accepted as a princess to gain an advantage… and now that the situation seems unfavorable, you’re drawing a line. Isn’t that more fitting behavior for a merchant than a politician?”

“I apologize.”

The Emperor leaned his chin on his hand, clearly showing his displeasure.

“If you hadn’t cut ties, it would have been Esrenche who procured the potion for Sabina. And you’d have received a severe punishment this time.”

“I did provide something to Princess Sabina, but I wouldn’t have assisted in harming anyone.”

“I merely mentioned a potion, yet the Count seems to know something?”

“…”

Yujin kept his lips tightly shut.

‘Was that a mistake, or did he deliberately catch my words?’

The Emperor, squinting at Yujin, sighed through his nose. Either way, it worked in his favor to lead to the conclusion he desired.

“I’m planning to marry off Sabina so she can’t meddle in royal affairs again. Still, she’s my daughter, so I can’t send her off to just anyone…”

The Emperor subtly watched Yujin’s reaction. As if he had anticipated such words from the Emperor, Yujin’s expression remained unchanged.

“Esrenche seems suitable.”

No matter how much he had lost affection for her, Sabina was still a princess. It was unforgivable that she attempted to harm the Crown Princess, who bore royal blood, but she hadn’t succeeded, so he wondered if further punishment was necessary.

Thus, he decided on marriage.

Marrying her off to distance her from the royal family. He thought that alone would be enough punishment for Sabina.

In response to the Emperor’s proposal, Yujin bowed his head.

“Princess Sabina will not want me.”

“She must be trembling in fear right now, grateful even for a rotten lifeline.”

“Still, I can’t force a marriage she doesn’t want.”

“Count Esrenche.”

Yujin’s feigned humility in refusing Sabina only fueled the Emperor’s anger. With a stern expression, the Emperor delivered a warning.

“This is not merely a suggestion but an order. It’s a punishment for Esrenche, who once urged me to reinstate Sabina and elevate her to royalty.”

If the former Count of Esrenche hadn’t brought Sabina to him, all dressed up, the Emperor would never have recognized her as a princess.

‘Thinking back, it’s infuriating.’

Even though he had accepted Sabina himself, the Emperor unjustly directed his anger toward Esrenche.

Despite having every reason to be upset by the Emperor’s nitpicking, Yujin maintained a respectful demeanor until the end.

“Understood. I will propose to Princess Sabina with sincerity.”

“Good.”

That was exactly the response the Emperor had hoped for.

Upon hearing Yujin’s consent, the Emperor dismissed him with a wave.

As Yujin exited the audience chamber, he twisted his lips in thought.

‘As expected, he has no intention of punishing her or investigating the matter thoroughly.’

Thanks to Yuri and Titi’s efforts, Sabina’s crimes hadn’t become widely known.

In that case.

‘I need to create an opportunity to make it known.’

Yujin bit his lip, which gleamed with a sharp, bluish light like a blade.

In this life, there was nothing he couldn’t greedily grasp and hold onto.

***

Since the royal wedding, Sabina had been confined to a separate palace.

The investigation into her involvement with drugs was conducted very discreetly by a small team of investigators.

And because they didn’t share their findings with her, Sabina remained as uninformed as she had been before her confinement.

They had told her only one thing.

“His Majesty is greatly angered by your attempt to harm the Crown Princess using magical substances. Therefore, please remain quiet and restrained until the investigation concludes.”

Attempting to set fire! Sabina was furious.

‘I didn’t do it! Why doesn’t anyone believe me? I never asked for such a potion to be made. It’s unjust!’

Initially, she blamed Rosemary.

If Rosemary hadn’t provoked her in the first place, none of this would have happened.

Her resentment grew and grew until she reached a conclusion.

‘Have I fallen into a trap?’

Sabina concluded that she had been ensnared by a trap set by someone to torment her.

‘Yes. Everyone blames me as if it’s obvious, without any evidence. And how does Father know I used the potion?’

Someone had trapped her.

Convinced by her own thoughts, Sabina walked to the entrance of the separate palace and began to throw a tantrum.

“I’m leaving! Move aside.”

“Please return. It’s His Majesty’s order. You cannot leave.”

“I’ll speak to His Majesty myself! So step aside, move!”

This wasn’t the first time Sabina had thrown such a tantrum.

Initially, the guards had been surprised by the beautiful princess’s obstinacy, but now they blocked the door with expressionless faces. Their businesslike attitude only fueled Sabina’s anger further.

‘These people, they’re making a fool of me!’

The potion she had intended to use on Rosemary was still half-full. In her anger, Sabina felt tempted to throw it at them.

‘Those who treat me carelessly deserve at least the punishment of their bodies burning.’

Just as Sabina’s eyes glinted dangerously, a cold voice, one she hadn’t heard before, echoed in her ears.

“…Still the same, I see.”

The voice was hard and emotionless, yet familiar. Sabina looked up in surprise.

“Yujin?”

Beyond the guards, at the open door, stood Yujin Esrenche. Although several others stood behind him, Sabina saw only Yujin.

She pushed past the guards and rushed forward, clinging to Yujin’s arm as if she might collapse.

“Yujin! You’re here just in time. I’m so wronged. Help me.”

“What are you wronged about?”

“I haven’t done anything! But suddenly being locked up here, you can’t imagine how terrifying it is.”

“Have you truly done nothing?”

Yujin’s questioning tone momentarily chilled Sabina’s expression. But knowing she needed him, she quickly put on a pitiful face.

“Why would you say that, Yujin? I truly haven’t done anything. His Majesty is misunderstanding. I want to meet him and clear up the misunderstanding. Please, let me meet him.”

Given how their last meeting ended, it was a shameless request.

Yujin’s blue eyes took in Sabina’s hands, which clung tightly to his arm. He looked down at her for a long time with an inscrutable expression before letting out a small sigh and speaking.

“His Majesty has ordered me to marry you, Princess. Let’s go to Esrenche together.”