The switch struck Anaïs’s back again.

The man detested when people talked informally, used vague expressions, or employed pronouns.

Despite knowing this well, Anaïs made a mistake out of sheer panic.

When Anaïs begged with both hands clasped together, the switch finally stopped.

“Daphne Armin! Daphne followed me in and picked a fight with me!”

Anaïs continued her report while enduring the pain.

“After dealing with her provocation and returning, I found that the room attendant had already cleaned up. I was shocked and asked about it, even searched through the trash, but couldn’t find it.”

She hastily added:

“I’m certain no one else will find it either. It had completely turned to powder.”

Anaïs recited the lie she had prepared all night.

The man said nothing and simply stared at her for a moment. If the magic stone had broken, the Emperor wouldn’t let today’s humiliation pass. Since Anaïs held the status of a princess, this could potentially escalate into a diplomatic issue.

Noticing that the man was internally weighing what to do with her, Anaïs desperately cried out:

“Please give me one more chance.”

“Give me a reason why I should.”

The man was merciless but also somewhat reasonable. Anaïs’s life depended on her answer.

She swallowed dryly before speaking.

“No one has gotten as close to House Mücke as I have. If a new person comes to start over, not only would it be a waste of time, but there’s no guarantee they would succeed.”

“There’s no guarantee that you and the young duke will remain as you were either.”

Anaïs’s face turned deathly pale. Judging by the man’s expression, he must have seen Leonhardt abandon her at the ball yesterday.

But Anaïs had another card to play.

“I know the young duke’s weakness.”

“We can’t reveal that he’s not Gustav’s biological son right now.”

“I’m well aware of that. I’ve found a different weakness.”

“What is it?”

“Promise I won’t be disposed of.”

“Disposed of.”

This was the organization’s euphemism for being killed. She was making a life-or-death bargain—she would tell if he guaranteed her one more chance.

Anaïs stared directly at the man without avoiding his gaze. If her eyes wavered even once, it meant death.

After a moment, the man gave a short nod. Anaïs exhaled her held breath and spoke:

“The young duke sold the land he inherited from his grandmother to make the dress for me. If the Duke finds out, it will put him in an even more difficult position.”

“It’s just land, after all.”

“The Duke has immense pride and harbors a deep hatred for the young duke. If he discovers both today’s incident at the ball and the land sale, their father-son relationship will deteriorate beyond repair.”

The man grabbed his chin with one hand and rolled his eyes thoughtfully.

“Not bad. Having a leash on the young duke and driving a wedge between them would make him easier prey. What kind of land did the young duke sell?”

“There’s something suspicious about the transaction. It’s useless wasteland, but rumors spread that some foreign nouveau riche was blindly buying up the entire area.”

“Who is this person?”

“The young duke doesn’t know. The buyer used an intermediary for the contract.”

“Is that so?”

The man seemed to have caught the scent of something suspicious and showed interest. After a moment, he reached a conclusion:

“If the land buyer can help pressure the young duke, I’ll let you know who it is. I hope you don’t waste your last chance.”

As the man turned to leave, Anaïs approached him on her knees.

“Please provide me with another magic stone.”

The man looked down at her as if she were ridiculous.

“Princess, you are truly shameless. You always have been.”

Anaïs bit her lip and lowered her head.

“Princess, are you saying that if I give you a magic stone, you’ll accept punishment for failing this mission in some other way?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

Anaïs shook her head quickly. The man said casually as he left the bedroom:

“Once you’ve secured a firm leash on the young duke, I’ll consider it again.”

After all the subordinates who had entered the bedroom had completely left, the maids came in.

They quickly changed the bedding and treated Anaïs’s back. They showed no emotional reaction, as if this were a regular occurrence.

Finally, the maids helped Anaïs lie down slightly on her side.

“I want to be alone.”

They flatly refused, as if they had received instructions from the man. Anaïs coldly responded:

“If something happens to me, you won’t be safe either. The same goes for your families being held hostage.”

The maids exchanged glances before cautioning her to stay put, then left.

Anaïs calmed her rapid breathing and waited for the pain in her back to subside. This level of beating was child’s play to her.

How had she become accustomed to such beatings…

She closed her eyes tightly and recalled the beginning of this nightmare.

The Kingdom of Lucia was small and poor, with a dissolute king. His concubines increased steadily, and princes and princesses were born more numerously than rabbit kits.

It was obvious that the treasury would soon be depleted.

So the king began selling marriages. Princes and princesses frequently disappeared, but Anaïs, still young, remained relatively happy.

It was the year she turned seven. A man began frequenting the palace.

Helmut Bering.

He was a short man with black hair and tanned skin.

His appearance was ordinary until that point, but his face bore an unmistakable large scar. Anaïs found the scar disturbing. More precisely, she felt a sense of viciousness not from the scar itself, but from the fact that someone could survive such an injury.

What kind of life had he lived? An ordinary person like Anaïs could never fathom it. That’s why she felt chills whenever she encountered him.

He quickly won over the king by throwing money around. Then he gradually took control of the kingdom.

The already isolated kingdom became increasingly cut off from foreign relations and grew more isolated.

Within this environment, Helmut wielded absolute power and implemented a reign of terror. Eventually, not only the royal family but even the king himself came to fear him.

Throughout this process, Helmut faced no resistance. He took over the kingdom with remarkable ease.

He began taking princes, princesses, and nobles without discrimination and using them as he pleased. The uses were varied, and Anaïs was among them.

She was thoroughly trained, brainwashed, and dispatched to the Empire.

Before she left, Helmut gave her a necklace and a pair of cufflinks, saying:

“These contain magic that can enchant people. Always wear the necklace yourself.”

The orange magic stone shone brilliantly, as if it would swallow even Anaïs herself. This was the secret to how he had been able to take over the kingdom so easily.

“Once you enter the academy, first approach Leonhardt Mücke, the young duke. It may take time depending on how much he loves his fiancée, but you’ll be able to attract his attention. Approach him gradually and captivate him.”

Anaïs had endured until now with Leonhardt as her target. Though the plan had many variables, the goal had clearly been within reach.

To collapse so futilely?

She couldn’t believe it.

Above all, she was most frightened that Helmut, whom she thought was in the Kingdom of Lucia, was actually in the Empire.

She didn’t know why he had come, but wherever he went, violence and chaos followed. She was convinced that if demons existed, Helmut was one.

⁕⁕⁕

The next morning, Margo requested a visit to the Armin family. She wanted to have tea in the afternoon.

‘I just saw her yesterday, and again today?’

Daphne tilted her head in confusion before biting her lip. It seemed likely related to what Leonhardt had done yesterday.

‘She probably wants to comfort me and provide some companionship.’

Daphne sent a reply accepting the visit. When Christine heard this news, she became frantic. Christine had missed the ball yesterday because she had been stuck beside Zenos all day. That made her even more anxious.

“Why during tea? Since she’s coming anyway, let’s change it to dinner. Oh, it would be even better if we invited His Highness the Grand Duke too!”

But Daphne shook her head.

“It’s unreasonable to suddenly change it to dinner on the same day. And His Highness the Grand Duke? He’s not someone who can come just because we invite him. He’s not that free. Let’s keep it as planned.”

When Daphne looked at her as if she were a childish kid, Christine couldn’t push any further.

“Fine. I’ll do as you say.”

Christine spoke curtly, seemingly upset, and turned away.

Daphne didn’t bother to stop her. There was nothing more to say, and more importantly, she had urgent business to attend to.

She quickly prepared to go out and left the house.

As soon as Daphne’s carriage disappeared, Christine called for her maid. This maid had been brought from the kingdom and was her confidant.

Christine handed her a letter and said:

“Send a messenger to Dame Margrit right away.”

Then she moved closer and whispered:

“Find out where Daphne went and give this to the coachman.”

The maid accepted a pouch full of gold coins and a note.

⁕⁕⁕

Upon arriving downtown, Daphne gave her coachman and maid one silver coin each and said:

“I want to have some tea and take a walk. I’ll be back here around 6 o’clock.”

Daphne walked slowly down the main street.

Every newspaper stand was filled with stories about Anaïs.

「Shameless Princess Who Pursued Another’s Man Finally Abandoned」

Beneath this blatant headline was a large illustration.

A woman in a glittering dress was hailing a hired carriage. A speech bubble read, “May I ride?” Inside the carriage, poor people glared at her smeared face with displeased expressions.