“A r-response?”

“A response to my poem.”

“Y-you want me to write a c-corny poem right now?”

He had said several times that he hated poetry, but she hadn’t listened. He would rather play the piano until his fingers were calloused.

Viett gave up refusing and sighed tiredly.

“L-Later.”

“When later? Right before I die? Or after I’m dead, as a eulogy?”

“Wh-Why are you saying such… such unlucky things? Why would you die?”

He looked at her with startled eyes. Over her small shoulders, he saw the wall mirror. The mirror reflected the face of a man who had turned pale. It also reflected the small figure with drooping shoulders.

“I don’t know. Just thinking about going to a funeral makes me feel so depressed that I start saying things.”

Phenelity said in a lifeless voice, letting her hands drop limply to her sides.

“Or maybe I drank too much of the recovery potion earlier…”

Viett sat her down on the long seat. He sat beside her, wrapping one arm around her limp body.

If there was one thing he had realized during their short honeymoon, it was that his wife had an unexpectedly quiet side.

She would laugh and chatter like a child, then suddenly fall silent. Often, she would go limp and stare blankly into space like a doll whose spring had unwound.

‘Is this what she meant by what she said at the wedding?’

Viett thought as he stroked her small shoulders and thin arms. The people who only knew his wife through the stories written in print wouldn’t know these moments.

“W-when we arrive at the palace…”

He looked up at the red ceiling of the special room and said.

“General Re… Reepers will probably… welcome us. The general was very close with my b-brother… So, he’s likely to be hostile to us. So, we must be c-careful.”

“There’s no way the general is the only person we need to be wary of, right?”

Phenelity said weakly, resting her head on his shoulder. Then she pinched his thigh lightly, without causing pain.

“Never leave me alone. If you ever go off by yourself, I won’t forgive you.”

She would never know how much he wanted to hold this warm hand and stand at the podium. Viett squeezed her hand tightly with a sorrowful face.

Part 1 Chapter 8. A Picture-Perfect Pair

King Street Station in the heart of the capital Lechen had stood for centuries. The so-called ‘Heart of the Continent’ was where Minister Hinler arrived in the late afternoon.

The crowd gathered at the station greeted Hinler with loud cheers. Beyond the police barricades, they waved placards and began chanting slogans.

“The royal family must quickly investigate Prince Minute’s death!”

“The Ministry of Magic must immediately begin investigating Count Cochrun’s family!”

Cecilia Rosti watched from a car parked far from the station. After exhaling cigarette smoke, she flicked the half-smoked butt out the partially open window.

“Ugh, what idiots.”

She clicked her tongue at the overly excited protesters.

“Why cause a fuss with innocent people instead of going to the police headquarters? Who started this incitement anyway?”

Just then, Hinler barely escaped from the crowd and got into the back seat of the car. Cecilia immediately drove away to avoid the approaching protesters. Hinler, dusting dirt from his coat, raised an eyebrow when he saw her in the driver’s seat.

“Rosti?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

“Your disguise is quite convincing.”

He observed her tacky formal attire, thick-rimmed glasses, heavy makeup bordering on costume, and curly brown wig with interest.

“Who are you disguised as this time?”

“Your new secretary, sir. Was her name Lena or Lina?”

Cecilia answered, meeting his eyes through the rearview mirror. He twitched his eyebrows and snorted.

“It’s Leina. Why disguise yourself as my secretary of all people?”

“Nothing’s as convenient as a new face.”

“My secretary doesn’t smoke.”

Hinler pointed out as he opened the window wide. As he tried to air out the cigarette smell, his gaze shifted to her pitch-black formal wear.

“Is there a need to wear mourning clothes already?”

“I have to head straight to the prince’s funeral once the autopsy is complete.”

“Funeral? I doubt you’d want to pay respects to Minute.”

“My parents summoned me. I’m not going because I want to.”

Hinler shook his head as if he understood.

“Where is Lord Viett?”

“He went to the hotel first. I heard he’ll head to the cathedral with Phenelity once he’s ready.”

Cecilia answered while driving toward the entrance of the royal hospital.

“Since this is their first official appearance after marriage, the royal family seems to be making thorough preparations.”

“It’s just a funeral, even if it’s an official event. They only need to wear proper mourning attire.”

“My goodness. This is precisely when they should make full use of their beauty.”

“Make use of their beauty?”

“The public is strict when judging beauty. But in the end, it’s that very beauty that captivates them.”

Hinler didn’t contradict Cecilia’s assertion. She continued to speak freely in his tacit agreement.

“Tomorrow’s headline will be exactly this: ‘The Hartmann royal family’s picture-perfect pair. Are the suspicions surrounding this beautiful couple truth or lies?'”

“……”

“What do you think?”

“That’s the most clichéd headline I’ve ever heard.”

“Aren’t you glad I didn’t become a journalist?”

Cecilia joked as she drove the car near the entrance of the royal hospital.

She parked the car roughly beyond the barricade where guards were stationed, then gracefully got out and opened the back door. Hinler snorted subtly at her performing a secretary’s duties.

As she supported him leaning on his cane toward the entrance, the guards immediately saluted Hinler upon recognizing his face.

“Good afternoon, Minister.”

One of them extended his arm to block Cecilia.

“Wait, who are you? I don’t recognize your face.”

“She’s my new secretary. Let her through.”

“But Minister, the Prime Minister ordered tight security……”

“Do you intend to leave an old man with mobility issues to enter alone?”

Hinler said, gesturing toward his legs supported by the cane. The guard backed away with his hands up.

“Of course not! I apologize for my rudeness.”

Cecilia and Hinler entered the hospital and went straight to the autopsy room on the third floor. The door was slightly ajar, with no special security personnel stationed.

Through the gap in the door, Minute’s body could be seen lying on the examination table. A medical examiner in white scrubs was bending over to look inside his mouth.

When Hinler opened the door wide, the Prime Minister, standing awkwardly beside the examination table, was the first to greet him.

“I thought my neck would fall off waiting for you, Minister.”

Cecilia hid behind Hinler and stole glances at Minute’s body. He was completely n*ked. She observed Minute, who looked as if he were in a deep sleep, with a peculiar gaze.

Despite having hated him to death, seeing his corpse brought no pleasure. She had hoped he died painfully crushed under building debris, but Minute’s limbs were intact as if he had passed peacefully.

Damn it. So it was true that he was found in the ruins in pristine condition without a scratch. You died too peacefully for someone who committed so many sins.

As she peeked over Hinler’s shoulder and clicked her tongue, the medical examiner noticed Cecilia and quickly covered Minute’s groin with a white cloth.

Cecilia stood hidden behind Hinler and carefully observed everyone in the autopsy room.

A doctor dispatched from the palace, the Prime Minister who seemed to have rushed over, the young medical examiner, a mage from the Ministry of Magic tasked with preserving the body, and a chief priest sitting in the corner mumbling prayers.

Hinler surveyed them all and asked:

“His Majesty couldn’t come after all?”

“As you can see.”

The Prime Minister answered with his head tilted awkwardly.

“I’m not even sure if he’ll recover enough strength for the funeral…… He didn’t seem confident.”

“Is this the Minister’s secretary?”

Just then, the medical examiner who had been eyeing Cecilia suspiciously approached and asked.

“I’m sorry, but the autopsy process isn’t a sight suitable for a lady……”

“Wait for me out here.”

Hinler ordered as he entered the autopsy room. Then he closed the door in her face without waiting for her response. Cecilia sat on a corridor chair and waited for the autopsy to finish.

After an hour of chain-smoking to suppress her uneasy feelings, the autopsy room door finally opened. Cecilia kicked the pile of cigarette butts under the chair and stood up abruptly.

Hinler, who was the first to exit the autopsy room, limped toward the stairs. Cecilia adjusted her heavy glasses that were hurting her nose bridge and followed him.

“Minister.”

Just then, the mage responsible for preservation magic carefully approached Hinler.

“I have something to tell you.”

The mage whispered, gesturing toward the dark end of the corridor. Then he gave Cecilia a wary look.

“This woman is a comrade who shares our purpose, so don’t worry.”

Hinler reassured the mage in a low voice. The mage looked at Cecilia with surprised eyes. Cecilia was equally surprised.

Comrade? What? Was that person also part of Aisad? Cecilia was newly amazed by Aisad’s infiltration capabilities. She wondered how many undiscovered secret agents were scattered everywhere.

“Minister. You may not believe this, but……”

The mage, who had led them to an empty hospital room, whispered in a hushed voice.

“Prince Minute’s body already had preservation magic cast on it.”

“Preservation magic?”

Cecilia turned to Hinler in shock. Hinler didn’t seem particularly surprised. He nodded with an expressionless face.

“I noticed during the autopsy too. Someone was protecting the prince’s body from external damage with preservation magic.”

“So you noticed it as well, Minister. Since you seemed unwilling to inform the Prime Minister, I kept quiet too.”

“Yes. You did well.”

“The prince’s body was transported exactly as found in the hotel ruins. So, the time when the culprit cast preservation magic on the body must have been before the hotel collapsed.”

Culprit? Cecilia was startled and muttered in a trembling voice.

“Are you saying Minute Hartmann…… wasn’t killed in an accident but was murdered?”