The detestable past whispered. She didn’t want to experience having her hopes trampled again. She didn’t want to suffer the pain of having her heart torn to shreds. She was afraid, terrified.

Her courage had worn thin. It rolled on the ground like withered leaves. 

Still… she wanted to breathe, so she squeezed out every ounce of courage to speak. The last leaf hanging on the branch dangled.

It was like that during Amy’s poisoning incident, and with the dress matter. During the poisoning incident, no one believed her, and during the dress incident, they didn’t listen at all.

‘You know what? How will you react? You, who will continue to be with me? You, who stepped on my shadow in just one day? These words… how do they sound to you?’

Rosana looked at Jade with a gentle smile. It was a distinctly different smile from before. Jade clearly recognized the difference. He watched Rosana’s expression in the endless silence. 

More precisely, he couldn’t look away. Her expression, changing from moment to moment, was telling him something.

A strange atmosphere circled the room. Breaking the silence-filled atmosphere, Emma entered.

“Miss, I’ve come…”

At Emma’s voice, Rosana’s head turned. Emma had brought other maids along, carrying accessories in bundles. Celine’s frowning face came into view. It was obvious she had followed, unable to resist Emma’s pestering.

In the strange atmosphere, Emma and Celine also read the room. Rosana was relaxed while Jade and Jane stood with stiff faces like people caught off guard. 

Jade, letting out a short sigh, opened his mouth with difficulty. It was a tone deeply sunken from exhaustion.

“Since you’ve far exceeded the allocated budget, we’ll deduct that amount.”

“Yes.”

Rosana spoke flatly, and Jade left abruptly. Emma cautiously approached and asked what happened, but Rosana said nothing. 

Celine, not understanding, alternated her gaze between the door where Jade and Jane had left and the calm Rosana.

* * *

Jade walked with a rigidly stiff face. He was hastily leaving the scene like someone whose secret had been discovered.

After walking for a while, Jade stopped and took a deep breath in and out. Then he looked at the sky and squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I was caught off guard.’

That was exactly the situation.

He turned his complicated mind over and over. It was difficult to easily fathom Rosana’s feelings. He had probed to see through her depths, but just when he glimpsed something, a black shadow would fall again. 

Rosana’s words had caught him off guard.

She wouldn’t speak. She wouldn’t do useless things. Those were the words that came back when he told her to explain. 

They were words directed at him, spoken in the tone of someone convinced she wouldn’t be believed. There was himself, unable to refute.

“Something’s strange.”

Jade had thought Rosana was a bold woman because of the dagger incident. So he thought she was maintaining a consistent attitude even when ignored and insulted. 

He had judged her by seeing her calmly present the dagger. But that wasn’t it. That action had been the desperate struggle of someone with nowhere else to go, fighting to survive.

‘If she were truly bold, she would have confidently defended herself.’

She should have said his story was correct, or that it was the maid’s independent action. However, her words just now were tantamount to despair.

Rosana was right. Like she said, Jade had naturally judged it to be Rosana’s doing. From any angle, it was something she would do. Whoever he asked, that judgment would be the same not just for him but for others too. 

So he had confronted her.

He had gone to hear Rosana’s words, but he actually had no intention of believing them. He had only a mischievous desire to see what excuses she would make.

“Your Majesty.”

Jane followed from behind with quick steps. It took time to catch up since Jade had tried to escape so quickly with such large strides.

“This is difficult.”

“…”

“Jane. You said there were no direct orders from her?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Jade stared intently at the budget report he had grabbed while fleeing. Flashy dresses and accessories, and various famous paintings and sculptures. It was the same as before. There was plenty of physical evidence.

‘But what is this uneasy feeling?’

He mercilessly crumpled the already wrinkled documents into a round ball. Then he threw it on the ground, calling it trash. Jane’s gaze went to the ball of paper rolling in the wind.

“Summon all the merchants who sold the items. I’ll hear their stories.”

“Understood.”

“Urgently.”

“Yes.”

Jane bowed deeply to Jade, then turned without hesitation. She had to carry out Jade’s orders as quickly as possible. Rosana had no intention of answering, and they held the truth in their grasp.

“…”

Once Jane disappeared and there was no presence around, a deep, heavy sigh naturally emerged.

“If it’s not true…”

He roughly tousled his hair. He hated those who caused a fuss based only on rumors more than anyone, yet he was exactly in that position.

Good rumors didn’t circulate about Jade either. Various rumors were rampant because of the secret he thoroughly hid. A secret hidden tightly so no one would know. 

The trusted knights, Malek, and Jane—to prevent it from leaking out—were among the very few who knew.

Jade headed to his office, thinking he needed to shake off these distracting thoughts. Then, an irritating sound suddenly reached his ears. Thanks to his excellent senses, his ears could accurately hear sounds farther away than ordinary people.

“Like master, like maid. She’s not even Empress yet, where does that confidence come from?”

“Exactly. I’m questioning if it’s the same place I saw a few days ago. She mistreats the maids? Even close associates aren’t exceptions. How can anyone live in such fear?”

“In a way, they’re a well-matched pair. His Majesty also… you know that rumor.”

“Huh? Wasn’t that a false rumor?”

“Ah, you came recently so you don’t know. It’s not just gossip. I’ve been here quite a while…”

Jade stopped and listened to the whispering conversation. Not thinking at all that Jade might be listening, the maids endlessly flapped their mouths. 

He let out a deep sigh. He knew, but it couldn’t help being bitter.

‘Could she also…’

It might be a hasty assumption, but looking at her attitude earlier, it was a thought that naturally arose.

“I just need to find out.”

He wanted to shake off these thoughts as soon as possible and hoped Jane would bring the merchants.

* * *

Malek glanced at Jade, who was flipping through documents with a deeply furrowed brow. He had been in that state since going out to speak sternly to Rosana. 

It was certain something had happened, but it wasn’t an atmosphere to ask. If he made even a small sound, it seemed a cold gaze would fly his way.

It had already been several days.

“Your Majesty, Jane has arrived.”

Jade’s eyes lit up like he had been waiting for just those words.

“Did she bring all the merchants?”

“Yes, they’re waiting.”

“Bring them here.”

Malek guided the merchants to the office according to Jade’s orders. The merchants were restless.

What kind of bolt from the blue was this? 

The merchants naturally glanced at Jade. They were on edge at the word that the Emperor had summoned them. Had they done something to be caught? Only that circled in their heads.

“Everyone’s gathered.”

When Jade spoke while looking at the bustling merchants, the sound of gulping could be heard. 

Only heavy air filled the office. Jade, leisurely propping his chin, spoke methodically. Attention naturally focused on Jade’s fingers tapping the table.

“I’ll warn you in advance. There must not be a single lie in the words that come from your mouths. If it’s later determined to be false… you know what will happen, right?”

The merchants nodded with lost souls. A chilling coldness pressed down on the merchants’ shoulders. A momentum you’d only see on a battlefield oppressed the merchants. It was a brutal atmosphere where even swallowing was difficult.

“I know you brought items for the imperial palace. That they’re for the one who will become Empress.”

The surroundings became noisy. They were merchants. Naturally, they preferred the side with larger margins. 

In that sense, Emma had been very good prey. An easy customer who would buy items on her own if you just agreed appropriately from the side.

‘Did we perhaps take too much…?’

It was a rare opportunity so they had profited, but everyone worried whether they had gone too far. Jade said in a low voice.

“She… is there anyone who directly conversed with Lady Arcadi?”

“What?”

The bewildered merchants looked at each other.

“I can hear the gears turning in your heads.”

Jade muttered coldly, telling them to stop thinking nonsense. The merchants flinched at Jade’s words.

“I want to ask one thing. Is there anyone who directly saw Lady Arcadi? If not, have you met the servant who conveyed her orders? Report what orders she gave and what actions she showed. That’s all.”

Only then grasping the seriousness, the merchants nodded. They wanted to rush out of this heavy space. 

They never dreamed they would miss the refreshing air that always circled around them. The merchants spoke with trembling lips. Because they all opened their mouths at once, Jade, who couldn’t hear well, pointed to one person.

“You speak first.”

“I-I’ve never seen Lady Arcadi. The one who called me and bought the items was all Lady Arcadi’s maid.”

“What did that fellow sell?”

Malek quickly rummaged through documents with detailed lists.

“He sold various famous paintings.”

“Yes, that’s correct. I only procured paintings and delivered goods to the imperial palace. The one I conversed with was a maid who called herself Emma.”

The merchant spoke while repeatedly wiping sweat with a handkerchief. His body sent signals of danger, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Jade’s gaze due to the murderous look.

“What did the maid say?”

“Just… she only said famous paintings were needed to please Lady Arcadi’s eyes.”

Jade slowly looked over the merchants. Most nodded in agreement with the merchant’s words. Jade, frowning, spoke in a low tone.

“Emma… Is there anyone who saw other servants?”

Then the merchants all shook their heads in unison. Jade’s brow twitched. The quantity of purchased items was enormous. 

No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t a matter a mere maid could handle alone. She should have shown the estimate to her master and gone through revisions and final confirmation.

“…Her own items, yet no approval of estimates or final confirmation?”

Didn’t that mean she had no interest in what items came or not?

They nodded while reading Jade’s mood. It really meant they had all carried out orders through Emma’s mouth. At Jade’s gaze demanding explanation, the merchant stammered on.

“The maid only said it was sufficient…”

Jade’s eyebrow twitched. There was no need to discuss further. He said that was enough and asked who had directly seen Rosana. 

Then merchants quietly raising their hands with trembling were visible. The number was very small. Jade gestured for the others to leave. The other merchants tried to leave, thinking they were saved.

Then the sound of paper rustling was heard. It was just the sound of flipping through papers, but the merchants who felt a threat to their lives all trembled and looked back.

“But there are significantly fewer remaining than the number of petitions I received. The petitions said Lady Arcadi committed tyranny. Among you, there should be none who submitted petitions.”

Several merchants’ faces turned deathly pale. Some merchants had submitted petitions to Jade marking Emma’s actions as Rosana’s actions. 

Most merchants left, and only the merchants who had faced Rosana remained.

“I do hope what’s written on this paper is true.”

The merchants, thoroughly crushed by Jade’s presence, stammered on. Jade occasionally responded and quietly listened. In the serious atmosphere, words were exchanged methodically.