“Pardon?”

“They say the previous Emperor handed the kingdom’s land over to my father. Once he actually conquered it, it must have been troublesome to deal with. So this orange is actually a specialty product of the Kingdom of Petin.”

Rafez was holding an orange in one hand.

After staring at it for a moment, he tossed it, and Siz caught it in confusion.

“Go outside and eat that.”

Siz was bewildered by the sudden orange, but soon understood that he was telling her to leave.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“They say all the records were erased, but it truly is to the point that no one knows. That means they really were erased on purpose.”

After Siz left, only Rafez and Lacy remained.

As if lost in thought, Lacy nodded.

Rafez sat down in front of Lacy and spoke casually.

“I suppose that is only natural for a defeated nation. And would that only apply to nations? What about a family, something even smaller than a country? If one truly wanted to, erasing a family’s existence would probably take no time at all.”

Rafez’s words sounded chilling.

Erasing a family’s existence would probably take no time at all.

Those words seemed to carry meaning.

For example, as if he were saying he would annihilate House Lennon.

But at the same time, they sounded like they could mean something else.

That if the Imperial Family, who had erased even the Kingdom of Petin, set their mind to it, they could just as easily erase the Grand Duchy of Felista.

“I came because there is one thing I’m curious about. I thought I might try trusting you.”

After the incident, Rafez had naturally conducted an investigation, and that had been kept secret from Lacy.

Even though he had brought Lacy into the Grand Duchess’s room, he had no choice but to not fully trust her.

Lacy knew that too.

But the fact that he was saying this meant he had still been unable to solve the case.

“…Is there a way to use poison?”

“You just drink it.”

At Lacy’s answer, Rafez remembered the many scenes of her drinking poison and frowned, pressing his fingers against his brow.

Then he soon shook his head, trying to cast the images away.

She still spoke far too easily about drinking poison.

“No, not that kind of nonsense.”

Lacy knew, of course.

She knew that what Rafez wanted was something else.

So the corners of her lips lifted slightly, but Rafez did not see it.

If I keep my mouth shut, how will you act?

“Since the topic has come up, I should make one thing clear.”

Rafez raised his head and looked at Lacy again.

The corners of her lips had long since lowered.

“Do you still think that if you got your hands on poison, you would drink it and die at once?”

“…Who knows.”

Facing Rafez’s wavering eyes, Lacy chose her words sparingly.

She surprised even herself after saying it.

She had intended to say yes.

Why had she done that?

“You are my hostage, and now you cannot die as you please. I told you, didn’t I? If you want to die that badly, I would rather kill you with my own hands.”

For someone saying he would kill her himself, there was no murderous intent in him.

In his eyes, she could feel the compassion he had spoken of.

He could not hide his emotions.

Ah. So that was why I couldn’t tell you I would die.

Had she been swept up by that feeling he called compassion?

“I can’t die anyway. You’re the one who has the poison.”

“Promise me that from now on, you will never drink poison in front of me.”

Rafez emphasized the words in front of me.

He wanted to stop her death.

But even if he could not prevent every death that might come for her someday, at the very least, he did not want to see her drink poison anymore.

“Lacy.”

Rafez urged Lacy, who could not easily bring herself to answer.

“…I will. Though I don’t know if someone else will try to kill me again.”

That answer alone seemed to bring Rafez even the slightest relief.

“You use it by smearing it on the teacup.”

As Rafez let out a sigh, Lacy gave him the answer he had wanted.

In truth, she had intended to tell him.

After all, she did not think this answer would be enough for Rafez to find the culprit.

And it would be interesting to watch what conclusion he came to.

“The poison, I mean. Wasn’t that what you were asking? How it might have been used in this incident.”

Lacy spoke again to Rafez, who was staring at her with startled eyes.

“No, that’s right. Yes. But you’re saying it wasn’t mixed into the tea, but smeared on the teacup?”

Rafez could not hide his bewilderment, because he had not expected Lacy to actually answer him.

Lacy almost laughed at the sight of him, but held it back and nodded.

“Why? It seems like mixing it into the tea would be easier.”

“Because it can take effect with only a small amount, regardless of the contents.”

“…Then the culprit truly cannot be someone from outside.”

If what she said was true, the culprit was someone who had touched the teacup.

Either Juni or Jeff.

Now, even if he questioned the suspects, he doubted anyone would say who had prepared it first.

Most of them claimed Jeff had prepared it, yet Jeff insisted he had never entered the kitchen, while Juni claimed she had prepared it herself.

“Was that helpful?”

“Of course.”

“But your expression doesn’t look very bright. It seems my answer may have only confused you more.”

Rafez shook his head.

But Lacy had already sensed the deep confusion within him.

And whose fault was that?

* * *

The next morning.

“Are you awake?”

Siz spoke when she saw Lacy lying there, blinking after waking from sleep.

Only then did Lacy sit up.

“His Highness said he would like to have breakfast with you.”

At Siz’s words, Lacy felt the urge to lie back down in bed.

She turned her head toward the window, but the sun had only just begun to rise.

“…Just what time does he wake up?”

“Mm, I’m not exactly sure either, but I heard he usually wakes up at dawn and starts working.”

“He must have a lot of work.”

“That too. And also, His Majesty the Emperor usually sends letters at dawn.”

“His Majesty?”

Unlike Rafez, Gloph was neither diligent nor someone who rose early.

If he was sending letters to Rafez at dawn, then he was surely writing them the night before and deliberately having them delivered at daybreak.

To harass Rafez.

“Prepare a dress for me.”

Lacy erased the thought of lying back down in bed.

* * *

“They said the oranges picked from the Grand Duchy are all gone?”

“Ah, yes, Your Highness.”

“I suppose they would be. They went somewhere they shouldn’t have.”

There were no oranges among the fruits placed on the table.

When Rafez had first eaten breakfast with Lacy, he had ordered steak to be prepared. But now, he ordered bread and fruit according to Lacy’s tastes.

“I’m fine.”

“If there are strawberries in the market, tell them to buy more. Good ones.”

“Understood.”

Rafez remembered that Lacy liked strawberries and gave the order.

Just as they were about to focus on the meal—

“Your Highness, Lady Mary is on her way here.”

Glen entered, greeted him, and delivered the message.

At those words, Lacy sensed Rafez’s expression harden.

Something had definitely happened.

His many complicated emotions were reaching Lacy exactly as they were.

“…I understand.”

Even after hearing Rafez’s answer, Glen lingered awkwardly, as though he still had something more to say.

“Is there something else?”

“Well, last time, Lady Mary asked for Juni and Molton, so if she does the same this time, I wasn’t sure what I should tell her…”

“Juni?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lacy remembered it too.

That day, when Mary had looked for Juni and Molton, Lacy had said that Mary knew the people of the Grand Ducal House very well.

And when Lacy had said Mary seemed strange, Glen had defended her, saying that she had always been that way.

Thinking back on it made her want to laugh, but Lacy held it in.

“Was she originally close with Mary?”

“I am not certain, but it seems that way.”

Rafez’s expression worsened even more.

Indeed, being close with Juni and Molton—two of the suspects—was not a good thing.

“…When Mary arrives, guide her to my office.”

“Yes, understood.”

After Glen left, Rafez remained frozen, still holding his fork.

Seeing that there was steak placed before him as well, it seemed Mary had not been wrong when she said he had always liked steak.

However—

“Would you like to try this at least?”

Rafez looked up in surprise at the grape that had appeared in front of him.

Lacy had speared a grape with her fork and held it out toward him.

“Ah.”

When Rafez only stared at her in surprise, Lacy shaped her mouth into an “ah,” and only then did he take the grape.

Even as he ate it, however, he still looked as if he had no idea what he was eating.

“I don’t know what happened, but fix your expression.”

Only at Lacy’s words did Rafez realize his face had been stiff.

He was the one who had asked her to have breakfast with him, yet instead, he was making Lacy uncomfortable.

“…Was I? I apologize.”

* * *

“What’s this about? Calling me all the way to your office.”

Mary entered with a pleasant smile.

Rafez was leaning against the window, simply watching her.

“Don’t tell me you were waiting for me, Rafez. My goodness, I never thought I’d live to see this day.”

“Yes. I was waiting for you.”

“Really? Really? This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Yes. It isn’t a dream.”

Rafez said he had been waiting for her, but his expression was cold.

Mary, too excited to hide her smile, did not notice it.

“I’m so happy. It feels like you’re finally recognizing my feelings! I’m glad you understand now, even if it’s only now.”

“You said you liked me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Rafez.”

Mary nodded shyly.

Rafez took one step closer to her.

And to Mary, who was expecting his next words, something completely unexpected fell from his mouth.

“Was it because you liked me that you planted spies in my mansion?”