Royan’s servant. The boy with brown hair.

‘That child was connected to the Emperor……?’

Wasn’t he the child that Royan had pulled out of the gutter and given a path to survival?

How could he be the Emperor’s puppet?

Puzzled, she organized her thoughts once more, but it was definitely him.

A bitter laugh escaped her.

‘Right, what kind of man is the Emperor. He wouldn’t have played just one move.’

He was a man who would ruthlessly kill even innocent people to get what he wanted. For those he considered enemies, he showed no mercy, biting down and not letting go until their destruction.

So he wouldn’t have made just one move to bring down Vicheravali.

It made sense that he would attach an appropriate spy to the Duke of Vicheravali, and separately attach someone to target Royan.

‘This Emperor has completely played with Royan.’

What kind of trash is he?

The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t help but hate the Emperor.

Reibella rinsed her mouth and came out, deeply lost in thought as she tried to find a way to resolve this situation. So she didn’t notice. The fact that Charlotte was shocked.

“Miss.”

When she raised her head at Charlotte’s call, she saw Charlotte looking completely pale.

A belated realization came to her.

As an assassin, Charlotte would be very sensitive to the smell of blood. It was only natural for Charlotte to be shocked after Reibella had spat out blood that had pooled in her mouth.

Still, she had waited. Waiting for Reibella to explain what had happened.

But Reibella just smiled with a pale face, saying nothing.

“I must have bitten my tongue while eating quickly, and it started bleeding.”

“Miss.”

“I think it’s still bleeding. I might need some ointment.”

Pretending not to understand Charlotte’s concern, Reibella walked toward the annex.

‘I can’t say this with my own mouth.’

The one who had orchestrated this situation was the Emperor himself. So Reibella, who had ‘given her lifeline’ to him, couldn’t dare go against the Emperor’s will.

She needed to think. She needed time alone to quietly consider how to use this situation, how to make it explode in a way that would benefit everyone.

“Miss!”

On the way to the annex, Cleo’s voice was heard. When she turned her head, she saw Cleo running from a distance.

Looking at him up close, his face was completely stiff. It seemed something not good had happened.

“It’s terrible, Miss. I think you need to go quickly.”

As expected.

“What happened?”

“Well, the young master says he’s leaving home.”

……Suddenly?

* * *

When she arrived at the Duke of Vicheravali’s office guided by Cleo, the situation was already on the brink of disaster.

“Young master!”

“Let go!”

“Young masteeer!”

“If you touch me, I won’t stay still. Everyone get out.”

There was Royan trying to go out the door and servants trying to stop him. And there was also one person watching and encouraging the scene.

“Let him be.”

It was the Duke of Vicheravali.

“If he wants to leave, there’s no reason to stop him. Just let him go.”

“Your Grace!”

Flustered, Henan called out to the Duke as if asking him to withdraw his order, but he was cold. He merely watched his son as if everything was a bother, then turned away.

At this, Royan became even angrier and went outside with his sword in hand. With a harsh noise, the door closed, and some of the servants, unable to stay still, followed Royan out.

Reibella also turned on her heel, thinking she should follow him, but the Duke caught her.

“Leave him be. He’ll come back on his own.”

“But–”

“Let him cool his head.”

“Do you think this is something that can be cooled down?”

She knew why Royan was now confronting the Duke of Vicheravali, having heard it from Cleo on her way here.

It was because of the Duke’s declaration that he would no longer observe the anniversary of the Duchess’s death. His expression was more resolute than ever.

“Royan has a right to be angry.”

She could understand the Duke of Vicheravali’s thinking.

As his relationship with the Emperor was deteriorating, commemorating ‘the death of the Duchess’ in this sensitive situation would be tantamount to openly declaring to the Emperor, ‘I know your wrongdoing, and I have not forgiven you.’

As someone seeking revenge, he needed to act secretly, so he would want to avoid situations where he would be openly suspected.

But for Royan, who didn’t know these circumstances, it was understandable to be angry at the Duke’s decision.

He would think that the person who had abandoned him was now abandoning his dead mother as well.

“Do you think I was wrong?”

Reibella couldn’t readily say that he was wrong in response to his question.

Nor could she say that he was right.

She was just furious at the Emperor who had created this damned situation.

Reibella clenched her fist tightly and ran out of the room with force.

* * *

“Royan!”

Reibella shouted loudly toward the small silver head visible in the distance. Suddenly, that annoying silver head started to walk faster.

Reibella ran with all her might to approach him.

Naturally, the response that came back wasn’t pleasant.

“Get lost.”

“Why?”

“I said get lost.”

He pushed her away coldly with a chilling voice, looking no different from when he had first cut off her ear. It was a moment when the efforts of the past few weeks had turned to bubbles.

It was truly very disheartening, but she still kept her mouth shut and walked beside Royan.

At first, Royan tried to push her away several times as if she was annoying, but at some point, he just walked quietly.

He seemed to have calmed down considerably; his angry eyes had softened, and the facial muscles that had been tightly clenched as he gritted his teeth were now loosened.

So Reibella cautiously spoke to him.

“Where are you trying to go?”

“Anywhere but Louvindisi.”

“Are you really going to leave Louvindisi? Do you have somewhere to go?”

“I’ll go anywhere.”

Was he always like this?

No matter how she looked at him, he wasn’t the meticulous sexy decadent scheming male lead type.

More like a prickly, haughty, impulsive teenager type.

‘Is he really going to end up with just unrequited love?’

How futile a future would it be if he was just thoroughly used by the Emperor and didn’t even end up with the Princess?

‘Wait a minute.’

Royan wanted to leave home now, and Reibella also wanted to escape this crazy Empire.

Then wouldn’t it be better to go to the Kingdom of Baribe together like this……?

If Royan went to the Kingdom of Baribe, all the tragedies of Vicheravali that occurred in the novel would be resolved.

The Duke of Vicheravali wouldn’t have to die, and Royan wouldn’t be manipulated like a marionette by his enemy and end up marrying her.

With the variable of Royan gone, the Duke of Vicheravali’s rebellion would be prepared step by step, and the outcome could be different from the novel.

For Reibella, this was a situation she couldn’t have hoped for more.

‘A novel where the male lead escapes.’

The guy who should be clinging to the female lead and begging for love instead escapes and even enjoys exile life abroad.

The thought alone was enough to make her laugh.

‘But Royan probably won’t go.’

Because Royan liked the princess so much.

The reason Royan returned to Vicheravali after being hurt by his maternal family was to stand proudly by the Princess’s side. To become someone worthy of the Princess. To find his place and be of help to her. With such thoughts, he chose to live as the heir of Vicheravali.

Even becoming friends with her was like that. At first, he hated her so much, but after she told him a few stories about the princess, he really started to open his heart.

‘So you were hit by the stone that Her Highness threw?’

‘Yes. At that time, I was hit by a stone and collapsed for Her Highness the Princess. Thanks to that, Her Highness was able to stay safe. I came here because my contribution was recognized, I tell you?’

‘I see……’

Every time he talked about the princess, he would blush and seemed unable to control his feelings.

So when she bragged a little, saying, ‘I’m the hero who saved the princess!’ he was grateful as if she had saved his own life.

With such pure and cute affection for the princess, he would never think of leaving the Empire. But still…….

“Royan. Then shall we go somewhere far? Like Postarimo.”

She wanted to ask at least once.

It would be good if he said yes.

“To another country?”

“Yes. Vicheravali dominates the underworld, so it influences the entire Empire. Wouldn’t it be better to go abroad?”

At Reibella’s question, Royan pondered for a moment with a frown. Then he shook his head.

“That’s not possible. I’ll stay in the Empire. Because I am a Vicheravali.”

Royan’s face looked lonely as he referred to himself as Vicheravali. He seemed to be recalling in his mind the words he had heard from his father.

A weak Vicheravali. A child unsuited for Vicheravali.

Such words seemed to have scratched Royan’s pride.