“What… does this have to do with me?” 

Melish clenched her trembling hands tightly as she spoke. But Kylance, as if he had seen through her fear, let out a soft chuckle. 

“Do you really think you can get away with excuses like ‘it’s got nothing to do with me’ or ‘I don’t know anything’?” 

“…….” 

“Duke Piedu is already within my reach. He will arrive in the realm in three days.” 

Kylance exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on Melish. 

“If you don’t reveal the name of the person who ordered the assassination, he will be handed over to the Crown Prince of Breta. And when he returns to the Kingdom of Breta, there will be only one punishment – execution.”

“…….” 

“Do you think Duke Piedu will take all the blame and go quietly to his death?” 

Kylance shook his head, as if he had no intention of waiting for Melish’s answer. 

“Loyalty to the nation, honour – someone who only chases money would never hold on to those things. He’ll confess everything. That you, Aunt, orchestrated an assassination in exchange for leaking the Empire’s secret technology. And that it wasn’t the first time – it was the second.” 

At this, Melish, who had been silent, widened her eyes in shock. 

“…The second time? What do you mean…?” 

“Marquis Blante.” 

Kylance leaned close to Melish, his voice dropping to a whisper. 

“I know you’re the real culprit behind the Marquis’ poisoning.” 

“Nonsense! Last time you came to me out of the blue and asked me if I knew who killed the Marquis! It seems you’ve completely lost your mind over a woman…”

Melish shouted angrily, but Kylance’s next words silenced her. 

“Shia.” 

The name that should never have left his lips. The name she had buried deep, hiding it from the world… and from him. 

“…What?” 

As Melish’s composure faltered, Kylance drove the point home. 

“Don’t bother denying it. I know exactly whose name *Shia* is.” 

“How… how do you know that?” 

He even knows whose name it is? 

Melish’s hands clenched tightly. This was far worse than she had expected. 

How much… does he know? 

As she stared at Kylance with trembling eyes, he opened his mouth to speak. 

“The personal name of your mother, the late Empress Consort. I found the mementos you left in the hidden compartment of your bedroom. The name was engraved on the ornamental pendant.” 

“The day you came to dinner, you were already sure, weren’t you? That I was the one who killed the Marquis. Since when?” 

“Since the moment I learned that the Marquis had been poisoned.” 

Kylance watched as the thick mask of the Marchioness of Viasteus began to crumble, and continued. 

“At that time, the only people who knew the circumstances of the Marquis well were you and I. And since I didn’t kill him myself, that leaves only one other person.” 

“…….” 

“Furthermore, the substance found in the Marquis’ body was the rare poison *sephora*. One coincidence might be believable, but two or more connections? That’s not coincidence.” 

And I no longer believe in coincidences. 

Kylance added quietly, almost to himself. 

“I….” 

Melish opened her mouth to reply, but Kylance was quicker. 

“You rushed too much to eliminate the witness, even resorting to careless and unreliable assassins from the Eastern Kingdom. In the end, both the assassins and the witness ended up in Ariel’s hands. Aunt, that decision was truly a grave mistake.” 

Her composure began to crack and fear crept in. 

Could Kylance really know the truth behind the late Duke’s death? 

No, impossible. Of all things, the truth about the late Duke’s death should be… beyond his reach. 

Unlike the Marquis, all evidence had been thoroughly erased. And even if Duke Piedu confessed to save his own life, he wouldn’t dare mention the late Duke’s death. 

To do so would seal his fate. He wouldn’t survive in the Empire, nor would any nation on the continent take him in. It would be a death sentence everywhere. He would not speak of it. 

Melish tried to gauge Kylance’s intentions, but his cold, dark eyes revealed nothing. 

But what if I’m wrong? What if Kylance… already knows? 

Melish’s heart raced with fear. But she decided to face the danger head on.

Relaxing her tense expression, she spoke as if she had come to terms with everything.

“It was… all for you.”

“Is that your excuse, Aunt?”

“Yes. At the time, everyone believed that the Marquis Blante was the real culprit who had killed Arnold. You wanted to end it by eliminating the Marquis’ household, but I… I couldn’t do that.”

“…”

“No matter how kind Arnold was to me… I couldn’t forgive the Marquis. So… I killed him.”

Feigning a shaking voice, Melish continued.

“I thought he should pay for his sins with his death. And only in this way… could you completely sever your ties with Ariel Blante. It was all for you…”

Melish never once avoided meeting Kylance’s gaze as she spoke. She had to see his reaction.

If he knew everything… even the slightest reaction would give him away.

Having raised Kylance for years, she knew better than anyone that she would notice any hint of a reaction, no matter how subtle.

How many minutes of silence passed like this?

Kylance exhaled softly and finally spoke.

“…Do you admit that you killed the Marquis?”

There was not the slightest hint of anger at her hypocrisy.

‘Kylance doesn’t know.’

That it was she who killed Arnold.

Fighting back the overwhelming relief that was spreading through her body, Melish replied in a heavy tone.

“I admit it. But I regret it. As you said, it seems that Marquis Blante wasn’t the real murderer of Arnold.”

Melish closed her eyes as if the weight of her sins were too much to bear.

“Because of my foolish misunderstanding, I have committed unforgivable acts against Lady Blante and you. I will confess everything to His Majesty – that I acted out of foolishness and committed terrible deeds.”

If she pleaded with the Emperor and told him of Arnold’s death… she might be stripped of her royal status and title, but at least her life might be spared.

The Emperor always lost his reason when it came to Arnold.

Yes, if she waited for the right moment, the Emperor would come back to her.

Slowly opening her eyes, she confessed another sin before Kylance could even ask.

“Yes, I admit that I was the one behind the assassination attempt during the recent boat trip. However, I never intended to harm His Majesty or kill any other nobles. My only target was one person – the Duke of Viasteus, that man.”

“That’s hard to believe, Aunt. Even the stray dogs in the slums know it was you who had the Duke banished.”

“Our relationship wasn’t good, that much is true. But even so, there were boundaries that we were expected to respect. However, I discovered that the Duke had overstepped those boundaries. He planned to make his illegitimate child the heir, cast me aside and make his mistress the duchess. While I was busy raising you and devoting all my attention to you, I neglected the affairs of the ducal household. As a result, more than half of the household had already sided with the Duke. If I hadn’t acted, I would have lost everything.”

“…”

“And so… I approached Duke Piedu and hired him to carry out the assassination. It was something I should never have done, but… after all I had done for the House of Viasteus, allowing them to live in comfort within the Empire… I couldn’t forgive him… I just couldn’t.”

Melish let out a deep sob.

“…”

“Take me to His Majesty. There’s no need for Duke Piedu to come. I’ll confess everything and admit my crimes.”

Wiping away her tears, Melish bowed her head like a sinner and waited for Kylance’s answer.

But why?

No matter how long she waited, Kylance’s answer didn’t come. Not even a single word of contempt, as one might have expected.

Something felt wrong.

Melish slowly raised her head.

Her gaze met eyes as black as pitch and cold as ice.

For a moment, Melish froze without realising it. Then Kylance stepped closer and laid his hand over her stiffened one. At first glance, it appeared to be a friendly gesture.

“Aunt, stop with the half-hearted act.”

“What?”

“You’re not remorseful, are you? No one is more important to you than yourself.”

“Kylance, I…”

“If Ariel hadn’t rummaged through the Marquis’ body, nothing would have happened. No, if Ariel hadn’t suddenly come back to life, none of this would have happened. Isn’t that what you were thinking when you planned all this?”

“……”

Kylance’s lips curled into a smirk as he looked at the silent Duchess of Viasteus.

“You didn’t want to kill the Duke of Viasteus. Your target was Ariel.”

“…!”

Kylance let out a laugh – whether it was a sneer or a mocking chuckle was unclear – as he stood up and watched the expression fade from the Duchess’s face.

“You must be terribly upset about your failure. Blaming Ariel for everything only makes your resentment grow, doesn’t it?”

“You’re playing with me…!”

Realising that she had been manipulated by Kylance, Melish’s face contorted in anger. Just then, a low voice echoed through the air.

“I’ll give you a chance.”

Melish froze and slowly raised her head.

Kylance narrowed his eyes at her and spoke in a low, deliberate tone.

” I’m offering you a chance to kill Ariel Blante. A chance that will not fail.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“I thought she was coming back. But now she says she’s leaving for good. And since I can’t let her go… what else can I do?”

For the first time, Melish saw madness in Kylance’s pitch-black eyes.

Ariel Blante, rumoured to be married to the Tower Master. It was said that Kylance had even argued with the Emperor about it.

So it was all true? That’s why you…

As Melish’s eyes widened in realisation, Kylance’s lips twisted into an insane smile.

“Even if it’s just her corpse, I’ll have Ariel.”