Chapter 29

“Leopold, you rat-like scoundrel!”  

Albert’s plump cheeks trembled violently.  

Bang!  

Unable to contain his anger, Albert slammed his fist onto the desk with all his might.  

“Sir Noel! How on earth did you handle this matter?”  

“I-I certainly delivered the Elixir of Truth to Princess Euphrasia! Under Prince Leopold’s name!”  

“Princess Euphrasia? Sir Noel, have you lost your mind?”  

Albert’s face hardened coldly. Noel, another member of the Kettlin Kingdom delegation, flinched and bowed his head deeply.  

Albert, who had been glaring at Noel with his small, piercing eyes, continued his words with a calm tone.  

“Watch your mouth. In our kingdom, there is only one Princess—Princess Isabella.”  

“I misspoke. My apologies.”  

“I’ll let it slide this once, but remember, if your loyalty to Princess Isabella is ever in doubt again, I won’t let it pass so easily.”  

“…I understand. Thank you.”  

Noel’s face, bowed low, was stained with humiliation.  

Noel was the second son of the Count Boas family. The Boas family, having achieved great success in the mining business, was among the wealthiest in the kingdom, ranking in the top three.  

In contrast, Albert was the youngest son of a provincial Viscount family without even a proper estate.  

Even without comparing the status and influence of their families, Albert was not superior to Noel in individual rank. Both were senior knights of the kingdom, standing on equal footing.  

Yet Noel had to bow his head and apologize to Albert, a situation that filled him with disgust.  

The Boas family’s mining business heavily relied on the help of Princess Isabella, who wielded the power of the earth spirits. And Albert was the Princess’s most trusted confidant.  

“Ha, why! Why is it that the woman who should have died is still alive? And how did that rat Leopold figure out her identity and stick so close to her? Explain yourself!”  

How could I possibly know that? I only delivered the item as instructed by you, Sir Albert—or rather, Princess Isabella.  

Noel wasn’t even aware that the Elixir of Truth he had delivered had been laced with the deadly venom of Arachne’s prey.  

It was only recently that he learned the true reason some members of Princess Isabella’s entourage had come to the empire: to eliminate another Princess.  

Noel felt wronged. He had countless things he wanted to say in his defense.  

But he bit his tongue and endured it. All he could do was bow his head even lower.  

“…I’m sorry. I couldn’t grasp what was happening inside the Herrington ducal residence. I’ll investigate and report back as soon as possible.”  

“You’d better hurry. Princess Isabella isn’t known for her patience.”  

Albert, exhaling a hot breath, arrogantly pointed his finger behind Noel.  

“Leave now.”  

Though he found Albert’s haughty demeanor unbearable, Noel had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he left Albert’s room.  

‘There isn’t a single capable person around.’  

Albert frowned as he watched Noel’s dejected figure retreat.  

Everyone around him was nothing but chaff, following the Princess’s power reluctantly. The only person who truly devoted himself to Isabella, who genuinely loved her, was himself.  

Albert had clearly seen the defiance in Noel’s eyes.  

Someone with such a mindset could never properly fulfill Isabella’s orders.  

‘Should I handle this myself?’ 

Albert scanned his surroundings with a dissatisfied expression.  

The accommodations provided by the Lockvela Empire under the pretense of treating the delegation well were quite luxurious. The emperor had offered an entire annex palace, seemingly as a grand gesture of generosity.  

But to Albert, the place felt no different from a large detention center.  

The sense of being gathered in one space and meticulously monitored was overwhelming. Despite his dull and brutish appearance, Albert possessed an exceptionally sharp intuition.  

That was why he couldn’t act recklessly.  

‘What to do…’ 

No matter how much he thought about it, no immediate solution came to mind.  

“Ugh, Leopold! I should have gotten rid of you first!”  

In the end, Albert could only curse Leopold while clutching the few strands of hair he had left.  

His intuition told him that the failure of Isabella’s plan was largely due to Leopold’s interference.  

***

While Albert was agonizing and pulling out what little hair he had, Leopold was leisurely strolling through the backyard of the Herrington ducal residence.  

“Wow, what’s the name of this flower? I’ve never seen it before. Is it a species that only blooms in the empire?”  

“I don’t know.”  

“My goodness. The pond is so adorable. The Duke of Herrington must have a surprisingly delicate taste.”  

“Who knows.”  

“Oh. Where is the young master? I heard he resembles you, Lady Euphrasia and is very lovely. Could I see him? I’d love to hold him.”  

Leopold chattered away with a bright expression.  

Euphrasia, who had been walking alongside him with forced steps, finally stopped, her face hardening.  

She had been truly shocked when Leopold, who had disappeared without a trace, returned boldly with an attendant from the Imperial Palace in tow.  

When they met, he shamelessly greeted her and then just as shamelessly asked for a tour of the ducal residence.  

Since there were things she wanted to ask and hear, Euphrasia agreed to his request.  

As a result, the two were now strolling through the backyard of the Duke’s residence together.  

‘Is he avoiding it on purpose?’  

However, the opportunity to converse with Leopold never seemed to arise.  

Finally, when he mentioned Louis, Euphrasia’s patience reached its limit.  

“Is there someone in the Kingdom of Kettlin who wants me dead?”  

The noble way of speaking, which involved circling around the point to elicit the desired answer, did not suit her temperament.  

Leopold, startled by the direct question, widened his eyes.  

But Euphrasia’s barrage of questions didn’t stop.  

“Was poisoning someone from the ducal household an independent act by the First Prince? Or was it the will of the kingdom? Why was poison sent to me? If you think my birth is connected to the Kingdom of Kettlin, am I jumping to conclusions? And aren’t you a man of Kettlin? Why did you help the fallen Duke? Is the First Prince someone who opposes you in the kingdom?”  

“Please, Lady Euphrasia, slow down. I can’t keep up.”  

Leopold frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly.  

“Hmm, where should I begin?”  

Pretending to be in deep thought, Leopold rubbed his chin.  

Euphrasia swallowed dryly. She, too, had been pondering the situation.  

The First Prince of Kettlin had sent poison to harm her.  

Likely, the person who had poisoned her bridal chamber in the past was also the First Prince.  

And now, with the secret of her birth revealed, Euphrasia began to consider the connection between her origins and the Kingdom of Kettlin.  

The most plausible hypothesis was…  

“Could it be that my real parents were from the Kingdom of Kettlin?”  

At her question, Leopold flinched.  

After hesitating for a moment, he let out a resigned chuckle and nodded.  

As expected, given how far things had escalated, he anticipated she might have guessed as much. 

“Probably.”  

His straightforward affirmation left Euphrasia speechless.  

Despite his vague tone, Euphrasia became certain.  

She felt confused, curious, tense, and afraid.  

So my hypothesis was correct. My parents were criminals of the Kingdom of Kettlin?  

Did they flee their homeland and escape to the empire?  

In the process, did my father die, and my mother eventually…  

Euphrasia’s face grew paler and paler.  

Meanwhile, Leopold, who had finally decided how much of the truth to reveal, began to speak slowly.  

“You seem to have many other questions as well. Hmm. I will answer as much as I can right now.”

Leopold continued his explanation, unaware of the changes in Euphrasia’s expression.

“First of all, the person who poisoned someone from the ducal household  is not the First Prince. Of course, it is not the will of the kingdom either. If you ask whether the person who sent the poison was targeting you, Lady Euphrasia, then yes, that is correct. At the same time, this person also wishes to eliminate the First Prince.”

Even if he explained it step by step, it would take three whole days and nights without rest. To summarize only the essentials, what more should he reveal?

Since he was now convinced that she was his half-sister, at least to her, he could disclose the entire truth.

“The identity of the First Prince of the Kingdom of Kettlin is…”

Yes, the beginning starts here.

“…me.”

Leopold lightly tapped his chest. Though his face bore a smiling expression, his gaze had grown significantly darker.

“And the person who wants to kill me, as well as the one who sent poison, Lady Euphrasia, is none other than my half-sister, Princess Isabella of the Kingdom of Kettlin.”

“A Prince… a Princess…?”

Leopold offered an awkward smile. The reason he had initially hidden his identity was that he had not been certain of Euphrasia’s own identity.

“My apologies, Lady Euphrasia. At the time of our first meeting, I had reasons that forced me to keep it hidden.”

Euphrasia cried out in despair.

“What wrong did my parents commit? Could it possibly be treason or some other unforgivable crime?”

“The reason is that, Lady Euphrasia, in fact, ah—”

Only now realizing Euphrasia’s unusual condition, Leopold let out a dumbfounded sound.