For a moment, his breath caught. With his mind creaking as it turned, he recalled that the ‘someone’ was the same as last time. And what was in his hands…

“……”

The moment the image of the collapsing body and the man’s hands receiving it formed on his retina, his heart fell with a dull sound. He had seen this scene before.

But come to think of it, even though it was different from what he had held dear, why?

… At first, he thought he might have felt comfortable.

Dietrich didn’t like Lysith. It was closer to hating her. It was only natural that he would feel comfortable when a woman he hated said she no longer liked him.

He thought she would no longer seek affection from him.

But apart from that comfort, there was clearly a sense of loss for the affection that had disappeared in an instant. As soon as he realized this, he was startled and erased it himself.

What followed was an inexplicable discomfort, a sense of emptiness or loss for something that had left his hands.

It was the same sense of loss, but what he felt this time was a bit different. It was a bit bigger, an anxiety that ‘something was wrong.’ He was overwhelmed by the feeling that he had forgotten something important.

“Haa……”

He raised his numb hand to grasp his forehead. He instinctively realized it was time to properly face what he had been avoiding and not recalling until now.

His parents had passed away in an accident when he was young. Therefore, the care of young Dietrich was entrusted to the Emperor and Empress, who had been close to the former Grand Duke and Duchess.

Despite living in the same space, he and Verheigen had been on awkward terms since childhood.

They had some of the same tutors, but they rarely crossed paths in the vast imperial palace. But the first reason for their relationship being like that was that he hated Verheigen, and the second was that Verheigen hated him.

Dietrich didn’t know why the Emperor hated him. After all, he wasn’t a mind reader.

However, Dietrich had his own reasons for hating Verheigen.

They were boys of similar age and status, clearly destined to stand shoulder to shoulder as they grew up. Dietrich naturally came to view the other as a rival.

Regardless of how the other felt about it.

But despite Dietrich viewing him as a rival, the difference between them was overwhelming.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do certain things. He was a prodigy, and Verheigen was a genius, that’s all.

The teenage boy in puberty naturally fell into feelings of inferiority. Why can’t I do it like this? Why can’t I do it like that?

Still, it was more or less okay until then. They did converse when they occasionally met.

The relationship soured because of an incident that followed.

“Ah, you’re here?”

“Your Highness, what are you……”

“Was it something you cherished? I broke it.”

“……”

“If you need a new one, let me know. I’ll buy it for you.”

What Verheigen had broken was an ordinary music box. Despite its simple appearance, it held great significance for Dietrich.

There wasn’t even a perfunctory apology. He just smiled meaningfully, as if he knew exactly what it meant to him.

Yes, just like when he held Lysith in his arms just now.

After that, it was a natural progression for Dietrich to hate Verheigen to the point of death, apart from his feelings of inferiority.

His hatred for Lysith stemmed from this mindset. He couldn’t shake off the thought that she had come to him after being rejected by Verheigen. That she was a woman who would have gone to Verheigen.

… In fact, he might have known.

That it wasn’t like that.

In truth, of all the things that had come to him in his life, her sincere affection, devoid of lies, was probably the only thing that was truly ‘for him alone’. Her feelings were unrelated to anyone else, without any other purpose, raw and pure.

If he had separated the Emperor and her in his mind at that time, would it have been okay?

If not that, if he had seen her affection as it was, would things have been a little different?

This seemed to be the emotion he had felt and ignored last time. What I lost, what I missed, what slipped from my hands.

The transparent emotion that naturally poured towards him was now intangible. It wasn’t directed at him anymore. Now that transparency was looking at another man.

Ah, she will never show affection meant for me again.

The eyes towards him were… dried up, just like when their gazes briefly crossed earlier. It was the look of someone seeing a stranger completely unrelated to oneself. He knew it made no sense to be hurt now when he had made it this way himself.

But if things went as we thought, would that be the heart and emotions? Dietrich despaired as he realized his own feelings.

He had been avoiding it like this because he didn’t want to admit that he was late, far too late. It was the same when he investigated her and the Tower Master’s whereabouts last time without knowing the reason.

But that foolish method was bound to hit a wall someday.

The lost man finally had to admit, almost collapsing…

That his feelings were late, far too late.

When she liked him, he had regarded her feelings as less than a roadside pebble. Then, only after she had given up her heart, he longed for that affection, realizing it had been the most precious thing.

Dietrich was generally excellent in many things, but he had always been a bit slow in learning since childhood. But did he even have to be slow in this realization?

What have I lost now?

It felt like his breath was being choked again.

Adiz, his aide who noticed his abnormal state, hurriedly approached. Thanks to Adiz, who half-dragged his boss who had turned to stone, the two barely left the banquet hall and walked slowly towards the carriage.

Only the heavy footsteps of the two men echoed in the quiet corridor.

Cutting through that sound, Dietrich’s heavier voice flowed out.

“……Adiz.”

“Yes?”

“The lady… Lysith, being poisoned.”

As soon as Adiz heard Dietrich’s words, he immediately guessed what he was trying to ask. He hurriedly looked around. Only after carefully confirming that no one was around did he answer in a very small voice.

“……Although it’s premature to speculate, I don’t think Count Hanel is the culprit.”

He was slow to learn, but he wasn’t a fool. Rather, he was closer to being intelligent, so he quickly deduced the correct answer.

“It must be His Majesty.”

“I think so. His Majesty……”

Hasn’t he been irritated by Count Hanel for a while now? Well, he did do something to deserve it… The rest of Adiz’s quiet words went unheard. He only thought this:

That man is going to break something again.

The Emperor had been extremely perceptive since childhood. He was exceptional at reading other people’s expressions and sensing their emotions.

A man like that would surely have known Dietrich’s unconscious attitude as well. After all, everything that happened in the imperial palace was bound to reach the ears of the perfect ruler.

His half-crazed mind couldn’t think properly and came to a strange conclusion.

The man who put in the poison was him, the one who drank it was Lysith, and the Emperor’s face, smiling as if everything had gone according to his intention, just like that day, vividly came to mind even with his eyes closed.

“……Ha.”

Adiz, who had finished speaking long ago, observed his superior’s mood. It was pitiful to see his complexion, which had turned pale white until just now, now completely blackened. This wasn’t some two-toned colored paper with different colors on the front and back.

Of course, he was aware of his obsessive attitude towards the Emperor. Although he didn’t know the exact reason, he avoided everything related to the Emperor, whether it was objects or people.

Yet, it was puzzling that he didn’t join the noble faction…

As they boarded the prepared carriage, another deep sigh was heard from the front seat.

What kind of impact did the recent situation have on him to make him act like this? Adiz had been working with him for nearly 8 years. Yet, the Grand Duke was particularly reluctant to talk about himself, so Adiz knew almost nothing about him accurately.

He couldn’t even guess what had turned him into such a half-dead state. He vaguely understood it was because of the Emperor and the lady, but that was something even a passing five-year-old would obviously conclude. He couldn’t grasp the most crucial reason.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

“What.”

“If you wish, I can look into it, but there’s no guarantee it won’t reach His Majesty’s ears.”

Dietrich maintained his silence even at his words. After hesitating, Adiz broke through the silence and conveyed a fact he had recently discovered.

“It seems His Majesty might have noticed the incident on the first day of the Founding Festival, which you asked me to investigate earlier.”

Once again, Dietrich only bit his lip. Then, he muttered to himself, barely audible.

“…Is that why?”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

After furrowing his brow for a moment, pondering deeply, Dietrich finally gave the order to investigate today’s incident.

In truth, his subsequent thoughts were along the lines of ‘How should I broach the subject when I meet Lysith….’

* * *

“…I… passed…”

“……!”

“…Ah! I’ll be late for school.”

“Assignment…?”

“No, …job. Originally, the report deadline… 3 hours before…”

“Where will the second round be…?”

“…Probably… Hey, wait! You…!”

When Lysith opened her bleary eyes, it was afternoon, with the sun sinking below the horizon.

It felt like she had dreamed something, but she couldn’t remember exactly what. It was choppy like playing a video in an area with poor reception, and crackled like playing an old tape on an ancient device.

It seemed someone had called her, or perhaps they hadn’t.