Eve never expected Duter to fully follow her plan.

Duter was a man who loved war and hated Ptotr.

There was no way he would quietly take only the authority of the Grand Council after invading the royal palace.

If he had already subdued the royal family by force, he would surely want more.

In that case, the most endangered would be the crown prince and the second princess who were with the king.

While Gregory Habsburg’s death was what Eve wanted, she did not wish for the deaths of his son and daughter, Glishakov and Juliana.

After much deliberation, Eve decided to bring Glishakov and Juliana to the Archild estate.

Although the Archild estate wasn’t too far from the royal palace, there was a high probability that Duter wouldn’t suspect this location.

‘It might be difficult for long, but I can hide them without being discovered for a short while.’

Eve immediately wrote a letter to send to Glishakov.

To His Highness the Crown Prince,
I hope you have been well.
I am sending this urgent letter regarding a matter on which the fate of our country depends.
I request that you come to the Archild estate with Her Highness the Second Princess as soon as you confirm this letter.
It is also a matter of your life.
As this is a confidential matter, you must not inform anyone. Not even His Majesty the King.
…
I shall end here.

Unlike usual, the letter contained only brief, important information.

“Deliver this without being seen by anyone, as quickly as possible. And bring back a reply immediately.”

Eve carefully sealed the letter and handed it to Marie.

Marie answered that she understood, preciously tucked the letter into her bosom, and left the room.

Eve watched through the window as Marie left the mansion. Marie was walking to the main gate of the mansion at a faster pace than usual.

She had occasionally exchanged letters with Glishakov on light topics in the past.

It seemed they had become quite close now. But he was the crown prince, and she was a duchess plotting revenge to bring down the country. Eve had begun to feel guilty whenever she contacted him.

It was especially worse after she asked him to contact Roanne on his behalf. Eve eventually couldn’t shake off the discomfort and guilt, and began to distance herself from Glishakov.

So contacting Glishakov now, after asking him about Roanne’s matter, was after a very long time.

A long-lost friend suddenly sent a request to come to her estate with his sister. It was a highly suspicious request with no proper explanation given.

‘Will he actually grant my request?’

Even though she had written and sent it herself, Eve wasn’t confident that Glishakov would comply with her request.

She closed her eyes tightly. She hoped he would grant her request without asking for any reason.

They needed to survive in case Duter occupied the royal palace.

If someone asked whether keeping them alive was also part of her revenge plan, she couldn’t flatly deny it. But even if it wasn’t for future plans, she wanted the two of them to survive safely.

Perhaps it was a wish to alleviate her own guilt.

‘Even so.’

She wanted them to live.

Eve organized her complicated thoughts and looked out the window.

When Marie returned, she would bring a reply.

She would know the situation by the end of the day at the latest.

Eve rose from her seat.

***

As Eve had expected, Marie returned the next day with Glishakov’s reply.

The reply stated that he would depart immediately.

And less than a day after Marie arrived at the mansion, Glishakov arrived at the Archild mansion with Juliana. He must have truly departed immediately as written in the letter.

Eve bowed her head upon seeing Glishakov after a long time.

“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Let’s put aside such formal greetings between us.”

Eve replied with a faint smile.

“I truly didn’t expect you to come. I didn’t even give a reason.”

“Who would refuse when a lifesaver and friend asks them to come to their estate? I came with the mindset of a casual visit. You must have a good reason for not being able to explain.”

Glishakov greeted Eve warmly with a bright smile.

“Ah, this is Juliana Habsburg. Are you two meeting for the first time?”

Glishakov introduced Juliana who was behind him. Juliana stuck close behind Glishakov, peeking out only her head to look at Eve.

Eve bowed her head and greeted her.

“I greet Your Highness the Princess.”

Juliana had delicate features along with large blue eyes that seemed to have stars embedded in them. Her golden hair, which curled at her waist, reminded one of a doll.

‘Eyes untainted by purity.’

Eyes rarely seen in a royal court full of intrigue.

“Juli, you need to greet properly.”

As Glishakov stepped aside, her hidden figure was fully revealed. Juliana seemed surprised, rolling her eyes around without keeping her gaze still.

“H-hello…”

She greeted in a small voice and immediately hid behind Glishakov’s back.

“Juli is so shy that she’s even shy around His Majesty the King. She’s not just like this with you, so please understand.”

When Glishakov spoke with an embarrassed smile, Eve replied that it was fine and smiled back.

“Let’s not stay here but go inside to talk.”

Winter in Archild, located northwest of Ptotr’s capital, was harsh. Eve looked once at the sky where the wind was blowing ominously and guided the two inside the mansion.

“Please keep your hoods on at all times while you’re here. I’ll explain the details when we get to the room, but please be careful not to reveal your identity to anyone here.”

Glishakov nodded at Eve’s advice.

In truth, Eve still hadn’t figured out how to explain the situation to the two.

She couldn’t talk about what happened with Duter, and it was complicated to talk about what happened with Roanne.

She moved while contemplating how to organize everything so they could accept the current situation without shock.

Soon, the three arrived at the room Eve had prepared and sat at the table.

Marie entered at the right time, placed refreshments, and poured tea, filling the room with a fragrant aroma.

“To state my purpose first, I want to save both of you.”

Eve touched her teacup and slowly opened her mouth to answer.

“Actually, I’m still not sure how to explain the situation to you… It may or may not be a matter of life and death. All I can say right now is to trust me a little and stay here.”

It was closer to coercion than persuasion. Eve closed her eyes and bowed her head. Who would listen to such words? She would have nothing to say if the two got up and left.

“Soon, you will understand the situation. You will also realize why you shouldn’t leave this place. Please wait here, even if just for a short time.”

A brief silence fell.

“The wind seems to be blowing.”

He slowly sipped his tea.

“What’s happening?”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Juliana tugged at Glishakov’s clothes.

Glishakov shook his head, stroked Juliana’s hair, and answered.

“No, Juli, you don’t need to worry. We’ll play here for a bit and then go home. Marie, was it? Could you take care of Juli for a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

Marie took Juliana’s hand and moved to the large sofa inside the room. After watching Juliana pick up and start eating refreshments, Glishakov resumed speaking.

“I thought something must have happened when the Duchess called us like this.”

“I’m sorry I can’t explain more.”

“It’s alright. Everyone has their circumstances. I just…”

Glishakov couldn’t take his eyes off Juliana, who was eating macarons with both hands, as he continued.

“…I just don’t want to see my sisters suffering anymore.”

Eve couldn’t bring herself to speak.

When a country declines, the royal family suffers the most. Things he couldn’t even imagine would happen in the future.

Eve was the initiator of those events. She had used Roanne to approach Duter, provoked him, and caused him to invade Ptotr.

Despite this, she felt sorry for not being able to tell the truth.

‘I don’t even deserve to feel sorry.’

“…It will be fine. It’s nothing serious.”

“Well, if the Duchess says so, it must be true. Besides, you said you want to save us. You must have called us here because it’s safer. I trust you.”

Who knew that the words “I trust you” could be so painful?

“…Thank you for trusting me.”

Eve shifted her gaze to the sofa where Marie and Juliana were.

The two seemed to have become somewhat friendly, as they could be seen engaging in conversation.

“Seeing Marie, I’m not worried about Her Highness the Princess staying here for a while. I have something to do, so I’ll be in the library right next door. If you need anything, please call me.”

She left the room almost like she was fleeing and moved to the library.

Eve arrived at the library and leaned against the door to take a deep breath. Perhaps because she had come in a hurry, she was out of breath.

Her heart was heavy with guilt.

Regardless of her feelings, Eve still had work to do.

The library that no one used except Eve.

The library was always quiet unless the librarian came to organize it. It was so quiet that she almost thought she could hear the sound of breathing.

After catching her breath, Eve slowly raised her head and looked around.

‘It really seems like I’m alone.’

But for some time now, someone had always been following Eve.

“Lord Airix.”

Eve softly called his name, which she had never called since their first meeting.

Even though she called it in a whisper, Airix appeared suddenly before her as soon as she called his name.

Eve hid her surprise and greeted him naturally.

“Thank you for always guarding me.”