Chapter 10 – Part 1

Hellebore’s eyes swiftly scanned Glenn and Olivia. Seeming momentarily confused, Hellebore signaled to the chamberlain, who immediately gave Cotton an order.

“Sir Cotton, please follow me.”

Without showing any displeasure, Cotton followed the chamberlain. Hellebore then reprimanded Glenn gently.

“Sir Miles, when making a sensitive accusation, it would be wise to consider the situation more carefully.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. However, due to the Duke, the Marchioness has been gravely injured. My emotions got the better of me, and I made a mistake.”

Though Olivia was genuinely angry with Glenn, she couldn’t afford to display internal family conflicts in front of the Emperor.

“Is this true, Marchioness?”

Hellebore appeared troubled. Even someone as meticulous as he hadn’t anticipated this situation.

‘Well, I didn’t expect one of my people to act this way either.’

Olivia wanted to tear Glenn apart but instead began contemFlatding a rational solution. Acknowledging Glenn’s accusation would be an unreasonable choice, no matter how infuriating it was. As Olivia pondered, Hellebore questioned her again.

“Marchioness, did the Duke really attack you?”

Attack her? It wasn’t a complicated question, yet for a moment, it felt as foreign as an ancient language. It was difficult to imagine Troy Marsden attacking her.

“Your Majesty, it seems the Marchioness is hesitant to answer due to her relationship with the Duke. Perhaps questioning the Duke directly might be more appropriate…”

“I asked him to teach me.”

“Marchioness!”

Glenn stepped forward, but Olivia stopped him with a glance. She couldn’t let him act recklessly any longer.

“I requested the Duke to teach me a dangerous form of magic.”

“Why did you make such a request?”

Although Hellebore looked disappointed, he restrained himself and listened to her story. Olivia took the opportunity to speak honestly.

“After being ambushed in the forest, I realized through various clues that it was the result of magic. I judged that by narrowing down the type of magic, I could identify my assailant, so I asked the Duke for guidance. In the process, I failed to control the intensity and ended up injuring my back. That’s all.”

The truth was, she also wanted to punish him, but that was too personal to reveal.

Fortunately, Hellebore had some knowledge of the ambush incident and didn’t doubt Olivia’s words. However, he still looked uneasy.

“Very well, I trust you both, so I’ll let this pass. But the matter of the forbidden texts cannot be overlooked lightly. I will need to hear the full details.”

“But, Your Majesty—”

“I will summon the Duke separately for questioning later. For now, I’ll just say that without clear evidence, it would be difficult to punish the Duke on a large scale. I’ll also need to discuss with Sir Miles how he came to know about this.”

Olivia was about to reveal Gael as the attacker but swallowed her words. If Marsden escaped punishment due to a lack of evidence, she couldn’t accuse Gael without solid proof either. Although there was Ronae’s testimony, if she denied making such a statement, there would be no way to prove it.

The problem was that Hellebore would have a detailed conversation with Glenn. How could she prevent that?

“Evidence…”

Just then, Glenn spoke from behind her. Olivia turned to face him, their eyes meeting.

She was desperate. Olivia needed more time. Even if she had to give up her ambitions, she needed time to sort through the whirlwind of emotions inside her. She hoped Glenn would grant her that time.

Though it was a brief moment, countless words passed between them in silence. There was no need to speak them aloud.

“What is it, Sir Miles?”

“…It’s still insufficient. So could you please grant me some time?”

“Hmm.”

Hellebore carefully observed the expressions of all three. From Cotton’s face earlier, it seemed he knew something about this matter. Perhaps he could subtly probe him later.

“Very well. But it seems that both the Marchioness and the Duke are accumulating demerits as if you were in some sort of academy. If this were school, you’d be failing.”

Hellebore, regaining his usual composure, stood up.

“I will summon the Duke at a convenient time. First, I’ll send envoys to thoroughly investigate the royal family of Katlan. Your punishment will come afterward.”

***

That very day, the Vanitas Empire declared that the kingdom of Katlan must open its palace gates. They promised to protect Cotton’s safety but warned that since one of their key figures had confessed to the royal family’s crimes, they should admit guilt before it was too late. They also vowed that while the royal family might change, Katlan’s sovereignty would remain untouched.

Seeing how swiftly Hellebore moved things along, Olivia collapsed immediately. Naturally, this caused an uproar. Olivia, who had been charging around like a bull ever since returning alive, left everyone shocked.

“This wasn’t… my intention.”

“Whether it was your intention or not, this is Sir Miles’ fault.”

Melanie glared fiercely at Glenn while placing a wet cloth on Olivia’s forehead. Her eyes were still red with anger.

Olivia had collapsed in the room assigned to her in the Imperial Palace. If Glenn hadn’t caught her head in time, she would have injured it as well. Melanie stomped her feet in frustration.

“She was mentally shocked, and her wounds have worsened. Did you really have to go this far? You said you wanted to protect her by separating her from the Duke. But now you’ve only made the Marchioness suffer more!”

“Miss Corbert, calm down. If you continue like this, you’ll only harm your own health.”

Illehan, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, gently patted Melanie’s shoulder with his remaining hand. Melanie took deep breaths, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I was too scared of that vermin Harry to treat the Marchioness properly, like some hypocrite. But I was planning to do better from now on.”

“Indeed, Sir Miles has made a grave mistake.”

Illehan, like a kind grandfather comforting his granddaughter, spoke gently to Melanie, which helped her start to calm down bit by bit.

“If the Marchioness’s condition had been serious, I would’ve killed Sir Miles.”

“Exactly, I would’ve helped.”

Melanie clung to Illehan as if he were her only support. Glenn stood far from Olivia, as if he were guilty of a grave crime.

“I acted that way because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her again. But… I admit my method was wrong.”

As Glenn admitted his fault, a solemn silence filled the room. Everyone was on edge, as Olivia, who rarely collapsed unless in the most difficult situations, was unconscious. All three were aware of the tension, and Melanie apologized to Glenn.

“I’m sorry, Sir Miles. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s fine. Perhaps the knight commander should be replaced. I’m not fit for this position.”

“That sounds a lot like whining.”

Illehan’s reprimand was sharp, but Glenn’s voice remained gloomy, as if sinking into the ground.

“You could kill me or cut me down, but to hurt… No, I mean… I don’t know. It’s like something possessed me. I don’t even understand myself.”

“Say that again when the Marchioness wakes up.”

“I don’t know if I can. I’ve always disapproved of the duke, but I, too, took advantage of the Marchioness’s patience and kindness. I tried to keep the duke away under the pretense of danger, yet I ended up doing the same thing.”

Glenn covered his eyes with his large hands.

“I don’t know what to do. What’s right… huh?”

He lowered his hand at the sudden presence nearby. He found himself face-to-face with eyes that glowed like condensed twilight.

“When did you… Ah!”

A sharp pain shot through his ankle, but Glenn swallowed his scream. Regardless, a firm hand smacked his head several times, as if playing a drum.

“Aaaargh! What do I do? Even hitting him 500 more times won’t calm my anger.”

“Then killing him might not be a bad idea.”

“That would be too much of a waste, Illehan! Or should I kill him slowly… Glenn, do you know sashimi? I’m going to fillet you like sashimi.”

Glenn crouched down, clutching his ankle. Seeing this, it became clear why the proud duke seemed to be under her thumb.

“Ah! I’m so annoyed! I’m furious! How do I release this anger?”

“If you ever become a commoner, you could use him as a slave. I’ll help.”

“I’ll use him to plow the fields. I’ll let the ox rest and make him do the work.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Illehan gently restrained the raging Olivia like a kindergarten teacher. He and Melanie guided her back to the bed, soothing her.

“You can punish him gradually, and I’ll explain why Glenn acted out like this. What do you think? Aren’t you curious about the details?”

At Illehan’s coaxing, Olivia pursed her lips in curiosity. Melanie marveled at Illehan’s skill in handling Olivia.

“…Get to the point quickly.”