The young marquis of the Caesar family, Cain Orleans Caesar, found himself facing a crisis before even ascending to his title. No, perhaps the entire empire was on the brink of collapse. Even if everyone here were to face the guillotine, he had no illusion that such a foolish head would be capable of properly running the country. It wouldn’t take a century before they were swallowed by other nations that had long been lying in wait.

“Del… Del…”

His father, nominally the head of the family, had been calling for her incessantly since she had been taken away, completely neglecting the crumbling family in his worry for his daughter.

“Father. Get a hold of yourself first.”

Cain, who spoke, was himself feeling disturbed. To be honest, he wouldn’t have been too affected if she had died while wandering about, even relieved perhaps, but now he was irritated, unable to understand why he suddenly felt uneasy about it.

“Brother. I’m sorry for all the harsh words I’ve said. I won’t do that anymore.”

It was undoubtedly because of that wretched pretense of kindness. It must have been that voice, disguised as though it were sincere.

Perhaps that’s why he found it hard to believe that the crazy sister had done something so insane. Strangely enough.

“We need to save the Crown Prince first. If there’s any chance for him to survive.”

“Yes, you’re right. That’s true.”

The Marquis, as if finally coming to his senses, lifted his head from where it had been buried in his knees.

“But actually, if you think about it, isn’t Del’s current predicament the Crown Prince’s fault?”

The Crown Prince was also in a life-threatening situation, but his father, who was loyal to the core, seemed to lose all reason when it came to his bloodline. The Marquis, known for his fair judgment, made an exception when it came to his only daughter. Cain suppressed a sigh and began to explain.

“Regardless, as long as there’s no proof that she didn’t try to kill the Crown Prince, his survival is the only way she has a chance at keeping her life.”

“But the Crown Prince is… they said he’s in critical condition.”

It was a hopeless situation, like one hurdle after another.

“What about treatment?”

“They said there’s no way to neutralize the poison…”

As he spoke, the Marquis buried his head in his knees again, as if the despair was overwhelming him once more. It was absurd to think where his cool-headedness had gone, if he ever had any at all.

“Sigh… So what exactly is this poison that’s put him in such a critical state?”

***

“What poison is it?”

Jude asked sharply, his face showing his frayed nerves at hearing that the Crown Prince’s condition showed no improvement.

“The palace physicians said it’s a poison they’ve never seen before. They’re searching for a doctor who might know its origin, but honestly, if the country’s top elites can’t figure it out, it’s obvious other doctors won’t be able to either.”

Alexandra spoke of the reality she knew with little emotion. Meanwhile, Jude’s expression continued to darken.

“What kind of poison could it be?”

“After vomiting blood, he lost consciousness, and his entire body is slowly hardening. And yet, his heart is still beating.”

“Hardened?”

“Yes. His heart is beating, but his body is stiffening.”

“…Hardened.”

Jude muttered, lowering his gaze. After pondering something briefly, he quickly raised his head and asked Alexandra.

“What happened to Delis?”

“She’s still locked in the dungeon. As expected, there was talk during the meeting that she should be interrogated.”

Jude’s face twisted in anger again, as if he was ready to stab the unknown culprit if they were before him.

“Are they really going to torture her? She may seem strong, but she won’t be able to withstand that.”

“Of course, your brother would never let that happen.”

The fact that he had drawn his sword as soon as the suggestion was made spoke volumes. It was already remarkable that he hadn’t escaped with her yet. It was clear he was the one most on edge right now.

‘I wonder what he’s up to. He hasn’t shown his face at the mansion at all.’

She only knew what had happened at the meeting because someone had told her, but the person involved hadn’t set foot at home since the incident. She had a gut feeling that he was clearly plotting something. Knowing the Duke’s personality, he wasn’t the type to reveal his thoughts openly. Alexandra, having known her adopted son for nearly 20 years, could guess the nature of what he was planning.

To outsiders, the current Duke of Bannister might appear as a war hero who brought great honor to the family and a martial god who shone brightly in his undefeated legend. And indeed, that was true.

But Alexandra believed he had never once desired such honor in his life. He placed no value or interest in such things. He always volunteered for the most dangerous tasks not to elevate his status but because those were the places where danger was greatest. He constantly drove himself into peril. Although she had never set foot on a battlefield herself, she understood him well. Her son, unrelated by blood, resembled her.

It was as if he sent his hatred toward his past self, and even though she detested it to the point of madness, she couldn’t abandon him.

Then, at some point, a small light began to flicker in the darkness of his eyes. Alexandra sensed that he would live a life different from her own.

When the time came for him to seize what he truly desired, there would only be two choices left for him. He would either throw everything away or fight with everything he had.

‘If he chose to stake everything and confront it head-on…’

She would witness the history of the empire, Alexandra thought leisurely.

***

“Your Grace, the military preparations are nearly complete. As soon as they are finalized, I will inform the soldiers of the plan.”

The emperor’s faction, concerned that the power they had built up over generations might fragment, had secretly gathered most of their private soldiers. It was a force large enough that, had it been directed against the nobles instead of the imperial family, it could have been considered outright rebellion.

Convincing the emperor, who was worried about this, had taken some effort, but in the end, a conversation that bordered on blackmail—asking if he was willing to abandon the country and his son—led him to grudgingly allow the situation to unfold. The threat had been genuine. If persuasion had failed, he hadn’t ruled out the option of overturning the imperial family.

‘…….’

He remembered the troubled look in her eyes. The question of whether she would leave had already been asked with the answer in mind. Though she hadn’t said anything, her confused gaze had spoken volumes.

He had almost taken her hand. He had almost begged her to leave with him. Realizing his selfishness wasn’t what caused his hesitation. He was just afraid of disappointing her, knowing she would see through him. But he couldn’t bear the thought of her getting hurt in his absence.

Yes, he was ‘uneasy.’ It had been quite some time since his unfamiliarity with his own irrational self no longer felt strange. When did it start? Why? The questions that had echoed inside him thousands of times now felt meaningless.

He only felt it vaguely now. He had never found the flowers by the roadside beautiful, but her face as she looked at them had seemed beautiful to him. He had never enjoyed the wind brushing against him, but watching her hair flutter in the breeze had brought a gentle feeling that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Those moments had piled up, and now there was no turning back.

“David.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Go directly to the duke’s residence and convey the plan to my mother as well.”

“Pardon? You haven’t told her yet?”

David’s expression quickly turned to one of disbelief. Roan’s gaze slowly shifted to him.

“Indeed, is there a problem?”

The subtle implication that if David asked one more question, he’d be the first to be dealt with made him back down.

“N-no, Your Grace.”

He’s really indifferent.

‘There’s no one more indifferent than our lord,’ David thought, shaking his head internally. It was a miracle that he wasn’t like that with the lady of the house.

“Why aren’t you going?”

It’s scarier when he speaks so politely. ‘Just use informal speech already.’

Honestly, it didn’t matter whether he spoke informally or politely—David didn’t think it made much of a difference to how it felt. Adding ‘Your Grace’ or ‘please’ at the end didn’t change much.

He understood, but his lord had become too sharp, even more so lately.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you just go to where the lady is?”

‘You know how to break into a prison, don’t you?’ In the end, David couldn’t hold back and blurted out what he wanted to say. The cold gaze that had been directed toward the window turned back to David. A chilly voice followed.

“Why are you questioning me instead of following my orders?”

Sigh. His ability to divert—or deliberately avoid—the topic was as brilliant as his swordsmanship.

“Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more honest.”

‘I thought you were starting to express yourself more lately, but I guess that’s just wishful thinking.’

“I’m not sure I want to hear that from someone who’s spent their entire life working.”

‘Wow, really? Even when I give sincere advice, this is the response I get?’

Anger welled up inside him. Who else has he been working for all this time? Where else could he find such a loyal subordinate like him?

“Who do you think I have to thank for getting to this age without ever having been in a relationship?”

“Well, I suppose you have yourself to thank.”

‘What an incredibly shameless answer. That’s right, he was always like this. I thought maybe, just maybe, he had softened a bit in the spring breeze, but it was all in vain.’

“If you keep this up and the lady decides to leave you, saying, ‘Let’s just end this,’ and hands you divorce papers, you’ll be crying your eyes out. So, I’m telling you to be honest before that happens.”

Of course, David was willing to bet his hair that his lord wasn’t the type to cry, but he added a bit of exaggeration to make his point.

“That’s quite an exaggeration. Who’s handing out divorce papers? Who’s crying their eyes out?”

‘Still, I guess he doesn’t want that to happen,’ David thought, feeling a strange satisfaction at the clear displeasure on Roan’s face. It was a bit disloyal, but he couldn’t help it.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories