Jeff’s berserk state caused an enormous impact throughout the Empire. People didn’t care about why he had gone berserk in the imperial palace. It was simply an incident that reinforced the danger of Guardians, and ironically, it became an occasion that dramatically increased their dependence on the imperial family.

To be precise, it was unlimited trust in Lexion, the hero who had stopped Jeff’s rampage. Public opinion hailed him as an absolute good while perceiving the other dukes as unstable evils that could explode at any moment.

When Caesar heard the news about Jeff, he came to the capital and protested vehemently, but Lexion maintained a dignified attitude by entrusting the investigation of Jeff’s death to him instead.

No matter how thoroughly he investigated, the truth remained: Jeff had brought about his own berserk state and had attempted to assassinate the crown prince. In the end, Caesar had no choice but to accept it.

Nevertheless, the imperial family pardoned Jeff’s crimes and allowed a funeral to be held. It seemed like an action to appease Caesar, who had been close to Jeff, but in truth, it was generosity granted because the East, Alphion, which had lost its only Guardian, promised obedience to the imperial family in exchange for burying his crimes.

With Jeff’s incident, the House of Herais entered a brilliant golden age like spring bursting into bloom. They had weakened the influence of all dukes except the Grand Duke of Yustian, securing unparalleled power.

“Haa……”

Estelle stood in front of a large window overlooking the imperial palace garden, but her eyes failed to capture its beauty.

Her violet eyes, once sparkling with vitality, had now completely lost the light of life and existed in a desolate winter. The splendid ornaments maintaining her dignity as crown princess still surrounded her, but the exposed cheekbones from her rapidly lost weight and the dark shadows under her eyes made her look like a corpse.

As the crown princess had not appeared in the imperial palace or social circles for a long time, strange rumors about her began to spread one by one. Some people whispered that she had gone mad like Cecil, while others gossiped that she was bedridden after being caught in the Guardian’s rampage.

Thus, rumors about Estelle’s whereabouts grew more ominous by the day, and people’s imagination swelled endlessly. The nobles wondered about the truth and created numerous stories, but none came close to reality.

After Jeff’s incident, Estelle’s life collapsed dramatically. She was so mentally devastated that she couldn’t even attend his funeral.

“Ugh!”

“Your Highness!”

Estelle retched as soon as she put a spoon in her mouth while trying to eat. Her body refused to accept food. She eventually put down the spoon and covered her face with both hands.

No one in the imperial palace could fully understand the burden Estelle carried. She was barely enduring day by day, and the wound of losing a friend had festered so badly that even daily life was impossible.

[Estelle, it’s not your fault. I… I should have cared about that guy like you said.]

Things had gotten so bad that Lexion personally summoned Caesar to the imperial palace. That’s how serious Estelle’s condition was.

[If I lose you too… I can’t go on living. …Please endure, for my sake.]

Yes, he had said such things. That day, she had wept in Caesar’s arms until she fainted. When she regained consciousness in bed, Lexion was beside her, but he didn’t make an issue of what had happened with Caesar. It was surprising for a man who had broken her ankle just for trying to follow him.

“Your Highness, please, take just one bite. This could really become serious!”

The maid pleaded with Estelle, who seemed to have given up on eating. Estelle knew exactly what she was worried about. Probably afraid of the harsh rebuke that would fall from Lexion. He blamed those around her more as she grew weaker.

Estelle picked up the spoon again, forcibly swallowed a few bites, and finished her meal. Given her serious condition, even the maid didn’t urge her to eat more. As the maid was clearing the dishes, there was a commotion outside the door. Estelle looked toward it, wondering what was happening.

“Your Highness! You cannot enter!”

“Estelle—!”

A familiar voice. Cecil rushed into the room, pushing aside the maid before the door could close.

“I apologize for the disturbance, Your Highness. There was no time to stop her……”

The maids who followed tried to drag Cecil back out, but Estelle stopped them.

“It’s fine, you may leave.”

“But……”

The maids hesitated. The crown princess needed rest due to health issues, and no one except Lexion was allowed to enter her bedroom.

“It’s okay.”

“Wow—! Estelle, I finally met you!”

As Cecil jumped and rushed into her arms, Estelle gestured for the maids to withdraw. But the maids didn’t seem to want to leave.

“Your Highness, due to Her Highness the Duke’s unstable condition, we must stay nearby. Please allow us to watch from a distance.”

Estelle finally noticed Cecil’s injuries. At first, she thought they were simple decorations on her dress, but looking closely, she saw bandages.

“What… is all this? What happened?”

“I regret to inform you… Her Highness the Duke has been self-harming for several days.”

“What?!”

Estelle was shocked and asked Cecil.

“My goodness, why would you do that?”

“Because Estelle wouldn’t… see me.”

Cecil snuggled close, rubbing her face against Estelle. Yes, this behavior was definitely her. But Estelle strangely felt an odd sense of discomfort. The always childishly smiling expression seemed somehow awkward.

“Still, you mustn’t do that anymore. Do you under—”

Suddenly stopping mid-sentence, Estelle stared at Cecil with a frozen face.

“Your Highness, is something wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Cecil, shall I read you a book?”

“Yes!”

Estelle took a book from the bedside table and headed to the sofa, holding Cecil’s nodding hand.

「Yes, act naturally like this.」

The articulate tone echoed in Estelle’s mind. Cecil had regained her senses. And she knew well what kind of special ability she possessed. She revealed that she had completed all investigations about herself to deal with Lexion.

Estelle pretended to read the book while focusing on Cecil’s words.

「I am r*ped by unknown men every night.」

Estelle couldn’t maintain her composure at this shocking confession.

「It has to be a conspiracy between that bastard who stole Hector from me and my own family. Since they can’t accept a madwoman as head, they’ll keep subjecting me to these inhuman ordeals until I produce a child to become the next Guardian.」

‘But if they know you’ve regained your senses……’

Though only Cecil was speaking in this one-sided conversation, she strangely knew exactly what Estelle was thinking.

「If they find out I’ve regained my senses, I’ll probably face even stricter confinement. My family has already abandoned me. I don’t think you’re foolish enough to believe they would follow me again. And I’m not completely sane yet. I alternate between being okay and not.」

“……”

「I have a favor to ask you. A favor only you can grant.」

Would she ask for help to leave the imperial palace? But that was impossible for someone in a similar situation like herself.

「Kill me.」

“…!”

Estelle froze at this unimaginable request. Cecil’s clear eyes, which looked resolute, didn’t waver at all, confirming this wasn’t an empty statement.

「Kill me before I conceive a child. Please.」

Cecil, speaking firmly, seemed to have no attachment to life whatsoever.

「The person who was my everything… no longer exists in this world.」

Her sky had already collapsed.

「I don’t have the strength to take revenge… and I can’t even commit s*icide.」

The killer of Hector was Lexion, but it was she who had encouraged him and sent him to his death. Cecil wanted to beg Hector’s forgiveness in death. She wanted to meet him again.

「Even breathing and living day by day is painful for me. Free me. Please, I beg you to pull me out of this hell.」

Despite Cecil’s desperate voice, Estelle couldn’t readily nod.

「I know I’m placing a great burden on you… but the only one who can help me… is you alone.」

As Estelle maintained a long silence, the maid gave her a questioning look. Estelle looked back at the book. But not a single letter registered in her eyes, so she just rambled whatever came to mind.

「In return, though it’s hardly a reward, I’ll give you my holy relic. I don’t know what power Biastes’s holy relic will give you, but…… Our family has deeper ties with the goddess than any other Guardian family.」

“……”

「Although Biastes was dismissed as a useless half Guardian, our House of Biastes was the only one to first receive the goddess’s power at the beginning.」

Estelle had not the slightest desire to take someone’s life for a holy relic. And now the power of holy relics was meaningless. Could she break free from these shackles even if she gained powerful strength?

Cecil looked straight into Estelle’s trembling eyes and spoke emphatically.

「You can smuggle in a weapon. You can also create time to escape the maids’ eyes, even if briefly.」

“……”

「Please, kill me. Take me out of this pain.」

Cecil’s distant words felt to Estelle like her own.

* * *