Seeming fully aware of his guilt, Marquis Est simply shrugged off the maid’s piercing gaze.

At that moment, Ciel, even angrier because of this, pulled her arm away from around Louise.

Unable to just rest in the bedroom, Louise approached Marquis Est, who was standing awkwardly at one side of the office, and whispered softly.

“Come to the reception room next to my bedroom tonight. If you don’t come, your precious hostage will be dead, so be prepared.”

* * *

Precious hostage.

Returning to her bedroom and waking up after being half-forced to sleep, Louise mulled over the two words she had uttered.

Marquis Est might use her life to threaten her brothers… but he wouldn’t actually kill her, if only for Rondimio’s sake.

“If I can’t escape from being a precious hostage, what should I do from now on……”

Disobeying Ciel’s instructions, Louise got up from the bed and looked at herself in the full-length mirror, then stroked her swollen belly.

Baby, this time I won’t let you be too startled like a few hours ago. It’s okay, it will be okay.

And everything… will all be resolved well.

Louise whispered to the child in her womb with a wish that could never come true.

“If only your dad and his close aides could be a little more merciful……”

Louise sighed, draped a shawl over her indoor dress just like a few hours ago, and left the bedroom. Marquis Est would surely be waiting in the reception room right next to the empress’s bedroom.

He couldn’t possibly not come after she had threatened that the empress, his precious hostage, would take her own life if he didn’t.

If you’ve taken my life hostage, then I can threaten you with my life.

That terrifying threat, which came out impulsively, surprised Louise herself more than anyone.

It was truly an unexpected turn of events, just like the fact that Marquis Est, Rondimio’s close aide, was holding the empress hostage rather than escorting her.

Louise herself was a more precious hostage than she had thought, and Marquis Est wouldn’t want his precious hostage to die, so if she could use this well….

“Take me to where my brothers and His Majesty the Emperor are right now. Right this instant.”

When she flung open the reception room door with all her might, Marquis Est was there as expected. Not wanting to speak unnecessarily with him like before, Louise got straight to the point.

And half-threatening him, she summarized the conclusions she had drawn from their direct conversation hours ago and from overhearing his conversation with the knights.

That Marquis Est, upon learning the empress had escaped from the palace, had made plans to kidnap her instead and use her as a hostage to suppress the rebellion; and that all of this was Marquis Est’s independent action, so Rondimio didn’t know about it.

“So if you don’t grant my request, your ‘precious hostage’ will bite her tongue and die right here.”

Unlike a few hours ago, Marquis Est, now changed into light indoor clothes, had been listening quietly to Louise with his arms crossed, but now straightened his posture.

“Your Majesty the Empress… I thought you were overestimating your value without knowing anything. This is unexpected.”

“Because of me, my beloved former emperor and empress died, and two rebellions occurred… Shouldn’t I know by now?”

“I’m simply moved by how much you’ve changed from before.”

“Prepare a carriage immediately. I’ll go myself.”

There was no trace of the timid, lovely empress who had always been intimidated. Louise made her demands clearly, without crying or trembling.

Seeing the empress like this, Marquis Est dared to let out a small exclamation of admiration and ordered the knight standing in the hallway outside the reception room to prepare a carriage for Her Majesty the Empress.

As expected, the marquis readily complied with her demand just now. Louise released the breath she had been holding and sat down.

She had been too tense over something insignificant. From Marquis Est’s perspective, who wanted to use her as a hostage, the empress’s request to be taken to where the rebellion was occurring was reasonable enough to grant.

“Seeing that you’re not asking to spare the former princes, it seems you understand your position.”

“What did you just say to me…!”

“You must know there’s no other way. Weren’t you planning to kneel before His Majesty the Emperor and beg him to spare the former princes?”

Louise pulled her shawl tighter and glared at Marquis Est again. Though she knew glaring at him would achieve nothing, she couldn’t help it out of indignation.

There wasn’t a shred of falsehood in his words.

According to the marquis’s plan, when her brothers learned their beloved sister had been taken hostage, they would immediately abandon the rebellion, and then Rondimio would easily kill her brothers.

Louise planned to go to Rondimio just before he killed her brothers and beg him to spare them.

That was the only option left to her.

A few hours ago, after having her hair cut by Marquis Est and returning to her bedroom, despite receiving the physician’s treatment and repeated recommendations to rest, she had made one request to Ciel.

To immediately inform her if Marquis Est and his knights did anything suspicious.

Though Ciel looked upset seeing Louise with no intention of resting, she cooperated diligently.

‘A messenger hawk… my hair…!’

So that a little while later, she could see a large hawk flying toward the palace with a small box tied to its ankle.

Only then did Ciel, who realized that Marquis Est had dared to cut the empress’s hair in the office, ask what had happened, but Louise couldn’t give any answer.

She was afraid that if she answered, she might reveal a truth that no one else knew.

“By now, Her Majesty the Empress’s cut hair should have reached the princes’ side.”

“……”

“The carriage will depart tomorrow morning. In the meantime, prepare your mind.”

Louise knew that insisting on departing now wouldn’t make much difference since it was late at night, but she still stubbornly remained seated in the reception room instead of returning to her bedroom.

She had wanted to probe whether Rondimio and his close aides knew that the empress had been involved in the rebellion for a long time… but she couldn’t muster the courage.

She was already afraid without having heard the answer.

Noticing that Louise wanted to say something more, Marquis Est sat down on the opposite sofa and began to speak.

“Does Your Majesty the Empress know why His Majesty the Emperor started the rebellion?”

He suddenly brought up the nauseating past story. And seriously at that.

Louise habitually bit the tender flesh inside her mouth due to rising anxiety and answered Marquis Est’s question. Perhaps if she continued, she might be able to probe what she was curious about.

“Because the former emperor and empress… imprisoned His Majesty the Emperor in the underground prison for a long time and cruelly abused him. There can be no other reason.”

“You’re still so naive. It’s regrettable that you haven’t realized it despite loving His Majesty the Emperor for so long.”

“There can’t be any other reason. You know it too! How many cruel scars remain all over His Majesty the Emperor’s body.”

When Louise shook her head several times with conviction, Marquis Est suddenly started laughing like a madman.

It was clear that Rondimio had killed the former emperor and empress because of the long-term abuse, and yet.

She knew Marquis Est was Rondimio’s close aide, a strong-willed political strategist, but she didn’t know he was this insane.

“It was all because of you, Empress. His Majesty the Emperor didn’t just want to possess Your Majesty the Empress. He did those things because he wanted to make you happy!”

“What are you saying! Don’t say such nonsense!”

But she began to wonder if that madness might actually be true. So far, Marquis Est seemed insane, but he hadn’t said anything false.

Louise had never… not even once heard about Rondimio from his close aides until now.

“Do you know how His Majesty the Emperor feels as he suppresses the rebellion now?”

“No…. Stop talking. I don’t want to hear it….”

And at that moment, when she remembered that she had been trying to probe whether Rondimio and his close aides knew about the empress’s involvement in the rebellion…

“‘My lovely empress has deceived me,’ he was that furious.”

Louise despaired before she could even open her mouth.

“Are you saying Rondimio knew I was involved in this rebellion…?”

No. Please….

“Yes. His Majesty the Emperor knew from the beginning that Your Majesty the Empress was involved in this rebellion.”

Louise truly wanted to die.

* * *

At that time, at Duke Havent’s mansion where those leading the rebellion had gathered.

Their rebellion had begun as of yesterday.

The place, which had been in turmoil because the whereabouts of the empress who had escaped from the palace were unknown, was turned upside down late at night by a single package suddenly sent from the new emperor’s side.

Inside the box were a threatening letter handwritten by Marquis Est, known as the new emperor’s close aide, and a strand of platinum blonde hair that clearly belonged to Louise, whom he should have been escorting.

“The new emperor’s close aide… is holding Louise hostage. He says he’ll kill her if we continue with the rebellion.”

First Prince Berus, standing at the center of the nobles, gazed for a long time at the lovely strand of his sister’s platinum blonde hair, neatly tied with a ribbon.

Among the remaining direct imperial family of Araceli, only Louise had platinum blonde hair. The other two princes had dark blonde hair.

It was truly a predicament. No, it was a situation that couldn’t be described by the word predicament alone.

“I should have brought her myself, yet again I’ve failed to protect her….”

In fact, Berus had trusted the new emperor. That is, if nothing else, he believed in how much the new emperor loved Louise.

He was the man who loved her so much that he started a rebellion and placed the imperial crown on his own head, and even in that dark underground prison, he always smiled brightly when talking about her.