The words spilling from the Crown Prince’s mouth were abruptly cut off.

He couldn’t even finish a sentence properly.

Whether it was shock or anger, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to escape today’s memories for a while.

‘That’s enough.’

Ellen was satisfied with the reaction she had provoked.

“Kaiden.”

Her voice was very quiet and calm, not fitting the situation.

Ironically, it seemed to bring Kaiden back to his senses a bit.

He spoke with a tone slightly more subdued than before.

“This joke has gone too far. What is this…?”

“A joke? Saying that makes it seem as if my loyalty is being distorted.”

“What? Loyalty? No, you…!”

His voice, which had barely calmed down, rose again.

Startled by the volume of his own outburst, he flinched and then closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, perhaps to calm himself.

“Inhale… exhale. Inhale… exhale.”

It was a commendable effort and clearly an action he took to continue speaking peacefully.

But she didn’t need to wait for his retort.

“What do you think? If it were me, I would be curious about how many more illegal organizations like this might exist, and my worries would vanish quickly.”

How many such places are there?

“In this capital you oversee, Your Highness.”

Her whispered words were soft, but enough for the person in front of her to hear.

The Crown Prince, who seemed about to shout, stopped with his mouth half-open.

Ellen’s steady gaze met his turbulent eyes.

This was the clincher.

“A place to gather money away from the eyes of the imperial family. And boldly, not even in one’s own territory but in the capital, likely not hesitating to commit murder, confident they won’t be caught by the imperial family… Who do you think it could be?”

Confusion, marked by wrath and suspicion, filled his eyes.

With a trembling voice, he spoke.

“…Are you in your right mind? What’s your motive? What’s the basis for linking today’s murder with this place?”

“Well, why do you think…?”

Ellen thought.

This time, she wouldn’t let Gillian achieve what he wanted.

The unfortunate emperor in the distant future, Kaiden Istazio, would lose his life to Gillian Krembell.

Today, Ellen showed him the sword Krembell hid within.

“I plan to divorce.”

Her cheerful words made the Crown Prince growl with slightly distorted pronunciation.

“…Absurd. It sounds like you’re saying Krembell is the culprit.”

“What I say doesn’t matter, does it? I believe that you, who care deeply for the people, will find out on your own.”

The Crown Prince wasn’t foolish.

He might be furious now, but he would eventually realize that catching the mastermind was the only way to resolve the issue.

“Shall we go now? I’ll escort you.”

There was no need to stay here any longer.

She headed toward the exit first.

The gaze piercing her back felt sharp enough to pierce her heart.

Yet, despite that, the Crown Prince did not question her about anything that day.

* * *

“Ha, this is driving me crazy.”

Kaiden Istazio, the current Crown Prince of the Istazio imperial family, muttered to himself, reflecting on the events of the previous day.

Eyes staring blankly ahead and lips tightly shut.

Cheeks so pale they seemed devoid of warmth, and neatly groomed eyebrows exuding coldness.

‘…No matter how I look at it, that wasn’t the face of someone guiding me for my enjoyment.’

Gambling wasn’t her purpose from the start.

Kaiden recalled the woman from yesterday, whom he could describe as peculiar.

Come to think of it, he also heard her declaration of divorce yesterday.

He let out a sigh from deep within.

‘Divorce is an issue, but that’s not the immediate priority.’

Since returning to the palace the previous day, he had been deep in thought.

Why did she take him to such a place?

What was that place, anyway?

Moreover, why hadn’t reports about the security issues in the capital reached him?

The capital’s security force wasn’t blind.

They were excellent personnel.

Thus, very few could operate a gambling den of that scale with security surpassing the security force.

‘For instance, Duke Krembell, Gillian Krembell…’

But he soon shook his head.

‘No, there’s no reason for Gillian to do that.’

Gillian married into the Crient family initially for stable financial circulation.

That meant, with the Crient family still intact, he had no reason to do such a thing.

Especially not while hiding it from his lord and friend, himself.

‘Yeah. A thing suits that damned Crescent more.’

He thought of his half-brother, who flaunted his annoying silver hair like a trophy.

‘If it were him, it would make sense. But…’

Yet questions remained.

For example, how did a woman who only frequented social circles know a secret that even the capital’s security force couldn’t uncover?

‘Unless she wasn’t extracting information from outside Crescent, but rather was an insider who joined hands with him, allowing her access to such information, it wouldn’t make sense.’

But that was strange in itself.

If that place was Crescent’s domain and she was acting as his minion, why didn’t they kill him when he entered that place?

Yet, excluding Crescent, Gillian Krembell remained.

And Gillian had no reason to do so.

“Ah, damn it.”

He scratched the back of his head in frustration.

At this rate, he was completely being played.

If her goal was to confuse him with stress, she had succeeded splendidly.

“Raven!”

Raven, who had been observing the Crown Prince rolling around in bed since morning, making exasperated sounds, appeared at his call.

Appearing silently and bowing, Raven listened as Kaiden spoke of his resolve.

“I need you to investigate something.”

* * *

A late morning, a day later.

While Ellen was enjoying her leisure in a luxurious hotel room, she heard a knock.

“Count Crient is waiting in the lobby on the first floor.”

She expected it to be a notice that lunch was ready, but it was news that her father had come to visit.

Ellen’s heart began to pound rapidly.

‘Father. It’s Father.’

He arrived much sooner than she expected.

It seemed he had departed immediately upon receiving her letter.

Ellen instructed the servant.

“Bring him here.”

The servant bowed politely and hurried toward the stairs.

Barely three minutes, at that.

The short time it took the servant to go down to the first floor felt unbearably long now.

As she paced near the entrance, another knock soon followed.

She opened the door wide.

“Ellen!”

Daniel Crient. Her father, executed for treason.

“Are you alright? What on earth happened? From the letter, I couldn’t understand…”

There was no trace of pain on his face. The time she had longed for, when everything was intact, was right before her.

“…Father.”

He must have hastily packed, as there were only two attendants standing outside.

She thought of her father, who must have rushed out upon hearing of his daughter’s divorce.

Father, Father. Ah, my father who passed away in agony.

“Alright. Let’s go inside and talk. I need to understand… Ellen!”

She tried to hold back, but it was impossible.

Her brow furrowed as she looked up at the sky, and heat surged to her eyes and nose, eventually breaking her tear ducts.

“Oh, Ellen. Don’t cry. Let’s talk it through slowly…”

The gentle voice, the same as when he held and comforted her as a very small child, reached Ellen’s ears.

For the first time since his death, she shed tears, pouring them out in her father’s arms as if a dam had burst.

* * *

“Now, let’s hear what happened. What on earth is going on?”

“Father.”

Her eyes were a bit swollen, and the corners of her eyes and nose were red.

But her gaze was firm as Ellen spoke.

“I already mentioned in the letter, but I plan to divorce Duke Krembell.”

Daniel let out a low groan.

Even after reading the letter, he hadn’t expected she was truly planning to go through with it.

“Krembell is a sinking ship. It’s time to disembark.”

The girl who once sat in her father’s arms, discussing the fairy tales she read that day, had come to realize that such a world only existed in fiction.

“Do you know how far Krembell is looking and what he’s planning, Father?”

“…Go on.”

“He’s aiming for the throne, Father.”

Daniel looked at her with a gaze that seemed ready to leap.

Impossible. That meant he harbored treacherous intentions.

“He’s someone who thinks he can reduce numbers, and believes that if he kills the one who possesses what he wants, it will fall into his hands.”

“…You speak as if you know him well.”

“Well, I did bear the title of Duchess Krembell.”

Ellen smiled bitterly.

“His ambition has surpassed what we can handle, and even if we support him and he achieves that ambition, he’s not someone who would repay us. Rather, as he has done so far, he would likely choose to kill and take from us.”

“…So, your solution is divorce?”

“Yes. We can’t let our capital flow into Krembell anymore.”

Hearing her determined answer, Daniel sighed.

“Alright. There’s a problem with Krembell, and you plan to divorce. But what about our family afterward? How will we deal with Krembell’s retaliation or being pushed out of the power structure?”

They were harsh words.

At least, they’re not something you should say to a daughter who burst into tears upon seeing her father.

Daniel felt self-contempt for being able to say nothing but such words as a father.

But that was the reality.

Even if wealth was gained through effort, it was meaningless without honor and power.

That’s how he lost his wife.

“…There is a plan. Instead of supporting Krembell and indirectly supporting His Highness, we will remain in the Crown Prince’s faction by directly providing financial support to His Highness.”

Daniel gave a bitter smile.

If things could unfold so favorably, he could do whatever his daughter wanted.

If it were truly possible.

“Staying in the Crown Prince’s faction while avoiding Krembell’s retaliation? If that’s possible, there’s no need to maintain the marriage.”

“I will propose a deal to His Highness.”

“You, to His Highness? What kind of deal… No, do you have a plan?”

“I’ve met him several times while being with Duke Krembell. I’m not asking you to believe me blindly. Give me time, and I’ll prove it. I am your daughter, after all.”

Ellen assured her father.

She was no longer the naive and foolish girl who would miss the opportunity that had come her way.

Information about the future was something that could turn coincidences into inevitabilities, and that was the power Ellen Crient had gained in this life.

“Time… Yes, time. How long do you think?”

“If possible, I’d like about two months. But I believe you can create more than two months for me.”

“Two months… It will be difficult, but not impossible. Alright. I will trust you.”

Having said that, Daniel quickly stood to hide his face.

Apology, gratitude, admiration, bitterness…

He didn’t want to show his daughter a face mixed with emotions he himself couldn’t fully discern.

As Daniel stood, Ellen’s head also lifted, but he concealed his face again by placing his hand on her head, gently stroking it.