Chapter 102: Arrest Count Sandor

The carriage heading to the imperial palace was oppressively silent.

Edelweiss stared blankly out the window at the passing scenery, while Beatrice Ruwes sat opposite her, hands tightly clasped together and resting on her knees.

“…Your Grace. Since when did you know? How did you find out? That Rosemary is his daughter.”

“I found out when I discovered Serena Widen’s letter and the double ledger.”

She deliberately left out that Rosemary had told her herself.

It didn’t seem like that was what Beatrice was truly curious about right now.

Beatrice Ruwes’s gaze was still steeped in emptiness.

Her eyelids lowered slowly, then fluttered back up like a tremble.

“So everyone knew except me. He must have thought I was laughable, clueless.”

“……”

“…I did think it was strange sometimes. He always held inferiority toward the Duke of Stern, and yet cherished the duke’s illegitimate child.”

“……”

“I knew something was off… but I kept turning away out of guilt for not being able to bear him a child. That’s my fault.”

Beatrice Ruwes’s voice trembled as she struggled to speak. Her hands were faintly shaking.

“I’ve lost everything. Even Lenia—because of me—can’t live with her head held high in the Empire of Rejenoel. And yet Benjamin… he still gets to live unscathed? That’s not right.”

She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears that had welled up. Edelweiss finally opened her mouth calmly.

“…When you tell the truth about Princess Isabella’s death—please look directly at Queen Roxanne.”

“…Why?”

“Because Queen Roxanne asked Count Sandor to kidnap my child.

Knowing full well the pain of losing a child… she still did that. I can never forgive her.”

Without a word, Beatrice Ruwes nodded.

As they reached the checkpoint to the imperial palace, she pressed her palm firmly against her skin.

“Her Grace the Grand Duchess of Lorendel has arrived.”

The carriage came to a stop. As the door opened, the knight commander stationed at the checkpoint bowed deeply.

Edelweiss stepped out first. Click. The sound of her heels echoed in her ears.

With graceful poise, she turned to watch Beatrice Ruwes disembark behind her. Then she looked at the knight commander and spoke.

“Sir Febe. An imperial decree to arrest Count Sandor will be issued shortly.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Send knights to Count Sandor’s estate right away and ensure he can’t escape.”

The knight commander tilted his head in confusion, but when his gaze shifted and landed on Beatrice Ruwes, his eyes widened.

“Beatrice Ruwes…?”

Barely masking his shock at seeing someone presumed dead, he answered,

“Understood, Your Grace.”

Edelweiss entered the palace with Beatrice in tow. They walked down the gleaming marble corridor, shining golden in the light.

“Countess Sandor…?”

The chamberlain who had been waiting ahead hesitated when he saw Beatrice.

“Chamberlain.”

“…Yes, Your Grace?”

“Go to Metter Palace and summon Queen Roxanne. And Unit Magnollen as well.”

Creaaak—

As the chamberlain departed toward Metter Palace, Edelweiss turned and headed for the audience chamber.

“I greet His Majesty, the radiant sun of Rejenoel. I bring someone with urgent matters to report.”

At her gesture, Beatrice Ruwes stepped forward.

“…I heard Beatrice Ruwes had died in the fire. Grand Duchess Lorendel, what’s going on here?”

The Emperor’s gaze narrowed slowly.

“…A fire broke out due to my carelessness. I was rescued by Her Grace, who wished to uncover the truth and came looking for me.”

“The truth?”

“Rosemary Widen is not the Duke of Stern’s illegitimate child—”

“……”

“She is the illegitimate child of my husband, Count Benjamin Sandor.”

Edelweiss handed the Emperor the letter she had brought.

He slowly read through it, rubbed his forehead, and then lowered his hand.

“…Continue.”

“The day before Rosemary Widen’s execution, Count Sandor disguised her as my niece Lenia and helped her escape.

When that was exposed, he divorced me and slyly evaded blame, deceiving Your Majesty.”

Truthfully, the Emperor might not have cared much about the affair or the letter—such scandals were not uncommon among the nobility.

But—

“…What did you just say?”

By pointing out the deception against the Emperor himself, Beatrice Ruwes stirred his fury.

“Your Majesty, Her Highness Queen Roxanne has arrived.”

Right then, the chamberlain’s voice rang from outside. The Emperor furrowed his brows in irritation.

“Your Majesty. Because there is something you should hear regarding the death of Princess Isabella, I asked the chamberlain to summon her mother, Queen Roxanne.”

“…Bring her in.”

At Edelweiss’s explanation, the Emperor waved his hand. Soon after, Queen Roxanne and Unit Magnollen entered the chamber.

Unit briefly met Edelweiss’s eyes and lowered her gaze so Queen Roxanne wouldn’t notice.

“…As I said earlier, Rosemary Widen is the biological daughter of Count Sandor.”

While reporting to the Emperor, Beatrice turned her head and looked directly at Queen Roxanne.

“Your Majesty. Princess Isabella did not throw herself into the lake.”

The room fell deathly still, the very air seeming to freeze.

Beatrice Ruwes’s expression remained unshaken—firm as stone.

“…Then?”

“The emperor’s face turned cold.

“Benjamin Sandor pushed Princess Isabella into the lake for the sake of his biological daughter, Rosemary Widen, and killed the boatman who was present at the scene.”

All eyes turned to Beatrice Ruwes.

“As Your Majesty knows, Rosemary and Princess Isabella looked alike. You must also recall that at the funeral, Empress Roxanne mistook Princess Isabella for Rosemary and embraced her.”

Edelweiss was the first to face the emperor and speak.

Even if he hadn’t cared, even if he hadn’t loved her—there was no way he wouldn’t be shocked that his own blood, Princess Isabella, had been killed by Count Sandor.

“The boatman’s body is buried in Count Sandor’s garden. And… the necklace Princess Isabella wore that day is still in his possession. He was likely planning to frame someone else later.”

Just then, Empress Roxanne stared into empty space and took a deep breath.

After a long pause, a desperate question escaped her lips.

“…Isabella was… murdered…?”

Her eyes wavered uncontrollably. Her shoulders began to collapse.

“Isabella drowned… so… tragically…”

Her eyes turned red, and a single tear fell, scalding hot. Forgetting she stood before the emperor, Roxanne covered her mouth with trembling hands.

“I… I didn’t know… I treated Rosemary Widen… like she was Isabella—”

Roxanne staggered forward on unsteady legs, her perfectly styled hair falling loose as she cried out.

“Your Majesty… Isabella died… so unjustly…”

There was no trace left of the dignity she had always clung to—only sobs that seemed to tear her breath away.

“How terrified she must have been… and I didn’t even know… I asked Count Sandor… to…”

“Empress. Compose yourself.”

“To that wretched man—he’s the one I—!”

Roxanne’s face had lost all color, now tinged with a gray pallor. She tried to breathe, but even the air refused to reach her lungs.

“Empress!”

Her head dropped to the side. The hand she had stretched out toward the emperor went limp, and her body collapsed to the floor.

“…Take the empress to the Metter Palace. And arrest Benjamin Sandor immediately.”

The emperor looked down at her fallen form.

Edelweiss gave a slight nod toward Unit Magnollen, who stood behind Empress Roxanne.

Unit Magnollen immediately dropped to one knee.

“Your Majesty. Empress Roxanne conspired with Count Sandor to kidnap the royal heir, Princess Gloria.”

The voice was calm but unwavering. Tension surged once more.

Edelweiss stared fiercely at the collapsed Empress Roxanne, as if hearing the revelation for the first time.”