“Your Grace.”

The retainers hurried to pay their respects. In the midst of it all, Kallian stood still, holding Elliope in his arms.

Unconsciously, Elliope tightened her grip on Kallian’s back.

What happens in this situation? No matter how much she thought about it, something was definitely going on – an elaborate plan to trap Kallian by using her as bait.

Elliope bit her lip hard.

Theodor spoke again.

“Yes, Lord Elsen. Now that I think about it, what you said makes a certain amount of sense.”

“…”

“Tell me, are you a spy of Seor?”

It was an absurd accusation. Some of the knights, sensing the tension in the air, stiffened. It wasn’t just anyone – it was Kallian Elsen. 

In Seor he was known as the troublesome hunting dog of Ilmos, the Duke’s sword and shield. He had led the Duke’s forces to victory in countless battles, saved the Duke’s life, avenged the Duke’s enemies, and sacrificed his life for the Duke countless times. Even now, it was Kallian who had single-handedly stopped the Duke from rushing into danger and led him to safety. Everyone in the room knew this. 

Still, many couldn’t help but remember the recent failed Imperial military trial, which Theodor had pressed the issue of. The Duke… Could it be that Lord Kallian…?

In the heavy silence, Elliope spoke first, louder than anyone else.

“Earlier, the Duke’s head maid called me a spy.”

“….”

“Now the Duke himself, bringing Her Highness the Princess, calls my husband a spy?”

Her words, sharp as a knife, froze Leanne’s expression. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

“Has the Duke of Ilmos changed his story? As he said from the beginning, I…”

“Wife.”

Before Elliope could continue with the accusation of being a spyt, Kallian gently stopped her.

Then he met Theodor’s gaze and replied calmly.

“If you want to believe that I am a spy…”

“….”

“Then believe it, Your Grace.”

“…!”

“Who would ever betray Your Grace’s will?”

The words made the retainers and knights jump in surprise.

“Lord!”

“Lord Elsen!”

“Your Grace! This is surely a misunderstanding!”

“Now that I think about it, Lady Elsen, you were badly injured, weren’t you? The rumours about you being attacked must be true!” 

In truth, Elliope was battered and bruised. She had stumbled several times in the passage, her leg had been cut by a dagger, the heel of her shoe was broken and the hem of her skirt was torn. 

Suddenly Theodor’s gaze shifted to Elliope’s exposed calf and he clicked his tongue, pressing his lips together. At that moment, Elliope felt a wave of nausea rise through her. 

“Wife.”

Kallian released his grip and knelt in front of Elliope. His hand immediately went to her injured calf. His touch was careful and gentle.

There was nothing overt about the act, but everyone around them blushed.

Elliope’s blood stained Kallian’s injured hand. Kallian stared at it cautiously before rising to his feet and holding Elliope in his arms. It was as if he didn’t care how the others around him looked.

“Now that I think about it, it’s odd.”

“What’s strange?”

“In Seor they usually use poison.”

“…?”

“It leaves traces in the blood.”

As soon as he had finished speaking, Kallian put his finger, stained with Elliope’s blood, into his mouth.

“…!”

It was a moment that stunned everyone around them. Kallian slowly licked his finger and pulled it out. Then he continued speaking with an indifferent expression.

“As for the poison, I’ve drunk enough on Your Grace’s behalf to know, but…”

“…?”

“There seems to be none here.”

His actions were certainly unexpected, but his calm demeanour and logical tone made everything he did seem strangely convincing. It was also true that Kallian had been the one to take the poison in Theodor’s place since childhood. The mere mention of this fact had the effect of firmly planting in everyone’s mind that the accusations, such as that he was a spy, were completely baseless. 

“On the other hand, the Chamberlain’s behaviour is rather suspicious.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Earlier, I assisted Her Highness Princess Leanne and briefly stood guard beside her.” 

Her expression tightened at the mention of her name. In fact, Kallian had been very close to Leanne, and the heat from his body had shaken hers.

“But now that I think about it, I didn’t see the Chamberlain at that time.”

“…!”

“She was the only one who could accompany Her Highness the Princess, having been assigned by the Duke’s estate.”

The Chamberlain’s expression froze more and more with each passing second. Kallian, who had kept a neutral face, suddenly smiled.

“Come to think of it, the day my wife had a conversation with the Duke of Seor’s ambassador… I went to the garden to accompany my wife.”

His blue eyes scanned Theodor slowly before turning to the chamberlain.

“At that time, the chamberlain made a rather rude remark… and Your Grace had to punish him for it.”

“T-That…”

There were a few people who knew what had happened. They didn’t know exactly what the Chamberlain had said, but they knew that after this incident he had been afraid of Theodor’s punishment and had not appeared properly at the Duke’s estate.

At that moment, the colour drained from the face of the Chamberlain, Baron Taleon’s wife.

Theodor intervened calmly.

“Anyway, Lord Elsen, let’s stop this meaningless talk about being a spy.”

“….”

When Elliope shot him a cold look, clearly irritated at the brazen way he was evading responsibility for his accusations against the spy, Theodor looked at Princess Leanne and spoke.

“Still, you are to blame. You clearly said earlier that you were escorting Her Highness the Princess.”

“That may be true, but…”

“Then why was Her Highness the Princess injured?”

A few knights shouted in surprise.

“What? That can’t be!”

These knights had been at Kallian’s side as he protected Leanne, escorting her all the way to the main hall. During this time, Leanne had shown no signs of distress. No one had seen Leanne injured or attacked.

The knights began to speak.

“She was injured?!”

“There must be some misunderstanding!”

“Are you saying Her Highness the Princess is lying?”

At Theodor’s cold words, Leanne, who had been hesitant, slowly raised her arm. The distinct red marks of a wound were visible on her forearm. It was a wound from a dagger used in the attack.

“My goodness.”

Charlotte covered her mouth, her face filled with pity. The noblewomen also gasped with soft cries.

“To think this could have happened to someone so noble and unmarried…”

“What are we going to do?”

The retainers sighed in frustration. The knights who had been guarding her stood frozen, pale with shock.

“She definitely didn’t have any injuries a moment ago.”

“What is going on?”

The knights were confused, but the retainers were growing increasingly anxious. Whatever the circumstances, once the princess had been injured, it had become something that couldn’t be easily dismissed.

“In the Duchy of Ilmos, of all places!”

It wasn’t just any place – there had been an attack within the territory, most likely by foreigners, and now the princess was injured. This was a situation that couldn’t be taken lightly.

Hurting a member of the royal family was a serious matter. Although, in the past, as now, Elliope had never really been part of the royal family. Everyone knew she was a princess, abandoned by the palace.

“But Princess Leanne was different.”

This was really a serious matter. A situation that could tarnish the entire territory.

Even after being questioned, Kallian simply bowed his head and remained silent.

Leanne tried to keep a calm expression, but when she looked at Kallian, she couldn’t meet his gaze and lowered her eyes. Her ears flushed, unsure if it was from shame or embarrassment.

“You will have to take responsibility for this, Kallian.”

“Your Grace.”

It was just as Elliope was about to speak.

“For now, we must investigate this attack.”

Theodor looked at Elliope with burning eyes and spoke.

“Lady Elsen, return to the lodgings where you’ve been staying as a witness. You are not to leave until the investigation is complete.”

In reality, calling her a witness was no different than treating her like a criminal.

“Your Grace, reconsider…”

“This is…”

“Silence. How dare you defy my will as Duke of Ilmos?”

Some of the retainers tried to speak but bowed their heads when they met Theodor’s gaze. The knights stiffened and Leanne almost bowed her head.

It was as if the minds of everyone in the room were in a frenzy. Elliope’s mind was just as chaotic.

‘There is definitely something here.’

No matter how she thought about it, this seemed to be some kind of plot to overthrow Kallian.

It didn’t seem that Theodor had discovered Kallian’s true identity. If he had, there would have been no need for such a conspiracy; he could have simply vanquished him, just as his grandfather and parents had done before him.

‘The Emperor.’

It was clear that the Imperial family was involved. Once she had come to that conclusion, things became a little clearer.

‘The Imperial Family is trying to cut Kallian off.’

Her teeth clenched. Theodor was now on the side of the Imperial Family, trying to eliminate his own supporters. The more observant in the room had probably already realised what was happening.

‘Cowardly, disgusting bastard.’

Without realising it, Elliope tightened her grip on Kallian as she glared at Theodor.

With the Imperial family involved, immediate action was no longer possible. Kallian simply held Elliope in his arms and stroked her back gently. His gesture was meant to comfort her, but she couldn’t help but feel frightened. 

When Theodor saw Kallian comforting Elliope, a spark of anger flared in his eyes. He spoke slowly. 

“…Kallian Elsen will be held accountable for his failure to fulfil his duties during this attack and will soon be ordered to join the upcoming Expeditionary force.”