“I know you’re there. Come out.”

Charlotte called out to him once again.

Soon Kallian, who had been lying comfortably on the bed in the cell, slowly rose from the shadows.

Charlotte shuddered at the sight. It was as if a dark and beautiful beast, the likes of which could only be found in myth, was approaching her.

Finally, Kallian stepped forward into the flickering light.

Although he was within the iron bars, he did not look like a prisoner. Instead, because of the subtle yet overwhelming presence he exuded, it was Charlotte, standing in the corridor of the cell, who felt trapped.

“Miss Marte.”

He answered slowly. Charlotte, in a dazed state, watched as his charming lips parted to speak.

“Is that so? I had a feeling.”

“…….”

“You chose to be here of your own free will, didn’t you?”

Charlotte looked at Kallian with eyes full of anticipation. The desire she had never intended to hide was evident in her expression.

“To keep your promise to me.”

“Which promise are you referring to?”

“Playing ignorant, are you? How charming.”

Charlotte smiled at his indifferent reply.

She still remembered their conversation in Zenya.

“We won’t be in this life.”

“You sound so confident. Why is that?”

“Because I have no intention of letting go of what I have now.”

“…….”

“Unless you manage to sway my lord…”

That captivating smile – one she had never expected from such a cold man – as if he were tempting her.

“Unless you drag me down to the very bottom.”

And after that, Charlotte really did meet the Grand Duke. Introduced not by anyone else, but by Kallian’s wife, Elliope.

All the while she was at Theodor’s side, Kallian’s words wrapped around Charlotte and refused to leave her mind.

She was curious what he meant by those words and why he was smiling like that. It was especially puzzling because Kallian was a man who rarely smiled.

Whenever she met Kallian, who as the wife of a merchant often travelled to Elsen to carry out the Duke’s orders, he was always indifferent and cold.

‘Could marriage have softened this man?’

As she thought this, she felt a pang of regret. After all, it was a princess of the Imperial family who had managed to seduce and marry Kallian Elsen. If she had known that Kallian was weak with women, she thought, she might have made the first move. Their conversation in Zenya happened at a time when she was deep in such thoughts.

The smile and the words about pulling him down hit Charlotte like a revelation.

‘It sounds like he’s saying that if I do, I’ll be his.’

It was as if he was suggesting that if she took everything from him, he would choose her of his own free will. What had begun as a hunch gradually hardened into a conviction. 

Charlotte had no particular desire to make Kallian her husband. 

But the thought of dragging Kallian down into the depths, binding him with layers of security so that he could never escape, and keeping him as her lover, seemed like a tempting and exciting plan. 

And so Charlotte decided to destroy Theodor first.

Under normal circumstances, she would not have done so. Normally, she would have flirted just enough to reap the benefits, never foolishly destroying the source of her gains before securing them. At any other time she might have sought to become the Duke’s mistress and enjoy the influence that came with it. 

But Theodor had never held the same attraction for her as Kallian had. Compared to the thought of Kallian’s large, rough hands, Theodor’s slender, delicate ones felt utterly insignificant. Besides, Theodor rarely showed interest in a woman unless she bore a resemblance to Elliope Elsen.

Bringing the Duke down was surprisingly easy. 

All she had to do was keep his glass full, give him the flattery he craved, and provide him with a steady stream of drugs and women who resembled Elliope. And occasionally she would nudge him to make the wrong choices. 

“You remember what Kallian said earlier, don’t you? As long as the Seor guards don’t make trouble in the Duke’s residence, there will be no war.” 

“Why not use that to our advantage? I’ll hire the mercenaries, take care of the details of the mission, even discuss it with Prince Leanne, so you have nothing to worry about. I’ll even write the perfect script.” 

“Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I feel like the servants look down on you. Maybe it’s time you made an example of one of them.”

“Let’s raise the taxes. Who would dare defy the Duke’s orders?”

As she spoke, memories flooded back – of times when she had snatched the Duke’s ring from his hand or rifled through his jewellery box. 

There were nights when she would get Theodor drunk in his study or office, then take control of his documents, exchanging items from the Duke’s estate for goods from the shop her husband ran. Occasionally she would even skim off some of his property. 

Through it all, the pleasures she provided and the honeyed words she whispered in his ear gradually eroded what little remained of Theodor’s already broken mind.

“Yes. They’re ignoring me. They’re ignoring me.” 

“That’s right. They’re really rotten. Even Princess Elliope… Ugh!” 

“Don’t talk about that woman.” 

“All right, all right. But still, those servants are nothing but trouble. Especially Kallian Elsen.” 

“Yes. I’ve known for a long time that he despises me.” 

“Right? So let’s send him to the battlefield this time.” 

“My head hurts…” 

“It’s all right, Your Grace. I’ll help relieve your headache. Here, drink this.”

In time, Theodor became desensitised to the constant pampering. She began to increase the doses, mixing the sedatives and poisons into much stronger concoctions. 

In the midst of this downward spiral, Theodor nearly took the life of a member of the royal family. The consequences were swift – he was killed by none other than Kallian Elsen. 

And so Kallian Elsen, once the duke’s loyal vassal and viscount, was imprisoned for the crime of killing his own master. Just as he had once spoken, he had been dragged to the very bottom. 

“Did you plan this all along?”

In retrospect, it was a perfect picture. That pesky Theodor was dead, part of his fortune was now in her hands, and Kallian had fallen into her grasp. She gripped the bars, her body trembling. And it was all thanks to Elliope Elsen.

‘Foolish and pitiful woman.’

Would she have introduced Charlotte Marte to Theodor if she had known how things would turn out?

‘How pitiful.’

But it was Elliope who had planted and watered the seed in Kallian, who had made his wishes come true… But the final fruit would be hers.

Charlotte pulled the key to the prison from her sleeve. She hadn’t escaped, but had hidden, and when she had heard that Kallian had been captured, she had paid a bribe and bought off the guards to get the key.

“You want this, don’t you, Viscount?”

“…….”

Charlotte said as she gently loosened the cord of the hooded cloak she had been wearing. Beneath it, only a thin dress clung to her warm body.

“If you say the word, I’ll help you escape, Viscount. I’ve already made all the preparations.”

“Preparations?”

“I knew from the beginning that the Duke would be killed one way or another.”

If he hadn’t realised that while standing at his side, he would have been a fool.

With the wealth and advantages she had amassed by manipulating Theodor, Charlotte had already made preparations to leave the Duke’s estate. A carriage, personally arranged by her husband, waited behind the mansion. 

She knew there was nothing more to be gained here – no more profit, no reason to linger. Without hesitation, she was ready to leave the estate, move elsewhere and start afresh, indulging herself with Kallian. 

At first, it had been Leanne who had harboured such ambitions, sent by the Empire to serve at Theodor’s side. But in the end, it was Charlotte who would reap the rewards. 

All the princesses had their share of naivety and folly.

“Hurry up, Viscount.”

Charlotte said with a sweet smile. With every word she spoke it felt like her body was heating up.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have some fun in prison and then get you out.”

It would certainly be a unique experience. It would have been better if Kallian had been handcuffed.

“Let’s enjoy it.”

Then Kallian smiled. It was the captivating smile she remembered.

“Yes, Miss Marte.”

He slowly raised his hand and cupped her chin gently.

“……!”

The face filled with anticipation slowly contorted with sharp pain. Kallian applied force to the hand holding her chin, forcing her mouth to open.

“Ha, Vis…count?”

Before she could finish, someone approached from behind and poured something into her open mouth.

“Ha!”

Charlotte recognised the scent of what was being poured into her mouth. It was the scent of a drug she often prepared for Theodor, though she rarely put it in her own mouth. A drug so powerful that it could melt and destroy the human brain.

“Cough!”

No matter how hard she struggled, the hand gripping her chin remained motionless. She scratched at the gloved hand repeatedly, but it felt as if she were trapped by a stone.

“Grkk…”

“I told you you’d like it, didn’t I, Marte?”

“Khuk, ugh, grkk…”

Kallian smiled again. It was the most captivating smile Charlotte had ever seen.

“I’m glad that hasn’t changed.”

“Grrrk…”

“Enjoy this opportunity to your heart’s content. The medicine must have been quite something for the Archduke to lose his appetite so quickly.” 

Charlotte’s vision began to blur. Her limbs twitched before her whole body went limp. 

“But your medicine always tastes awful.” 

“……” 

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea if you tried it yourself and found a way to improve it.” 

“Hah… …” 

“Well, it’s too late for that now.” 

Only then did Kallian release the hand he had been holding.