The noblewoman’s anxiety symptoms eased rapidly once she felt reassured. Naturally, there was less for the Duke to worry about. For several days, the siblings were wrapped in the feeling that the world was going their way. They were even intoxicated with the idea that they were quite omnipotent.

That illusion shattered one morning.

“Y-Your Grace! Your Grace, there’s a disaster!”

“What is this commotion?”

“T-The Marquis….”

“What about the Marquis? Don’t tell me he’s saying he can’t go through with it?”

“It’s not that….”

The trusted subordinate, who had rushed into the room, gasped for breath before finally speaking. Just then, a loud noise was heard. The Duke, puzzled that such a sound was reaching them, turned his gaze toward the window. His eyes widened in shock.

“What on earth…!”

“You must escape.”

“Why would I run away?!”

The Duke frowned and threw the door open. His steps out of the room were damp with invisible cold sweat.

Imperial soldiers were visible. Troops of the Empire, not bothering to conceal their insignia, had broken through the outer gate of the mansion and taken control of the yard.

What was going on? Could the frame-up have failed? The Duke considered all possibilities as he headed to the first floor. He felt like he was in a dream, but he had to go out and confront the situation. In his calculations, there was no reason for him to be caught in such a scenario.

“What is the meaning of this!”

The Duke shouted as he stepped outside through the inner door. Several household staff members who had apparently resisted were tied up and kneeling in various places.

The Duke shouted, then looked ahead. Immediately, he felt suffocated. Eyes as brilliant as molten gold were staring straight at him. Platinum hair reflected the intense sunlight of Essis.

‘This is impossible….’

It wasn’t just soldiers who had invaded the mansion. The person leading them was the Emperor himself. And the Duke realized the moment their eyes met—the Emperor was not mad.

“It’s been a while, Duke. Since the last birthday banquet, it must be nearly a year.”

“W-What… What brings Your Majesty here? Even though you are the Emperor, you cannot simply invade my estate like this. This is not the Empire.”

‘Marquis, you treacherous bastard!’

Struggling not to show his agitation, the Duke clenched his fists. He believed the Marquis had betrayed him. Whether the Marquis had tried and failed or never tried at all, he was convinced the Marquis had sided with the Emperor and set him up to take all the blame.

‘So that’s why he sent a false report of success…. Wait, I verified through another informant.’

The Duke’s face hardened. Ah, now he understood. They must have captured all his informants and fed him false information.

He had hidden multiple contacts, some of whom stayed in the capital to monitor movements rather than approaching the palace directly. Finding them all would have been no easy task.

‘They really went all out. D*mn it.’

He couldn’t even imagine how many people the Emperor had mobilized. They had hidden it flawlessly. The Duke gritted his teeth and suppressed his turbulent emotions.

It had been wise to erase his traces when communicating with the Marquis. They couldn’t use that to accuse him of being a traitor.

Still, having his estate seized was a major problem.

“If there is a legitimate reason, I am more than willing to offer my estate. But not like this. Please withdraw for now and submit a formal request for cooperation to the kingdom….”

“If that’s the case, it’s already been handled.”

“What?”

“It’s about time.”

“Your Majesty, the messenger has arrived!”

As if on cue, the sound of hooves approached. Passing through the already broken gate, the rider skillfully pulled the reins to stop the horse, then leapt down lightly from the saddle. The armor moved with a grace that made it seem like paper.

“Am I late?”

“No. I timed it well enough. Well done.”

“Thank you. My backside is a bit sore from riding nonstop, though.”

Banther adjusted his stance as he replied with a jest and shifted his gaze. The Duke of Vaildion, his eyes stretched wide with disbelief, was staring at him — or more precisely, at the navy-blue letter he held.

Grinning, Banther unfolded the letter.

“An official cooperation warrant. The King of Essis is very willing to assist in apprehending the Empire’s criminals. I’ve brought the royal seal as well.”

“Well done.”

“W-wait…!”

“Detain him and begin the search.”

The duke’s expression changed as he was forcibly made to kneel. This was a disaster. His sister, who should not have been alive, was hidden inside the mansion. Unaware of the situation, she likely hadn’t escaped.

Banther, noticing the duke’s pale face, remarked dryly:

“Judging by your expression, it seems true.”

“It is.”

The emperor responded briefly.

Not long ago, when facing the marquis, who had been arrested as a suspect, Mail had speculated: Was the corpse of the empress, who had supposedly died in a carriage accident ten years prior, too mutilated to be identified?

And indeed, it was. The carriage, overturned during a trip, had been discovered two days later. The bodies presumed to have been inside were mangled beyond recognition.

The cause was wild animals. The accident had occurred on a mountain trail, and the bodies were still being scavenged when they were found.

Though the faces were unrecognizable, they had identified the empress based on her clothing, hair color, and physical features. Thus, it was concluded that the first empress consort had died.

But what if that was a decoy? Mail suggested that the empress might still be alive.

If true, it could explain why Duke Vaildion plotted against the emperor: he was sheltering her.

The emperor took Mail’s suggestion and acted swiftly. He intercepted information, captured agents, and fabricated false intelligence to mislead the duke’s network. It wasn’t easy, but there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish under the Imperial name.

Ultimately, suspicion turned into certainty. If the duke had truly desired power, upon learning of his plan’s success, he would have allied with forces to depose the emperor and seize the throne. Instead, he sent word to the marquis to erase the contents of the tower.

With the facts confirmed, the emperor led his troops personally. Rather than requesting the extradition of the criminal from the kingdom, he acted directly to prevent the duke from smuggling the lady out.

The truth only reached Duke Vaildion’s mansion long after the emperor crossed the border — by then, imperial troops were already on the estate grounds.

Soon, Lady Vaildion was dragged out by the soldiers. Frozen with confusion, her face turned deathly pale when she saw the emperor, and she screamed. The emperor’s eyes darkened as he looked at his enemy. Banther, too, felt conflicted.

“Will you interrogate her?”

“No. There’s nothing more to hear. Send her to the Empire; she’ll be executed upon arrival.”

“Understood.”

“L-lies… This is a lie! Aah!”

Even at nearly fifty, the lady, once called the kingdom’s greatest beauty, remained stunning. The emperor regarded her with chilling indifference. Perhaps it was such beauty that allowed her to seduce a late Emperor.

Even in her terrified frenzy, her flawless face and flowing, vibrant red hair captivated onlookers. It was chilling.

The soldiers offered no courtesy to the criminal. She was dragged away, pitifully, like an inanimate object. The emperor’s lifeless gaze moved away from her.

At that moment, Duke Vaildion, his head bowed in despair, finally spoke.

“So… what is my crime? Is hiding a criminal my crime?”

“What?”

Banther looked at him in disbelief, as if to say, How can the mastermind who conspired to endanger the emperor say such things? But the duke stubbornly continued, his voice relatively calm.

“Regardless of the circumstances, I want to state that everything else is a frame-up.”

He took a breath and added:

“Do you have proof?”

The duke had made up his mind. His sister’s fate was regrettable, but there was no helping it. He had to survive.

He had prepared for the possibility that the marquis would fail, cutting all ties with his accomplice. Even if the marquis confessed, it wouldn’t matter. There was no physical evidence, so denial would suffice.

His rank was too high for imprisonment based on circumstantial evidence alone, especially in a foreign land. Even an emperor couldn’t overreach indefinitely.

Banther chuckled dryly at the duke’s claim.

“You really act the part of a co-conspirator… Duke Vaildion, do you think we don’t have proof?”

“If you have it, show me.”

“If that’s your wish.”

The emperor signaled. A knight, who had been waiting silently, stepped forward and presented a fist-sized recording orb.

The duke’s eyes flickered at the sight of it.

“So, it was that…”