Gustav opened his eyes wide, then smiled and patted the girl’s shoulder.

“That’s amazing. So, you understand what we’re saying?”

The girl nodded.

“Roughly. A little.”

The child had instinctively known that revealing her ability to understand and speak this country’s language could put her in a disadvantageous position.

The girl had listened carefully to the conversations of passersby and filtered out the information they needed.

“You’re a smart child. Then, you understand that the current situation is very important, right?”

The girl nodded.

Then she firmly held her still-trembling mother’s hand and said,

[Mom, if not now, we can’t leave. Let’s go. To meet Dad.]

[……Really? Will it be okay?]

The girl glanced at the man Gustav had knocked unconscious and tied to the pillar.

Then she asked Gustav,

“You’ll, protect us? Like you said.”

Gustav nodded firmly, giving her reassurance.

The girl, seemingly having made her decision, extended her hand toward Gustav and said,

“What we, need to do. Tell us.”

* * *

‘……Huh? What’s that?’

Marquis Evoque stared out the window with hazy eyes, surrounded by whitish smoke.

His vision was blurry due to his dilated pupils, but he could see four suspicious people.

He slowly approached the terrace, cutting through the nobles who were sprawled out, intoxicated by the smoke.

His body felt heavy like cotton soaked with water, but his mood was better than he had ever experienced.

“……What’s this, actors?”

He grinned as he watched the four people entering a secluded area.

No matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn’t see their clear forms.

Instead, a red curtain unfurled before him with a swoosh, and Rosa’s apparition appeared.

— I’ve prepared a song for you, Marquis.

Madame Rosa beckoned to him, appearing just like when he first saw her.

Ah, he had spent over ten years trying to possess Rosa.

But now he seemed to be growing tired of that too, and another muse had caught his eye.

Who was it again?

Was it Anastasia?

He liked her desperate yet fierce gaze.

She reminded him of Rosa when she was younger.

“Phew.”

Evoque plopped down on a nearby chair and closed his eyes.

With this smoke, even the gout that had been tormenting him was no longer frightening.

That insufferable pain like someone scraping his bones with an awl.

Other nobles valued how good this smoke made them feel and how vividly it showed them their desired future, but he was different.

‘I can’t live without this now. I might die from the pain otherwise.’

He stood up unsteadily, intoxicated by the smoke.

The lead actors finished their song, and the curtain closed.

It was time to go behind and greet the actors with words of encouragement.

He opened the terrace window and went outside.

The fresh air momentarily cleared his head, but it quickly became foggy again.

“Now, let’s go, greet our actors, in the darkness……”

He stepped over the terrace railing with wobbling feet.

“……Ugghhh!”

And fell straight down.

* * *

“I’ve heard rumors……”

It was near the end of the meal.

Landers put down his fork and knife, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and spoke to Karl.

“That Lord Karl Winger is so fluent in foreign languages, is that true?”

“No. Berhe is a trading nation, so we get visitors from many different countries. I’ve only learned basic greetings as a fundamental skill.”

In response to Karl’s words, Landers raised the corner of his mouth slightly and nodded.

“I see. Then are you good at Jeronium language?”

Karl smiled faintly and shook his head.

“Not at all. Oh! I do know greetings. Dood karda, is that right?”

Landers looked at Karl with suspicious eyes as he awkwardly spoke the greeting in Jeronium.

He seemed to have decided to unmask him, removing all expression from his face and speaking bluntly.

“You must have heard about the assailant who attacked me a few days ago? This face is also his handiwork.”

“You must have been very shocked.”

Karl furrowed his eyebrows with a regretful expression.

“Yes. I was truly shocked. Even though I served in the military, I couldn’t subdue him. He was quite skilled.”

“It’s a frightening world. An ambush, tsk tsk.”

Karl clicked his tongue and put the last piece of meat from his plate into his mouth.

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Maria kept her mouth shut and carefully observed Landers and Schultz.

Schultz simply watched the two men without joining the conversation.

“It was too dark to see clearly, but…… just before I closed my eyes, I caught a glimpse of the attacker’s eyes.”

“Oh, did you? That’s a remarkable presence of mind while falling.”

Karl’s demeanor didn’t waver at all in response to Landers’ claim of having seen the culprit.

Landers found this even more strange.

That man couldn’t possibly be friendly toward him.

Even if that woman had lost her memory, he must know that Landers had approached her.

Moreover, there was also the incident in the king’s bedroom.

On the surface they were smiling, but their relationship was one of pointing guns and swords at each other.

The two men were like oil and water, completely unable to mix.

‘But why is he being so kind? Like…… someone who came with a purpose.’

He didn’t believe for a moment that, as the thoughtless Maria had suggested, he had developed a late attraction to his sister.

Though Maria was pretty and her family’s influence was outstanding, that was only an attraction that would work on humble families.

Karl Winger was not someone who needed Tartien’s influence in this country.

Moreover, weren’t there countless beauties around him?

Even that painter was so attractive that most actresses couldn’t compare.

‘Maria is under the illusion that she’s very special, but……’

That charm only works on her father.

He glanced coldly at his sister before fixing his gaze back on Karl.

“I stabbed the culprit’s side with a knife at that time.”

“To hear a vivid account of the scene from the person himself, this is truly an honorable occasion.”

This smooth-talking bastard.

Landers glared at Karl, grinding his teeth.

He found it strangely irritating how Karl countered every statement without backing down.

It was strange that he felt this way even though Karl wasn’t saying anything particularly offensive.

“……So, may I examine your side, Lord Winger?”

“La-Landers!”

Maria exclaimed in shock.

Wasn’t he essentially accusing Karl Winger of being the culprit from that day?

And to say such a thing right to his face!

This was no ordinary rudeness.

Karl tilted his head slightly and stared intently at Landers.

His golden eyes, filled with light, curved with amusement.

“Young duke, are you suspecting me of being that culprit?”

“That man’s eyes were exactly the same golden color as yours.”

“Well. I don’t think this eye color is that rare?”

“It’s not exactly common either.”

His tone suggested that Karl was definitely the culprit.

An icy silence circled the dining room.

Maria was busy watching Karl’s reaction, while Schultz observed the situation with his chin raised.

Technically, this was the enemies’ headquarters, and Karl was sitting there alone.

If it were revealed here that Karl was the attacker, as Landers suspected, they could arrest him on the spot.

And they would use that excuse to take everything he had.

Of course, he had no intention of letting that happen.

“An uncommon color. Well, that’s true…… but do you think that’s reason enough for me to prove it to you?”

Landers’ expression hardened.

He retorted with a distorted face, as if he hadn’t expected such an answer.

“Then you’re willing to let suspicion remain?”

Karl replied with a languid smile.

“Would there be any disadvantage to me if I did?”

At that moment, Schultz Tartien, who had been watching them, slammed his fist on the table and said,

“……Impudent.”

The dining room filled with a cold silence, as if cold water had been poured over everyone.