Chapter 114

“Sorry…”  

Rosie said in an unusually small voice for her.  

“I had no idea what was going on, and I couldn’t get in touch with you at all. Then I heard that Tia went down to Raspol. I kept wondering what could possibly take her to Raspol, and I started worrying that Ian might be sick…… When I heard you’d come back to the estate, I just couldn’t help myself.”

Rosie didn’t know what had happened to Vivian. However, the sudden lack of news from her friend kept her up at night, plagued by bad thoughts, and she couldn’t focus on her successor lessons.  

As soon as Rosie received word from Tia that Vivian had returned to the capital, she left a tea party she was attending with her mother and came straight to the Dinever estate.  

“I should have knocked, though…”  

Rosie, smiling sheepishly and gauging Vivian’s mood, shuffled closer to her.  

“But it seems like my advice helped a little, didn’t it?”  

Vivian, who had been glaring at Rosie with a mix of annoyance and affection, tilted her head at the mention of advice.  

“See? You can’t just keep pulling someone in. The moment you said you didn’t like him, he started clinging to you like a bee. He’s a beekeeper, a beekeeper.” 

Rosie’s ten fingers danced vividly in front of her eyes.  

“It’s not like that.”  

“Oh, it’s not?”  

With a sly smile, Rosie said it was the first time she’d seen the Crown Prince like that. She added that with golden honey dripping from his eyes, the Dinever family wouldn’t need honey supplies for a while. Then she teased that once things settled down and they got married, she’d be seeing nieces and nephews soon, all while shaking Vivian’s arm.  

“Go home.”  

Vivian tried to pull Rosie up and push her away, but it was nearly impossible to physically kick out Rosie, who was much taller than her.  

“By the way, what’s that thing you were holding earlier?”  

Vivian stopped pulling Rosie’s arm and turned her gaze to the pocket watch placed on the table.  

“Huh? That’s—!”  

Rosie’s violet eyes widened as she followed Vivian’s gaze to the pocket watch.  

“Do you know what it is?”  

“Of course! I’ve only seen it in books… But how do you have this?”  

Rosie knelt on the floor, unable to touch the pocket watch but blinking her eyes as she examined it up close.  

The watch was finely crafted with intricate details, but Vivian hadn’t realized it was such a famous item. She asked Rosie what it was.  

Rosie looked up at Vivian as if to ask if she really didn’t know. When Vivian slowly shook her head, Rosie grinned and began explaining that she had seen it in the Imperial Treasury Catalog.  

“It’s a treasure passed down through the Imperial Family. The craftsmanship is remarkable, but its historical value is even greater.”  

“A treasure?”  

Vivian’s voice rose in surprise.  

“There are several items that the previous Emperor passes down to the next Emperor, and this is one of them.”  

Vivian closed her open mouth tightly at Rosie’s explanation. Louis had handed her the item, saying it was something he had received from the previous Emperor.  

An item passed down from the previous Emperor to the next generation wasn’t in Emperor Henry’s possession but in Louis’s.  

“If you have it, it means His Highness the Crown Prince gave it to you…”  

Rosie, speaking cautiously, crossed her arms and tapped her arm with her fingers.  

“Considering the poor relationship between the previous Emperor and Emperor Henry, it’s entirely possible.”  

Rosie continued as she gazed at the pocket watch, which sparkled even in the faint light coming through the window.  

“The previous Emperor cherished Empress Annette and Crown Prince Luideos greatly. Their relationship soured even more because of Consort Violet.”  

Vivian sat beside Rosie, crouching down and resting her chin on her knees. At the same eye level as Rosie, she stared at the pocket watch and thought deeply.  

What feelings had Louis harbored when he gave me such a precious item?  

As the memory of young Louis handing her the pocket watch resurfaced, Vivian felt a sharp pain in her chest and placed a hand over her heart.  

“I don’t like regretful men.”  

Rosie, who had been captivated by the rare pocket watch, furrowed her brows.  

“If it were me, I’d just come clean and admit everything was a lie.”

Vivian removed her hand from her chest, hugged her knees, and rested her chin on them. Her long, thick lashes fluttered slowly as she blinked.  

“I always hated how easily heroines forgave regretful men in stories. But if it’s my friend…”

Vivian burst into laughter at Rosie’s words.  

Rosie, as if she had swallowed a lump of sweet potato, gulped down the water Tia had brought earlier, complaining that her throat felt blocked for no reason.  

The water was lukewarm. After finishing the glass in one gulp, Rosie wiped her mouth roughly and looked at Vivian, who was still staring at the pocket watch.  

“Vivi, you look a bit dried out.”  

Rosie hadn’t noticed when Vivian’s face was red with embarrassment and fluster, but now that she looked closely, her friend’s face seemed tired and even unwell. Rosie grabbed Vivian’s arm.  

“Tia!”  

Dragging Vivian along, Rosie opened her mouth wide and called for Tia. At her loud voice, Tia hurriedly entered Vivian’s room, blinking her large eyes.  

“Prepare for bed!”  

“Yes!”  

Tia nodded rapidly and quickly left the room. Vivian, who was trying to resist, said she was fine, but her resistance was weak.  

Tia returned at lightning speed and began quickly undressing Vivian. Soon, soft pajamas replaced her clothes, and Vivian was tucked into bed with the blanket pulled up to her neck.  

Only after being tucked in did Vivian come to her senses and try to get up, but Rosie stopped her with a single finger.  

“With dark circles down to here, you still managed to get so close to the Crown Prince?”  

Rosie clicked her tongue.  

“Does my face look that bad?”  

“Do you want me to be honest?”  

Vivian shook her head. Rosie said she made the right choice and sat on the edge of the bed. Feeling the bed dip slightly, Vivian closed her eyes.  

But soon, her eyelids fluttered open again.  

Although it seemed like she had fallen asleep, Vivian’s peridot-colored eyes appeared again in less than a minute.  

When Rosie asked why she had opened her eyes again, Vivian’s lips parted cautiously.  

“It’s just… Scary thoughts keep coming to mind.”  

Rosie, who had been staring at her friend, scratched her head.  

“What kind of thoughts?”  

“Thoughts of losing the people I care about.”  

“Why are you like this all of a sudden? That’s not like you. Thinking about things that won’t even happen.”  

“…They can happen. So easily. When you least expect it.”  

“Are you thinking about your mother?”  

Vivian closed her mouth.

Her gaze, fixed on the ceiling, carried a layer of fear. Scooting closer, Rosie covered Vivian’s eyes with one hand.

“Above the blue sky, the bright sun greets us, and the scent of lilacs tickles our noses. When I close my eyes, longing fills my heart, and a familiar face appears before me. Oh, please don’t leave.”

It was a messy lullaby, sung in a single monotone. Vivian let out a small laugh.

Rosie’s clumsy but heartfelt lullaby echoed in Vivian’s bedroom for a long time.

***

At the westernmost end of Dovelia Palace stood a building slightly different from the grand structures that testified to the palace’s glorious history.

It was a long, single-story building. As they approached the entrance, Duke Tereon Dinever asked,

“Did His Majesty the Emperor order Marquis Cloak to be arrested?”

“There’s enough justification now.”

Louis replied as he bit the tip of his glove and pulled it off, as if the situation felt stifling.

“He won’t be easy to catch.”

“But the Emperor isn’t one to give up easily either.”

Duke Dinever nodded with a slight smile.

“What about the movements of Robert Fame while he was in the Empire?”

“There’s no trace at all. He erased everything thoroughly.”

Even Duke Tereon couldn’t uncover the past of the leader of Inferna. 

What was he hiding? 

Louis’ deep golden eyes lingered on the building’s entrance.

When Louis and Duke Dinever reached the entrance, the knights on guard greeted them politely and opened the heavy door.

‘Thud, thud, thud.’

The sound of the large, thick door opening was equally weighty. Once the door was fully open, Louis stepped inside first.

As Louis appeared, the man sitting at the lone desk on the first floor jumped to his feet.

“You’ve arrived.”

When Louis nodded, the man turned toward a large shelf at the back. A previously locked door opened, and the man, holding a set of keys, stood before the door leading underground.

“How is he?”

Louis asked the man, who had unlocked several layers of locks and was now leading the way down the stairs.

“He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever seen.”

The man glanced back at Louis briefly before continuing down the stairs.

“Most of the criminals who come here are terrified and quickly reveal their true nature, but this one……”

Trailing off, the man’s hesitation made Louis furrow his brow in frustration. However, the dim lighting in the interior made it impossible for the man to see Louis’ expression as he slowly added,

“He’s unusually calm. He eats the stale, dried bread without complaint, sleeps well, and even hums to himself occasionally. Haha. I think he might be insane.”

The man chuckled incredulously as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Another layer of doors blocked their way. The man selected a key from his set and inserted it into the lock.

The key fit perfectly, and as it turned, the thick lock clicked open.

The damp, dark space was unimaginable as part of Dovelia Palace. Not a single ray of light entered the pitch-black area, with only a few precariously flickering candles providing illumination.

The sound of the three men’s footsteps filled the narrow corridor lined with densely packed cells.

“Robert Fame.”

Baron Daniel, who was in charge of Dovelia’s underground prison, tapped on the bars. Robert Fame, who seemed to have been asleep, raised his head and blinked slowly.

“Oh my. Is this an interrogation? That would be preferable. It’s better than waiting for my sentence in this wretched place, not knowing whether it’s day or night.”

Though he still wore a friendly smile, his disheveled hair and sunken cheeks and eyes betrayed the toll of life in the underground prison.

As Louis coldly observed him, he gestured to Daniel with a nod. Daniel gave a slight bow and quickly left the area.

‘Drip, drip.’

The sound of water dripping from an unknown source echoed faintly. Louis took a step closer to the iron bars.

“There’s a simple way for you to leave this wretched place.”

Louis’ voice, colder than the chilly prison air, sent a shiver through the corridor.

“Answer my questions without a single lie.”

At Louis’ words, Robert Fame shook his shoulders and chuckled. As his laughter grew louder, Duke Dinever stepped forward, but Louis stopped him.

“What’s so funny?”

“Haha. Ha. Even if I tell you everything, there’s nothing……. nothing you can do. All you’ll feel is your own helplessness.”

“How dare you.” 

Duke Dinever growled, his voice sharp. Despite the Duke’s menacing glare, Robert Fame laughed for a while longer.

After wiping away the tears that had gathered in his eyes, Robert Fame suddenly erased the smile from his face. The flickering candlelight in the corridor danced across Louis’ face.

“Crown Prince Luideos Lindez Tapeullon, there’s nothing you can do. Even if you learn the truth……. Do you still want to know?”