The other guards, frozen in shock, finally snapped out of it and ran down the corridor, leaving the injured man behind. Meanwhile, Akan stood there with an indifferent expression on his face, casually pressing a finger to his lips as if to tell everyone to keep quiet. 

That day, Duke Mos paid a considerable sum to appease not only the injured guard, but also the witnesses. Somehow he managed to keep the situation under control. 

But what happened the next day was different. 

“Are you doing this on purpose?” 

No matter how much Duke Mos shouted and raged, Akan didn’t even blink. The Duke, caught up in his own rage, continued to spiral into a frenzy. 

“The plan – you must stick to the plan! If it falls apart, neither you nor I will escape unscathed!” 

For all his arrogance, Akan at least had the decency to keep his mouth shut. Earlier that day, during a meeting of high-ranking officials, Akan had thrown a water-filled goblet at the head of a noble who had dared to raise an objection. 

It wasn’t just the one noble who was struck. Anyone who witnessed the scene could talk about it long after they had left the palace. The fragile balance that Duke Mos had painstakingly maintained through a mixture of threats and persuasion was now completely shattered. 

“If you’re so eager to see blood, why don’t you go down to the underground dungeons and cut up some beggar?” 

The Duke was foaming at the mouth, but his impassioned plea fell on deaf ears. It wasn’t just that Akan ignored him – he seemed intent on overturning the entire board. 

Similar incidents continued to occur. Each time Duke Mos struggled to contain the damage, his carefully constructed house of cards threatened to collapse altogether. 

Akan seemed unable to sleep, even after taking the medicine prescribed by the doctors. Under these circumstances, there was no point in asking him to keep his promises. On the verge of losing his mind, Duke Mos looked for other solutions. 

There was only one answer. The most critical piece of this precarious plan – including the broken Akan Roxas – was Robellia. 

Duke Mos requested a meeting with her. 

“I see…” 

Robellia’s lukewarm reply left the Duke visibly disappointed. He had spoken fervently, passionately, about how far Akan Roxas had come, but it seemed to have no effect on her. 

The Duke had expected more. After what she’d endured the last time, he’d thought a little prodding would send her into a frenzy. Maybe she’d make a scene, overreact wildly or even try to flee. Either outcome would have been enough. 

Akan needed Robellia. The only thing that had driven him this far – kept him alive despite his shattered will to live – was a hatred so consuming that even death couldn’t end it. 

How could he provoke Robellia? Duke Mos studied her carefully. Her shadowed face looked wounded and melancholy, but she didn’t look frightened. 

“Are you really all right?” 

Robellia nodded weakly. Even though she was sitting across from the Duke, her mind seemed to be somewhere far away, lost in another realm. 

Duke Mos already knew everything that had happened in the princess’s quarters. A maid, reluctant at first, had finally spilled the whole story in a torrent of words after some coaxing. 

Akan had acted as if Robellia were some horrible monster, but the maid had told him how Robellia had spent the whole night sobbing and calling for him. The maid had trembled as she spoke and said it was deeply disturbing, almost grotesque. 

Duke Mos agreed. What could this young woman, hardly more than a child, be thinking? One thing was clear: the brief encounter that Akan remembered as something terrible was a very different memory for Robellia. 

The Duke tapped his finger lightly against his lips. It seemed he needed to question Robellia further. 

“Do you realise that at this rate, someone might rise up in rebellion again? Could it be that you want that to happen?” 

Robellia’s shoulders jerked at the words. Her previously indifferent gaze wavered in an instant. Even in the face of Duke Mos’s unannounced visit, she had worked hard to maintain her facade of calm, but it was shattered in an instant. 

It only served to remind the Duke that she was still a child, after all. Feeling more at ease, Duke Mos raised his teacup again. 

“If even the Duke can’t get through to him… what can I do?” 

The mask Robellia had worked so desperately to create crumbled at the first crack. Her voice trembled, tears threatening to spill. The Duke gently pushed the teacup closer to her and Robellia, sniffling loudly, reached for it with trembling hands. 

“If Akan has really changed so much… Is that why he acted that way towards me? What if Akan hates me now?” 

Her voice, soft and troubled, betrayed her inner turmoil. The vulnerability in her words hung in the air like a delicate thread, drawing the Duke’s silent attention. 

Tears welled in Robellia’s eyes. Perhaps because she had grown accustomed to a life of authority over others, she seemed to show not a trace of sympathy for the servants who had suddenly found themselves in trouble. 

On closer inspection, it was as if Robellia’s world revolved only around herself and Akan. Duke Mos began to understand what the maid had meant when she described Robellia as troubling. This wasn’t just a simple case of memory loss – she seemed to have lost her grip on reality altogether. Silently, Duke Mss clicked his tongue in disapproval. 

“If another rebellion were to break out, neither you nor His Majesty would escape unscathed. Please help me to prevent that.” 

Robellia’s eyes darted nervously before she gave a small nod. 

Although Duke Mos seemed eager to provoke Robellia, the truth was that he had no concrete plan. The only idea he had was to present Robellia to Akan when he was alone, hoping to divert Akan’s anger in another direction. 

Duke Mo reassured Robellia by promising to protect her if the situation became truly dangerous. He was sincere in this promise, for no one could predict how Akan would react if Robellia were to die. Ensuring her survival was essential because Duke Mos, more than anyone, wanted to avoid any unforeseen complications. 

After dinner, Duke Mos sent a bottle of strong liquor to Akan’s bedroom, claiming to have found something suitable for the occasion. Alcohol and a woman – such a shallow plan that it was almost embarrassing to call it a plan, but it was better than doing nothing. 

But Robellia, summoned for the purpose, hesitated and lingered far from the door of Akan’s room, seemingly reluctant to approach. Duke Mos was amused at the ridiculousness of the situation. At this rate, he really did look like a traitorous minister, offering wine and women to his sovereign. 

He held out his arm to escort Robellia to the door – a gesture he thought was polite. But Robellia, startled, suddenly grabbed a nearby pillar and clung to it, refusing to move any closer. 

“What exactly are you doing?” 

She wasn’t some village girl who’d been dragged here, yet the princess was clinging to a pillar like a fool. Duke Mos let out a dry chuckle in disbelief. 

Robellia, her face flushed, finally let go of the pillar and took a tentative step forward. She looked pitiful, crouched like a frightened little animal. 

“Will it be all right…?” 

“It’ll be fine. I’ll be waiting nearby.”

His reassurance was more like Well, she might be hurt, but she’s not going to die, so it’ll be all right. He roughly reassured Robellia before positioning her in front of the closed door. 

After knocking, he immediately pushed the still hesitant Robellia into the room. She stumbled as she entered. 

“A-Akan…” 

“What is it?” 

Akan, sitting idly on the edge of the bed without even opening the bottle of liquor, frowned deeply when he saw Robellia. He was already exhausted, both mentally and physically, from the relentless nightmares that plagued him every night, making it impossible for him to sleep. 

Overcome by a sudden rage, Akan instinctively reached for the knife he had hidden in his room. But the dagger, always hidden in the same place behind the headboard, was nowhere to be found. 

Robellia’s visit. The missing knife. He could easily guess who was behind it all. Don’t kill her, just beat her senseless – was that the message? Cruel, but no different from his own. Akan ran an irritated hand through his hair. 

“Get out. Unless you really want to die.” 

“Akan… Why are you acting like this?”  

Despite her fear, Robellia slowly approached Akan. Duke Mos hadn’t told her exactly what to do or how to do it. Still, she believed there was a way to help Akan, so she felt she had to try.