Chapter 82

It was a calm yet powerful voice. I met my father’s gaze directly and spoke.

“It’s the Empire’s First Princess, Abigail.“

“…You mean Her Highness, Princess Abigail?”

Father wasn’t shocked. Everyone knew that Princess Abigail was the strategist behind the Second Prince, Prince Cain.

“Princess Abigail intends to claim the throne for herself.”

At this, Father let out a soft sigh. The idea of someone using their siblings as pawns in a struggle for the throne, only to claim it for themselves, wouldn’t sit well with him. It must have seemed utterly abhorrent to him.

Father closed his eyes briefly, deep in thought, remaining still. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes again, nodding as if he had come to a conclusion.

“So, that’s what it was.“

“Did something happen?“

“I heard that after Prince Cain’s fall, Her Highness Princess Abigail became extremely cautious yet still participated in several council meetings. Those meetings were originally the responsibilities of the Crown Prince and Prince Cain. I thought she was merely trying to fill the void left by Prince Cain. But…”

“Princess Abigail would not do that out of pure intentions. She likely wanted to ensure she wasn’t forgotten.“

“And how can you be so sure?”

I explained everything that had happened. By the time I recounted the clear evidence that Princess Abigail had ordered Lady Eriant to kill me, Father’s eyes were trembling with anger. I hurriedly waved my hands to calm him.

“I’m alright now. In fact, the wounds I got from fighting the beasts took longer to heal.“

“How could you go through such an ordeal without even sending a letter…!”

I embraced Father as he spoke, his face a mixture of frustration and anger. His sturdy armor pressed against me, but I didn’t mind.

“His Grace, the Grand Duke, scolded me plenty, so please don’t be mad at me too.”

I laced my words with as much affection as I could muster, and Father sighed deeply, nodding in reluctant agreement. Smiling, I stepped back and spoke with a more serious tone.

“Princess Abigail’s current target is the entire Winsley family. Our family has always been loyal to whoever sits on the throne. We don’t interfere in succession disputes but serve the chosen heir just as loyally. Because of that, we are an obstacle to Princess Abigail. She plans to frame the Winsley family for treason.“

“If that happens, it would also create a difficult situation for His Highness the Crown Prince.“

“Exactly. If we were to commit treason, what would our motive be? To seize the throne ourselves? No one would believe that. They’d assume we were doing it to place His Highness Prince Aslan on the throne.“

“His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t tolerate such a thing. He’s a very suspicious man.“

“That’s true. He’s also quite wary of the Zan family. He even went so far as to poison the former Duchess.”

This revelation caused a significant reaction in Father. He grabbed my arm, his hand trembling.

I placed my hand over him, smiling softly to reassure him.

“His Majesty is cautious, so he wouldn’t try to poison me in such a public place. The former Duchess was poisoned in a secluded villa, after all.“

“Even so, you’re still in a snake pit. Your mother would be heartbroken if she heard this…”

Father ran a rough hand over his face in distress.

“Even in such a dangerous situation, His Grace the Grand Duke allowed you to leave the estate?“

Father’s anger suddenly turned in an unexpected direction, and I widened my eyes in surprise.

“I insisted on coming! He had nothing to do with it.“

“You insisted, and he just let you go?”

I crossed my arms and glared at Father, feeling indignant. I could deflect his scolding with a bit of charm, but criticizing Julian was unacceptable.

“His Grace respects me. How could I sit idly by, warming myself by the fire and eating roast meat, while the family I was born into was in danger? I couldn’t do that, and His Grace understood that.“

“Even so…“

“This is about trust between husband and wife. I’m sure you understand since you have Mother.”

At the mention of Mother, Father finally fell silent. He was soft-hearted when it came to her, always willing to support her in whatever she wished.

In the end, Father raised both hands in surrender.

“Let’s continue this conversation as we ride.“

“Alright.”

Father and I left the tree shade and returned to the procession. Soon after, the march resumed. Louis looked concerned, but I just flashed him a grin.

In this life, I was determined to protect them.

* * *

The Eastern Liar Plains belonged to the Melin Estate. While not as warm as the southern capital, it was still milder than the North. However, the nights were chilly enough to warrant thick walls and warm blankets.

Despite this, the northern building assigned to the Winsley family for the duration of the subjugation was isolated and dilapidated at first glance. Standing close to the walls, one could even hear the sound of the wind.

Moreover, the blankets they had been provided weren’t precisely thin but weren’t satisfactory.

“After all the trouble of coming all this way…”

Someone grumbled. Even though they were here for honor, it was hard to maintain morale when the treatment was lacking.

“The Melin Estate must be in a tough situation. Everyone, let’s try to understand.”

The grumbling stopped as soon as Father spoke, and everyone straightened up. After all, these were the proud soldiers of the Winsley family. They nodded to each other, agreeing to be understanding, and went to their assigned rooms to unpack.

I approached Father and whispered in a very low voice.

“There’s no way the situation in Melin Estate is this bad. We rushed here as soon as we heard about the appearance of the demonic beasts. It’s not like the beasts could have eaten all the blankets. And there’s no way this is the only building in the Melin Estate…“

“Enough.”

Father cut me off with a firm voice.

“We didn’t come here to be treated like royalty. We’re here to help. Let’s consider this as their best effort.”

I knew my father’s stubborn nature well. But I couldn’t back down either.

“Well, I didn’t come here expecting royal treatment either. But if their sincerity varies between guests, that’s a different story.“

“Laila.”

I decided to check on the palace army and the southern soldiers. As I turned to leave, Father grabbed my arm firmly.

“Laila, don’t stir up unnecessary trouble. The most important thing is the safety of the people.”

He was right. It was a noble, righteous, and heroic thing to say, but I didn’t aspire to be a hero. I gently pushed his hand away and smiled.

“Not for me. For me, the most important thing is the safety of ‘my‘ people. The safety of the people comes after that.”

Father was so shocked by my words that he couldn’t say anything. He didn’t try to stop me again, either. I bowed my head slightly and headed toward the leading estate of Melin. Shortly after, a female knight hurried to my side.

“What is it?“

“The Count of the Border ordered me to escort Her Grace the Grand Duchess.“

“He’s always so cautious, isn’t he?”

At my comment, the knight smiled awkwardly.

“I think he cares for Your Grace very much.”

A conservative answer, and not wrong either. Her response gave me a good sense of her personality. After all, if Father had specifically chosen her to escort me, she must be a knight he favored.

“What’s your name?”

When I asked, the knight replied politely.

“Hella.“

“Nice to meet you, Hella. You’ll watch over me for a while, so I should be on my best behavior, right?”

Hella was flustered and tried to deny it, but I just smiled.

Soon, Hella and I arrived at the central estate. Due to the influx of many guests at once, the estate was bustling with supplies being brought in. I approached one of the resting workers near a cart.

“May I have a look?”

Given that Hella and I were dressed differently and she was clearly guarding me, it was easy for the worker to guess that I was a noble. He quickly stood up and pulled back the cloth covering the cart.

Inside were blankets much thicker than those given to the Winsley soldiers. When I ran my hand over them, they were soft and of good quality. I smiled kindly at the worker, who seemed unsure what to do.

“You’ve got some nice goods here. Good work.”

The worker seemed relieved when I smiled, but my suspicion only grew. Why was someone merely transporting goods so nervous?

“These aren’t going to the palace army stationed at the main estate, are they? Where are they headed?“

“They’re going to the southern building.“

“The southern building? Who’s staying there…?”

I furrowed my brow as if trying to remember, prompting the worker to answer quickly.

“I heard that the nobles from the capital are staying there.“

“Oh, thank you. I should go pay my respects.”

I smiled again as I started moving south, though I wasn’t going to offer greetings—I was going to investigate. As I expected, many carts were heading toward the southern building.

‘Let’s see who’s here.’

I tried to recall which families had participated in the subjugation in my past life, but nothing came to mind. I had spent far more days confined to my room back then.

When I neared the southern building, I saw a familiar man standing in front of it, overseeing the workers. I stopped walking, and his gaze slowly moved toward me.

I knew little about the families that participated in the subjugation. But if you asked me to name a family that hadn’t participated, there was one that I could mention first.

The House of Eriant.

Shuan stood there, his eyes wide as he stared at me.

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.