Chapter 13 – Part 1 (Volume 3)

Anne arrived at the now familiar royal palace by carriage.

Following her, a carriage carried a pile of gifts from Ferrell.

Anne slowly walked, feeling the weight of the revolver strapped to her thigh beneath her voluminous dress.

“Don’t let your guard down,” Howard, who was following behind her, said. Despite it being his first time at the royal palace, he maintained a calm demeanor.

‘Why is he so composed?’ Anne wondered, tilting her head.

Suen, who had reluctantly come along, asked with anxious eyes, “My Lady, with so many people here, is it really dangerous?”

They were now walking through the garden of the imperial palace, where the banquet was being held.

In the garden, numerous nobles in various evening attire were inquiring about each other’s recent activities.

Palace staff were pouring white wine at various spots.

Anne, remembering how Evan had been captured in the palace last time, gave a tense reminder to Howard and Suen.

“Do not step in front of any nobles. If anything dangerous happens, inform Ferrell immediately.”

The two nodded at her words.

Anne exchanged a glance with Ferrell in the distance, steeling herself.

The banquet was scheduled to last for about a week. She had to figure out a way to meet the Crown Prince during this time.

Reminding herself of this, Anne braced herself again.

As time passed, the number of nobles attending the banquet increased.

This was the first event held at the royal palace since the truce was decided.

Moreover, it seemed that more people were flocking in due to the larger and longer-lasting banquet organized to cover up the incidents involving the Duke and the Crown Prince being detained.

Nobles, sensitive to the rapidly changing political landscape of Terossa, were already gathering in groups.

Among the murmuring voices, many sharp gazes focused on Anne. She could hear their gossip.

“Did you hear? That woman was rolling around with Duke Davis.”

“And now she’s being announced as Lady Vanessa? People didn’t even know Baron Vanessa had lost a child. Are they planning to deceive us?”

“But about the Crown Prince and the Duke, they were said to be traitors and war criminals, but the investigation is still sluggish. Those who were previously arrested for conspiracy were executed within a week.”

“Exactly. What on earth is going on!”

Anne glanced at them briefly before looking ahead again. She tried to appear calm, even though she was tensing her shoulders.

In truth, Anne didn’t care how she was referred to by those around her.

However, she had received advice from Ferrell.

Act like a woman who has fallen from grace, like a kite with a broken string, whose engagement was called off due to her lover being accused of treason.

Then no one would pay attention to her. There were too many such ladies in Terossa.

Thus, despite not having a chaperone, Anne had to act as if she were trying to make a successful social debut, regardless.

Acting as if she were looking for a decent young man, Anne scanned her surroundings.

However, no one approached her, as she was already the subject of scandal with another man.

“Lady Vanessa, may I have a moment?”

Someone spoke to Anne, who was standing alone like an isolated island.

It was Joseph from the Dane family, Evan’s aide.

“…”

Anne took a step back. According to Ferrell’s investigation, there was a traitor in the Dane family who had sold information to the Kingdom of Vails.

And Joseph, who had access to all the confidential information as Evan’s aide, was the prime suspect.

“Are you avoiding me because I refused to help after the commander was captured?”

Joseph’s eyes glistened with a sad look. Anne felt conflicted.

Was it because of the time they had spent together at the field hospital?

She thought she should avoid him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

“Joseph, no. I just didn’t expect to see you here,” Anne said, reluctantly stepping closer to him. Joseph’s face brightened.

“How is the commander?”

Anne carefully observed Joseph, whose nose was already red as if he were drunk.

‘Could Joseph really have betrayed us?’

The man who had been so blindly loyal?

Anne spoke cautiously.

“I haven’t seen the commander recently either. As you said, it’s out of our hands.”

“I see.”

Joseph, looking dejected, poured himself another glass of wine and drank it.

“Would you like a drink too, my lady?”

“…I will.”

Anne took a sip of champagne handed to her by a passing servant, eager to end this awkward encounter quickly.

At that moment, she heard a low, tearful voice.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for this to happen; I just thought it would help the family.”

Startled, Anne looked at Joseph’s face.

His eyes were brimming with tears, and there was a bit of snot around his nose.

It was a pitiful sight, but Anne was more troubled by the thought that Joseph might not be a traitor after all.

Worried that the surrounding nobles might see them, Anne quickly grabbed Joseph’s wrist and led him to a secluded, bushy area.

The air was thick with the scent of flowers, and moths fluttered about.

Servants resting secretly in the corner quickly vacated the area. Once they were alone, Anne comforted Joseph.

“Joseph, what if someone sees you? Please, calm down.”

“I’m really sorry. I’ve been so scared since the commander was taken… I’m truly sorry.”

Anne looked at him with a sympathetic expression. Joseph had always been by Evan’s side.

As the commander’s aide, Joseph had always been passionate and straightforward, more so than anyone else.

It was hard to believe all that had been an act.

Moreover, he was known for his empathy, often counseling other soldiers.

Anne did not want to believe Joseph was a traitor.

“Joseph…”

As Anne comforted him by patting his shoulder, Joseph couldn’t stop sobbing.

He cried so hard that he eventually collapsed to the ground.

Anne was at a loss for words.

Even though she wanted to trust Joseph, she couldn’t let her guard down just because he was from the Dane family.

“Actually… I have something to confess.”

After crying for a while, Joseph spoke as if vomiting the words out.

“…While serving, I often wrote letters to my father. I would tell him where I was and reassure him not to worry because the operations were perfect. I also wrote about imminent deployments.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Exchanging letters was not unusual.

However, seeing Joseph’s contorted expression, Anne realized it wasn’t a simple matter.

All correspondence in and out of the military was subject to internal censorship to prevent information leaks.

But letters from noble scions were not subject to such scrutiny.

Sensitive information about family succession or inheritance could be exchanged even during wartime, and imposing strict censorship on such matters could lead to significant backlash.

Nobles typically carried a strong sense of pride in being citizens of the Terossa Empire and had high patriotism.

Moreover, there had been no apparent problems with this practice throughout the war.

The complacency built over time was the root of the current situation.

“I can’t say for sure now, but I believe I’m the one who pushed the commander to the brink. If there’s a way to set things right…”

“Wait. Joseph, do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes, I do.”

Joseph was admitting that his family had cooperated with the Kingdom of Vails.

Anne couldn’t discern whether this was another plot by someone else or an unexpected stroke of luck.

Anne cautiously spoke.

“You realize that what you’re saying means standing against your family. Do you understand the implications? You’re talking about abandoning your family.”

More than anything, Anne wanted to confirm Joseph’s resolve.

Joseph, his eyes still red from crying, took a long time to find his words.

While Anne didn’t know much about the Dane family, she knew that standing against one’s family was not an easy choice.

Anne heard Joseph’s small voice.

“…As you know, we were all at the bottom of the heap on the battlefield. Though we had titles, many of us were abandoned by our families or had nowhere else to go.”

The Terossa Imperial Army was composed of second sons who couldn’t inherit their family’s titles, wastrels who had spent their lives gambling and drinking, vagrants, and drifters.

They joined for personal advancement or to honor the empire’s name.

“I had many older siblings, so I couldn’t receive any support from my family. Initially, I planned to earn a title through my achievements, but my perspective changed after meeting the commander.”

No matter how others called Evan the emperor’s dog, Joseph’s view was different.

Duke Davis was born at the pinnacle of nobility.

Nevertheless, he enlisted voluntarily and dedicated himself to the empire day and night.

Joseph, who served closely by his side, knew best how noble Evan’s actions were, embodying the principle of noblesse oblige.

“Lady Vanessa, that’s why I felt such betrayal and shock about my family. The commander and the imperial army did everything they could for Terossa’s victory.”

Even though the Dane family was his family, they had to take responsibility. Even if it meant facing death.

When Joseph first received letters from his father, he thought they were just friendly exchanges.

Joseph had been pleased to receive a letter from his father, who seemed genuinely concerned about his welfare for the first time in a long while.

Joseph was weighed down by the thought that his actions might have dragged the commander he deeply respected into a mire.

During this time, Joseph remained confined at home, tormented by guilt.

As time passed, Joseph was now prepared to take responsibility for his actions.

Facing Joseph with a determined look, Anne cautiously but firmly nodded.

“…Joseph, I understand your intention. The trial date hasn’t been set yet, but if you’re right, can you gather evidence before the trial?”

“I’m already gathering it. Should I send the collected evidence to the house of Vanessa right away?”

It was an unexpected breakthrough. It felt like the first clue to proving Evan’s innocence and finding the real culprit.

Joseph had been debating whether attending the banquet right before entering the palace was the right thing to do, but he felt he had made the right choice by following Ferrell’s advice.

After finishing her conversation with Joseph, Anne returned to her seat. Now it was truly time to focus on the banquet.