Neither Vincent nor I expected Cardien to interrupt here, so we both looked at him in surprise.

Meanwhile, Cardien calmly picked up the test paper with a relaxed attitude.

It happened in an instant.

“….”

Cardien said nothing as he examined the test paper.

I instinctively checked Vincent’s demeanor.

From the moment the test paper went into Cardien’s hands, Vincent had been so tense that he could barely breathe.

After some time had passed.

Suddenly, Cardien’s voice was heard.

“Well done.”

“…!”

At those words, Vincent, who had been hunched over in tension, jerked his head up.

His ruby-colored eyes, directed at Cardien, slowly began to sparkle.

Whether aware of this or not, Cardien continued his casual praise.

“Despite the many trap questions, you solved them calmly without falling for any. Especially the last problem—it’s difficult for someone your age, yet your solution is clean.”

“Ah…”

Should I say this is typical of Cardien, or unlike him?

With an expressionless face that made it hard to tell whether he was praising or criticizing, he delivered a stream of compliments, and I looked at him with an unfamiliar expression.

After reviewing the entire test, Cardien finally said to Vincent.

“I can see you’ve put in effort. Good job.”

And for the first time, a gentle smile formed on Cardien’s lips.

At that moment, joy spread across Vincent’s previously dazed face. His ruby eyes sparkled like sunlight on a lake.

Soon, his fluffy silver hair was fluttering wildly in the air.

“Yes, yes!!”

Vincent nodded vigorously and turned to me with a grin.

It was as if he was saying, “Did you see that?”

After mouthing “well done” to him, I glanced at Cardien.

Having already returned to his place, Cardien was reviewing documents in a languid posture as if nothing had happened.

I looked at him with wavering eyes.

When our eyes met, I flinched and quickly turned my head away.

I could feel Cardien’s gaze on my back.

‘What is this?’

I’m not quite sure myself, but…

‘He felt a little different just now.’

He seemed different from the Cardien I knew.

No, I mean, he was still Cardien, but how should I put it?

‘A slightly unfamiliar feeling…’

It was an emotion difficult to express in words.

It was such a subtle feeling that it was hard to pinpoint, so I deliberately ignored the change.

Until the end of the lesson, Cardien’s gaze never left me.

***

“-It is the master’s order.”

“How dare…! How dare you…!”

Though Wigen trembled with rage, Winston left the room without the slightest hesitation.

Soon, there was a clanking sound as the lock was secured from outside the door.

Wigen tried to open the door just in case, but there was only the sound of chains clashing—the door wouldn’t open.

“Argh…!! Open up! Do you know who I am! You lowly creature!!”

Wigen shook the door in a fit of rage, but not only did it not open, there was no response either.

In the end, Wigen was the first to collapse.

“Huff, huff… D＊mn them all…”

Wigen ground his teeth.

He recalled what Winston had said before leaving.

“…Therefore, by the master’s order, Wigen Sanjes is stripped of his position as Elder of the Council and confined to this room until all charges are clarified. “

“D＊mn it!!”

Spitting out a harsh curse, Wigen paced around the room in disarray.

Normally, he wouldn’t have been this agitated over such a matter.

No matter how powerful the Duke Mercedes might be, it would be impossible to remove the Elder of the Council with just a word.

Instead, he would have counterattacked by holding the Duke accountable for his violent and hasty decision.

…If only Chelsea hadn’t been involved.

‘D＊mn that woman, I took her in and this is how she repays me? Daring to bite the hand that fed her?!’

Chelsea had testified in great detail about the orders Wigen had given her.

Of course, her testimony alone wouldn’t be enough to prove Wigen’s guilt.

But… it did provide justification to search Wigen’s house.

If nothing was found during the search, then Chelsea would be punished.

The problem was that Wigen’s residence contained too many pieces of evidence.

Never dreaming that Chelsea would betray him, he had hidden all their correspondence and the plans based on them in his residence.

Cardien had confined Wigen to this room precisely to prevent him from taking preemptive action to destroy the evidence.

‘D＊mn it, d＊mn it!!’

An even more serious problem was that the Grand Council would be convening soon.

The time until the Grand Council was too short for him to do anything.

At this rate, not only would he be stripped of his position as Elder of the Council, but he might also end his days in prison in his old age.

‘That can’t happen, it just can’t…’

Wigen paced around the room, biting his nails, trying to find some way out.

But no matter how hard he thought, there was no way to escape this situation where everything was so clear.

He felt like he wanted to run away if he could.

‘Is this really the end of everything?’

Realizing this fact, Wigen was greatly discouraged.

“What did I do wrong…”

Wigen had only tried to set Mercedes right.

And this was the result he got…!

‘If only those lowborn creatures hadn’t existed…!’

Wigen thought of Cardien and Vincent.

The main culprits pretending to be Mercedes while corrupting the Mercedes family!

If only those unknown vagabonds hadn’t existed, he wouldn’t have been treated this way!

Wigen’s eyes blazed with anger.

‘And that woman.’

That woman with dark brown hair and mysterious eyes, mixing orange and yellow!

If only she hadn’t interfered in the first place, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.

Wigen knew Vincent better than anyone.

That little rat wouldn’t tell anyone, no matter how many beatings he took.

Just as he had always done before.

That’s partly why Wigen had been so quick to raise his hand.

‘If only that woman hadn’t blown things out of proportion!’

Above all, that woman seemed to know something.

‘Chelsea betrayed me immediately after I ordered her to eliminate that woman.’

Wigen was convinced.

That Cardien, Vincent, and even Chelsea were all being manipulated by that woman.

If only that woman hadn’t existed in the first place…!!

“D＊mn it…”

But soon Wigen lost his vigor and collapsed into a chair.

No matter how much he reflected on the past and regretted it now, nothing would change.

All that remained was the image of himself being ignominiously dragged down from the position of Elder of the Council…

It was then.

“Ugh!!”

“What, what is it, kuhk!”

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door.

After hearing what seemed to be the groans of the knights guarding the door.

Clank… click.

There was the sound of chains being loosened and the lock being undone.

Then.

Knock knock.

With the sound of knocking, the door began to slowly open.

Standing up from his seat, Wigen stared blankly at the gradually widening door gap with trembling eyes.

Soon, the door opened completely, and a man entered the room.

“You are…”

He was a face that even Wigen recognized.

Because he had seen him occasionally during his visits to Mercedes.

Surely…

He remembered.

“Aren’t you the Duke’s physician?”

At Wigen’s words, the man, Sigmon, bowed his head with a gentle smile.

“Hello. My name is Sigmon.”

“What is the Duke’s physician doing here? Besides…”

Wigen’s gaze shifted beyond Sigmon.

He caught a glimpse of two knights, covered in bl＊＊d and slumped over.

Wigen’s eyes wavered.

Given the circumstances, it seemed that this doctor was responsible for the knights’ condition.

‘That doesn’t make sense.’

The skill of Mercedes knights is recognized even by the imperial family.

Moreover, as far as he knew, the man before him was just an ordinary doctor.

How could an ordinary doctor subdue two knights in an instant?

But…

‘That bl＊＊d.’

Sigmon’s pristine white coat, as he showed courtesy to Wigen, was spattered with bl＊＊d.

Instinctively sensing danger, Wigen swallowed hard and stepped back.

Normally, a single ring of the bell would have brought a crowd of people to protect him, but now he was completely alone.

That triggered Wigen’s fear.

Wigen’s expression froze.

Sigmon smiled and shook his head as if to reassure him.

“There’s no need to be so afraid, Elder of the Council. I will not harm you.”

“…What business do you have with me?”

As if he had been waiting for that question, Sigmon’s eyes suddenly gleamed.

A glimpse of madness was visible in those eyes.