Chapter 103

Durant seemed to have a similar thought and nodded.

“Hmm… It’s possible. In terms of the facts, you were just caught up in it, and the Elvirtein side didn’t do it on purpose. If the person involved, you, responds positively, the heated atmosphere might cool off a bit.”

“But will people accept what I say?”

“When it comes up as a treaty issue… That’s something I can handle.”

It might be a headache, but Durant added that.

Apparently, some minor revisions might be made to the treaty. For example, they might adjust Article 2 to something like, ‘Essen and Elvirtein sign a non-aggression treaty regarding each other’s continent.’

She could give simple advice, but issues involving the treaty were beyond her control.

“‘If the dethroned 1st Prince thinks that way, the other siblings must too.’ That sounds kind of like sophistry.”

“That’s true.”

“And considering the reputation of the former 1st Prince…….”

Durant trailed off, shaking his head. Although she had never met him directly, he must have been quite a piece of work. Thinking back to the Paye doll incident, she could roughly guess what kind of person he was.

As she nodded along, Yurik, who had been sipping tea, deliberately set his teacup down loudly to draw attention.

“Javier will be executed.”

“Hm?”

“Grand Duke Raihan said so. He said you can’t hesitate with matters like this. And the Emperor agrees. With that news, the current feverish mood should definitely cool down.”

If things went as Yurik said, the main culprit would die, and the aggitation among the imperial citizens would inevitably subside. The forced assumption that the other siblings felt the same would also fade. Anyway, to execute a member of the Imperial Family, there would first have to be a process of stripping him of his status.

Once that happened… it would be hard to even call him an Elvirtein citizen anymore.

Actually, not all the news had reached the public. For example, it was known she had been stabbed, but not that the Earl of Aviles had ordered her death. The rumor was simply that those who plotted rebellion had targeted Essen, and she had gotten caught up in it.

That was why the story had unfolded this way.

Why the Earl of Aviles stabbed her was a personal matter. Of course, she could make it public, but even if the blood connection was thin, it was still a crime within the family, so it was a sensitive issue.

Once she finished sorting things out, she nodded, and Lydia, who had been silent until now, suddenly said something shocking.

“Now I see why people say Dione is fit to be Crown Princess.”

Durant was the first to react to those words.

“Don’t say creepy things…….”

“Look who’s talking.”

Her voice trembled with irritation as she immediately shot back. Honestly, when they first started dating, as a friend she thought Lydia was much too good for him, but since Lydia liked him so much, she quietly supported them. She had even put up with seeing him drool in his sleep in the office……

What softened her sharp glare was Yurik’s calm remark.

“If Durant had targeted you, I would’ve killed him.”

Even at the casual mention of murdering a member of the Imperial Family, Durant just sighed as if he was used to it.

“Haa…….”

* * *

A few days later, a meeting of the siblings was held in Elvirtein.

The situation was almost resolved. Envoys from other countries had concluded their discussions and returned home, and Javier’s title and property had been confiscated, leaving only the execution to be carried out.

Caballero, Baztan, Aviles, Soria. Of the four, only Soria survived. It was because he confessed first. He had truly only saved his life, and with nothing left, he would live under surveillance for the rest of his days.

Meanwhile, the other siblings who heard about Javier hastily sent letters declaring they had nothing to do with the incident and would fully cooperate with any investigation.

Just in case, investigators were dispatched to their side as well, and the briefly chaotic Elvirtein quickly regained stability thanks to Vicente, Raihan, and the parliament’s cooperation.

“According to the confession… It didn’t have to be Essen. It seems they even thought about conquering the continent.”

There’s a saying: a fool with conviction is frightening.

Javier was exactly that. More precisely, he had learned the basics as a prince, so maybe he was ambiguously foolish.

People must constantly self-reflect. Knowledge has no end, and things one doesn’t know are everywhere in the world. The scariest thing is ambiguous knowledge. Javier was ruined by that ‘ambiguous knowing.’

This coup attempt… According to the confession, it was Duke Caballero who first brought it up, and Javier responded, setting everything in motion. Things were wrapping up, but traces of rebellion prepared in various places kept surfacing, sending chills down their spines.

“Besides, they secretly raised private soldiers. They placed them near the capital so they could move in immediately.”

“And the solution?”

“They all knew exactly what they were doing, so there’s no leniency—just severe punishment.”

After that, more details kept coming out from the siblings: that there were factions inside the Imperial Palace supporting them, that more nobles knew about the planned rebellion, and so on……. The full story kept unfolding.

After a round of briefings, the two siblings took a break to clear their heads.

Vicente, who had been watching his sibling zone out more often lately, sighed quietly so no one would hear. It seemed silly now that he had teased him so much about finally falling in love.

The odds of her coming back were now extremely low, and even seeing her face again seemed unlikely. After all, it would be hard to want to return to a country where she had nearly died……

In fact, Vicente hadn’t ignored Dione out of indifference.

He had been curious about the woman his sibling was smitten with. He also observed Raihan, who was always with her. ……His sibling had no idea.

Raihan, who stayed by Dione’s side, seemed to feel both comfort and excitement at once. He wondered if it was possible to feel those two opposing emotions at the same time, but love was a magic that made the impossible possible.

Moreover, Raihan was always attentive, making sure she was comfortable, and his busy hands seemed to want to touch her even for a moment. Vicente’s own face would get hot just watching, but Raihan seemed so used to it he hardly noticed.

‘He must have acted like that a lot.’

But when one gets used to someone, it means their absence is felt even more deeply. Realizing this, Vicente smiled and thought, You’re playing a good game, sibling.

But now that things had turned out this way, even achieving love seemed out of reach……

Thinking about this, Vicente recalled the contents of a letter from Essen that arrived that morning. If he used this well, maybe something could come of it……?

Once Vicente finished his thoughts, he tapped the table to get Raihan’s attention, who was looking out the window.

“A letter arrived from Essen this morning.”

“……What did it say?”

“The gist is, ‘We understand the situation. There won’t be a war. The treaty will be maintained, but we think some adjustments are needed. And measures to prevent further injuries to envoys are necessary.’”

Vicente, who had been leaning forward, now sank into the sofa and pressed his fingers to his brow as he continued.

“It’s easy enough to make measures for envoys… but an apology to Dione Estellon personally will also be needed. That’s the only way public opinion will calm down.”

“…….”

“So, here’s what I’m thinking.”

“……?”

For the first time today, Vicente’s face changed from its usual expressionlessness to a playful look.

And Raihan knew this face very well. It was the look his twin made when plotting something, and whenever he wore it, his ideas were usually so outrageous that Raihan would be left speechless.

“Propose marriage.”

“What are you talking about?”

He was talking about solutions for the injured envoy, and suddenly brought up marriage? Raihan’s face turned to utter disbelief.

But Vicente, sitting across from him, was completely serious.

“As a personal apology, offer yourself.”