‘What I want…’

Theodor’s goal was not just to clear his mother’s name.

He also wanted to prove his sister Laila’s innocence. Laila was the younger princess who had been falsely accused of attempting to poison the emperor and executed for the crime.

Both women had died unjustly, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were disturbingly similar.

They had been accused of using the same poison, and the evidence against them had been so complete and irrefutable that it was impossible to trust.

Everything reeked of careful orchestration, as though a single unseen hand had been pulling every string.

“I have been conducting my own investigation and the person behind all of this is—”

“I know.”

Princess Lenoa gently interrupted. He did not need to finish. She already knew the name he was about to utter.

Scarlet, the Empress.

“The Duke of Crussian in Cerclezia has maintained a… close relationship with Her Majesty the Empress of Adelina.”

Princess Lenoa explained, her words measured yet cutting. It was not the sort of diplomatic relationship one might expect between two nations, but something far more secretive—and infinitely more dangerous.

Theodor’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you saying the Crussian dukedom is involved in this?”

“Yes, although I cannot say so with absolute certainty, that is what I believe.”

An aristocrat from another empire had been assisting Empress Scarlet.

Perhaps that was why Theodor had failed to uncover any leads—he had been searching in the wrong place all along.

Had the culprit been an Adelina noble, the investigation would have been far easier. But Cerclezia was a distant empire, far beyond the reach of his authority.

“Ha…….”

Theodor pressed a hand against his temple as frustration and fury churned within him. His head throbbed, and he closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to breathe.

“Are you all right?”

“I will be fine. More importantly, thank you… for telling me all of this.”

Her eyes widened slightly at the unexpected sincerity in his voice before softening. Then she gave a small nod.

“This brooch. I should return it to you, Your Highness.”

“Ah…….”

Theodor’s breath caught as she extended the sapphire brooch toward him—his mother’s treasured keepsake, which he had longed to see again. He instinctively reached for it, only to stop halfway and slowly withdraw his hand.

“No. Please… keep it, Princess.”

“What? But why……?”

“It holds far greater meaning for you than it ever could for me, and… I believe my mother would have wanted you to keep it.”

Princess Lenoa lowered her head. Her lips trembled, and her shoulders quivered faintly as though she were struggling to hold back her tears.

“……Thank you.”

***

“Carlo, where are you going?”

It was late morning. Carlo, impeccably dressed from head to toe, was just leaving the main building when Laila spotted him.

“Ah, Laila. Weren’t you going into town?”

He flinched for the briefest moment at the sound of her voice, but quickly concealed it beneath his usual charming smile. Closing the distance between them, he pulled her into his arms.

“Where are you going? I thought you had no plans today.”

If he had an official engagement, she should have been waiting at the entrance in her uniform, prepared to accompany him as his knight. Yet it seemed there was something he had deliberately neglected to tell her.

‘Whenever he conceals his plans like this… it is usually because he is going to see Lady Roselina.’

A cold, bitter unease spread through Laila’s chest.

“I am going to the Duke of Crussian’s estate.”

“The Duke’s estate……?”

Of course. He was going to see that woman again.

Laila’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. After she agreed to go to war, Carlo had promised to end his flirtations and stop behaving like a charming libertine.

“The Duke requested to see me.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Mm. It was rather sudden, so I did not have an opportunity to tell you sooner.”

“…….”

‘Liar.’

She had remained by his side for six years—six long years spent watching him deceive noblewomen with effortless charm. She knew every flicker in his eyes and every carefully crafted smile. Did he truly believe such a clumsy lie could fool her?

A sharp pain constricted her chest.

‘You are using the Duke as an excuse… just so you can see her, aren’t you?’

Laila did not believe a single word. If the Duke had truly summoned Carlo, he would have asked for her as well. He was far too eager to remain in her good graces to exclude her.

“I will return soon. I will see you tonight.”

Carlo glanced around before pressing a brief kiss to Laila’s forehead, then quickly turned away.

It was as though he feared someone might see them together—as though their relationship were something shameful that had to remain hidden.

The moment he disappeared from view, tears welled in her eyes.

“No… perhaps the Duke truly did summon him.”

Like every fool in love, she desperately reached for the kindest possible explanation.

Perhaps the Duke had something urgent to discuss—something only Carlo could handle. Yes, that had to be it. Carlo had not lied to her.

After all, he had confessed that he loved her… had he not?

Wiping away the tears that refused to stop falling, Laila repeated those words to herself like a prayer.

She wanted to believe him when he said, I love you.

After six years of loving him alone, he had finally chosen her. She could not bring herself to cast aside that fragile hope.

Even while knowing that he might be deceiving her, she clung desperately to her faith in him—a foolish devotion born from the cruelty of love.

Once her trembling had subsided, Laila forced herself to leave.

If she remained at the mansion, she would only torment herself until Carlo returned. She needed to move. She needed to breathe.

‘I will go to the market district. Perhaps I can see whether any new blades have arrived.’

The war in the north was rapidly approaching. She needed to inspect her sword and perhaps even search for a replacement.

Yet today, the weapon at her hip felt unusually cold and heavy, as though it shared the burden weighing upon her heart.

“Hyah!”

She mounted her horse and galloped through the crisp morning air. But even as the wind lashed her face and the world blurred around her, nothing could extinguish the flames consuming her heart.

***

“Your Highness, I have received word that Lord Carlo’s personal knight will be joining Cerclezia’s Northern Front.”

“Carlo’s knight?”

Theodor asked as he walked through the bustling streets, his aide keeping pace beside him.

“Yes, Your Highness. They call her the reincarnation of the Ancient Sword—a peerless prodigy among swordsmen.”

“I see.”

‘Then… perhaps Carlo’s mother’s death is connected to Empress Scarlet after all.’

Theodor’s thoughts returned to his conversation with Princess Lenoa the previous night—to her painful past, her connection to his mother, and the fierce hatred she harbored toward the Empress.

Yet now, his thoughts were consumed by Carlo.

“Lord Carlo has recently grown close to Lady Roselina. Given his history of approaching noblewomen to obtain confidential information, his intentions are most likely the same this time.”

“It appears that the Duke of Crussian possesses something he wants.”

“Perhaps information—or even a person. Whatever his objective may be, the Duke holds the key.”

‘The key lies with the Duke of Crussian.’

Theodor’s steps slowed.

He remembered the young man who had stood before him years ago—a grieving boy who had lost everything, his eyes hollow with despair.

‘Carlo, are you still chasing the same ghosts?’

Carlo had once sworn that he would never forgive his father or his father’s mistress. Then, without warning, he announced that he would study abroad and severed ties even with Theodor, his closest friend.

‘The Duke of Crussian must possess information about the late Duchess.’

Most people had dismissed Carlo’s departure as a cowardly escape, but Theodor had never believed that. The fury blazing in Carlo’s eyes back then had been far too fierce and consuming to simply fade away.

No—Carlo had been preparing. He had spent six long years in Cerclezia not as an exile, but quietly and methodically pursuing his vengeance.

‘If the Duke of Crussian is assisting Empress Scarlet… then that means…’

If the Duke had taken part in the Empress’s schemes, it was entirely possible that Scarlet herself had framed Carlo’s mother.

And Theodor’s own mother had been accused of the same crime—poisoning.

Piece by piece, the fragments of the shattered puzzle began falling into place.

“How many lives has that woman destroyed with her own hands?”

“Your Highness?”

His aide asked, startled by the venom in his low voice.

Theodor remained silent for a long moment before asking quietly.

“That knight joining the Northern Front—the one they call a prodigy. Her name is… Laila, is it not?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The aide replied, bowing his head.

Rumors of the prodigy knight had long since spread beyond Cerclezia’s borders and into the neighboring empires.

She was said to wield her sword like one possessed, her skill so overwhelming that even seasoned knights were forced to their knees before her.

What made the stories even more extraordinary was that such formidable strength belonged to a slender woman, defying everyone’s expectations.

“With her on the Northern Front, Cerclezia’s victory appears assured. Especially with Nathan among the supporting forces.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Many already expect victory, and some have even begun preparing a celebration. With Sir Nathan Riot, your most trusted knight, fighting alongside them, morale is exceptionally high.”

Theodor’s gaze darkened slightly as he sank into thought.

‘Still… Princess Lenoa was right. Something does not add up.’

Carlo Siren had once refused even the Emperor’s personal request to lend his knight’s strength. Yet now, he had willingly offered that same knight to assist the Duke of Crussian.

‘If he was willing to cast aside his pride, then something far more important than honor must be at stake.’

Entangled in countless possibilities, Theodor came to a halt and drew a deep breath to steady his thoughts. Gradually, he reached a decision.

After six years apart, it was time to see his old friend again.

“But, Your Highness. May I ask what brought you here today?”

Theodor’s answer was simple.

“I wanted to see Cerclezia for myself.”

“……Pardon?”

“Sometimes, the truth of a nation cannot be found within the walls of its palace. You can learn far more by walking among its people—by witnessing how they live and listening to how they speak of those who rule them.”

In truth, even Theodor could not fully explain what had drawn him there.

Perhaps it was simple curiosity.

Or perhaps… it was something deeper—something he did not yet dare to name.

Even if Cerclezia was an allied empire, he had little reason to concern himself with anything beyond its political affairs.

He had already sent Nathan, his most trusted knight, ahead to assess the situation on the Northern Front. That should have been sufficient.

And yet, Theodor wanted to see the empire with his own eyes.

He wanted to understand how its people lived.

Perhaps Princess Lenoa’s words had stirred something within him.

“If you have the time, I recommend visiting the market district. The monthly fair will be held tomorrow. There, you will be able to feel the heartbeat of the empire for yourself.”

When she spoke of her people, her face had glowed with quiet devotion.

The gentle curve of her smile, the affection in her eyes, and the warmth in her voice—all of it belonged to a ruler who genuinely loved her country.

Princess Lenoa was not merely a princess. She carried herself with the dignity of a sovereign born to serve her people.

Perhaps that was why Theodor now felt drawn to Cerclezia—because he wanted to see the world she cherished so deeply.

“Your Highness. I realize this may be an inappropriate question… but may I ask you something?”

“You may. What is it?”

“……Do you intend to proceed with your engagement to Princess Lenoa?”