Carlo was seated inside Duke Crussian’s office.

‘It seems he has made his decision.’

The duke’s gaze upon Carlo held both tension and resolve. As though he had decided to place his complete trust in him, the duke was solemn.

“Your Grace, are you all right? You look unwell.”

Despite Carlo’s concerned question, the duke did not answer and merely called his name.

“Lord Carlo Siren.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You said that you sincerely love my daughter, Roselina.”

“Yes, I truly love her.”

The more time passed, the easier the lie became. So easy that he could almost forget his beloved Laila was currently risking her life on the battlefield.

“Then inform His Highness Crown Prince Theodor that Crook Zegner is dead.”

‘So he has decided to conceal it after all.’

Carlo had expected the duke to respond this way.

“If that is what Your Grace wishes, I will do so. But we will need concrete evidence. His Highness will not believe a report based solely on my word.”

“I suppose not.”

“Then please tell me where Crook Zegner was being kept.”

“….”

The duke’s eyes darkened fiercely, as though asking how Carlo had known.

“When you heard the name Crook Zegner, the shock was written plainly across your face. Then you ordered me to report his death to His Highness.”

If the man had no connection to the duke, there would be no reason for him to go to such lengths to conceal everything.

“I believe he is either personally connected to Your Grace or one of your subordinates. Am I wrong?”

“Whew…. You are correct. So do as I say.”

“Yes. Then please tell me where he is. You must have already moved him elsewhere, in any case.”

The duke was a meticulous man. Despite operating an extensive illegal enterprise, he had never left behind a single clue. He must have already hidden Crook Zegner somewhere else.

“Is he somewhere known only to Your Grace? Perhaps a villa….”

Carlo asked with the calmest expression he could manage. Yet his heart was pounding wildly.

A villa known only to the duke. He hoped the duke would tell him where it was.

“My lord, let’s visit one of our villas this summer.”

“Shall we?”

Carlo had responded halfheartedly when Roselina casually suggested a leisurely trip, but he had gained an unexpected piece of information.

“Father owns several villas, and they’re all beautiful. I would love to visit them with you.”

“It sounds as though you have visited every one of them.”

“Yes. Ah, although there is one villa I have never visited.”

“Pardon?”

A villa that even Roselina, whom the duke adored, had never visited. Carlo instinctively believed that a secret was hidden there—Kruk Jagner, for instance.

“I only heard about it by chance, but apparently someone lives in that small villa.”

Unfortunately, Roselina did not know where the villa was located, and Carlo had pondered the matter repeatedly. How could he persuade the duke to reveal its location without arousing suspicion?

“No, it is not that he is staying at that villa. Ahem… Very well. I will tell you where he was originally kept.”

That villa?

Carlo’s eyes flashed at the duke’s slip of the tongue.

But something was strange. That villa must be the particular villa Roselina had mentioned, yet the person living there was not Kruk Jagner?

‘Then who is living there?’

Someone secretly hidden away in a secluded place. It could have been the duke’s mistress, but the duke had no interest in women whatsoever.

‘Who could it be? It must be someone important.’

Perhaps that person could become even more conclusive evidence than Kruk Jagner—and the key to his revenge.

“Lord Carlo.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Have you never wanted revenge for your mother’s death?”

“…!”

For the first time, Carlo lost control of his emotions in front of the Duke.

His heart pounded violently and his mind went blank. He was so intent on discovering why the duke had mentioned his mother that he did not even notice his face contorting.

“Why would you…. Why are you suddenly asking me that?”

No matter how hard he tried to steady his voice, he could not suppress the anger trembling within it.

“Have you never thought that the circumstances surrounding your mother’s death were far too suspicious?”

“….”

Carlo knew the truth about his mother’s death. Empress Scarlet had orchestrated it in order to control the duke, and the man who had helped her was none other than the duke himself, sitting before him now.

Hearing those words from someone responsible for driving his mother to her death filled him with unbearable rage.

“Whew….”

When Carlo barely managed to suppress his anger, the duke spoke.

“I will help you. I know far more than you think, and I am capable of helping you.”

“You will… help me?”

“Yes. But only if you marry Roselina.”

The duke’s intentions were clear.

He intended to secure Carlo as his pawn and betray Scarlet.

Having participated in her crimes, he planned to sever ties with Scarlet before she could betray him first.

‘Even though he was one of the people who killed my mother.’

Carlo’s revulsion and hatred of the duke intensified.

After all, the duke had delivered the poison to Empress Scarlet and fabricated irrefutable evidence against her.

Yet now, the duke intended to conceal all his crimes from Carlo and blame Scarlet for them.

Carlo’s fingers twitched with the urge to strangle the duke, but he managed to restrain himself. For the sake of his revenge, he had to endure it for now.

“You are asking me to prove my loyalty to Your Grace by marrying your daughter?”

“Yes. What I intend to show you is a matter upon which my life depends.”

“I need time to think….”

The duke’s brows twitched at Carlo’s words, as though displeased that he had not accepted immediately.

“I have been content with my life as it is. Even burying the matter of my mother in my heart… was an extremely difficult decision for me.”

“Yes, I suppose it was.”

At his plausible explanation, the suspicion in the duke’s eyes eased.

“Seeking revenge would be an exceedingly arduous battle, and I cannot embark on it without sufficient resolve. Moreover, the idea of marrying Lady Roselina just to get back at her does not sit well with me. It would feel like betraying my feelings for her.”

“It is not because I doubt your feelings for Roselina. I merely need you to become family before I can feel at ease.”

The duke seemed pleased by Carlo’s response. He hurriedly added that he believed Carlo’s feelings were sincere.

“I understand. Then please allow me some time as well, Your Grace.”

“Very well. But I cannot wait long.”

“Yes.”

Carlo could not remember how he left the duke’s estate. His mind had already exceeded its limits and felt ready to burst.

His fury toward the duke, his curiosity about the secret, his blazing thirst for revenge—and Laila.

“Haah, Laila….”

He felt lost. The duke’s proposal was undoubtedly a remarkable opportunity. If he obtained all the evidence in the duke’s possession, he could bring Scarlet down.

The revenge he had dreamed of for so long, the revenge that had consumed him from within, would finally be realized.

But the price was marriage to Roselina.

“What…? What am I supposed to do? Laila, tell me.”

It was a question that would never be answered. Laila, whom he was desperately seeking, was risking her life on the battlefield.

The fact that she was fighting for him made Carlo feel even worse. He was sickened and nearly driven mad, feeling as though his entire body was covered in filth.

“When I return from the war, don’t hide your true feelings from me.”

Those had been Laila’s final whispered words—and warning—before she departed.

Carlo wanted to be happy with Laila, who was far too precious and good for him, yet he could not bring himself to reject the duke’s offer.

***

The Adelina Empire.

The letter Nathan had sent finally reached Theodor.

“L-Lailea is… alive?!”

The contents of the letter in Theodor’s trembling hands were brief, yet utterly shocking. Something he had never once imagined was happening.

…

[Dame Laila, Lord Carlo’s escort knight, is undoubtedly Princess Lailea, who was believed to have years ago. I have verified the presence of the scar beneath her arm and the beauty mark. I also discovered that she has been dyeing her silver hair to hide it. Most importantly, she lost her memory in the accident.]

…

“Haah…. Haa….”

Overwhelmed by the shock, Theodor clutched his forehead as an excruciating headache tormented him.

His thoughts were so chaotic that he could not determine what to do first. He had to ascertain the truth immediately and confront Carlo about it.

‘Carlo…!’

If Nathan’s words were true, then Theodor would never let Carlo get away with it. After all, he had hidden Lailea’s existence for all those years, even sending her to a dangerous battlefield as his escort knight.

Theodor had long known that Carlo was consumed by revenge, but he could not forgive him for it.

“If this is truly the truth… I’ll kill him.”

Yes, he deserved to die. Theodor could never forgive the bastard who had forced even greater cruelty upon a child who had already suffered nearly unbearable *buse at Empress Scarlet’s hands.

“Haah…. Lailea. My little sister.”

After the overwhelming rage came feelings of relief, sorrow and guilt.

His younger sister had survived for seven long years, and he had been completely unaware of this fact. As her older brother, he had done nothing to help her.

Theodor collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and the agony gripping his heart was so intense that he thought it might kill him.

His little Lailea — his precious younger sister. Why had her life been so unbearably cruel and painful?

Reflecting on Lailea’s childhood, Theodor suddenly recalled the female knight he had encountered in a weapons shop in Circlezia.