Although Carlo had already suspected the truth, hearing it confirmed came as a shock. The empress had tried to poison the emperor.

Had she really gone to such lengths just to frame Laila and have her killed? Carlo could not believe that Scarlet hated Laila so much.

“But why would Her Majesty the Empress attempt to poison His Imperial Majesty?”

“According to Sophia, she never truly intended to kill him. She used a nonlethal poison, and the emperor did survive.”

The duke’s words were technically true, but Carlo could not fully agree. The emperor had survived, yet the poison had destroyed his health and left him bedridden.

‘Ah…. Was that Empress Scarlet’s true objective?’

Had Scarlet and her father deliberately incapacitated the emperor and attempted to drive Crown Prince Theodor away because they feared the emperor’s formidable authority?

The revelation was horrifying. Carlo had always known that Scarlet was a ruthless monster disguised as a human being, but he had never imagined that she would go so far as to harm her own husband.

She had used the man she loved to obtain what she wanted.

Carlo grimaced in revulsion at Scarlet’s cruelty, as though the metallic stench of blood filled his nostrils.

Yet even then, he failed to recognize that Scarlet was a reflection of himself. He, too, had used the woman he loved to achieve his own desires.

“But now, all that crucial evidence has disappeared!”

The more agitated the duke became, the more uneasily Carlo’s red eyes wavered. If everything he had heard was true, then he had to obtain that evidence at any cost.

He needed it to clear Laila’s name. But the vital documents were no longer in the duke’s possession. Who could have taken them?

One person immediately came to mind—a woman who had been driven mad by jealousy.

Without another word, Carlo left the office and strode away.

“Where is the lady?”

The maid he encountered outside Roselina’s room seemed startled by his sudden appearance.

“She is sleeping….”

“I will stay with her. You may leave.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The maid left, visibly relieved, having been unable to endure Roselina’s increasingly violent outbursts any longer.

Once he was sure she had gone, Carlo carefully opened the door and stepped inside. The overpowering stench of alcohol made him frown immediately.

Glancing at Roselina, who was sprawled across the bed in a drunken stupor and looked almost lifeless, he surveyed the room.

It appeared that she had thrown another tantrum. Objects were strewn across the floor, with several empty bottles scattered amongst them.

After quickly scanning the room, Carlo approached the bed.

The moment he gently caressed Roselina’s cheek, her eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Ca… Carlo?!”

“My lady.”

Roselina hurriedly sat up and threw herself into Carlo’s arms. Unsure whether she was dreaming or awake, she trembled within the embrace she had longed for so desperately.

“Where have you been all this time? Didn’t you miss me? Do you have any idea how desperately I searched for you…?”

Just as Carlo had expected, Roselina immediately reproached him. He tightened his arms around her, rested his face against her shoulder, and spoke in a carefully feigned, sorrowful voice.

“Haah… These past few days have been unbearable. I endured so much pain and anguish…. And I missed you so deeply that I could scarcely bear it.”

Seeing the usually strong and cheerful man reveal such vulnerability stirred Roselina’s protective instincts.

The sorrow in his voice and manner soothed her wounded heart, melting away the resentment and hurt that had built up inside her.

Nevertheless, Roselina had no intention of forgiving him so easily.

She planned to sulk for as long as possible to make him understand exactly how deeply he had hurt her, and to ensure that he made it up to her properly.

“But you were still too cruel! Our wedding is approaching, yet you weren’t even by my side. You completely abandoned me. Do you not love me anymore?”

“….”

Carlo fell silent for a moment, irritated by her words. In that instant, his thoughts turned to Laila.

‘If it were Laila, she would have asked what had happened and whether I was all right before anything else.’

Roselina, however, thought only of herself, demanding that he acknowledge her feelings.

“I found… the mother I believed was dead.”

“…!”

Roselina stopped nuzzling against Carlo’s chest. Even she understood how profoundly shocking such a revelation must have been.

“On the night I proposed to you, your father told me the truth. I had no choice but to leave immediately and go to my mother.”

Roselina stared at Carlo in disbelief. Stunned into silence, she repeatedly opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find the right words.

Carlo was going to tell her the truth. This would explain why he had been so cold towards her and why he had abandoned her for days.

More importantly, he needed to get hold of the evidence she was holding.

“My fath—did Father find your mother?”

The tremor in Roselina’s voice made Carlo even more certain that she had the evidence.

“Rather than finding her… His Grace had been protecting her for many years.”

“….”

“After discovering the truth, I was so consumed by rage toward Empress Scarlet that I could no longer think clearly. It was Empress Scarlet and Sophia who drove my mother from her rightful place as duchess and forced her to live alone for all those years.”

Roselina looked deeply conflicted, and understandably so. After all, she was the one who had stolen the evidence that Sophia had sent to the duke and informed Empress Scarlet of its existence. Undoubtedly, she was wondering what to do next.

“I have never felt such fury before. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive those two women. To be honest, I may even come to despise everyone associated with them, and anyone who chooses to help them.”

Roselina now looked as though she feared she had made a grave mistake. The evidence that Sophia had sent posed an undeniable threat to Scarlet.

‘So do not give the evidence to Empress Scarlet. Give it to me.’

Carlo embraced the rigid Roselina and drove the point home, his voice filled with apparent relief.

“Do you know how relieved I was? His Grace has severed all ties with Empress Scarlet. He even promised to expose the crimes committed by the empress and Sophia—for my sake.”

The lies flowed effortlessly from his lips. Perhaps deception had already become a part of him.

“If His Grace had continued assisting the empress, I might have… reconsidered our marriage.”

“No!”

Roselina, who had remained silent until then, cried out in alarm at the mere suggestion that their marriage might be canceled.

“No, that can never happen. But… I am worried.”

“A-About what?”

“Several crucial documents in His Grace’s possession have disappeared. They contain evidence I desperately need, and he was furious when he discovered that someone had taken them.”

Roselina’s eyes shook violently, as though the ground beneath her had begun to quake. Carlo’s red eyes flashed, but she was too overwhelmed to notice.

“I intend to recover those documents for him. So although it pains me deeply, I fear I must leave your side again for a short while.”

With tears glistening in his eyes, Carlo gazed at Roselina and kissed the back of her hand as though bidding her farewell.

“I do not wish to leave you, but I have no other choice. Please forgive me.”

He had said everything he needed to say. Seeing how deeply shaken Roselina was, he knew that all he had to do now was wait.

“What if…?”

“Yes?”

‘That’s right. Go on. Say it.’

“What if… I have those documents?”

“You have them?”

Carlo rose as though stunned, prompting Roselina to speak desperately.

“They seemed important to you, so I took them myself. I only did it because I wanted to help you!”

Carlo could not fathom how stealing evidence proving that Laila had been framed for attempting to poison the Emperor could possibly have helped him. For now, though, he had to give Roselina the reaction she wanted.

“Roselina!”

Carlo abruptly pulled the anxious woman into his arms, and Roselina nestled even deeper into his embrace.

“I am deeply moved. To think you did all of that for my sake….”

“You believe me, don’t you?”

“Of course. How could I possibly doubt you? And what a relief. Since the documents are in your possession, I will not have to leave your side to search for them.”

Carlo caressed Roselina’s cheek affectionately, and her face flushed with pleasure beneath his touch.

“But we must keep the fact that you took those documents a secret. His Grace is extremely angry, and I am… afraid of how he might react.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Roselina smiled with relief and began kissing Carlo’s cheek. The way her hands wandered made it clear that she wanted more.

Holding a woman he considered an enemy was t*rture. However, if it meant he could deceive her completely, undoing a few buttons was a small price to pay.

Carlo smiled darkly and lowered Roselina onto the bed.