The temple suddenly turned into a pandemonium. The knights hurriedly sealed the doors to prevent the culprit from escaping.

The high priest who had picked up the rolling chalice brought a teaspoon with trembling hands. When he dipped the teaspoon into a small amount of holy water, it quickly turned black.

“Th-there’s deadly poison on the chalice!”

At those words, the knights surrounded the servants of the Asthart family who were dressed as priests. The guards began searching the crowd to identify the culprit.

“It’s definitely this maid!”

Soon after, a maid was subdued by a knight. The suspect, forcibly brought to her knees, let out a groan of pain.

Cayena Ten, the personal maid of the Duchess Asthart.

Cayena was dragged away by the guards and subsequently sent to the imperial underground prison.

For Cayena to be naturally pointed out as the culprit, there was no decisive evidence found.

The maids of the Asthart ducal family managed the chalice for the coronation, and Cayena was one of them. Although management was a grand term, all they did was clean the chalice with purified cloths and fill it with prepared holy water.

Before changing into priestly robes, the maids underwent thorough personal item inspections. They were also under guard surveillance during preparations, so it was nearly impossible to apply poison to the chalice.

The same applied to Cayena. Although no traces of her possessing or using deadly poison were found, she was branded as the most likely suspect in the incident.

The temple did not trust the words of Cayena and Natasha. Even if they voiced their indignation, the temple only repeated formal statements about having to follow procedures.

Indignation? That was a justified objection.

Naming Cayena as the prime suspect without evidence, based only on interrogation. Moreover, imprisoning her without a guilty verdict. Weren’t these all matters worthy of dispute?

‘Because Cayena is a royal person, they naturally believe her to be guilty.’

Natasha felt as if this was all her fault.

If Cayena hadn’t been a royal maid. If she hadn’t been assigned as Natasha’s personal maid in the Asthart ducal family…

Her white hands clenched into fists. They trembled, unable to bear the force exerted.

She repeatedly took deep breaths in and out. Stopping in front of the room, she reached her hand towards the door.

‘…I wonder if he’s alright.’

It had been three days since Sieghart collapsed and regained consciousness. While even a tiny amount would be life-threatening for an ordinary person, Sieghart was fine. He had even left his sickbed, claiming he didn’t need recovery, and returned to his daily routine.

Worried about him, Natasha had paced in front of the infirmary several times. She occasionally left sincere letters and gifts at the door to check on him. As expected, there was no response.

She hadn’t requested a meeting for the man’s recovery. But today, she had to see Sieghart. Regrettably, she couldn’t resolve this matter alone.

As she entered the room, she saw Sieghart sitting with his back to the door. Focused on writing documents, he didn’t have the leisure to check the identity of the visitor. Thinking it was a maid bringing a meal, he simply instructed to leave the food and go.

When he didn’t hear footsteps leaving, he turned around curiously. The man frowned upon seeing Natasha standing there, holding a bouquet and a letter.

The woman who approached placed the gifts next to Sieghart. Feeling awkward, she glanced around before slowly asking after his well-being.

“Sieghart, are you feeling a bit…”

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. No, I’m so terribly ill that even responding to people is difficult, so I’d appreciate it if you’d quickly state your business.”

Natasha quietly looked up at him. Within his crimson irises, darker and cooler than her own, was reflected an unsightly figure.

She had been worried about Sieghart, but face to face, her previous thoughts seemed meaningless. The concern she had intended to express became as worthless as the flowers scattered on the floor.

“…Please save her, Sieghart.”

Faced with someone who didn’t want to hear any preamble, Natasha blurted out her purpose.

“Please… save Cayena.”

Even at the cost of losing her dignity and pride, she had to save Cayena. She couldn’t let her rot in the cold and harsh underground prison.

It was terrible that Cayena was in danger because of her. She had to save her beloved friend by any means necessary.

“Are you asking me to save the maid who tried to kill me?”

“No. I’m not asking you to hastily remove suspicion from Cayena. Even if you imprison her after evidence emerges, it won’t be too late, so please show mercy…”

“So the princess claims that wench isn’t the culprit because there’s no evidence.”

The man approached Natasha, who had sunk to the floor, and looked down at her.

He didn’t even offer a hand, as if the woman sprawled on the cold marble floor was of no concern. Instead, a pipe was gripped in the man’s hand.

“Then there’s no evidence that someone else is the culprit either.”

Exhaling smoke with a ‘whoo’, he murmured lowly.

“If the princess brings the real culprit, I’ll apologize and release that wench.”

His whispering voice was mixed with impure intentions. It was clearly a mocking tone towards Natasha.

Sieghart was the most rational person. So shouldn’t he, of all people, know that the current situation of Cayena being framed as the culprit was unjust?

But the reality was the opposite. The man couldn’t understand Cayena’s wrongful accusation.

“Why… Why on earth…”

“It’s an unknown matter. As they say, she’s a wench who’s been mixed among impure blood.”

His following response made her heart sink.

Even he was disregarding Natasha’s bloodline. The fallen royal family was considered lowly and inferior, and Cayena, who had long associated with them, was seen as the same.

It was a phrase she had heard countless times.

Not only the domain’s people but also the mansion’s servants, and even the mass media. The entire empire regarded Natasha as inferior.

Sometimes there were things that couldn’t be changed by effort. She had long given up on such things and endured them. She persevered even when the criticism aimed at her clawed at her heart.

However, the attack in the man’s voice was an exception. It threw at Natasha a pain she couldn’t overcome alone.

‘The Asthart ducal family supports the princess. My power and the family’s honor will protect you. There will be no criticism reaching the princess.’

If he had loved her, he couldn’t have spoken so cruelly. Was his firm promise to support her just a midsummer night’s dream that only Natasha remembered?

The kind demeanor, now confined to the past, brought a surge of longing.

“…If you loved me, you couldn’t do this.”

You couldn’t do this, Sieghart.

If you had loved me all this time…

“Isn’t it time you realized that I don’t love the princess?”

The gaze once crafted with affection and warmth had faded into neglect and indifference. The hands that once gently caressed her cheeks and hair were now used only to adjust the man’s attire.

It was a change that matched well with Sieghart confessing that he didn’t love her.

“I know. I know…”

Suddenly, the trash can in the office caught her eye. It was filled with the gifts Natasha had prepared. The scarf she had knitted until her hands were sore and the letters she had written after carefully selecting each word.

Though she had tried to ignore it, facing it now made the conclusion easier.

“I now know that you never loved me, that everything was just an act…”

Natasha finally acknowledged it.

That this man had never loved her.

From the beginning until now, always.

Natasha returned to her room, having gained nothing but wounds. All the maids and servants who should have been attending to her were absent.

They too had joined in the neglect, influenced by the duke’s mistreatment and the criticism aimed at the royal family.

Natasha changed clothes and bathed alone, moving desolately. Having learned to live alone, it wasn’t difficult.

She sat at the mirror, brushing her hair for no reason. Without a chatty friend beside her, she felt lonely. Today, it was especially hard to bear being alone.

As she put down the brush, ready to sleep, an envelope on the dressing table caught her eye. It was a letter that hadn’t been there until this morning.

The stationery was elegantly adorned in red and gold. In the center, a wax seal with a majestic lion emblem had taken its place. It was a combination reminiscent of the Letius Imperial flag that once shone above the now ruined palace.

「Hello, madam?

I heard about the unfortunate news on the day of the coronation. That your maid is the culprit.

Seeing you plead her innocence, it seems you’re convinced the maid isn’t guilty.

Right. The wench is innocent. It was all my doing. I tried to deal with the former dog who doesn’t know its place, but it seems its life is tougher than I thought.

Anyway, I’m sorry and grateful.」

An unusual scent wafted from the letter. Though she had smelled it only once before, it had left a strong impression in her mind. The unforgettable scent of a certain devil.

Moreover, the arrogant tone addressing the recipient.

It didn’t take long for Natasha to recognize the anonymous sender.

Realizing it was a letter sent to her by Kyle Letius, Natasha read the contents again carefully.

A moment later, she let out a despairing sigh.

“…This can’t, this can’t be.”

So it meant that Cayena had taken the blame for Kyle’s crime. From the content, it seemed he had no intention of releasing her. He must be planning to pin his crime on her.

As Natasha, overwhelmed with anger and despair, was about to tear up the letter, she suddenly realized something. She examined the letter.

Although the subject is ambiguous, considering Natasha’s current situation and the context of the writing, it becomes easy to infer what the sender means.

‘If I submit this to the temple…’