She bit her lips as if my question scared her. I had no intention of scaring her further, but for her, maintaining this image was necessary. There was still information to extract.

“What did you intend to give the Duke and the knights? You gave me water with poison mixed in.”

In the end, I couldn’t find Elenore.

It was because I couldn’t stop Serdis, who had insisted on bringing me to this abandoned palace.

Upon seeing the state of the palace, he asked me if I wanted to move to another one.

I refused his obviously loaded question and hurriedly entered the palace, hoping Hertian might have returned. That hope was quickly dashed. There was no sign of Hertian or any knights from Blandiche.

Something has definitely happened.

I was about to seize the opportunity to leave when I saw the maid and changed my mind.

Even if I report to Elenore now, it would take time to find out what happened.

But this girl might know.

“I asked what you did to the Duke and the knights.”

She might know what happened.

I explained myself again to make sure she answered correctly.

“I, I don’t know anything. I was simply ordered by Her Majesty the Empress to mix some herbs into Your Highness the Duchess’s water. That’s all, really.”

“I’ll believe that’s all you were ordered to do. But the Emperor might not.”

“Wwhat do you mean?”

I looked at her as if I knew everything.

“The Duke has collapsed from poisoning. Wouldn’t you be the prime suspect, the one who handed me poisoned water?”

I had made it all up.

After all, there were only her and me in this palace.

Her faith in the Empress was already low enough that she wouldn’t have information on Hertian’s whereabouts.

My words would sound like the truth to her.

The maid visibly trembled as she sank to the floor.

“He, he drank poison? That’s impossible.”

I knelt down beside her and gently applied the herbs to her cheek.

“I don’t want to suspect you either. But how else would you explain the poison spreading through his body?”

“It’s not from drinking poison, he was struck by a sword coated with it!”

“He was struck by a sword?”

Realizing her slip, the maid covered her mouth. I pried her hand away and continued asking. Though I thought I had good control over my expression, it fell apart easily, revealing all.

“Is the Empress trying to kill the Duke?”

“It’s not that… I heard they were preparing an ambush.”

“Tell me in detail. An ambush?”
“I truly don’t know beyond this. For the past few days, knights have been frequently visiting Her Majesty the Empress’s palace at night. I don’t know when or where. Really.”

An unexpected answer returned.

The Empress attacked Hertian?

Hertian had always been inside the palace. If he and all the knights were attacked, there would have been a big commotion. Yet the palace remained quiet, showing no signs of disturbance.

“There better not be a shred of lie in what you say.”

My eyes widened as I stared at her fiercely. It didn’t seem like she had blurted out anything in fear.

“Why would I lie for safety’s sake! If the Duke was poisoned, it’s genuinely not because of me. Please believe me, Your Grace.”

“Fine, now leave.”

She hastily left the room.

I also followed her out of the palace.

(This is a time separator.)

Meeting Elenore wasn’t that difficult.

The palace was empty, save for a single maid. There was no reason to keep watch.

Now that Hertian was gone, there wasn’t much I could do.

She must have thought that I would soon clarify Hertian’s absence myself.

“An attack… So that happened. But it’s unlikely Hertian would fall so easily. He’s never even been struck by an arrow in war. To fall so easily…”

Elenore listened to my story and fell into deep thought. She seemed to have the same endless questions of ‘why, where, how.’

“Right now, finding Hertian is the priority. I’ll continue to look into the circumstances.”

“You’re right, Your Grace. I’ll find out what’s become of Hertian.”

“Thank you. I’ll reward you sufficiently.”

“Don’t bother with the reward. I don’t want to get a label for having another friend run away from the palace.”

I understood why Hertian kept Elenore by his side.

It was difficult when the royal knights moved only for the royal family. Unlike calculative me, she would willingly go to great lengths for Hertian.

“When the captain leaves, I’ll slip out to look into it as well.”

I was about to express my gratitude when a large shadow loomed overhead.

Elenore’s eyes slowly moved upwards. Her complexion soon turned pale.

“Where do you think you’re going when I leave?”

“Captain, no, that’s not it.”

“Planning some mischief, Deputy Commander? Elenore Crea, have you not been trained properly? Want to roll around till dawn?”

I also turned my head.

“Please don’t.”

And I pleaded. Elenore was doing this to help me, after all.

“Can you let it slide just this once?”

When I added that, a man with purple hair slowly moved his eyes. He had an air about him that felt familiar.

‘Where have I seen him?’

It was only when my eyes properly met the man called the captain that I realized who he was.

And it appeared that it wasn’t just me.

His slowly narrowing eyes suddenly widened.

“Anette L’Angbery, Your Grace?”

“You know me?”

I seem to meet people who know me quite often today.

“Captain, why are you doing this?”

He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes.

“Is it really Your Grace?”

“I’m not Your Grace anymore, I am now the Duchess Consort.”

At Elenore’s words, he sighed bitterly and corrected his title.

“Excuse me for a moment, Your Grace.”

“It’s fine. But it seems like you know me although it’s my first time seeing you. Charfen Havel.”

I recognized him from his familiar purple hair and the black gloves on both hands.

‘It’s Violet’s brother.’