“Everyone, be quiet. Daimond, do you know what you’re saying right now?”

“Of course I know. Hook, bring that person in!”

At Daimond’s words, Hook went outside and brought in a man.

“Who is this person!”

“This is Haman’s servant. He informed me about the treason.”

At Daimond’s words, the servant bowed his head and trembled.

“Elder brother, what on earth are you talking about? Treason?”

As Haman asked with a bewildered expression, Daimond smiled coldly and said.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? I’ve known for a very long time that you pretend to be good in front of Father while secretly slandering me and coveting my position.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I have never once coveted your position, elder brother.”

“With all the nobles gathered here, isn’t this a good place to unmask you? Come on, tell them what you told me!”

At Daimond’s words, the servant looked up fearfully, glanced around, and said.

“Your, Your Highness, what are you telling me to say? Wasn’t it you who grabbed me a few days ago on my way to the tailor for wedding preparations and brought me here?”

At the servant’s words, Daimond grabbed his collar and said.

“Didn’t you tell me? That Haman was dreaming of treason. So why are you saying something different now?”

“Treason? I never said such a thing.”

At the servant’s words, Bisselrook frowned and said.

“Crown Prince, have you been drinking? Are you not ashamed in front of Princess Alromande, let alone congratulating your brother’s wedding?”

At Bisselrook’s scolding, Daimond glared at the servant, and at that moment, a smile appeared on the servant’s lips.

You’re smiling?

Could it be that Haman and this guy plotted to deceive me?

Daimond, enraged at being deceived, drew his sword and struck down the servant.

“Kyaa!!”

The noble ladies in the garden screamed at Daimond’s sudden action.

“Shut up. You dare to make a fool of me? I won’t let you off this time!”

As Daimond raised his sword towards Haman, Bisselrook warned.

“Crown Prince, how dare you draw your sword in front of the Emperor. Are you the one planning treason?”

“Father, it’s not like that. Haman and this person conspired to deceive me. I will definitely reveal here that Haman is plotting treason.”

As Daimond approached Haman and swung his sword, someone appeared between Haman and Daimond to block him.

“Crown Prince, it’s been a while.”

Daimond’s whole body shuddered at the very familiar voice that he absolutely couldn’t – no, shouldn’t – hear coming from outside the garden.

How can I be hearing this voice?

Forgetting that he had entered the garden to kill Haman, Daimond looked towards the garden entrance with surprised eyes, swallowing hard.

A few of Daimond’s knights were thrown into the garden, seemingly unconscious, and behind them, Ruan, looking too healthy to be someone who died just a few days ago, slowly walked into the garden.

Daimond was so shocked by Ruan’s unexpected appearance that his mind suddenly went blank.

“Wa- Wait a moment. Could it be a ghost?”

“Your Highness, why are you so surprised? I heard you cried so much at my funeral, aren’t you happy to see me?”

Ruan smiled as he spoke, watching Daimond’s bewildered reaction to his appearance.

Why is that guy alive?

I clearly saw him lying dead in a coffin just a few days ago, so why is that dead guy standing in front of me with such a normal face?

What on earth is going on?

“Y-You, why are you here? This doesn’t make sense.”

“Your Majesty, what is all this about? Why is the dead duke standing there like that?”

Antoinet’s face also turned pale at Ruan’s appearance, whom he thought had died.

“Empress, you can see it too, can’t you? He’s alive, so that’s why he’s standing there like that.”

Bisselrook spoke as if he already knew, looking at Ruan.

“Duke Ruan Canoloup, I command you, arrest the Crown Prince who has disrupted this wedding and put him in prison immediately. Then thoroughly investigate this nonsensical treason and arrest all those involved!”

“I, Canoloup, will obey Your Majesty’s command!”

Ruan bowed to Bisselrook and then dragged out the dazed Daimond from the garden.

“Now then, let’s continue with the wedding.”

Bisselrook looked around the garden as if nothing had happened and spoke.

What on earth is all this?

It’s already shocking that the Crown Prince suddenly appears and accuses Prince Haman of treason, but it’s not true?

On top of that, just as the Crown Prince tries to kill the Prince, a dead duke appears and saves the Prince.

What exactly is going on?

The nobles were all confused by these unexpected events, but seeing Bisselrook continue the wedding as if nothing had happened, they sat quietly without daring to ask anything more.

And at that moment, Antoinet wanted to go to Daimond immediately, regardless of the wedding or anything else, but he sat with an awkward smile, unable to free his hand firmly held by Bisselrook.

Daimond’s plan to reveal Haman’s treason and bring him down at the wedding ended in failure.

And as if nothing had happened, Prince Haman and Princess Petrisha’s wedding proceeded safely as planned.

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.

.

After throwing the unconscious Daimond, who was shouting that he was innocent, into prison, Ruan became anxious.

Ruan hadn’t been able to contact the duke’s residence while recovering his body after waking up at the end of the five-day funeral.

He worked hard eating and exercising for two weeks of the mourning period to appear as healthy as possible.

My wife will be happy to see me like this now, won’t she?

Ah, she’s sure to be angry when she finds out I pretended to be dead, so I should appease her anger first.

Knowing my wife, she might be angry at first, but if I explain everything, she’ll surely understand me.

If she doesn’t understand, I’ll have to beg for forgiveness until she forgives me, as I told Aunt.

Wife, please wait a little longer. I’ll come and make up for all the distress I’ve caused you.

Ruan’s heart ached as he recalled Mercian sleeping with a haggard look the night before he died, and he became anxious with the thought of wanting to see Mercian.

“My Lord, I hear the Prince’s wedding ended safely.”

As Cassel hurriedly reported while leaving the prison, Ruan waved his hand and replied.

“Cassel, from now on, you handle things. I need to let my wife know that I’m alive first.”

“What? Ah, I see. Wife. Ah, my Lord!”

Leaving Cassel, who seemed to want to say something urgently, Ruan quickly left the palace.

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“Master!”

As soon as Ruan entered the duke’s residence, Edward approached him with a pale face.

“Ed, has anything happened?”

“Well, that…”

“Don’t tell me something happened to my wife?”

Without waiting for Edward’s hesitant answer, Ruan went straight to Mercian’s room and opened the door, shouting!

“Wife, I’m back!!”

He was about to say that he didn’t die, that from now on she wasn’t a terminally ill duchess but a true duchess…

But his wife had disappeared!

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.

.

“What do you mean she disappeared? Did the Crown Prince’s side do something?”

Ruan asked, trying to suppress his anger, and Edward shook his head with a bewildered expression and handed him a letter.

“What’s this?”

“It’s what Madam left when she departed.”

Left when she departed?

Ruan hurriedly unfolded the letter Edward handed him.

A single line letter with no reason for leaving or destination.

Ruan looked at the letter front and back again in disbelief, then asked Edward.

“Is this all? Was there nothing else?”

“Yes, it was on Madam’s dressing table.”

“How much money did she take? Didn’t she ask you to prepare anything in advance?”

“Well…”

As Edward hesitated, lowering his head at Ruan’s pressing, Ruan shouted with a frustrated expression.

“Ed, don’t beat around the bush, just tell me!”

“Master, Madam didn’t take anything from the duke’s residence.”

“What?”

As Ruan looked at Edward in disbelief, Edward lowered his head and replied, almost in tears.

“Master, Madam didn’t take anything from the duke’s residence. It seems she slipped out of the duke’s residence without anyone knowing while we were preparing for the mourning period after your funeral. We only found out the next morning and hurriedly searched for Madam, but we couldn’t find any trace of her anywhere. Ma-Master!”

Ignoring Edward’s words, Ruan hurried into Mercian’s room.

The room was as neat and tidy as her clean personality.

Ruan slowly walked into the room, looking around.

The room was exactly the same as when he had come before he died.

Only the owner of this room had disappeared.

Walking to the dressing table, Ruan saw, as Edward had said, a bag containing about 1000 gold coins on the dressing table.

“Wife…”

Ruan searched through the dressing table drawers, just in case, and found a neatly folded paper deep in the drawer.

“What’s this?”

Ruan unfolded the paper.

A suitable house has become available at the place you mentioned. Please visit at your convenience.]

Ruan rushed out of the room holding the paper.

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“Ed, what happened?”

Edward shook his head and replied to Ruan, who was waiting anxiously.

“They say they don’t know. The contract couldn’t be made because Madam didn’t show up on the day they were supposed to make the contract…”

Bang!

At Edward’s words, Olivia, who had been sitting on edge, shouted at Ruan.

“Find her immediately! Didn’t I warn you!”

“Aunt…”

“Just one word, if you had just said that one word that you wouldn’t die, that child wouldn’t have left like this! It’s all your fault that Mer left this house! Do you know how much that poor child cried and grieved over the fact that you died! If it weren’t for your promise, if you hadn’t said you would comfort that child’s heart no matter what happened.”

Olivia cried, unable to contain her upset feelings.

After Ruan’s death, Mercian was almost out of her mind.

Seeing Mercian like that, Olivia realized that Mercian truly loved Ruan.

She wanted to tell Mercian several times that Ruan wasn’t dead, that he was alive so she shouldn’t worry, but she couldn’t say it because of Ruan’s request…

When the mourning period began and they found out that Mercian had left the duke’s residence without anyone knowing, they sent out as many people as possible to search for Mercian, but they couldn’t find any trace of her anywhere, and were burning with anxiety.

She couldn’t even sleep properly, worried that Mercian might have had wrong thoughts.

“Ruan, listen to me carefully. Find that child immediately. If you don’t find that child, I won’t see you!”

After Olivia left the duke’s residence, Ruan sat down blankly.