How could an ordinary boy have entered the Duke’s funeral hall without the help of the organizer?

“It appears to be the sole crime of Princess Biella……”

“Is the confessing maid in custody?”

“Yes. She must testify if we put her on trial, so naturally, she is kept alive and detained.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“Is it not an attempted assassination of the empress? There have been those who secretly attempted assassination or poisoned her, but never so blatantly in public. Duke Illenian would never do such a thing.”

“Will you hold an official trial?”

“I wish to, but……”

Henri suddenly trailed off, glancing at Ermedillin’s face.

Ermedillin almost lost herself in admiration at his alluring look, with his jaw slightly dropped and eyes slightly lifted.

“Please speak.”

“The poison on the dagger was purchased from you.”

“……”

She remembered seeing the name of the Illenian family while searching for the records of the Duke of Batistan.

“An extreme poison among extreme poisons. Had you not been immune to curses, you would have died instantly.”

What could she say? Ermedillin kept her mouth shut, waiting for Henri’s words to end.

“A curseinfested extreme poison banned from both manufacturing and sale within the empire.”

Henri paused for a moment, trying to read Ermedillin’s expression.

“Of course, I would like to handle this matter thoroughly according to the national law, but if so, your name will surely be mentioned in court. Would that not hinder your secretive business?”

Henri subtly handed over the choice to Ermedillin.

Ermedillin felt a momentary conflict.

An assassination attempt in a public place.
If Ermedillin’s memory was correct, she had been threatened with murder until just before she was to be burned at the stake.

Though she wanted to punish thoroughly and set an example, she could not act hastily.

Ermedillin decided to first ask for Anri’s opinion.

“What do you think would be best, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm.”

At Ermedillin’s response, Anri smiled a contented smile, like a grandfather admiring his grandson’s wit.

“If I had known you’d do this, I would have dealt with your father earlier. If I had known earlier that you were such a wise woman, it would have been better, wouldn’t it?”

“Uh, what? It’s better to be outright rude.”

There was no way fake kindness would create any real affection.

Though she didn’t want to be openly friendly with Anri, as thinking of Valliere made her angry, Ermedillin decided to let most things go for now, as her most important goal was divorce.

“Do I have a choice when Your Majesty is holding my son hostage? I must at least pretend to listen.”

“Ah, is that so? Your son! He’s quite special, just like you! He learns ten things when taught one, and how they praise him…….”

“Did you hire a tutor for him?”

“Yes. After all, he is the son of the Empress and the heir to the Ducal house of François. It would be difficult if he had no education.”

It seemed like he was being raised to be pulled out as a card whenever needed.

“Only until the divorce…… Only until the divorce……”

Ermedillin bowed her head with a modest smile.

“Thank you for caring.”

“Well, there’s nothing to thank me for. It’s a natural measure as a legal guardian. But speaking of the Duke of Illenian, how about quietly covering up the matter if you’re okay with it? It doesn’t seem like a good choice for such a prestigious family and the palace to be divided when the country is in such chaos. Of course, the Duke will have to pay you accordingly.”

“Payment?”

“Ask for anything. Isn’t it the price of your daughter’s life?”

Anri seemed to have something to get from the Duke of Illenian using this incident.

“Will this matter be considered as if it never happened?”

“Why would it be? Daring to lay hands on the body of the royalty of the great Trivian Empire. Someone must be punished, of course.”

“Who will be punished?”

“The executioner who plunged the knife into the Empress’s body and the shrewd maid who never exposed her backer.”

“What about the boy?”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard anything about the boy since he said he was going to wash up.

It had been too hectic a day, and she had forgotten about it.

“What about him? He’s in prison.”

“What will happen to him if he is tried?”

“He’ll be executed, of course. Didn’t he dare to try to kill the royalty?”

Ermedillin recalled the trembling, palefaced boy who had stabbed her.

A common young farmer’s son who had lost his entire family in a month.

“Isn’t he still young? Since I didn’t die in the end, let him avoid execution…….”

“Look here, Empress. The reason you still maintain your position as Empress, despite all the wickedness and immorality, is because you are royalty. You are the embodiment of the divine, my wife. The nobles of the capital all saw the knife go into your body and the blood flow. Just let it go?”

“Didn’t you also spare my father?”
“So, you want to say that the boy is the same as Count François, is that it? But this is different. How can the severe punishment of a daughter by her father be weighed the same as the commoners daring to kill the queen mother?”

A knife was also used by the count.

It ended with a small wound to the neck, however.

Feeling complicated as if she was confronting a deadend wall, Ermedillin remained silent. Henri threw out a casual remark with a languid smile, as if testing her.

“You must choose between Princess Biella and the boy who tried to kill you.”