“A big issue?”

Enraged, Velia forcefully shook off the maid’s hand.

In doing so, the maid who had been holding onto her wrist fell to the floor.

“Do you just stand there while your master is insulted like this? You all better know that you won’t go unscathed! I’ll report to the Empress and have all your tongues pulled out like that soldier the other day!”

She was terrifying, almost as if Pellio were seeing the old Ermedillin.

At her fearsome remarks, the maids began to bow their heads and beg Velia for forgiveness.

“We’re sorry. We’ve committed a grave sin.”

“Yes, please forgive us just this once!”

Watching this scene, Pellio was utterly stunned.

Velia was someone who had even taken scalding hot water for her maids to prevent them from getting hurt.

Yes, he had always had reservations about her because she was a concubine and the Emperor’s wife.

But Pellio had never doubted her character.

‘She’s become a completely different person.’

Her current state was so unstable it made everyone around her uneasy.

It was as if he was looking at a sinking, dilapidated ship on the verge of going under.

Velia continued to curse him until the end, but Pellio didn’t apologize for what he had said.

He thought there was no need to apologize for simply stating the vulgarity of her actions.

When he returned to the Empress’s quarters, he saw Ermedillin sitting there, her face drained as if she had been filled with worry.

“How are things? Is Velia alright?”

In her earnest eyes, there was no trace of falsehood or pretense.

If this were a lie, she would certainly be born with the talent of an actor.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like a severe injury. She’s currently stabilizing.”

“Oh, then I should…”

“Your Majesty should visit later. Lady Velia is still in an agitated state…”

“I see. Thank you for going there. I feel guilty for taking up your time, Prince.”
Upon Ermedillin’s greeting, Pellio had momentarily felt the urge to say that he had been thinking about her all day regardless of whether they were together or apart, but instead, he just bit his lip and respectfully bowed his head.

On his way out after leaving Ermedillin, Pellio headed towards Louise, the royal palace’s exclusive priestess.

Louise greeted him warmly, as if she were meeting a longlost relative.

Because her late husband and Pellio’s father, Duke Battistian, had been longtime friends, the two had always been close.

“Your Grace! It’s been a while!”

Louise approached Pellio without hesitation and hugged him warmly.

It had been a long time since he had felt Louise’s embrace.

It smelled almost like his missing mother.

Duchess Battistian, Pellio’s mother, had frequently visited Countess Louise Ravienta, who had lost her son early to an epidemic, taking her young son along.

Back then, Louise, who was not affiliated with the temple, took care of Pellio with great care whenever he visited, feeding him and calming him down as if he were her own son.

However, after Count Ravienta’s sudden death and the Duchess Battistian’s death from a curse a few months later, the private exchanges between the two families ceased.

Though they had often met at formal occasions, this kind of private meeting had been a long time coming.

“Have you been well in the meantime?”

Pellio awkwardly smiled and bowed his head slightly, feeling embarrassed for coming only when he had a question to ask.

“Anything special happening? The royal life is pretty much the same everywhere.”

“I see.”

He wasn’t sure what to say next.

He had come to ask something, but his actions felt shallow.

However, Louise seemed to notice Pellio’s hesitation and took the initiative to ask the reason for his visit.

“What brings you here?”

“Um, well…”

“Just speak comfortably. Between us.”

Though wrinkles that weren’t there before had formed at the corners of Louise’s smiling eyes as she held both of Pellio’s hands, her warm and kind demeanor remained the same.

“I came to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“I heard you treated Ballyer yourself. How was his wound?”

Pellio found it very odd.

Even considering a change in personality, her reaction did not resemble that of a person who had just contemplated death.

After his mother passed away, his father, Duke Battistian, attempted suicide twice.

Once by poison, once by slashing his wrist.

Both times, he had been in dire straits but had barely survived thanks to quick treatment.

Though his life had been saved, his eyes remained dead for weeks afterward.

The Duke had been in a terrible state, so much so that Pellio, who was still young and terrified of losing both his parents, got no reaction when he clung to his father.

He was, in essence, a completely broken man.

However, Ballyer did not seem like someone whose spirit had been shattered enough to want to end his own life.

That atmosphere wasn’t something you could create with just a sad voice.

While someone could be deceptive, Pellio already knew the look in the eyes of a broken person.

“Why are you curious about the wound?”

“I’m just wondering how serious it was.”

“Many people are curious about Ballyer’s wound today.”

“Who else besides me?”

“Just a while ago, His Majesty asked the same question.”

“His Majesty?”

Pellio asked in surprise when Henri was mentioned unexpectedly.

“Isn’t Your Grace also curious whether Ballyer truly wanted to end his life by slashing his wrist?”

“Well… yes.”
“In my personal opinion, you can’t die from such a wound, especially not within this palace.”

“Then……?”

“It’s a horrifying thought that I’d rather not entertain, but it could be considered an act to threaten Your Majesty.”