“Lord Aquila. His Highness the Prince is waiting.”

The aged-faced maid urged Rena. Yet Rena did not enter and instead closely examined the maid’s face.

A pale, bloodless complexion. Dry, whitened lips. Above all, eyes unable to hide fear and terror.

“There should be a guest who arrived first?”

“…There are no guests in the prince’s palace now.”

Rena’s eyes darkened deeply.

As far as she knew, Werner Fondo had just been summoned into the prince’s palace.

Yet there are no guests? Someone who entered has not yet come out. Now there are no guests…

She smiled coyly at the maid. It was a feigned composure to shake off the suffocating pressure.

Donning a precarious ease riddled with lies, Rena slowly turned her steps to enter the reception room.

“Welcome, Lord.”

“…Your Highness Prince. It is a joy and dazzling honor to see you again.”

A tragic scene unfolded on the floor made of refined high-grade white ore.

Dark red liquid crept like small waves toward Rena’s feet, and a chilling fishy smell hit her nostrils.

Rena desperately looked away.

The corpse strewn somewhere, that the face of that corpse belonged to the Werner Fondo she knew well.

She must not express any doubts, nor mention this grotesque act.

Under Magnus’s permissive gesture, Rena sat on the sofa stained with bright red marks.

“The hunting dog I was going to use turned out to be utterly useless. I told it to bring back prey, but instead it came back having bitten its own body. So I disposed of it… but perhaps I should have given it one more chance?”

The hunting dog was Werner Fondo, the prey was Merche Venenum who was supposed to be sacrificed. Rena sensed that Werner had failed to kill Merche Venenum.

She always thought he would die by the prince’s hand someday. Accepting the death of her longtime collaborator cleanly, she smoothly curled up the corners of her red-painted lips.

“A hunting dog with dull teeth deserves to die. Your Highness made the right decision.”

Werner Fondo’s death was somewhat surprising, but not particularly regrettable to her.

However, there was one issue that could not be overlooked.

“But Your Highness. Weren’t you going to order that hunting dog to trample the land far to the east?”

The destruction of Sano. That was a mission and disgrace that Werner Fondo should have carried out even if he died.

But if he died, then the matter of Sano…

Her eyes, shining calculatingly, trembled for a moment.

“Perhaps you are thinking of entrusting the eastern matter to the hunting dog’s pup?”

“No. That’s impossible. If even the father was this incompetent, I can’t entrust such an important task to an immature pup.”

“…Then we must choose another hunting dog. How about Ardor?”

“Lord Aquila. I’m quite disappointed that you of all people would say this.”

It was Magnus who had been watching her with an ominously strange smile since she came into view.

He narrowed his eyes as if truly saddened.

“I have not a hunting dog, but a truly trustworthy loyal subject. I thought you would understand my intentions…”

The tips of Rena’s sharply manicured nails dug into the sofa leather, scratching it.

Was the loyalty oath too hasty? She knew he was cautious by nature, but to so blatantly try to create a weakness like this.

That bastard prince wanted Aquila to destroy Sano and bear that disgrace.

That would become Aquila’s weakness, and for the prince who would become the new king, it would be a tool to hold and manipulate Aquila at will.

But it was already too late to refuse the oath, and there was no way to turn back.

Rena forced a bright smile.

“Oh my. It seems I acted foolishly. Please forgive me generously. Allow Aquila to properly become Your Highness’s loyal subject and sharpest sword.”

She begged permission to cover her family with the cloth of dirty sin, as if submitting.

Then, as if in an artificial play, the prince with an extremely merciful face whispered kindly to her.

“Of course. Having a loyal subject like you is a great joy to me.”

The Aquila castle was busy.

Therese Aquila, who had just returned from a short hunt with her valiant eagle, quickly grabbed one of the servants after reading the tumultuous atmosphere.

“What’s going on in the castle? Why are the knights armed and why are the birds gathered over there?”

“Well… that. We don’t really know either. It’s by the lord’s orders.”

“Mother’s?”

“I don’t know the details, but I overheard something about going on an expedition.”

An expedition. To do what, leading the knights and even the eagle corps at this time?

Therese threw away her hesitation and hurriedly walked to the lord’s office.

Along the way, servants and knights carrying various arms and armor chaotically pulled at her nerves.

“Mother.”

When Therese entered the office, Rena Aquila was smoking a harsh, cheap cigarette.

Therese immediately furrowed her brow at the smoke filling the spacious room.

Therese knew Rena well, having grown up almost as one body with her mother like her own flesh.

There was no doubt that her mother was in a terribly distorted state of mind right now.

“Therese. My child. What’s the matter?”

“I heard you’re going on an expedition. Where are you planning to go at this time?”

Rena silently looked at Therese.

“To the east. We’re going to burn it down and make it a barren land where no life can breathe.”

Rena looked quite affectionately at her daughter’s innocent face, knowing nothing.

Aquila, whose honor would be tarnished by her mother’s hasty mistake.

The daughter who would inherit that family and bear the dirty burden without any fault of her own.

Ashy residue flew from the corner of the cigarette that was burning down.

Rena stubbed out the cigarette that was still more than half left for her daughter’s sake, but Therese could not be happy and stiffened rigidly.

“By the east… do you mean Sano?”

“Yes, my child. We’re going to destroy Sano.”

“No!”

Therese cried out in a shrill voice.

What on earth was her mother saying? Destroy Sano?

Sano is a noble family that even nobles, commoners, and even lowly slaves dare not insult.

The moment Aquila’s knights and eagle corps trampled on such a Sano, Aquila’s standing and honor would plummet to the bottom.

“…That prince. It was ordered by the prince we swore loyalty to, right?”

I know you went to the palace today, Mother. So don’t deny the obvious fact.

Rena also readily acknowledged it at Therese’s cold words.

“My child, your thought is correct. The prince wants us to have a flaw, and we must destroy Sano to prove our loyalty.”

“How could he do such a thing? To do such a vile act when he will become the ruler of all families in the future!”

“Actually, Therese. Werner Fondo died today.”

“…What?”

Therese’s cheeks, which had been flushed red with anger, instantly cooled.

“What do you mean, how…”

“If we defy the prince’s orders, this mother may also end up buried in the ground like him. If you’re unlucky, even you, my child. Is that what you want?”

“……”

“My poor child. Mother is sorry. I’m truly sorry to pass on such a dirty disgrace to you.”

Rena slowly embraced her frozen daughter’s shoulders.

She stroked Therese’s back as if patting it for a long time and whispered several times.

With this sacrifice, we will become the closest subjects to the next king.

The stained name, the fallen honor, all of it will be not even worth looking back on compared to that position.

While pretending to comfort her daughter, Rena was actually comforting and brainwashing herself with those words.

However, Therese alone was not moved by that comfort and brainwashing.

Therese had always believed in and faithfully followed her mother.

Even she could not simply nod in obedience to her mother’s words this time.

So she soon deceived her mother, pretending nothing was wrong, and escaped from her embrace.

Not long after, when the sun set and it became the time of the moon, Therese, hiding in the darkness, silently called forth her divine beast alone.

Her divine beast was an eagle as large as a human body, a bird that could easily carry its master and more.

At last, the eagle carrying its master in secret crossed the pitch-black night sky.

Early in the morning as dawn was breaking, Merche entered the reception room at Mariette’s summons.

Mariette’s face, which had told her “There is a guest who wishes to see you,” was full of suspicious signs everywhere.

Merche, who had found this strange, only somewhat understood such a Mariette after learning the guest’s identity.

“Lord Merche…!”

Therese Aquila, looking visibly tired, jumped up from her seat as soon as she saw Merche.

Before Merche could ask what business brought her visit, Therese ran to her and desperately grasped her hands.

“Please help me. I need your power, that authority.”

Merche did not need to ask about the circumstances.

Even before that, Therese spilled everything out to her entirely.

The outpouring mixed with clear resentment and anger led to one major fact that could not be taken lightly.

“My mother is trying to lead Aquila’s knights and divine beast corps to destroy Sano.”

“…Destroy Sano?”

“Prince Magnus threatened my mother. The prince even killed the head of the Fondo family, so it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to threaten my mother.”

“Did you say Lord Fondo was killed just now?”

Merche was momentarily at a loss for words at the successive shocks.

For what purpose.

For what reason did Prince Magnus kill the head of the Fondo family who had even sworn loyalty to him?

However, before she could offer any speculation that might be the reason, Therese abruptly asked.

“Lord Merche. The other day, didn’t a group appear trying to harm you and launch a surprise attack?”