“I will keep my father’s last wish.”

– Never stamp the seal.

The family’s seal must be approved by the Emperor. A seal with the Emperor’s approval gains magical power under the Emperor’s name.

For example, if the head of a family has an opinion and submits a document to the Emperor, the Emperor will stamp the seal to indicate that it is a good opinion and will accept it. At that moment, if the document is stamped with a fake seal that has not received the Emperor’s approval, it will immediately burn and disappear.

Moreover, unless the existing seal is destroyed, a newly made family seal cannot be registered.

The reason for this is simple. It was to prevent the seal from being copied recklessly.

Illina looked at the Empress Dowager’s edict. Lorencia’s signature and sign were written, but the seal was not stamped.

“You’re a fool. Illina Pol Heredian.”

She was blushing and rejoicing, thinking that he would welcome her as a concubine, even if only for a moment.

“Were you foolishly deceived by his love again? No, I’m the stupid one for being deceived.”

She finally understood why Ruans had laughed like that.

Illina’s face turned bright red. The sound of Ruans’ laughter, who had seen her mistakenly thinking she would become a concubine, echoed in her head. The self-loathing soon turned into humiliation.

“Ah, so a person can be this cruel.”

To think that a person can play with another person so miserably like this.

Illina screamed with a cry at all the painful emotions welling up inside her. Adun, who was waiting outside, came in and embraced Illina, who was sitting on the floor, screaming and crying.

“Why are you doing this, Lady Illina?”

“Adun. I’m such a fool.”

“You are not a fool at all, my lady.”

“No. I am a fool.”

“You are the flower of Isuter Empire’s social circle, my lady.”

“What’s the use of being the flower of the social circle! I was a discarded card. No, our entire family was just a discarded card. Our Pol Heredian family was trash to be thrown away!”

“Please calm down, Lady Illina.”

“Do I look like I can calm down after seeing this? Look at this.”

Illina showed Adun the edict issued by the Empress Dowager. As soon as Adun saw the edict, his body trembled. The image of Brant, who had ended his own life, came to Adun’s mind.

Adun himself had no doubt that Illina would become Ruans’ Crown Princess.

“This doesn’t make sense. An illegitimate child has never become a concubine.”

“That’s not all.”

Illina showed the contents of Brant’s diary stating that Lorencia was not the illegitimate child of the Pol Heredian family.

“Adun, you really didn’t know? You have served my father for a very long time.”

“Yes. I didn’t know.”

Musilla was a very beautiful woman, and he thought Brant would have taken her because of her beauty. For nobles, having several concubines was not a major flaw. Illegitimate children also had utilitarian value, so it was common to use them appropriately and then register them with the family.

Honestly, he had felt that the relationship between Brant and Musilla was strange. Because Musilla was beautiful, he thought Brant would keep her as a concubine and cherish her, but Brant locked her in the tower and only visited her occasionally when he was drunk to beat her. He treated Musilla and Lorencia like emotional trash cans.

Anne and Illina may not know, but Brant had a couple of concubines he cherished. He often gave them gifts and showed them affection. One of them said she was pregnant, but she was quietly eliminated. Adun himself handled the elimination.

So he had been curious as to why Brant did not cherish Musilla like the other concubines and why he did not get rid of Lorencia, but as a servant, it was his duty not to inquire about the private life of the master he served, so he remained silent.

“She may not have been a filthy illegitimate child, but a filthy commoner.”

The things he had been curious about were finally resolved after reading Brant’s diary. Musilla was not his concubine, and he was just keeping her under the name of a concubine on Daniel’s orders.

“Why did Duke Daniel tell him to take in Musilla and Lorencia in the first place, my lady?”

“That’s not what’s important! The fact that a woman who doesn’t share a single drop of blood with me acted as my elder sister.”

It was unbearably humiliating for Illina that a monster, who might be a commoner or even a slave, had acted as her elder sister.

“I want to kill her. Adun.”

“My lady……”

“Our family has been used by the Duke of Graykan from the beginning, even before I was born. To make this filthy commoner woman a concubine.”

Adun closed the diary after reading the parts Illina had indicated one by one. It was unbelievable even after reading it. It was shocking.

“My father did not stamp the seal on the concubine acceptance edict issued by the Empress Dowager.”

She tore off and swallowed the last page of the diary, which contained the location of the hidden family seal. And the diary contained Brant’s last wish that he never wanted to see the monster become a concubine.

“What?”

“Why do you think my father signed Lorencia’s signature but didn’t stamp the seal? It means don’t stamp it.”

Brant chose death in order not to stamp the seal on the edict.

Illina thought that Ruans, Daniel, and Felina were behind her father’s death. It was no longer a thought, but a conviction. They had killed her precious family.

“Lady Illina. Was the family seal perhaps in the mana safe?”

“The seal? I didn’t look for it, so I’m not sure either. What’s certain is that the seal wasn’t in the mana safe either. It seems my father hid the seal somewhere.”

Illina knew very well where the family seal was. The last page of Brant’s diary had described where he had hidden the seal. That’s why she tore off and swallowed the last diary page.

“This won’t do. If there is no seal, you cannot become the head of the Pol Heredian family, my lady.”

“Don’t worry. I will definitely find the seal.”

Adun’s face turned pale. The absence of the family seal was a serious problem. If the seal could not be found for more than a year, the next head of the family would be the one who finds the seal between the collateral relatives and Illina.

“That monster who doesn’t even share our family’s blood… How dare a woman who might be a commoner become a concubine? We should have killed that filthy monster long ago.”

The veins in Illina’s neck bulged. Anger surged in her blue eyes, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Only a hollow smile leaked out between her lips.

Illina took the edict and went to find Ruans. Ruans frowned as soon as he received the edict.

“Why isn’t the seal of the Pol Heredian family stamped? Lady Illina.”

“It seems my father did not stamp it.”

“What I mean is, if you saw the concubine acceptance edict, even Lady Illina should have stamped the seal on the edict and brought it back.”

“Your Majesty. I looked for the seal, but it was gone.”

“It’s gone? Explain properly what that means, Lady Illina.”

“My father did not stamp the seal and ended his own life. In other words, no one knows where my father left the seal.”

“You don’t know even though you’re the daughter?”

“No one but the head of the family knows where the head of the family keeps the family seal, Your Majesty.”

Ruans showed a displeased expression.

“Your father committed the crime of disobeying the imperial family’s order and took his own life, so his daughter should bear the punishment instead, right?”

Illina bit the tender flesh inside her mouth. She tasted a slight taste of blood.

“If you don’t want to be punished, you’ll have to find the seal, stamp it on the edict, and bring it back. Lady Illina.”

Ruans said, throwing the edict in Illina’s face.

“As I said, I don’t know where the seal itself is. I searched the mansion thoroughly, but the seal is nowhere to be found. So since I cannot stamp the seal on the edict, there will be no chance for the monster to become Your Majesty Ruans’ concubine.”

Illina said with a smile.

“If you’re going to die, die gracefully. How dare you!”

Ruans paced back and forth impatiently inside the room.

“Sit down, Ruans. You’re agitated.”

“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! It has become impossible to accept the monster as a concubine.”

Unlike the impatient-looking Ruans, Felina smiled leisurely, took a sip of the tea poured into the teacup, and set the cup down.

“Accept her.”

“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! Did you not understand what I said?”

“I understand. What’s the problem? With the signature and sign, she meets the conditions to be accepted as a concubine.”

“The seal has not been stamped.”

“The most important thing for now is to bring Lorencia to the Isuter Empire. Ruans, listen carefully to what I say.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”

“Lorencia. Even if the Di Gloston family asks to see the edict, I will not show it to them.”

“But the Di Gloston family and the Spencer family will not sit still in order to verify the edict.”

“They just need to keep searching the Pol Heredian mansion, burning it or turning it upside down, find the family seal, and stamp it on the edict. The seal must be somewhere in the mansion.”

The corners of Felina’s mouth rose elegantly. Brant had not taken a single step out of the mansion until the day before his death. So the seal was definitely inside the mansion.

“Count Brant did this nonsense to buy time.”

“You are right, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. Then, since we have accepted Lorencia Pol Heredian as a concubine, we should make it possible for Lorencia to return to the Di Gloston family as soon as possible.”

“Lady Illina will also need the seal to become the head of the family, so she will be working hard to find the seal. So it’s only a matter of time before it’s found. Ruans. Hohoho.”

Ruans became indescribably happy at the thought of Lorencia becoming his concubine and returning to the Isuter Empire.

As soon as Ruans finished writing the letter, he sent it to the Di Gloston family.

Naturally, the Di Gloston family was turned upside down upon receiving the letter.

Abrelina did not hide her anger at the letter sent by Ruans.

“Concubine? How dare they do this to our Lorencia… Have you seen such a son of a bitch.”

“Grandmother. I know very well that my younger sister is trying to prevent a war. But I don’t think it would be bad if a war broke out.”

Leanid said, forcibly raising the corners of his mouth.