The Northern Grand Duke simply asked calmly. If the dead man knew the South. However, Medeia’s face turned red upon hearing those words.

It was a return of her words from yesterday, asking if the yellow caterpillar knew the North. But Grand Duke Belfast’s expression was too calm to be considered payback.

It was Lahert who got angry.

“Grand Duke! What nonsense is this without evidence!”

“Grand Duke, nonsense, you say. I merely spoke in the same context, sympathizing with what the young lady said to us yesterday. We cannot investigate such a crucial matter carelessly, can we? We will do our best, keeping all possibilities open. Or, do you have no intention of doing your best in the investigation?”

Lahert’s mouth closed.

“We of the North, as the shield of the Delpast Empire, have come all the way down to this distant South and fought risking our lives for the Southern people. The Southern Grand Duke, who should protect the safety of the South, surely knows this.”

“……”

Lahert’s face turned purple beyond red.

“I, I did my best for the people too, but……”

“Is the price of risking our lives the lives of myself and my adjutant?”

“!”

Flustered, Lahert looked around at the surrounding gazes and said.

“Instead of standing here like this, let’s go inside. How far you’ve come on such a difficult journey, we can’t keep people who’ve just fought such a great battle standing here.”

“We cannot enter. Because I don’t feel that this place is not dangerous. As the leader of the North and a Grand Duke of the Empire, I protect my subordinates who are also my people.”

Every word was correct. And each and every word was stimulating the inferiority complex of the Southern Grand Duke who had not protected his own people.

‘Grand Duke, was he originally of such a personality?’

The Northern Grand Duke I knew in life was not one to speak of his own merits. Nor did he bring up others’ ‘mistakes’.

Because of that, he received covert attacks from all those who wanted to bring up non-existent mistakes of others and non-existent merits of their own. Especially from the Southern Grand Duke’s house, which coveted the legitimacy and authority of the North.

Lahert said.

“Look here, if you keep doing this without evidence, I’ll have no choice but to get angry too. What kind of outrage is this, bringing a dead person I’ve never seen before?”

At that, the Northern Grand Duke’s blue eyes turned cold.

Arcadia Nugent stepped forward.

“A suicide note stating that I, Arcadia Nugent, tried to poison the Northern Grand Duke, was found on the dead person.”

“And on paper made from trees that don’t grow in the North.”

Belfast added.

Lahert rubbed his face. Then he glanced at his daughter, as if he had seen her but not quite.

Medeia stood tall, facing the Northern Grand Duke. Still smiling.

The Grand Duke also said with a faint smile.

“Since you’ve become involved in such a serious matter, I’m sure the Southern Grand Duke would want a clear investigation. So I sent a letter to the capital. I thought it would be right to widely publicize such matters to gather wisdom that can find the real culprit and solution.”

“W-what did you say?!”

“By now, my knight from the capital estate should be having an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. Probably along with the Prime Minister.”

“…Huh.”

Lahert made a dumbfounded sound and staggered for a moment.

The matter he wanted to hide must have been conveyed to the capital he least wanted to inform.

I glared at Lahert.

He had always maintained the position of a victim in his relationship with the Northern Grand Duke. But now he had been caught by the imperial court publicly in an incident where he could only be the perpetrator. An attempt to assassinate a Grand Duke of the empire at that.

‘Now, what will you do, snake tongue.’

“Please, please do not doubt our Southern friendship, Grand Duke. In any case, I am truly sorry that such a thing has happened. I am ashamed that our power is so weak that the security of the main castle is only this much… I’m sorry.”

Lahert bowed his head to Belfast for the first time.

[This is the timeline separator]

Two days had passed since the corpse of the black bug was displayed in the center of the main castle. The Northern knights strictly guarded the corpse and watched the surroundings.

It was as if the front of the Southern Grand Duke’s main castle had been occupied by the Northern knights.

That sight gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.

And one more thing.

Rumors spread, loud enough to reach my ears, that Lahert was launching a gift offensive towards the Northern Grand Duke. They said it was a gift with the meaning of apology.

On the third day, Lahert’s apology performance reached its peak.

In a situation where no one who knew the black bug appeared, they could no longer leave his rotting corpse as it was.

At the North’s request, the South decided to cremate the body of the black bug in front of the nearby people and all the main castle employees.

Hiding the yellow caterpillar, who had not yet regained consciousness, in a corner of my room, I also went out to see the ceremony.

The bug’s corpse was placed on wood soaked in oil. The Northern Grand Duke sat on a chair on a high platform, watching the scene. The Southern Grand Duke stood below him.

“I, Grand Duke Cramnel Lahert, have decided to cremate the culprit who plotted to assassinate Grand Duke Sion Belfast, the shield of the empire! Even though the Grand Duke does not wish it.”

Lahert slightly bowed his head, looking at Belfast sitting higher than himself.

“If there’s anything the North needs, I’m prepared to give it as a token of friendship! Even if it’s my only daughter, Medeia, as a Grand Duchess, hahaha. So Grand Duke, the blue salt fields are good, and my pink diamond mine is good too. I’ll give you anything you want!”

Lahert laughed heartily.

The employees next to me started whispering.

“Wouldn’t it be good for the North too if he took the Grand Duchess as his wife? If they become in-laws with the South, the Emperor might look favorably on the North.”

“If it were me, I’d ask for the pink diamond mine.”

“By the way, our Southern Grand Duke is so generous. To offer such a grand gesture even though it’s not a crime he committed, he’s truly an admirable person.”

There seemed to be people planted by Medeia among the employees. They raised their voices loud enough for even the distant people to hear.

‘If he asks for the mine or salt, they’ll say he’s greedy, and there’s no way the Northern Grand Duke would ask for Medeia. Saying he’ll grant one thing he wants… This is nothing but a play.’

At that moment, Grand Duke Belfast raised one hand. Silence fell in front of the main castle.

“Very well, Grand Duke. After the cremation ceremony, I will tell you what I want.”

At Belfast’s words, Lahert showed another hearty laugh.

The corpse of the black bug began to burn. Before long, he settled into a handful of white ashes.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the bug’s final moments. Because it seemed like the end of someone who had taken a life in the wrong way.

‘I am no different from the black bug.’

As the cremation ceremony ended, Lahert shouted.

“Grand Duke, have you decided on the one thing you want?”

“Yes, I have.”

“What is it?”

The Northern Grand Duke paused for a moment. His gaze was directed towards the people where I was.

Grand Duke Belfast, whatever it is, say the most precious thing. Something that will help your future.

I bowed my head, nervously waiting for his words. It’s just a guess, but this is an opportunity he gained even by poisoning himself.

“Give me the woman with her face covered by a half-mask, Medeia’s confidant.”

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

Is that resonant baritone really Grand Duke Belfast’s? Or is it someone else?

When I raised my head, I was surprised once again.

Sion Belfast was looking directly at me.

“I want that half-masked woman standing there.”

This time he raises his hand, pointing precisely at me.

“What, what is he trying to do?”

“Why that monster? What is there to see in such a parasite?”

Everyone who knew me murmured.

I unconsciously gaped at the Grand Duke. That’s when it happened.

“That can’t be!”

“That’s not possible!!!”

Lahert and Medeia shouted almost simultaneously. Their tone was aggressive beyond just being adamant.

[This is the timeline separator]

I returned to my room on the first basement floor as if fleeing.

[Are you not going to keep your promise? You clearly said in front of all these people that you would give the one thing I wanted.]

Grand Duke Belfast’s words churned near my heart.

‘Will they really let me go?’

That’s when it happened. Someone entered my room, roughly opening the door. As I turned around, facing the door, I was hit hard on the cheek and fell to the floor. It was Medeia.

She didn’t even lower the hand that had struck me and panted.

“You… ungrateful thing. How dare you! What did you whisper that made the Grand Duke want you!”

Medeia seemed out of her mind with anger.

For a moment, I thought it was good that I had hidden the yellow caterpillar in advance.

I lightly licked the inside of my mouth. The inside of my cheek was torn and bleeding, but I felt no pain.

I looked at her, laughing inwardly. The kindness that always called me a ‘friend’ was nowhere to be seen.

“Say you can’t go! Say you’d rather die! I… I won’t let you go.”

Medeia gritted her teeth with blazing eyes.

I faced her. I wasn’t angry. My emotions didn’t waver. I just coldly looked into her emotions.

You can’t let me go because you know who I am.

You must regret not killing me earlier, as your father said.

Medeia tried to hit me again.

That’s when it happened.

“Does the Grand Duchess have the authority not to let her go?”

The Northern Grand Duke, with a face so cold it made my heart sink, was standing at the door of my humble room.

Even during the day, it’s dark here without the torches hanging in the corridor.

The Grand Duke’s black hair shone deeply in the firelight. Due to the intense shadows, his transparent blue eyes looked even deeper.

The Grand Duke looked at Medeia as if mocking her.

“I was taught that the Grand Duke’s house of Delpast does not go back on its promises, but.”

After saying that, he examined me with his eyes.

Seeing that gaze, Medeia opened her mouth as if spitting.

“Grand Duke. If the pink diamond mine is not enough, how about the Lahert family’s gold mine above the capital? Anything else is fine, but not this child.”

“What’s the reason?”

The Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed as if smiling. At that sight, Medeia swallowed.

“Because she’s my friend who grew up with me since childhood, before being a subordinate. So I can’t send her to that cold North where she has no connections.”

“I see. So the Grand Duchess keeps her friend in this basement, without even giving her a proper name. While hitting her too.”

At the Grand Duke’s calm words, Medeia clasped her hands together. She pretended to be calm, but her lips trembled slightly as she spoke.

“Why this child of all people? Please explain so I can understand.”

“This nameless girl advised me to be careful of ‘poison’. So I could guess. That there was someone in the Southern Grand Duke’s house who used poison. So I was careful, and was able to save my life at the level of coughing up blood. This girl is the savior of my life. Do you need any more explanation?”

I was frozen by the Grand Duke’s too honest answer.

Medeia turned to look at me. Her eyes were like burning coals, heated with anger.

“What nonsense… Bella.”

Her voice trembled.

I looked at the Grand Duke. An expression that I couldn’t tell if he was trying to save me from here or let me die here. It was ridiculous.

But.

I made up my mind.

“Grand Duke, I would like to speak with the young lady alone.”