When Margaret was around six years old, the Empress must have been a young lady in her twenties. It was understandable that she spoke with such an admiring tone.

“Anyway, since His Grace Edmont had received education as a Crown Prince, he was proficient in all aspects. Of course, the land of Viscleben itself is infested with demons and the land is barren, so no matter how well he managed it, it wasn’t prosperous. We thought our Lord was just postponing marriage day by day because of that.”

Margaret took a deep breath and continued.
“Why would such a noble young lady be coming to this frozen land for marriage?”

“Then, does that mean it wasn’t such a simple matter?”

Margaret lowered her head.

“One day, His Grace Edmont brought a newborn baby. He declared that he would not marry in the future and that this child would be the successor of Ansgar. He said it was his own blood. The baby, swathed in a strong charm, had black hair and golden eyes, proudly bearing the symbol of the royal family.”

“…That’s Valentine, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Margaret’s expression became increasingly uncomfortable.

This loyal servant revealing the secrets of her family with her own mouth was quite a dreadful sight, no matter what the lady she served had ordered. Her voice became a bit lower.

“Although His Grace Edmont resembled the Empress and possessed golden eyes, hair could be filtered through generations, as it is inherited. However, unpleasant rumors began to circulate.”

Margaret made a strange face, as if she couldn’t bring herself to spit out these words with her own mouth. With a grimace matching her impression, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Valentine… was rumored to be the child of the Second Imperial Prince at the time… I mean, the current Emperor Joseph’s illegitimate child.”

“Ah.”

“They say that the woman who was the lover of the Second Imperial Prince at the time was abandoned after getting pregnant. She was a noblewoman, and her family was disgraced by that incident. Rumors about the child of that woman were rampant at the time. After His Grace brought Oscar, a noblewoman’s child, in the same manner, such rumors subsided.”

Oscar, being the child of a noblewoman. Adele tried to recall the face of the man that had now become blurred in her memory but failed.

He had been quite unimpressive compared to her brother, especially during the unpleasant times with Valentine.

Moreover, in the last moments…

She tightly clenched her trembling fingertips.

“Are these rumors circulating in the palace?”

“Actually, there have always been those who doubted. Prince Mikhail nowadays looks exactly like Empress Erna, and as you can see, Duke Valentine… I recalled the scene I witnessed a few days ago.”

They would have appeared as father and son to anyone’s eyes. As they stood together, Emperor Mikhail seemed to be just the son of the Empress, just as she stood next to Oscar, looking like only the Empress’s son…

“It seems that recently, the issue of Duke Valentine’s succession right was discussed at the Council of Nobles. Her Majesty said she wanted to leave possibilities open for both of them… I, Your Highness.”

Margaret looked up in surprise. Valentine was leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom, seemingly leaning toward the outside.

He looked at Margaret with cold eyes, then sharply tilted his chin towards the outside.

Margaret, with an anxious expression, quickly straightened up, tidied up her belongings, and left the room.
“There was no need to be so oppressive. I was asking you to speak, that’s all.”

“Why don’t you ask directly? Now that I remember everything, I would have answered anything.”

“… ”

“Has the fever gone down a bit?”

As he strode across the room with long legs, he placed his hand on her forehead.

The hand, cooled by the chilly wind outside, felt pleasantly cool.

Adele pulled his hand down and lightly brushed her cheek as if it were a habit. But as soon as she did, she froze, realizing the mistake. It was a habit from when she was bedridden…

He swallowed a short breath, then chuckled after a while.

“You act so charming, but how do you intend to handle the consequences?”

“… You know I won’t do that.”

“Well, it’s better not to trust too much.”

Supporting her chin with long fingers, he now unconsciously had a fever on his lips.

Her round emerald green eyes trembled unstably. Valentine stared at her for a long time.

All of her tremors seemed very beautiful and delicate.

Soon, he lowered his head and lightly kissed her lips. It was almost like a touch, but the magic was certainly conveyed.

“Endure with this for today. It’s a busy day.”

He said with a slightly teasing smile, placing a small package on her lap.

Adele quickly recognized the stamp on the package. It was from the most famous seamstress in the capital.

How on earth? The cost of commissioning clothes was an issue, and there were rumors that even a princess had to wait because the reservations were full.

“I commissioned it as soon as I arrived in the capital, and it arrived yesterday evening. Open it.”

Adele cautiously opened the package. The first thing she felt was the soft touch of the fabric.

The dress made of navy velvet was beautifully embroidered with delicate patterns.

Underneath were gloves, a handkerchief, a fan, and a small hat adorned with feather decorations. Not a single item seemed cheap.

“This is…”

“I was worried that the clothes might not be enough.”

He said in a calm voice.

“In fact, I wanted to give you the day off until today, but the Emperor insisted on seeing you.”