Aden paused in front of the office door and exhaled softly.

Although he had assured himself there would be no problem, in reality, he too was equally displeased about meeting the Crown Prince in this manner.

Just three months ago. Back then, it had been a meeting with the man who led the war.

After Ludmila disappeared, he had tried to hold Habertz responsible.

Even without that, Aden, who had no intention of positively turning around the relationship with the Crown Prince that had already crossed the line, couldn’t help but doubt all of this.

Surely, he hadn’t been called for a pleasant conversation.

Understanding Benjamin’s concerns fully, Aden had spoken casually to alleviate his worries, but the reality was the opposite.

The things Jeffrey could do. What Jeffrey was aiming for. Even after recalling all the possibilities and organizing his thoughts, nothing suitable came to mind.

The Emperor had delegated all authority to Crown Prince Jeffrey.

It was an opportunity to widely demonstrate his abilities at the first international event he was hosting in his own name.

Would Jeffrey really have something to threaten him with, even at the cost of abandoning the surest chance to prove his achievements?

No matter how many times he asked himself, the answer was always the same.

“It’s Aden.”

It was ‘no’. That’s why Aden opened the door as soon as he heard the response from inside after knocking.

Jeffrey seemed to have just risen from his seat, pushing his chair back. Aden entered, closed the door, and stood before Jeffrey.

As he stood still, gazing at Jeffrey who was looking at him with a smooth smile, Jeffrey came around the desk.

Standing in front of Aden and looking at him intently, Jeffrey grinned.

“I’m sorry for calling you before the flag-raising ceremony. I have an urgent favor to ask.”

“Please speak.”

A favor from him? Though suspicious of his intentions, Aden spoke calmly.

His eyes followed the movements of the detestable man who sighed in relief, moving diagonally.

Two banners hung on the wall. The red and silver banners were symbols of honor worn by those participating in the flag-raising ceremony.

Jeffrey took one of them, the red banner, and approached Aden.

“If it’s alright, would you participate in the flag-raising ceremony?”

Jeffrey’s casual suggestion, accompanied by a cool smile, made Aden’s brow furrow.

While Aden’s face contorted in confusion, wondering what he meant, Jeffrey put the banner down on the desk.

“The Speaker of the Lower House, who was supposed to participate in today’s flag-raising ceremony, has been urgently hospitalized with a severe fever. We need someone to take his place in the ceremony, and I’d like you, Duke, to fill that position.”

“Me, in the flag-raising ceremony… you say?”

Aden’s face slightly twisted at the somewhat strange proposal.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the significance of the flag-raising ceremony in the Founding Day celebrations.

Its importance was indescribable, and some even considered participating in the ceremony an honor for their family.

To recommend him, the leader of Habertz who had been pointed at as a barbarian ignorant of honor, to such a place.

The backlash from others would be no small matter. The Crown Prince wouldn’t be unaware of this.

A man with strong self-attachment and extraordinary obsession with his position would have no reason to endure all this.

When one thing was suspicious, everything seemed like a lie, and his actions, tone, and expressions became irritating.

“It’s alright. There must be someone better than me, so I’ll decline.”

So naturally, the proposal was rejected.

He didn’t want to foolishly bite at Jeffrey’s offer in a situation where he couldn’t grasp what the ulterior motive was.

But as if he had anticipated even this, Jeffrey made a smooth smile and tilted his chin.

“Do you know who the counterpart for the flag-raising ceremony is? It’s Margrave Erdi.”

“That’s none of my concern.”

“It’s not unrelated. Even though you and I made a deal, the issue of Habertz’s responsibility continues to arise in the assembly. Needless to say, Margrave Erdi is at the center of it. If this situation persists, it’s clear that it will be dangerous for Habertz, regardless of our deal.”

Jeffrey approached the bookshelf against the wall, circling around Aden, and pulled out a book.

“If you participate in the flag-raising ceremony at this time, such public opinion will subside somewhat. After all, participating in the flag-raising ceremony is an honorable thing, and the members are old-fashioned nobles who know honor.”

Jeffrey came back to Aden with the book he had pulled out and slowly held it out.

Aden stared blankly at the cover of the book titled ‘The Dispersion and Understanding of Power’, then raised his gaze as Jeffrey curved his lips.

“I don’t see how that benefits Your Highness.”

“Benefit? Of course there is. As I said, if public opinion intensifies, I won’t be able to stop it anymore. If the fact that you and I made a deal is revealed or its contents are disclosed at that time, I’ll be in trouble as well. I’m just making a preemptive move before that happens.”

“…”

“Duke. I’m a man who will do anything to keep this position. I’m willing to endure a moment of criticism and insults if it means becoming Emperor. I understand that you doubt my choice, but I too am making this decision to survive. So.”

Jeffrey picked up the red banner he had placed on the desk after exhaling softly.

“Please accept it. This is the only way for us to live… no, for me to be safe.”

Jeffrey’s smile faded as he blatantly revealed his selfish side.

Aden silently gazed at Jeffrey’s rarely seen stern face, then rolled his eyes.

Quietly staring at his own reflection in the window that had become a mirror, obscured by darkness, Aden closed his eyes tightly.

“I understand.”

Ludmila was also seated at one corner of the gathering of women who were handcrafting items to be used during the festival.

Her appearance, holding an unfamiliar crochet hook and weaving fabric, was awkwardly clumsy.

When some women asked Ludmila if she had never done this before and chuckled saying she was just like a noblewoman’s lady, she too broke out in a cold sweat.

Still, with help, Ludmila’s work began to take on a fairly decent shape, and she also became accustomed to this gathering.

Chatting with one or two people at a time, she now blended into the group, smiling and gossiping, spending a peaceful moment preparing for the festival.

“Come to think of it, does Ludmila have a man to come with?”

It was then that Whidney, the mistress of the mill, addressed Ludmila.

Coincidentally, Ludmila, who had just finished her needlework and had her hands free, felt embarrassed by the attention directed at her.

“We haven’t said anything, but Ludmila is quite a beauty. It’s hard to find someone like her around here.”

“True. These days, men always talk about Ludmila. They’re all wondering if she has a man, trying to gauge the situation. They’re full of thoughts about asking her to join the festival together.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Ludmila only wore an awkward smile amidst the women who were giggling.

With her hands now empty after finishing her work, she fiddled with her apron, grasping and releasing it, unable to delay any longer under the women’s expectant gazes. Ludmila shook her head.

“I don’t have anything like that.”

“Come on, it certainly seems like you do. Are you lying about not having anyone?”

“No, really. I don’t have a man.”

Even as Ludmila tried to deny it with a forced smile, the women’s gazes didn’t easily disperse.

Instead, voices grew louder, trying to probe her intentions, suggesting she might be hiding a man.

Cutting off their words with appropriate excuses and lies, Ludmila hoped the topic would quickly move away from her.

A man to join the festival with.

Wishing that the name, face, and voice of one person that came to mind as soon as she heard those words would be buried along with this chattery noise.

Aden’s face grew stiff as he walked towards the flag-raising ceremony site, holding the red banner.

Regardless of Jeffrey’s true intentions, he couldn’t avoid ascending to the ceremony after all.

Even for a man who didn’t care about others’ gazes, it wasn’t easy to go and face the looks of shock and contempt that would be poured on him, knowing full well what was coming.

If it had been his past self, he would have ignored whatever Jeffrey said, but Ludmila.

The thought that he couldn’t ignore the final arrangement she had left behind ultimately held him back.

Even at this moment, as he walked holding the red banner, people who noticed him were frowning or showing surprised expressions.

As it was also a task to ignore their gazes, Aden finally tucked the banner into his chest.

Only then, receiving somewhat softened attention, Aden arrived at the waiting room where the ceremony participants gathered.

By the time he reached there, the number of people had gradually decreased, and when he arrived at the door, he was standing alone.

Aden felt strange in the unusually quiet atmosphere, but having never seen the behind-the-scenes of the ceremony, he didn’t think this was unusual.

He just opened the door, hoping this miserable day would end quickly.

What he faced along with it was darkness. Deep darkness.

Has Kedilen not arrived yet?

Aden, with his brow slightly furrowed, slowly entered and closed the door, then approached the faint lamplight glowing in the darkness.

“…This is.”

It was then that a strange scent touched Aden’s nose.

Just as his body was about to stop at the somehow familiar and fishy scent, he stumbled over something on the floor.

He barely managed to balance himself by placing his hand on the floor, but he couldn’t avoid touching something unpleasant with his hand.

Something was wrong.

Aden, having grasped the situation, quickly turned around.

He moved with the thought that he should hurry out of the room before someone else came in, but contrary to his wishes, the door opened feebly.

Along with it, the lamplight rushed in, brightly illuminating the room as if tearing through the darkness.

Corpses scattered here and there. And pools of blood spilled on the floor. His figure standing in the middle of it all.

“What on earth is this…”

The bewildered voice and eyes of the servant who entered the room reached Aden.

It was then that the servant’s scream erupted upon meeting golden eyes in the darkness. Footsteps could be heard from afar.

In this horrific scene, Aden realized what Jeffrey truly wanted, and at the same time, a sense of futility washed over him.

The corpses of Viscount Rodic Fell and Kedilen Erdi.

In the end, what Jeffrey wanted was silence.

Those without mouths have no words.

It was the moment Jeffrey’s gambling move for complete silence, brought by the death of all who knew his secret, turned into success.