“……You lost them?”

Jeffrey’s voice, filled with disbelief upon receiving the report, echoed in the late dawn.

Aden, Ludmila, and even Kedilen.

When Ludmila said she wanted to regain her status as imperial princess, he could vaguely guess that she meant to kill her husband.

That guess became certain when she approached Baron Ferington to request poison.

Ludmila wouldn’t commit suicide by poison. The only target for it would be Kedilen.

That’s why Jeffrey set the stage for Ludmila to kill Kedilen herself.

He invited Kedilen to the charity event and subtly hinted that it might be good for Ludmila to gradually return as well.

All of it was ultimately a stage he had set.

Ludmila and Kedilen might have thought Baron Ferington was just quietly waiting for his trial, but he was Jeffrey’s limbs and eyes until the very end.

It wasn’t difficult to use him to lure the Erdi Marquis couple here, but the problem was Aden.

It would have been difficult to call that man here.

Inviting him to a charity event held in the outer palace rather than the office or inner palace could raise suspicion.

But for some reason, Aden sent a reply first saying he wanted to meet here. His reply was strange, but thinking deeply, it wasn’t that suspicious.

Ludmila was coming here.

He must have received the information that the social circles and reporters were eagerly spreading. When that thought occurred, Jeffrey could be certain.

Contrary to the attitude he had shown Jeffrey, Aden was still in love with Ludmila.

Mere love.

The man who had tried to obtain it by throwing away his life but was betrayed, once again intoxicated by that love, threw himself into the trap.

Jeffrey couldn’t understand that devotion and desperation.

But if he could get what he wanted because of it, he could easily praise their foolish love.

Put Ludmila, who killed Kedilen, on trial and implicate Aden as an accomplice.

Even if Aden reported about his own attempted murder, all attention would be on Ludmila, who went from being a virtuous marchioness to a notorious villainess who killed her husband.

Aden’s words would lose credibility since he helped such a woman.

If it went that way, he could ultimately protect both Aden’s death, which he had sought, and the crown prince position.

“I apologize, Your Highness. Judging by the open window in the refreshment room, it seems they jumped out from there.”

Jeffrey, who had been frozen with a stunned expression, came to his senses when the next report continued.

“What about the search? No traces of the two found?”

“We’ve dispatched search teams to thoroughly comb the entire palace, but so far there’s been no result. The inner door was locked, so it took time to enter. That delay in assessment seems to have been a mistake.”

Bang!

Unable to contain his anger at the unwanted report, Jeffrey finally slammed his fist on the desk.

Baron Ferington, watching nervously from the side, gauged the situation.

The knight commander, who had gone to the scene on Jeffrey’s orders, calmly accepted Jeffrey’s anger.

Gnashing his teeth and frowning, Jeffrey ran his hand through his hair and raised his lowered head.

“All……”

Knock knock−.

The knocking sound came before Jeffrey could finish his sentence.

Jeffrey was about to ignore it, but he realized that there were few people who would seek him out in the late dawn, and one of those figures was someone who concerned him.

Sighing, he briefly opened his mouth, and the door opened.

As expected. Dennis entered in neat attire despite the dawn hour and bowed his head politely.

“May I have a moment of your time, Your Highness?”

“……”

In a situation where his head was already aching from the disappearance of Ludmila and Aden, the person he needed to be most concerned about appeared before him.

Thinking that his throbbing headache seemed to intensify, Jeffrey covered his forehead with his palm and waved his hand.

The knight commander and Baron Ferington silently retreated at his gesture. Dennis, who had been watching them leave without a word, approached Jeffrey once the door closed.

“It seems there was a disturbance last night.”

“……You seem to know everything already, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t beat around the bush.”

Jeffrey, who had rubbed his face with the hand that was on his forehead, exhaled with tired eyes.

“What do you want to say?”

His voice, laden with fatigue, flowed slowly. Dennis stared at Jeffrey for a moment before reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a letter.

An eagle surrounded by roses. It bore the seal of House Cellano.

So it’s come. Jeffrey silently stared at the letter, unable to even think of opening it.

“His Grace the Grand Duke was greatly disappointed to hear that the Duke is still alive. He’s not considering breaking off the engagement immediately, but he wishes for no further problems to arise.”

There’s no way they would have written such a letter at dawn.

Realizing why Dennis had sought him out at this hour, Jeffrey let out a deep sigh.

“Your Highness.”

Dennis put his hand in his pocket. What he took out was a handkerchief.

Dennis’s action of wiping his forehead with the neatly folded square handkerchief clearly showed the state of mind in which he had come here.

“If His Grace the Grand Duke learns of what you’ve done today, he will choose to break off the engagement immediately. What His Grace wants is the future ruler of the empire. Forgive my rudeness, but there are many princes who could replace Your Highness. To put it bluntly, there are not a few who hope to be the Grand Duke’s dog.”

Dennis’s words were direct, unlike his usual businesslike demeanor.

Sighing and turning his head, Jeffrey could see the face of a pale man in the mirror his gaze fell upon.

Realizing it was his own face, Jeffrey let out a hollow laugh.

“Once you’ve drawn your sword, you must see it through to the end. There’s no other path left.”

It wasn’t something that should be carelessly uttered by a man who came as the Grand Duke’s eyes.

But knowing his words were the truth, Jeffrey didn’t rebuke him.

The two people with the most dangerous swords had escaped together.

That fact made Jeffrey desperate and anxious. The Grand Duke’s letter was oil poured on that spark.

“……If you have something to say, say it all.”

Jeffrey closed his eyes slowly and sank deep into his chair.

Waiting for Dennis’s words to continue in the silence, Jeffrey opened his eyes when the third chime of the clock ended.

“I have subordinates planted in Havertz.”

Jeffrey adjusted his posture at these words and faced Dennis.

“I will give them to Your Highness.”

The man, hiding darkness beneath a facade of propriety, quietly revealed his purpose to Jeffrey.

An uninvited guest who comes without notice in the late dawn is usually unwelcome.

Normally, it would be natural to turn them away without even seeing their face, but Benjamin, the homeowner, couldn’t do that.

He could only cover his forehead with his palm and stare at the scene before him in this absurd situation.

“……Darling.”

At the worried voice of his beloved wife, Melena, Benjamin lowered his hand and gave a faint smile.

He approached her, kissed her forehead, and reassured her with the words, “Go to bed first.”

Even so, he personally escorted her, still trembling with anxiety, to the bedroom before returning to the reception room and placing his hands on his hips.

“Why does this guy always come here when he causes trouble? Is he advertising that I’m an accomplice too?”

Benjamin grumbled quietly and let out a long sigh.

Serving the leader of the clan is an infinite honor for its members, but lately, that honor seemed to be occurring too frequently.

However, knowing how much effort Aden had put in with his father-in-law, the previous Count Turval, for Benjamin and Melena’s marriage, he couldn’t just complain.

‘Is this why he helped?’

Benjamin suppressed his pure curiosity and nodded slightly.

“So, how far are you going to go?”

He no longer asked stupid questions.

He had learned through recent months of experience that questions like ‘What happened?’ or ‘How did it come to this?’ were meaningless.

What he was curious about was Aden’s resolve.

“The Crown Prince’s pursuit team will be on our tail. Unlike before, they know exactly where we’re headed. The same goes for Duke Erdi. Since he didn’t die, once he regains consciousness, he’ll raise hell about his wife being stolen.”

Benjamin didn’t miss the situation where Ludmila had been sent to the doctor under the pretext of checking her serious neck injury.

Left alone with Aden, he poured out all the words he had to say.

“Send Lady Ludmila back.”

The situation had changed from two months ago. These weren’t matters that could be hidden away like before.

All the businesses that had just gotten on track and those in the starting stages would be halted.

Havertz would once again suffer financial difficulties, which would lead to the collapse of the Kan clan.

The responsibility and cause for this would have to be investigated, and no matter how much of a leader Aden was to the Kan clan, if he lost the trust of the clan, he would have to step down.

And Ludmila would once again be driven back to the empire.

“No matter how you think about it, there’s no rosy future in taking her with you.”

Like a predetermined fate, there was only one future awaiting the two of them.

The destruction of both. Neither could save the other. If that was the case, at least one should survive.

And Benjamin, being a cold and rational man, had no choice but to choose the Kan clan, his clan and homeland.

“Send her back, Aden.”