Seeing Marianne hesitate made me feel like my insides were burning up.

“What’s wrong?”

“His Majesty has passed away.”

I was momentarily dumbfounded by the unexpected news.

After quickly grasping the situation, I understood why the atmosphere at Rosemary Manor was so unusually quiet.

‘Is that why everyone moved to the imperial palace?’

It seemed Father had also headed there for the Emperor’s funeral.

‘But the Emperor died? His health had weakened somewhat, but he wasn’t someone who would die so suddenly… What happened? Surely not…’

Suddenly, I recalled what Diarob had babbled to me.

That he would take care of the government issues himself.

‘Was that… what he meant by this?’

It was clear that Diarob had planned the Emperor’s assassination under the guise of the hunting festival.

‘That madman. I wonder what Casius is doing now.’

While it’s common to show tears in the face of a father’s death, the two I knew had a relationship worse than strangers.

The Emperor, who should now be called the late Emperor, had many consorts and was a man of strong desires.

He was also a thorough emperor who moved for the peace of the imperial family rather than love for his children.

For all that, his political skills were quite poor.

That was fortunate for now.

If the Emperor had been close to Casius, he would have had to suffer that much more.

“Who’s still here now?”

“Um… for now, the Lord of Rosemary and Your Highness are absent. As for the others…”

Seeing her roll her eyes, it seemed she hadn’t properly grasped the situation.

“I’m sorry. Should I go find out now?”

“No, it’s fine. You can go now.”

“What? But…”

“I’m okay. I want to be alone.”

Marianne, who had been fidgeting while checking on my condition, reluctantly left after my firm words.

After confirming the door click shut, I first assessed my physical condition.

Fortunately, my body was better than expected, and while not like before, it wasn’t at a level that would be uncomfortable for moving around.

As my dazed consciousness returned, tasks that needed to be done came flooding in.

‘First, I need to secure the enhancement stone.’

Luckily, on the way to the room, the manor was quiet due to the Emperor’s death.

There was no better time than now to retrieve the enhancement stone.

I climbed to the second floor tensely, using the floor.

Carefully opening the doorknob, I saw the room exactly as it had been.

The neatly arranged appearance was not at all different from when I had been there.

The moment I opened the drawer with a pounding heart, the enhancement stone emitted light as if welcoming me.

After securing the enhancement stone and obtaining my mother’s keepsake to give to that duke bastard, I felt relief.

It bothered me to take my mother’s keepsake, but it couldn’t be helped for now.

If my identity were to be discovered by giving my own belongings to Diarob, it would ruin everything.

For now, the priority was to make him let his guard down.

Hurriedly leaving the room, a book caught my eye.

After a moment’s hesitation, I put that in the deepest part of my clothes too, feeling more reassured.

Just as I turned around with a heavier body and lighter heart, I heard a presence behind me.

Before I could even smooth my bristling hair, the shadowy figure spoke.

“What are you doing here now?”

As I turned my stiffened body, the owner of the shadow revealed himself.

It was Tikan standing there.

“…!”

My head spun.

‘How is Tikan here?’

It was a mistake to think Tikan would have naturally gone to the imperial palace too.

An ambiguous expression spread across Tikan’s face, flushed red above the lantern light.

This was the first time I’d seen Tikan like this.

‘How long has he been here? Surely he hasn’t been watching from the beginning?’

Countless thoughts crossed my mind in an instant, but the conclusion came quickly.

‘If that were the case, he wouldn’t be asking like this to test me.’

The Tikan I knew wasn’t the type to just stand by and watch Vivian rummaging through her sister’s room.

Anyway, having been caught in the act, it didn’t seem like I’d be able to get away easily.

If there was any consolation, it was that Tikan’s attitude was a bit more favorable than at the hunting grounds.

‘I thought he’d be hostile to me now because of Diarob’s outrageous words…’

It seemed that saving Casius had given him quite a bit to think about.

Pushing aside the various thoughts that had passed in an instant, I smiled casually.

“I’m sorry. I found the wrong room.”

He looked at me silently for a moment.

‘Could he have noticed I’m lying?’

My heart beat rapidly.

Though just a moment, time seemed to pass as slowly as an eternity.

Even in that brief time, my head was spinning quickly, trying to come up with excuses in case Tikan had seen everything.

Of course, no matter what I said, I would look like a shameless thief, but still…

Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“I see.”

Dull fellow. I knew he was dull, but to this extent.

Seeing his expressionless face, it was clear he really believed my words.

As I hurried out of the hall with my head bowed.

My heart surged uncontrollably.

*

It was no coincidence that Tikan was standing here.

It was Casius who persuaded Tikan, who couldn’t neglect guarding his lord, and left him here.

With even Father having to leave his post, they couldn’t leave the Crown Princess in a house without its master.

After that, Tikan had been constantly watching Vivian’s movements.

Tikan felt complex emotions as Vivian, who was expected to wake up in a day, showed no movement for the second day.

‘Why did she risk her life to jump in for my lord?’

The relationship between the two that Tikan had seen was not very good.

No, his lord was at the level of loathing when it came to Vivian.

‘Is it possible to like a man who hates you that much?’

Until now, Tikan, who had thought of the Crown Princess as a person full of ambition, was now a little confused.

‘Could it be that the Crown Princess really loves my lord?’

If that were the case, she was living quite a pitiful life.

The lord he knew was someone who would never forget his sister until death.

Loving a man who holds another woman in his heart must be quite painful.

Honestly, he had been annoyed by her imitating his sister, but thinking about it now, it seemed like a tearful effort.

Of course, Tikan could think this way because he had never properly heard about Vivian from his sister.

Anyway, having owed a life debt to Vivian Snowfel for his lord, that debt was a share he had to take on as well.

He was a guard who should have protected his lord in any situation.

What was important to Tikan now was the fact that the Crown Princess had saved his lord.

Just as Tikan was about to move outside with these complex thoughts, a single lamp placed on the table caught his eye.

It seemed the Crown Princess had forgotten it in her haste to leave.

As he was about to bring out the lamp, something caught his eye.

‘Why is this open?’

The drawer, which had been kept neat ever since his sister’s disappearance, was slightly ajar.

‘No one should have touched this…’

Tikan opened the drawer with a strange sense of déjà vu.

It was a drawer he had seen countless times while searching for traces after his sister’s disappearance.

Tikan now knew the arrangement of items in the drawer by heart without even looking.

But there was one thing missing from its place.

‘The stone?’

It was something his sister used to carry around like a beloved doll when attachment dolls were in fashion among noble young ladies.

‘Why that?’

After that, he quickly scanned the room.

Having thoroughly examined the room, Tikan fell into deep thought.

‘The love secrets book is one thing, but… Why take a useless stone and mother’s keepsake?’

*

The imperial funeral, now in its second day, was filled with the sound of weeping.

The sounds of the hired mourners offering prayers contained the custom of safely sending the deceased to heaven.

Sadly, there was no one who shed sincere tears at the late Emperor’s funeral.

It was a moment that recalled the saying that a person receives proper evaluation only after death.

Casius, wearing a black suit, impassively watched the late Emperor’s coffin being buried without any particular emotion. His face was so calm that it was hard to believe he was watching his father’s death.

The ceremony was conducted in a somber atmosphere.

Amidst this, the nobles exchanged glances, each expressing doubts about the late Emperor’s death.

Everyone harbored suspicions about the Emperor’s sudden death, though they refrained from speaking out.

It was common knowledge among them that Duke Diarob was behind it.

But no one dared to utter such nonsense in the face of House Snowfel’s might.

Meanwhile, all the nobles only speculated about the changing political situation due to the Emperor’s death and their own benefits.

It was obvious that Snowfel would gain wings once the Crown Princess became Empress.

It was a natural course for the nobles to be cautious and mindful.

Duke Diarob, passing by such nobles, naturally took his place beside Casius.

“Your Highness, no. I should say Your Majesty now.”

“You seem quite delighted by the Emperor’s death. Seeing that you can’t manage your expression even at the funeral.”

Even if he had heard the rumors about himself, Diarob was utterly shameless.

“How could this humble servant dare to have such irreverent thoughts?”

Looking at Diarob, who skillfully put on a mask, Casius recalled Vivian.

The snake-like man speaking to him might be trying to bring up the topic of Vivian.

If Diarob were to find out that his daughter had fallen victim to Rosemary Mountain’s trap and confront him, it would obviously lead to trouble.

It was best to be careful until Tikan found out about that trap and the truth of all events came to light.

Casius turned his head indifferently and subtly probed the Duke.