Evelina had been studying abroad for a long time, so Diarob wouldn’t have seen her…

As expected, my prediction was not off the mark.

“How could I have seen her when she was traveling the continent since childhood?”

“Then how can you speak so definitively?”

Diarob stared at me as if my question was absurd.

Then what he said next was quite astonishing yet rational.

“Can’t you tell by looking at that Basuvir Winterdell Duke’s face?”

Suddenly discussing Basuvir’s face? I nearly spat out my tea but managed to swallow it.

Naturally, the face of Duke Basuvir came to mind.

While Duke Diarob may have exaggerated, it was true that Duke Basuvir was not particularly handsome.

Of course, Lady Evelina could take after her mother, so there was room to refute his words.

I didn’t bother to point that out.

Talking about someone I’d never even seen was neither productive nor pleasant.

Above all, getting rid of him quickly was the priority now.

The anxiety that Casius might come still pounded in my heart.

Though disgusted, I put on a mask outwardly and elegantly raised my teacup once more.

Facing Diarob who was quietly watching me, I smiled and responded.

“This time I will properly embrace the imperial grandson, so don’t worry.”

Only then did he seem satisfied, smiling as he left his seat.

The tension constricting my heart finally eased only after confirming Diarob had left.

Watching his back disappear through the window, I inwardly cursed.

‘Stupid fool.’

Why did he have to come here now when Casius already views me unfavorably?

This will surely reach Casius’s ears as well.

During the time Diarob was strutting about, Casius was also putting effort into building his connections in the imperial family, if not even more so.

Having helped him closely, I knew well that Casius’s ears were scattered throughout the imperial palace.

As Vivian now, it was possible to guess that there would be ears chasing me everywhere.

Just seeing how he had pointed out my meeting with Diarob during our previous argument was proof enough.

A sigh escaped involuntarily, but there was no time to be disheartened over such things now.

I had to make Casius believe me somehow and turn this situation around.

I tore down the tapestry emblazoned with the Snowfell ducal crest, crumpled it up, and hid it out of sight.

Biting my tongue, I waited for Casius.

If he didn’t come by sunset, I planned to go find him myself.

But knowing the Casius I knew, he probably wouldn’t be able to hold out until then.

If only to check whether I had divulged the trap issue to Diarob or not.

However, Casius, who I thought would appear soon, did not show himself for quite some time after that.

The time waiting for him stretched on long and tediously.

As time passed, growing anxiety became a complex emotion that engulfed me.

Within that, the unpleasant sights I had seen today gradually grew and dominated my mind.

Father’s slumped shoulders and Tikan’s contemptuous eyes.

Every moment was a nightmare.

The most terrifying of all was Casius’s gaze looking at me like an insect.

Just recalling that made what little courage remained, along with my plans, lose all strength and disappear.

‘Will Casius believe my words?’

Unable to hide my dejection, just then a commotion was heard from outside.

Soon after, it was Casius who entered the room.

*

Unlike in the council chamber, Casius didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding his anger.

His blue eyes filled with cold energy were as frigid as ice.

Above them, I was reflected, wildly rippling.

Because of that, the words I had prepared could not come out and were swallowed back inside.

It was Casius who first broke the silence.

“I shouldn’t have trusted someone like you.”

His tone fluctuated complexly, alternating between regret and anger.

Facing Casius in such a state was always difficult, but it wasn’t unexpected.

I looked up at him with eyes as forceful as I could muster and opened my mouth.

“Today was unavoidable. That was the best I could do there.”

Casius, seeming even more angered by my words, turned his face away with an exasperated expression.

Seeing that, I bit the inside of my cheek.

Well, from his perspective, my words just now would sound like deception.

As expected, Casius sneered coldly.

“Best? Right. Your best was spouting lies about being attacked by magical beasts in Rosemary.”

Looking at Casius with bloodshot eyes, indignation rose within me.

They said there was a promise document with the Winterdell family issued by the former emperor, but there was no such thing from the beginning.

On top of that were the words spoken in the council chamber today.

Saying he would appoint Lady Evelina as an aide.

Even though he didn’t have to, he deliberately moved like that.

With his gaze full of mockery toward me, he had raised Basuvir Duke’s hand like that.

The complicated emotions that had been welling up inside suddenly erupted.

The tip of the iceberg that had been burrowing inside gradually revealed itself above the surface, finally urging the words that had been crouching to be spit out.

“Your Highness also took in Lady Evelina Winterdell as an aide.”

At my words, Casius spread a cold smile across his face like a predator twisting its neck.

“Do I need your permission to bring in my own aide?”

He would not be unaware of what an aide meant according to the rumors circulating among the public.

Words boiled inside me but I could no longer utter anything.

Saying there was no such promise document between Casius and Winterdell would be no different from admitting I had been digging into his background.

If I blurted that out, it would only widen the distance with Casius.

Moreover, what right did I have to question this when I had agreed to stand on Casius’s side but then consented to the magical beast story?

Sure enough, he did not miss that point and pointed it out.

“If you had just spoken properly, such a situation wouldn’t have occurred.”

“But still, the aide position…”

It’s an important position that will be involved in many of Casius’s crucial tasks.

Moreover, you of all people should know what Basuvir Duke’s ulterior motives are.

I wanted to shout that, but no words came out of my mouth due to Casius’s frightening aura.

Stopping at the suffocatingly close distance, he continued speaking sarcastically.

“Ah, you would know better what meaning the aide position holds.”

He was clearly speaking symbolically about how special his relationship with Rachel had been.

‘Are you trying to threaten me with that now?’

Casius, still not having vented his anger, continued to scratch at me even after that.

“Lady Evelina Winterdell will certainly be different from your kind.”

He was clearly piercing me with sharp eyes comparing me and Lady Evelina, but it didn’t hurt at all.

Just from the talk of an aide, the strong waves that spread in Casius’s wavering eyes were conveyed to me.

That only proved again the fact that Casius still had not forgotten Rachel, making me look at him with worry.

The worries piled up like mountains further strengthened my resolve.

‘You must live. Just as you did for me, this time I will do the same for you, so wait just a little longer.’

After that, Casius’s harsh words continued, but whatever he said did not reach my ears.

When his anger had seemingly subsided on the surface, I calmly recited the words I had prepared.

“If I hadn’t said I was attacked by magical beasts, Father would have suspected me. If I had betrayed you, the trap story would have come out too.”

Perhaps because I was overly calm when he thought I would be agitated about Lady Evelina, Casius seemed even more displeased.

“Now you think I’m some idiot who believes everything you say? How would I know whether you divulged the trap story to the Duke?”

“If I had said it, do you think Father would have just sat still? Father is not the type to miss such an opportunity.”

Casius should know that well too. That was my last hope.

However, Casius’s anger did not easily subside.

“So now you brought up the magical beast story but kept quiet about the trap, and I’m supposed to be grateful?”

His hard tone circled my eardrums.

Separately from that, a faint sense of relief passed over Casius’s eyes.

He had clearly been suspicious that I might have divulged all the facts about the trap issue to Duke Diarob.

Not missing the faint light that settled on Casius, I quickly dug into that gap.

“I know you’ll find me untrustworthy for giving such testimony. But think rationally.”

“…”

“As I said earlier, if I had said I didn’t see magical beasts there, Father would have suspected me.”

Diarob was a very suspicious person.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had risen to his current position through those accumulated suspicions.

The fact that he made no exception even for his daughter was in line with what I had said before about Diarob keeping me under surveillance.

“If that happened, you wouldn’t be able to hear Snowfell’s information through me anymore in the future.”

I looked up at him with eyes full of strength, imbued with trust.

Hoping he too would feel trust in my words.

As a momentary silence ensued, I swallowed hard.

It was because I couldn’t tell how Casius would react.

He just looked at me, his thoughts unreadable.

I tried to persuade him in a low, solemn voice.

“If we can’t bring down Snowfell right away, we need to be able to grasp and shake them.”

“…”

“Use me.”

Cracks spread across Casius’s blue eyes.

“I’ll become Your Highness’s chess piece.”

For a moment, a deep wave was superimposed on his gaze.

He probably can’t trust me as his counterpart. Even so, it must be a string he can’t let go of if he wants to protect Rosemary, so he can’t give up.

Yes. Use me like that, even if that’s all.

A tremor settled on Casius’s cold blue gaze.

However, quickly composing his expression to be frigid, he snapped in a sharp voice.

“You seem to think you can beguile me with such words… That’s enough nonsense.”

Nonsense… It wasn’t surprising or saddening since I had expected it.

Right. With such illusory words, I couldn’t even become Casius’s chess piece, let alone gain his love.

Making Casius believe me was the priority.

Now… it was time to cast the real bait.