Eppolito couldn’t calm his troubled feelings. No matter what, she was his mother. Lucrezia had never spared anything for Eppolito. But at the same time, when Lucrezia collapses under everything, Eppolito becomes free.

‘What if I blurt out that mom brought the refugees and blame it on Eppolito?’

Then the angry members of the local cooperative vigilantes would not be calling for the life of Lucrezia de Rossi but of Eppolito de Mare.

‘So… I won’t be able to stay in San Carlo anymore?’

It was customary for a nobleman who committed murder to live in exile in another city or country for several years. After about 10 years, when everyone had forgotten about the incident, he would quietly return to his hometown.

‘I’ve only been back from Padova for a few days… Besides, if I do that, I’d lose all my bridegrooms, wouldn’t I? No, I can’t do that.’

Eppolito made a firm resolution and sought out his younger sister, Isabella. Isabella was in the girls’ reception room. He knocked on the reception room door.

“Yes, come in.”

As he opened the door and entered, Isabella was immediately visible. Isabella was sitting at the desk reading ‘Meditations’. It was a drastic change in lifestyle since her curfew was lifted. She looked surprised as she answered, recognizing who had entered.

“Brother? What brings you here?”

Eppolito went inside and sat down on the sofa next to the desk.

“Isabella. It’s about mother.”

Isabella frowned prettily.

“I heard about the crowd gathering outside.”

Ever since she was released from confinement, she wore modest clothes and only adorned herself modestly. She was undoubtedly a pure and clear beauty at first glance.

But while she had adorned her appearance, she had not yet completely tamed her rough inner self. She belittled the crowd gathered in front of the house with her coarse language, showing her irritation.

“Why isn’t father forcibly disbanding them and just listening to their nonsensical talks? Those lowly commoners, just send the guards to scatter them, and it would be over.”

“Isabella. That’s… it’s not that simple.”

Eppolito explained to Isabella as best he could about the charges against Lucrezia, how far the rumors had spread, and why Cardinal de Mare had to comply with those demands.

Of course, he entirely omitted his own involvement.

Isabella was surprised to learn that the fact that their mother had killed an innocent commoner maiden and demanded her head had spread throughout San Carlo.

“What? The entire city of San Carlo knows about this?”

“Yes, and not only that. There might even be an investigation from the royal palace soon. That Scampa brat is planning to accuse our family at the ‘Royal Court’.”

Isabella trembled at the succession of bad news but quickly noticed something strange.

Eppolito had only exaggerated the misfortune, threatened how dangerous the situation was about to become, but did not say a single word about what to do next, how to defend against it.

“…So what are you trying to say?”

The main point had come. Eppolito hesitantly spoke, dragging out the conversation he didn’t want to have. He didn’t forget to change the subject.

“Father…”

Isabella’s purple eyes were watching her older brother.

“Father is thinking of giving up mother.”

“What?!”

Isabella sprung up from her seat.

“Did you agree to that?!”

Eppolito extended his words as if making an excuse.

“Whether I agree or not doesn’t matter. It’s all father’s decision…”

“Kill my mother? Brother, how could you do such a thing?! Are you even human after saying that?”

I can tolerate insults to my parents, but not to myself. Eppolito bristled when words criticizing him came out.

“Huh? Then what are you going to do?! Do you have any clever ideas?”

He lashed out at his beautiful younger sister.

“It’s over when the royal inspector comes out! Can you, once your mother is confirmed as a murderer at the ‘Royal Court’, bear the burden of being the daughter of a murderer?!”

Eppolito grumbled as he spoke.

“Being a murderer’s daughter, will you bear that burden and find a marriage partner? Who will take you?”

Hesitation filled Isabella’s beautiful eyes. There was also a bit of fear. The convent was not an option.

“It’s just a rumor right now. If we agree with the family and say, ‘It was all a misunderstanding’, ‘Lady Lucrezia died of illness’, the dead can’t insult us, and it will be forgotten over time.”

Eppolito glared at Isabella.

“Have a better idea? If you have one, let’s hear it!”

He secretly hoped Isabella would not come up with a good idea. Lucrezia had to die alone, embracing all her secrets. That was the only way for him to survive.

Fortunately for Eppolito, unlike their halfsister, Isabella was not a child who shone brilliantly with ideas in such situations.

Instead, Isabella did what she did best. She began to implore her brother, throwing herself at him, her violet eyes brimming with tears.

“Is there no other way? How can you suggest killing our mother! Is there no other path?”

Isabella pleaded with her brother, her sparkling eyes filled with tears.

“Brother, you’re good at such things! Please figure something out!”

Isabella knew very well how to manipulate Eppolito. If she gently scratched him with the keyword ‘inept’, she could make him move like a puppet at her will.

But today was a bad day. Eppolito had a personal goal he hid from Isabella, and he became angry when the implication of ineptitude overlapped with that.

“Oh damn, everywhere I go, I’m the one being hassled!”

He slapped his sister away.

“Am I a god? Can I do everything? If so, I would be at the San Carlo palace, not stuck here!”

Eppolito abruptly rose from his seat.

“Anyway, that’s what’s going to happen, so just be aware. I’ve warned you clearly.”

Eppolito slammed the door of the girls’ drawingroom and left. Isabella looked up at the drawingroom door with a desolate expression.

But she did nothing.

She could have run to her father and appealed with tears, or she could have rushed to her mother and urged her to run away immediately, but Isabella just sat quietly in the room and turned the next page of ‘Meditations’.

“So, you don’t want your marriage path to be blocked and you want to save your mother.”

Crunch!

Sancha bit the cookie she was holding.

“So it seems. She won’t say a word about saving her mother even if her mouth tears apart, as long as her marriage path isn’t blocked.”

Ariadne and Sancha, in Arabella’s room, had overheard the farce between Eppolito and Isabella.

The girls’ drawingroom was connected by a door to Isabella’s and Arabelle’s rooms. If you were in Arabelle’s currently vacant room, you could hear the conversation in the drawing room as if it was taking place right next to you.

Upon returning to Ariadne’s study, the two of them were exchanging their views on this situation.

“Miss Rosy may be a bitch, but she really did a terrible job raising them. Eppolito and Isabella are the worst.”

“Really……. Miss Rosy really failed to raise her children.”

“If that’s karma, she’s really getting what she deserves.”

Ariadne also took a bite of a cookie and spoke.

“Sancha. Keep your ears open throughout the house. Especially, report to me in realtime about how Father is moving and what the butler Nicolo is doing where.”

“Yes.”

“It looks like ‘Miss Rosy’ will be imprisoned soon.”

And that statement became a reality less than half an hour later.

“Lady Lucrezia, please come with me.”

“What’s going on? Who sent you!?”

“Stop wailing. Drag her out!”

The place where Lucrezia regained consciousness, being dragged away by the men of the house, was the northern basement.