Like a storm, King Leo III stormed into Alfonso’s palace, only to be disappointed. He was informed that the prince had not returned since the end of the ball.

If Alfonso hadn’t lost his mind after his first murder and fled the palace, there was only one place he could go. The Queen’s Palace.

For that reason, King Leo III, who remained alone with Queen Marguerite in her drawing room, growled at her as if threatening.

“Where is your precious son? Where did you hide him? Give him to me now!”

“Your Majesty, what in the world is going on!”

Queen Marguerite did not flinch.

“How dare you storm into my chambers in the middle of the night! Please explain why you treat your wife so rudely.”

“Ha, haha! Hahahahaha!”

King Leo III laughed bitterly.

“I have come to a place I am not allowed? Everything you stand on is mine. Tell me, where in my palace can’t I enter!”

He pounded on the wall.

“Alright, if you want a reason, I’ll tell you. Your mischievous son has caused a major accident.”

Cold sweat trickled down the back of Queen Marguerite. Her husband had at least a vague outline of the truth.

But she decided to play dumb once more.

“What are you talking about……”

“The Duke of Gallico Mireiyu is dead. And it seems Alfonso killed him.”

King Leo III spoke ominously.

“A crazy jester saw it. He said, ‘The prince, crazy for a woman, killed the duke.'”

Anticipating the Queen’s rebuttal, King Leo III preemptively blocked it.

“Of course, it’s unreliable since it’s a madman. But the body of the Duke of Mireiyu was found in a barn attached to the Prince’s Palace! A passing gardener also saw the prince’s knight stuffing something into the barn where the body was abandoned, pulling a cart.”

Left speechless, King Leo III, standing before Queen Marguerite, roared up close in her face.

“Tell me, why was the prince’s knight in your chambers in the middle of the night? Wasn’t he here to report the aftermath?”

“…… Sir Elco is assisting with the training of the Queen’s Palace guards. He came for that purpose.”

“Ha! At this hour?”

King Leo III glared at Queen Marguerite with fiery eyes.

“If I had a little more imagination, I would have accused you of adultery.”

He chuckled, murmuring, ‘You’re fearless, fearless.’ The king turned sharply in the middle of the drawing room and scolded the queen.

“You definitely know something. The husband is working day and night for the country, the son is causing trouble, and the wife is scheming behind his back! Cooperation is not happening, cooperation!”

He exploded at Queen Marguerite.

“Don’t even think about plotting any clever tricks behind my back, Queen.”

“I do not involve myself in politics.”

“Ha!”

King Leo III laughed loudly.

“Don’t you remember the Montpellier Archbishop incident?”

He pounded his fist on the wall.

“You caused a stir by writing a letter to the Archbishop of Montpellier questioning whether Crown Prince Philippe was the rightful heir! Since then, we’ve been in a cold war with the Kingdom of Gallico, and what? You’re not involved in politics?”

“……”

It was purely a personal confession of faith, and she had sent the letter without thinking it would be leaked. But it’s true that it was made public and the Etruscan Kingdom was humiliated. Queen Marguerite bit her lip and bowed her head.

“Don’t ever repeat such foolishness. Has there ever been a time when things went right because you stepped in?”

King Leo III raised his voice.

“Bring Alfonso out right now! I’m going to scold him! How on earth did he kill the Duke of Mireiyu!”

The king could not hide his anger.

“I’m going to break that boy’s legs! I’ll have to ask for an apology from the Kingdom of Gallico.”

“!”

Queen Marguerite clenched her teeth and lifted her head. Her decision not to make excuses for her mistakes, and her husband’s insistence on publicizing their son’s flaws to the Kingdom of Gallico, were two entirely different matters.

“Will you acknowledge this as Alfonso’s act to the Kingdom of Gallico and then give an explanation?”

“An entire diplomatic corps came here and died! Why they died must be explained, or the marriage negotiations will not be disrupted, no?”

“Even in this situation, are you thinking of continuing the marriage negotiations!”

“Of course!”

A blue light flashed from Leo III’s eyes. It was almost madness.

“The formulation of gunpowder! Just that! You can escape from this tedious problem! Those annoying aristocrats who won’t listen to a word! The damn border! It all ends at once!”

“Gunpowder is just a strategic weapon, not magic!”

“What do you know!”

Clatter!

Unable to contain his anger, Leo III swept a narcissus pot placed in the center of the queen’s reception room and threw it to the floor.

“That’s my decision!”

He was still upset, kicking a chair in the reception room.

“You, always with a knowing look and nagging, criticizing people! You’ve messed up important matters like diplomatic relations with your exaggerated letters!”