Ariadne was maintaining her composure, but she was internally conflicted. It seemed that there was a glimmer of hope because Queen Marguerite had protected Ariadne and Alfonso, who were hiding in the closet.

“……I.”

Initially, Ariadne definitely desired the position of the prince’s wife, or even more, that of the queen. The golden crown that was snatched away by Isabella right under her nose. Alfonso was merely a tool for that purpose.

Then at some point, Alfonso began to permeate her heart. His consistently kind and tender care. His virtuous blue eyes that looked at her. His gentle nature that never got angry at anything.

And there was the benevolence of Queen Marguerite. She wanted to be recognized. You are a child who is worthy of my son. And she wanted to return the favor. As much as she had received. She wanted to become a person suitable for Alfonso, the son of Queen Marguerite. As wonderful as they were.

Ariadne said,

“……I have no wishes.”

If she had no wishes, would it be a lie? She wanted Alfonso’s side. She wanted to feel his warmth and his breath by his side forever. But the words she was saying now were not insincere.

“I’m just trying to put things back correctly.”

Save your life and protect Prince Alfonso’s throne.

“I won’t lie. If someone offers me the crown of the prince’s wife tomorrow, I won’t refuse. I want it. But that’s not my main goal.”

Queen Marguerite looked down at Ariadne with a strange look. Ariadne felt a bit discouraged, but she regained her composure. Who could fully understand her by hearing such a pie in the sky story? People of the world are not fortunetellers.

Queen Marguerite slowly responded,

“I’ll keep an eye on you.”

Ariadne answered without hesitation here.

“Please do. You won’t regret it.”

“What!”

Duke Ode jumped from his seat after receiving the secret report of Count Lebien, delivered by an envoy.

“I sent her to a good place to get married, and what? She caused such an accident?!”

He read the report over and over, but unfortunately, the words written there were clear.

Princess Lariessa requested Duke Mireille to kill the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare.

In the process, Duke Mireille died.

There is evidence that Princess Lariessa requested Duke Mireille to assassinate. It’s a letter.

“Why the hell did this crazy author do such a thing with his own hands!”

Duke Ode was fuming.

“No, it’s a good thing she’s dead. There’s no doubt she tried to ensnare my daughter. Now that she’s dead, she can’t open her mouth.”

He asked the envoy who came as a messenger.

“Do you know what happened to that letter?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what happened to the letter. As far as I can report based on the situation before I left, we searched Duke Mireille’s possessions thoroughly, but it didn’t come out, and it wasn’t found on Duke Mireille’s body either.”

It was rather fortunate. The day that damn letter appeared would be the day his daughter’s life was cut off.

“This content has obviously not been reported to the Montpellier Palace, has it?”

If King Leo III discovered that letter, even if he locked Lariessa in the Etruscan royal prison, Duke Ode and the Kingdom of Galico would have nothing to say.

And if Philip IV learns of the existence of this letter, there’s no telling what he will do to prevent Leo III’s offensive.

If it was Philip IV, rather than endure the diplomatic disadvantage of Lariessa’s letter being public, he would send someone to assassinate Lariessa first, blame it on the Etruscan kingdom, and still be a righteous man.

“Count Lebien did a very good job. Fortunately, there was no sign that the people on Duke Mireille’s side knew about this letter, and despite that, they are well monitored so that they can’t communicate with Montpellier.”

Then Duke Ode’s secretary appeared and handed a thick bundle of parchment to Duke Ode.

“Your Grace! There are documents you must see. It’s a personal letter secretly sent from the Etruscan Kingdom.”

The Duke of Oude frowned as he picked up the parcel of letters.

“Is it His Majesty Leo III?”

It didn’t seem like Leo III would bother to write a letter to the Duke of Oude, but if the Duke of Oude were to receive a letter from Etruscan, it would likely be sent by Leo III.

“No, Your Grace. It is Her Majesty Marguerite, your sixth cousin.”

The Duke of Oude tore open Marguerite’s letter with a suspicious expression. They weren’t exactly in regular correspondence, being sixth cousins.

And after reading the letter in its entirety, the Duke of Oude exclaimed in shock.

“What’s the latest news from Etruscan now!”

“Though it’s not yet confirmed, according to intelligence from the Church, there is a rumor that the Etruscan Kingdom intends to aggressively blame the death of the Duke of Mireille on the Kingdom of Gallico.”

The Duke of Oude looked again at the parchment in his hand.

“Gallico’s fault? What fault!”

“The exact details are not yet… ”

He began to worry whether his daughter’s crimes had already been revealed.