“I have no excuses, madam.”

“No, it can’t be helped.”

“…….”

“It’s really okay. It’s not over yet. You can do well in the next trial.”

Even with my comfort, Scepter’s expression didn’t loosen.

He not only knew that I was forcing a smile but also understood from the beginning that this trial was an unwinnable fight.

I no longer inflated the fake pregnancy.

Thanks to that, to those who didn’t know it was a fake pregnancy, it would appear differently.

“Have you found the person I asked you to find?”

“I hastily tried to find some relatives with the same bloodline, but even that wasn’t easy.”

It’s not that it wasn’t easy; he probably wanted to say that even if he found them, it wouldn’t be meaningful.

“Still, keep looking. For now, there’s no other option.”

“Yes, understood.”

Although he answered with effort, Scepter’s expression didn’t brighten.

Given that from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know that I have a different plan, my current appearance might seem like I’m just buying time.

I waited for Scepter to leave before getting up.

The moment I stood up, my legs almost gave way, but I managed to endure it. Because I deliberately skipped meals to look slimmer, my body had weakened.

But I still had something to do.

I regained my balance, caressed the back of the library, and opened the passage.

While Bake was away, I checked all the secret passages that my brother had told me about.

The passage, which was only known to Creighton’s successor, had been left unattended for a long time, yet it was robustly guarded.

I traced my memory and explored the inside.

There was someone already inside the passage.

“Miss, have you been well during this time?”

A familiar face appeared in the flickering torchlight.

I smiled at Cheshire.

“Did you find him?”

“Yes, I found him. As you said, he left traces.”

I glanced at the door with a sidelong glance. We had been keeping an eye on Scepter’s movements since Bake disappeared, and thanks to that, we could monitor all of Bake’s activities.

“Continue to be vigilant without lowering your guard. There may be others besides us who are targeting him.”

But there will probably be others who think like us.

I took a deep breath quickly and spoke again.

“Especially since their stance is different from ours. They’ll try to kill Bake by any means necessary.”

“If you’ve been together for a long time, you probably know a lot. We need to take care of it.”

“Above all, there’s a replacement now.”

After the trial, Margaret and her child became famous figures in the capital.

There were already those who predicted that she would become Creighton’s next owner.

The only thing left to do was wait for the time when Creighton would finally fall into my hands.
If there was no child to present as the successor, I couldn’t assert my rights, and, above all, Margaret’s absurd stories were being treated as facts.

My reputation was hitting rock bottom, while Margaret’s position was gradually growing.

By now, she might be somewhere raising a toast.

Without realizing what kind of situation she was in.

Margaret didn’t know how far the influence of the missing prince extended. Therefore, she could flaunt herself as much as she wanted.

An inexperienced successor, who couldn’t even express their own will, was easily manipulated in various ways.

Of course, so far, I had been guaranteed safety, thanks to the fake child I had claimed. However, not anymore.

Many things would happen to the child who officially gained attention as the successor now.

I had prepared to overturn the false accusations and portrayed myself as a weakling in the first trial for that reason.

She needed to know that noticeable events weren’t always good. And that mocking words might come back as a cost, as well.

I bit my lower lip tightly.

I didn’t mind being insulted. But they shouldn’t have touched my dead daughter.

“Since I threw out a tempting bait, they’ll likely move on that side too.”

Important trials take place not just once but three times. To seize control of Creighton, I had to win in the final trial.

However, everything would end before the last trial took place.

After the final trial, Margaret’s influence would strengthen accordingly. If it was the prince who ruled people by not trusting them and thoroughly subjugating them, he wouldn’t wait until then.

He undoubtedly made a move. And…

I hid my trembling hands behind my back.

If I wasn’t afraid, it was a lie. It was a task I had thoroughly prepared for.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to investigate.”

“Yeah. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes! Just leave it to me!”

Cheshire nodded vigorously with a brightened face.

Feeling somewhat relieved by his innocent appearance, I closed my eyes.

Actually, there was one more thing I wanted to confirm.

“What happened to that child?”

“Oh, that… I haven’t seen it myself.”

“…Have you seen it directly?”

I had such thoughts before. Curious about who my husband’s mistress was, yet not wanting to know.

This time wasn’t much different.

Curious about the child born from denial, yet not wanting to know.