“Did you know I would come?”

“Given the noisy rumors, I thought there might be someone to take the bait.”

The reason I did not refuse Bake’s favor was because this was my only chance to communicate with the outside.

Both of them believed that I had lost my memory, but they did not stop being cautious.

Bake controlled my actions under the pretext of my health, and above all, Margaret was always by my side, monitoring me like a shadow.

Evading their surveillance to contact the outside was not an easy task.

“I also wanted to trust you one last time.”

“…… Anyway, I’m glad you seem to be safe. There are ridiculous rumors going around these days that you have lost your memory, and I really……”

Unable to overcome his overwhelming emotions, Cheshire lowered his head, covering his face with both hands.

His appearance was a mess, as if he had suffered a lot recently, and wounds were visible through the torn shirt.

I fixed my gaze on him and straightened my chin.

“I’ve never lost my memory. I was just pretending.”

“Why would you do that.”

“To kill.”

“……”

“To make them squirm in such agony that it would be better to die, and then to kill.”

Cheshire’s face turned pale, but I did not care and continued speaking.

“But not now. As despicable as he is, the current Duke Craiton is Bake.”

Everything of Craiton’s had already passed to Bake long ago, and he used it fully to expand his power. His power is now untouchable even for the emperor.

It was not for no reason that the emperor tried to divide Craiton through me.

To confront Bake, I had to think of a different way rather than fighting outright.

I slowly approached Cheshire.

“I don’t have time, so I’ll get to the point. Can I trust you?”

“The situation is turning weird, but I.”

“Yes, no. Just one of the two. That’s enough for me.”

Cheshire’s pupils widened, but only for a moment.

He soon laid his weapon on the ground and knelt before me.

“I am willing to risk my life right here for you.”

His golden eyes were shining as if they would burst into flame.

I reached out to him as I watched his peculiar eyes.

“Stand up. And tell me. What exactly happened in the meantime?”

Cheshire hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a determined expression.

The story he told contained things I knew and things I didn’t, but one thing was certain.

Bake had tried to hide the truth about Meriel’s death from me.

For his lover, and the child his lover bore.

A fresh wave of laughter came at that fact.

The father who not only killed his own child but also used her death. If I knew that this man was my daughter’s father, I would have snapped his neck long ago instead of giving him a chance.

But regret was useless.

My daughter was dead, and the murderers who killed her were alive and breathing, that was the reality.

“I don’t know how you will take this, but the Rose I knew was not like that. There must have been some circumstances.”

“Not likely……”

I almost laughed without knowing it, but I held back.

I said I believed, but in fact, I couldn’t fully trust anyone now.

I knew who killed Meriel, but that didn’t mean everything was revealed.

Until I fully uncover the truth about my child’s death, everyone was suspicious and no one could be trusted.

And Cheshire was no exception to that suspicion.

After all, what I believed in was not Cheshire Cat, but the evidence.

Cheshire could have escaped the monastery if he wanted to.

If he was involved in Meriel’s death, it would have been right for him to flee from pursuit, not come to me.

Being a criminal wasn’t a big problem for a skilled mercenary, he could live a new life in a new land anytime.

But instead of running away, he came to me.

That was what I believed in.

“Just wait a little. I will find Rose’s whereabouts somehow and uncover the truth about Meriel’s death.”

“No. Don’t do that. It won’t change anything even if you do.”

Bake was blaming Rose and the Cat Mercenary Group she belonged to for Meriel’s death.

Because of this, a bounty was placed on the entire Cat Mercenary Group, and countless military forces in the capital were on the alert to find them.

Moving clumsily in times like this would only endanger us more.

Despite wanting to argue, Cheshire in front of me kept his mouth shut.

“You better turn yourself in instead of doing anything foolish.”

“Sister.”

“You said you’d do anything for me, didn’t you?”

“….”

Cheshire wore a very confused expression, but we had no more time to talk.

I whispered my last important words to Cheshire, who was the only one who could hear the knocking, and turned my body around immediately.

“Duchess Creighton, we apologize for making you wait so long. The tea you requested is ready. If we may, we’ll enter, why won’t this door open?”

“It won’t open? That’s unlikely. Step aside. I’ll do it.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

I gestured to Cheshire to leave, pretending to be calm.

Even as Cheshire left, he looked at me worriedly, but he had to turn his back because of my haste.