Ivan, seated on the imperial throne, observed the scene before him and thought.

Madman.

Herdin Delmark is a madman.

Only a complete lunatic would beat a noble scion to a pulp in broad daylight and drag him to the imperial palace in that state.

No matter how grave the crime, personally touching a noble family’s scion could potentially escalate into a feud between houses. Herdin couldn’t have been unaware of this.

In other words, bringing the family’s eldest son here like this meant he was prepared to antagonize the Baldwin house.

‘The Baldwin family’s eldest son is one thing, but…’

Ivan furrowed his brow as he looked at Rachel, standing frozen with a deathly pale face next to the battered Wesley.

To think he would even bring Rachel, his own cousin and a close relative of the imperial family.

Ivan pressed his throbbing forehead and reconfirmed what Herdin had said earlier.

“So, the Baldwin scion and Rachel attempted to sexually assault Blair during this hunting event to cause a scandal? And in the process, Blair fled and became stranded?”

“Yes. Everything Your Majesty has heard is correct.”

Ivan looked at Wesley and Rachel with evident annoyance in his eyes.

When his eyes met Ivan’s, Wesley opened his mouth.

“Y-Your Majesty, the truth is somewhat different from the Duke’s story! It’s true we tried to cause a scandal, but we never actually intended to sexually assault her!”

Instead of refuting Wesley’s words, Herdin presented Ivan with a small vial and a piece of parchment. The attendant standing nearby took them and offered them to Ivan.

“This is the vial of drugs found on the kidnapper who was bribed by the Baldwin family’s eldest son. The buyer has been identified as Wesley Baldwin himself.”

Ivan frowned as he read the parchment describing the drug’s uses. Wesley then desperately tried to explain.

“That was just meant to scare the Duchess! I swear, we never truly intended to defile her body.”

As Wesley attempted to explain, Rachel, who had been silent out of fear, looked at Ivan with pitiful eyes and spoke.

“I, I just lent him the money, I really didn’t know what he was going to use it for! I thought he was just going to use it for gambling as usual.”

Hearing this, Herdin, without turning around, asked in a chilling voice.

“Then how do you explain falsely testifying that the kidnapped lady had disappeared with a knight, young lady?”

The pressure in his voice alone was enough to make one’s body tremble.

Rachel hesitated for a moment, her lips quivering, before making an excuse.

“That was because I had been hurt by the Duchess, so I lied out of spite to damage her reputation. I truly didn’t do anything else. Please believe me, Your Majesty!”

At this, Wesley snorted and interjected.

“Ha! Are you trying to get out of this alone?”

“I’m not trying to get out of anything, that’s the truth!”

Rachel felt indignant.

When he asked to borrow money, he said he’d handle everything, but now he’d messed up and dragged her into this mess.

Wesley sneered at Rachel.

“You’re quite fond of pain, aren’t you? Spouting nonsense about borrowing other people’s husbands.”

Rachel’s face turned bright red at Wesley’s words.

“Stop making things up!”

“Ha! Who’s the one lying now?”

The two began raising their voices, nearly coming to blows. They seemed to have completely forgotten where they were and whose safety was at stake.

Ivan swallowed his irritation as he looked at the two with an utterly exasperated expression.

‘These imbeciles…’

If they were going to plot something, they should have dealt with it cleanly.

Are they still squabbling like children, blaming each other?

If Herdin’s goal was to annoy him, he had certainly succeeded.

As Wesley and Rachel’s voices grew louder, Ivan spoke up.

“Enough!”

At that, silence fell between Wesley and Rachel as if cold water had been thrown on them.

Ivan, with evident irritation on his face, asked Herdin.

“So, what is it you want?”

“I request that Your Majesty personally judge these two and mete out an appropriate punishment.”

Ivan glanced at the pathetic pair standing behind Herdin, but he had little desire to severely punish them.

Especially Rachel, who was his cousin and had been close to him since childhood.

‘Blair, that girl, always had a knack for subtly grating on people’s nerves while pretending to be docile, so she probably clashed with Rachel for that reason.’

However, if he were to give only Rachel a lenient sentence, the Baldwin Viscount’s family would cry foul about fairness. It would be best to just give them a scare and let them go. That would also allow him to curry favor with Viscount Baldwin.

“I hereby order Wesley Baldwin, eldest son of the Baldwin family, and Rachel Selden, eldest daughter of the Selden family, to one month of house arrest.”

Herdin’s face hardened upon hearing Ivan’s judgment.

Ivan then offered a strategy to appease even Herdin.

“The Baldwin and Selden families shall pay appropriate compensation to House Delmark for the emotional distress caused by your reckless prank.”

But Herdin’s expression remained unrelaxed.

“While it’s vexing that you failed to control your personal emotions and ruined an imperial event, it seems the matter has grown disproportionately beyond its original intent.”

“You judge the crime to be less severe because it wasn’t their intention?”

“That’s right. Since Blair ended up safe without any major injuries, wouldn’t it be beneficial for Delmark to conclude the matter here?”

Benefit.

At the word ‘benefit’, Herdin sneered.

Knowing what kind of scandal his sister had nearly been embroiled in, what danger she had narrowly escaped, yet he was still calculating mere benefits?

Ivan, as an older brother, didn’t forget to show concern for Blair.

“If I were to punish my blood relatives, it would trouble Blair as well. That’s why I’m saying this.”

“Are you truly satisfied with this?”

Herdin’s cold eyes were meaningful as he asked.

“The lady is not only the mistress of Delmark but also Your Majesty’s only sister and a member of the imperial family who carries the noble bloodline of the imperial house.”

“…”

“Your Majesty’s judgment on this incident will set a precedent of leniently forgiving traitors who dared to harm a member of the imperial family.”

Ivan finally realized the intention behind Herdin’s words.

“When someone insults Your Majesty or attempts to harm you, will you be able to make the same judgment as today?”

While it seemed on the surface that Herdin was concerned about the prestige of the imperial family and Ivan, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Ivan was closer to a threat or intimidation.

Ivan frowned at Herdin’s impertinence, but then his expression changed to one of intrigue.

‘He goes this far for Blair?’

For an unwanted wife, the daughter of his enemy, whom he should resent and hate?

Things seemed to be taking an interesting turn.

“On second thought, it seems I was about to give too lenient a punishment due to personal feelings. You’re right. Traitors should receive punishment befitting their crimes.”

Ivan looked at Herdin with interest before readily providing the answer he desired.

“Although Rachel is a close relation, I cannot overlook her attempt to harm my sister.”

The atmosphere suddenly shifted, like flipping a hand, and the confused traitors heard the emperor’s judgment fall upon their heads.

“Wesley Baldwin, Rachel Selden. I hereby decree permanent exile for both of you.”

* * *

Blair returned to her bedroom with Lina and Melly after finishing her bath.

The two helped Blair change into her nightgown and led her to the dressing table.

As Lina brushed Blair’s hair, she carefully observed her complexion and asked cautiously.

“My lady, are you less tired today?”

“Yes. After sleeping well for a few days, I think I’m really fine now.”

Fortunately, the hypothermia didn’t leave any major aftereffects. Lina, who had been crying and blaming herself, finally felt relieved.

But perhaps due to the sudden temperature change, Blair had been in a daze, sleeping for days on end.

‘I’m glad I recovered before Lina’s worry deepened again.’

Blair, who had been absentmindedly looking into the mirror, noticed the table behind Lina and Melly and spoke as if remembering something.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve been enjoying the marshmallows you’ve been leaving. But you don’t have to do that anymore.”

“Marshmallows?”

“Yes. You’ve been leaving them on the table every morning, haven’t you?”

A few days ago, Blair had woken up late to find a bowl of marshmallows on the table. Thinking Lina or Melly had brought them as a snack for her, she ate them.

The fluffy marshmallows she ate upon waking in the morning had sweetened Blair’s mood as well.

But the next day, and the day after that, there was a plate of marshmallows. Like a gift.

However, Lina and Melly looked at each other and tilted their heads as if hearing this for the first time. Then, remembering the small empty bowl that had been left on the table for the past few days, they let out a small exclamation.

“Ah, so that was a plate of marshmallows?”

“…It wasn’t you who left them?”

“We never enter the room unless you call for us, my lady. So we thought you had brought them yourself.”

Blair’s eyes widened.

If it wasn’t her, the room’s owner, and it wasn’t Lina or Melly, there was only one person who could have been leaving marshmallows every day.

“Then, sweet dreams, my lady.”

As Lina and Melly finished attending to her and left, the faint sound of the clock striking ten o’clock could be heard through the gap in the door.

Blair looked at the table where the bowl of marshmallows had been placed every morning, thinking of the one person who must have brought them.