At that moment, the doors on either side of the room where the Grand Duke was lying opened.

‘Is it the Grand Duke?’

Rose looked at the door with hopeful eyes, but the person who came out was not the Grand Duke.

Knights came out, carrying something covered in white cloth.

The knights bowed their heads to the emperor.

“Dispose of it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the emperor’s command fell, the knights crossed in front of Rose, leaving the corridor.

‘Ugh, the smell of blood!’

The strong smell of blood pricked Rose’s nostrils.

Rose covered her nose with one hand and frowned. For some reason, her stomach felt queasy, as if she might vomit at any moment.

Underneath the long corridor where the knights had passed, drops of red blood were scattered here and there.

Rose’s lips dried up.
Somehow, it feels like seeing something I shouldn’t have.

Her heart pounded as if it was beating with a bat.

Rose quickly turned her head. Facing her directly, Rose froze under the emperor’s gaze.

Though she had blue eyes like the Grand Duke, they were colder and sharper.

“Why are you the only one fine?”

“I too drank the antidote on my way here, as I was also poisoned.”

Rose spoke to the emperor with a trembling voice.

Luckily, she hadn’t finished the wine, so she could avoid the poison. Moreover, vomiting had played a role as well.

Rose thought that her actions of not swallowing all the wine and vomiting had saved her.

Without realizing that the Grand Duke had given her pre-detoxifying food, Rose said so.

Before coming to the palace, the Grand Duke treated Rose to a dessert made with two walnuts, dried figs, and leaves of rue.

It was a pre-antidote that made you vomit when poisoned.

It would have been good if this information had been shared in advance, but the Grand Duke did not.

Rose, who knew everything, acted awkwardly and might have been blamed as the culprit by the emperor.

Just like now.

The emperor seemed to want to sacrifice Rose as a scapegoat without any wrongdoing.

Before the Grand Duke woke up if possible.

For a fallen noblewoman like her, it was nothing to be killed.

Moreover, if suspicion was reversed on Rose and impeachment was applied, it could eliminate even Viscount Serbiat and his wife, whom they failed to kill in the past.

The emperor’s eyes flickered maliciously. Just as the emperor was about to order Rose to be captured,

“Well… December is a great season for flower viewing.”

Rose opened her mouth first.

“What nonsense is this?”

Is she trying to blur the point and change the atmosphere? Or is she a foolish woman without tact? The emperor frowned at Rose’s out-of-the-blue words.

“Stupid, aren’t you? Wanting to see flowers in a place like Ciclomen, which is full of heinous criminals even in the cold winter. Tsk, tsk.”

Ciclomen.

It was a vast territory where sentenced lifelong criminals were confined.

A desolate place where civilians did not live, and it was an imperial prison directly managed by the empire.

So, Rose might seem strange to their eyes.

“Cyclamen flowers. Are they so excellent? So much that they call it the ‘Brightness of Ciclomen.'”

Again, with Rose’s words, people in the palace burst into laughter, unable to hold back their amusement.

However, only one person did not laugh.

The emperor’s expression stiffened frighteningly.

‘… How does she know that?’
The ‘Radiance of Cyclome’ was a euphemism used among criminals in Cyclome. They preferred undergoing live experiments in Cyclome rather than a lifetime of hard labor in the city. Those who survived the experiments could regain their freedom and leave. That’s why it was called the ‘Radiance of Cyclome.’ Unaware that no prisoner had survived outside Cyclome… Upon Rose’s piercing revelation, the emperor was noticeably taken aback. It was a secret experiment conducted discreetly. The emperor, Duke Fleche, and Viscount Wence, only three individuals, shared this dirty secret. Everything began under the leadership of the emperor. When Rose mentioned such matters, it was surprising. If the emperor’s inhumane actions were exposed, the firmly established imperial authority would be at risk. ‘”Wanting to go flower viewing on the land where prisoners are confined, is she out of her mind! How dare she belittle me! What does she know about Cyclome to talk like that?” As thunderous scolding ensued, nearby courtiers, and even knights, were astonished. ‘Why is he so angry?’ ‘Is her words worthy of such fury?’
As the thunderous uproar echoed, the courtiers and even the knights nearby were astonished.

“Why is he so angry?”

“Is her words worthy of such fury?”

“It might be unpleasant to see foolishness. She might become a target for the Grand Empress. A person like her, lacking even common sense, might face divine punishment.”

“It’s curious that the imperial bloodline is specifically linked to the Serviat family.”

Rose’s remarks would seem utterly ridiculous to others. Her ignorant demeanor made her a subject of mockery.

However, the emperor unnecessarily reacted with heightened sensitivity. In an instant, his cheeks and neck turned red.