Lady Line, the viscountess, smiled.

“It’s a matter involving the future of the kingdom where I and my child live. No matter how close we are, it’s not something to decide lightly.”

“So you decided as the queen because you truly thought there was no other way.”

“Yes. If there were other options, I would have chosen them. And I’m not particularly close to the queen. We interact frequently, that’s all.”

Ruela frowned.

“Haven’t you said that you were close to the queen since childhood?”

“Yes, we were when we were young. Now, well, it’s a bit closer than others, but a certain distance has been growing over time.”

“Then why don’t you say it like that? There seems to be a lot omitted in the middle.”

The viscountess squinted her eyes and smiled.

“You still don’t understand social circles well. Bragging about a friendship with a high-ranking person is something you have to create, even if it doesn’t exist. But do I really need to say with my own mouth that my friendship with the queen is not that deep?”

“So, it’s undoubtedly not friendship, just maintaining an appropriate level of acquaintance?”

“A very appropriate expression. ‘An appropriate level of acquaintance.’ Yes, exactly. Before the change, the queen was my closest friend. But not anymore.”

“Change? What do you mean?”

To Ruela’s surprise, the viscountess smiled bitterly.

“Do you know about the Vincenti incident?”

At the unexpected name, Ruela’s eyes widened.
“Vincenti?”

“I’ll tell you an old story. The queen’s family tried to revive a fallen lineage by sending Claire to Duke Kuran. However, the duke wasn’t interested, and instead, she caught the eye of her younger brother.”

“What does that have to do with Vincenti?”

“Listen. Caught in the eyes of her younger brother, Duke Kuran, she became his concubine. However, he quickly took another woman. He was notorious for his numerous affairs. Later, when Duke Kuran sparked a rebellion and became the ruler of the kingdom, he became the king instead of the duke.”

“Did the queen seize power at that time?”

“What are you talking about? Claire was in her early twenties at that time. It was a lonely and frightening period with the king’s indifference, the coldness of the people in the palace, and the chaotic political situation. During that time, she met Vincenti, an artist sponsored by Duke Kuran.”

“They must have fallen in love.”

Even without hearing it, I knew. The beautiful queen and the passionate young artist—it was a common story.

“But how did Vincenti end up becoming a monster?”

At Ruela’s question, Lady Line, the viscountess, looked surprised.

“Do you know about that? Only a few people know that Vincenti turned into that… ”

When Lady Line, the viscountess, looked at her suspiciously, Ruela realized she had made a mistake.

After hesitating for a moment, she responded with an arrogant attitude.

“It seems you’ve forgotten that I was involved with Balder Guild Master.”

“You forgot about your brother, but you remember Vincenti?”
“It was such a shocking story.”

At times like this, shamelessness wins.

Ruela looked at Lady Line, as if asking what the problem was.

“Well, it must have been. Reviving the dead and turning them into monsters is not something easily forgotten.”

“He wasn’t revived. He was simply turned into a monster.”

“That’s right. Technically, it’s not revival since he’s not human. It’s more accurate to say he just became a monster.”

“Can you continue with the story?”

“Clare, who fell in love with Vincenti, became greedy. She wanted to kill the king and live with Vincenti.”

The story was getting more and more intriguing.

“So what happened? Seeing the king alive now clearly indicates that the assassination failed. Still, the queen is alive. Did she manage to pin the blame on Vincenti somehow?”

“Do you happen to know this story too?”

“No, it’s just a guess. I’m curious, so please continue.”

“Sometimes, Romine scares me. Anyway, it’s just as I said. Although the assassination of the king failed, the queen died because of this incident. When people began to suspect Clare, she shifted the blame onto Vincenti. She claimed he orchestrated the whole thing to take control. However, the surviving king testified that Clare brought him a poisoned drink.”

“So what happened then?”
“They quickly changed the subject. It’s true that Vincenti brought the tea, but they didn’t know it was poisoned. He said Vincenti just brought it, claiming it was a good tea for the body.”

“Oh, my goodness…”

Considering the sad story behind Vincenti, who had been killed multiple times in the quest to level up, it seemed like they would never be able to bring themselves to kill that monster again.

“Isn’t it horrifying? That’s how I felt. After witnessing the downfall of a close friend, I realized I could never go back to how things were before. Seeing someone you loved betraying you like that made me think it could happen to me if something went wrong. On top of that, fearing that her sins might be exposed, she deceived Vincenti under the guise of love and led him to commit suicide.”