Through the glass window with stars twinkling in the clear sky and the expensive brocade curtain, it seemed that the slightly disheveled room wouldn’t cause any inconvenience in life.

However, even though there seemed to be no servant, the surroundings were extremely quiet, perhaps due to that.

Neris asked in disbelief, “Why are you searching the room of the benefactor of life?”

“Maybe it’s heaven.”

“It’s Len-senpai’s room.”

“I could be lying.”

“I can’t trust people. How could it be heaven when I’m here?”

Neris retorted with such confidence that Claudewin was left astonished.

Actually, he had been puzzled since earlier. According to his investigation, it wasn’t ‘clean.’ He grew up normally.

Why would an heiress from such a small town deceive a prince’s retainer and freely use the bedroom of the younger brother of the former pope?

“How did you know I was there?”

“I didn’t know. I just wanted to disturb Abelus and Nelucion, but you happened to be there. What happened?”

Claudewin sighed and said, “I was betrayed by someone I trusted.”

As he pronounced ‘betrayal,’ sparks flickered in Claudewin’s gray eyes.

No matter how exceptional, he was still a boy in his mid-teens. Despite trying to become accustomed to betrayal, it was inevitable that he would be wounded.

Neris looked at him and asked, “Is it Viscount Tiphian?”

Viscount Tiphian.

At the mention of that name, Claudewin’s eyes, which had briefly glanced at the ceiling, fixed directly on Neris. A veil of silence descended.

Viscount Tiphian was someone Neris had no connection with. His children did not attend the academy, and he was too high-ranking for them to have crossed paths. Claudewin asked coldly, looking at Neris.

“How did you know?”

“You were excited and talking nonsense. You said you would kill Houdis Tiphian.”

It was a lie.

Neris had guessed the culprit of this incident by diligently digging through Claudewin’s memories while he was unconscious, spending enough time to piece together various clues.

Viscount Tiphian controlled the passage connecting the Maindland and the rest of the Empire. He was a wealthy noble, and after his daughter married the former Maindland Duke, he had no obstacles.

Eventually, the courteous daughter died young, and the son-in-law died long ago by the standards of that time. So what? Now his grandson was the Maindland Duke.

He frequented the imperial palace in his previous life, mingling with the imperial family. Claudewin was pulled towards the side of the Elendria family, drawing him closer to the Marquis to be of assistance.
Now that I think about it, the Maindland Duke rarely left the northern region, so there must have been a reason why the marquis, who claimed to be his great-grandfather, kept coming to the imperial palace.

The previous Neris, known for her tendency to flatter those in power, initially thought she could gain more in the imperial palace than by staying next to the stiff grandson. However, upon careful consideration, something came to mind.

“If you had done your job properly back then, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this now.”

“Who knew that the young ones would be so stubborn? You probably have nothing to say about that matter either, right?”

There was undoubtedly a moment when Joseph and Viscount Tiphian blamed each other while having a conversation.

At that time, Neris didn’t know what they were talking about. However, she had remembered that conversation, thinking that the family might need Viscount Tiphian’s weaknesses someday.

Could there be a connection between that conversation and the recent incident?

‘Young ones.’ ‘Trusted person.’ ‘Betrayal.’ ‘Joseph has nothing to say.’

If the Maindland Duke planned to kill the sole successor in the imperial palace to seize his legacy, could Viscount Tiphian have sold his grandson to share the benefits?

Did Nelucian try to help Abelus during that process?

There wasn’t no basis for the assumption, but it was largely speculative. However, judging by Claudewin’s reaction, it seemed not entirely incorrect.

Even if Neris interfered in this life, it was unclear why Joseph failed to find and kill Claudewin in the previous life.

Claudewin, who believed Neris’s words, sighed. For the first time, Neris seemed to him like a person, someone who embraced despair, sadness, and bitterness just like herself.

“…We had something we wanted to do together. At least, I did. It seemed like he wanted the same thing as me, but it turned out that wasn’t the case.”

Having said that, Claudewin coughed several times due to the pain felt each time he swallowed water. Neris, with a chilling tone, handed him the water she had prepared.

What he wanted to do wasn’t important now.

“I promised to fulfill what you want, so you have to live. If you stupidly die here, I’ll chase you even to the afterlife and ask how the promise turned out, so get yourself together.”

“It’s cold.”