“Your Majesty, please listen to me.”

As soon as Scarlet saw Helena slowly emerging from the bedroom, she knelt down and pleaded.

When Helena extended her hand, a maid draped a fur shawl over her shoulders. Then, Helena, with a cigar between her fingers, crossed her arms in front of her chest. She looked down at Scarlet with a cold gaze.

Judging by her disheveled hair and messy clothes, it seems she has heard the story from her father.

It was quite interesting to see the face that used to act so proudly, as if she were the most beautiful in the world, now ruined, but that was all.

“Go back. I have nothing to say.”

“Your Majesty! I have something to tell you!”

“No matter what you say, I have no intention of forgiving the vile act your father committed. I’m meeting you at this late hour out of consideration for our past relationship. This is the extent of the generosity I can show you.”

Helena slightly raised her chin and exhaled cigar smoke.

“Your Majesty, just 10 minutes will do. Within that time, I will change your mind.”

Not even a count, but merely a count’s daughter, what could she possibly do to be so stubborn?

Helena was both exasperated and curious. She handed the half-smoked cigar to her maid. Then, passing by the prostrated Scarlet, she sat on the sofa.

Since no permission was given, Scarlet remained in her bowed position at first.

“Just 10 minutes. Now, speak.”

Scarlet raised her head abruptly. Her forehead, which had been touching the floor, was reddened.

Not even thinking of standing up, she approached the sofa on her knees. And sitting at Helena’s feet, she revealed the secret of the Hastings family.

That Joseph was not Cain’s child, and about Arthur, Joseph’s real father.

Helena uncrossed her legs. She brought her fingers under Scarlet’s chin. Her long nails pricked Scarlet’s neck.

“Can you prove that what you’re saying is true?”

“I’m looking for a witness. That is, Joseph’s real mother. If I can just find her…”

“So you haven’t found her.”

Scarlet’s eyes rolled widely. From Helena’s expression alone, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

“Your Majesty, I will definitely find and bring her. If you give me time…”

Helena’s eyes turned cold. If Scarlet could find her, she wouldn’t be begging for time like this.

If she had the ability to find her, Scarlet would have dragged Jessie here by the collar today.

Even if Jessie was in hell.

“You may go.”

Helena removed her fingers from under Scarlet’s chin and turned her body. With a flick of her fingers, the maid standing far by the door hurried over.

“Our guest is leaving, see her out.”

As Helena got up, Scarlet also sprang to her feet.

“Your Majesty, does this mean you’ll forget about the punishment for our family?”

Helena stopped. Scarlet waited for her words with an anxious heart.

“Your Majesty…”

Helena was slow to give an answer. Scarlet’s insides dried up as she waited for her response.

“Hmm, Scarlet.”

Finally, Helena opened her mouth. Scarlet clasped her hands together.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Scarlet’s voice trembled finely.

“You were the one who spread false rumors about the Duke’s family.”

“Pardon?”

Scarlet’s voice cracked. Helena slightly turned her head to look at her.

“Slandering a ducal family loyal to the royal family is a very serious crime. Especially in a situation where the Duke’s condition is not good.”

“Your Majesty, there is not a shred of lie in my words!”

As Scarlet tried to approach Helena, knights who had been hiding in the shadows all sprang out and drew their swords.

Scarlet flinched and pulled back the foot she had stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, my words…”

“Not only have you accumulated wealth by using my name, but you also intend to throw the kingdom into chaos? You should be grateful that I’m only stripping you of your title. I’d prefer not to see that face of yours anymore.”

Helena entered the bedroom. There was a sound of the door connecting the bedroom and the reception room closing. It was the sound of Scarlet’s hope shattering into pieces.

“Your Majesty!”

Scarlet wailed. But no matter how desperately she called, the once-closed door would not open again.

“If you don’t get up, we’ll drag you out.”

The knights’ warning was only once. As Scarlet persisted, tears streaming down her face, two knights put their hands under her armpits.

“Let go! I am the only daughter of Count Carelina. Do you think you’ll be safe after laying hands on me?”

Scarlet stubbornly resisted being dragged away, but for the knights, moving her was easier than eating cold soup.

Unable to resist, Scarlet went limp. Then she shouted at the top of her lungs towards the royal ceiling.

“Your Majesty, our family must survive, if only to keep the Hastings ducal family in check. Your Majesty, please spare us. Please, I beg you, spare us.”

No one listened to her desperate pleas.

* * *

“Do you know that Captain Augustus has been detained?”

Men barged into Cedric’s office.

“You can’t come in here like this.”

The association staff tried to block the men. Cedric, who was in a meeting, stood up, closing his documents.

“Let them be. Let’s end the meeting here. Proceed with what we just decided.”

Cedric sent all the association staff out. The panting of the agitated men calmed down a bit.

“Lord Cedric, aren’t you being too harsh on us?”

“Sit down first.”

Cedric offered seats while examining the faces of the highly excited men.

They were the hardline leaders of the Rose Faction. They were valiant people who followed Augustus as their leader, deeply sympathizing with the Rose Faction’s ideology to the point where one couldn’t understand why they followed him.

“We don’t have time to sit and talk. Lord Cedric, it’s been over a week since Augustus was taken by the peacekeeping forces. And he was shot! It’s widely rumored that the one who shot him was Duke Hastings!”

The Rose Faction didn’t have sufficient activity funds and lacked a solid organizational structure due to constant persecution, but they had the tenacity to endure for over 10 years under such adverse conditions.

They had eyes and ears that nobles couldn’t imagine. They were as thin as spider webs but densely woven.

“I know.”

Cedric pressed his brow firmly.

“If you know, why are you staying quiet? We must rescue the captain. You must have heard about the Carelina count family too? Now is our chance. If you just give us weapons, we’ll bring him back right away.”

“We have no justification to act for Augustus.”

“What do you mean no justification! The reason Augustus was taken…”

“It’s because he kidnapped the Duchess.”

Cedric gritted his molars. He didn’t know all the details of what Augustus had done, but he knew that he had kidnapped Jane and demanded money.

And since learning this fact, Cedric wished for Augustus’s death.

Laying hands on Jane? Cedric had pleaded so much to leave her alone.

And now they’re asking to save Augustus? Or to provide weapons to rescue him?

Cedric didn’t want to do anything.

“Yes, he kidnapped her. But wasn’t it all for the cause? If you had provided us with ample funds from the beginning, Lord Cedric, Augustus wouldn’t have resorted to such actions.”

So among the hardliners, there’s a rumor that Augustus’s motive for the crime was for the ‘revolution’.

Cedric let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

Augustus and his followers all thought the same way.

They make wrong choices and then shift the blame to others. The phrase ‘birds of a feather’ came to mind spontaneously.

“Whatever the motive, Augustus committed a crime. If we escalate things here, we’ll only be spreading the news of Augustus’s crime. Then even those who supported us will turn away.”

“We can leave behind those who don’t support us! We can’t take everyone with us!”

The frustrated Cedric finally slammed his fist on the desk. With his fist firmly pressed on the desk, Cedric let out a deep breath.

The men flinched at the rough demeanor shown by Cedric, who had always seemed like a mere bookworm.

Barely suppressing his anger, Cedric spoke.

“What do we have left if we don’t have the support of the kingdom’s people? We move only when we have justification. Unfortunately, Augustus himself shattered that justification, and I…”

Cedric gritted his teeth.

“I cannot forgive him.”

“But still…”

“I have nothing more to say, so please leave.”

Cedric turned his body to look out the window. It was a firm attitude of not even listening to their words anymore.

The men bit their lips and stomped out, making the corridor noisy for a while.

Cedric closed his eyes tightly.

His mind was filled only with thoughts of Jane.

Cedric felt an enormous sense of responsibility for Jane’s kidnapping.

If he hadn’t called Jane out that day, if he had escorted Jane to Somnium House…

So even if Augustus had kidnapped Jane not for personal greed but for the Rose Faction, Cedric couldn’t forgive him.

After long deliberation, Cedric finally decided to sever ties with the Rose Faction. However, the tenacious relationship was not as easy to cut off as he had thought.