Helena’s room was filled with cigar smoke.

Helena’s eyes were vacant as she gazed out the window at the rising sun.

“Your Majesty, the dawn air is cold.”

Despite the servant’s words, Helena insisted on wearing only a thin robe. The cold was no problem for her. Because a greater crisis was approaching.

“Call Gilbert.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Though it was too early to meet people, the servant did not object.

Helena’s mood was unusual. No, the entire palace had been that way for days.

There was a strange tension in the air. Everyone was smiling and going about their lives, but it felt like they all had a knife hidden in their bosoms.

When asked several times what was going on with Helena’s advisors, the only response was an order to “Focus on the birthday celebration.”

At times like this, one had to lie low and go with the flow. The current trend in the palace was to keep quiet as a mouse.

The servant quickly sent a footman to Gilbert’s house.

Soon Gilbert entered the palace. Despite the early morning, he was quite presentable.

“Refreshments are not necessary. I wish to be alone with Lord Gilbert, so everyone leave.”

The queen sat across from Gilbert wearing only a slip and robe.

“I’m sorry for calling you so early in the morning.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. I am Your Majesty’s servant. Whenever you call, be it night or day, in a fiery pit or an ice castle, I am ready to run to you.”

Despite Gilbert’s flattery, Helena’s tight-lipped expression did not soften.

The flattery that once sounded so pleasing now grated on her ears.

Helena’s face clearly showed her displeasure.

“Have I made some mistake, Your Majesty?”

With his slightly parted lips, protruding front teeth, hooked nose, and gentle but seemingly dull eyes, Count Gilbert was specially chosen by Helena to replace Count Carelina.

Unlike his kind-looking face, he was an extremely wicked person, so his relationship with Cain was not very good.

In terms of quality, he was worse than even Count Carelina.

Nevertheless, Helena had her reasons for making him her new confidant.

“What are the movements of the Hastings and the Rose faction?”

It was because he had found out about Cain’s betrayal.

Helena did not ask how he had found out.

If Cain’s betrayal was true, it would be a great threat to the dynasty, so she was only focused on preparing for it.

She had no intention of striking Cain first. Rather, it could give justification to the Hastings and their followers.

“Yes. Since I gave them a hint that Your Majesty had noticed, they will be careful on their own. Meanwhile, we can thoroughly prepare. Your Majesty has nothing to worry about. I, Gilbert, am prepared to sacrifice my life for Your Majesty! Just trust me.”

Helena smirked. When even the Hastings, who had been loyal to the royal family since the founding of the country, had betrayed them, who could be trusted?

Helena felt betrayed as much as she had trusted Cain, and realized she could not trust anyone.

“The birthday celebration is coming soon. It will proceed without any issues, right?”

Ominous rumors were circulating among the people of the kingdom. Negative rumors about the royal family, such as Helena’s extravagance and the princess’s incompetence. The source was undoubtedly those Rose faction bastards, without even having to investigate.

“We must show that the Strain is strong.”

This birthday celebration was bigger and more splendid than ever before. Helena intended to use this opportunity to show her firm royal authority to all. So she could not tolerate even small mistakes.

“Yes, Your Majesty. There are numerous families prepared to swear allegiance to Your Majesty.”

“The day the Rose faction bastards said they would stage an uprising was the day of the tomb visit, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Is there a possibility it could be moved up?”

“No. Even if they somehow managed to gather people a bit faster to proceed with their plans, it wouldn’t be easy. We have planted our people at the ports, train stations, and river docks. We can immediately detect any suspicious individuals flowing into the capital.”

The thing Helena and the nobility looked down on most was people. Yet ironically, without people, no undertaking could be accomplished.

“Prepare thoroughly. I have made my own preparations as well.”

“May I ask what they are?”

“Weaknesses. I have grasped the enemy’s weaknesses.”

“Excellent. But does Duke Hastings have any weaknesses? He seems like someone who wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed.”

Everyone thinks that way. Helena thought so too until Jane and Joseph appeared.

Helena had only seen Cain’s weak side once, when his fiancée Jane left.

Even then, he was still young.

After that day, he remained steadfast whether there were problems with the Hastings, war broke out, or his parents died.

So she thought she would never again have a hold on a weakness that could shake the Hastings.

He was the type of person who would cut off his own weaknesses.

She thought that for himself and the Hastings, he would mercilessly cut off an arm or leg if needed. But it turned out he was a man infinitely devoted to love and family.

“Humans are so interesting.”

Helena muttered, thinking of Cain. Gilbert looked puzzled but stood up.

To remove the Hastings and elevate his own family in their place during this opportunity, there wasn’t enough time even if he lived each day as if it were two.

“I will report again if any issues arise.”

Helena gestured for him to leave. It was an infinitely light gesture.

* * *

As soon as she disembarked from the ship, Jane closed her eyes. Although there was no reason for the ground to be swaying, she still felt like she was on the ship.

The undulating sea.

It didn’t take long to adapt to the solid ground of land.

Jane walked inward, carrying a bag containing the Rose faction’s book.

As she moved away from the dock, the scent of the sea faded and the smell of the city grew stronger.

Smelling the city scent after a long time, Jane paused for a moment to reminisce about the past.

The streets she walked with Joseph, the times she laughed and chatted with Cain.

‘Don’t think about it!’

Jane snapped out of her reminiscence thanks to someone pushing past her.

“Don’t block the road!”

The person who bumped into her got angry instead. The city was indeed harsh.

Jane wanted to return to the island as soon as possible. She hurriedly moved to find the recipient of the letter in the book.

Finding his house wasn’t difficult. Although there was no address written, there was a detailed map that was more specific than an address.

The childlike drawing of a map looked like a kind of code. It took quite some effort to decipher it.

“The fish on a skewer is the fish shop, and the pig’s head with a ribbon… is that an inn?”

Jane walked briskly with the map fixed in her mind.

“There it is!”

After circling around the same place for about 30 minutes, Jane finally found her destination. It was a dilapidated multi-family house with windows haphazardly covered by boards.

The main residents of the multi-family house built in a secluded alley in the heart of the city were laborers.

Sure enough, throughout her ascent to the third floor, the clothes of the people Jane encountered reeked of heavy labor.

They glanced at Jane but didn’t speak to her. Jane gave an awkward smile whenever their eyes met.

The building smelled of dry mold, and the stairs creaked incessantly.

It was so loud that one could tell where Jane was going without even looking.

Here, the feather-light walking style she had learned while being beaten by etiquette teachers was useless. Suddenly, the things she had been taught as noble behavior seemed truly pointless.

The Rose faction member’s house was at the end of the left corridor on the third floor.

Jane grasped the handle on the plain wooden door and knocked a couple of times. There was a rustling sound from inside.

After a while, the door swung open.

Jane was inwardly surprised by the homeowner’s attitude of opening the door without checking her identity, but she understood when she saw his towering physique.

Bear…

The shaggy hairstyle, the beard covering half his face, and the house-sized body naturally brought a bear to mind.

Jane, who was quite startled, tried to force a smile as if nothing was wrong.

“Hello.”

“Ah…”

The man’s eyes and lips widened. Despite his imposing build, the man had a simple impression.

“I have something to deliver to you.”

“Well, come in first.”

The man who stepped aside and suddenly told her to come in seemed suspicious. Jane narrowed her eyes.

“Um, don’t misunderstand. I’m not a bad person. I, well, my name is, uh, please call me Little.”

Little… It was a name that didn’t suit the man.

“It’s not my real name, of course.”

Is it like a code name?

“Anyway, please call me Little, Duchess Hastings.”

“…!”

Jane stepped back in surprise, her eyes wide. The man, who seemed not to have expected her to be startled, waved his hands in confusion.

“Uh, don’t be surprised, I mean, you really shouldn’t be surprised.”

Jane took a deep breath to calm her startled heart and asked.

“You know me? How?”

The man, seeing Jane’s calm eyes, finally settled down as well.

“Wouldn’t it be better to talk inside? Um… madam?”

Since Jane had been shocked at being called the duchess, the man carefully corrected his form of address.

Jane looked around before stepping inside. Instead, the man stood by the window, while she stayed near the door.

Due to the house structure where the kitchen and living room were combined, there were many miscellaneous objects between Jane and the man.

For Jane, it was a safety measure.

If the man tried to do anything foolish, those objects would hold his feet. In that time, she could open the door and escape.

Having determined her escape route, Jane looked at the man.

“As I said earlier, I’m Little. What I know about the duchess is, um… But why did you come looking for me?”

The man, who had been about to continue speaking, instead asked Jane cautiously.