The next day, Lea finished her breakfast and leisurely enjoyed tea time.

While reading the newspaper and savoring the long-awaited leisure, she came across a headline as she scrolled down.

“Bloody turmoil at the funeral home, the return of Marquis Heidern, thought to be dead.”

“Marquis Heidern returned to life::: With a brilliant golden hair as if the sun god were reborn, the majestic aura inheriting the blood of the royal family overwhelmed the worship hall.”

“Numerous assassination attempts that threatened Marquis Heidern have been revealed…”

Due to a prominently displayed article on the front page of the daily newspaper, the empire was in an uproar.

Simultaneously with the revelation of the Empress’s actions, praises for Akkia flooded all the newspapers.

All the newspapers were proclaiming that Emperor Philip III had returned to Akkia.

That wasn’t all. Leia, who was happily reading the newspaper, abruptly stood up at one passage.

“The reversed owner of the imperial court’s inverted crown, Empress’s self-annihilation shaking the world.”

“The Empress committed suicide?”

A sense of shock crossed Leia’s face as she skimmed the article. It was hard to believe that this greedy woman had taken her own life.

Leia immediately rushed to her office, sensing the urgency of the matter.

“Marquis!”

Inside the office, Rikel and Akkia were gathered.

While Akkia was absent, Rikel had taken him to the office since morning due to the accumulated paperwork.

In response to Leia’s voice, Akkia, who had been signing documents, raised his head from the stack of piled documents.

Seeing Leia’s urgent entrance, Rikel stepped back.

Judging from the serious expression on Rikel’s face, the two seemed to be discussing something important, but Leia thought this matter needed immediate attention.

“Did you hear?”

Without giving him a chance to catch his breath, Leia’s question followed. Akkia put down the fountain pen he had been using to sign the documents.

Then, he looked at Leia with a sidelong glance as if to say, “What is it?”

‘How urgent could it be…’

Unable to hold back, Akkia slowly smiled, seemingly savoring Leia’s urgent question.

He then gestured to Rikel, who had stepped back as if to say, “Go out for now.” Seeing Rikel silently leave, Leia continued,

“It’s about the newspaper article.”

“Article?”

Leia approached his desk and put the newspaper down.

“Empress is said to have committed suicide.”

Casting a fleeting glance, he turned his gaze to Leia at her voice.

Even without the newspaper, Akkia had known about the Empress’s news from Rikel.

Although the Empress had claimed to have committed suicide in the cold palace, the news wasn’t entirely reliable.

‘That greedy woman wouldn’t have taken her own life so easily.’

Nevertheless, the article seemed to be quite shocking, as Leia’s eyes were gleaming more than ever.

It was the look she had whenever she focused on something.

“Isn’t it strange? Just a while ago, when she was being escorted to the worship hall, the Empress was groaning as if expecting a future. To suddenly become a corpse overnight…”

“…”

“Something must have happened. Who could it be? If there’s anyone who might hold a grudge against the Empress, isn’t it Lord Roderigo?”

‘Roderigo…’

It was a reasonably logical suspicion.

Leia, who didn’t know the detailed circumstances involving Lord Roderigo, could think that way.

Moreover, she couldn’t have imagined that Illei had banished the Empress.

Akkia, seemingly captivated by Leia’s incessant talk, stood up from his chair.

Unbeknownst to Leia, Akkia approached her as she stood in front of his desk.

“It’s not Gerald.”

“Are you sure? I thought Lord Roderigo was the most likely candidate. He sacrificed his whole life, and in an instant, he was abandoned.”

Akkia stared at Leia’s red lips, which were moving ceaselessly.

He had recalled Rikel’s report before Leia arrived.
[As you mentioned, Marquis Rodrigo has been taken care of. It will probably be difficult to even find his body. Ah, and the maids are the same.] [Really? Well done.] [Regarding the maids, should I inform the Duchess?] [No. Let Leia stay unaware.]

Akkia had no intention of sparing Marquis Rodrigo, Emma, or anyone else.

He discarded the useless pawns without mercy.

Anyone who had betrayed someone once never knew when and where they would be betrayed.

‘The first time is difficult, after that, it gets easier.’

That’s why he delivered the cruelest death to the two, but he wished Leia didn’t know the truth, unlike me.

She lived hoping for a beautiful world unlike me.

Leia had even rushed to the office, and a few strands of red hair were tangled on her forehead.

Akkia untangled the red hair stuck to Leia’s forehead.

“Marquis won’t be able to return to the empire. Probably the deeds of another.”

“Is that so? Going so far away, I guess he was afraid of the Emperor’s revenge.”

Leia, speaking with concentration, was incredibly beautiful. If this were a bedroom instead of an office, I would have immediately pushed her over.

“It’s quite strange.”