Startled by the sight of the Duke drawing his sword, Biare pleaded with him repeatedly.

“No, Father. Please don’t kill him.”

The Duke looked at his daughter with pity for a moment, but he did not seem to intend to stop his actions.

“This is all my fault. Joian did nothing wrong!”

Tears flowed endlessly from Biare’s eyes as she wailed.

“Bia, you don’t need to sacrifice yourself for that child.”

The Duke added that sacrificing oneself for a servant did not fit the spirit of the Ruschef family.

Joian, who had been watching this, spoke slowly, seemingly struggling with the spreading poison.

“This… is entirely my choice……”

Joian, who had not made eye contact until now, looked at Biare briefly after finishing those words.

That momentary exchange of glances seemed to comfort Biare, as if saying this was their choice, so she should never feel guilty.

“Oh my. This must be difficult for you to see. Gaizen, quickly cover Bia’s eyes.”

Gaizen, who had been observing the situation and judged it was already too late, covered his sister’s eyes, and Biare’s screams and grief filled the office.

Seeing that large hands were covering her face, the Duke pointed his sword at Joian.

Even though Gaizen was covering her eyes, he couldn’t block the feeling of blood splattering on Biare’s wrists or the heavy smell of blood soaking the floor.

Calling out desperately for Joian, she eventually fainted.

On this day, Biare lost a precious person she couldn’t protect in an instant. Just like in her previous life.

When Biare regained consciousness, Joian’s corpse had already been cleared away. As if it had never existed in the first place.

She had no intention of leaving her bedroom, as she felt nauseous whenever she saw the Duke acting as if nothing had happened.

Biare was consumed by the shock of losing her servant, as well as deep feelings of betrayal and anger towards her father.

Joian was not only the first person Biare had chosen for herself, but also a loyal servant who never hesitated to do difficult tasks with her master’s best interests in mind.

It tormented Biare that she had met her death at the hands of the Duke without being able to resist at all.

She felt that Joian’s death ultimately stemmed from her.

Whenever she recalled the fleeting glance they had shared, Biare felt as if she couldn’t breathe, so she was struggling hard to compose herself.

Atoning for Joian, who had faced death for her sake, Biare made a vow over and over again.

She would make sure that her death was not in vain.

While Biare was unconscious and the Duke’s close associates were dealing with Joian’s body, Gaizen casually mentioned that he had the documents the Duke was looking for.

This allowed him to avoid suspicion without incident, and Gaizen took out the documents his sister had hidden and placed them in her room.

He had volunteered to help prevent his sister from arousing unnecessary suspicion from their father.

Biare also knew that to move forward, she must not show her anger to the Duke.

In the Ruschef family’s way, one must hide the serpent’s fangs to succeed in revenge.

‘Mother… I’m sorry. I don’t think I can forgive your precious person.’

Biare stared at the framed family portrait on the mahogany desk for a while, then turned it face down and put it in the drawer.

She no longer had any affection for her family or sense of duty to protect them.

Biare, who had been consumed by anger all this time, collected herself and carefully examined the documents Gaizen had brought.

As expected, the documents explicitly stated that the Imperial Family and the Ruschef Ducal Family were involved in the deaths of the previous Verdeum Marquis and his wife.

It seemed that when the Verdeum Marquis learned about the Duke’s family’s involvement in the underworld and tried to report it to the Emperor, the Duke, noticing this, framed him and led him to his death.

Biare’s whole body shuddered at the thought that perhaps the Duke had been eliminating those who learned the Ruschef family’s secrets in this way all along.

What she had only suspected before now became solid evidence, and only the devastating truth came to the surface.

Thinking about how much effort and sacrifice it took to obtain this confirmation, tears began to pour from her eyes.

The puzzle pieces that had been slightly misaligned until now were finally coming together, nearing completion.

Now she could no longer wait.

She would hasten her plans and make them feel the same pain. Even if it was her father.

The confidential documents in Biare’s possession would be useful when she attacked them in the future.

Soon, Biare would give Dension the information about the deaths of the previous Marquis and his wife that he so desperately wanted.

He would want to end the revenge against those who killed his parents with his own power. Biare intended to be his strong supporter and helper.

‘Now all that’s left is a full confrontation with the Imperial Family.’

Biare had been secretly building up her power by aligning with the Imperial Princess and like-minded nobles.

However, that power was composed of forces opposing the Crown Prince rather than supporting the Imperial Princess.

Therefore, she needed someone who could be a solid supporter for Dorothea and step up wholeheartedly for her alone.

The person Biare had in mind for this role was her maternal grandfather, Count Rapiers, and now all that remained was to persuade him.

The upcoming hunting competition. This day would be the only chance for Biare to complete the picture she had been drawing.

The early summer sunlight filtered brilliantly through the dense shrubbery, and the lush rose vines bloomed profusely along the walls.

Wearing a dress made of thinner fabric than usual to allow for better air circulation, Biare finally felt the change of seasons.

Today was the day of the hunting competition hosted by the Imperial Family, and since they would be out in the hot sun for a long time, Diane took extra care in preparing her mistress.

She put a wide-brimmed bonnet on Biare and handed her a parasol, urging her to use it throughout the day.

“By the way, I wonder if Joian is doing well?”

Biare tightly closed her mouth at Diane’s words, who was expressing her disappointment at Joian’s departure without even saying goodbye.

The servants who didn’t know the internal details believed that Joian had chosen to return home due to sudden circumstances.

Diane was one of them, and Biare, unable to tell her the truth about that day, nodded with eyes filled with sadness.

“…Yes, I’m sure she’s in a good place.”

Although she was still plagued by nightmares due to guilt, Biare repeated to herself several times to strengthen her resolve.

‘I won’t lose any more precious people.’

As she approached the carriage that would take her to the hunting competition, she saw the Duke and Gaizen waiting for her inside.

Seeing her father’s face, Biare clenched her fists to suppress the feelings that threatened to explode, and boarded the carriage without saying a word.

Throughout the journey to the Imperial Palace, a different, long silence prevailed in the carriage, but no one spoke first.

Duke Ruschef seemed to think that his daughter was just upset because the child she sponsored had died.

He didn’t seem to take the situation too seriously, thinking it would resolve itself after some time had passed.

However, since that day, it had become even more difficult for Biare to treat him as she usually did.

She thought that if she made a mistake, she might express her anger towards him and ruin everything she had prepared so far.

That’s why she had to restrain her emotions even more.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, banners were hung high according to the rank of each family, fluttering vigorously in the wind.

As the hunting competition was a major event hosted by the Imperial Family, many nobles had come up to the capital to participate.

Biare easily found the Rapiers family crest among the carriages lined up widely.

The fact that their carriage was parked there meant that, as she had expected, Count Rapiers had attended this year’s hunting competition as well.

With a knowing smile, Biare hurried towards the tent where Ivan would be waiting.

“Glory to the Holy Marta Empire. We greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Ivan, finally realizing that his fiancée had arrived at the hunting competition, welcomed her warmly.

“Welcome, Princess. As expected, my fiancée is beautiful today as well.”

Despite others watching, he unhesitatingly kissed Biare’s hair.

Although this made her skin crawl and feel uncomfortable, she only showed a graceful smile without revealing her true feelings.

Biare thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to trim her hair when she returned to the mansion, and as she turned her gaze and looked up, it happened.

‘Sion…’

The first to break the momentary eye contact was none other than Dension Verdeum.

Ivan, oblivious to the subtle emotions flowing between the two, wrapped his arm around Biare’s waist and said to him,

“What do you think, Marquis? Don’t we look good together?”

Biare wanted to cover her eyes and ears, as his intention to hear even insincere words was too obvious.

Dension, unaware of her feelings, finally opened his mouth after a moment of silence.

“…You look well together.”

‘I didn’t want to hear those words from you of all people…’

Biting her lip, Biare couldn’t hear Ivan’s subsequent words.

Only Dension’s response echoed in her ears, and she stood there pretending to be unaffected while trying to calm her pounding heart.