“The red eyes that indicate the emperor. The black hair said to be bestowed by the goddess. In this world, there should be only one person with these traits.”

Trashi approached the ornamental stand in one corner of the audience chamber and picked up the sword from the top shelf, lowering his gaze as if examining the blade.

“Mother.”

“Now that there are two red-eyed individuals in this empire, isn’t the crown prince being disrespected even by the marquis family?”

The eyes tinged with a dull red light, which had been sweeping over the sword, now stared directly at the empress.

“Do you know who the woman is that the duke brought as his wife?”

The empress, who had no way of knowing, merely looked at the crown prince with a still displeased expression.

“It’s Adeline.”

Trashi, who had been striding over while gripping the sword, suddenly raised the decorative blade and brought it down vertically without hesitation.

The red cushion placed on the red velvet sofa was pierced by the sword, scattering white feathers into the air.

“Adeline Credion, that is.”

It seemed that one sword strike was not enough to quell his anger.

Trashi pulled out the sword again and continued to viciously hack at the cushion.

“That woman ignored my marriage proposal and married the duke. Even the marquis family must think I’m a joke now.”

Seeing the sofa torn apart along with the cushion that no longer had a recognizable shape, Trashi threw the sword to the floor and flung himself onto the tattered sofa with white feathers poking out.

“My son. Though it was quite unexpected that the duchess is the legitimate daughter of Marquis Credion.”

The empress, massaging her temple as if her mind was troubled, leaned back on the opposite sofa.

Resting her arm on the sofa’s armrest and closing her eyes in deep thought, the empress soon began to speak.

“The marquis is unlikely to let go of the hand he has joined with us.”

“Ah. This won’t do.”

Trashi stood up and strode back to the ornamental stand, drawing another remaining sword.

Reflected in the blade, Trashi’s dull red eyes were filled with madness.

As if unable to tolerate the crown prince’s behavior that seemed ready to cut someone down at any moment, the empress began to take a different stance.

“Enough.”

Without being startled or even looking at Trashi’s maddened appearance, the empress uttered just one word firmly.

At the empress’s subdued voice, the crown prince immediately halted his actions.

Only when she no longer heard footsteps or the sound of a sword being drawn did the empress finally relax her rigid expression and rise. She approached Trashi and raised her right hand to caress his face.

“Crown Prince. Do you not know what this mother has done for you?”

As the grip on the sword seemed to loosen, the empress took the sword from him with her left hand.

The empress’s eyes reflected in the sword were filled with indifference.

“Do not disappoint this mother. Now is not the time to use such decorative swords.”

The empress glanced over the sword once before throwing it to the floor.

Then she called a maid outside the audience chamber and handed her an ornately flower-decorated letter.

“Marry the daughter of the Estilen count family.”

On one side of the letter beautifully decorated with dried flowers was elegantly written a name. It was Larie of the Estilen count family.

“This mother has always put you first. Wasn’t it because you said you wanted her that I allowed the Marquis Credion’s daughter?”

The empress’s right hand was still caressing Trashi’s face as if soothing him, but the words flowing from her lips were nothing but irrefutable commands.

“We can simply switch the roles of the Estilen count’s daughter and the Marquis Credion’s daughter.”

“You know that the Estilen count’s daughter is this mother’s distant relative, don’t you? I was heartbroken that I would have to discard her along with the duke later, but this is rather fortunate.”

Indifferent eyes and a warm, soothing gesture. And the voice flowing from her lips.

These were the things that always appeared when she seemed to yield to the crown prince, but ultimately made things flow according to her will at crucial moments.

Trashi, who often behaved insolently, always showed an obedient attitude to this demeanor of the empress.

Trashi’s maddened eyes had gradually lost their intensity from the moment the empress began stroking him, and now they were completely devoid of light.

Confirming this, the empress raised the corners of her mouth in apparent satisfaction and reminded Trashi once more.

“You know well that there should be only one person with black hair and red eyes under this sky, don’t you?”

“Yes. I know.”

Words of perfect compliance.

Only then did the empress once again put on the guise of a benevolent mother’s gaze and spoke as if throwing a treat to Trashi.

“This mother will leave the Credion lady as your plaything later.”

“The crown prince should take the Estilen daughter as empress.”

The empress tapped the letter she had placed in the crown prince’s hand once more, mentioning the Estilen count’s daughter, and then left the audience chamber.

After leaving the audience chamber, the empress quickly strode down the corridor and ordered her maid.

“Tell the marquis to come to the palace as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

And then she disappeared past the maid who was bowing her head.

After the audience with the crown prince.

Casius, fully embracing her, hurriedly headed towards the carriage.

Holding Adeline, Casius boarded the carriage and began to urge it on.

Adeline’s eyes were already brimming with tears.

The tears that kept welling up in her large eyes were now overflowing, dripping down one by one.

He reached out to wipe away her tears.

She turned her head abruptly, busy rejecting even his touch as if she disliked it.

It seemed that approaching her now would be counterproductive.

All Casius could do now was to wrap the cloak tightly around her as she trembled like an aspen leaf.

Keeping his distance from her, he was feeling anxious.

Casius knew better than anyone how cruel the crown prince could be.

Always causing trouble, and even his fiancée had died of an unknown illness.

That’s why he was even more determined not to let Adeline fall into his hands.

That’s why he had brought her to the imperial palace, even if it was a bit of a gamble.

To announce the marriage already approved by the temple, so that the crown prince would no longer covet her.

He would incur the crown prince’s hatred, but he could block it all by putting himself forward.

If that could prevent the crown prince’s touch from reaching her, he believed it was the right path for both Adeline and himself.

Even if she were to marry the crown prince.

Adeline was a member of the Credion family, which maintained close ties with the imperial family.

Who would dare drive the marquis’s daughter to her death?

It wasn’t that he hadn’t anticipated Adeline would be shocked.

But he hadn’t expected her to be so terrified of something that hadn’t even happened yet.

It was a blunder.

He had told her that he was the only solution, but he had failed to understand her feelings to this extent.

Lost in thought, Casius looked at Adeline.

She was still fixating her gaze out the window, as if she couldn’t stand the sight of Casius or even his surroundings.

Casius had to admit it.

He had been arrogant.

Perhaps he had not fully understood, or rather, had not tried to understand her feelings.

He thought that perhaps the audience had been driven solely by his desire to let everyone know that she was entirely his.

Since she had also deceived him at the villa, maybe some petty desire for revenge had remained.

Just his own greed. For the sake of fulfilling that, he had pushed Adeline to such extremes.

Unable to control her fear and contain her body, she was still trembling.

With her hands tightly clasped.

‘Her palms will be left with marks…’

She had shown trust in him, but he shouldn’t have acted so arbitrarily like this.

He should have been honest and worked through it together,

How angry and disappointed she must be with him. It was only natural for her to be overwhelmed with a sense of betrayal.

Casius deliberately continued to stare at Adeline.

Hoping that she would look at him even once.

But Adeline still wouldn’t give him even a small glance.

Casius, not good with words, didn’t know how to start speaking.

He swallowed dryly and hesitated for a long time.

“Adel…”

Just as he was about to call out to her,

As if even the timing wouldn’t cooperate with him, the carriage came to a stop.

Upon arriving at the townhouse, the coachman opened the carriage door.

He had to swallow the words he was about to say.

Casius, thinking it would be better to bring up the conversation when they were alone again, got out of the carriage, and a man’s deep voice was heard.

“Duke Torpeo.”

Marquis Severus Credion was standing in front of the duke’s townhouse.

The guard who had been standing at the entrance of the townhouse opened the door silently as soon as he saw the marquis, allowing him to easily enter the townhouse.

Unlike other noblemen’s daughters who were indifferent to social circles, Adeline had never caused much trouble, but recently she had been giving the marquis quite a headache.

Contrary to his thoughts, the marquis was looking at the duke’s townhouse with an expressionless face.

At that moment, the duke’s carriage happened to arrive.

Thanks to this, he was able to enter the townhouse interior without pause and occupy a seat in the reception room.

The duke and duchess were seated facing the marquis in the reception room.

The duke’s expression was utterly calm, as if he had anticipated the marquis’s visit.

The marquis, as always, was gazing at the duke and duchess with gray eyes that betrayed no emotion.

The only person in this reception room who found this situation unfamiliar and anxious was Adeline alone.

She was already exhausted from the audience with the crown prince, and now she had to be tense again.

Her daughter, who had ignored the crown prince’s marriage proposal and run away, was now seated as the duchess.

It wouldn’t be strange if the marquis overturned this table right now.

“Duke. An explanation seems necessary. Why is my daughter in your house?”