Following that, a dull and typical interrogation process ensued. The information Alfonso knew about Celeste was far less than what he actually knew. Carl’s interest rapidly cooled.

The investigator asked about what other magic potions were available in the office aside from the ones Alfonso had on him at the time of his arrest, and whether he had any hidden at home. He inquired about and recorded the list and quantity of magic potions one by one. Once the records were organized, they would contact the team in Urentum to cross-check and confirm if the list matched.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Clovis entered the interrogation room. His expression was quite serious.

“Your Majesty. There has been a message from Count Louisette’s assistant.”

He then quickly whispered into Carl’s ear in a voice only audible to him. Celeste had collapsed. Upon hearing that she lost consciousness showing symptoms similar to last time on the train, Carl immediately got up from his seat and ran out without a second look.

“Yes, I will take care of the rest well, Your Majesty.”

The investigator’s awkward reply lingered in the air like an echo as he was left alone.

Liv was dying of curiosity about what conversation Franz and Celeste were having after he barged in. Unable to wait until Franz came out, she paced outside the drawing room. In the end, unable to stand it, she put her ear to the door only to get caught by Mrs. Margaret and scolded harshly.

She was told off at length about how a lady-in-waiting who was supposed to attend to Her Highness the Grand Duchess could not act so recklessly and frivolously, and that she should not carelessly take interest in conversations between her superiors.

However, Mrs. Margaret soon regretted stopping Liv. It was because Celeste, who had entered the drawing room just to talk with Franz, came out unconscious.

Seeing Celeste carried in Franz’s arms as he opened the door and came out just as abruptly as when he arrived, Mrs. Margaret almost fainted. Needless to say about Cecil, Liv nearly had a fit.

Even to the urgent question of what had happened, Franz remained utterly calm.

His dry voice speaking as if discussing someone irrelevant was chilling. Even if a mere passerby fainted in front of them, people would react with more emotion than this. How could he speak so indifferently as if reading a book when someone lost consciousness and collapsed right before his eyes?

And with that, Franz got on the carriage without even looking back. It was clear that he had done some harm to Celeste, but the Count’s servants could not dare to call out to His Highness the Grand Duke.

Seeing Celeste’s pale face, Cecil was on the verge of wailing. Asking what on earth happened, whether the aftereffects of the carriage accident still remained, she tearfully rubbed Celeste’s hands and feet, her face a mess of tears and snot.

Celeste’s face was as pale as a dead person’s, and there was no trace of color on her lips. If not for the sound of her gasping breaths, one might have been frightened that she had actually died.

Kendrick lifted Celeste in his arms, laid her down in a comfortable place, and left the room to call a doctor. Cecil and Margaret rushed over to untie the suffocating lace ribbons, and Liv hurried to bring lukewarm water. Hannah, who belatedly heard the news of Celeste’s collapse and ran over, examined her complexion with a serious expression.

“This…”

“What, does something come to mind?”

“Yes. The Count showed the exact same symptoms not long ago.”

“What? When, where?”

“On the train returning to the capital. I need to step out for a moment.”

“Where are you… Hannah? Hannah!”

Before long, the doctor Kendrick called came rushing and the examination began in a hurry. As the doctor’s face grew more and more serious while examining Celeste, Hannah, who had gone outside, also returned.

And how many more minutes passed? Following Layla and Franz, today’s final guest burst through the door of the Count’s residence.

“Your Highness!”

It was Carl.

Today was a relatively light day in terms of things to do. I stopped by the dressing room to pick up the ordered items and delivered them to Count Louisette, and on the way back, I bought some tea leaves for the madam.

When the madam asked if I had done the errands well, Layla replied that Miss Valerie was doing fine. Perhaps all Pulcheria was curious about was the well-being of her grand-niece, Valerie.

The fact that she kept sending gifts to the Count’s residence almost every other day was probably because she missed Valerie. Since it was difficult for her to move around directly due to many watchful eyes, she tried to alleviate her longing for the child by sending gifts and hearing stories through her exclusive maid.

Knowing Madam Pulcheria’s heart well, Layla could never get tired of the errands she was asked to do every day and carried them out with a joyful heart.

“How much has Valerie grown today?”

“She was almost running around today.”

“Running? That little thing?”

“Yes. Even though she wobbles, she seems to be walking well.”

“Just thinking about it makes her sound lovely. I need to see that little one again soon.”

Deep affection was evident in her voice. Most people would think how much love could there be for a grand-niece she had only known of for less than a month, but Pulcheria was truly in love with Valerie. It was a very deep and profound love.

To Layla’s eyes, Valerie was a baby who looked exactly like Carl.

She thought that if His Highness Duke Albrecht had been born a woman or had a sister, she might have looked like that, to the point where Valerie perfectly resembled her father.

While inheriting her mother’s features here and there, she already possessed perfect beauty despite being a baby.

Was it because she inherited the excellent blood of her mother and father that she was so lovely? Was it inevitable for the daughter to be beautiful because the mother was beautiful?

Layla had to admit that Valerie was a more adorable baby than any other baby she had ever seen. The Albrecht bloodline must undoubtedly carry a gene for outstanding appearance.

After all, everyone with the Albrecht surname was dazzlingly beautiful like that. Wasn’t even Franz, who only had the Albrecht name as a middle name due to being a half-royal, that beautiful?

Beautiful. Beautiful… Layla suddenly recalled Franz, who had picked up her hat for her. It was a truly unexpected encounter.

While serving the elders of the imperial family, she had several opportunities to see Grand Duke Toskur, but it was always just a glance in passing or a fleeting sight from a distance. She never imagined that she would see him up close like this, let alone come face to face with him.

Moreover, knowing the extent of Madam Pulcheria’s abhorrence towards Grand Duke Toskur and his mother Marina, Layla had always been careful to avoid eye contact or close encounters with Franz.

But all those efforts had been in vain. Franz’s face, unexpectedly encountered in an unexpected place, was like a well-carved statue.

Layla unknowingly stared at him, captivated by his graceful appearance that seemed as if God had really put effort into creating it.

The face that even smiled as he handed over the hat looked so kind that if one saw it without knowing anything, they might mistake him for an angel. It was puzzling how he could have committed those evil deeds with such a face.

“Did something good happen?”

“Pardon? Oh, no, madam. I guess it’s because the weather has cleared up.”

Layla, who was arranging the madam’s clothes, unconsciously hummed a tune, and Pulcheria immediately noticed her unusual behavior.

“Nothing special happened?”

Layla’s hands, which were brushing dust off the outer coat over the dress, paused.

“Something special, madam?”

“I’m asking if there was nothing at the Count’s residence that I should be concerned about.”

Should she mention the fact that she accidentally met Grand Duke Toskur? Layla fell into a brief moment of contemplation while standing. From Madam Pulcheria’s perspective, Franz visiting the Count’s residence was definitely someone she needed to be extremely concerned about.

However, Layla was bothered by Franz’s attitude as he confidently stated that he had come to see the Count. The rumors that had circulated about the relationship between Count Louisette and Grand Duke Toskur were so well-known in high society that there was no one unaware of them.

While she had the opportunity to hear about the secrets of the relationship hidden deeper than what was known to the public as she served Madam Pulcheria, who was well-versed in all the rumors and truths surrounding the imperial family, most people were not so fortunate.

“No. There was nothing that you should be concerned about, madam. The Count is even diligently studying to become the Grand Duchess.”

“Yes, that’s how it should be.”

Pulcheria smiled with satisfaction. To her, Celeste had gone from being the vixen who had seduced her kind and innocent nephew to becoming her lovely niece-in-law who had given birth to her beloved Valerie.

“It will take at least a month to hold the wedding ceremony. Time passes so slowly.”

“Since it’s been two weeks since the state funeral, the mourning period will end in just a fortnight from now, madam.”

“That’s true in terms of the law. But how can we end the mourning so quickly when Maximilian was also my nephew? I intend to make the capital’s nobility observe the mourning period to the fullest extent possible. To do that, the imperial family must set an example first. We can’t take the lead in violating it, can we?”

“I see.”