Chapter 49
Returning to her room, Aveline tossed and turned all night, trying to deduce this new hypothesis that had occurred to her.
‘Could it really be connected to the empress being poisoned?’
Perhaps… he’s worried that she might also be poisoned?
‘No.’
This was too self-centered a speculation.
“…Wait.”
Suddenly, a new fact struck Aveline’s mind like lightning.
That day, the empress hadn’t been alone.
There had been someone with the empress when she was poisoned.
“…Mother?”
Mother, who was pregnant with Aveline and Ares at the time, had also been there.
After ingesting a small amount of poison then, her body had weakened, and she had struggled to give birth to twins and had been recuperating ever since.
Could this be connected?
Father’s fear of her getting involved with the imperial family.
‘It’s possible.’
Otherwise, father, who was a faithful supporter of the emperor, wouldn’t refuse an opportunity for her to directly connect with the imperial family.
Aveline, who had stayed up all night making various speculations, went to find her father, Count Herolds, as soon as dawn broke the next day.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?”
Count Herolds, who was reading a newspaper in his study, asked in surprise.
Aveline, sitting across from her father, got straight to the point.
“I heard you’re looking for Duke Ribes’ documents again.”
“You heard from Ares.”
“Yes.”
Aveline had spent the night tossing and turning, thinking about what she could do in this situation.
Something she could accomplish herself rather than just letting things flow as they would.
“I’ll retrieve those documents.”
“…You?”
Count Herolds dropped the newspaper he was holding.
“Yes. I can meet with the duke more easily than Ares can.”
“Hmm.”
At Aveline’s words, Count Herolds showed a troubled expression.
After pondering for a while, Count Herolds spoke with difficulty.
“So you’re saying you’ll continue meeting with Duke Ribes from now on?”
So that’s what he was worried about.
“We’ll have to keep encountering each other anyway.”
“…”
“I know that father sent me out with Duke Ribes yesterday to quell rumors related to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have openly let people see her associating with the head of the opposition faction.
“…Quite perceptive.”
Count Herolds readily admitted it.
“Too many letters were already pouring in just from yesterday morning. I had to prevent rumors of you being the prospective crown princess from solidifying.”
Before long, Count Herolds was confiding his honest opinions to Aveline.
This would have been unimaginable just a few months ago.
“Previously, Duke Ribes told me that he didn’t want me to become the crown princess.”
“Well, he’d say that since he’s courting you himself.”
When Theron was mentioned, Count Herolds grumbled.
It seemed he somewhat believed that Theron was sincere.
Aveline decided to clear up her father’s misunderstanding.
“No. It’s not because he’s interested in me…”
“It’s not?”
Count Herolds listened attentively to what would follow.
“So…”
However, Aveline, who had started speaking, was troubled because she didn’t have appropriate words to continue.
She couldn’t very well say it was because she had Theron’s magic.
“Ahem. So, well…”
Aveline, who had been stalling for time looking for other excuses, finally gave up.
“No. Now that I think about it, he is interested in me.”
Count Herolds twitched his eyebrows as if inwardly suspicious.
At that expression, Aveline answered with renewed emphasis.
“He’s truly sincere.”
More precisely, about the magic she possessed.
“Ahem. Well, he wouldn’t barge into someone’s house twice from morning if he wasn’t sincere.”
Though he answered grumblingly, his tone was inwardly satisfied.
“I would have been even angrier if he had done such things falsely. What does he take the Herolds family for!”
“…Haha.”
Aveline, unable to tell the truth, laughed awkwardly along.
“Anyway, I’ll take care of the documents.”
“Hmm. Go ahead and try.”
Count Herolds subtly gave permission to Aveline’s request.
“But I have a condition.”
Having obtained permission, Aveline finally revealed her true purpose.
Meanwhile, Serio was sprawled in his palace reading newsletters sent by his spies.
As someone sensitive to issues and news, he was receiving reports on the big and small events that had happened yesterday.
Serio’s hands and surroundings were full of white paper bundles as he sat slovenly sprawled on a large, splendid sofa.
With his brilliant blonde hair and loosely worn clothes, his sprawled appearance looked like a lazy god.
Serio’s gaze, which had been diligently reading through something, stopped at one particular spot.
“Yesterday Duke Ribes and Lady Herolds appeared downtown and walked around the square four times…”
It must surely be a ploy to show off to others.
But to make a lady walk four whole rounds.
Theron was definitely hopeless in this aspect too.
Serio snorted and continued reading the newsletter.
“But then Duke Ribes suddenly lifted Lady Herolds and disappeared…?”
Serio, who had been reading carelessly, quickly sat up properly.
Then he hurriedly rummaged through other papers, selecting a few to read.
“Duke Ribes brought Lady Herolds to a luxury salon downtown and ordered shoes to be brought out… Ha. He did all sorts of things.”
Serio burst into a hollow laugh.
“Still, what more could Theron, who’s never even spoken to a woman, have done… Hm?”
However, Serio’s eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to read the next page.
“…Duke Ribes held Lady Herolds’ bare feet in his hands?”
Why did the intensity suddenly jump up?
Serio rubbed his eyes for a moment as if doubting what he had seen, then read on.
“Then when people appeared, Lady Herolds kicked Duke Ribes… Hmm.”
Finding a rather pleasing part, he leaned back comfortably again.
“That young lady isn’t ordinary either.”
Serio smiled with satisfaction and finished reading the paper.
“…”
But the further he read, the more serious the content became.
About how Duke Ribes, after being kicked, took Lady Herolds’ hand and placed it on his chest, attempting seductive behavior.
How he ordered the most comfortable shoes to be brought.
How after leaving the salon with Lady Herolds, he separately sent someone to order more clothes, hats, shoes, and such.
To others, these would look like Theron was truly smitten with Aveline.
“Ha.”
When he had barged into his palace last time, he had expected it wasn’t just light feelings, but was it really to this extent?
Serio had never seen Theron take personal interest in anyone.
In fact, the reason he had summoned Lady Herolds to the palace was because he was curious about Theron’s reaction when he heard the news later.
Of course, in the process, if Lady Herolds fell for his handsome appearance, that wouldn’t be bad either.
He would have to bring in a crown princess eventually anyway, and the Herolds family, which had been supporters of the emperor for generations, was beyond reproach.
But Theron’s reaction exceeded Serio’s expectations.
He hadn’t expected him to appear in such an uncharacteristically disheveled state.
The way he looked like he was rescuing her from a contaminated place made him seem like Lady Herolds’ protector.
Lady Herolds’ reaction was also unusual.
When Lady Herolds first cried upon seeing him, he had been very curious about the reason, but seeing her keep deflecting and avoiding the topic, he had inwardly assumed she must have been moved by his face.
After all, for a young lady who had been cut off from the world for four years, his face would have been too sensational.
And Serio was used to such reactions.
There was another reason for Serio’s misconception.
Lady Herolds couldn’t even look him straight in the eyes.
Not knowing that it was because he resembled Aveline’s favorite character, Serio had mistakenly assumed it was from embarrassment.
So he thought she would fall for him quickly with just a little attention.
But when Theron appeared in the greenhouse that day, the emotion that arose on Aveline’s face was joy.
“Hmm. Even thinking about it again makes me feel disgusted.”
He had even deliberately taken her to a place where his appearance would stand out.
Choosing the glass greenhouse was for such a simple reason.
Because his blonde hair would be even more dazzling when reflected in sunlight.
He had taken her there expecting such a brilliant and somehow sacred effect.
But the moment Theron set foot in the greenhouse, the owner of the space changed.
“Wait.”
Serio, who had been feeling displeased all along, suddenly sensed something strange.
How had the young lady, who had been secluded for four whole years, suddenly become entangled with Theron?
And where had they built the kind of bond that would make her show joy when finding him in an unfamiliar place?
What reason could there be for the daughter of the Herolds family, which had been supporters of the emperor for generations, to feel more familiar with the head of the opposing faction rather than the crown prince?
“Hmm.”
Indeed, it was strange.
Serio’s blood-red eyes flashed sharply.
