Chapter 111
“You have ambition. And you know how to control your subordinates. You have initiative too. Your handling of the former Emperor and other imperial family members was, yes, worthy of praise.”
“I… apologize.”
“I didn’t come to hear apologies, as you should know.”
The man’s voice had grown cold.
After a brief silence, the Duke responded.
“What do you… want from me?”
As if this was the answer he had been waiting for, the man’s red eyes gleamed as he raised the corners of his mouth.
“Leaving the young lady unchecked might cause more trouble. She already escaped your control this time, didn’t she?”
“…I’ll ensure this doesn’t happen again…”
“Use ‘Jesentia.'”
For a moment, the Duke almost blurted out a foolish question, blinking in surprise. Fortunately, before the Duke could speak, the man continued.
“If she won’t behave on her own, shouldn’t you control her by force, Duke?”
Though delivered in a light tone, the words carried a heavy weight.
The Duke couldn’t hide his dismay and repeatedly opened and closed his mouth without speaking.
“Why that expression? You don’t like it, I see.”
“Your Highness, no matter what, Nella is… my daughter.”
“I know. Is there anyone in the empire who doesn’t know Nella is the Duke’s daughter?”
As if genuinely puzzled, the man widened his eyes and tilted his head.
At this, the Duke’s face darkened further.
Seeing the Duke’s face harden, the man chuckled and said:
“I heard the experiments were successful. Is that not true?”
“…They are. The side effects have been almost eliminated.”
“Then what exactly is the problem?”
The Duke remained silent. The man seemed unwilling to change his mind. Having followed the man for so long, the Duke couldn’t refuse his order.
Finally, after careful consideration, the Duke slowly nodded.
“Very well. I will do as you say.”
“Good. As expected, you’re reasonable.”
Only then did the man smile brightly.
Though troubled in his heart, the Duke bowed his head without showing it.
“Thank you, Your Highness. But… how did your journey to the east go?”
At this pointed question, it was now the man’s turn to fall silent.
Seeing the look in his eyes, as if considering how much information to share, the Duke kept quiet and waited.
Eventually, the man slightly tilted his head and spoke.
“It went well. Don’t worry and proceed according to plan… Ah. Since the Empress-to-be has ended up like this, we’ll need to change our plans.”
“The Emperor will soon collapse emotionally. We should seize that moment.”
“Well, yes. I’ll leave that matter to you. The east is our last stronghold. It would be best if we could resolve things among ourselves without extending our reach in that direction.”
The man’s gaze briefly turned distant. Then he faced the Duke’s violet eyes directly again.
“Duke, I hope you won’t disappoint me further.”
“…Of course, Your Highness.”
The Duke’s words didn’t reach the other party. Before he could finish speaking, the man had disappeared into the darkness.
‘This is troublesome.’
The Duke frowned, looking at the spot where the man had been. He never expected such a sudden visit, especially in person.
Moreover…
“Using ‘Jesentia’ on Nella.”
No matter how wayward a child she might be, she was still his own daughter. Yet the man had urged him without hesitation to use ‘Jesentia’ on her.
‘I never truly followed him from the heart anyway.’
The Duke’s violet eyes turned cold and sank.
It was merely a cooperative relationship formed out of necessity. He showed respect because the other party held important keys and had a high position, but he had never truly been loyal.
However, the benefits of following him had certainly stimulated the Duke’s desires.
“Sigh, there’s no choice.”
For now, he had to continue following the man.
If not for Nella’s rash actions, achieving their goals would have been much smoother.
At first glance, one might think it was beneficial to eliminate the troublesome Silver Lily, but since the ultimate target was the Emperor, disposing of Silver Lily—who was a tool to lure him—was a significant mistake.
Nella probably acted this way thinking everything would end with her becoming Empress, but…
“What a headache.”
The Duke furrowed his brow and pressed his temples firmly. Only when a sharp sensation spread throughout his body did his mind finally clear.
Should he really give ‘Jesentia’ to Nella?
Or should he pretend to and hold off for now?
If ‘Jesentia’ truly worked effectively without side effects, it could control Nella’s temperament and be quite helpful.
But the problem was the side effects.
Though recent experiments had been successful, he still couldn’t shake off his unease.
However, the Duke’s concerns were rendered moot by an invitation that flew into the ducal residence with the rising sun.
* * *
Nella couldn’t believe her ears. She had heard a word that simply couldn’t be possible.
“What? Did you just say Silver Lily?”
The maid hunched her shoulders at Nella’s irritated tone and replied.
“Y-yes… This very afternoon, they say.”
“Ha! That’s absurd.”
Nella snatched the invitation from the maid’s hand. She needed to confirm with her own eyes what seemed utterly impossible to believe.
As she read through the invitation, Nella’s eyes widened.
She blinked repeatedly, rubbed her eyes, and looked again.
It was the name firmly printed on the invitation that shocked her.
<…Therefore, we cordially invite you to a special tea party at Silver Lily Palace. We sincerely hope you will attend and grace us with your presence. We shall be waiting.
Silver Lily>
“Impossible!”
Nella’s hand trembled as she gripped the invitation. How could Silver Lily, who should be fighting for her life by now… no, who might not even be of this world anymore, send an invitation?
“I definitely… I definitely confirmed it.”
Nella anxiously bit her lip.
From her multiple encounters with Silver Lily, she knew the woman was extremely cunning.
That’s why she had prepared meticulously this time and even confirmed that Silver Lily had properly lost consciousness.
There was no way such an invitation could arrive…
“No. This can’t be possible.”
Nella paced back and forth across her bedroom, lost in thought. As much as she wanted to ignore it, she couldn’t.
The human heart is truly fickle, unable to resist the urge of curiosity.
“W-what shall we do, My Lady?”
The maid asked, trying her best to keep quiet and not upset Nella’s mood.
If the tea party was this afternoon, it would be too late even if they started preparing right away. A decision had to be made as quickly as possible.
Nella stopped in her tracks and snapped.
“What do you mean, what shall we do? We’re going, of course! Would I not go?”
The maid looked aggrieved but tried her best to smile as she bowed her head.
“Yes, My Lady. I’ll prepare right away.”
Nella watched the maid’s retreating back for a moment before irritably throwing the books on the table.
She had no way to vent her rising frustration. She was the one who had used her tricks, yet she had an overwhelming feeling that she was the one being played.
Nella gathered her thoughts as she steadied her breathing.
She had definitely confirmed it. Everything had been perfect. There was no way her involvement could be discovered.
Silver Lily should be dying without even knowing why…
So this must be…
“A ploy to unsettle me. How dare they…”
Who could it be? Who would play such a trick?
The Emperor? Silver Lily’s handmaiden? Or someone else entirely?
No, to invite nobles to Silver Lily Palace like this would require the Emperor’s approval. That meant the invitation was connected to the Emperor.
With rumors of Silver Lily’s death circulating, they probably wanted to show she was fine.
Since Silver Lily couldn’t possibly be fine, she wondered how they planned to host a tea party with a dying Silver Lily…
“I’m curious.”
Convinced she had understood all the hidden intentions and schemes behind the invitation, Nella raised the corners of her mouth.
* * *
Upon entering Silver Lily Palace, Nella was guided to the hall where the tea party was being held.
Several young ladies and noblewomen were already seated at the large table in the center of the hall.
“Oh, it’s the young lady.”
“So Balkyrino’s young lady came too.”
“What’s happening with that incident from ten years ago?”
“I heard they’re reinvestigating, but with Silver Lily now…”
“How in the world did she manage to send out tea party invitations?”
“Maybe the rumors were exaggerated? She was probably just a bit ill. Now she’s recovered and hosting this tea party.”
The nobles whispered among themselves about Nella and Ashella.
Until recently, these same people had been fawning around her, but with the emergence of Ashella and the Deache family, they were now busy mocking Nella behind her back.
Nella forcibly suppressed her rising irritation and elegantly opened her fan.
It helped to partially conceal her annoyed face.
“This way please, My Lady.”
Nella took her seat as directed by the handmaiden. Simple refreshments were laid out on the table.
These were drinks and sweets prepared for guests to moisten their throats before Silver Lily formally served tea.
‘I have no idea what’s going on here…’
As Nella grumbled inwardly, her eyes fell on a vase placed in the center of the table.
A few white flowers were arranged in a slender vase, and they seemed strangely familiar.
The same flowers, a few stems each, were placed in identical vases at regular intervals across the table.
Nella reached for the flowers as if in a trance. A thought flashed through her mind.
‘It couldn’t be…’
Lifting one flower, Nella checked the leaf hidden beneath the petals with a trembling hand.
On the green leaf, tiny red spots.
“Th-this…!”
As Nella was about to pull the flower out completely for a closer look, a handmaiden hurriedly approached her.
“Oh no, My Lady! Those are decorative flowers. They belong to Silver Lily, so it would be troublesome if you handled them carelessly.”
“Why, why is this here? Why is this flower here!”
“Pardon? Why… They’re for decoration. Since the tea party was prepared in haste and we had no flowers for decoration… we took these from the pot in Silver Lily’s bedroom as a quick solution.”
As the handmaiden explained, Nella’s face turned increasingly pale.
This flower should not be here.
Nella quickly withdrew her hand as if she had touched something filthy and stood up.
She had come out of curiosity about what they were planning, but that was no longer important.
She needed to escape quickly.
Just as Nella decided to leave her seat—
“Silver Lily enters!”
The doors to the hall opened, and a woman in a red dress walked in slowly.
She wore a black veil, so her face was not visible.
