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Whatever it was, it was undoubtedly entirely Tristan’s fault.

‘Anyway, it’s a difficult situation.’

Aria told Lloyd not to meet her until she could control her emotions.

But as Sabina said, wouldn’t that mean she wouldn’t be able to meet him even after giving birth?

‘I thought it would only be for a few days at most…’

Well, everyone is different, after all.

Aria believed that unlike Sabina, she would soon feel better.

She didn’t like the idea of living without seeing Lloyd at all, nor did she want to show him a crying and ugly side of herself.

‘I have no choice but to avoid him as much as possible for now.’

Aria decided to stop thinking about Lloyd.

“Since you’re so curious, shall I tell you the rest of the story?”

Lying in bed, Sabina tapped the space beside her and spoke.

Aria quickly nodded her head and took the spot next to her.

“How far did I tell you?”

“You said that father tried to find and kill someone named Allen.”

“Oh, right.”

“…Did he really kill him? Right in front of you?”

She couldn’t help but ask.

If that was true, Aria felt it would be difficult to treat Tristan the same way as before.

Even though Sabina had already forgiven him.

‘What he did in the past doesn’t just disappear.’

Aria waited for Sabina’s response.

She was, of course, expecting to hear that he hadn’t killed him.

It would have been an unforgivable act, even for a saint.

“To tell you the conclusion… Allen did die.”

Her story continued.

“…What?”

He really killed him? Someone who was as precious to Sabina as if he were her everything? The most unbelievable worst-case scenario turned out to be true.

Aria grimaced seriously, sighed deeply, and closed her eyes tightly.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

She felt confident that she wouldn’t be shocked by any story now.

And she was prepared never to associate with Tristan again! Sabina chuckled lowly, then whispered into the ear of Aria, who seemed to react as if she had heard something terrifying.

“Allen did die, but… Tristan didn’t kill him.”

The story went on.

***

“He’s dead.”

Dwayne, with a troubled expression, handed over the documents investigated by the black hawks.

Next to the name Allen Castaigne, the two red letters ‘Deceased’ were clearly written.

“Estimated death age is 42?”

“That’s correct.”

“And that was three years ago?”

“As you see.”

“Ah…”

The reason why the search for ‘A’ was delayed more than expected was now clear.

He had been misled by the word ‘lover’ and focused on searching for men around Sabina’s age, which caused some confusion in the search.

Indeed, it was a cute lie.

‘Did she think I would let her go if she said he was a lover?’

Of course, that was impossible.

He snorted softly.

“After all, if he were to pass on his entire life and knowledge to Miss Valois, there would have been a significant age difference.”

He had foolishly fallen for it.

Why hadn’t he doubted her lie and just accepted it?

Tristan stroked his chin with his gloved hand, pondering for a moment.

But no clear conclusion came to mind.

“…Why are you laughing?”

Dwayne asked.

In fact, he almost blurted out, “Why are you grinning like an idiot?” but he managed to ask in a more polite manner.

“When did I?”

There was no need to suddenly become stern.

Tristan, seemingly unaware of his own smile, fiddled with the corner of his mouth and stared intently at Dwayne.

It was a look that said, ‘Why are you talking nonsense?’

“No… it’s nothing.”

Dwayne felt wronged but decided to keep his mouth shut on this matter.

Arguing with someone unaware was just a waste of breath.

“Sudden death as the cause of death?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A heart attack, of all things.

Even a passing dog wouldn’t believe it.

Dwayne added an explanation with a sense of unease.

“If a noble from another country suddenly dies, the Imperial Security Force investigates, right? The documents you’re holding, Grand Prince, are the results of that investigation.”

“So, you’re suggesting the royal family likely manipulated the cause of death?”

“That’s right.”

While Dwayne regretted Allen’s death, he also felt relieved.

This meant Tristan couldn’t execute his insane plan to kill the benefactor in front of the involved party.

“Hmm.”

That ‘hmm’ sound from Tristan.

Whenever Tristan fell into thought, he tended to make outlandish remarks, so Dwayne waited tensely.

“Anyway, it’s about Castaigne.”

“Yes. He was presumed to be the only survivor of that disaster.”

“The only surviving member of the Castaigne family was a knight in the Valois family…”

The Valois had been blindly loyal to the emperor for generations.

So he had secretly infiltrated the Valois family and became a knight?

“Sabina Valois inherited the most talent of the Valois. Anyone skilled with a sword would have recognized it at first glance.”

Allen had taught her everything he knew.

He dedicated himself to Sabina.

And he had a very strong influence on her life, becoming her everything.

“And he died three years ago.”

Tristan threw the documents he was reading onto the desk.

“So, he left that note to Miss Valois just before he died.”

He might have been caught in the act of stirring up rebellion or other foolish acts, risking his identity being exposed.

But, that wasn’t the important part.

“What matters is, Allen Castaigne attempted to flee to another country, and secretly left a note to lure Miss Valois there.”

“That means…”

Dwayne groaned and continued.

“…It’s possible he approached the Grand Princess solely as a means for revenge.”

Or he might have approached her for revenge but genuinely cherished only Sabina.

However, no one could know or find out his true intentions.

After all, Allen Castaigne was dead.

The dead tell no tales. Never.

‘Miss Valois seemed unaware of Castaigne.’

Tristan was probably the only one who could have guessed it by swordsmanship alone.

Because Tristan had once seen Castaigne’s swordplay as a child.

Specifically, the moment when the Duke of Valentine fought several times with the head of the Castaigne family and stabbed him in the heart.

“What do you plan to do?”

Dwayne asked, sweating.

“You don’t plan to tell the Grand Princess everything… do you?”

Tristan had intended to capture Allen and kill him in the most miserable way in front of Sabina.

But Allen was already dead.

Considering Tristan’s goal was to break Sabina’s will and completely crush her…

There was still one more method left.

To tell this cruel story directly to Sabina herself.

“In truth, your will, your thoughts, your dreams, your beliefs were all manipulated by a hypocrite who approached you solely as a means for revenge.”

Dwayne was shocked.

Tristan’s blunt words seemed to stab him in the heart.

And the extent of the wound the Grand Princess would receive upon hearing those words was unimaginable.

Even if she tried to deny it, the truth was forever unknowable, and circumstantially, it seemed highly likely she had been used.

“You could say that.”

Tristan, with a furrowed brow, repeatedly tapped the desk in his office.

It meant he was uneasy, and also that he hadn’t yet made a decision.

‘I thought he would rush to tell her…’

He was ready to execute the plan of killing the benefactor in front of the involved party without hesitation.

But why was he hesitating to say that this benefactor might actually have been a betrayer?

Dwayne felt puzzled by his behavior.

It seemed like Tristan was reluctant, or maybe it was just a misconception.

“How trivial.”

“Excuse me?”

Where exactly?

“I wanted to ruin him with my own hands.”

Hearing this, Dwayne doubted his lord’s mental state once more.

Regardless of his advisor’s disloyal gaze, Tristan lost all interest immediately after hearing of Allen’s death.

Because the only chance to directly shatter her soul was gone.

“If you tell the Grand Princess about Allen Castaigne directly, she will surely be mentally devastated. She might even collapse…”

“That’s different. It would be because of that guy, not me.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

“She will hate and resent that Allen for the rest of her life, not me.”

Dwayne, pondering over what his lord was ranting about, finally realized it.

So, in the end, Tristan wanted to leave the strongest impression on Sabina?

He wanted to become the only person for her.

“Are you saying all this time your plan was based on the belief that there’s no emotion stronger than hatred or murderous intent?”

When Tristan confirmed with silence, Dwayne sighed.

“Grand Prince…”

Are you a fool?

He wanted to ask sincerely, but the fact that he couldn’t made him figuratively weep tears of blood.

“Just confess that you like her!”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never liked her.”

Who would want to ruin and drag down someone they liked?

Tristan looked at Dwayne, who suddenly started shouting excitedly, with a look of pity.

“That shining soul… I wanted her to lose her will to live and stay by my side for the rest of my life. Since I don’t have much time left, it would be even better if she could kill me with her sword skills.”

“That’s love!”

Tristan, startled by Dwayne’s sudden outburst, scanned him from top to bottom and then wore a look of pity.

“Oh, boy. What a taste…”

“…”

“Anyway, we need to check what’s going on.”

Tristan decided to head to the royal palace to find out the circumstances of how this Allen died.

‘Miss Valois seemed unaware that he had died.’

How he would deal with her could wait until after he knew the whole truth.

***

“Valentine left?”

Sabina, unable to hide her astonishment, asked.

“Yes, he went to the palace briefly for an investigation but will return soon.”

“How soon is soon?”

“Probably within a few days.”

The Grand Prince of Valentine had left his domain.

Well, the domain was running fine, so it was his freedom to leave for a while…

‘But we’re still in the middle of our bet.’

And not much time was left.

Just one week.

As the days passed and the promised time approached, Sabina’s anxiety reached its peak.

‘This could be a chance to escape.’

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