At times like this, being connected to the Crown Prince brought trouble. As Baron Kentville sat with a grim expression, Count Senre continued speaking.
“Anyway, the Duke of Jedburgh said to burn the letter and deal with them. That’s why things are so noisy right now.”
At that moment, a loud voice rang out.
“What on earth is going on? Even if the Duke of Jedburgh has been entrusted with proxy rule, how could he ignore Count Yurnigel like this?”
“But hasn’t Count Yurnigel long been suspected of using dark magic to help the Crown Prince?”
“That may be true, but he has contributed greatly to this place, hasn’t he? And I heard he even sent a letter asking for forgiveness for his past wrongdoings. Yet he was ignored like that…”
“Still, the Duke of Jedburgh must remain spotless. He’s famous for never forgiving once he cuts someone off.”
“That’s right. I heard the Verdin family is in a risky situation these days…”
“Didn’t the Verdin family work harder than anyone to support the Duke of Jedburgh’s proxy rule?”
“But even they ended up in trouble because of their connection to the Crown Prince.”
“No matter what the Crown Prince did, punishing everyone connected to him is unfair. Are we just going to sit here?”
“I don’t want to stay silent either. Maybe we should speak to the Duke of Jedburgh now…”
Just then, the door opened. The nobles, who had been noisily talking, instantly fell silent and looked toward the door. A man wearing a uniform with a striking black cape and a tall frame walked in. None of the nobles who had just been speaking dared to open their mouths. They simply cleared their throats and glanced around nervously.
Cedric briefly looked over them and walked toward the head seat. As he passed, a few nobles bowed their heads, watching his reaction.
Once Cedric sat at the head seat, the nobles slowly followed and took their seats. The noble who had insisted earlier that someone had to speak up pretended nothing had happened and stared at the table. Cedric looked at him for a moment, then turned to the others.
“It seems like many of you have things to say to me. Please, go ahead.”
When Cedric made eye contact with them, the nobles quickly avoided his gaze. No one stepped forward, so the eldest noble carefully spoke up.
“They say you rejected Count Yurnigel’s letter…”
“I destroyed it. He’s not worth considering.”
“……”
“If someone is involved in a crime, you have to cut them out completely to avoid problems later, don’t you think?”
“That may be true, but Count Yurnigel worked hard in the past, didn’t he? He did a lot for the Empire’s prosperity…”
“Even if he did work hard, the direction of that work only tainted those around him. A person like that won’t suddenly live a good life.”
Everyone cleared their throats and exchanged nervous glances. One noble, thinking Cedric shared his opinion, simply nodded in silence. Cedric looked around indifferently and spoke.
“The mining business that the Verdin family managed will now be handed over to someone completely unrelated to the Crown Prince.”
The nobles murmured among themselves.
“Then will the gold mine business be passed on too?”
“That’s the plan.”
After that, the room filled with voices criticizing the Crown Prince. Cedric quietly listened, then suddenly noticed the flowers in the center of the table. They were pink roses, but the edges of the petals on one flower had wilted. Cedric frowned, and the noble in charge quickly spoke.
“I’ll have the vase removed right away. Things have been so busy at the palace lately, the servants must be overwhelmed.”
“Don’t remove it.”
The noble looked confused by Cedric’s firm tone.
“But it’s a wilted flower…”
“I said leave it.”
At Cedric’s low voice, the noble simply nodded and looked down. While most nobles continued to criticize the Crown Prince, the door to the conference room opened again, and Cedric’s aide hurried in. The nobles paused for a moment, then resumed talking. The aide stood beside Cedric and whispered carefully.
“We found the money that was given to Lady Revril.”
Cedric’s tired eyes flashed coldly.
“Where is it?”
The aide looked troubled as he answered.
“Well… it’s in the basement, but it’s not with Lady Revril.”
“Then who has it?”
“It’s a professional scam group.”
Cedric lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile and stood up. The nobles went silent at his sudden movement. Cedric looked around at them and said,
“That’s all for this noble meeting. The final review for the family that will take over the mining business will begin soon, so make sure your affairs are in order.”
All the nobles nodded. As Cedric passed by, they lowered their heads and greeted him respectfully. As soon as Cedric left the conference room, he headed straight for the basement. His aide quickly followed and reported.
“After investigating, it turns out Lady Revril wasn’t the only victim. Several others were also scammed. It’s a group run by a coachman and an innkeeper who work together.”
“So you still haven’t found Revril?”
The aide nodded cautiously. Cedric came to a halt.
“It’s been a month, and you still haven’t found her?”
“We’ve been investigating, but…”
“She wouldn’t have gone alone. She must have taken a carriage.”
The aide quickly bowed his head.
“I have no excuse.”
Cedric looked at him with cold eyes. Inside, he was growing impatient and wanted to kill everyone involved. At first, it wasn’t like this. He had even felt a bit relaxed, thinking he’d find her soon, just like when he found her six months ago.
But as time passed, finding Revril became more and more unlikely.
“What about the investigation into the maids and servants who were around Revril?”
“We followed your orders and investigated them thoroughly. Anyone who might have harmed her even a little was kicked out.”
“Don’t ever let them set foot here again. Make sure nothing like this happens again.”
Even after saying that, Cedric still felt irritated. He had thought he possessed both Revril’s heart and body, yet she ran away. He was angry at himself and resented Revril for always trying to leave him.
He could still picture her crying. She was just a woman with no noble background. Why was he so desperate to have her? The curse was gone now. Even if she came back, people would still talk. Of course, he could silence the rumors quickly—but it was still annoying.
He could have easily married into a clean, noble family. So why was he so restless over someone like her?
He never looked back at someone he threw away. But strangely, Revril was the exception. He hated clingy things, yet he couldn’t let go of her and kept searching.
With a hardened face, Cedric walked down to the basement. Soon, unknown screams echoed through the halls.
Chartine arrived within a few minutes. I was still in a daze as she came up to me.
“Revril, are you okay?”
I nodded, but she held my hand tightly.
“Let’s go see a doctor first. I think the doctor is already here.”
Chartine gently grabbed my shoulder and guided me. My mind was still confused, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check. Just feeling a little sick and thinking I might be pregnant? It sounded ridiculous.
‘There’s no way I’m pregnant.’
Thinking that, I followed her into the plaza. A few people were lined up, waiting. Chartine entered a nearby tent. Inside, a woman with thick glasses was looking over some papers. Chartine greeted her softly.
“Hello.”
The woman jumped in surprise and quickly looked up. She glanced at both of us and gestured toward a nearby chair.
“Please have a seat.”
I sat down awkwardly and looked around. Though it was only a tent, it had all the necessary equipment. I even heard occasional laughter from nearby, like people knew each other well.
“What brings you here today?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Sensing my hesitation, Chartine quickly spoke for me.
“Can you check if she might be pregnant?”
The doctor rummaged through her desk and pulled something out. It was a black stone, small enough to fit in one hand. She pointed to it and explained.
“Just place your hand on this for a moment. If it turns white, you’re pregnant. If it stays the same, you’re not.”
Nervously, I slowly placed my hand on the stone.
