After ascending the throne, Ferdik claimed that by granting Lishid the Grand Duchy he had inherited, he had paid his final respects to the late Emperor and Empress.
But Lishid, already branded as a fake prince, received no proper education after that day. He was simply abandoned and raised into a Grand Duke whose only talent was swordsmanship.
Even now, Lishid is still being driven around by Emperor Ferdik's orders to subjugate monsters.
Could there be a more perfect backstory than this?
Everyone knew about the tragic relationship between Lishid, the unfortunate prince, and Emperor Ferdik.
So even without concrete evidence, Emperor Ferdik was the perfect fake villain I could pin everything on.
The only problem was...
“Why did you stop talking, Lady?”
I swallowed hard.
Above Lishid's questioning voice, I remembered those cold crimson eyes that seemed to pierce right through me.
“I hate lies more than anything.”
That's right.
Lishid had said he hated lies more than anything.
Well... second only to crying.
But I...
I had already deceived him by kidnapping him to save my own life.
And there was no way I was going to suddenly confess,
"Ta-da! I was actually the culprit all along!"
If I did that, my head might roll off my shoulders right then and there.
I let out a quiet sigh and clenched both fists.
...It's okay.
My conscience hurt terribly, but it was already far too late to turn back.
My one and only life was on the line.
I couldn't afford to hesitate because of guilt.
Still, using the Emperor is incredibly risky.
If something went wrong, I might end up dying at the Emperor's hands instead of Lishid's.
Lishid himself could also end up in danger.
So I need to be careful.
For now, I silently added the Emperor to my list of fake villains and chose my words carefully.
“The circumstances really do fit together... almost as if someone planned all of this.”
“That's what you think as well?”
“Yes. But, Your Grace... wouldn't it be better to wait until after the welcoming banquet before deciding?”
I could feel Lishid lean forward curiously.
“Why?”
“Because... it isn't something that benefits His Majesty. If anything, he'd be the one suffering a loss.”
Today's welcoming banquet had been arranged by the Emperor to honor his nephew—despite not sharing a drop of blood—Lishid.
At the same time, it was also meant to show the nobility how faithfully the Grand Duke of Epenterion obeyed the Imperial Family.
So if Lishid thought about it a little more, he'd understand what I meant.
The Emperor had absolutely nothing to gain by placing a curse on him.
“...”
Watching Lishid's reaction, I waited for his answer.
But his silence stretched on.
...Maybe that advice was too presumptuous.
It's even more nerve-racking because I can't see his face...
My palms became damp with sweat, but I tried not to show it.
At last, Lishid spoke.
“...Your reasoning does make sense.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I may have been too hasty.”
But strangely enough, there seemed to be a self-mocking sigh hidden in his voice.
“Perhaps I should have informed Kassel about this after all.”
Lishid murmured quietly.
Kassel...?
His aide?
Recognizing the name, I frowned.
At that very moment, the orchestra suddenly stopped playing.
The murmuring throughout the ballroom died down, and the doorman standing at the entrance loudly announced,
“Sir Kassel Elviance, representative of His Grace the Grand Duke of Epenterion, has arrived!”
The grand doors swung open.
A man with ash-gray hair, wearing a military uniform decorated with brilliant golden epaulettes, stepped inside.
The nobles throughout the hall immediately lowered their heads.
I hurried out from behind the pillar, gathered my skirts, and performed the curtsey I had spent days practicing.
Even though he was merely a representative, Imperial law required everyone to show him the same respect, since he had come bearing the Grand Duke's words.
So that's him.
I slightly raised my eyes to see the man walking toward the platform.
Kassel Elviance.
He had been a recurring supporting character in the original novel.
I'd always liked him because his chemistry with Lishid was so entertaining.
I've already seen Seria... and now I'm seeing Kassel with my own eyes.
For some reason, my heart pounded.
...I'm really crossing the point of no return, aren't I?
Will I... really be okay?
Lishid's aide, Kassel, trudged across the ballroom and climbed onto the platform.
This can't be happening.
I still couldn't find His Grace before the welcoming banquet began...
After his lord disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a short note...
Kassel had secretly searched everywhere, obeying the order that read:
"I have urgent business. I will leave for a while. Do not let anyone know that I've disappeared."
But where in the world had the Grand Duke gone?
He couldn't even find a single witness claiming to have seen someone resembling him.
Can a person simply vanish from inside a carriage?
His Grace hadn't jumped out of the moving carriage.
Nor had he used a teleportation magic scroll.
Something was definitely suspicious.
Even so, Kassel never once thought of doubting—or worrying about—his lord.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't a disappearance.
It was much closer to running away from home.
Still...
Kassel Elviance...
Sob... Your Grace, you're awful...
You know I hate crowded places... and yet you dumped a responsibility like this on me!
As an extreme introvert, standing in a place like this felt like torture.
Just wait until you come back.
This time, I'll cry my eyes out, throw my resignation letter in that handsome face of yours, and go straight home!
Silently sniffling to himself, Kassel resented Lishid.
Then he noticed a group of nobles gathered together, whispering among themselves.
Th-Those Western bastards...
They were the Western nobles surrounding Marquis Langard.
Instantly, Kassel's fearful expression disappeared, replaced by fury.
Although the campaign had been ordered by the Emperor, the Knights of Epenterion had risked their lives fighting the monsters that appeared in the West.
Yet not a single Western noble—including Marquis Langard—had shown their face until the subjugation was over.
They had sent neither supplies nor donations.
Rather than worrying about their own territories, they had fled to the capital, fearing only that Epenterion might fail.
Kassel ground his teeth.
Our Grand Duke and the knights couldn't even sleep...
And look at those greasy faces.
They've clearly been living in comfort the entire time!
Kassel glared at the ill-mannered Western nobles.
Just then, a servant standing atop the staircase beside the platform announced loudly,
“His Imperial Majesty, the Sun of the Great Retinoa Empire, approaches!”
The nobles who had been glancing toward Kassel immediately bowed.
Kassel also turned and knelt on one knee.
Descending the stairs with slow, measured steps, Emperor Ferdik seated himself upon the throne.
“Raise your heads.”
Everyone slowly straightened.
“Today, I prepared this gathering to welcome the Grand Duke of Epenterion after his successful subjugation of the monsters in the West.”
The Emperor's dignified voice echoed throughout the hall.
“However, the guest of honor—the Grand Duke of Epenterion—sent word this morning that he would not attend. Without even offering an explanation.”
The hall stirred at the Emperor's words criticizing the Grand Duke's discourtesy.
But the Emperor simply smiled kindly and rose from his seat.
“High Priest.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Holding the ceremonial Holy Sword, Erkael stepped forward and respectfully presented it to the Emperor.
The Emperor approached Kassel.
“Welcome home safely, Sir Elviance. May the blessing of the gods also reach my beloved nephew, Lishid.”
Raising the Holy Sword, the Emperor slowly traced a sacred blessing over Kassel's shoulder.
Watching this, many people thought of the Emperor's generosity.
After all, despite Lishid's uncertain birth and status as a false nephew, the Emperor had still granted him the title of Grand Duke.
By praising Kassel instead of rebuking him, the Emperor was clearly overlooking the Grand Duke's discourtesy in skipping the welcoming banquet without even preparing an excuse.
“Now then, everyone, raise your glasses.”
After the brief ceremony, the Emperor picked up a prepared glass of champagne.
“Sir Elviance has brought a message on behalf of today's guest of honor, the Grand Duke of Epenterion. Let us hear what he has to say.”
“...Y-Your Majesty?”
Caught completely off guard by something that had never been discussed beforehand, Kassel whispered in confusion as he looked around nervously.
