Chapter 44

The pale Aglaia hurriedly reached out to snatch the letter from my hand.

But I leisurely stepped back, dodging her grasp.

Crash!

She fell to the table with a loud thud.

“…!”

Her dress, ruined with spilled tea and crushed cookies, looked ridiculous.

I bent slightly and locked eyes with her.

Then, seeing her white, pale face, I twisted my lips into a smirk.

“If this secret gets out, your reputation will plummet, won’t it?”

Most of the nobles supporting the parliament revered the late emperor.

Although they feared the new emperor, they still hoped Etias would not be eliminated by him.

Aglaia had earned their trust by positioning herself as Etias’s protector as his aunt.

But if it were revealed that Aglaia sent a letter to Duke Elemoer asking him to cover up her corruption in exchange for Etias’s life?

Aglaia’s position would be over.

“…You! You…”

“Do you think you can keep your position as Speaker? You opposed the emperor and gained power in parliament, but now the emperor will never accept you.”

Muttering this, I watched as Aglaia’s lips trembled in fear.

Every word I spoke cut through the heart of the current situation, leaving no room for excuses.

‘As much as I want to expose her true nature completely…’

I smirked and stood up straight.

There was still value in using this rotten woman.

With her position in parliament, the emperor couldn’t just eliminate Etias without concern.

Until the revolution, she had to hold her position.

“Listen well, Speaker.”

Aglaia, now a mess with tea and cookies stuck to her dress, exhaled heavily, glaring at me.

But she couldn’t speak a word. She had surely realized the card I held that could ruin her.

For now, that was enough.

“Approve Fadelmon’s arrest. If you don’t do as I say…”

Her fingers trembled violently.

“You know what will happen, don’t you? Oh, and if anything happens to me, I’ve instructed my butler to send all confidential documents, including this letter, to the newspapers. So, you’d better hope I live long.”

My thoroughness made Aglaia inhale sharply.

Her earlier attempts to manipulate me had evaporated, replaced with pure fear.

‘She’s probably thinking, ‘This child is more ruthless than my father…’’

At that moment, Aglaia’s servants rushed in, alarmed by the commotion.

“Speaker…!”

They were shocked at the sight of Aglaia’s disheveled state.

“What happened? Should we stop Lady Katrin Elemoer?”

I leisurely crossed my arms, watching Aglaia. She quickly shook her head.

“No. I just slipped while reaching for something far.”

Yes, she had to handle this carefully.

Aglaia trembled and turned to her servants.

“Take our distinguished guest to the party.”

I stood up and spoke.

“I didn’t come to enjoy the party. I came to wish the Speaker a happy birthday. But now, I think I’ll head home. Just…”

I walked slowly toward Aglaia, who had shrunk back, and leaned close to her ear, whispering.

“I suggest you remember what I said. And one more thing…”

Aglaia’s eyebrows twitched as I spoke. She quickly signaled her servants to leave.

They hesitated but soon disappeared out of sight.

“…”

I reached out and grabbed Aglaia’s collar, pulling her close.

Her terrified eyes fluttered.

“If you ever…”

As I spoke Etias’s name, Aglaia flinched again.

I fixed my gaze on her, speaking slowly and clearly.

“…If you ever try to play with his life again, I’ll kill you.”

She dared to trade our Etias’s life?

For the petty reason of hiding her corruption?

The murderous intent and cold words in my eyes made her gasp.

Fear and confusion swirled in her eyes, but she knew better than to speak.

“…”

I glared at her with contempt before sharply turning away.

I could hear the sound of Aglaia collapsing to the floor behind me.

***

“Katrin, that sly fox, is trying to gain the emperor’s trust just like my brother did. She can’t get any help from the emperor’s side now. So we must change our approach and side with the parliament. The emperor’s power is stronger, but the protection of the parliament will likely keep us safe, and hell, at least it will keep us out of prison. Of course, the Speaker will take a pretty hefty cut.”

Lucia, searching the garden for Etias, recalled her father Fadelmon’s words.

“Lucia, you must seduce Prince Etias. He’s just an insignificant prince, but if you marry him, you’ll be part of the royal family, and Katrin won’t dare touch us. The parliament will also actively side with us.”

‘He’s just a prince in name, but he’s handsome enough. If my father can manage to steal the duke’s fortune… that troublesome girl will be finished.’

The prestigious Elemoer family. Unlike Lucia, who was born from her father’s night with a lowborn woman, Katrin was the only daughter of the eldest son. Thanks to this, she lived arrogantly, with no respect for anyone.

There was no one who provoked Lucia’s inferiority more than Katrin.

Especially with her condescending gaze, as if looking down on someone lower than herself.

‘The only thing I’m worse at than you, Katrin, is my birth.’

At today’s Speaker’s birthday party, it was already planned that Lucia would be introduced to Etias. The problem was that Etias had disappeared.

“Prince Etias! Where are you?!”

Lucia cupped her hands around her mouth and called out Etias’s name. However, she couldn’t find any trace of him anywhere in the vast garden.

“Did he go home? Left me here alone?!”

After searching for a long while, Lucia finally stopped and raised an eyebrow.

She had been introduced to many important people at these kinds of events, but never had she been treated this way.

Her pride was wounded, and her face flushed with embarrassment as she gripped her dress tightly.

Then, at that moment…

“Are you Lady Lucia Elemoer?”

A young man, dressed in knight’s attire, stopped in front of Lucia and asked.

Lucia scanned him up and down before responding haughtily.

“Who are you? I’m sorry, but I already have someone escorting me…”

“I’m a knight in service to Speaker Aglaia. I’m afraid the Speaker has requested that you leave the party immediately.”

Lucia’s eyebrows furrowed at the knight’s words.

“W-What do you mean? I was invited here by Speaker Aglaia to—”

“Another thing. The Speaker asked me to tell you that the cooperation with your father has been nullified, and that the introduction to Prince Etias is no longer necessary.”

“W-What?!”

‘Get rid of Lucia immediately. Damn it, the Elemoers always bring misfortune. I shouldn’t have joined hands with that bastard Fadelmon!’

The knight recalled Aglaia’s anger as he noticed Lucia’s shocked expression, ignoring her protest and signaling for the soldiers behind him.

Lucia’s face turned pale as the atmosphere made it clear she would be forcibly removed if she didn’t leave on her own.

In the end, she had no choice but to leave the party, humiliated and alone.

As Katrin was already leaving Aglaia’s mansion through the front gate, she felt a presence and turned around.

“……”

In the long shadow of the bell tower, Etias, with dark eyes, was watching her.