“But why did you change your mind?”
“There’s something more important than that.”
Agnes said, looking straight at Erica.
“I’ve asked you before. How far can you go for what you want?”
“I said I could sell my soul.”
The first day she met Erica, she vividly remembered the conversation she had with her at the party. Agnes smiled at Erica.
“What I want is not just the throne, but the protection of my people. I will do anything for that.”
“Even if it’s a rebellion?”
“Whatever it is.”
It was a short but sufficient answer. Enrico was speechless and Erica stared at Agnes rudely. Then she quickly smiled.
“Okay, I’ll get on. That’s better.”
“What?”
“Kiske’s position is ambiguous to remain neutral. Not only because of Barania, but also because of the other royal aristocracy.”
Milan’s efforts have reduced the status of the Kiske family. Erica is probably looking ahead.
“When are you planning to do it?”
“I think it’s right after the war, but I don’t know how long the king will drag it out.”
“The whole capital stinks.”
Erica muttered in a low voice.
“The gatekeeper said there were so many bodies that the wheels of the carts would break.”
“Yes, I saw it. It’s terrible.”
“This won’t last long.”
She said with conviction.
“If the capital is like this, then the southern front is much worse.”
“Yes, only the Southern Front, where Count Barania is, is barely holding out.”
“In addition, the national treasury is going to be closed. Not long ago, the Marquis of Devorsen introduced me to a spice merchant and encouraged me to invest.”
“Don’t invest in it.”
“Do you know anyone from there?”
“The merchant’s boat will be hit by a storm and sink unfortunately.”
Erica’s expression changed subtly when Agnes spoke.
“It is the work of the Duchess.”
“Hmm.”
Instead of a clear answer, she smiled vaguely.
“Now let’s go back to Laslo. How did you two get into the abandoned palace?”
“The Queen helped me.”
“Oh? Her Highness?”
Agnes’ eyes grew when an unexpected person was mentioned.
“Yes, she knows that the count is his cousin, so she contacted me.”
“She was very worried when she heard that the Duchess was coming to the palace.”
It was obvious why Ilona was worried. Agnes changed the subject and pretended not to know.
“Do you have an escape plan?”
“It’s not hard to get out. Security is tight, but we can knock the knights out and get out.”
“The problem is the king.”
Enrico continued.
“It’s hard to predict how the king will react after the escape. The queen was worried about that the most.”
“Leave the king to me, and tonight, you’ll have to get Laslo out and go straight down to Sutmar.”
“That soon? What about the Duchess?”
“When the state affairs get very busy, he won’t have time to worry about such trifles.”
“What? What do you mean……?”
Then they heard a dull knock outside.
“We’ve arrived in front of the palace.”
“I’ll have to go now.”
Agnes opened the carriage door half-way herself. Enrico got off first and helped his fiance get off.
“Please be careful. Duchess.”
“Yes.”
She didn’t need to say anything else. Agnes immediately entered the palace after parting with them. Max and five other escorts followed in her footsteps. When she went to the main hall, the servant who was waiting for her.
“Can I ask His Majesty for an audience?”
“Of course, Duchess Arpad. But the knights who came with you have to wait here.”
“We can’t do that. We need to guard her even in the palace.”
The youngest of the knights said in a fit of rage.
“That’s enough. His Highness doesn’t like complicated things, so it’s understandable. You guys wait here.”
“But madam!”
Agnes left the knights and walked along the hall.
‘Are you really going to kill me?’
It was the first time that she was told to leave all her knights behind while visiting the palace. Unconsciously, she fiddled with the crest in her hand.
“How are the two princes?”
When Agnes asked a sudden question, the servant flinched for a moment, but soon answered calmly.
“They’re healthy.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
When asked how it is, there can be many answers. However, the servant mentioned their ‘health’ first. It was obvious what that meant.
The second prince was originally weak. It was the second prince who caught the plague first.
‘I’ll have Roland find more details about the situation.’
While organizing her thoughts, she stopped at the huge and colorful door.
It was the glass greenhouse where Sebastian often spends his time. When she opened the door, the king was drinking wine in the winter light coming through the ceiling.
She was amazed at the appearance.
Now, just five steps away from the palace, there are so many people who are suffering from plague and rotting bodies.
Such a man is a king. The sight of him made her angry.
“Oh, Agnes.”
“Your Highness, how have you been?”
For some reason, Sebastian jumped out of his seat and welcomed Agnes.
“Come to the palace often, I might forget your face.”
“I’m sorry. I had a lot of work to do on behalf of Arpad, so I couldn’t leave.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s troublesome. Just leave it to the servants.”
“That’s right. I wish I had great subjects like you by my side. I feel relieved when I take care of it myself, big or small.”
Sebastian’s mouth twitched as if he had noticed Agnes’ momentum was different from usual.
“That’s been your problem since you were a kid. You don’t trust people easily and do their work for them, what are they supposed to do then?”
“Your Highness is right. I should not do everything by myself. So, I’m trying to get back someone I trust and rely on.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Sebastian sipped the leftover wine with a quiver. Agnes did not lose her smile. Instead, she asked directly.
“You doubt my loyalty.”
“Well, the situation is so unstable that all sorts of strange rumors are going around. You’re building an army too much; you’re bringing in wizards to create disturbing things…….”
“Wasn’t the palace originally a hotbed of all sorts of rumors? I’m here, so ask me. He doesn’t know anything.”
“My poor brother-in-law.” Sebastian, who was staring at Agnes, suddenly laughed loudly.
“Look at you. You seem to have fallen in love and can’t tell what’s right and wrong. You’ve become an idiot.”
The laughter of Sebastian, who was filling the greenhouse, suddenly stopped. No one breathed. The faces of the servants standing on the wall turned pale at once.
“Your impertinence is very uncomfortable to look at. My dear sister.”
“Do you know what I was thinking when I closed Princess Vivian’s coffin?”
Agnes did not bow to him or lower her eyes as usual.
“What is it?”
“I thought I didn’t want to die at your hands.”
“But why are you touching me? You should just stay still in the countryside and breathe but why are you acting like a bug in my eye?”
“I know that no matter what I do, you will kill me one day.”
“But…”
Sebastian threw the glass he was holding at her. Sharp shards brushed past her cheek. Red liquid ran down like tears.
The fallen wine was red as blood and left a mark on her dress But Agnes never took her eyes off him.
“Why do you make me suffer so much by being persistent and not dying? How comfortable would I be if you were crippled like Chavolti? Should I get my hands dirty?”
Sebastian rose from his chair and walked slowly toward Agnes.
hair of the same color, pupils of the same color
It was a sickening resemblance. That’s why Sebastian hates her the most among his siblings.
“Should I die?”
“Yes. If you do so, how relieved would this brother feel?”
Sebastian swept Agnes’ bloody cheeks and shoulders with a soft voice. She got goosebumps on her skin. He whispered in her ear.
“Throw yourself to the watchtower.”
“…….”
“If you’re scared of it, hang yourself or take poison and die.”
“Your Highness.”
Agnes grabbed Sebastian’s hand on her shoulder and put it down. Her grip was quite strong.
“Do I have to die?”
“What?”
“Have you looked outside the castle recently? The smell of rotting corpses is everywhere, and who knows when it will spread to the palace?”
“Do you know what you’re talking about?”
Sebastian’s blue eyes glistened. She hid and ran away all her life fearing that eye.
“It’s not hard for me to die.”
Agnes looked at his brother in the eye and said, “I’ve always lived with death at my fingertips. It’s nothing to give up a life now.”
“But why are you trying to live so hard, annoying me?”
This time Agnes laughed loudly.
“Didn’t you make me look like this?”
“But why did you change your mind?”
“There’s something more important than that.”
Agnes said, looking straight at Erica.
“I’ve asked you before. How far can you go for what you want?”
“I said I could sell my soul.”
The first day she met Erica, she vividly remembered the conversation she had with her at the party. Agnes smiled at Erica.
“What I want is not just the throne, but the protection of my people. I will do anything for that.”
“Even if it’s a rebellion?”
“Whatever it is.”
It was a short but sufficient answer. Enrico was speechless and Erica stared at Agnes rudely. Then she quickly smiled.
“Okay, I’ll get on. That’s better.”
“What?”
“Kiske’s position is ambiguous to remain neutral. Not only because of Barania, but also because of the other royal aristocracy.”
Milan’s efforts have reduced the status of the Kiske family. Erica is probably looking ahead.
“When are you planning to do it?”
“I think it’s right after the war, but I don’t know how long the king will drag it out.”
“The whole capital stinks.”
Erica muttered in a low voice.
“The gatekeeper said there were so many bodies that the wheels of the carts would break.”
“Yes, I saw it. It’s terrible.”
“This won’t last long.”
She said with conviction.
“If the capital is like this, then the southern front is much worse.”
“Yes, only the Southern Front, where Count Barania is, is barely holding out.”
“In addition, the national treasury is going to be closed. Not long ago, the Marquis of Devorsen introduced me to a spice merchant and encouraged me to invest.”
“Don’t invest in it.”
“Do you know anyone from there?”
“The merchant’s boat will be hit by a storm and sink unfortunately.”
Erica’s expression changed subtly when Agnes spoke.
“It is the work of the Duchess.”
“Hmm.”
Instead of a clear answer, she smiled vaguely.
“Now let’s go back to Laslo. How did you two get into the abandoned palace?”
“The Queen helped me.”
“Oh? Her Highness?”
Agnes’ eyes grew when an unexpected person was mentioned.
“Yes, she knows that the count is his cousin, so she contacted me.”
“She was very worried when she heard that the Duchess was coming to the palace.”
It was obvious why Ilona was worried. Agnes changed the subject and pretended not to know.
“Do you have an escape plan?”
“It’s not hard to get out. Security is tight, but we can knock the knights out and get out.”
“The problem is the king.”
Enrico continued.
“It’s hard to predict how the king will react after the escape. The queen was worried about that the most.”
“Leave the king to me, and tonight, you’ll have to get Laslo out and go straight down to Sutmar.”
“That soon? What about the Duchess?”
“When the state affairs get very busy, he won’t have time to worry about such trifles.”
“What? What do you mean……?”
Then they heard a dull knock outside.
“We’ve arrived in front of the palace.”
“I’ll have to go now.”
Agnes opened the carriage door half-way herself. Enrico got off first and helped his fiance get off.
“Please be careful. Duchess.”
“Yes.”
She didn’t need to say anything else. Agnes immediately entered the palace after parting with them. Max and five other escorts followed in her footsteps. When she went to the main hall, the servant who was waiting for her.
“Can I ask His Majesty for an audience?”
“Of course, Duchess Arpad. But the knights who came with you have to wait here.”
“We can’t do that. We need to guard her even in the palace.”
The youngest of the knights said in a fit of rage.
“That’s enough. His Highness doesn’t like complicated things, so it’s understandable. You guys wait here.”
“But madam!”
Agnes left the knights and walked along the hall.
‘Are you really going to kill me?’
It was the first time that she was told to leave all her knights behind while visiting the palace. Unconsciously, she fiddled with the crest in her hand.
“How are the two princes?”
When Agnes asked a sudden question, the servant flinched for a moment, but soon answered calmly.
“They’re healthy.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
When asked how it is, there can be many answers. However, the servant mentioned their ‘health’ first. It was obvious what that meant.
The second prince was originally weak. It was the second prince who caught the plague first.
‘I’ll have Roland find more details about the situation.’
While organizing her thoughts, she stopped at the huge and colorful door.
It was the glass greenhouse where Sebastian often spends his time. When she opened the door, the king was drinking wine in the winter light coming through the ceiling.
She was amazed at the appearance.
Now, just five steps away from the palace, there are so many people who are suffering from plague and rotting bodies.
Such a man is a king. The sight of him made her angry.
“Oh, Agnes.”
“Your Highness, how have you been?”
For some reason, Sebastian jumped out of his seat and welcomed Agnes.
“Come to the palace often, I might forget your face.”
“I’m sorry. I had a lot of work to do on behalf of Arpad, so I couldn’t leave.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s troublesome. Just leave it to the servants.”
“That’s right. I wish I had great subjects like you by my side. I feel relieved when I take care of it myself, big or small.”
Sebastian’s mouth twitched as if he had noticed Agnes’ momentum was different from usual.
“That’s been your problem since you were a kid. You don’t trust people easily and do their work for them, what are they supposed to do then?”
“Your Highness is right. I should not do everything by myself. So, I’m trying to get back someone I trust and rely on.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Sebastian sipped the leftover wine with a quiver. Agnes did not lose her smile. Instead, she asked directly.
“You doubt my loyalty.”
“Well, the situation is so unstable that all sorts of strange rumors are going around. You’re building an army too much; you’re bringing in wizards to create disturbing things…….”
“Wasn’t the palace originally a hotbed of all sorts of rumors? I’m here, so ask me. He doesn’t know anything.”
“My poor brother-in-law.” Sebastian, who was staring at Agnes, suddenly laughed loudly.
“Look at you. You seem to have fallen in love and can’t tell what’s right and wrong. You’ve become an idiot.”
The laughter of Sebastian, who was filling the greenhouse, suddenly stopped. No one breathed. The faces of the servants standing on the wall turned pale at once.
“Your impertinence is very uncomfortable to look at. My dear sister.”
“Do you know what I was thinking when I closed Princess Vivian’s coffin?”
Agnes did not bow to him or lower her eyes as usual.
“What is it?”
“I thought I didn’t want to die at your hands.”
“But why are you touching me? You should just stay still in the countryside and breathe but why are you acting like a bug in my eye?”
“I know that no matter what I do, you will kill me one day.”
“But…”
Sebastian threw the glass he was holding at her. Sharp shards brushed past her cheek. Red liquid ran down like tears.
The fallen wine was red as blood and left a mark on her dress But Agnes never took her eyes off him.
“Why do you make me suffer so much by being persistent and not dying? How comfortable would I be if you were crippled like Chavolti? Should I get my hands dirty?”
Sebastian rose from his chair and walked slowly toward Agnes.
hair of the same color, pupils of the same color
It was a sickening resemblance. That’s why Sebastian hates her the most among his siblings.
“Should I die?”
“Yes. If you do so, how relieved would this brother feel?”
Sebastian swept Agnes’ bloody cheeks and shoulders with a soft voice. She got goosebumps on her skin. He whispered in her ear.
“Throw yourself to the watchtower.”
“…….”
“If you’re scared of it, hang yourself or take poison and die.”
“Your Highness.”
Agnes grabbed Sebastian’s hand on her shoulder and put it down. Her grip was quite strong.
“Do I have to die?”
“What?”
“Have you looked outside the castle recently? The smell of rotting corpses is everywhere, and who knows when it will spread to the palace?”
“Do you know what you’re talking about?”
Sebastian’s blue eyes glistened. She hid and ran away all her life fearing that eye.
“It’s not hard for me to die.”
Agnes looked at his brother in the eye and said, “I’ve always lived with death at my fingertips. It’s nothing to give up a life now.”
“But why are you trying to live so hard, annoying me?”
This time Agnes laughed loudly.
“Didn’t you make me look like this?”
