Chapter 236
Abelus thought Megara’s words were completely absurd.
“You think my sister would harm Father? Meggie, what would she even gain from that?”
He could do the math. Just as Camille was the first person who might want to assassinate him, if you made a list of people who might want to assassinate the Emperor, Camille would be near the bottom.
If the Emperor died now, Abelus would immediately ascend the throne. And as always, the children of titleholders—other than the one who inherits—became collateral relatives the moment succession happened.
Even if Abelus was a little wary of Camille now… unless Camille planned to gather nobles and start a rebellion, one of the people who would suffer most if something happened to the Emperor right now was her.
Megara had expected Abelus to react like this. She put on her most innocent, tearful expression.
“That’s why, Your Highness, that’s why I thought it was strange too. I’m so worried that if I say this, Your Highness might think I’m daring to have ill feelings toward Princess Camille…”
“I don’t think you’re trying to slander my sister. You’re genuinely kind, even after nearly dying twice.”
Abelus was completely taken in by those big, damp eyes.
They were at a party hosted by Marquess Lykandros. In the past, Rebecca would have led such parties, and socialites would have ridiculed it while accepting it as natural. But now, with the late Marchioness’s family glaring and spreading slander about Rebecca, she couldn’t appear in society for a while.
Passing off a commoner’s bastard child as a noble’s bloodline. No one said it openly because Abelus favored Megara and the other great nobles were sluggish to move, but the House of Lykandros was still receiving plenty of scorn. And there was only one way for the late Marchioness’s family to avoid sharing that disgrace.
Make the Marchioness a one-sided victim.
In the rumors, she became a woman forced to accept another’s child by a shameless husband and his wicked mistress, living with the wound until she died young. It was far from the truth, but Marquess Lykandros didn’t want to fight his in-laws now. No matter how much the Crown Prince favored his daughter, a house had to follow certain rules to remain within noble society.
In the end, on top of the massive sum spent paying off Abelus’s gambling debts, the Marquess had to spend another considerable amount to silence the Council of Nobles.
With Rebecca in “self-restraint,” the Marquess family’s parties grew dull. What could anyone expect from a household gathering with no hostess, no daughter, and a young son away at the academy? Abelus attended precisely to show the other nobles that he favored Megara.
Amid the envious gazes of nobles eager to say even one word to the Crown Prince, Megara clung tightly to Abelus’s arm. With a quiet sense of superiority, she whispered.
“Your Highness, I’m only saying this because I heard something. His Imperial Majesty’s health hasn’t been very good lately. It’s rare for a robust Jewel-eyed royal.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Abelus recalled the audience he’d had with the Emperor a few months ago.
The Emperor had definitely coughed then. His complexion hadn’t looked good, either. Abelus hadn’t paid much attention at the time, but looking back, Jewel-eyed royalty didn’t cough just because they were getting old. They got sick sometimes, but they recovered quickly unless it was a terminal illness.
And hadn’t the Emperor continued to look unwell lately?
“The Emperor is busy with state affairs, so of course Father must always take care of his health… Ah, but I don’t think so, Meggie. My death and Father’s passing are completely different matters for my sister.”
‘This isn’t easy.’
Megara bit her lip, mildly annoyed even though she’d known it would be like this. She quickly softened her voice, sweeter than ever.
“Your Highness… of course, nothing would be better than if it weren’t true. It was just so frightening that I had to mention it.”
“I know, I know. Our Meggie worries about the Imperial Family more than I do.”
Now that she’d planted the idea once, Megara decided to back off. Pushing too hard would only arouse suspicion.
‘I need to create circumstances.’
Circumstances that would make anyone think Princess Camille’s limbs had to be cut off. That she had to be even more isolated than she already was, with no room left to meddle in Megara’s affairs…
As she reached that thought, Megara realized Abelus’s gaze had already drifted away from her. Puzzled, she followed it—and flinched when she saw who stood at the end of it.
A pretty woman was smiling brightly at Abelus, meeting his eyes. Megara knew her. A lower noble widow who lived by seducing noblemen, making them obsess over her. She was probably here as the companion of whichever man she was currently involved with.
The kind of woman Megara had always despised more than anything. Worse than commoners who earned their bread honestly—someone who shattered sacred families and cheapened the word “love” to less than a penny.
But the casual smile Abelus sent the woman made a memory flicker through Megara’s mind.
The thought that she and that woman were not so different now. Perhaps even the same.
‘No.’
Megara denied it at once. That woman deserved contempt. Megara didn’t. Yes, she truly…
‘I really love Your Highness.’
Kindness, straightforward affection, even cute simplicity… Yes, at first, Megara had consciously aimed for Abelus’s position. But now, after spending every day together and whispering sweet words, she could feel her attachment clearly.
Yes. This was love. Real love—belatedly realized. A destined partner. That woman met men out of necessity, but Megara didn’t. So wasn’t it obvious who was superior, who deserved contempt, and who didn’t?
Her thoughts tangled and knotted. Megara stopped thinking, smiled, and spoke to Abelus.
“Your Highness, shall we step outside for a while? I want to stroll with you through the summer night garden.”
“Ah, really? Should we?”
Abelus had met the widow’s eyes and smiled, but it had meant nothing. He quickly turned his attention back to Megara.
As she went out into the garden with her “husband,” Megara gestured to a nearby servant. Soon, that woman would be dealt with—not only from the Lykandros estate, but from the Imperial Capital itself.
Megara knew that no matter how great her destined love was, her position could be replaced by another woman. So whenever Abelus glanced at other women like this, she eliminated the targets thoroughly. Those women would be dragged away without warning and abandoned somewhere remote, without connections, where it would be difficult for them to—
‘Why did you set your sights on someone else’s man? And selling smiles so freely in my house? You were looking down on me.’
Megara trusted the Marquess family’s servants. It would be handled cleanly.
Feeling lighter, she smiled as she looked out over the garden. So she didn’t notice Abelus, who briefly looked away from her and glanced sideways at that servant.
They strolled through the flower-scented garden, talking.
“The Young Marquess will be coming to the Imperial Capital soon, won’t he?”
“Yes, Your Highness. He has to come during the vacation.”
“Tell him to visit the palace often. He really liked his sister when he was little, didn’t he?”
“It would be an honor for him if Your Highness said so.”
Megara’s expression soured for a heartbeat at Abelus’s generous words. It was something only the family knew, but Megara’s younger brother, the Young Marquess, had sent a harsh letter to his father not long after his sister’s status was revealed.
Asking whether his father understood how he was treated at school because of him, how he could insult his mother for so long even after she had died, and demanding that he quickly throw those women “out” of the house…
The Young Marquess had followed his sister since childhood, with his sister taking the place of the mother who had died shortly after he was born. His sister—like a perfect lady from a fairy tale—was his heaven and his law. Megara had been deeply shaken when she accidentally learned what her younger brother had written.
The Young Marquess probably believed the rumors in the Imperial Capital—that the Marquess and Rebecca had threatened the Marchioness to disguise Megara as the Marquess’s daughter. And he was likely using harsher words because he was being teased and felt wronged in his young heart… Whatever his feelings were, it stabbed Megara all the same.
But she had no intention of telling Abelus. It was enough for him to pity her for now. It was time to make him think she had stronger backing than any woman he might meet.
Megara smoothly changed the subject, and Abelus followed without thinking. Then, as they passed through a wall of bushes and entered a secluded space only the Marquess family could access—
Rustle, rustle.
The hedge suddenly shifted. Abelus flinched, and Megara slipped behind him.
Fortunately, what appeared through the gap wasn’t another assassin. But it wasn’t someone they expected to see here, either.
Adrian stumbled out as if he’d nearly rolled through the bushes. His usual extravagant attire was gone, his hair was disheveled, and he wore shabby clothes.
As far as Megara knew, Adrian wasn’t on today’s guest list. After Megara decided to push Camille out, Adrian—Camille’s subordinate—had naturally been pushed out of every social event within the reach of House Lykandros. And what was with that appearance?
Abelus and Megara both opened their mouths, speechless. But Adrian looked terribly relieved when he saw them.
“Crown Prince! Oh my god, I came to the right place.”
“What are you doing here right now, Duke Adrian?”
When had the Imperial Family’s troublemaker—who caused all kinds of problems in the name of being collateral royalty—ever looked like this? Adrian suddenly dropped to his knees, tears filling his eyes, and begged with clasped hands.
“Please save me, Your Highness. Princess Camille is trying to kill me.”
“What?”
Abelus and Megara stared at each other, mouths still open. Adrian was Camille’s henchman. Why would she try to kill him?
Adrian began to sob loudly.
“I know it sounds strange. I don’t know why either. Hic! The past few days, something’s felt off, hic! There were thorns in my horseshoes, and a fire broke out where I drank and slept, hic!”
“Isn’t it just coincidence?”
Adrian’s words were slurred and his emotions were all over the place. Abelus found little credibility in what he was saying.
Yes, plenty of people probably wanted Adrian dead. He’d made enough enemies. But why would Camille…?
As Abelus frowned, another person emerged from the bushes Adrian had come through. Seeing what looked like Adrian’s servant, Megara gestured for him to take his master away immediately.
The servant bowed.
“I apologize for showing you this. I think the Duke is very drunk.”
“Yes, take him away at once. And remind him that only the Lykandros family may enter here.”
Abelus waved with clear displeasure. Adrian screamed as the servant seized him.
“No! No, Your Highness! This person isn’t my servant, hic! It’s Silver Moon! Your Highness! Please save me!”
Silver Moon would have killed Adrian long ago if they wanted to. Abelus thought so and waved again. Adrian screamed as he was dragged away. Soon, his voice faded into silence.
❖ ❖ ❖
“So he showed himself to my brother? It’s all done now. The rest will be handled by that mistress.”
Camille spoke with satisfaction.
She stood in the middle of a small room filled with crimson magic circles. The windowless room reeked of fish.
In one of the circles, Adrian was bound and crumpled on the floor, his face twisted in terror.
There was no need to wait any longer. Camille stabbed the prepared dagger into Adrian.
As the blood spilled onto the floor and seeped into the lines, the magic circle began to glow.