There was a possibility.
Even I, who had lived my whole life freely expressing my feelings and thoughts without restraint, only realized years later that I had fallen for Riorem.
Riorem, who had never had the chance to think deeply about what he truly wanted or what his real feelings were, probably didn’t know how to recover his own mind.
But… is it really okay to say something like this to such a “fragile” person as if it’s nothing?
I lowered my eyes for a moment and sifted through my thoughts.
The quick thinking ability inherited from the Serpantov bloodline was being used just to carefully phrase words so as not to upset my lover.
I wondered how shocked my mother would be if she knew.
Still, after serious consideration, I came up with a very simple answer.
I lifted my eyelids again.
Then, with a somewhat sulky expression on his face, I gently smiled at the man.
“I’ve never really thought about it… but there’s something called the power of love, you know?”
I raised the corners of my mouth as kindly as I could.
If my older brother, who had always called me an emotionless lunatic, saw me now, he might have vomited out everything inside him.
But in truth, I was rather emotionally distant, and I had no trouble naturally saying words I had never spoken in my life.
The only concern was that Riorem also knew I didn’t have an ordinary emotional center…
“Hmm?”
I opened my eyes wide and looked at Riorem.
Suddenly, he stiffened as if turned to stone.
He didn’t respond to my words, nor did he breathe or blink—no physiological reaction at all.
Then, gradually, his body started to relax.
His slightly dazed face at first looked as if he didn’t understand what he had heard at all.
After that, his smooth brows furrowed, and his eyelids blinked slowly.
Only then did a crack appear at his lips.
His tightly closed lips parted and closed repeatedly, hesitating.
His Adam’s apple moved noticeably.
At the same time, the skin from his neck to the back of his ear began to flush red.
When the spreading redness reached his entire face, a subtle fissure appeared on his previously expressionless face.
After this long-awaited change, Riorem fixed his gaze on me quietly.
Then suddenly, he turned his eyes to the ceiling.
“…What do you mean by that?”
His voice was still low and calm, but the breath he swallowed made it sound more like a moan than words.
His right hand covered his suddenly flushed face.
But since his ears and neck were already red, it didn’t help.
Even his hand was red.
Silence followed.
Even after the heat subsided, Riorem couldn’t look me straight in the eye.
He moved his hand away but put it back after seeing my face, then finally turned his back to avoid my gaze.
Watching that sequence of changes and his still trembling straight back, I realized something.
Perhaps this man was the only person who could see that my talk of love was genuine.
After Riorem’s return, an extra chair was added to the first-floor study.
It was placed across from the crown prince and beside me.
In other words, a new seat was created in a place that showed Riorem’s intention to ensure that the crown prince and I would never face each other directly.
Only after sitting in the study did Riorem inform us of the attack that occurred near the end of military training.
“I only reported it to His Majesty.”
Leaning on the chair, Riorem said.
His calm voice left the crown prince speechless as he stared at him.
Of course, the prince soon regained his composure and started firing questions.
“Were there no witnesses at all?”
“There were, but since the ranks of those who witnessed would be eliminated anyway, I just silenced them. It would only cause trouble to openly reveal internal divisions during wartime. Other witnesses will keep their mouths shut if they want to live.”
All the assassins were dead, and there was no solid evidence.
The only proof of the attack was that Riorem’s barracks had burned down.
So, he covered it up by blaming a fallen candle.
It was a very strange story.
“Prince Alpheios wouldn’t have been so meticulous.”
Teumesia said.
I agreed with that.
“Starting with the fact that only Riorem’s barracks burned is unlike Alpheios. Normally, he would have burned the whole garrison down. That man would have chosen a loud explosion to cause more damage, so surely he must have an accomplice.”
When I said that, the three of them all fixed their gazes on me.
I just blinked, wondering why.
Teumesia answered my curiosity.
“As expected, only a person without humanity can understand the thoughts of another without humanity…”
That muttered comment felt strangely unpleasant.
But it wasn’t enough to scold Teumesia, so I let it go.
The important thing was not that.
‘Anyway, for now, there’s no evidence linking this attack to Alpheios.’
To try assassinating a lord who had been officially appointed… even a prince would not escape punishment if it were true.
Moreover, to attempt to eliminate a commander-class figure during wartime…
It made me realize again how reckless Alpheios really was.
Attacking Riorem without thinking ahead.
‘But… doesn’t it make sense then? He recklessly started something but the plan turned out to be so meticulous?’
It seemed the crown prince had the same thought and spoke up.
“The most reasonable guess is that the Empire might have lured Alpheios. Alpheios could be tempted by the promise of handing over the princess.”
“Considering Prince Alpheios’s intelligence, that’s plausible. But even so, to the extent of betraying the country…”
“I don’t think so,”
the very person who was attacked said firmly.
Though his brow was furrowed, as if annoyed by having to defend Alpheios.
“From the Empire’s perspective, would they really trust such a man? They must have had their experiences and heard rumors. They wouldn’t choose such a reckless collaborator. That would be uncontrollable.”
No one could deny that.
While we were having this unresolved discussion, someone knocked on the study door.
The butler opened the door gently but didn’t enter, instead bowing outside.
Perhaps to avoid seeing what was inside the meeting room.
“Sorry to interrupt your discussion. The thing the lady requested has arrived.”
I blinked slowly. I hadn’t asked the butler for anything.
‘Is someone secretly trying to send me something?’
I nodded casually, as if nothing was unusual.
“So it’s already here. Understood. Let’s go now.”
I excused myself to the three and stood up.
Though Riorem’s gaze followed my back, I ignored it.
I left the study and followed the butler, still holding the pen with the poison needle that Teumesia had given me earlier.
Thankfully, I didn’t need to use the precious poison.
The butler handed me just one note as soon as we entered an empty room.
I asked, just in case,
“Do you remember who gave it?”
“My grandson… I had him deliver it, so I didn’t check properly. He said it must be delivered only to the lady, and insisted on it.”
“Oh dear. Is the boy safe?”
The butler swallowed nervously and continued.
“Yes. He looks quite pale and terrified, but thankfully… since it’s just about delivering this note to the lady, I had no choice but to send him.”
“I see. That’s enough.”
The butler lost his usual calm and squeezed his eyes shut.
I nodded roughly and sent him away, feeling pity for his burden.
The note read:
[Luciano Marcelo del Peroa is alive. If you want to keep him alive…]
Below that, I crumpled the note without reading further.
I returned to the meeting room with an even more expressionless face than before. Before anyone could ask, I spoke first.
“Someone sent a note saying our older brother is still alive.”
“Del Peroa’s young lord… you mean?”
The crown prince raised one eyebrow and asked.
The crown prince and Teumesia looked at Riorem, demanding an explanation, but he just shook his head indifferently.