Chapter 68

“There’s no way I could confuse the face of the Marquis of Peroa. I don’t know who sent it, but maybe they forgot that I’ve been stuck in the duchy for eight years.”

“From the start, my older brother and I were never particularly close. If they had known that since he was young, he did his best to torment me and my sisters, they wouldn’t have dared to threaten me like this.”

I recalled my childhood after a long time.

My mother left for the empire as soon as we were weaned, but my two sisters and I grew up together in the palace where she had stayed until we were quite old.

Occasionally, our one and only older brother would come there, but it was always to insult his little sisters and boost his own ego.

Once I grew enough to wield a weapon myself and learned that my aggression did not discriminate against anyone, my father separated me and that man and cut off their meetings.

As I went over my memories, I suddenly realized the name I saw on the note was different from the name of the brother I knew.

Fortunately, there was a man beside me who could answer my curiosity.

“Is your brother’s middle name ‘Marcelo’? I thought it was ‘Marcelino.’”

Riorem answered calmly to my question.

“Marcelo is correct.”

“Oh my. I’ve been getting my brother’s name wrong for 28 years.”

“Really? I thought you were deliberately mispronouncing the marquis’s name to tease him.”

I laughed it off as something trivial.

Teumesia and the crown prince, who had been listening to our conversation, looked displeased.

They seemed shocked that I didn’t even know my own brother’s name.

“Isn’t it normal to confuse a middle name?”

Even among family, you usually only hear the middle name when attending a formal ball and your name is announced.

My brother and I have barely appeared together in public since we were fourteen.

My father was desperate to keep us apart, fearing I might one day harm him.

In some ways, my father’s efforts had been effective.

Judging by the fact that I even misremember my brother’s name.

Then the crown prince, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.

“So that’s why the general was so sure the princess wouldn’t return to the duchy.”

Though said diplomatically, he meant that our family’s relationship looked awful.

‘Is it that bad?’

Even a man who grew up in a house where brothers drew swords on each other was reacting like that, so

I must be quite unusual.

‘Riorem doesn’t seem to think it’s that strange.’

Perhaps because he has watched me for over ten years, he wasn’t surprised by my indifference or our strange family dynamics.

Teumesia, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke.

“Then, if by any chance the Marquis is still alive, you wouldn’t go to rescue him, right?”

“Yes. It’s almost certain he died by Riorem’s hand.”

“That makes sense. If the Marquis of Peroa were truly alive, the second son of the Duke of Piedra would be allied with him.”

The Prince of Piedra.

A man who was part of the faction trying to rebuild the duchy using me, and a friend of my older brother.

If the Marquis of Peroa were alive, that man would be gathering people with my brother rather than searching for me.

In that sense, the note I received earlier was complete nonsense.

Yet, I revealed the content of the threat because…

“…Anyway, this means someone trying to shake you has infiltrated the castle.”

It was because Riorem’s territory had been breached by a spy.

Riorem muttered in a low growl.

‘And the timing is suspicious. Right after the failed attack on Riorem.’

I sipped my tea and fell silent in thought.

Then I glanced sharply at Teumesia.

“Teumesia, do you have any weaknesses? Family, lover?”

“Huh?”

“Riorem, me. Then naturally, it would be you next, right? The crown prince is probably already accustomed to attacks like this.”

The Kingdom of Arete does not have primogeniture inheritance.

The crown is passed down by comprehensively considering the princes’ abilities and achievements.

In a country like this, a man who maintains the crown prince’s position steadily must have gone through similar experiences throughout his life.

There was no doubt about his ability to handle such situations.

In other words, the most vulnerable person here seemed to be Teumesia.

She was aware of this and objectively began to reflect on herself.

“I can’t think of anything in particular. Until last month, if someone had offered to help get rid of the young lady, I might have accepted.”

“That definitely sounds right. Haha, should we be relieved now?”

It’s too late to send me now.

Even if I’m handed over to the enemy, it wouldn’t stabilize Riorem’s precarious position.

I meant it sympathetically, but somehow Teumesia’s face tightened as if twisted in discomfort.

Then the crown prince, who had been silent until then, spoke.

“General, do you have an extra carriage? I want to take a different carriage on the way back.”

“What sudden request is this?”

“Well, usually, when a close aide suffers a light attack, a deadly strike against me follows shortly afterward. It’s a pattern.”

It was an intuition born of experience.

Besides, unlike Alpheios, the crown prince was politically savvy but poor at combat.

If someone tried to cause an accident with the carriage, it would be dangerous immediately.

I rubbed my chin.

‘As expected, it’s safest if I take the risk among the three of us.’

Since I rarely go outside the mansion, it’s easier to control the surroundings. Above all, I’m the most effective bait for the enemy.

If they could, they’d want to target me first — whether to give me as spoils to Alpheios or to use me as the princess.

Probably the crown prince and Teumesia thought the same.

The problem was: the person who would strongly oppose such a strategy was sitting right beside me.

‘I think I’d notice immediately if they suddenly hired more maids.’

What if the crown prince and Teumesia directly argued that making a gap in my side was the most efficient strategy?

Riorem would definitely lock me in the bedroom and cut ties with both of them — no matter what happens later.

When it comes to matters involving me, he almost turns into a madman.

Then my eyes caught the crown prince’s clothing.

Compared to when we first shook hands and started the meeting, his attire had become thinner and simpler.

Although the Kingdom of Arete doesn’t have a big temperature difference, it does have seasonal changes.

I knew summers here were quite hot.

I imagined my wardrobe in my mind.

Spending almost all my time in the bedroom, the room that should have been used by the mistress of the house had essentially become a closet.

I wondered how many summer clothes I had there and whether my excuse was reasonable, then glanced to the side.

Riorem’s blue eyes were staring intently at my face.

Since he always did that, the crown prince and Teumesia no longer bothered about his odd behavior.

“Hmm, maybe I don’t even need to count how many summer clothes I have?”

No matter how many clothes are in my room, if I want something, Riorem would naturally buy it for me.

So on the way back to the bedroom after today’s meeting with Riorem, I casually brought up the topic.

“I want to buy new summer clothes before it gets too hot.”

The answer came immediately.

“Please do.”

“I don’t know anything about Arete’s fashion, so I want to try several boutiques.”

“Understood.”

“I’m curious about the salons inside Dynamis Castle, but also those in the capital. Of course, I don’t need all of them, just a few famous places.”

I looked up at Riorem.

The man who had been watching only me from start to finish said exactly what I expected.

“Just call them all. Once you say my name, they’ll come running anyway.”

As expected, Riorem had no idea how difficult it was to call a designer from a salon.

He understood the shopping habits of noble ladies clumsily, so it was actually harder for him than for men who didn’t know at all.