“I felt that keeping you close was a betrayal to those who had died—yet I couldn’t push you away, so I justified my harsh treatment of you as an excuse to them. …I was foolish.”

“No… I also did terrible things, manipulated by my sister…” Idyllia gazed into his moon-white eyes, speaking earnestly. Silence fell between them, and the air seemed to change.

“────…”

Slowly, her cheeks began to colour. Silvio tilted his face slightly towards her. As their breaths drew close enough to touch, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway. Startled, they pulled apart just as Silvio’s subordinate entered, bringing Eurydice with him. Seeing his sister, Silvio stood up.

“What happened? I thought you had gone home?”

“I did! But when I got there, everything was in chaos…!” Eurydice stumbled into the room, panic-stricken. She explained that soldiers had suddenly stormed the mansion where the Fontana family had been hiding, capturing everyone inside. Idyllia turned pale.

“It must be my sister. No one else knew about the hideout—” She stood and left the room, Silvio following closely behind.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know, but I have to stop this…!” Even Idyllia couldn’t imagine what her desperate sister might do next. Driven by a sense of foreboding, the two headed towards the royal palace.

Silvio sent his subordinates to the Fontana family’s hideout, both to check on Eurydice and as a precaution. Idyllia accompanied him to the palace, where they sought out members of the Leveaux family. Many of them had been won over to Silvio’s side over time. When he explained that his life was in danger, they couldn’t ignore such a bold plot and offered to accompany him.

“Just our presence should act as some form of restraint against the queen,” said the elder men, following Silvio and Idyllia. Feeling supported, the two headed for Beatrice’s private quarters. Silvio waved away the maids in the room, who quickly retreated. Beatrice stood by the window, fanning herself with a lavishly feathered fan.

“You’ve come,” she greeted with a confident smile, standing beside the king. Though nearly ten years older than her, he cowered on the sofa. Seeing Silvio, he muttered,

“He’s here to kill me… to kill me…”

Beatrice shielded him and glared at Silvio with hatred.

“It’s a lie that you’re here for peace talks. You want revenge on us, the king, and the Leveaux family, who brought down your clan. That’s why you presented such draconian terms for a truce!”

“Believe what you will; those terms are our king’s wishes.”

“Discussing how to reflect our circumstances was the purpose of this negotiation. We should replace the envoy and start over. There’s no negotiating with someone who won’t budge from the start.”

“Replace the envoy?” Silvio seized upon her words, causing Beatrice to pale but smile coldly. She addressed the Leveaux men behind him.

“Why, Great-Uncle. And all of you, too. After all the benefits you’ve enjoyed from me, how disloyal.” She swayed her fan suggestively.

“Don’t trust that man. Silvio has secretly been investigating the tragedy five years ago, cataloguing everyone involved. He pretends to forgive to win you over, only to take revenge on you after ousting me and the king. Falling for his sweet talk—how foolish you are!”

Her mocking laughter caused the Leveaux men to gasp.

“…”

Silvio silently stared at Beatrice. She closed her fan and pointed at one of the men behind him.

“I’ll tell you something, Silvio. That Lord Merlain there led the mob that stormed the Fontana family’s mansion, killing everyone inside and looting the artwork.”

She pointed to another man.

“That Lord Longil was the one who ordered the arson that killed your father! …So, what will you do? You’ve been looking for your father’s murderer, haven’t you? Will you cover it up with sweet words for your benefit, or will you tell the truth? ‘I can’t stand the sight of you, you pig,’ perhaps?”

“Sister…!” Idyllia protested strongly against her laughing sister.

“You’re free not to reconcile with Silvio. But you have no right to belittle others’ choices!”

“I’m just sharing inconvenient truths. Poor, foolish Leveaux family! How naive to think their actions could be forgiven! Did you expect that the young lord who turned his back on his family to love the enemy’s woman would forgive everything for his own advancement? Such convenient scenarios don’t exist!”

“Enough talk. Release the captured members of the Fontana family immediately.”

“No.”

Beatrice shook her head firmly.

“In this country, they are criminals. We don’t listen to the opinions of foreigners when capturing and executing criminals.”

Silvio muttered quietly, “What do you want?”

In response, Beatrice poured red wine into a glass placed by the window. She filled the glass to the brim, lifted it, and smiled seductively.

“If you don’t want to abandon your kin to die, drink this.”

“Is it poisoned?”

“Yes. I’ll tell your country that you were poisoned by the novice nun you took advantage of.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Look over there.”

She drew back the lace curtain and opened the window. From the third-floor window, they could see a shaded stone-paved courtyard below. Five members of the Fontana family knelt in a row, their hands tied behind their backs and ankles bound. Soldiers stood beside them, swords drawn and ready at their necks, prepared to strike at any moment. Idyllia ran to her sister and clung to her arm.

“Sister, please, don’t commit any more sins!”

Taking more of the remaining Fontana family members as hostages was beyond reason. Grabbing her sister’s arm, Idyllia pleaded desperately.

“Accept it. We’ve lost!”

“Silence!”

“No matter how many you kill, you can’t erase the sin or the defeat!”

“You’re always like this! Always making claims from your comfortable position, bearing no responsibility! How fortunate for you!”

Beatrice roughly pushed her sister away. Silvio caught Idyllia as she stumbled and almost fell.

“That’s enough.”