Chapter 2

After visiting Sashes and having dinner with Arcrain, Estelle stayed at the Lion Palace and was given a room, but she barely slept through the night.

She was tired and anxious, but the main reason was that she had fallen asleep at an odd time with Arcrain.

"You look like you haven't slept well."

Ria, who had come from the Scales Palace to take care of Estelle's daily needs, applied makeup to her face with a sigh.

"Today, I'm going to meet Queen Tortelesse with Lord Arc. So please do your best to cover it up."

"Is that so? Then I'll do my best to make you look beautiful."

"Don't make it too flashy. We're going to a prison, after all."

Seeing Ria's unusually determined face, Estelle hurriedly warned her.

Arcrain, who had also not slept much, was caught by Ria when he came to pick up Estelle and had makeup applied to hide his poor complexion. The reason was that showing a tired face might make the queen underestimate him. In Arcrain's case, unlike Estelle, his schedule was packed because he had wrecked his office with his ability, leaving him almost no time to sleep.

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Queen Tortelesse was being held in the 'Special Room' of the Albion Tower, a different place from where Estelle was confined, apparently out of Sashes' final mercy.

The investigation of this incident was being conducted by a specially formed team of investigators under Sashes' decree. The main players were the King's Guard and the royal intelligence agency, the 'Shadow of the Rose.'

In a typical case, the investigation would be handled by the capital police, but since this involved royal secrets, it was decided that the police, which were mainly composed of commoners, could not be trusted.

Once the investigation was complete, Tortelesse would likely face trial, be stripped of her royal status, and possibly be executed. This visit was at Arcrain's request to meet her before that happened.

The meeting took place in a room like a reception room inside the tower. There were sofas and a table, and Estelle sat down on the sofa next to Arcrain.

Soon, Tortelesse, escorted by two guards, arrived.

"I don't think anything will happen with a prince, but we'll wait outside. Please call us if anything happens."

The guards told Arcrain this, then left Tortelesse in the room and went out.

"It's an honor to have you visit me in your busy schedule, Prince. And to have Miss Estelle with you as well."

With a somewhat theatrical tone, Tortelesse sat down gracefully opposite Arcrain. Despite her gaunt appearance, her beauty, often compared to a red rose, was still intact, and even her tired expression seemed alluring.

Her mana and expression were still mismatched. Her tone and expression were full of malice and venom, yet her mana shone brightly, almost happily. This discrepancy intrigued Estelle, who stared intently at Tortelesse's face.

"...I'm not a prince yet. Someone has been obstructing my coronation ceremony."

In Rozaria, being the first in line to the throne does not make one a prince. A coronation ceremony is required to be recognized as the prince and the official successor to the king.

"It's only a matter of time. I'm glad you've won and we've lost. The only regret is that we allowed Milcea Marvick to commit suicide."

The moment Tortelesse mentioned the death of the Duke of Marvick, her mana darkened.

(What is this...?)

Deep hatred. Unimaginable. So intense it was unbearable. Such dark mana swirled within Tortelesse's body.

But Tortelesse's expression didn't change. Instead, she smiled mockingly.

"Allowing him to escape by suicide is quite foolish. What were the King's Guard and the royal guards doing?"

Her expression seemed to say, "Serve you right," and she laughed mockingly. Despite her cheerful laughter, her mana was deep and dark.

The deep, dark negative emotions were terrifying, and Estelle averted her eyes. However, her uncontrollable ability still picked up on those emotions even without seeing Tortelesse.

"Of course, I feel the same way. Your future interrogations will be more severe as a result."

"Did you come here just to tell me that? How kind of you."

Her mana's color started to calm down, perhaps because her emotions had settled. Estelle gently returned her gaze to Tortelesse, who still had a mocking smile on her face.

"You seem to be quite cooperative with the interrogations. Are you still planning something, stepmother?"

The moment Arcrain called Tortelesse "stepmother," her mana flared brightly.

"Oh, you still call me stepmother? Unfortunately, I don't remember giving birth to you."

Despite her flustered expression, her mana conveyed her joy.

(What does this mean?)

She had to think. The reason for the mismatch between Tortelesse's emotions and actions.

Estelle's mind raced.

Tortelesse deeply hated her father, the Duke of Marvick, but seemed to have affection for Arcrain...

Tortelesse's mana had been strange since the tea party she hosted at the Lion Palace. Estelle, who was considered inferior in birth and upbringing to Olivia Rainsworth, who was a candidate for Arcrain's wife, was expected to be welcomed by Torteles, but that wasn't the case.

Her feelings towards Arcrain during the opera were also strange. She said mean things to him while her mana darkened, as if she was unwilling.

The Duke of Marvick hated Arcrain. That was certain. During the New Year's dinner when the engagement was announced, he showed joy towards Estelle but negative emotions towards Arcrain.

The Duke of Marvick, who remained silent until his death, and Silvio Marvick, who blamed everything on the Duke. On the other hand, Tortelesse answered questions honestly, and her testimony revealed the Duke's additional crimes, leading to the arrest of many people.

What started as a rebellion against Sashes ended with only those connected to the Duke of Marvick being arrested, with little damage to Sashes, Arcrain, Estelle, and Leidis. The artificial nature of it made Estelle shudder.

(A controlled rebellion...)

Such a thought suddenly crossed her mind. Then, Sashes' words in the deepest part of the palace, the 'Sanctuary,' came to mind.

"Various intentions and circumstances have led to this result."

If the king and queen conspired to remove the Duke of Marvick...

She thought it was a far-fetched idea, but once it came to mind, she couldn't shake it off.

"Estelle, you look pale. Are you feeling unwell?"

She realized her body was shaking. Noticing her tremor, Arcrain spoke to her.

"No... I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Should you go back?"

Tortelesse's tone was condescending, but Estelle felt she was genuinely concerned. Her favorable impression of the queen's actions was probably due to this far-fetched theory.

She had to ask. She felt an impulse to do so. If she missed this chance, Estelle might never have another opportunity to speak with Torteles like this.

"Queen Tortelesse... I have a question..."

"You don't need to use formalities. I'm a criminal. You, the future princess, are in a higher position now."

Estelle shook her head. This person's royal status had not been revoked yet, so she thought it was appropriate to use at least the minimum formality.

"Was this rebellion orchestrated by the king and you?"

Estelle asked with a resolve to die. Tortelesse was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"No, I thought you'd suddenly say something. Arcrain, is your fiancée aspiring to be a writer?"

Estelle almost flinched but held her ground and continued.

"The result... was too clean. Too clean. It felt like it was set up to eliminate your political enemies and hand the throne to you..."

"You're not suited to be a detective or a writer. Where do you get such strange ideas... Arcrain, your fiancée seems to have mental issues."

Tortelesse mocked Estelle. Negative emotions rose from Arcrain beside her. Estelle, grabbing Arcrain's elbow to stop him from speaking, gathered her courage and said,

"Because, Queen Tortelesse, you have feelings for Lord Arc, don't you?"

The two of them turned their gaze to Estelle again.

"Why do you think that?"

Tortelesse was the first to recover from her shock. Estelle couldn't explain that she could see people's emotions with her ability, so she was at a loss.

"Are you blind or crazy... Shouldn't you replace your fiancée now?"

"...Estelle is an 'Awakened One,' stepmother."

Arcrain interjected.

"She has the ability to visually perceive people's emotions. If she says this..."

"Suddenly, what are you saying? Emotions can be seen...?"

Tortelesse looked bewildered.