Chapter 4

After returning from the Albion Tower to the palace, Estelle and Arcrain received a message that Sashes was calling for them, so they headed to the Lion Palace together.

In the bedroom, Sashes, who was convalescing, seemed to be in better condition than when Estelle visited him yesterday.

"Thank you for coming."

Sashes greeted Estelle and Arcrain, who had risen halfway from his bed, and dismissed the attendant who was in the room.

Estelle sat down on the chair prepared next to the bed, alongside Arcrain.

"I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll ask directly. Is it true that Miss Estelle is an 'Awakened One'?"

"…What do you mean by that?"

Arcrain replied without changing his expression.

"That's strange, I just heard it from Tortelette."

"…Why can you communicate with the queen, who is confined in the Albion Tower?"

"I have a communication magic device that only I can use with Tortelette."

Arcrain was momentarily speechless at this response, then he put his hand to his temple as if he had a headache.

"You and the queen were connected, that's how it seems."

"Those who cannot read that from my statement have no right to sit on the throne."

Arcrain's mood visibly worsened at Sashes' words.

"Can you explain what you mean?"

"It's simple. Tortelette was my partner and co-conspirator."

Arcrain's frustration was palpable even without seeing his face.

"…Since when?"

"Since the beginning. If I must specify, it was probably around the time Tortelette became pregnant with Leedis."

And Sashes began to speak with a distant look in his eyes.

◆ ◆ ◆

Tortelette married Sashes as his second wife seventeen years ago, almost simultaneously with the end of the mourning period for the late Queen Mirialia, Arcrain's birth mother.

Sashes firmly stated that Mirialia's death was due to illness, and there were no suspicious points. She was not in robust health to begin with, and after giving birth to Arcrain, her health began to decline. She eventually passed away due to a cold.

Sashes and Tortelette's marriage was not a mutual desire.

For Sashes, Tortelette was a second wife he reluctantly took in because the ministers pressured him, fearing that a single prince was not enough to ensure a stable succession.

The same was true for Tortelette, who was married to her cousin, ten years her senior, due to the Duke of Marlveque's desire to influence the line of succession after Mirialia's death.

"Like me, who couldn't forget Mirialia, Tortelette also had someone she loved and was about to be engaged to. …Despite that, she was separated from Milcea and brought to me. She seemed to have resigned herself to the political marriage, but the relationship between us was based only on duty."

Being married to a twenty-eight-year-old man with a child, and a king at that, required considerable courage and resolve for an eighteen-year-old bride. Even if Sashes was a charming man, it was a daunting match.

"Did you have someone you liked?"

At Arcrain's question, Sashes nodded.

"Yes. And she resented her father for separating her from the young man and forcing her to marry me. However, I only learned of her true feelings after a considerable amount of time had passed since her marriage. When we first married, we were not in a position to confide in each other. It was you, Arc, who changed our relationship."

Arcrain's expression did not change, but his mana was unstable, indicating his agitation.

Estelle had heard that the relationship between Arcrain and Tortelette was friendly until Leedis was born.

"Tortelette's life in the palace changed due to your interactions when you were young. At first, it was out of curiosity and interest in the 'new mother' that you visited her, right?"

"…I don't remember."

"That's understandable. You were only six years old."

Sashes smiled wryly, seemingly accepting this, but Estelle thought it was a lie.

Arcrain had an excellent memory. He was probably pretending to forget.

"Tortelette was greatly relieved that you grew fond of her. Though she was your stepmother, the affection she showed you was genuine."

"Then why did you make me drink tea with detergent mixed in? Why did you change after Leedis was born?"

"…It was to protect you. To prevent you from easily visiting the Lion Palace. That's why a detergent that burns the throat was used instead of a lethal poison. With proper treatment and the regenerative abilities of the royal family, there would be no lasting effects. The detergent was chosen because it was relatively easy to obtain."

"…Did Father know about this?"

Arcrain's anger was palpable even without seeing his mana. His voice and expression remained flat, indicating he was controlling his anger, which pained Estelle.

"It would have been dangerous if you continued to visit the Lion Palace to see Tortelette and Leedis. Several of Tortelette's attendants were under the influence of the Duke of Marlveque and were plotting to harm you."

Sashes sighed deeply.

"Leedis' birth and her high mana were the catalyst for the Duke of Marlveque's actions. I cannot say that I regret creating her. To me, Leedis is a beloved child, and I could not neglect Tortelette, who had sacrificed so much for political reasons."

Sashes' grim expression conveyed his deep anguish as a husband and father.

"I wanted to protect not only you, Arc, but also Tortelette and Leedis. If I had pushed the Duke of Marlveque too hard, Tortelette would have been implicated. I spent a long time trying to find a way to bring down the Duke of Marlveque without implicating the two of them, but it ended up affecting you."

"…So you were aiming for a threefold benefit?"

Mana began to rise from Arcrain, indicating that his powers were about to go out of control. Estelle instinctively grabbed Arcrain's elbow, and his body trembled, his mana settling down.

"Before I could find a way to save all three, my body reached its limit… In the end, I had to abandon Tortelette."

Sashes' face was filled with bitter regret.

"Tortelette planned this scenario. She strongly persuaded me to give up on saving all three."

"…Why would she go that far…"

Estelle shared Arcrain's confusion.

For a noblewoman, a political marriage was a destiny. Would someone resent their father so much just because they were forced into an unwanted marriage? Initially, she might have disliked it, but her relationship with her stepchild was good, and she had even given birth to Leedis with Sashes.

"Is there another reason why Lady Tortelette hated the Duke of Marlveque?"

Estelle asked boldly, as she could not understand the psychology of sacrificing oneself for a stepchild and bringing down one's own father.

"…Why do you ask that?"

"…Because it seemed impossible to me. I don't know Lady Tortelette well, but I've heard that she was very dedicated to her royal duties. It seemed unlikely that she would destroy her own father and family just because of a political marriage."

"Did you 'see' Tortelette's emotions?"

Sashes' question made Estelle shudder.

"Estelle shows her feelings easily…"

Arcrain's exasperated mutter was heard.

"…You don't have to hide your abilities so desperately. I've heard that you can roughly sense emotions. Since Arc has already succeeded in keeping you under wraps, it's better for the royal family if your abilities remain secret."

Realizing she had undone Arcrain's cover, Estelle felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, Lord Arc…"

"…I'm not angry. As long as more people knowing about your abilities doesn't hurt you, it's fine."

"…It's fine. His Majesty has said it's okay to keep it hidden."

"Good to hear."

Sashes' somewhat exasperated comment made Estelle snap back to reality.

"Your Majesty, regarding Lady Tortelette… She harbored extremely negative feelings towards the Duke of Marlveque. The darkness of those emotions was not normal."

That's right. The source of the discomfort with Tortelette's actions was the mana she had seen. The deep, dark abyss was far from normal.

"…She seems to have suffered from severe abuse. Milcea, her father, had a strong obsession with the throne and a fierce rivalry with his twin brother, my father. He blamed his wife's family for the lower mana levels and lack of awakening in Tortelette and Sylvio, and took out his frustrations on his family. This led to the early death of the Duchess of Marlveque and the severe physical abuse of Tortelette."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. The air was heavy. Estelle had not known that Queen Tortelette had such a heavy past.

"Tortelette decided to break ties with her father when she learned that her attendants were planning to assassinate Arc on the Duke of Marlveque's orders, just as she was about to give birth. …From that moment, she and I became co-conspirators."

What should I do? I don't know what kind of face to make.

Glancing at Arcrain, he had a dark, somber expression.

"We tried both legitimate and illegitimate means, but the Duke of Marlveque was also an 'Awakened One.' Assassinating an 'Awakened One' is not easy, and we had to give up quickly. On the other hand, the legitimate approach was difficult to catch him."

After saying this, Sashes sighed deeply.

"…Do you expect me to believe this?"

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

The atmosphere in the room was tense. The air was thick with tension, making Estelle's stomach hurt.

After a moment of staring at Sashes, Arcrain spoke.

"What will happen to my stepmother?"

"As the ringleader of treason, she cannot avoid the death penalty."

Sashes said this firmly.

"Tortelette wrote this scenario with the resolve to break ties with her father and brother. I cannot let her resolve go to waste."

Sashes' mana, despite his firm stance, was filled with negative emotions, indicating that he was not satisfied with the outcome.

"I would like to keep this matter confidential. Do not speak of it to anyone else."

"Would you have buried this truth if Estelle had not exposed my stepmother's emotions with her abilities?"

"…Tortelette wanted to be punished as a wicked stepmother."

The sound of Arcrain grinding his teeth was heard from beside her.

"…I still don't understand why she would prioritize me, her stepchild. After committing such a grave act, Leedis will be branded as the child of a traitor, even if she escapes punishment."

"…This shows how much Tortelette despised the blood of Marlveque. She was taken away from Milcea immediately after birth, and the feelings she harbored towards Leedis were not just simple love or hate. …She is a pitiful child."

Sashes' words made Estelle feel dizzy.

Leedis was the biggest victim in this matter. How should she face Leedis from now on?

Arcrain, too, had a stern expression, likely sharing the same thoughts.

"…How do you plan to tell Leedis about this?"

At Arcrain's question, Sashes had a stern look.

"…It's not possible to tell only you and keep it from her."

How will Leedis, who has just learned that her mother and father conspired to bring down her grandfather, who was obsessed with the throne, react to this truth?

Just thinking about it made Estelle feel heavy-hearted.