Chapter 58
“Since arriving in Trie, he has been living without any particular issues. It seems the news of the deposed Crown Prince’s disappearance reached his ears as well, as he appears to be even more cautious in his conduct.”
Hanson answered without hesitation, as if he had expected the question.
Lottie, who was about to add something more, closed her mouth awkwardly. She thought that if the worst came to pass, she might have to bring him back to Matila, but there was no need to say that now.
Lottie intended to dismiss Hanson and return to her room. However, because Hanson remained with his head slightly bowed as if he had more to say, Lottie couldn’t help but ask.
“What is it, Hanson?”
“The Count does not yet know of Tom Philson’s existence.”
Hanson was not originally a man of many words. Hearing such a man bring up something unprompted felt far more serious than when Coleman had asked earlier.
As Hanson said, her father still did not know that she had smuggled Tom Philson out.
Nor did he know that she had traded the truth of his existence for the acquittal of the Crown Prince and Calyx—though that deal had been unilaterally broken.
It wasn’t that she had kept it a secret with any ill intent. To make her father believe she had carried out such a deed alone, she would have to start by telling him she had traveled back in time; if she did that, instead of believing his daughter, he would likely throw her into a convent or a mental hospital.
But there are no secrets that last forever.
If, by some chance, Calyx’s identity were discovered and her father or the family were pressured, she would have no choice but to bring out the hidden Tom Philson to reveal the truth of the attempted assassination of the Crown Prince. Then, it would only be a matter of time before her father learned the full story.
“Before the Count learns of it through other channels, wouldn’t it be better for you to tell him yourself, my lady?”
“I know what you’re worried about. It’s just… I don’t think it’s the right time to tell him yet.”
She said that, but in truth, she simply wanted to avoid the daunting problem. Lottie smiled brightly on purpose, lest Hanson urge her once more.
Since only the two of them knew about this, she gave him strict instructions to keep the secret from her father, and Hanson gave a deep bow with an unreadable expression.
Once he disappeared, Lottie sighed softly and headed to her room.
‘Calyx… what does he plan to do if things go wrong?’
After taking a full day to enter the capital, Ronvernon, Robert heard an unexpected first remark from the Queen.
“I heard the news that your daughter has settled on a match. It is a pity. I was secretly hoping for a beautiful union between my son and your daughter.”
Robert, who had expected to be interrogated intensely upon rumors that the deposed Crown Prince was hiding within the walls of House Count Ix, looked up in spite of himself at the Queen’s casual words.
The Queen was having a private audience with Robert while simultaneously changing clothes in her bedroom. A woman who used every minute and second efficiently, she did not waste even a spare moment.
Robert’s eyes met the Queen’s, who was wearing only a sheer chemise, and he quickly looked down at the floor.
Does Her Majesty not know yet that the deposed Crown Prince is alive? Is that why she summoned me merely to congratulate my daughter on her marriage and complain about failing to form an alliance with the royal family?
“I heard that my lacking daughter… received great kindness from Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince this past spring.”
Even amidst his confusion, Robert did not forget to express humility. He hated it to death to describe the incident where his innocent daughter was branded a temptress due to a pride war between two Redbreezes as ‘receiving kindness,’ but he could not show his true feelings before Her Majesty.
“Kindness. If you mean kindness….”
“…….”
“I didn’t summon you to pick apart old business, but yes, there was indeed a matter of kindness.”
Queen Catherine, having finished dressing, walked gracefully out from behind the partition. Sensing her presence, Robert slowly raised his head.
Catherine, dressed in a ceremonial gown layered with voluminous lace, was looking at him with a cold expression.
“Tom Philson. Did you hear if that man who deserves to be beaten to death is doing well?”
As Robert’s eyes widened, a cold voice followed.
“My son can’t even sleep properly, fearing that something else might fall on his head from an arrow shot by that man.”
The ‘kindness’ Robert mentioned referred to the scandal between the Crown Prince and Lottie this past spring that had tarnished the royal family’s honor. Catherine was well aware of this, but she deliberately feigned ignorance to bring up her desired topic naturally.
Robert, having no way of knowing her ulterior motive, struggled to understand the Queen’s cryptic words. Then, not long after, he realized that Tom Philson was the name of the man who had attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince by dropping a chandelier at the Frostis family ball.
‘I thought that man’s whereabouts had become unknown around the time the full investigation began…. Why is she asking me about his well-being…?’
“Oh dear. Don’t tell me you know nothing at all?”
Soon after, the Queen’s clear laughter rang out. Robert could only bow his head with a face that looked as if he had been struck on the back of the head.
Things have turned out quite interesting, Catherine murmured in a voice that couldn’t be heard, then spoke in a much softer tone.
“The one who let Tom Philson escape was none other than your daughter. It was also that child who made a deal with my son in exchange for sparing the deposed Crown Prince’s life.”
That couldn’t be. Robert, who was about to say she must have mistaken her for someone else, froze instantly. Something had come to mind.
His daughter, who was said to have been found at Roy-John Prison.
The man named Kayan Stallion, whom his daughter had brought to the castle saying he was the person she loved.
“Forgive me… but this is the first I have heard of this, so I cannot form a judgment quickly. Please allow me time to ascertain the circumstances from my daughter first, Your Majesty.”
“I wonder if she will confess the truth now, when she didn’t even tell her own father honestly.”
Catherine said with a cold smile. Robert’s effort to buy a little time went up in smoke.
If this matter had been handled through correspondence, the situation of Robert being pressured by the Queen in this manner would not have occurred.
Now Robert knew why Her Majesty the Queen had summoned him so urgently. It was to pressure him into making a decision right here, right now.
“What… what would you have me do, Your Majesty?”
Robert asked in a heavily raspy voice. Catherine smiled broadly.
“That man is a traitor who attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince and threaten the peace of the royal family. He shall receive his due judgment, so hand over his person to me immediately.”
“Then, my daughter… the disposition regarding my daughter is….”
Robert’s voice kept fading as he struggled to keep his legs from collapsing. Catherine, who pretended to ponder for a moment with furrowed brows, spoke.
“At first, I wondered if a girl who had barely shed her childhood could have accomplished such terrifying things alone. I thought perhaps there was a devilish person behind her, manipulating your innocent daughter….”
A devilish person.
Did those words mean she knew exactly who was behind his daughter? Was it an indirect way of saying that the man was living as the prospective son-in-law of House Count Ix while faking his death?
Robert waited for the next words with a desperate gaze. He had no idea what Her Majesty would say.
Would she tell him to quietly hand over the deposed Crown Prince along with Tom Philson? And if he did, would she not hold his daughter accountable?
“Even if that were the case, what can be done? In the end, it was your daughter who stepped forward to do those things, so I have no choice but to hold her accountable as well.”
“…! Your Majesty!”
Catherine, having fully enjoyed the taut silence, continued brightly. Robert raised his head, his face turning deathly pale.
“That child, she has done nothing wrong. It was only because of her soft heart that she was briefly deceived by the cunning deposed Crown Prince. I can offer him to Your Majesty this instant. Please, just once, give me and my daughter a chance to seek forgiveness….”
“Offer whom to me? The deposed Crown Prince?”
Catherine burst into laughter. She laughed so hard she seemed to lose her breath and couldn’t stop herself. Robert stared at Catherine blankly.
“Did you… did you not already know? That the deposed Crown Prince, under a forged identity, intends to enter our family as a son-in-law….”
“I heard it as a rumor, but I didn’t know it was true. I see. That fellow was alive? Alive and trying to marry your only daughter?”
Only then did Robert realize he had been caught in the Queen’s high-pressure interrogation. It was too late for regret. Since he had confessed himself that he had hidden the deposed Crown Prince following Tom Philson, there was no way to avoid a great punishment.
“To think you kept such a major matter quiet until I summoned you. How should I interpret your actions?”
“It only took time to reach a judgment; I never harbored any treacherous intentions toward Your Majesty or the Kingdom. Just give me your command, Your Majesty. I will do anything to regain Your Majesty’s trust.”
“You should. Unless you want to see your family and household blown away by a single flick of my finger.”
Catherine’s words were low, making them even more chilling. Robert clenched his cold hands tight, suppressing his terror.
“Since it is already an established fact that the deposed Crown Prince was buried at sea, there is no need to drag him above the surface and pour oil on the chaos.”
“Then….”
“Finish it quietly on your end. Who would dare hold anyone accountable for what happens in the territory of Count Ix?”
Robert, who had expected an order to hand over the deposed Crown Prince, froze at the unexpected instruction.
To order a subject to kill a man of royal blood. Her Majesty even went as far as to reassure him by saying she wouldn’t hold him responsible.
The Queen’s words, which he thought would end there, continued.
“If that happens, Charlotte will suddenly lose her match and will be greatly heartbroken. However, to find her a mediocre new match would not sit well with my heart, as I cherish that child….”
“…….”
“And who knows? A second or third devil might appear to entice your innocent daughter.”
Though she started with words worrying about Lottie’s future, the Queen’s main point was at the end. His daughter and the family had already committed a great disloyalty by hiding the deposed Crown Prince and covering up his crimes. It was natural that Her Majesty could not easily trust them.
“You might not know well since you were in your territory all spring, but my son took quite a liking to your daughter.”
“…!”
“Would it not be good to pursue that beautiful connection between my son and your daughter once more at this point—the one that almost came to be?”
