Only then did Zain grasp his situation. Lucerne had come to deal with his wife’s flaws.
“S—spare me. I didn’t have a choice back then. What power do I have? I had to do what I was told… … .”
Zain began to beg Lucerne. He shook his head.
“I want to kill you right now.”
Lucerne leaned down and whispered.
“But my wife told me to give you a chance. Tell me, what’s the meaning behind the fact I am here before you?”
Lucerne pointed to Pansy. She was trembling.
“Ca-Carola-nim’s plan was discovered… … .”
“Correct. So do you think Carola will be safe?”
“… … .”
“Looks like both of their heads are not in good shape. I’ll give you only one hint: Find a way to survive.”
Lucerne spoke softly,
“Got it?”
Lucerne tapped Zain on the cheek with the tip of his scabbard.
“Don’t disappoint me. If you want to keep your limbs.”
Pansy and Zain exchanged glances. Apprehension flashed in their terror-filled eyes. Ian shrugged.
“I don’t think they understand what you mean.”
“Then beat the guy first. He’ll understand if you beat him.”
“… … General. I will do it. He is the one who dared to try to defile and tarnished the honor of our mistress,”
Nora said with rageful eyes.
“Of course.”
Lucerne smiled and agreed. Ian whistled. He knew that once Nora was angry, her hands were rougher than anyone else.
“Ian, escort my wife.”
Fortunately, Elisha did not have to witness the scene. Because Lucerne ordered it so.
***
“Let’s go, my lady,”
said Ian.
“The general and Nora will handle the matter.”
It was not long before the bloody sound of someone being beaten began to echo from the cabin. Elisha didn’t look back. She wondered if her pale cheeks were noticeable. And she hid her trembling hands by holding them tight.
‘Indeed, what I hated before is what I still hate now.’
Elisha thought, recalling Zain.
***
Early this morning, Elisha had connected the royal family and the duchy and lit the two families on fire. She hoped that the masters of the two houses would feed the flames, spurring a massive bonfire. And she sincerely wished that Jewel and Carola would be burned.
For now, the two families chose to take the family member who caused the accident and question them. The emperor’s family hid in the outbuilding. Whereas the duke’s people dragged Carola into the basement and locked her in the wine cellar for the time being.
The relationship between the imperial family and the duke’s family was extremely delicate. Although they were predominantly comrades, their relationship was always close to the realm of politics, society, and keeping up with appearances. Even a minor incident could shake the balance.
Moreover, this time, a colossal incident occurred on the day the imperial family showed the gesture of friendship.
‘At this point, it won’t matter ‘why’ it happened.’
The tense relationship between the imperial and ducal families, which maintained a shallow but peaceful atmosphere, collapsed with massive cracks. From now on, the important thing for those in power was how to deal with and fix it.
It was strangely quiet inside the duke’s house today. It was like that on days when Gaju was upset. Countless employees tip-toed about, holding their breath and muffling their footsteps. Desperately hoping that no one would die. Even so, none of the servants left the duke’s house voluntarily.
‘Because an endless amount of money flows into the duke’s family. Sometimes it even reaches the employees.’
Only the Lucerne couple and their retinue were at peace in the mansion.
Elisha was sitting on a long chair in Lucerne’s room. She was reclining against his torso, which was also sitting on the chaise. She sat comfortably with her legs stretched out.
It had been a long time since she had taken off her pure white dress, and was now wearing a navy blue dress made with sparkling silver embellishments. Her skirt flowed like a waterfall from the bottom of the chaise longue.
“As expected, you look better in colorful fancy clothes than plain clothes,”
Lucerne remarked.
“The memorial service has been canceled. So I don’t have to wear them anymore. It’s not even a funeral.”
Elisha responded nonchalantly.
“The Head must be disappointed. The old man would have looked forward to the memorial service.”
Lucerne seemed to be having fun.
“From the beginning, I had no intention of having a commemorative ceremony or memorial service,”
Elisha stated plainly.
“Is that so?”
He responded affectionately.
“Yes, why should I hold an event at someone else’s house?”
Elisha shook her head.
“The people of this family can take care of appeasing the ghosts associated with this house.”
“Well said.”
Lucerne laughed as if he was genuinely amused. He liked this side of Elisha.
“Well then, my smart wife. Tell me, what will these two families do now?”
Elisha had a box of fine chocolates on her lap. She leisurely ate them.
She stayed awake last night without sweets and tea, so her mind was hazy. But she couldn’t sleep. She had never had such an exciting morning before.
“Unless Princess Ilione is a fool, she will make this into a significant event. She hates her step brother. The only obstacle blocking her path is Jewel.”
“We should look forward to Ilione’s performance.”
“Yes, if she is truly a member of the imperial family, wouldn’t she have already prepared a secret weapon to strike Jewel in the back of the head for a time like this?”
Lucerne put the chocolate back into her mouth. She savored it slowly. She pretended not to know that his finger pressed firmly against her lower lip.
“The relationship between the two families is more valuable than Prince Jewel or Carola. They will be able to keep their lives, but that’s all. Their futures are over.”
For the people of the Cartier family, no one was irreplaceable. The imperial family was the same. They were people who could even replace the emperor if they wanted.
