The Empress Takes the Bait
He had ordered the letter burned, but Isaac had not obeyed. He had kept it precisely for a moment like this. The letter was proof that Prince Casil had issued the command.
The contents were clearly visible to Canna, who stood right beside him.
“Please, I beg you—spare me! I had no choice but to follow His Highness’s orders. You know how violent he is, don’t you? If I had refused, he would have killed me!”
His desperate cry echoed beyond the walls of the medicine room.
“Did you hear that just now?”
“His Highness the Prince tried to hunt the Duchess…?”
“He’s completely insane!”
One of Sylvien’s knights, having overheard the commotion outside, frowned deeply. He stepped out at once and began warning the gathered crowd in a tone that bordered on outright threat, ordering them to keep their mouths shut.
“……”
Alexandro’s face remained expressionless. He accepted the letter Isaac offered, unfolded it, read it through, and then tucked it into his coat.
Only then did he give his knights an order.
“Take him away.”
“Yes, my lord.”
That was all. Alexandro turned his back without another word and strode away, his steps swift and decisive.
“P-please, just let me live! Just spare my life—please!”
Isaac was dragged off, his pleas trailing behind him. Canna watched his retreating figure in silence before letting out a quiet laugh. Everything had gone exactly as she had planned.
She had not foreseen her father’s appearance, but…
His reaction, at least, was just as I expected.
Alexandro had left without a single word of concern or a worried glance in her direction. It was the response she had anticipated.
“Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from the Duchess of Valentino.”
“Give it here.”
The Empress had been scratching furiously at her arms. Feeling the itch intensify, she quickly downed her medicine. The unbearable itching vanished in an instant.
The Duchess’s medicine works wonders!
She had grown so dependent on it that daily life had become manageable again. But the supply was running dangerously low. It was time to demand more.
Smiling in satisfaction, she unfolded the letter.
Your Majesty,
Given the current circumstances, I must forgo proper formalities. Please forgive me.
I am currently in Venecia. I recently suffered an unfortunate accident and sustained injuries—my hands, in particular, were badly damaged. As a result, preparing the tonic that strengthens Your Majesty’s mind and body will be difficult. It may be some time before I can produce more, so I advise you to ration what remains.
The Empress’s expression froze as she read.
“No!”
Crash! She struck the vase on the table, sending it shattering to the floor. The very thought made her chest burn with dread.
She had written “tonic” in case someone else read the letter, but the Empress knew perfectly well that it referred to the medicine that suppressed her itching, not some ordinary restorative.
She can’t make more for a while? I have to ration it?
That meant she would have to endure the itching. How agonizing it was—how utterly unbearable!
Canna Valentino… If this is a lie, you will pay dearly.
She glared at the letter, breathing heavily. Then one particular line caught her eye.
I am in Venecia.
Venecia? Why on earth had she gone there?
Venecia was a famous port city—the gateway for trade with the Eastern Continent, and until recently, the place of Prince Casil’s exile.
What kind of place is that, to produce such vicious people?
Prince Casil himself had returned injured, hadn’t he? And now Canna claimed to be injured as well? What could possibly wound both royalty and nobility so severely?
……
A sudden flash of insight struck her. A premonition. An intuition. Or perhaps mere imagination. Whatever it was, it seized the Empress’s thoughts in an instant.
Royalty and nobility, who rarely suffer injury, both wounded at the same time, in the same place?
Canna’s hands were so damaged she could no longer prepare the medicine. Casil, she had heard, could no longer use his shoulder.
It could be coincidence. But it might not be.
The Empress immediately summoned her younger brother, Marquis Mercy.
“You called for me, Your Majesty?”
“There is something I need you to do, Marquis Mercy.”
“Yes. Command me.”
The Empress paused, then spoke.
“Investigate Prince Casil’s recent activities in Venecia.”
A few days later, Marquis Mercy returned with the information. He had moved with remarkable speed; the intelligence brokers in Venecia already possessed the details, so there had been no need to search far and wide.
“On the final day of his exile, Prince Casil apparently disguised himself as a commoner and went out into the village. However…”
“However? What happened?”
“He was beaten by a black-haired woman, from what I hear.”
“……”
“It wasn’t severe—just several slaps to the face.”
“……”
“And that same day, Duke Sylvien Valentino and the Duchess entered Venecia.”
The Empress’s lips parted.
A black-haired woman in Venecia. It had to be Canna.
The pieces of the puzzle scattered chaotically inside the Empress’s mind.
Something must have happened between them.
Casil and Canna. Their clash. Their injuries. What was the missing piece that connected the two events?
She had a strong suspicion. Prince Casil’s violent nature was nothing short of demonic; it was easy to imagine what he might have done.
He must have tried to take revenge on Canna. But what kind of revenge had left both of them injured?
This might be the perfect opportunity to punish Prince Casil!
The Empress had no intention of letting this chance slip by. Those thorns in her side—the children of Concubine Teresa—would finally be dealt with.
“Look into it more thoroughly, Marquis. There must be something more.”
“Yes. I’ve already dispatched informants to dig up every detail.”
As expected, her brother was shrewd. Marquis Mercy understood that this was an excellent opportunity—the chance to crush Concubine Teresa’s faction and destroy the Emperor’s exclusive affection for Casil.
“It’s only a small port city, after all. Word will spread. I’ll uncover everything that happened in Venecia, so you may look forward to it, Your Majesty.”
“Reliable as always.”
The Empress smiled, licking her lips. If her suspicions proved correct…
I can finally bring down Prince Casil.
Until now, Casil had only targeted daughters of minor noble houses, which was why his punishment had been nothing more than exile. Of course, Canna was still treated like a decorative screen in her own family.
Even so, she carries the names of both Addis and Valentino. If I use that to make a scene, it will cause quite the storm.
The Empress grinned, baring her teeth. She was a woman who would do anything for her own gain, and she was more than ready to set the fire.
A great blaze in the peaceful imperial palace.
Clang! The sound of iron bars opening struck his ears.
Isaac’s eyes flew open at the noise. Like a dog conditioned to a particular stimulus, he immediately burst into tears.
“I-I was wrong… I was wrong!”
Footsteps crossed the cold, dark underground prison—steady, quiet, and unhesitating. The closer they came, the louder Isaac’s sobs grew.
“Lift your head.”
Weeping, Isaac raised his head. His neck ached, but he had no choice. He had learned over the past few days of torture that this man never repeated himself. Only once. If you failed to listen, brutal violence followed immediately. There was no mercy in those monstrous hands.
“I was wrong. How dare I try to harm her? That noble lady—I dared to…”
“……”
Isaac had tried to stab Canna in the throat and kill her. That, above all else, should never have been attempted. If he hadn’t, perhaps he wouldn’t have suffered such horrific torture.
What was even more terrifying was that Alexandro Addis had asked him nothing at all.
“Kgh—aaaargh! I-I was wrong!”
And, as always, the torture began. Time marked only by pain.
Yes—this was not interrogation. It was punishment. A heavy iron mace striking down his sins.
His suppressed sobs sounded like those of a beast. He wanted to die. If only they would ask something—anything—he would confess everything. But they asked nothing. Even when he tried to speak, they refused to listen.
“Do you want to live?”
Then came the unexpected question.
“Do you want to live?”
The low voice echoed through the cavern, quiet and calm.
Isaac nodded frantically.
“Y-yes! Yes!”
“Then tell me everything you know.”
After days of punishment, Alexandro finally posed the question, as though merely fulfilling a duty.
Isaac knew this was his first and last chance. That man never asked twice. If he lied now, if he fabricated anything, there would be no next opportunity.
“I-I’ll tell you everything! Prince Casil and Lord Valix of Venecia are involved in this! His Highness the Prince abducted the Duchess of Valentino and… he tried to hunt her like an animal…”