Chapter 82

“….”

I was so staggered that I could not say anything.

I could not believe Cassius’ father had died. The last time I saw the Duke of Brudenell, he was very vigorous and healthy. There was no reason he would die like this unless it was because of someone else.

My mother must have been surprised as well, but she came to her senses before me.

“…I should send my condolences and flowers. Evelyn, I’ll take care of this. You don’t have to worry about this, do you understand?”

I only nodded my head.

It was because I could not say anything back.

‘Maybe, Cassius…’

In the original story, Duke Brudenell was turned into a vegetative state by Cassius.

‘It can’t be…’

I muttered to myself.

In the original story, he tried to kill his own father because he was against him marrying Ophelia. However, the situation was completely different from now. In fact, neither in the original nor in real life, Cassius did not hate his father. He just removed him mercilessly if he got in his way of achieving his purpose.

“Evelyn!”

My mother’s voice was heard.

“Evelyn, calm down.”

Only then did I realize that my hands were shaking. My mother knelt next to me before gazing at me.

“I know it’s a big shock. I know you had a heart for Lord Cassius, but in times like these, you have to be more firm. All right, Evelyn.”

“…Heart, what do you mean?”

My voice trembled on its own accord, and I spoke again.

“You’re mistaken.”

“What mistake?”

Mother sighed.

“Evelyn, could you put your hand on your chest and say the same thing?”

“….”

“If that wasn’t what you have in mind, I can only tell you that you were giving Lord Cassius a terribly hopeful torture.”

Even though I wanted to bury my face in my hands, I could not because my mother was watching. After a while, I could barely cry after she left… No, it would be more accurate to call it an outpouring of emotions boiling inside rather than crying.

‘…I had a heart, it was true… I thought I might fall in love with Cassius Brudenell.’

However, all of this is just the past. The moment I saw Kitty’s corpse, my heart, which was like a new sprout, was torn to pieces and disappeared. And, the last remaining regrets disappeared at the same time as Duke Brudenell died.

…Still, why do tears keep coming out?

Even though all the good feelings for him had disappeared and only hatred and pain had taken over. Climbing into the bed, I buried my head in the pillow. That night, even after crying for a long time, I could not find an answer.

He appeared in my dream.

Cassius in my dream was different from reality, and he kept all his promises to me. My happiness was the most important thing to him, so he never did anything I did not allow. We got married under a huge tree and vowed everlasting love for each other.

…I swear, it was the worst nightmare I have ever had.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

“Princess Hermia, it’s an emergency.”

Hermia, who had been choosing a plant for a present for the Empress a little while ago, frowned.

“Speak quickly.”

“….The Duke of Brudenell was murdered.”

“What did you just say?”

“The Duke of Brudenell was murdered.”

As the informant repeated the words, Hermia jumped up from her seat.

…Duke Brudenell is dead?!

That meant that the promise made with the Duke of Broudnell for the recovery of Cassius had been completely annulled. Recently, Evelyn and Cassus’ relationship has gotten so much better that I was singing cheerfully inside. Needless to say, she never thought something like this would happen.

“How many people know about this?”

“The fact of his death was immediately known to the capital. However, except for the Brudenell, you’re the first to know of the murder and the real culprit, after His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress.”

Hermia’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know the real culprit.”

“…It’s Cassius Brudenell.”

“Nonsense!”

Astonished, she shouted loudly.

“Does that even make sense?”

“He confessed himself.”

“…It doesn’t make sense! I know Cassius Brudenell well. He’s a person who always deals with these kinds of things quietly.”

“He was caught trying to underhandedly deal with it, what can he do?”

The informant shrugged.

“Actually, it appears that the poisoning took place a week ago.”

“Is that possible?”

“Yes. It has no effect on the body until it exceeds a certain amount though it was possible because it was a rare poison that had a 100% fatality rate when it exceeded a certain amount.”

“…It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Hermia’s voice was full of doubt. All royal families learn all kinds of poisons in preparation for poisoning. Perhaps, the Duchy of Brudenell was not much different either.

“Because it’s rarely used in the Empire. It’s not wrong just because the Princess hasn’t heard of it.

“I see.”

Hermia answered briefly.

“Still, why is he causing such a thing now? There must have been plenty of time to deal with it quietly.”

Hermia recalled the recent conflict between the Brudenell father and son. Duke Brudenell took the ‘Aisle’ from his son. But even then, Cassius did not take any action, rather, he only found Evelyn Garneid with his own feet. Of course, she was locked up after that.

‘To him, everything else seemed to be irrelevant except for Young Lady Garneid…’

Instead, it would be understandable if Evelyn Garneid asked him to kill the Duke of Brudenell because she wanted to become the immediate Duchess.

‘The problem is that it can’t be.’

Hermia shook her head.

…Was that Evelyn Garneid? The person who kept talking about living in a pioneering village?

‘There was no way the Young Lady would have gone against him… There’s no reason to kill him.’

Anyone who has done any research on Cassius Brudenell would know one thing…

It was that all his life, actions, and world revolved around Evelyn Garneid. Cassius did not even pay attention to things that were not related to her, and if it had anything to do with Evelyn Garneid, he would throw away everything.

Of course, Duke Brudenell must have been the former.

‘I’ll have to call Young Lady Garneid.’

However, contrary to Hermia’s thoughts, the words that came out of her mouth were quite contrary.

“So, where is Cassius Brudenell now?”

“He was brought straight to the dungeon of the Imperial Palace. His head covered a sack so no one could recognize him. He even burst out laughing out loud.”

Her head was throbbing.

“Is he trying to avoid the death penalty by pretending to be crazy?”

“Even if he succeeds, isn’t it the same as going to a psychiatric hospital and dying? I don’t see a reason.”

“I don’t know.”

Hermia stood up from her seat.

“Anyway, thank you for letting me know. This will be your last mission.”

“…I didn’t want it to end like this.”

The informant looked disappointed. In fact, he was the most elite imperial agent planted in the Duchy to monitor the Duke’s future promises with her.

“So do I.”

Hermia glanced out the window. As the dark clouds were gathering, it looked like a storm was coming soon.

“What will happen… I don’t know, I don’t know anymore.”

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

A man was imprisoned in a private room in a dungeon where he could not even see an inch ahead as his body would touch the wall with a little movement. The tall man looked quite uncomfortable, crumpling himself up into a small private room. However, there was a calm expression on his face.

Kkiiik.

The rusty iron door opened, and a figure came in with a torch.

“Cassius Brudenell.”

A woman’s sharp voice pointed at the prisoner.

“I heard from the guard that you went crazy.”

“I didn’t go crazy.”

A hoarse voice escaped the man’s mouth.

“I just acted like a madman.”

“That’s insane.”

Princess Hermia parted her lips again.

“So, you think it’s better not to do such a play with me?”

“….”

“All right, you just have to answer my questions anyway. Tell me, did you really kill him?”

“….”

“Oh, I have to ask you another question. Why did you kill him?”

“….”

Hermia’s face wrinkled even more at the continued silence.

Although she came down out of curiosity, this was a formal interrogation. Because she was ordered by the Emperor, she could not do anything in vain. Now she, who had lost the backbone which was the Duke of Brudenell, had only the Emperor to hang on to.

“…I have a favor to ask of you.”

Suddenly, Cassius quietly opened her mouth.

“If you listen to my request, I will answer it.”

To her dismay, Hermia was amazed. Even in this situation, a man named Cassius Brudenell is still trying to get what he wants.

“Tell me.”

“…In the near future, the Young Lady Garneid will come to see me.”

“So? You want me to let her in?”

“No.”

Cassius shook his head.

“Please never let her see me.”