“The prince…” Raymond muttered under his breath, narrowing his forehead deeply.
It wasn’t long before he looked up with a look of realization as to why I was doing this.
“If Carlisle is crowned the Crown Prince, Lisa will have nowhere to go, even if she remains in the capital. And there will be no unnecessary noise if I save her a little noble dignity when Marquis Sios goes into disgrace. And nobody’s going to put in a word against Carlisle’s coronation.”
“That’s right. If Your Majesty is truly determined to make Carlisle Crown Prince, now is the right time.”
Carlisle will become a prince, and all paths will be blocked for Lisa.
Looking at me with a strange look, he quickly moved his red lips:
“I didn’t need an extra reason to name Carlisle my successor. He is the son of my Empress, of course, he will also be the heir. It reminded me of our first child. If nothing had happened, that child, of course, would have been…”
“…”
My heart fluttered at the sad memories that came to my mind, but soon my thoughts subsided. Now all I have to think about is Carlisle.
However, Raymond turned around as if he had seen my face darken.
“I will deal with this problem. Well, st’s quite late, so I’m going back.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
He shook his head when I got up to see him off.
“You don’t have to. It’s late, go to rest.”
“…Return safely, Your Majesty.”
“Okay.”
Raymond stopped suddenly as he approached the living room door.
And turned back.
“Ellie.”
“Yes?”
“Please tell Carlisle I’m sorry about today.”
“I will do that.”
He looked at me with complicated eyes for an instant and soon left the room.
* * *
The next day.
Early in the morning, the knights of the Emperor in black uniforms arrived at the main gate of the Sios estate.
When the knights opened the gates with terrible force, the mansion employees stopped what they were doing with a fearful face.
When the knights had just passed the door of the mansion, Lisa went down the stairs with a rigid face.
Waking up, as soon as the sun rose, she heard the noise in the yard.
The Emperor’s knights forcibly opened the doors to the noble estate so early.
They would never be here to bring you good news.
Something is wrong.
‘Did you find our connection to the assassination attempt?’
Knowing that she completely destroyed all the evidence, Lisa clenched her cold hands into fists.
‘They would never break in like that for a minor crime.’
As she descended the stairs, the knights rushed into the hall.
The knights in black armor are the knights of the fourth corps, close to the Emperor.
And at the forefront was their leader, Carter, called the Emperor’s Sword.
‘What crime brought you to the Marquisate?’
As Lisa was parting her lips, she heard urgent footsteps running down the stairs.
Marquis Sios and his wife, who weren’t even properly dressed, rushed downstairs as if waking up from the commotion.
Marquis Sios, standing in the lobby, couldn’t hide his embarrassment when he saw Carter.
After all, the knights before him were about to draw their swords.
“What the hell… What tyranny is this?” he tried to speak proudly, but the Marquis’s voice was trembling.
Carter slowly looked around the assembled members of the Sios family and took out His Majesty’s edict.
“The Marquis Sios is urgently arrested for the crimes of embezzlement and defrauding of the public treasury”
At the moment Carter’s heavy voice sounded, everyone looked at the face of the Marquis.
His rusty eyes were shaking badly and his shoulders were shaking loudly.
“What do you mean by embezzlement and fraud? What kind of nonsense is that…?”
“We found all the evidence that you organized a forgery with the late Freud Drua and stole 4 000 gold. The safe with the stolen goods is already being transported to the capital, so if you have anything to say, you will do it during the upcoming trial.”
Carter pointed out the Marquis.
The knights seized the arms of the Marquis as if they had expected.
“Oh my God!”
Marquis Sios screamed.
“I didn’t do anything like that! I can’t believe you’re trying to drag down a high-ranking aristocrat like this! This is something that can never happen!” shouted Marquis Sios with a flushed face.
When the knights of the Marquis entered the hall, hearing the insistent voice of the Marquis, Carter said in a cold voice:
“We are carrying out His Majesty’s order. Anyone who draws a sword will be considered a traitor and will finish very quickly.”
The Marquis’ knights stopped.
And Lisa, keeping her mouth shut, opened her lips.
“Don’t block anyone.”
“Lisa!”
After Lisa’s command, Marquis Sios turned to her with an angry look.
His eyes wondered how she could do it. And Lisa only quietly replied:
“…Think of your family.”
‘If you try to break through by force, nothing good will come of it.’
She won’t allow him to destroy a house that has been standing for more than 300 years.
“Ahhh!”
However, the Marquis couldn’t stand the offense, and shouted.
“Get him out.”
The knights heard Carter’s order.
“Lady Sios. His Majesty invites you to report to the palace. Please, the Emperor isn’t used to waiting.”
Carter left the mansion, leaving Lisa at last.
“Ah…”
The Marquis was dragged away, and in the end the wife of the Marquis couldn’t stand the shock and fell, but Lisa didn’t move.
“My lady.”
“Take her to the room.”
Lisa coldly dropped the order.
‘I didn’t expect the Croft Duchy case to be revealed now.’
Lisa believed that she would evade punishment for the assassination attempt. But now this…
It was also announced that all the evidence is already in their hands.
In this case, the trial will take place in a simplified manner, and it will be difficult to avoid punishment.
It was a situation in which she couldn’t possibly know what to bet on.
For such a misfortune they didn’t have the means, because no one could even imagine that something like this would unfold.
‘Jeremy Drua.’
The implication of the damned mutant is obvious.
‘I should have simply killed you all. I had to kill them all at any cost. Then the knights wouldn’t come to my house.’
A belated regret pressed on her feelings, but now there was nothing she could do about it.
Now, if she goes all-in, not only the Marquis, but she herself will be in danger.
“I’ll go to the palace. Lock all the doors, don’t let anyone in.”
“Yes Milady.”
Lisa went straight to the Imperial Palace.
* * *
“Your Majesty the Emperor. Lady Sios has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
Raymond, who was waiting for Lisa, turned from the window.
The door to the office was tightly closed, but Raymond didn’t ask Lisa to sit down.
“Do you still have something to say?”
“My father has sinned. What excuses can I find, Your Majesty.”
“And you didn’t know anything about the crime… All this time?”
“If I knew how I could sit still. I would stop him, even risking my life. But it’s too late. Now I dare not even ask for forgiveness.”
Lisa bit her lips tightly to hold back a tear.
But it’s too late.
However, Raymond no longer believed her sight.
Lisa tried to kill Carlisle and Ellie, what clearly meant that she and the Marquis were together.
Raymond glanced at Lisa, who was feigning despair.
‘What the hell made you change like that?’
Raymond wanted to ask a short question, because the memories of the past were vivid in him, but the hatred for Lisa grew stronger.
“Okay… I didn’t summon you to judge, so raise your head.”
Lisa slowly raised her head.
Shocked, she looked at Raymond with a pale, tired face.
“I have summoned you to preserve your honor.”
“Yes?”
Lisa couldn’t hide her real shock now.
Meanwhile, she found it difficult to believe what Raymond had said about honor protection.
“You are part of the Sios house, but you are also the mother of the first prince. That is why I have made the decision to exclude you from the case of the Marquis.”
“What…”
“Marquis Sios will soon fall. I wish to give you a new estate and title, in order to honor you as the mother of the first prince.”
Lisa couldn’t say anything right now.
It was never because she was happy with Raymond’s decision.
Rather, it was suspicious that he would suddenly appear like this.
Who could have believed that the patricidal Emperor, who didn’t even show love for Edmund, and held clear evidence against them, suddenly desired to honor her as the mother of the first prince?
‘What the hell are you doing this time?’
Raymond’s red lips opened again.
“However, this is possible only on condition.”
“What?”
“I will name the second prince the next Emperor.”
At the same time, Lisa’s face, which could hardly bear the expression, wrinkled.