‘It would have been too late to get her again.’

The Crown Prince looked down at him with a complicated gaze. Then, his knight shouted from a distance.

“Your Highness, we have captured the suspect.”

Wasn’t there already one who had heard the conversation a while ago? The Crown Prince was about to faint in anger. He turned angrily towards the sound. A middle-aged man and woman were in the hidden bushes.

“What were you doing here like a rat?”

They flinched at the sight of the Crown Prince’s deadly gaze.

“We just…”

A man and a woman who were close together with their messy clothes, what could be the reason why they were together in a place where it was rare to be alone at night?

“Is it adultery? It’s vulgar.”

The Crown Prince was cynical.

Both faces of the couple turned red.

They were judged, but fear and anxiety were greater than shame.

Even if it was unintentional, they were caught listening to the conversation between the Crown Prince and the princess, so there was no excuse in this situation.

Then the conversation was….

“We won’t tell what we heard and saw here today.”

“Of course. It’s not good for us for people to know that we’re here today too.”

“That’s right. You can rest assured that we’ll never go anywhere and talk about it.”

The woman spoke and poked the man next to her with her elbow.

The Crown Prince scoffed.

“Relax? You should be worried. You dare to listen to the conversation between the Crown Prince and the Princess, yet you are still alive.”

The Crown Prince spoke bluntly, but the middle-aged lover took a deep breath at the words ‘still alive’.

“We didn’t hear anything. But how can I tell others things I haven’t seen or heard?”

The woman kept her composure as much as possible.

At that, the Crown Prince raised the corners of his lips, smirking.

“It must be so. Otherwise, not only you, but also your family will not be safe. If you don’t want your whole family to live a hellish life with neither dying nor living, you better keep your mouth shut.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

The couple nodded in fear.

They were well aware that the quarrel with the princess made the Crown Prince angry.

But they couldn’t believe it when evil words came pouring out of the mouth of the Crown Prince, who had a reputation for being merciful and just.

“Go. I don’t want you to show up anywhere in the future.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

It was clear that she hated the prince, so the woman burst into tears.

She didn’t know what the Crown Prince was thinking.

As long as the Duke’s side decided to break the marriage anyway, it would be only a matter of time before the news of the breakup became known.

The woman led the man out of the room quickly.

After the two left, the Crown Prince looked around slowly.

Now that he looked carefully, there were many places to hide around.

Was it a coincidence or intentional that Roxana chose this place for the conversation?

He thought it was probably the latter.

The Crown Prince lowered his gaze, looking at the floor.

He seemed to be thinking of something.

He quickly turned around and spoke coldly.

“Let’s go back.”

***

Ten more minutes after the Crown Prince disappeared, a different couple walked out from behind the wall.

The woman’s complexion was pale, and the man’s face was dull.

Unlike those who had encountered the Crown Prince earlier, these two did not seem like they were in a romantic relationship.

“I thought I was going to get caught earlier, but thank you for your help. I’ll go now.”

The woman nodded towards the man and left.

She seemed to want to get out of this place as soon as possible as she walked hurriedly. She entered the hallway, wary of her surroundings, lest anyone else appear again.

Then, someone grabbed her wrist.

“Sarah, why did it take you so long to get some air? You didn’t come back, so I thought something else had happened.”

When someone touched her, Sarah was startled, as if she had been burned by fire.

When Sarah was terrified as if she had seen a ghost, Lady Mason, who had caught her, widened her eyes in amazement.

She asked in a puzzled voice.

“What’s wrong?”

Sarah pondered for a long time, then pursed her lips.

But she eventually shook her head with a pale, tired face.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Tell me. Are you sick? Or maybe something….”

Lady Mason grabbed Sarah’s hand tightly with a worried face.

Her gaze at Sarah was filled with compassion.

Sarah was recently betrayed by her lover and lost her parents.

After being betrayed by her lover she trusted, she recently returned to the capital, and all that awaited her was the disgraceful death of her biological mother, the Viscountess Willis.

When she came back, she stayed in her room for a while.

In order to rejuvenate her former life and elevate her depression, she went to the auction today with Lady Mason.

She was cautious at first, but then she calmed down.

But when she went out for a short walk, she didn’t come back after a long time.

Just as Lady Mason was concerned about what might have happened, Sarah came back.

She didn’t know what had happened, but Sarah looked very shocked.

“Tell me. Worry is halved if you share it.”

“….”

Sarah looked at Lady Mason with a complicated face.

They had known each other since childhood, and Lady Mason helped her several times in difficult situations.

Lady Mason was the only one who greeted her warmly when Viscountess Willis was imprisoned in the prison and she was accused of being the daughter of a criminal, with everyone turned against her.

But would it be okay if she divulged this secret to others?

Recalling the conversation she heard earlier, the Crown Prince had killed a person for his lover.

It was true that her mother had done her wrong, but it was never a mortal sin.

At first, she blamed the princess for throwing away her long-time loyal servant and eventually leading her to her death, but the true culprit was someone else.

However, both the Crown Prince and the Princess were in high positions that she could not reach.

That’s why she hadn’t been able to do anything until now, and it was still the same now that she found out the truth.

Up until now, she had only felt fear, but as she went out to a bright and crowded place, the fear began to subside little by little.

Instead, resentment, anger, and revenge filled its place.

Sarah bit her lip.

She had no power to avenge her mother.

So she had no choice but to borrow someone’s power.

At the same time, the Lady in front of her, unlike herself, had a good family and a place in society.

Lady Mason was very much loved and treated with great respect in her family.

In addition, her father, Count Mason, was the second Prince’s subordinate and had been trying to get the two together.

So what was a better opportunity than this?

Sarah grabbed her two hands holding her tightly so as not to let go.

“Eileen, I have a request. Can you help me just this one time?”

***

The second Prince Palace.

Early in the morning, someone knocked on the office door.

It was Count Mason.

“Come in.”

As soon as the permission was granted, the door opened, revealing the scenery of the room.

Payne was sitting at his desk, processing his papers with a pen in one hand.

As the white morning sun poured through the window behind him, his calm silver hair shimmered in the light.

A picture-like appearance was added to the monotonous and desolate room, making it not boring at all.

“Count, what’s going on?”

Payne raised his head, glanced at his opponent, and then turned his gaze back to the papers.

Count Mason hesitated, unable to speak easily.

The 2nd Prince was a difficult person to approach, feeling a wall somewhere.

Due to his long battlefield life, the noble status of a prince added to the atmosphere that was impenetrable.

Standing in front of him, people naturally shrink without being threatened.

But he hated wasting his time with useless things.

Count Mason opened his mouth with a trembling heart.

“Last evening, my daughter said that she heard a conversation between the Crown Prince and the Princess by the fountain in the garden of the annex of the Marquis of Evans. At first, I thought it was nonsense, but it would be good to check it anyway.”

Count Mason’s voice grew more and more gloomy towards the end.

He believed his daughter’s words, but he had a tendency to think that it was premature to visit the second Prince without any evidence.

“Keep talking. I’m listening.”

He did not reproach the source of the business, but Payne’s gaze remained on the document.

Count Mason swallowed his dry saliva.

“Your Highness, do you know a woman named Viscountess Willis, who recently committed suicide in prison?”

Payne’s fingers stopped at the familiar name he had heard before.

He fixed his gaze on the papers and nodded his head with a thoughtful expression.

“I heard about it.”

“Viscountess Willis did not commit suicide, she was murdered. It is said that it was also ordered by the Crown Prince. Lady Dana was imprisoned in her prison, so he killed the Viscountess for her sake. If it were true, wouldn’t it have a big impact when the truth was revealed? If used well, it will be of great help to us.”

Count Mason paused for a moment and looked into Payne’s eyes.

But Payne was not moved by this shocking news.

He showed no dissatisfied reaction, such as giving compliments or giving away awards, and, of course, he didn’t show the slightest surprise as if he knew about it.

Count Mason was a little disappointed.

However, there were two pieces of news from the beginning that he would pass on to the second prince.

The Count opened his mouth, hoping that the next news could catch the prince’s attention.

“I have one more piece of news to tell you. It is said that the Princess unilaterally notified the Crown Prince of her breakup.”

The second prince, who showed a detached attitude to everything, seemed to be surprised this time.

He then put down the papers he was holding in his hand and lifted his head.

“Are you certain?”

As Payne showed interest in the news he had brought, a smirk crossed Count Mason’s face.

The second prince was a strong candidate for succession to the throne, but he didn’t seem to have deep confidence in him yet.

So, if he caught his eye on this occasion, he would later become the emperor’s henchman.

Count Mason continued to speak with a blank expression on his face.

“You need to check it out. Everyone knows that the relationship between the two of them has not been smooth lately. Isn’t there a case where she came to a banquet with her father instead of the Crown Prince?

There were many other signs.”

While listening to Count Mason’s story, Payne’s expression did not change.

The breakup of the Crown Prince and the princess was already foreseen.

And yesterday, he heard a hint, or even a definitive answer from the Princess herself.

So what Count Mason said was probably true.

He didn’t know it would be this fast.

Payne remembered Roxana’s face he had seen yesterday.

As he recalled her, a light smile appeared on his lips.

However, it was such a subtle change that even Payne did not notice.

“Your Highness, are you listening?”

Payne woke up from his thoughts at the sound of Count Mason’s call.

“How far have you been talking?”

While listening, the second Prince’s gaze was directed elsewhere. When Payne seemed to have lost interest in his story, Count Mason was impatient.

He spoke patiently, trying to keep his composure as much as possible.

“At the charity event, Princess Lillian donated her rare tiara and put it up for auction. Because of that, she was praised by many for being generous, do you remember that?”