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The tearoom was filled with soft colors, exuding the distinct atmosphere of fall.

“Royal Mother, you have to remain steady, especially in times like this. I am worried about your health.”

“Even if I try, the fire in my chest keeps rising.”

The Queen was held responsible for the last incident and was forced to step down from all the businesses she was in charge of.

Nephther declared that he could not entrust major policies and projects of the country to those who made rash judgments because they were blinded by personal feelings and interests.

The queen’s faction, including Duke Skiela, tried to oppose it, but they weren’t able to. This was because the number of nobles who sided with them had noticeably decreased.

It was humiliating to the Queen who could clearly see how the power was shifting.

But with the atmosphere being as it was, she couldn’t quibble over it.

Even more so since the queen had damaged international diplomatic relations, so she had no more say.

The Emperor of Silvanus was seemingly excited to take advantage of this and sent an official letter, asking how such a false charge could be brought against the princess.

As a result, Irugo had no choice but to concede a few moves to Silvanus.

“This palace is no different from a prison to me.”

The Queen lamented.

By telling her to self-reflect, all of her social activities were suspended. There were no chains bearing on her, but it felt like a prison. Her body was whole, but it felt like her limbs were cut off.

She was practically trapped inside the Queen’s Palace.

The Queen never punished or imprisoned Aristine to prove that Aristine was really a criminal.

Therefore, in accordance with her status as Queen, she was not outright punished, rather, she was asked to self-reflect.

However, in Dionna’s case, the situation was different.

She gave a false testimony that Princess Consort had a poison which did not exist.

This was an act of deceiving the Queen, Aristine, and Irugo’s sacred trial system—although it was not a formal trial. Furthermore, she was the culprit who framed Aristine as the poisoner.

Even Dionna’s family did not try to defend her. On the contrary, they heavily rebuked her and asked her to pay for her crimes.

The warriors who cared for Dionna due to their guilt and friendship towards Chantra also turned their backs on her.

Dionna was now imprisoned in a moss-filled stone prison, awaiting trial.

“If not for that wench, Dionna!”

The Queen ground her teeth.

She ordered the court ladies to prevent Dionna from getting proper rations.

Even in the fall, a stone prison would be as cold as the peak of winter. Imagining that wench shivering and starving made her feel less pressure on her chest.

“If I wasn’t locked up in this palace, I would have gone to that prison right away…!”

And plucked out all of Dionna’s hair until she was satisfied.

“I never planned of accusing the Princess as the poisoner in the first place. But because of that wench, look at this entire mess.”

Hamill smiled softly without responding.

“Hamill!” The Queen grabbed her son’s arm. “Aren’t you angry? Those very nobles used to kneel before me, yet because of this, look how arrogant they are acting to your mother…!”

“They have always been the type to move for their own benefit. This is nothing new.”

The Queen paused. She slowly looked at her son.

Hamill was smiling the same as always.

Right, her son was never the type to get agitated, so he was as calm as a windless lake.

However, something was different.

Suddenly, she remembered what happened when the princess tried to bring the bath bomb, which was thought to be arsenic, towards her face.

At that moment, Hamill was not like a calm lake, but a sea with violent storms. He was her son, but she had never seen him lose his composure like that.

“Hamill, could it be, to that princess, you…”

The idea was so terrible that she couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence.

“The princess?”

“Back then, why did you do that? Why did you brush it off without even caring that it’s arsenic, hm?” The queen impatiently questioned but Hamill smiled in a relaxed manner and tilted his head.

“It wasn’t arsenic but a bath bomb.”

“But you didn’t know it wasn’t arsenic at the time!”

“After the princess said it wasn’t and poured it on her own hands, I simply realized that it wasn’t arsenic.”

“What?”

“And I judged that it would be more beneficial for me to stop the princess in that situation.”

Like he said, because of his behavior, Hamill was able to escape being suspected of colluding with the Queen to frame Aristine, his political enemy, as a criminal.

Only then was the Queen able to set her unease aside.

Had Hamill been attacked too, this situation would have been even more difficult.

The Queen smiled and looked at him. “As expected of my son, you are wise and clever. Sure enough, you are the best fit for the throne. Isn’t that right?”

Hamill gently curled his lips. “Naturally, the throne belongs to me.”

The Queen smiled proudly at her son. Even if her limbs were cut off, she had a son like this.

‘Of course, I was worried for nothing.’

On a second thought, it was ridiculous. How could she suspect such a thing?

“I have a meeting soon so I shall take my leave.”

“You must be busy but you made the time to visit your mother who is locked up in this palace. Go on ahead.”

Hamill gave a short bow and left the tearoom.

The fall sun glistened over his visage, highlighting the whiteness of his hair.

The queen smiled as she watched her son’s majestic back.

* * *

As Hamill emerged from the Queen’s palace, he stared at his two hands.

They were spotless without a single smear.

However, Hamill’s eyes were dyed with images from his memory, and his hands looked like they were covered with white powder.

‘Lies.’

The words he said to his mother were lies.

Hamill thought that it was poison in Aristine’s hands. No, he didn’t care whether it was poison or not.

Knowing that there was the slightest chance that it was arsenic, the moment Aristine poured that white powder into her hand, his mind went blank.

The poison must have seeped into his head.

The pure poison, like that white powder, turned his head white.

So his body moved on its own. He didn’t even consider that he could be poisoned and in danger, instead, he was busy shaking the powder out of Aristine’s hand.

He couldn’t even figure out why himself.

‘So it must have been poison.’

The poison was not in the form of a powder.

It was a person.

He thought of her as an unusual woman.

It was fun to watch her.

It was interesting to see how she solved any difficulty that came her way, step by step.

He felt a pleasant sensation when he gave her a challenge and lent her a helping hand over that challenge.

She was an interesting target of observation that gave unexpected reactions when faced with hardship or stimulation.

He thought that was all it was.

That is why, even when his Royal Mother was in a hurry to slander Aristine with a sloppy plan, he didn’t say anything.

However, when Dionna was framing Aristine for being a poisoner, his mood was…incredibly foul.

He only thought it was because someone was arrogantly interrupting his pleasant observations.

He was more than enough to stimulate Aristine.

The only reason he let it go on was because he was curious about how Aristine would resolve this matter.

Frankly, he thought it was fine even if she couldn’t resolve it. Because he planned on extending a hand.

That way, even Aristine wouldn’t turn away from him anymore.

As that thought crossed his mind, Hamill, who was walking, stopped.

No, it wasn’t just because of the thought.

Like a mirage, Aristine was standing there under the sunlight.

Her long hair shone like jewels through the red maple leaves.

Perhaps sensing someone’s presence, Aristine turned around.

Their eyes met.

‘Ah.’

That way, even Aristine wouldn’t turn away from him anymore.

Like a rewinding clock, he slowly repeated the thought that just crossed his mind.

Wanting to help her while hoping that she wouldn’t turn away, it was just as if…

As if…