Chapter 60: – Shame
After leaving the audience chamber, Kishtaria met up with Julius, who had been waiting in one of the reception rooms.
Even for a waiting room, it was lavishly furnished and impressively spacious.
Yet despite its grandeur, the room felt oppressive.
Julius, standing with perfect posture, seemed entirely unaffected.
He was gazing coldly at a portrait of a woman.
It had been painted before the Megil Fever epidemic.
Back then, many members of the royal family still possessed the Royal Eyes.
The woman in the portrait was one of them.
A queen from two generations ago.
Despite having a queen who possessed the most noble eyes in all of Sandis Kingdom, the king of that era had been notoriously promiscuous, surrounding himself with countless mistresses and secondary consorts while continually expanding his harem.
His excessive indulgence had sparked a vicious succession struggle.
Ironically, it was only because Megil Fever claimed so many lives that the conflict eventually subsided.
A deadly plague accompanied by terrible fevers had ended a blood-soaked battle for the throne.
The queen in the portrait had once lived in the Vayu Palace where Albertina now resided.
Noticing Kishtaria’s return, Julius immediately bowed and resumed his usual position.
“Julius.”
“Yes?”
“Can you flush out the sewer rats pretending to be servants in our household?”
“If you’ll allow me some time and permission to step away from my regular duties for a while.”
“So you came to the same conclusion?”
Julius nodded without showing the slightest surprise.
Apparently, he had already suspected the same thing.
And the fact that he didn’t answer with impossible only demonstrated once again how capable he was.
Latine, who was currently overseeing the Latitche estate, was likely thinking along the same lines.
That was probably one reason she couldn’t leave the manor.
The scars left by the attack were still fresh.
And if another assault came, the consequences would be disastrous.
“There were simply too many intruders.”
“And for that nuisance woman to appear specifically at Albertina’s residence?”
“What are the odds of that?”
“There has to be an insider.”
“Money.”
“Titles.”
“Weaknesses.”
“Romantic entanglements.”
“The servants of House Latitche are supposed to be far better trained than those of other households.”
As Kishtaria calmly laid out his thoughts, Julius nodded, a cruel smile appearing on his beautiful face.
“There’s a good chance they’ve already fled.”
“And there’s no way Renalia could’ve planned all this herself.”
“Someone has to be acting as her strategist.”
“The fact that she keeps escaping prison bothers me too.”
“People targeted by Father don’t escape so easily.”
“And Duke Fortuna’s anger didn’t look fake.”
“Is someone that deeply embedded within the kingdom’s core actually supporting her?”
“Where is she getting people from?”
“She shouldn’t have any money.”
“Sure, there are plenty of people who hate her for bringing down Prince Lucas.”
“But not many who’d actually benefit from helping her.”
“Even Lady Ophiel, who should have been delighted by Lucas’s downfall, suffered significant losses because Prince Leold got involved with her.”
“They’re probably luring people in with those infamous sweets.”
“I’ve heard they’re highly addictive.”
“Can people like that actually be useful?”
“I saw some of those bandits.”
“Their eyes were completely wrong.”
“They didn’t seem capable of rational thought.”
“If they’re disposable, it doesn’t matter.”
At Latitche, they would never employ people like that.
Even the Shadows wouldn’t use individuals who might leak information.
Since Grale’s obsession with Albertina had intensified, his standards when selecting people had only become stricter.
“…About those sweets.”
“Yes?”
“I saw people with similar symptoms at the slave trafficking site.”
“At the time I thought they were just drunk.”
“But maybe that wasn’t the case.”
Julius’s eyes narrowed.
“So the attackers may have been trying to recover confiscated goods.”
The Latitche estate was filled with individuals responsible for exposing the slave trafficking operation.
If those whose judgment had been compromised also had personal grudges and were promised access to the substance they craved…
It wasn’t impossible.
Especially if there were informants among both the servants and the guests.
“They called it water tobacco.”
“It sells for ridiculously high prices.”
“It might even be Renalia’s source of funding.”
“If it’s something addictive that destroys a person’s reason, then it would explain a lot.”
“Water tobacco…”
“That sort of thing is commonly used in Goluran.”
“But I’ve heard it’s far more addictive than regular tobacco.”
“There are also similar stimulants used to motivate war slaves or force sex slaves to continue working.”
“And Goluran happens to be one of the largest slave-trading nations.”
“It wouldn’t be surprising if it entered the kingdom alongside smuggled slaves.”
“It’s also famous for spices, medicinal herbs, and traditional remedies.”
“As they say, medicine and poison are separated by only a thin line.”
“It could easily have been hidden among imported goods.”
“Albertina’s interest in cooking dramatically increased spice imports over the last few years.”
“If there’s some unknown substance mixed among ordinary seasonings, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
The same principle applied to magical potions.
A slight change in preparation could completely alter the effects.
Magic circles worked similarly.
Move a few symbols and the spell could become stronger—or fail entirely.
“We should investigate whether the ingredients change through special preparation methods.”
“Roasting.”
“Refinement.”
“Any of those possibilities.”
“Do we have enough people?”
“I have more connections than I appear to.”
“Information is money to merchants.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“I can’t shake this bad feeling.”
It felt almost as if someone were deliberately taking advantage of the absence of the kingdom’s Demon King.
Its guardian.
His father.
Problems weren’t limited to the Stampede.
Human schemes were appearing one after another as well.
It’s almost like someone is intentionally keeping Father occupied.
But even so… he’s too late.
Father has never been this late before.
Whenever Albertina was in danger, he always arrived first.
The realization made Kishtaria abruptly shake his head.
What was he thinking?
Grale wasn’t here.
The terrifying yet dependable duke wasn’t coming.
Kishtaria was the only one left who could represent the strength of House Latitche.
If he failed to do so, Albertina would be devoured by those around her.
Latine remained behind at the estate.
As mistress of the house, she couldn’t abandon her responsibilities.
“I’m going to see Mikaelis.”
“He’s worried about Albertina too.”
“And he may have useful information.”
“I have stronger connections among the nobility.”
“But he knows far more about what’s happening among the knights and soldiers.”
“It might also be worthwhile to speak with Lady Jibril.”
“Women’s gossip can be surprisingly valuable.”
“Good idea.”
“If you return to the estate, tell Mother about Albertina.”
“She seems to like Albertina a lot more than she likes me.”
“That’s the result of your own behavior.”
Julius smiled pleasantly as he delivered the merciless response.
Whenever Kishtaria became too physically affectionate with Albertina, Latine would summon him for a lecture.
Julius had witnessed her nearly kick tables apart with her heels during those sessions.
Her son had grown bold and resilient.
Beautiful on the outside.
Pitch-black on the inside.
And he kept directing increasingly obvious romantic feelings toward his delicate, fragile, absentminded stepsister.
Meanwhile, oblivious Albertina continued doting on him as a beloved younger brother and tolerated all of his excessive physical affection.
With her soft smiles and complete trust, she welcomed him without reservation.
Naturally Latine found her far more adorable than Demon King Junior and his endless schemes.
When Latine first arrived at House Latitche, she and Kishtaria had both been timid and intimidated.
Back then she had seemed like a fragile beauty burdened by misfortune.
Now she possessed the overwhelming presence of an empress.
Albertina adored her kind stepmother.
But Latine was still the Duchess of Latitche.
Though her marriage had been political, she had spent over ten years standing beside Grale as his partner.
She was nothing like ordinary noblewomen.
She even possessed the courage to openly challenge Grale himself.
Few things could shake her.
The recent tea party held at the Latitche estate had doubled as a gathering to reward and thank guests.
Despite the attack, none of the invited guests had been harmed.
The infiltrators disguised as guests had all been captured.
And despite the scale of the assault, there had been no civilian casualties.
Several Latitche guards had been injured.
But while chaos erupted elsewhere, Latine had calmly continued fulfilling her duties as hostess.
Her composure reassured the guests.
Her refusal to spread panic had significantly reduced the damage.
When she learned that Duke Fortuna had taken Albertina away, even Latine had turned pale.
Yet she acted immediately.
She ordered Kishtaria and Julius to leave while she remained behind to handle everything.
The damaged estate.
The aftermath.
The surrounding response.
All of it rested on her shoulders.
Latine knew perfectly well about the feud between Houses Latitche and Fortuna.
No doubt she was deeply worried.
At that moment, voices raised in argument echoed through the corridor.
Kishtaria looked toward the passage leading to the Vayu Palace.
There stood someone he had no desire to see.
A gigantic figure with overwhelming muscles.
Only one person in the royal palace possessed a silhouette like that.
Duke Fortuna.
The sight of him made one question whether he was truly a noble at all.
Several knights and officials were desperately trying to persuade him.
Apparently, he had been lingering at the very edge of Albertina’s barrier.
For quite some time.
Even from a distance, the enormous sword at his side was impossible to miss.
He had changed from formal court attire into simpler ceremonial clothing that allowed easier movement.
As one official became increasingly agitated, Duke Fortuna casually picked him up and tossed him into the garden.
The man was a fully grown adult.
Yet he flew through the air as effortlessly as a child.
That seemed to serve as a signal.
The knights immediately charged.
They carried no weapons.
And none of them looked particularly eager.
Which was understandable.
The giant bear of a duke possessed absurdly high status and looked barely human.
In every sense.
For several minutes, soldiers and knights threw themselves at him.
Only to be knocked down.
Thrown.
Or swept aside.
Then something glittered as it fell from Duke Fortuna’s clothing.
It spun through the air and disappeared into a nearby hedge.
Roughly the size of a large button.
Or perhaps a small pocket watch.
Fortuna didn’t notice.
He glanced once at the defeated men scattered across the ground.
Then returned to the edge of the barrier and resumed standing guard.
Would Kishtaria have to encounter this man every time he visited Albertina?
The thought alone was exhausting.
The duke would pry.
Ask questions.
And simply being near him was unpleasant.
The joy Kishtaria felt after seeing Albertina immediately evaporated.
Albertina probably hated seeing him outside as well.
Who would want to leave the palace if that man was waiting there?
It would only make her less willing to lower the barrier.
Because of him, Albertina was trapped here.
Because of him, she was being forced into a position she never wanted.
Because of him—
No.
That was merely an excuse.
If Grale had been here, he would have rescued Albertina as naturally as breathing.
No matter who opposed him.
No matter the circumstances.
He would have crushed every obstacle with ruthless certainty.
Kishtaria couldn’t do that.
He lacked the confidence.
The ability.
The resolve.
Everything.
Even after finally seeing Albertina, all he could offer were comforting lies.
Temporary reassurance.
Nothing more.
He hated himself for it.
And what he hated even more was realizing that his anger toward Duke Fortuna was partly a way to avoid confronting his own inadequacy.
That realization left him feeling utterly miserable.