* * *
At Locke’s response, Cassian snorted openly in derision.
“Of course you’d say that. If you admitted to knowing, your head would roll.”
“That’s enough with the forced accusations, Brother! How could a commoner like Locke know about a custom that only exists among nobles? That rose was merely meant to comfort me!”
Mother spoke up.
“Tell me, what kind of comfort was it?”
Lie to her—a woman who shared the exact same face as my mother from two lives ago—made me feel a twinge of guilt.
But if a lie could save a life, the story changed.
I could do it as many times as necessary.
“Lately, looking in the mirror has been painful for me. Seeing myself wither away day by day due to my illness felt increasingly strange and grotesque. Years of taking medicine with no recovery had worn down my spirit. So, I vented those feelings to him, my personal servant. It seems he tried to comfort me in his own way.”
“Oh, heavens… Cedric, why didn’t you tell your mother this first?”
“……I am already committing enough of a filial sin by having such a body. I thought telling you about my state of mind would only make you sadder.”
“Still, you should have told me everything. To think you were suffering all alone…”
Seeing Mother’s sorrowful expression, guilt rushed in inevitably.
However, this was not just for Locke, but for the Hestian family as well.
I steeled my heart.
“I am sorry.”
“What sin do you have? It is the fault of your father and me.”
Mother looked back and forth between Locke and me with a serious expression.
Even if my story was true, he was still a servant entangled in a scandal with her son.
Furthermore, he was a suspect in a murder case. In that short moment, Mother was likely weighing which responsibility was heavier: the family’s honor or her maternal mercy.
I moved to persuade her once more.
“Mother, does a noble taking someone in not mean taking responsibility for that person’s life? If you cast him out based on a scandal with your son without even verifying the truth, it will only provide fodder for those who enjoy gossiping about others. They will say we were trying to hide something.”
“I don’t think the person who provided that fodder in the first place has much room to talk,” Cassian interjected again.
“I truly do not understand your intent, Brother—constantly trying to link me with him when nothing happened.”
“I wouldn’t know if something happened or not.”
“Then why are you speaking as if you know something you don’t?”
“What?”
Cassian’s eyes blazed with fury.
If only the two of us were here, would he have killed me just like that knight and blamed it on a monster?
It was then.
Sssss—
A subtle chill brushed past my arm. It was the exact same sensation I had felt in the forest.
I looked back.
Two knights were guarding the firmly closed door, and all the windows in the drawing room were shut—it wasn’t a draft.
‘What was that? Am I the only one who felt it?’
Since no one else seemed disturbed, I glanced at Locke.
He was kneeling with one hand on the floor, his head bowed deeply.
He must be anxious.
I was holding up well because I had a major “event” prepared, but Locke didn’t have that luxury; this situation was bound to be terrifying for him.
Sensing my gaze, he flinched and looked up at me. I lifted the corners of my mouth slightly to signal that everything would be okay.
Then, I mouthed the words, ‘Trust me.’
Fortunately, the message seemed to get through; the shadow over Locke’s face appeared to lighten slightly.
Of course, that was just my guess, so I didn’t know for sure.
“Is that all you have to say, Cedric?”
“I have one last thing to say.”
The world of ‘The Emperor’s Consort’ was quite unique.
Men could get pregnant, and same-sex marriage was possible.
That was exactly why Cassian could link me and Locke so brazenly.
So, I decided to address that point firmly in front of Mother and Cassian.
“I do not wish to be entangled in a scandal with Locke.”
Mother and Locke looked at me simultaneously.
“I don’t like men. If I am to marry, I would prefer a woman.”
“You expect us to believe that? You’d say anything to protect that fellow!” Cassian shouted, losing his temper.
“You will see whether my words are a lie or the truth when you see my marriage partner. After all, if you become the head of the family, Brother, you will be involved in my wedding. If my health improves and the time comes to select a fiancée, I ask for a kind and gentle lady. If she is positive in all matters, it would be absolutely perfect!”
Mother let out a deep sigh and rubbed her forehead.
“Sigh… both of you, stop. Hearing your bickering makes me reflect on how I raised my children.”
Just then, there was another knock at the door. This time, it was urgent.
“What is it?”
“I have an urgent message for the Madam.”
“Enter.”
The doors burst open, and an armed knight ran in, dropping to one knee before Mother.
“Dispense with the greetings and speak.”
The knight looked up.
“It is reported that the carriage you sent to the square fell off a cliff moments ago!”
“Heavens! How could such a thing happen!”
Mother’s lips trembled as she gripped the armrest of the sofa.
I caught Cassian’s reaction out of the corner of my eye.
It was certainly different from Mother’s.
He listened silently like someone who already knew what the knight was going to say, and then, right on cue, he widened his eyes in feigned shock.
“How could such a thing happen!” he exclaimed, delivering a hollow performance.
His brazenness made my skin crawl, but it actually made things easier for me.
There was no reason to go easy on a murderer just because we were family.
Now, it was my turn to flip the board he had set up.
“How on earth… and the people? Are they safe?”
As Mother asked frantically, the knight caught Cassian’s eye and hesitated to answer.
“Why aren’t you speaking? Don’t tell me… did they die?”
“The thing is, the carriage only contained the goods loaded by the blacksmith.”
“Thank goodness!”
“What?”
Cassian was shocked, and Mother was relieved.
“Since no one was hurt, God has protected them. So, how did the accident happen?”
“We heard a report that a monster had appeared on the usual road, so the carriage took a detour. On a winding mountain path, the carriage slipped in the rain, and the coupling connecting the driver’s seat to the carriage snapped.”
“Then, those I ordered to be brought? Did they travel in a different carriage?”
“No. They were supposed to be in that carriage… but they have vanished without a trace.”
The sight of Cassian’s face crumbling in real-time was quite the spectacle. Because all of this was my plan.
He was more cruel and meticulous than I thought.
Consequently, I had to stop assuming a human wouldn’t go “this far” and instead prepare for every possible move I could imagine.
One of those moves was witness protection.
Cassian had headed straight to the square after visiting the barracks.
The square was always bustling with merchants and customers; if he killed someone there, witnesses would surely emerge.
Therefore, I was certain he would target the blacksmith when he was heading home after work.
Though my body was ill, there was no one in the mansion I could trust, so I rode to the square myself.
I delivered a letter to the blacksmith instructing him to close up and hide before evening, and warned him never to board any carriage sent from the Count’s estate.
Then, I pressed several gold coins into his hand and told him to use the most reliable method—other than a carriage—to go to the location written in the letter.
I told him he must go.
Since avoidance wasn’t an answer, I urged him several times that it was better to confess everything and stay under Lady Hestian’s protection.
Howard, who had been standing by Mother’s side like a shadow, caught my signal.
He bowed deeply and spoke.
“Madam, I know where they are. I shall escort you there now.”
Cassian’s face turned pale for the first time. He hurriedly broked Mother’s path.
It seemed he had finally realized something was going terribly wrong.
Mother furrowed her brow slightly at Cassian, who stood in her way.
His eyes darted around rapidly before he spoke urgently.
“Wait, Mother. I have something to tell you.”
“Later.”
“It might be the reason why Locke tried to run away. I will tell you now. Actually, there was a thief in the mansion. One of my swords is missing. And then Locke disappeared. I believe there is a connection to the reason he vanished so suddenly.”
If this were a play and I were the audience, I would have stood up and given him a standing ovation.
His quick wit and the endless stream of lies were truly admirable.
* * *
