“Did you deliver the message?”

Instead of denying it, Salus asked whether the greeting she had previously requested had been passed along.

Her jade-colored eyes, which seemed pitiful somehow, quietly looked toward Leonia.

There was no mistaking it—it was a silent affirmation.

“I didn’t tell him directly.”

But Leonia didn’t so much as flinch at the look of pity in Salus’s gaze.

“Instead, I gave it to the person who showed up at the meeting place—your...”

“Younger brother. He’s my brother.”

Salus clarified her relationship with Prince Alis.

“Alis and I are twins.”

“...I passed it on to your brother.”

“Thanks.”

“If you’re thankful, help me again.”

“I don’t have that much power.”

Salus gave a troubled expression.

“But you’re still in contact with Prince Alis, who does have power.”

Leonia’s words made Salus close her mouth.

For the first time, her smile vanished, and in that moment, she resembled Prince Alis. Leonia finally felt her irritation ease just a little.

“We’re not in a relationship where we can meet freely.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

Leonia scoffed.

She was in no position to be considerate of someone else’s family matters—especially when her own side had suffered so much because of that very family.

“You should’ve gotten rid of that garbage ages ago.”

“I have no excuse for that.”

Salus raised both hands, signaling surrender. To her, too, the House of Olor was nothing but revolting trash.

“That’s why we’re trying to clean it up now.”

“Then why are you using us, the Voreotis, to do your dirty work?”

Leonia growled.

“How dare the South not know its place and use the North? And you think you’ll get away with it? Maybe I should just kill you and your knight right here so you come to your senses.”

There was no falsehood in the threat. In Leonia’s black eyes, golden mist began to swirl.

That refined bloodlust was aimed squarely at Salus and her knight standing behind her.

“...Khff!”

Salus coughed in fear. Her knight scowled deeply.

Both trembled under the weight of the Fangs of the Beast for the first time in their lives.

Leonia withdrew her fangs quickly.

“That’s why I came—because I’m sorry.”

Salus barely managed to speak, her voice still shaking. Her knight took a deep breath and straightened his bent posture.

“But please understand, we’re just as desperate.”

“I’m not nice enough to understand someone else’s desperation.”

“Same goes for me.”

“You’re still slippery, even after all that earlier.”

“I might’ve gotten that from my mother.”

Salus smiled brightly, as if nothing had happened.

Leonia felt a tinge of admiration at her shamelessness. That boldness was something to be acknowledged.

“...Explain, briefly.”

Because of that boldness, Leonia allowed time for an explanation.

“Only what I need to know—enough that I’m not left frustrated.”

“So you’re telling me to say everything.”

Salus laughed in disbelief. Leonia had never seen someone laugh so brightly after being exposed to the Fangs of the Beast.

Is there something wrong with her head? If so, then the South is already in my hands—Leonia briefly dreamed of a future where she ruled the world.

“...My mother.”

Salus began.

“My mother was the illegitimate daughter of Viscount Olor. She was only recognized because she was the only one who possessed the swan necklace, the family’s symbol.”

“......”

“But in the end, she didn’t last long in that household.”

“Because of Remus?”

“There was a time it nearly got fatal.”

Salus didn’t say more, but Leonia could roughly guess what kind of ‘danger’ that meant.

The man was a disgrace just by existing. It was almost impressive how consistently despicable he was.

“She left and lived on her own—until she met my father.”

The two fell in love at first sight and settled down in a small cottage where they could see the lighthouse.

“...The son of a duke?”

Leonia asked, looking confused. The more the story went on, the more it reminded her of Regina.

“It’s a tradition in our family.”

Salus explained.

“In House Aust, heirs are expected to become independent when they reach a certain age.”

“They’re allowed to marry freely, too?”

“Because of our abilities, we can’t casually interact with other nobles.”

Salus tapped her own eyes. The ability to see the future was too dangerous if abused, so House Aust actually preferred marriages with commoners over other nobles.

“Anyway, that’s how our parents met and got married. Then Alis and I were born.”

Once he had a family, the young heir of House Aust was set to return to the estate.

“But then, my father fell off a cliff.”

He suffered an unexpected accident.

“He survived, but one leg was injured so badly that he needs a cane to walk.”

That was where Salus’s story ended.

“......”

“......”

Silence fell. Neither of them said a word.

Salus looked relieved, as if she had long wanted to tell this to Leonia.

On the other hand, Leonia’s head was spinning.

“...The consort.”

She finally spoke again after a pause.

“As far as I know, the consort was already the Emperor’s mistress back when she was in the South. For nearly seven years.”

“That’s right. Back then, the Crown Prince—now the Emperor—was always seeking her out.”

“Then the one who pushed the duke’s son off the cliff...”

She didn’t need to ask.

Remus and Emperor Subiteo.

A scheme by two men to eliminate the man who had lived with Usia, all so they could claim her for themselves.

“Huu...”

Leonia absentmindedly brushed her lips with her fingers. The chilling past left her sighing in frustration.

“Oh, by the way.”

At that moment, Salus added another important piece of information.

“My mother never slept with the Emperor.”

“What?”

“I mean it. Not even once.”

“Then what was that rumor?”

“That’s a secret of our family.”

Salus quickly drew a line.

...Whatever.

Leonia didn’t press further.

She didn’t really want to know anyway.

She was too exhausted to dig any deeper. She just wanted to go home and cling to her beloved parents.

What mattered most was that it was now clear where Consort Usia stood.

She’s not on our side.

But they had a common enemy.

“The enemy of my enemy is my ally.”

“Exactly.”

“Still annoying though.”

“If you keep being annoyed all the time, you’ll go bald.”

“My dad’s not bald, so I’ll be fine.”

As she said it, Leonia subtly touched the top of her own head.

“Alright then, what do you want me to help with?”

Salus asked.

“Help with the Empress’s plan.”

Leonia replied.

“The consort probably already knows about it.”

Now she understood how Consort Usia had been able to move so freely—she had these irritating but dependable children.

“Talk to Alis about it.”

“You talk to him.”

“Don’t like my little brother?”

“Yeah.”

Leonia answered without hesitation. She then muttered about how she looked like she’d suffered all the hardships in the world.

Salus briefly wondered if this was what internalized sibling hate looked like.

“And help Lota Olor, too.”

“Your mom’s younger sister?”

Salus widened her eyes at the unexpected request.

“From what I heard, didn’t she give your mom a really hard time?”

“That’s true. But if Mom’s going to be happy from now on, that woman needs to find peace in her own way too.”

“Your mom’s so kind...”

“She didn’t ask me to do this.”

This request came purely from Leonia’s selfishness.

“If word gets out that Lota’s living a miserable life, Mom will fall back into guilt. And I’m done with that.”

That’s why Leonia had decided to remove Lota.

For her mother’s happiness, Lota needed to disappear completely from °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Varia’s life.

“If she refuses, put her on a boat and ship her to another country.”

With that, Leonia left first.

* * *

“Dad! Mom!”

After returning to the Voreoti estate, Leonia immediately looked for Ferio and Varia.

And she quickly spilled all of Consort Usia’s secrets that she had heard from Salus.

Had Salus been there, she might’ve been stunned at how fast her secret got blabbed—faster than a bird’s wingbeat.

But the baby beast, furious at the Southern Austs, didn’t care in the slightest. She didn’t miss a single detail.

Naturally, Ferio and Varia were astonished.

“Let’s crush the Imperial family and the South at the same time!”

Leonia aimed for total Voreoti domination.

“That sounds like too much work. I don’t like it.”

Ferio shot it down. The baby beast deflated.

“But why is Duke Aust staying silent about all this?”

That’s what confused Varia the most.

It was a dangerous event in which the heir to a duchy nearly died. Yet Duke Aust had remained quiet and hidden the truth—his behavior made no sense.

“I thought that was strange too.”

Leonia agreed.

“And that the consort claims she never even touched the Emperor.”

Ferio and Varia both cleared their throats at the child’s curiosity. But Leonia didn’t care and kept going.

“Did she use some kind of drug?”

“A drug...”

At that, Ferio recalled something.

“It must’ve been a herb called Alkina.”

“Alkina?”

“One of the seaweeds that grows in the waters of the Aust estate.”

When dried and burned, it becomes a powerful hypnotic.

Most people could never recover from the trance induced by Alkina. Prolonged use could even lead to total loss of consciousness due to side effects.

Ferio suspected that Consort Usia might’ve used that herb somehow.

“Then it must’ve been the Aust family that supplied it.”

Varia said.

“Playing the recluse while working underhanded schemes.”

Ferio clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He too was deeply irritated that the Voreotis might be dancing to the South’s tune.

Still, unlike Leonia, he didn’t grumble out loud or show overt displeasure.

Lost in thought for a moment, Ferio finally spoke.

“We’ll greet them properly later.”

He meant they’d establish superiority between fellow dukes under the guise of friendship.

But for now, what mattered was the conclusion of this long-planned, exhausting hunt.

“Once the princess moves westward...”

The Voreotis would begin their pressure on the Imperial family in full force.

“Ardea Bosgruni will be arriving soon.”

Ferio informed them of the visitor.

“Master!”

Varia lit up. It had been over seven years since she last saw her dear mentor.

Leonia, on the other hand, had a different reaction.

“...Looks like Count Bosgruni’s going to get his knee whacked with a teacup again.”

The child foresaw a grim future for her teacher.