CH 17.2

The Count explained the situation further by rubbing his palm together to hide that he was scared.

“My little nephew suddenly became fickle. The final decision had been made at the family meeting, but as you may know, the designation of a proxy requires an agreement between the proxy and the ward….”

Julia, who became tired of hearing Count Corcos’ excuses, raised her hand and stopped him from talking further.

“Didn’t you say your nephew is 13 years old?”

“That’s right.”

“Did you interrupt my time just because you couldn’t handle a young girl?”

Count Corcos’ eyes shook as he couldn’t find himself answering the question.

“Just how much do I have to help you?”

“Your Majesty….”

“I brought you to the capital from where you used to manage your humble land. Your family said that you wanted to do something big, so I gave you strength.”

Count Corcos trembled. Soon after, guilt was shown on his face.

“Is that all that you can do? I even cleaned up the surroundings to make you a proxy.”

Every time she spoke, goosebumps crawled on Count Corcos’ back.

He recalled how Julia suppressed the Irenberg family.

Hence he would naturally tremble at her cruelty and meticulousness.

“My biggest apology, Your Majesty. It… It is all due to my incapability….”

“That’s fine as long as you understand. If you realize you’re lacking, go back and try again. You shouldn’t just ‘try.’ As you know yourself, I have a lot of people who could replace you.”

Count Corcos’ face was white.

Replacing didn’t simply mean that his role would be taken away.

By replacing Count Corcos, who knew Julia’s secret scheme meant…

‘It equals death.’

Count Corcos breathed heavily.

Julia’s efforts to have Irenberg in her hand were truly enormous, and dealing with Count Corcos was also part of her efforts.

When one works hard to achieve their purpose, they shouldn’t keep people who constantly made them pick the fruits themselves.

‘Now that you think about it carefully, you wouldn’t be able to move on your own.’

That way, I could force them to run harder.

“Did you come here just to whine?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Count Corcos was actually planning to cry and ask for help, but Julia didn’t seem willing to help him.

If he whined for help, Julia would only end up in a bad mood.

He needed to come up with more helpful information for her….

Count Corcos was anxious that Julia would leave him behind.

‘I have to say something. I can’t let the Queen leave like this.’

Perhaps because he was desperate, what he heard from a spy he planted in the Irenberg mansion a while ago came to his mind at a good time.

“It’s about my niece, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, that smart niece who couldn’t be lured by her over forty years old uncle.”

Listening to Julia’s sarcastic tone, Count Corcos leaned over the table.

“She has been going in and out of the royal palace lately.”

“What?”

Julia raised her eyebrows.

For the first time after greeting Julia, she looked straight at Count Corcos.

“I didn’t get a report about that, though.”

She could only feel relieved if she knew every move in the royal palace.

Even Julia knew the number of times the King coughed. The only place that she didn’t really care about was…

“The Third Prince Palace?”

Julia looked at the Count to confirm her suspicion.

“I don’t know that much.”

Julia swore at the foolish Count with her gracious look.

“I get it, Count Corcos. You may leave now.”

“About the issue of the proxy designation is….”

“Let’s figure it out next time.”

Only then did Count Corcos leave the drawing-room smiling. When he left and the room became quiet, Anderson stood close to Julia.

“Didn’t you say that girl is a naive noble girl?”

It was about Diana.

“That’s right. There was nothing unusual about her. She is an ordinary child who adores fairy tales and dresses.”

“Does a naive girl come in and out the palace secretly after postponing the proxy designation?”

Anderson silently endured Julia’s criticism of doubting the accuracy of his information.

“Look into her again. I guess I should go to the Third Prince’s Palace.”

***

“… He smelled like death already. It’s been like that since he was young. He brings death to the people around him.”

What did they mean by that? When I visited Cassion’s palace to tell him the situation related to the twilight mansion, I was surprised by something I accidentally heard from the hallway.

“On the day the Third Prince was born, hundreds died of the plague. Do you know that?”

It was something that everyone knew that the birth of the Third Prince from the dethroned Queen was followed by disaster.

“Do you know that those who had a relationship with the Third Prince died mysteriously?”

Did they? I didn’t know about that either.

“But he survived alone and stayed in a luxurious palace to save his own life.”

They got it wrong.

Saying that Cassion lived in a luxurious palace, they wouldn’t say it if they saw the palace with their own eyes.

‘It was just a bunch of blind people.’

Who?

Who came to Cassion’s palace and made him suffer?

If it was an adult woman, Julia was the only one that came into my mind.

But around this time, Julia wasn’t supposed to be interested in Cassion.

For Julia, Cassion was like a weed on the side of the road. Someone who didn’t even need to pay attention to.

‘But that voice is Julia.’

I crept toward the door, wondering who it could be.

And I looked inside through the slightly open door. The back of a woman accompanied by a maid was seen.

A hairstyle that was flamboyant!

‘It’s really Julia! Why are you here all of a sudden?’

In front of her, Cassion was shaking.

He endured Julia’s harsh words with a face that seemed like he could die any moment.

“I heard a cute lady come by. Do you intend to kill the lady of Irenberg’s bright future?”