Chapter 13
Rumors spread quickly. It was only natural.
“The infamous socialite troublemaker, Valoa Edvain Crawford, openly caused chaos at the masked ball—targeting Clyde Dalton, her well-known object of obsession.”
If that had been all, it would have been just another “Valoa being Valoa” incident—an insignificant scandal.
The problem was that this time, someone else had been involved.
The Crown Prince.
And not just that—he had been involved in a highly dangerous situation involving arson.
“So that’s why. This story is everywhere I go these days…”
Even now, no matter where she ran, Beatrice Hartwell found herself hearing the same topic again and again. Even in a quiet corner café, voices behind her continued the discussion.
“Did you hear about that incident at the masked ball?”
“How could we not? It’s the hottest topic right now.”
“I heard Lady Crawford is claiming she was falsely accused—that everything is a misunderstanding.”
“Some of it might be true, some not. Personally, I don’t think she intended to harm His Highness.”
“Same here. And the Duke of Alex is extremely close with the Emperor, right? Ah, but she probably did try to harm Lord Dalton and Lady Hartwell.”
“But later she said she couldn’t remember anything because she was too shocked by her beloved’s marriage…”
“Yes, and they even submitted a therapist’s diagnosis and prescription as evidence. Something about delusions? Or confusion-induced actions?”
“Well, I still don’t believe it!”
Beatrice had already heard this more than four times today alone.
But no matter who said it, one thing remained the same:
Valoa Edvain Crawford had finally crossed a line she could not come back from.
‘Well… that’s not surprising, really.’
Setting aside whether or not she truly tried to kill Beatrice and Clyde Dalton, the fact remained that the Crown Prince had been involved.
Intentional or not, Imperial Law defined such an incident as treason, and no one could easily sweep it under the rug.
In fact, according to what Crown Prince Crowell had told them, the Duke of Alex had personally knelt before the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
“Your Majesty… I failed as a father. I did not properly raise my daughter. I knew she was reckless, yet I couldn’t bear to correct her properly because she grew up without her mother…”
“That is not a reason to excuse this incident. I already gave her one chance.”
“Yes… I am aware of Your Majesty’s mercy. However, I beg you to believe that neither she nor I intended treason.”
“I know the Duke has no intent of treason. And personally, I do not believe Valoa intended to harm the Crown Prince either.”
“…”
“But the law is the law. And there is clear evidence she attempted to harm Lord Dalton and Lady Hartwell. I cannot overlook this, no matter what evidence you present.”
“As you say, Your Majesty. I will accept even exile from society if that is your judgment.”
“Then…”
“However, since this is also my failure in failing to properly control Valoa, I ask that I also bear part of her punishment.”
Beatrice had expected that, given how much he loved his daughter, the Duke would plead for leniency.
But unexpectedly, he had requested to share in Valoa’s punishment.
Whether that was sincere, or simply a calculated move to prevent harsher punishment due to public scrutiny, she could not tell.
‘Either way, the important thing is that her threat is gone for now.’
Valoa would be confined to a monastery under the Church while her next punishment was decided.
The Duke of Alex would also be dispatched to the western border, where monster attacks and famine had recently struck.
It had not yet been officially announced to the nobles, but it would soon become public knowledge.
‘I doubt she’ll actually reflect on anything… but still, at least she’s been removed as planned.’
“Hmm, this smells nice.”
Beatrice paused her thoughts and stared at Clyde Dalton.
He had changed his hair color using a special magical dye made by Beatrice’s father, Zedric, to avoid attention, and was also wearing glasses.
Completely unconcerned with the surrounding rumors, he was calmly enjoying tea and coffee.
‘This dangerous man…’
Beatrice was certain of it.
Clyde Dalton had probably foreseen this entire situation from the moment he told her, “Just act openly happy around town.”
Unlike her, who believed in acting on instinct and solving problems when they appeared, Clyde was meticulous.
‘Even though he looks so careless.’
She had never asked him directly, but he clearly thought through everything carefully. It was obvious he had even considered whether or not to share the full plan with her.
He had been extremely cautious about Valoa’s presence near Beatrice at both the wedding and the ball…
‘Did something really terrible happen to him in the past?’
Considering Valoa Crawford’s personality at the masked ball, Beatrice wouldn’t even be surprised if she had done something truly unforgivable before.
And if Clyde was the only one who knew about it…
‘Well, I probably wouldn’t tell him everything either.’
Some truths are better left unknown.
While Beatrice was lost in thought, Clyde lightly flicked her forehead and spoke.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Say whatever you’re thinking like usual.”
“What are you talking about? Do I look like some animal acting on instinct? And how is this scary? You didn’t even blink when Valoa started a fire.”
“To me, you’re scarier for not moving even when desserts are right in front of you. You look possessed.”
As usual, their casual bickering continued.
“Whatever. Drink your coffee if you’re going to talk nonsense.”
“Hey, with reincarnation and all, maybe ghosts exist too. Anyway, what is it? Curious why I didn’t tell you everything? Or about Valoa Crawford’s past?”
“Oh, so you brought it up first. Feeling guilty, are you?”
“I’m a very kind person, you know.”
Honestly, not a single argument with this man could ever be won.
Beatrice looked at him with a faintly exasperated expression, his hand over his chest as he smiled like a saint.
“Forget it. There must be a reason you didn’t tell me. If it’s necessary, you’ll tell me later.”
“…What? Are you possessed or something?”
“I’m not. Anyway, thanks to your planning and the Crown Prince card, we managed to remove Valoa Crawford without any issues.”
“Not completely removed. Be careful. I told you—she’s the type whose emotions matter most. She won’t stay removed just because someone says so.”
“Hmm…”
Beatrice recalled Valoa screaming that she was being falsely accused, insisting that her relationship with Crowell was suspicious, even as everyone around her reacted with disbelief and shock.
Even then, Valoa had blamed everyone else for not believing her.
‘What did she say… something like, if you can’t understand what’s right in front of you, why do you even have a head?’
In any case, things escalated so much that Valoa was eventually subdued and taken away under Crown Prince Crowell’s tacit approval.
Thinking back on it, Clyde’s warning did seem reasonable.
“Well, I did request His Highness to keep her under observation rather than completely remove her.”
“Huh?”
“I’m planning to head to the western border soon—the same place Duke Alex is being sent.”
