Chapter 27
I struggled to speak.
“I’ve also looked into a few things during that time… Unfortunately, His Highness’s feelings for Agasa aren’t just simple love.”
I quickly whispered so no one else could hear.
“He’s obsessed with her due to the Dragon’s Madness.”
Brillint, who only knew of the madness as a mental illness, looked puzzled, but Duke Sanderin seemed to understand completely.
His voice trembled slightly.
“Are you certain?”
“I’m a Lornode too. I can say with certainty.”
“…I can’t believe it.”
Brillint must have sensed something was terribly wrong from the duke’s reaction because she looked at me desperately.
“What are you talking about, Princess? What does the royal madness have to do with Agasa…?”
It was Duke Sanderin who answered.
“The madness in the royal bloodline isn’t just some mental illness as people quietly assume. It’s a violent obsession with one target… That’s the true nature of the madness.”
“What?”
“Which means His Highness won’t easily allow us to meet Agasa.”
Brillint cried out in disbelief.
“But we’re her family! Agasa is of Sanderin blood!”
“The problem is, His Highness has control over her now. No matter what excuse he gives, he won’t let her go.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
I took a sip of the now-lukewarm tea as I watched the two argue.
“How do we get Agasa out of His Highness’s grasp?”
“Instead of all this, let’s appeal directly to His Majesty! Even if it’s the Crown Prince, he can’t disobey the Emperor’s command!”
“If we do that, His Highness might just hide her away permanently.”
“But why?! That won’t help Agasa at all!”
“That’s what madness is. A poison that robs those in power of their reason.”
“Then… does that mean Agasa will never escape His Highness’s grasp?”
“The best-case scenario… would be if His Highness declares he’ll make her Crown Princess and brings her out himself.”
“Agasa would never accept that!”
Exactly the answer I was waiting for.
Clack.
I deliberately set down my teacup with a sound.
Both of them turned to me.
“Brillint is right. Agasa has always shown strong aversion to polygamy.”
“But I can’t think of a better option.”
At that, Brillint spoke urgently.
“If His Highness truly wants Agasa, there’s a chance he’ll break off his engagement with Lady Bobonshire and marry Agasa instead.”
“No, Brillint. That won’t happen.”
I firmly rejected her opinion.
Brillint looked at me in surprise, not used to seeing me like this.
Without looking at her, I continued calmly.
“The marriage between Evwayang and His Highness comes with an enormous dowry. If he breaks it off unilaterally, he’d have to repay the entire dowry with interest, along with compensation for all the time Bobonshire has waited. There’s no way His Majesty would approve of paying such a staggering amount.”
With every word I spoke, their faces darkened.
Duke Sanderin bit his lip.
“Then perhaps what I suggested earlier truly is the best option. First and foremost, we need to bring the child back to us.”
“…Yes, Father. His Highness can’t make Agasa Crown Princess right away, so we should use the time we have.”
I shook my head at their words.
“Duke, that’s naïve.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re underestimating the madness of Lornode blood. His Highness won’t let go of Agasa, not after finally getting his hands on her.”
Both Duke Sanderin and Brillint frowned at my words.
Looking at their tense expressions, I told them the cold reality.
“To make Agasa Crown Princess would take time. His Highness knows that. That means he’ll be on even higher alert. If, during that time, it’s revealed that Agasa is the lost second daughter of Sanderin…”
“I understand.”
Duke Sanderin opened his mouth with a devastated look.
“If we bring her back, Agasa will finally have a solid backing. Strong enough… to even reject the Crown Prince’s orders.”
Brillint sighed.
“Ah… honestly, I don’t have the strength. I couldn’t force Agasa to be Crown Princess if she kept refusing…”
“She wouldn’t just be Crown Princess, Brillint.”
For the first time in front of Brillint, I smiled bitterly.
“She’d be a pathetic Crown Princess, raised not as a noble but as the Crown Prince’s mistress. Full of vulnerabilities.”
I continued coldly.
“Even if she receives his affection, she’ll be surrounded by sycophants trying to use her. She’ll spend her life enduring oppression and scrutiny from the Empress Evwayang and the Bobonshire family.”
“P-Princess, that’s too harsh…”
“Brillint, doesn’t anyone come to mind from what I just said?”
“…What?”
I gave a bitter smile.
“My mother. The Fourth Empress. Cherished by the Emperor, but eventually withered away amid palace intrigue and died.”
Duke Sanderin, seeing Brillint pale, stepped in.
“Then, Princess… do you have a plan?”
He looked at me with a desperate gaze.
I quietly observed the father who had lost his child, then replied indifferently.
“What if I do?”
“What is it?”
“If it meant getting Agasa back, would you do anything?”
“…Yes.”
After a moment of silence, the duke responded gravely.
“Truly… anything.”
His resolve was clear.
“Me too, Princess.”
Brillint, eyes filled with tears, finally spoke.
“If I can bring Agasa back, I’ll do anything. So please… if there’s a way, share it with us.”
What a loyal pair they were.
Even with our close relationship, they could have easily dismissed a bright-faced princess like me.
‘Well, I only kept them close because I knew they were like this.’
I tilted my head curiously.
“You’re meeting your own family. Why are you asking the kidnapper for permission?”
“…What?”
“Technically, His Highness kidnapped my maid. He took her by force first—do we really need to get her back through official means?”
I leaned toward them, whispering temptingly.
“Let’s steal Agasa back without His Highness knowing.”
“!”
“Ah…”
Their eyes widened.
Then, I calmly rang the bell on the table.
Ding~
Soon, the door opened and a maid entered.
It was Ise.
“You called, Princess?”
“What about the preparation I mentioned?”
“All ready and waiting.”
“Any witnesses?”
“None.”
“Good. Bring it in.”
Brillint and Duke Sanderin looked puzzled.
Especially Brillint, whose face was quite the sight when she recognized Ise.
“What are you saying…?”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence.
Ise dragged in a large sack.
Duke Sanderin, watching quietly, murmured.
“There’s someone inside.”
“That’s right, Duke.”
After placing the sack beside the table, Ise bowed politely and exited the drawing room.
I then handed the envelope I’d prepared to the duke.
“Take this.”
The duke opened it and calmly began to read.
Meanwhile, Brillint looked between me and the sack in a daze.
After taking a sip of tea, I smiled gently.
“What’s wrong, Brillint?”
“….”
She couldn’t respond.
After finishing the documents, Duke Sanderin passed them to Brillint.
Then, perhaps parched, he drained the rest of his cooled tea in one go.
Clack!
Setting down the teacup, he finally spoke.
“I understand Your Highness’s intentions.”
He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts, then furrowed his brows.
“Is there truly no other way?”
“You could still go with your plan, Duke. But think carefully about what would truly make Agasa happy.”
“….”
He stared at me silently.
I returned his gaze without flinching.
Eventually, he sighed.
“The princess, once called the ‘Sunshine of Lornode’… is still one of the people of this palace.”
Of course.
Finally, Brillint—having finished reading the documents—glared at the sack furiously.
“To think a knight would dare sell out her master…”
Yes, the person inside that sack—
It was the short knight who’d fallen for Ise’s bait.
Under my orders, Ise had drugged him and brought him here without anyone knowing.
‘She did a clean job.’
As expected from the Crown Prince’s secret agent.
The documents I gave the duke contained proof of the knight’s betrayal.
Brillint, now looking at me, asked sharply,
“So, we use that man to smuggle Agasa out?”
“That’s right, Brillint. His Highness’s people don’t know I’m aware of this knight’s identity.”
And that guy, weak to power and now holding a leash in the Duke’s hands, wouldn’t dare resist.
“What you do with him is none of my business. Use him as you wish, Brillint.”
As for his disappearance, I could cover that up however I wanted.
Listening quietly, the duke finally asked,
“One last question, if I may?”
“Of course.”
“Why are you helping us like this?”
“Huh? That’s obvious.”
I smiled brightly.
“I’m always on Brillint’s side!”
At my cheerful declaration, Brillint’s pink eyes widened—and she finally burst into tears.
