[Chapter 235] Burying the Spark

"What are you trying to do?"

Nellusion dragged Megara into a small room in the Imperial Palace after their meeting with Abelus. He locked all the doors and asked menacingly.

Megara's cheerful expression, which had been there a moment ago, hardened coldly, and she gritted her teeth.

"What are you doing?"

"Answer me. Are you in your right mind? Did you say the club belongs to the Duke? Did you say that we were both used by the Duke to send His Highness there? Don't you know what consequences those words will have?"

"That's funny, Your Grace. If either of us had been in our right mind, we wouldn't have been treated like that by Neris."

She raised her beautiful hand, praised in the court, and laughed, covering her mouth. But her eyes were still sharp.

"I'm afraid my husband might misunderstand. Open the door."

"You seem to be mistaken, Lady Megara."

Nellusion crossed his arms and said. His tone was gentle, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is not your husband."

"That's surprising. I didn't know that Your Grace, the Duke of Elandria, famous for being polite to everyone, would find pleasure in calling a woman a prostitute. I didn't know you had the same hobby as lower-class men who have no way to take pride in themselves except by belittling women who don't love them."

"That's not what I meant. I'm saying you need to think more about your position and act accordingly."

A formally married couple can almost never become strangers again. It's because the temple doesn't recognize divorce for any reason.

However, the government is different. If Abelus were to say even a single word about being in a bad mood tonight, Megara could be chased away without any room for rebuttal. Therefore, for her, presenting radical opinions on national policy was poison unless she was absolutely certain that it would bring about good results.

"You seem rather timid, Duke. Do you really think the army sent by the Imperial Family will be defeated by the Grand Duke's forces and return?"

"I simply believe there is no need to go down such a foolish path. There is no reason to believe that conducting an unprepared military operation will bring about good results."

After learning that the Morie Trading Company belonged to Neris, Nellusion thought that she might have been preparing for this for a long time. Sending professionals to secretly make money, and that newspaper novel that seemed like a provocation…

He just couldn't understand. Why would she prepare for this situation?

Abelus seemed to have hated Cledwin for longer than Nellusion had realized. But he had been suppressing that hatred. After all, Cledwin wouldn't leave his own land, so as long as they didn't touch each other, they could have lived their lives without any major problems.

But why would she prepare for this, or…

'She triggered it.'

Common sense dictated that the Imperial Family's military power far surpassed that of the Grand Duchy. So, Megara's nonchalant talk about a show of force wasn't entirely foolish. It wasn't like she was going to start a full-scale war, just to scare the other side a little, right? The Grand Duke would never come to apologize out of pride, but at least they could inflict considerable damage on the other side.

However, Nellusion felt uneasy. Neris had single-handedly torn the Duke of Ellandria's family apart. She was a cautious and intelligent girl, so she must have something hidden up her sleeve.

Seeing Nellusion's displeased face, Megara scoffed.

"You talk about my position, but it's because of that position that this is happening. His Highness thinks we're having a secret rendezvous. So open the door right now. I've just managed to distract him, but if he starts suspecting again, you might be fine, but I'm finished."

"My men are keeping watch, so it's unlikely that anyone will be able to get to His Highness."

"Why did your brilliant men fail to do their job last time? Useless."

"You barged in so suddenly last time, so we had no choice but to go somewhere more visible than here. Anyway, if that's all the reason you have, then stop. There's nothing to gain from planning a show of force so hastily."

"That's what someone like you would say, Duke. Did you say 'just'?"

Megara glared at Nellusion fiercely.

"Do you know how much damage our family is taking right now? I can't back down like this. I can't just let things end the way Neris treated me."

"What if I force you to back down?"

Nellusion's face turned cold. His always handsome and gentle face could look colder than the Grand Duke of Maindelant if his facial muscles moved just slightly differently.

Megara still scoffed at his true nature.

"How?"

"Don't forget that I have several weaknesses of yours."

"And don't you know that those weaknesses are also your own?"

"If it's revealed that I slandered the Princess, I'll be confined at best. But for your status, it's execution."

"Ha!"

Megara burst into laughter without hesitation.

"The reason you're so sure is because you're a Duke right now. You think that as long as the Imperial Family doesn't erase the name of Ellandria from the list of the Three Heroes, they won't lower you any further."

It wasn't untrue, Nellusion was thinking exactly that. But when Megara looked at him with a mocking expression and said the following,

All his thoughts stopped for a moment.

"But what if you weren't a Duke? Listen, Viscount. Wouldn't there be a lower place for someone who brazenly held a funeral and claimed to inherit the title even though his father was still alive? Really?"

He wanted to retort, but Nellusion had no words. He moved his lips twice before falling silent.

He was devastated. Megara definitely knew. The fact that the former Duke of Ellandria, Nellusion's father, was alive.

If that was the case, Nellusion had to lose to Megara here. He couldn't act rashly until he figured out how she knew. Not only was there the risk of her revealing the secret right now, but there was also the possibility that his father was secretly contacting various nobles, including Megara.

However, he had no history of letting anyone who defied him go unpunished.

'Neris.'

Her indifferent face came to mind. A vivid image, as if she were staring at him right now.

'Is this what you wanted?'

For us to lead each other to ruin?

Seeing Nellusion's shadowed face, Megara spoke confidently. She regained some of the arrogant generosity that was characteristic of someone who believed they had the upper hand.

"Don't worry. I'll do it carefully so I don't get caught."

"Even if everyone else doesn't, Princess Caymil will oppose you. She'll say you need to be more careful."

"What does it matter if a person in confinement opposes me?"

"Didn't you hear from the Crown Prince? Princess Caymil has shadows who would give their lives for her. No one knows how many there are, except for her."

If he couldn't avoid the conflict, he had to hold the key himself. To prevent these fools from getting anxious and ruining everything in a place he didn't know. Thinking that, Nellusion bared his teeth and kindly informed her.

"I've heard about it. But even so, she can't come out of the Princess's palace… "

Megara stopped mid-sentence and looked thoughtful. Soon, she sharply asked Nellusion.

"The person who told His Highness that we met last time. Could it be…"

"It's probably that."

He said, "It's a place more visible than here," but not just anyone could enter the Noble's Assembly. The men Nellusion had left were all capable in their own way.

Nellusion said with conviction.

"She may be confined and tied up, but the Princess still has influence over court affairs. Now that this has happened, we must prevent her from facing another unexpected crisis in front of the Crown Prince."

Nellusion's suggestion to get rid of Princess Caymil also had an intention that he didn't tell Megara.

He thought that if Caymil had read the serialized novel "Betrayal," she would be gnashing her teeth right now. To publicly reveal a secret that the Imperial Family had kept for so long. With the nature of the Imperial Family, where their position was more important than their lives, Caymil would never let go of Neris if she had the chance.

If Caymil did what she wanted, Abelus couldn't touch Maindelant yet. And after she was fully prepared, everyone in Maindelant would be killed without a chance to recover. Even Neris.

Nellusion didn't want the latter. So he said to Megara, whose face was full of hurt pride.

"If you keep my secret, I will help Lady Megara. Just encourage the Crown Prince a little to give Princess Caymil a decisive blow. You can do it, can't you?"

****

A wind carrying the scent of flowers blew in.

The glass greenhouse, with its doors open, was a paradise thanks to the shade of the trees that exuded a tangy aroma and the brisk wind that blew through the north all season.

Sitting on the beautiful armchair placed directly beneath the tree, Neris smiled. The letter in her hand rustled in the wind.

"What are you reading?"

Cledwin, who had been standing at the entrance of the greenhouse looking at her, asked softly.

The white lace-filled dress was dappled with leaf-shaped shadows, shimmering brilliantly. The slender wrist that gracefully extended from the voluminous sleeves and the small face that sat perfectly above the open neckline were, in his opinion, the most beautiful sight in this land.

Especially since she had been laughing more than usual lately.

"Hello."

Neris blinked her eyes wide and laughed as if she had just noticed Cledwin's presence.

Every step he took towards his wife, with whom he was always together, felt like a prayer to God. Cledwin slowly went to her side and kissed his beloved wife's hair. Her golden hair, like the morning sun, flowed softly, smelling of flowers.

Her bright blonde hair was very fine and weak, strand by strand. And it was so thick that she said she had trouble managing it.

He loved it when she was bathed in sunlight, the fine strands of her hair letting the sunlight through, creating a dazzling, clear topaz-like sheen.

Neris pretended to complain.

"You messed it up, so you're responsible."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Cledwin playfully ran his hand through her hair, exactly as she had expected him to.

Neris held the letter and said with thoughtful eyes, "It's news from the Imperial City."

"Good news?"

"News you've probably heard."

"Ah, the news that Abelus will finally take action?"

Even at a banquet, it was impossible to freely spy on the Imperial Palace, but when the Imperial Family made a major decision, the repercussions spread around, making it easy to guess. Especially Abelus's every move was being watched by everyone in the Imperial City.

"Yes. Megara is very smart and quick to act. And she knows how to isolate people."

The way to remove all the people around someone and make them completely alone, so they only believe what she says.

But Abelus was different from Neris in her previous life. Megara was also different from Megara in her previous life. And there were many smart people in the Imperial City besides Megara.

Now, how far will things go according to their plans?

"The Tipian Marquisate is in ruins. Remember the food we were supporting through the temple? Apparently, the Marquisate officials found out about it and took it away. People who thought they would starve to death held a meeting."

The new Tipian Marquis, who had paid enormous taxes and bribes to the Imperial Family, had just inherited his title, but he thought it was a shame if he couldn't spend money lavishly like a grand noble. And the lords and officials under him were all sycophants who only cared about pleasing their master.

Neris rested her forehead on Cledwin's shoulder. And she whispered, "

"Are you ready?"

"I've been preparing for this my whole life."

She kindled the fire.

The fire that would have remained dormant forever if they hadn't pulled it.

The couple embraced.