The problem was that he moved much more than he ate...
Blair picked up an appetizing green grape from the tray and asked.
—But where is he?
—Ah, since she was fast asleep, it seems she didn't tell him.
In the morning knights from the Imperial Palace came and he went with them on a magical beast hunt.
Blair's expression, who was chewing on the green grape, hardened.
Maintaining security around the capital was strictly the responsibility of the Imperial Knights.
But Ivan had involved Herdin in that task again.
Simply because he was “family.”
—Lina, could you tell them to prepare the carriage and the knights?
-Yeah?
Where are you going to go?
Blair responded with a determined expression.
—I have to go see my brother.
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Mason greeted Herdin with a somewhat bewildered expression.
He had returned much earlier than expected.
For whatever reason, he had returned alone, leaving behind the knights who had accompanied him.
—Welcome, Excellency.
—And my wife?
—The Lady has gone to the Imperial Palace.
Herdin, who had entered the mansion thinking Blair would naturally be in the bedroom, stopped short.
—…To the Imperial Palace?
-Yeah.
He said he was going to see His Majesty the Emperor.
She has taken the knights with her.
Mason emphasized the "he took the gentlemen."
He said this because he knew that Herdin was extremely nervous about Blair's departures due to the two kidnapping incidents.
Hearing the news, the corner of Herdin's lips twitched.
It had only been a day since he had told her to wait quietly in the bedroom.
"And he says he's come out again."
And on top of that to see the emperor.
Herdin's eyes turned cold as he remembered his last conversation with Ivan.
Mason, sensing Herdin's subtly tense mood, hastily added.
—It's been a while since he left, so he should be back soon...
—You don't need to go out.
Herdin turned and left the mansion before Mason even finished speaking.
The mana that his body could not contain and that was leaking out rippled for a moment before disappearing.
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—Then please wait comfortably, Madam.
The Imperial Palace butler who had guided her to the living room came out, and soon after a maid brought tea.
When the maid also left, Blair was left alone in the large living room.
Blair waited for Ivan while he drank the tea.
She had come to see the busy emperor without prior notice, so she had no choice but to wait without knowing when he would receive her.
As Blair, tired of waiting, began to nod off, the door to the living room opened.
Hearing the sound, Blair immediately regained her composure.
Ivan, who had approached with a firm step, sat down opposite Blair and looked at his sister with a strange expression.
-What a surprise.
May you come see me first.
The two were brothers who could not be considered close at all.
Ivan often looked with distaste at Blair when she stood out more than him, and Blair, out of fear of that brother, avoided him.
To be exact, what she feared was Katrina, who favored her brother and looked down on her.
For this reason, Blair had never been able to integrate between the two and had spent her entire life on the periphery, as a mere ornament who was part of a family only in appearance.
—I'm sorry for showing up so suddenly without warning.
—Well, there's no reason not to dedicate a little free time to my only sister.
I wonder what matter has brought you so urgently.
Just then, a maid came in, poured tea for Ivan and refilled Blair's cup before leaving the room.
Blair stared at Ivan as he picked up the teacup and carefully began to speak.
—Stop involving him in magical beast hunts.
At Blair's words, Ivan smiled disdainfully, as if asking if she had just come to say that.
But, as always, he responded with his usual tone of a loving brother instructing his naive sister.
—Hunting magical beasts is the specialty of the duke, who rules the North.
I'm just asking for a little help.
—Protecting the North is the business of the North, and the capital is strictly His Majesty's domain, therefore, it is the business of the Imperial Knights.
—I don't see what's wrong with family helping each other.
It is not that I am seeking my own benefit, but rather helping the weak and defenseless subjects.
Family.
It was a disgusting word that they always brought up when they wanted to tie her to her or use Herdin.
Every time Ivan and Katrina used the word "family" to try to control Herdin, it was terrible for her to feel like she was becoming the leash around his neck.
In his past life, although he felt guilty about that fact, he had ignored it.
Because I loved him and couldn't let him go.
Even knowing that this leash called "family" was not only squeezing her own neck, but also his.
But in this life, he had no intention of doing that.
—…So, if we stop being family, will you also stop transferring your responsibilities to him under the pretext of “family”?
Ivan gave a hollow laugh as he met Blair's cheeky gaze.
But the loving brotherly expression he kept on his face immediately cooled.
How insolent.
Although Blair had always seemed fragile since she was little, from time to time she behaved with that insolence that turned him and Katrina upside down.
And every time that happened, Ivan wouldn't let her pass.
He crushed her, repressed her, so that she wouldn't even dare to oppose him for a while.
—Are you so infatuated with that guy that, in addition to slandering the mother who gave birth to you, you are now even thinking about breaking ties?
—That is not a slander, it is the truth.
—And how do you know?
—That day, Her Majesty the Empress did not try to harm me, but instead protected me.
She didn't commit suicide, she was murdered.
Ivan's eyes shook for an instant.
That meant Blair had regained her memories of the fire.
"I knew she was in cahoots with that Herdin Delmark guy, but I didn't expect that she had actually recovered her memory."
At the same time, he understood it.
It was not simply that he defended her as always, but that he had secured a testimony.
—I still don't know if mother was directly involved in the incident, but at least one thing is clear.
—…
—That he hid the truth of the case and charged Her Majesty the Empress with a false accusation.
—…So, you're determined to turn your mother into a criminal?
—I'm not turning mother into a criminal, it's just that the truth is finally revealed.
…To be continued