‘What’s going on here?’

Count Hins trembled. The count was also in a semi-custody state because the servant blew it all out.

He was in a room now, but he didn’t know when he would be sent to prison.

“Hey, there.”

Count Hins spoke to the knight guarding the door with a timid face.

“Wh-what will happen to me?”

“His Grace the Grand Duke is away, so Mister Zegman and the grand duchess are discussing the treatment of the count.”

He heard the same answer that was not different from before.

‘It’ll be okay, right?’

He was a count himself. No matter how much autonomy they have, they won’t be able to punish him for the title.

…Right?

“Oh, you’ve been waiting a long time. Count.”

Finally, the door opened and it was Daphne who came in. The mere fact that it was not Zegman made Count Hins’s heart relieved.

Without knowing what Daphne prepared.

“Princess, I apologize again for what happened earlier. I was blinded by that wicked woman—”

“Uwah.”

Daphne, sitting on the soft sofa, opened her eyes wide, swinging her feet.

“It’s so fascinating! In fact, I saw someone say something similar recently.”

Do you know Madeline Davent?

“…Where is he now?”

Count Hins asked, anxious.

Daphne pointed out the window with an innocent smile.

“Well, where is he?”

The fingertip pointed to a snowfield with nothing.

In other words, dead.

Count Hins held his breath.

‘I have to lie down unconditionally now!!’

Instinct sent a warning. Although the grand duchess in front of him was young, she was not an easy opponent.

“What can I do to save myself?”

“It’s nice that you speak so fast!”

Daphne smiled and motioned. Mariel brought two contracts and put them down.

“Wait, isn’t this too much!”

The count’s face turned white after he checked the contract.

‘It’s too much of a contract.’

Daphne grinned inwardly. The contract now placed in front of Count Hins was not much different from a slave contract.

It was a contract to hand over Count Hins’s real business to Bertrand.

‘Still, I left a little bit of it out of conscience.’

Although it’s very small.

And Daphne gave the decision to Count Hins. There were two contracts.

“But I’ve been hurt so much by the count.”

Daphne sighed heavily.

“It would be a little comforting to receive this much money or see Count Hins step down from the position of count.”

It was a contract whereby the business was handed over to Bertrand, or Count Hins resigned from his title.

“However, this is too much.”

“Or you can choose and sign the contract.”

Daphne’s voice lowered sharply.

“Or three generations die for scorning the imperial family.”

Count Hins, holding the contract, swallowed his saliva.

Daphne smiled brightly, as if telling him not to be afraid.

“Now, take your pick. Which one do you like?”

Count Hins wept and signed the contract to hand over the business.

‘A selfish human being.’

Daphne smiled as she looked at the contract signed by the count.

‘Count Hins would live if only to sacrifice.’

He gave up his business because he can’t let go of power even if he dies.

‘I’m going to make you come down crying later.’

Daphne folded the contract into her arms and smiled.

“Shall we move on?”

Let’s take care of it and rest.

***

“Cold! Let me out, let me out!!”

The sound of Edia whimpering echoed through the dungeon.

‘It’s cold.’

Rachel was curled up in the corner, her head hanging down.

She was wearing a blanket, but her body trembled like a trembling aspen.

It was the Bertrand Grand Duchy that boasted of the bitter cold. It was colder underground than outside without a handful of sunlight.

However, it was not only because of the actual cold that her body was shaking now.

‘What will become of me now?’

Rachel bit her finger.

She failed to separate the Bertrand Grand Duchy from Daphne, and also failed to lay the blame on Mariel.

Nothing was successful.

“Ugh, keugg.”

Rachel lowered her head further at the groan coming from the opposite side.

The servant she bribed was dying in the opposite prison.

And Edia was locked up in the prison right next door.

Being alone while watching a dying servant brought greater fear than she thought.

‘I-It’s okay!’

Rachel was viciously determined.

If she tells her father about this, he’ll get rid of it. She is a precious daughter, so he will do something about it.

“So if I just send a letter to my father…”

“It won’t be of any use to send it?”

Daphne’s voice stopped Edia’s crying, and at the same time Rachel raised her head.

Daphne was looking at the two of them.

Unlike themselves, who had already been imprisoned for more than a day, Daphne in her new clothes looked neat.

In addition, her eyes sparkled as if she was happy that they had become like this.

“You!!”

Edia couldn’t hold back her anger and stretched out her arm through the iron bars. But it wasn’t close at all.

“Now, what are you talking about?”

What do you mean it’s no use sending a letter home?

“Actually, I came here because I wanted to deliver this to you.”

After Daphne finished speaking, Mariel, who was standing behind, handed out a letter to the two of them with a placid face.

Letters bearing the seals of each family

It was a bankruptcy declaration.

“What are you talking about”

Rachel shrieked. Edia blinked as if she was at a loss for words.

“Unfortunately, Count Theodore and Count Brighton went bankrupt due to business failure.”

“What?”

“You’ve invested all your money in trade, phew. I guess they were scammers. All the trade goods that came over were counterfeit.”

Terrifying, terrifying.

Daphne shook her head with a face that was not scary at all.

“I mean, no one can help you two.”

“Kuh.”

“We have His Majesty the Emperor!”

This time, Edia yelled hoarsely because she cried so much.

“If you touch me and Rachel, His Majesty the Emperor won’t stay still, right? So let us go right now!”

Daphne was silent. She just opened her eyes wide and stared at Edia.

“Ahaha!”

She burst into laughter.

Rachel and Edia blinked in surprise. Is she laughing at them right now?

“You guys are so naive. You think the emperor didn’t know about your family’s bankruptcy?”

“No way. His Majesty wouldn’t know the situation.”

“Yes! The emperor really wouldn’t have known.”

How can the emperor know all the news of the Eastern families, right?

However.

“He wouldn’t have saved you if he knew.”

Daphne continued in a calm voice.

“You are expendable to the emperor. Expendables that are thrown away if they are no longer needed or broken while using them.”

That’s why he didn’t even bother to find out what state Rachel and Edia’s families were in.

Even if someone told him, which family was that? He would have said that.

“As long as you come up with a report on time, the emperor doesn’t care whether your family is ruined or if you get hurt somewhere.”

“Don’t lie! His Majesty the Emperor promised us the position of Crown Princess.”

“That is a lie.”

Daphne affirmed.

It was a tactic that the emperor usually used.

He siphoned off his family and people, saying he would let them marry Claire, the second prince.

Then, when it was all sucked up and only the shell remained, he threw it away mercilessly.

“Well, miraculously, even if you got engaged, you would have died soon.”

How many people died in the past life. She was sure it was over three. Was it four or five?

‘Some people died three days after their engagement.’

She kept getting confused because the fiancée died in one year at the longest and three days at the shortest.

“That… that’s ridiculous…”

The two people who finally realized the reality trembled.

Their parents, their family, their money, and the emperor who they believed in so firmly.

No one can help them.

“……”

Tears dripped down. The two of them cried silently.

Let’s get to the main point now.

“However. I have an idea to save you.”

“…..!!”

Edia and Rachel’s heads snapped up at the same time.

“I’ll pretend this didn’t happen, and the family debt isn’t too much, but I’ll give you a breather.”

They didn’t know why, but the princess didn’t seem to be lying.

Faint hope flashed in their eyes.

“But not both.”

It soon became despair at once.

“I already have Mariel. And one person is enough to cover the emperor’s eyes.”

“Then who.”

“Let’s see. Who should I pick?”

Daphne twirled. The dress with lavish frills and lace unfolded beautifully and then eased.

“Will you choose, Mariel?”

“Pardon?”

Mariel, who had been standing still, blinked.

“You choose. Who do you think would be better? Edia? Or Rachel?”

Mariel stammered as Daphne told her to pick one.

“Mariel!”

Rachel stuck close to the bars as if she couldn’t miss the opportunity.

“I’m sorry!! I’ve been wrong all this time. But I didn’t do it on purpose, you know?”

“No! I’m more sorry, Mariel!! I-I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier. But it was all because of circumstances.”

Rachel and Edia scrambled to apologize.

‘Ah.’

Mariel recalled the hallucinations she heard earlier.

“Why did you steal it? No matter how bad you are, you should have kept your dignity as a noble!”

“Mariel the maid. Poor Mariel!”

The children who had done so were fretting because they couldn’t apologize in front of her.

Mariel turned her head and looked at Daphne. Daphne just shrugged without saying a word.

‘You made them apologize on purpose.’

Mariel laughed bitterly. The auditory hallucinations she heard as a child were gradually receding. This was enough.

“I can’t choose one. Please decide.”

“Really? It can’t be helped.”

Daphne stepped forward and this time took a bell out of her arms and held it up.

It was an ordinary bell that rang when a servant was summoned from the room.

“I’ll leave this here.”

Daphne put the bell down within the reach of Rachel and Edia if they stretched their arms as hard as they could.

“Ring this bell only if you want to obey me.”

But bear in mind.

The person who rings this bell betrays her best friend to live.

Put all misdeeds on your friend, survive, and submit to me.

Now, who will ring the bell first?