That day, Idyllia received a secret summons from her sister through a maid. Seizing the opportunity while Silvio was away, she exchanged clothes with one of the maids tidying up the room and quietly slipped out among them. She had done this occasionally since arriving, so she was used to it. So far, none of Silvio’s men guarding her had noticed. First, she left the palace to take care of a few errands, then reluctantly headed to her sister’s room. Her sister was having her portrait painted. When she saw Idyllia, she dismissed the painter and the maids from the room.

“You finally came. It’s quite lazy of you not to come unless called.”

Dressed in a luxurious golden brocade dress, she approached the canvas, looking at her beautifully painted portrait with satisfaction.

“Silvio seems completely enamoured with you. How does it feel to be loved by a powerful man at court?”

“Sister…”

Idyllia’s quiet call made her sister snort in displeasure.

“You should enjoy it more. You’re such a boring child.”

“What do you need from me?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? I need to know if there’s any new information. Who is Silvio meeting with, and what are they discussing? It seems he’s given up on involving the Leveaux family to counteract His Majesty and me.”

“So, you were the one interfering…”

“I didn’t expect him to approach it that way. It was truly unexpected.”

“Sister──”

“And? How are things recently? He seems to be getting closer to nobles sympathetic to the Fontana family. Is there any talk of excluding the Leveaux family? Or has there been any movement in that direction?”

“Silvio is befriending people at court to smooth the truce negotiations. He only talks about such matters with them.”

“Are you sure? You’re not just covering for him, are you?”

“No… He seems aware that information from meetings and encounters is being leaked. Recently, he’s been more cautious with his meetings and discussions, and he doesn’t say anything careless. Moreover, his subordinates are clearly wary of me lately──”

“Waiting for the other side to slip up won’t get you anywhere. You need to extract the information yourself. Use your body. Use that increasingly lascivious body of yours.”

“Sister!”

When Idyllia raised her voice in protest, her sister responded wearily.

“Honestly! If I could switch places with you, I would.”

With a frustrated sigh, she then continued.

“…By the way, yesterday, I received a report from a border guard that they captured a suspicious person. Apparently, they are a survivor of the Fontana family, and they’ve been thrown into the dungeon.”

“No…!”

Idyllia gasped at her sister’s ruthless words.

“Come on, think carefully. Anything will do. Do you have any information to report to me?”

“…”

Her response could determine the fate of an innocent person. Gripped by anxiety, Idyllia thought desperately for a while, then remembered.

“I don’t know if it’s useful information, but late last night, someone named Jurois secretly visited.”

Many guests came to see Silvio day and night, but she had never heard the name Jurois before. Considering he had instructed to keep them waiting, it didn’t seem like an important person.

(It’s to help Silvio’s relative──)

Even as she made excuses to herself, she couldn’t shake off the guilt.

“Silvio mentioned that it was probably about the reward, and that he was taking advantage of the situation.”

“Hmm…”

Her sister fanned herself, a dark smile spreading across her face.

“Gustave Jurois is a bureaucrat especially favoured by His Majesty. I see, that’s what it was…”

“────”

Idyllia suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, realising that her words might have changed someone else’s life.

“And? Anything else?”

“No, really, there’s nothing else…”

“…Well, very well. Handling Jurois is commendable enough. As for the people we found at the border, just throw them out of the country.”

“Please…”

Her sister, Beatrice, called out to her as she weakly turned on her heel to leave.

“Wait. The main issue is yet to come.”

“The main issue?”

When she asked back, her sister sighed deeply.

“His Majesty is acting strange. He’s terrified, convinced that man will retaliate against him. No matter what I say, he won’t listen. Lately, he’s been having nightmares every night about that man attacking him.”

“I see…”

Though she felt sorry for his sleeplessness, it wasn’t Silvio’s fault. It was the guilt festering in his own heart. However, her sister didn’t seem to see it that way.

“His eyes. Those cold, moonlit eyes when he looks at me and His Majesty… He seems to be plotting something.”

“Isn’t it just your imagination?”

“Imagination? Hardly! Because of him, His Majesty can’t sleep, and his health has been deteriorating. This morning, he even refused to get out of bed… It’s like he’s reverted to a child.”

She snapped her fan shut, turning a severe gaze on her.

“Still, as long as he’s the head of the delegation negotiating the ceasefire agreement, we can’t act rashly—”

With a suggestive tone, her sister pulled a small vial from a nearby drawer and held it out in front of Idyllia, who shook her head slightly.

“…I can’t.”

“You must.”

Beatrice forcefully pushed the vial into her hand.

“If you won’t do it, I’ll have them do it. Is that what you want?”

“Sister, please stop. I’m begging you…!”

Idyllia repeatedly shook her head, clenching her hands to avoid taking the vial.

“Please reconsider! I’m begging you…”

But her sister kept pushing the vial towards her. Her cold, unyielding gaze made it clear what would happen if she refused.

“…”

After a long hesitation, Idyllia took the vial with trembling hands. Her sister smiled seductively, reaching out to stroke her head.

“Good girl. I promise it won’t end badly.”

♔♔♔