If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 178

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“You assigned the Marquis to oversee the capital’s guard? That’s….”

It was strange. Considering the accomplishments of Marquis Vernat, the position of acting commander of the capital’s guard seemed far too insignificant. Why would the Emperor, who cherished the Marquis more than his own son, the Crown Prince, assign him such a humble task?

The Grand Duke tilted his head in confusion, then his gaze shifted to behind the Crown Prince.

“Come to think of it, there’s someone else who should be by your side, but I don’t see them.”

The Second Imperial Guard, which protected the Crown Prince, usually had its commander, Russ, and the administrator, Christian, acting as the Crown Prince’s right and left wings. It was odd that Christian was nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm. The Marquis made quite an audacious request, so I thought it would be appropriate to give him a mild punishment, hence the assignment as acting commander of the capital’s guard.”

The Emperor lifted his glass.

“An audacious request?”

“Yes, he asked for the right to reopen the investigation into the death of Duke Kristin.”

The Grand Duke, who had been about to lift his own glass, froze mid-motion.

“Duke… Kristin?”

“I thought it was out of the blue, but he said it was to relieve the burden on his wife’s heart. Ha, who would have guessed that he cared so much for her. He must have had his reasons for embarrassing Alexandra.”

“So, did you grant his request?”

The Grand Duke, who usually had an almost mockingly pleasant smile when looking at the Emperor, now showed a face full of tension, his usual smile gone.

“How could I refuse when it was a request regarding his father-in-law’s death? I ordered that it be done.”

“Why bring up something that happened so long ago? What good could come of it…!”

“Why the overreaction?”

Vlahova, who had been savoring the aroma of the wine, suddenly stiffened his brows.

“Apologies, Your Majesty. I raised my voice unknowingly due to my suspicion regarding the Marquis’s intentions to investigate an incident from more than ten years ago. I apologize for my rudeness.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue in displeasure and took another sip from his glass. The Grand Duke’s hands as he followed suit and raised his own glass, was shaking slightly.

Cain Vernat.

From the first time he met him to now, there had never been anything about him that the Grand Duke liked. The Grand Duke downed the wine in one go, his face crumpling. The alcohol felt like fire spreading inside him, burning with an uncomfortable heat.

Why would he request to reopen the investigation into Duke Kristin’s death? And why, in the first place, did he feel the need to seek the Emperor’s approval for it?

The Grand Duke set his glass down and sank into deep thought.

It couldn’t have just been to ease his wife’s mind. What kind of person was Cain Vernat? He was meticulous to the point where every move he made on the battlefield was seen as part of a carefully crafted strategy.

If he had discovered something suspicious, he could have quietly looked into it on his own. But the fact that he deliberately requested official investigative authority, knowing the Emperor wouldn’t approve, meant there must have been another reason behind it.

It couldn’t have been anything pleasant.

The Grand Duke hadn’t heard anything about this from the servants he had placed at the Marquis’s estate through the Grand Duchess. Even that lead had been cut off when she was caught communicating with the Grand Duchess months ago, leaving him with no way of knowing Cain’s movements.

He simply couldn’t understand what Cain was thinking. After removing one troublesome obstacle, another unexpected one appeared.

Cain Vernat was perhaps even more difficult to deal with than Duke Kristin. Although Duke Kristin had always treated the imperial family with respect, he had never been a source of worry for the Grand Duke until ‘that event’ happened.

“I should’ve just gotten rid of him earlier.”

This thought had lingered ever since the insignificant man from a humble family began to receive the hero recognition far beyond what he deserved.

Anyone who gets more recognition than they’re due tends to change. And if that person has tasted blood in battle, they’re even more prone to being consumed by a thirst for power. Having sacrificed their life for the country, they feel entitled to a reward that matches their contribution.

That’s why the Grand Duke was wary of Cain Vernat. It disgusted him that an insignificant man dared to be compared to the imperial family, and it irked him that someone who had won a few battles was being elevated beyond their abilities.

But the real reason the Grand Duke was so wary of Cain Vernat was different.

Every time their eyes met, the Grand Duke couldn’t shake the feeling that he was reminded of Duke Kristin.

Even though they weren’t blood relatives, it was unsettling how much their eyes, when they looked at him, seemed so similar. Whenever he was met with those sharp, piercing gazes, the Grand Duke couldn’t help but feel exposed. It was irrational, but it genuinely felt as though his inner thoughts were being seen.

“Is something bothering you? Why do you look like that?”