If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 179

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

The Emperor’s sharp comment snapped the Grand Duke out of his thoughts.

“No, Your Majesty. Apologies. Just… something to think about for a moment…”

“Even if something is wrong, would you really make such a face at a gathering to celebrate? Tch, even though you’ve gotten older, you still don’t seem to think at all.”

Grand Duke Norfolk was the only brother and the Imperial Grand Duke and had been invited to a secretive occasion, yet this kind of insult in front of the imperial family, who showed proper respect with honorifics, seemed too much. The Grand Duke’s face turned red.

“I really shouldn’t have invited you here. I know full well that you’re a fool who can’t control his emotions or think properly.”

Of course, the Grand Duke knew very well that Vlahova never cared for his position. But today, it was hard to suppress his displeasure.

It was always like this, being looked down upon by his own brother just because they shared blood. The Grand Duke had always been despised by Vlahova for threatening the throne.

“If you’re going to sit there with that face, just leave. It’s ruining my mood.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty. It seems I unintentionally looked worried due to the Grand Duchess’s poor health. Please forgive me.”

The Grand Duke quickly apologized, using the Grand Duchess as an excuse. He had told Vlahova that the Grand Duchess was ill and could not attend, but he didn’t seem convinced.

Everyone in the room knew the truth— the Grand Duchess was avoiding sitting with the Empress because of her own pettiness and jealousy, which only further earned her the Emperor’s disdain.

The Emperor and the imperial family were well aware that her lack of proper behavior and her challenge to the Empress’s position could be seen as a challenge to the imperial authority itself.

Despite being repeatedly told not to, the young, foolish wife refused to listen to her husband’s warnings. She claimed to be sick with a headache and chills, yet even though everyone knew she was faking, there was nothing the Grand Duke could do.

It was clear to everyone that her actions were intentionally disrespectful, yet he could do nothing but watch.

“I won’t invite you to another imperial event again. It was foolish of me to expect that you’d have changed after all these years, that you’d have reflected on your behavior.”

The Grand Duke felt a surge of anger rise within him as the words were spoken with utter disdain. No one would believe such harsh words could come from a brother. Yet, the common people said that the Emperor was doing him a favor by not having him killed like the other brothers.

It was absurd.

“Once again, I apologize for disrupting Your Majesty’s mood by attending. I wanted to convey my blessings with all my heart, but seeing how this is going, I believe it won’t be well received.…. So, I will take my leave now.”

If he keeps on staying here, he would have to listen to such nonsense. The Grand Duke stood up, leaving behind a polite farewell.

He realized how foolish he had been to feel hopeful when the Emperor called him to the palace after so many years. In the end, it seemed like the Emperor only wanted to humiliate him in front of everyone. It was a moment that made the time spent rushing here feel embarrassing.

As he exited, the Grand Duke turned around and met the eyes of Palatine Joseph, who stood beside the Emperor. Joseph was also in league with Cain Vernat.

“Not even knowing who the real threat is…”

The Grand Duke muttered under his breath. The foolish Emperor, trampling on his own bloodline. He swallowed down the bitter feelings he had.

Once outside the banquet hall, the Grand Duke quickened his pace. He had to track down Cain Vernat’s whereabouts.

Recently, he had heard that Cain had been leaving the capital frequently. He hadn’t paid much attention to where he was going or what he was doing, but if Cain was traveling around investigating the death of Duke Kristin, that changed everything.

“Could he have figured something out?”

The Grand Duke’s teeth grinded. He thought it was unlikely, but the growing anxiety made his mouth go dry.

“He can’t be heading to the South.”

It couldn’t be that simple.

In the end, the Grand Duke rushed out of the palace and quickly climbed into his carriage. He had to find out where Cain Vernat was now. If Cain was heading south, or planning to, he had to stop him.

‘He said he wanted to ease his wife’s burden.’

The Grand Duke mulled over the Emperor’s words.

The phrase ‘easing his wife’s burden’ likely meant that the one who wanted to investigate Duke Kristin’s death was the Duke’s daughter.

“That girl is the real culprit.”

The bud of anxiety turned into a full-blown suspicion.

Agasa Kristin and Cain Vernat… Could it really be that these two were connected in such an irritating way?

“….Before it’s too late, the only option is to get rid of them.”

He didn’t know what the Duke’s daughter was holding onto. If it was simply the inability to accept her father’s sudden death and she was just lashing out, it wouldn’t matter. But if she knew something and wanted a reinvestigation, that would be a problem.

“Damn it.”

He should have obtained the ledgers before dealing with the Duke and his wife. In his rush, he had killed them without securing the ledgers, and now it was coming back to haunt him.