Timothia’s lips curved upwards.

A holy relic said to be imbued with powerful divine energy. When absorbed into the body of a child with magic power, the magic energy burst out like a rampage. This was due to the repulsive force created when opposing forces collide.

The preparations mentioned by the old butler were directly related to this.

Everything had to be resolved discreetly and quietly. Since it wasn’t possible to kill all the Duke’s estate employees, most of them were sent on vacation, and the remaining personnel and the Crown Prince’s guards would be imprisoned and killed later.

For Timothia, who had the support of the maids, it was very easy to give sleeping pills to the Crown Prince’s dogs. The same was true for the butler, who held full authority over the Duke’s castle.

It was the moment when she was about to place the holy relic…

Crash—!

With the sound of a door bursting open as if it were about to break, the relic was hit by something flying, sending it tumbling to the floor. Although the hand that was hit by the object didn’t hurt, Timothia’s body stiffened in surprise at the unexpected event. As she turned her head to identify the identity of the flying object, something unexpected caught her eye.

‘…House shoes?’

It was a luxury item delicately embroidered with blue velvet fabric, adorned with snowflake crystals and the moon’s emblem.

A cold sweat trickled down her spine as Timothia sensed an ominous feeling. She then clenched her teeth, realizing the relic that had fallen to the floor alongside the shoes.

“What?!”

She sharply exclaimed and turned her body abruptly.

The knights who had been guarding the door were nowhere to be seen, and an unfamiliar woman with silver hair was glaring at her. Her eyes narrowed as she confirmed the unfamiliar figure.

“Head butler.”

When Timothia glared at him with an expression asking for an explanation, the head butler began to scrutinize the woman, who suddenly appeared with a puzzled expression as if he didn’t understand either.

“Young, Young Lady?!”

His eyes widened to the point where they nearly popped out.

‘Young Lady… so, is she Karentina Lorraine? I heard she went crazy?’

Timothia rolled his head.

“First, I need to find out what her condition is, and deal with what will come next.’

Rising from her seat, Timothia flashed a false smile at Karentina and bowed at the waist.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Princess Karentina Lorraine. I’m Timothia of the County Courbet, the imperial handmaiden.”
[ T/N: Here, Karentina’s title isn’t actually an imperial or royal ‘princess’ but a ‘ducal princess—daughter of a duke.’ ]

Karentina cautiously took a step forward and looked directly at Timothia.

“What are you doing?”

“….?”

The color of Karentina’s blue eyes was clear and shaped. A fury deeper than the abyss was welling up inside them.

Timothia couldn’t even manage her expression when she saw Karentina, who was so different from what she had heard about, as the figure in front of her passed right by her and examined Stella’s condition.

After confirming that Stella was fine except for her elevated temperature, Karentina breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she immediately picked up the relic that had fallen to the floor. Her face stiffened in horror at the sight of the sun-shaped relic imbued with divine energy.

“I never thought you would do such a terrible thing to take away the Princess’s magic power. Did the Empress order you to do it?”

The moment she heard the word’ Empress,’ the fake smile vanished from Timothia’s face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Princess.”

“It’s quite simple when you think about who would need the Princess’s magic the most. It seems like filling the second prince’s abilities with another magic wasn’t enough?”

The chill in her tone made Timothia and the head butler suspect their ears.

‘Is she aware not only of the Empress but also the Prince’s abilities? This is dangerous…’

Timothia bit her dry lips.

“How…”

“Just because I’m confined to the room doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.”

“Ha!”

Timothia burst into laughter, a mocking laugh at Karentina’s foolishness. The words of the crazy Princess, who had finally ventured out of the room, no longer bothered her.

“You’re truly foolish.”

Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic. She stared at Karentina with cold eyes as she went on.

—