As I gaped at his nonsense, he took his chance and kissed me. Just as he wanted, he made me ‘pay’ for the information.

A long, deep kiss followed. Whenever we locked lips, I was always surprised at how good he was at kissing. My body melted like a marshmallow in hot cocoa. By the time it was over, I was panting breathlessly.

He licked my lips again making my toes curl.

Lucretius’ fingers stroked my back gently.

I looked up at him all hot and bothered and whispered quietly, “I…”

“Hmm?”

He looked hopeful. I could see that he thought he won.

I touched his neck and slowly moved down.

His shoulder, his chest…

When I reached the bandages, I pushed and poked as I laughed.

He groaned in pain. “Gyaaa!”

“This is what you get when you don’t listen to me!”

He fell back onto the bed, and I left him there to return to where I was originally sitting.

“So you were saying Ksania didn’t kill herself?”

“Ugh… Are you really trying to kill me?”

I tapped the table and ordered, “I asked you a question! Answer me now!”

He seemed disappointed, but he replied, “As I said, she didn’t commit suicide. She was murdered.”

“Murdered?!”

“Yes, by her nephew, Coronel.”

I was so shocked that I shrieked.

“What? Prince Coronel killed her highness Ksania?”

Lucretius nodded with a cold smile. “That’s right. How bold. Well, more like reckless, I guess.”

He was very calm, considering we were talking about the tragedy of a family member killing his own blood. However, then, I felt the same way. I found it to be unexpected, but nothing more.

The man in front of me killed his own father, and I was his accomplice. Just as I suspected after the dowager empress’ execution, I realized how cold I had become.

When did I start to see death as nothing?

When Lisbeth and her family were killed, I felt a bit of shock. When Marquis Galisia was executed, I couldn’t look, so I turned away.

However, when it was the dowager empress’ turn, I watched the entire event without blinking.

The woman died an agonizing death after four swings by a dull ax, and I felt fine. No sympathy or distress.

All I thought was that I needed to witness the entire event or else she might come back alive and threaten us again. Therefore, when I saw her head severed completely, I was relieved and satisfied.

This was not a normal reaction from a twenty-year-old Korean girl.

My heart felt cold as I realized how much I had changed. Did I come too far?

When I remained quiet and deep in thought, Lucretius asked, “Bina?”

I turned around to look at him.

The man who dragged me into this.

My accomplice.

And… the man I love.

I nodded. “I’m listening, so go on.”

Lucretius seemed confused, but he continued, “First of all, it was too staged when he came running to our wing with a dead body in his arms. You weren’t there, but during our private meeting, I saw the ambition and craving in his eyes… I knew without a doubt that it was him who killed her.”

“But do we have a proof…”

“We do. While I talked with Coronel, I ordered Lowson to look at Ksania’s body secretly.”

I anxiously waited for him to continue, but he grinned at me and caressed my hand.

“If you want me to explain further, you will have to pay extra.”

I held his naughty hand and smiled at him. “You already took the payment from me. If you continue to be like this, you will find yourself sleeping alone even when you are fully recovered.”

He nodded meekly.

“… According to Lowson, Ksania’s wound couldn’t have been caused by a woman who doesn’t have extensive training in sword fighting. The dagger was placed exactly where it would kill a person, and it was also twisted after it entered the body between the ribs. The force it would take to twist something like that… It’s not something a woman would be able to accomplish. Two of her ribs were broken.”

“How…”

Even I knew breaking a bone would take an incredible force.

Lucretius smiled evilly and continued, “Only Ksania, Coronel and Ludia were in that room when this happened, so it had to be Coronel. On top of that, the dagger used was not part of Ksania’s belongings. As you know, you cannot carry a weapon in the castle. I realize in Genoa, women commonly carry a dagger, but when she came here to marry the emperor, she gave hers away to her brother for safekeeping.”

“For… safekeeping?”

I didn’t understand exactly, but it sounded like this meant something significant.

I was right.

Lucretius explained, “In Genoa, a knife signifies a lot of things. Life, loyalty, and love. When a child is born, the parents immediately start making a dagger for the child. For a son, a scimitar will be made while for a girl, a small dagger for protection. As far as I know, Ksania decided to come to Cransia even though she knew she would be marrying the former emperor instead of me. When she left Genoa, she gave her dagger to her brother.”

“It’s a nice story, but… How do you know so much about this?”

I couldn’t be sure, but I assumed only those close to Ksania or the Genoan prince and princess would know such an intimate story.

“I heard it from the king of Genoa himself.”

“Oh!”

“Two years ago, before he became the king, he came to Cransia as part of the Genoan diplomatic party. Of course, he volunteered to come here partly to visit his sister.”

“…”

“I heard about the dagger then. The current king of Genoa genuinely was thankful and apologetic to his sister. He said once her husband died, he would bring her back home. During his stay here, he even showed me Ksania’s dagger. It was the same dagger that killed her. I remember because it had those unique Genoan symbols on the handle. I think the king of Genoa must have sent it back to her through Coronel.”

It was a devastating story.

When he gave the dagger to his son Coronel, I’m sure the king didn’t mean for Coronel to stab his only sister.

My lips felt dry.

“And does the Genoan king know about this?”

Lucretius’s grin looked harsh.

“I sent a letter to the king before Coronel left, so he must know by now and Coronel will be arriving very soon. What happens now… will depend on the king.”

“But this would be a good chance for the Genoan king to use something against us. Even if he loved his sister, don’t you think the king will still use it as a justification to attack us?”

Lucretius nodded. “You are right. That is why in the letter I sent, I said if Genoa tries to make a big deal out of this, Cransia is ready to go war. We will not give in, and if we do go to war, I will make sure the public knows about what Coronel did to his own aunt.”

“But this threat would only work if the king doesn’t want a war.”

He shook his head. “I know he doesn’t want a war. A small war with a weak nation can be beneficial, especially at the beginning of a king’s reign, but a war between Cransia and Genoa will never be small.”

“…”

“A lion or a jaguar can benefit from hunting a deer or a wild cow, but can you imagine if the two predators tried to hunt each other? There would be more to lose than win. Even the winner will be injured severely, and the fight will have to be to the death. With the possibility of losing everything, it would be smarter to avoid it.”

I nodded. “Then Prince Coronel…”

“He will be dismissed by his father the king, so there is nothing we need to worry about.”

I finally felt relieved.

I might have become used to death, but war was quite a different story.