Upon hearing Elizabeth's words, I didn't stop to think for even a moment and went straight to Adela.
She was in my room, pacing back and forth with evident anxiety.
I could also sense another presence: Margery was resting on my bed.
"What happened, Adela?" I asked bluntly.
"Master… I'm sorry. I never thought something like this would happen to Rosalind. They're judging her for embezzling funds, but it's clear she's just being used as a scapegoat."
"But why Rosalind?"
"Prince Leonardo found out about Princess Elara. Several ministers who didn't show their support received 'warnings,' and those who didn't comply ended up like her."
My expression darkened.
Adela looked at me in silence, knowing that this was not going to end well for the person who had caused this situation.
…
A little over four years ago.
"Cassian… it hurts me to see you without any purpose. A talent test doesn't define who you are; what you do with that does."
Rosalind Varkas, with her long pink hair that fell to her waist and the aura of a scholar, was the older stepsister of this body.
To my misfortune, she seemed to care too much about the previous owner of this body. I wondered what she would say if she found out the truth...
"Come on, you know no one here will say anything to you. Even if Elric underestimates you, that's all he is; you can't let him affect you."
I had known many families that would kill each other over a piece of inheritance or the smallest quarrel.
Having grown up as an orphan, this whole thing of having people who care about me as "family" — or at least because of blood ties — was still somewhat new to me.
On that note, what exactly are these family bonds anyway? If they can break so easily… or if they're so strong that no one can tear them apart. I just couldn't understand them.
…
When Margery woke up and saw me, she immediately ran over and hugged me tightly.
"Cassian… she's in prison. They say if she doesn't return the money, she'll spend the rest of her life there," she sobbed, clinging to my clothes.
I placed my hand on her head to calm her, feeling the warmth of her tears through the fabric.
"That won't happen," I declared. "It's clearly a mistake; there's no way Rosalind would do something like that."
"I already told Father," she continued, trying to catch her breath. "They were going to return to the county, but when they heard the news, they came back worried. They hired a lawyer, but according to him the situation doesn't look good… it seems Rosalind offended the crown prince."
My gaze turned icy.
"Let's go see her first. This is no time to fall into despair," I stated.
I signaled for her to wait while I looked for a few things in the room.
Adela looked at me and followed, understanding that I truly wanted to speak with her alone.
"Get me information on the Empress."
Adela looked at me in surprise. "Are you planning to use her against the prince?"
"If I simply torture him to death, it won't be enough. I want him to lose everything he has, and for the person he trusts the most to be the one who destroys him."
She didn't seem to like my plan, but she said nothing more and disappeared to gather what I had asked for.
Together with Margery, we headed to the prison for mid-ranking nobles. Although it was better than a common prison, the conditions inside were still quite poor.
Inside, we found Count Varkas with an expression of deep worry and anger.
"What do you mean you won't accept bail!? You can't keep my daughter in this place without the option to pay for her release before the trial!" the count protested.
"I'm sorry, sir, but those are orders from above," the guard replied.
Alexandro's face looked like it was about to explode.
At that moment, Margery ran toward him and tried to calm him down.
Eleanor, for her part, seemed unable to believe that one of her precious daughters was behind bars. When she saw my sister and me arrive, she looked at me with suspicion, almost as if she thought I was behind this.
"You may go in to see her, but only one at a time and only if you are direct family."
Those words didn't calm Alexandro, but they at least stopped him from trying to attack the person in charge.
We took turns; I was the last to enter. When I saw the condition she was in, for a moment I wanted to go and cut off Leonardo's head right then and there. But I held myself back.
She noticed someone had entered, lifted her head, and smiled when she saw me.
"Cassian…"
A wave of anguish filled my chest.
"You don't have to make that face. I'll be fine," she said, trying to appear strong.
"You will be," I replied. "I'll make sure this is the only night you spend here."
She looked surprised by my confidence.
"Cassian, can you tell me something? And please, be honest."
I looked at her in confusion.
"He's dead, isn't he? My brother… he's no longer here."
…
Meanwhile, in an excessively luxurious room, a woman with an imperial aura of power sat on a lavish armchair.
"Empress, the prince is meddling with the ministers. Don't you intend to stop him?"
"Rose, let the boy do whatever he wants," she replied indifferently.
"But… if Elara is now against him, he cannot afford to be careless. With this behavior, he won't last long in the legacy fight."
The woman with shoulder-length brown hair tried to convince her mistress, but the Empress's eyes made it clear she wasn't going to listen.
"By the way, did you get me what I asked for?" the Empress asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Rose blushed as she remembered what it was. She lowered her head in embarrassment and answered:
"Not yet, but I'll soon get you one that suits your tastes."
…
Back at the Beaumont Marquisate…
Elena stared at the spot where Cassian's figure had just vanished.
"He forgot about me… He forgot about me!" she exclaimed, a mix of indignation and sadness in her voice.
Elizabeth looked at her with some pity.
"Come on, if we hurry, we'll be back in just two days. Besides, you don't have anything to do until Monday, right?"
The professor looked at her angrily, but with resignation she followed her toward the carriage.
Meanwhile, Thalassa, who had seen Cassian disappear into thin air, couldn't stop thinking about how mysterious that man was. She clenched her fists tightly and, with a determined look, said to herself:
"I need to make him help us. There's no point in going back if we don't have someone above the ninth circle to back us."
She knew Cassian was her only real hope, even if he claimed that nothing and no one mattered to him.