A week after her encounter with her step-sibling, Ilya was, once more, spending her time within the darkness of her room. She had no interest in ruining the coming of age celebration of her brother. In fact, it wasn't in her mind to behave out of Horen's orders.
The day went by so fast. Ilya wasn't even aware of it. How would she know when she couldn't even check if the sun was still out? She had to remain inside her room since the servants kept going in and out of the basement.
The sole thing that Ilya knew was that her body was aching from lying down the hard bed. She hadn't drunk a glass of water for a couple of days, making her all the more weak. The bits of dry skin on her lips began to fall and Ilya let them be. She had no drive to clean herself.
Ilya's vacant eyes were fixated on the door. On the small gap between the door and the floor, she could see the shadows of the servants running around. The bustling noise of their hastiness also made its way to her ears.
'I wish I can participate.' Ilya thought while forcing herself to breathe.
Somehow, the air within her room was slowly becoming scarce. Ilya felt as if her lungs would soon burst. It was a sensation that she didn't want to happen upon. However, the feeling that Ilya had yet to name was worse than that.
The lady coughed and it brought the sharpest of pain on her chest and stomach. She went into a fetal position to ease the aching in her body.
And just like that, midnight arrived at the celebration in the main mansion.
Even though it was already late, the Gertrude estate was still brimming with nobles who sought to make a connection with the future Duke. Withal, what Horen took pride in the most was the presence of the fourth and third princesses of the Empire. After all, he had gotten a request from the Empress to take one of the princesses as his betrothed.
The presence of one royal was enough to establish the importance of the Gertrude Dukedom to the Empire. Horen, of course, desired to live up to the expectations imposed by his father and the aristocratic circle.
Tired of greeting guests all day long, Horen loosened his tie once he was alone in his room. He then laid down on the couch and covered his eyes with his arm. The Duke allowed him to take a rest for an hour while the adults sorted their businesses out.
A few minutes into his rest, Horen heard a knock on the door. His guard shortly entered the room and announced the arrival of Duchess Sorsiana Gertrude. Horen quickly stood up and welcomed his mother.
"Mother, what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be conversing with the princesses?"
"Well, I saw that you were running off somewhere so I followed you."
Duchess Sorsiana walked towards the couch and took a seat. She proceeded to gesture for her maids to procure them something to drink. On the other hand, Horen sat opposite of his mother. His curiosity grew as he waited for the Duchess to speak.
Once the door was shut, Duchess Sorsiana let out a sigh.
"My dear son, I want to congratulate you on the most fruitful day of your life. It's because of your efforts that your father recognized you as his heir. I am proud of you ever since you're a child. I won't ever stop supporting you even if you fall into the depths of failure."
Hearkening his mother's sincere words, Horen couldn't help but feel reanimated. For years, he had seen how laborious it was for his mother to gain the acceptance of the nobles.
Despite not showing it, he could sense that Sorsiana was weary of the condemnation of other people. To hear his mother say that she was proud of him was worth more than all the riches in the world.
Horen stood up and approached his mother. He then knelt beside her, took her hand, and kissed the top of it.
Thereafter, he bowed his head at the Duchess and said, "I appreciate all the things you've done for me, my dearest mother. I can't be anything but grateful to you who have sacrificed your youth in order to raise me and my sister."
"Seeing you grow up into an excellent man, I can' wish for anything more. Now, stand up, my son."
"Yes, mother."
The young man quickly followed Sorsiana's request and went back to his seat. Just then, the door to his room opened and three maids -- carrying the tea set -- entered. The Duchess didn't wait for the maids to finish setting up when she began to speak.
"Horen, truth be told, there's something that you need to know."
"What is it, mother? If it's regarding the proposal of the royals, I don't really mind accepting it."
"That's one thing, but let's set that aside for the time being."
Horen cast a curious gaze on his mother's countenance. He sighed and nodded.
"Remember the plan that we've set in motion eight years ago?"
Rather than astonishment, Horen housed the most malicious of glints in his eyes. Excitement made his fingers tingle as he gripped the armrest of the couch tightly.
A scathing snicker escaped his lips before he responded, "Is it finally time, mother?"
"Yes, I've secured the support of five of the royals. They're willing to testify against the Bismarck Patriarch. The remnants of Hevelia will be put to rest soon. They kept on petitioning for the reopening of the investigation of her death. There's no way that we can allow that to happen."
Horen nodded before continuing his mother's words, "Thankfully, I've managed to discover one of their secret dealings with the Orevte Kingdom. The Emperor greatly dislikes the nobles independently taking their businesses outside of the Empire. It's in the law that foreign dealings should go through the ministry."
Sorsiana lifted the teacup, along with the saucer, that the maids left for her. She savoured the refreshing aroma of the osmanthus tea that she liked. As she took a sip, the Duchess couldn't stop the delight that she felt from showing in her eyes.
Instead of drinking with his mother, Horem simply looked at the tea set laid out in front of him. However, as opposed to the calmness of his facade, he was boiling with thrill inside.
'At long last, once we get rid of the Bismarcks, I can dispose of that rat in the basement. Sooner or later, I'll be free from those nettlesome pestilences. They need not fret. My family will live a comfortable life in their stead.'