Camilla saved the life of Estelle for the second time.
"Thank you... Crown Princess"
Estelle said while weakly holding her sister's hand before she closed her eyes.
Jerome's expression got duller after what he heard.
"What did she say?"
He coldly asked while looking at the Emperor.
"We will discuss this issue after that child got better"
The Emperor replied and he checked the pulse of her daughter.
"For now, let's move my sister in her room"
Camilla worriedly said.
"Give her to me"
The Emperor said but Jerome ignored him and walked out of the pavillion carrying Estelle.
When Estelle opened her eyes, she look around her empty luxurious room. She just blankly stared out of nowhere, daydreaming.
"Shit! I forgot to dispose it!"
She abruptly get up from her bed ignoring the little pain coming from her stomach.
She get a cloak and sneaked out of her room to go to the royal garden where she hid the bottle of poison.
But to her surprise, the bottle is nowehere to be seen!
"Shit! Where did it go?!"
Estelle thought. She searched the almost half of the entire garden until dawn but she cannot find it.
She keep on thinking about the bottle of the poison while biting her nail, her habit whenever she got stressed out.
"If that bottle was found out by the royal guards, that young and innocent merchant will die..."
She thought and got shivers in her spine. She remembered that in the original story, the merchant who supplied the poison to the real Estelle was sliced in half in front of her by Duke Jerome as instructed by the Emperor and it was done inside the Royal Dining Hall while they are eating their breakfast.
"That must not happen..."
When she is already near her room, she saw a shadow in front of her.
"What are you doing?"
It was Duke Jerome who coldly stare at her. Estelle got scared of his turquoise eyes which are now full of killing intent. She immediately hide her hands that have few scratches which she got from the thorns that she tried to remove moments ago while searching for the bottle of poison.
"Ah! I-I just want to walk... You know, like exercising, something like that...!"
She replied pretending to stretch her arms followed by an awkward laugh.
"Y-You...? It is still early, where are you going?"
She asked a question to change the topic but the Duke did not answer immediately which made Estelle more nervous.
"I was asked by the Emperor to escort you to the Royal Dining Hall"
He replied while looking down at her hands. When Estelle heard the dining hall, she got an omnious feeling to the point that she wants to vomit but she restrain herself.
"Um... okay. I will just change my clothes"
She replied and was about to go to her room when the duke pulled her arm.
"He said you need to be there, urgent"
Estelle broke out of cold sweat and just replied a stuttered okay before she followed the Duke's lead.
Inside the Royal Dining Hall is the Emperor, alone with the young merchant that she met. The merchant was blindfolded and is now trembling at the top of the dining table.
"W-What should I do now..? Because of me... an innocent person will die...!"
Estelle thought as she clenched her fist.
"Do you know that a member of the imperial family almost died because of that 'thing'?,
The Emperor coldly asked as he unsheathed his sword.
"P-Please s-spare me... Y-Your Majesty..."
The young merchant pleaded.
"Y-Your Maje--"
Estelle tried to interrupt but the Emperor already instructed Duke Jerome to kill the young merchant.
"Duke, slice this merchant into half, no, slice him into pieces and display his head in the plaza. His head will serve as a warning for those who wants to deal with the imperial family"
"It is my honor, Your Majesty"
The Duke replied and elegantly receive the sword from the Emperor.
"No! No! No! What should I do?!"
Estelle thought and she started to panic.
Duke Jerome was about to slice the head of the young merchant but he stopped when Estelle jumped in the table and hugged the blindfolded young man.
"P-Please spare this friend of mine, Your Majesty!"
Estelle pleaded with her eyes closed since she is embarassed of what she is doing right now. The Duke and the Emperor was so shocked of what Estelle did.
The Duke let go of the royal sword to untangle the arms of Estelle from the stranger but she won't even budge, she even hugged him tighter when the Duke tried to separate them.
"Estelle! Stay away from that man!"
The emperor threatened her.
"I won't let go of him until you spare him! This man is so dear to me, he is my closest friend and I will not allow you to touch him! Over my dead body!"
Estelle exclaimed.
Little did Estelle know that the young merchant that she saving is now adoring her bravery.
"Princess, let go of that man. I promise that will not yield my sword to him"
Duke Jerome said while clenching his fists.
Estelle opened her eyes and looked at the Emperor with her pleading eyes and he let out a heavy sigh.
"A betrothed lady must not hugged another man who is not part of the family, especialluly in front of her betrothed. Stop this act now, Estelle!"
The emperor angrily said but her daughter did not listen to her.
"Your words are absolute. No one can defy it, so please just this once! Spare this person! I will do anything that you want, just spare this person...I am begging you, Your Majesty!"
Estelle pleaded again.
"Anything?"
The Emperor asked and Estelle replied an instant yes. The Emperor think deeply before he replied.
"Then, when your sister, Camilla, needs your divine power, you must support her just like he saved you a couple times from death"
"That's all?"
Estelle asked with a shocked expression since what he wants is too simple for her. She even thought that she needed to lose one part of her body since it was mentioned in the original strory that Emperor Victor XI hates his second daughter who looks exactly the woman whom she hated the most, Estelle's mother.