Gasps and suppressed whispers filled the ballroom. The nobles were all shocked by the unexpected turn of events.

A multitude of emotions passed over the Duke's face as he paled. Disbelief. Shock. Fear. Anger. He swayed and Dylan reached out for him, but his big frame was far beyond her ability to support, and he fell to his knees on the ground.

"What's happening?" he asked in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Father," said Dylan. She put a hand on his shoulder and shook it a little. "Father, get ahold of yourself!"

Dylan was pretending to be a devoted daughter in front of the other guests. She forced her hands to tremble a little. Her chin quivered and her eyes filled with fake tears.

She shook his shoulder again. "Father."

His outburst lasted only a moment as he regained his composure. His face stiffened, and he rose to his feet with the help of both Dylan and Grisa.

"Your Highness, this must be some sort of misunderstanding!" he shouted desperately.

"We have enough evidence to take him into custody now," the Crown Prince announced, loudly. "If you oppose, tell it to the judge and plead your side of the case in court."

The Duke immediately shut his mouth. His son left home four years ago to travel and study—but did he truly know what his son had been up to? He gulped as though this were a thought his stomach could not quite accommodate.

"Father, you mustn't make a move now," Dylan whispered to him. "The Duchy of Beaumon might be dragged into this problem if you speak carelessly! It's best if we prepare our side of the case first."

The Duke didn't say anything. Probably because he knew she was right.

"This is that bitch's fault!" Axil screamed angrily from where he was surrounded. "She set me up because she wants my position as heir apparent! I'm innocent! I'm innocent, Your Highness!"

Dylan burst into fake sobs, and stammered out through her tears: "I'm scared, I'm scared!"

Grisa immediately threw her arms around Dylan protectively. "You have no right to accuse Dylan—not when you've been abusing her both physically and mentally!"

Whispers filled the ballroom like a great whoosh of air once more. The reason why Dylan wanted to attend the ball with Grisa was because she was one of the only people to witness Axil's abuse firsthand.

'What's your move, brother?'

Axil gritted his teeth. The nobles in the ballroom stared at him with hateful eyes. Nobody believed him. Nobody took his side—not even his father or his friends. Seeing Axil's furious expression, Dylan wiped her watery eyes to hide her smirk.

The Duke held his breath and looked at his pale, trembling daughter. If he made a move now, it would look like he was taking the side of an abuser and a criminal. He would have to prepare for court—it was the only way he had a chance at freeing Axil of his charges.

He reached out and patted Dylan's back with a solemn face. "Let's go home now," he whispered. "There are too many eyes here."

Even if Axil was proven guilty, in the end, he still had Dylan. Dylan was more than capable of being his successor based on her intelligence and skills alone.

***

Following midterms and the ball, students were granted two weeks off as a break. Dylan returned to the Duke's mansion in the capital. The entire place had been thrown into chaos by the sudden turn of events.

Handing her a stack of letters, Jessie said: "Milady, these came in for you today."

Dylan traced the rim of her teacup with a finger, scanning the letters with an expressionless face. Rumours of the Duke's successor being taken into custody spread like wildfire throughout high-society. Owing to this, public opinion favoured Dylan as the next Duke of Beaumon.

Many people assumed Dylan would take advantage of this time to build connections and gather support from other nobles. They sent her several letters and invitations, jumping at the chance to meet with her. It was troublesome.

"Write them back on my behalf," she said coldly, picking up her teacup by its handle. "Tell them I am flattered but regretfully must decline—since I am busy with brother's trial."

Jessie hesitated for a few seconds. "Is milady sure?" she asked.

Dylan sipped the hot liquid and grimaced. "Yes," she said. "I don't wish to meet with anyone right now. If I do, it'll look like I'm trying to gather support to take brother's position as successor. Wouldn't that be bad?"

'I need to maintain the innocent image I've created for myself. It needs to look like I have no interest in Axil's position.'

The maid bit her lower lip. "I see," said Jessie, glumly.

'As I thought, Jessie wants me to take over the Dukedom as well.'

Jessie came from a noble family with very little power and political influence. If Dylan were to become the next Duke, Jessie's family would benefit from it since she served Dylan directly as her personal maid. It would grant her family the chance to raise their rank and borrow the power of a Duke.

"Jessie," she said, setting her teacup down on the table. "Do you want me to become the next Duke?"

She pulled her lips into a thin line and cast Dylan a worried glance, unsure of what to say. "I, I think milady is more than capable of becoming an exceptional heir apparent," she stuttered.

Dylan smirked into her cup of tea. "If I become the next Duke, I can raise your family's status and power."

"R, really?"

"That is what you want, right?" said Dylan, smiling at Jessie's shocked expression.

Now Jessie nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," she cried, "yes, that's what I want."

Dylan leaned back in her seat, tilting her head thoughtfully as she looked at the hope in Jessie's eyes. "I demand your complete loyalty and allegiance," she said. "You must prove your willingness to serve me. That means that you can no longer spy on me for His Grace. Do you understand?"

After hearing those words, she dropped on her knees beside Dylan and seized her hand. "Forgive me, milady!" she begged. "I was only doing as instructed!"

Dylan pulled her hand back to her lap with a frown. "Don't betray me anymore," she said very unfeelingly.

"I won't! I swear on my life I won't, milady!"

Humans were not satisfied with limited power. They wanted it all. Dominance. Wealth. Fortune. Fame. Dylan believed that selfishness was moral. Being selfish allowed you to get what you want. It was easy to use someone who thirsted for more than what they had in life.

"All is well," said Dylan, helping her to rise. "Instead of begging for forgiveness, prove your loyalty to me."

'With this I don't have to worry about being spied on. I can also use Jessie to run errands for me.'

"I'll work on the letters now," said Jessie, a determined look on her face.

Despite lying to her maid, Dylan didn't feel anything like guilt. They lived in a world of manipulate or be manipulated. In the end, she wouldn't be able to help Jessie's family, since she planned to run away. Dylan sipped her tea, and its hot sweetness slid down her throat.

"M, milady," Jessie stuttered. Her face was pale and puzzled. "This letter..." she said, and held out a white envelope with a golden seal.

"Will you open it, milady?" asked Jessie.

Dylan tore open the letter and held it with shaking hands.





'Damn it. I was hoping this wouldn't happen.'

She predicted this would happen. The Emperor wants to know which one of his children will receive the future Duke's oath of loyalty.

The immense military strength of the Duchy of Beaumon rivalled that of the Imperial Family's. If Dylan chose to support a different heir to the throne, the current situation of succession would be turned upside down.

'This is bad.'

The Emperor had taken an interest in Dylan.



AUTHOR'S NOTE:

To clarify:

Everyone is assuming Dylan will be the next successor (heiress presumptive) of the Duchy of Beaumon, since the original heir apparent is a criminal.

Owing to this, they're trying to get on her good side and win her favour (because she'll have a lot of power in the future).

The Duchy of Beaumon has immense military strength, and despite the fight for succession of the throne, the Duchy remained neutral and chose not to support an heir.

The Emperor wants to meet Dylan to see if she'd change her mind and select an heir to support. If the Duchy chooses to support someone other than the Crown Prince, it'll change everything since the Duchy is very strong.