RISE OF EROS

"Why didn't you tell us about my sister's assassination?" Clarissa asked, clearly angry. Diana felt her heart tighten when she saw Clarissa because even though Clarissa wasn't as close to her as Victoria and Victoria's mother, they were still close and it hurt her to have to hide it from her.

However, it was Daphne who answered, "Because Eloisa didn't allow it." At such an answer, Clarissa turned to look at Daphne in confusion and Daphne, letting out a sigh, began to explain.

"Eloisa had fulfilled the mission. She had collected enough resources so that the Listroff, Morse, and Vizact families could recover and she demanded that no one in the Caltu family be informed of this, especially her daughter."

Clarissa, upon hearing her, clenched her fists tightly and her expression was bitter because she knew her sister too well and was sure that Daphne wasn't lying to her, even so, she couldn't help but be upset.

"How did it happen?" Clarissa asked, not wanting to leave anything to be found out, and Daphne didn't hide anything from her. She had promised not to tell the Caltu family anything, but now that the plan was going to be carried out, there was no way not to tell them.

In fact, they would have to contact Andrew and therefore Victoria would also find out, so she was honest with Clarissa, "The Vilotti family had been gaining resources with political marriages."

"The Caltu family that had embarked on business with the intention of helping us had many and that put you in the sights of the Vilotti family," Daphne said, pausing to see if Clarissa was following.

"Although they never found out about our plans with the Caltu family, the resources attracted them, but they knew they couldn't catch Eloisa, much less Victoria if she had her protection, so they orchestrated Eloisa's murder to make Victoria the new countess and be able to catch her in marriage," Daphne concluded.

"That's why you never approved of that marriage," Clarissa muttered unconsciously. As mentioned before, Victoria was one of the most sought-after bachelors in Dunnas and there were endless marriage proposals for her.

However, Daphne had always leaked these proposals. While she was always looking for a partner for her, she always excluded the Vilotti family and although few knew that, Clarissa did.

It was impossible for Clarissa not to know when she became practically Victoria's mother. It is true that she was not as involved as with her daughter Lili, but she was always looking out for Victoria.

"That is correct. Do you think I would allow my dear granddaughter to marry into the family that killed her mother?" Daphne suddenly said and in her voice, one could hear the contained anger.

At that moment Clarissa realized that Daphne and Diana were not as composed as they seemed. It must be understood that the Caltu family was not only close to the royal family, they were intimate.

It all started in the generation of Clarissa and Eloisa's mother. Daphne's older brother had married Victoria's grandmother, and that was how this relationship began.

In fact, it was for this very reason that the Caltu family supported Daphne's plan to focus on business and help the founding families regain their strength, work that Eloisa then continued.

Eloisa was actually Daphne's niece, although few knew this, as this marriage between her brother and the Caltu family was hidden in order not to reveal their plans against the Vilotti family.

Even Clarissa was unaware of this and surprisingly asked, "Do our protectors know about this?" Her question was not strange, as these elders had lived a long time and it was impossible for them not to know.
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Confirming her suspicions, Daphne said, "Of course they knew, but they swore to remain silent." Hearing this, Clarissa immediately understood that the old man who had spoken to her yesterday to support Victoria was not just looking for benefits, but knew about this plan.

The room fell silent after that, but Daphne quickly broke it by saying, "I know it's a lot to take in and I'm sorry to keep you in the dark, but it was a risky plan, and the fewer people who knew the better."

Clarissa, although upset, understood what Daphne was saying and didn't hold that against her, but then something came to her mind and she asked, "I understand, but, according to your story this plan has been going on for decades, is the Vilotti family still associated with Galicia?"

Daphne smiled at her question and nodded internally seeing how sharp Clarissa's mind was. Anyone would be shocked by what she had been told, but she saw the bigger picture.

"Well, they just teamed up to kill my husband and son-in-law. While their intention was to destroy the country as a team, the Vilotti family became too greedy. They want Dunnas for themselves, so they broke off relations with Galicia," Daphne replied.

Clarisa wasn't surprised by that statement, as it was what she thought had happened. Galicia didn't have the patience to wait so long, and although they hadn't been able to get anything with wars, it was better than waiting for the Vilotti family.

Understanding this, Clarisa put her anger aside and asked, "So, what's next?" Diana then took over from her mother to explain, "We must first talk to Andrew and Victoria. We have to inform them of this and ask for their help."

Clarisa wasn't happy to hear that, as she didn't want Victoria to find out what happened to her mother, but she also knew there was no other way. Diana, not realizing what Clarissa was thinking, continued, "Even though it may not seem like it, Andrew is very powerful and we need his support or this will not go very smoothly."

After that statement, the office fell silent again and after a few minutes Clarissa spoke again, "You know that Victoria will be very upset with you, right?"

Daphne and Diana scrunched up their faces upon hearing this, knowing that Victoria could really come to hate them, but they still answered with conviction, "It will be painful, but we must protect the country. That is our duty as a royal family."

Clarissa nodded in understanding and said, "You should be quick. I doubt that witch Vilotti will leave them alone for long." Diana and Daphne nodded at her words and replied, "Don't worry, we already sent a messenger to invite them."

"Fine," Clarissa said and as was walking she said, "I will leave now. I know you should have done this and Eloise had no complaints, but I won't help you calm Victoria down." Diana and Daphne scrunched up their faces again, knowing that Victoria was really going to reprimand them for their actions.

Clarissa smiled when she saw their expressions and before leaving the room said, "Maybe Andrew can help you, but still, good luck." The two women stood there a little uncomfortable because a problem was approaching.

They really didn't want Victoria to hate them. They had known her since birth and were family, they didn't want their relationship to go to hell just because of this plan, but in the end, it was something that had to be done and there was no turning back.

Meanwhile, at Dunnas Palace, Andrew and the others had also finished their meeting. Unlike the intrinsic maneuvers of the royal family, the founding families, the Caltu family, and the Vilotti family, they had only entered into this plan by accident.

At least that was what they thought, because they were unaware of Daphne and Diana's plans. Their plan now was to wait and respond. They couldn't attack the Vilotti family right off the bat, so they had to wait for them to attack them.

If Andrew was the first to attack, the royal family and the other nobles would side with the Vilotti family, and while they weren't afraid of them, it wasn't ideal, as they would be isolated.

For this reason, they would wait for the Vilotti family to attack them and give them a reason to defend themselves. They had barely finished their meeting when the office door rang.

Everyone felt strange, as everyone knew they were having a meeting and no one was to interrupt, but since they had already finished, they decided to see who it was, so Andrew allowed them in.

Surprisingly, the person there was Carmen. Although Carmen is one of the most important people in the Heavenly Palace as she is the caretaker of Andrew's children, she doesn't participate in these meetings.

That's why seeing her here surprised them. Carmen didn't linger and said, "A messenger from Queen Diana is here and invites Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Victoria to the castle." Such a message surprised them even more, but they soon understood.

It must have been about the altercation from the previous night. The Vilotti family is a high-ranking noble family, so it was not strange that the royal family wanted to mediate things so that they did not fight.

"Alright, tell her that we will go later," Andrew replied without giving it much importance, but then Carmen said, "Young master, I am afraid that is not possible. The messenger was very emphatic that you must go immediately."

Now this was strange. Andrew and many of those present had thought that the summons to the royal castle of Dunnas was to calm things down, but the fact that the call was so urgent showed that perhaps things were more complex than expected.

Oliver immediately said, "Young master, attending is imperative, but I do not think it is convenient for Lady Victoria to go. If you are alone in any eventuality it will be easy to escape."