62.

‘I have to admit, she’s got guts.’

I thought as I watched Petra Landry being subjected to all kinds of scorn and finger-pointing by the masked attendees.

Despite the situation, she didn’t cry. She maintained a calm demeanor, which made her appear far more credible than Philip Morfolk, who was sobbing pathetically at my feet, denying everything. Objectively, she seemed more trustworthy.

In fact, Petra didn’t even need to be directly involved in the punishment.

She was just a commoner. If the temple trial wasn’t accepted, the Morfolk family would likely try to bury the existence of Petra and her illegitimate child to find a way out.

Morfolk was already cornered. He had to make a quick decision. Should he try to hold on a little longer, or should he take the risk and eliminate her now?

Even if Philip couldn’t make the decision, his father, the head of the Morfolk family, would know it was no longer possible to hold on. Even without my intervention, Petra would likely meet her demise soon.

And that cunning woman certainly knew it too.

Seeing Petra’s cold, red eyes reminded me of the day she brazenly proposed a deal to me.

The reason I went to Pensa to capture Sonnet personally was to imprison Philip, Petra, and Sonnet together while I was attending the conference in the capital. That plan changed when I saw Sonnet faint the moment she saw me.

Seeing Sonnet terrified and looking out the carriage window at Pensa sapped my motivation. I didn’t want to torment them further.

So what should I do?

Instead of imprisoning Petra immediately, I decided to make her confess! It was a rare moment of mercy from the head of the McFoy family.

Although a bit troublesome, if Petra confessed to being pregnant and that Morfolk’s demand to break the engagement was a scheme to avoid fulfilling his vow, it would be an elegant solution for me.

If I directly punished them, Sonnet would also be investigated, and the women of Pensa could be implicated. I calculated that even the ruthless Petra would submit if I threatened her with the prospect of harming her sister.

Using Sonnet, trembling beside her, as leverage would leave Petra with no choice.

I had no other option. To protect Sonnet and the women of Pensa from further trouble, I had to cut the tail.

There was also a reasonable incentive. This was now a matter of who would betray whom first. Petra wouldn’t gain anything by holding out; she’d only end up being killed by Morfolk. It was better for her to strike first.

Petra had no other choice at that moment. She had to reveal everything herself, get buried in the Imperial social scene, and deal with Morfolk’s retaliation on her own.

Whether the head of the Morfolk family, furious over losing an heir, would kill her or not, wasn’t my concern. What was clear was that if she took my hand, she wouldn’t fall alone.

“It’s better to strike back at that coward Philip Morfolk than to sit still and die, wouldn’t you agree?”

Petra didn’t show much surprise upon seeing me, nor did she blink an eye at my malicious words.

“You know what needs to be done to keep the fire from spreading to Lady Kruger and the women of Pensa.”

Petra glanced once at Sonnet, who was trembling on the floor, but didn’t respond otherwise.

“Oh, I should’ve asked this first.”

“…”

“Do you want to live?”

I asked with a wicked smile. Only then did her smooth forehead wrinkle slightly.

“I know it was a foolish choice. But back then… it felt like my last chance to become a noble again. I was like someone possessed.”

Just once, Petra murmured an excuse that wasn’t quite an excuse and then looked me straight in the eye. Her experienced red eyes were calm.

“May I dare propose a deal with the head of the McFoy family?”

She had the audacity to speak of a deal.

“Merely confessing our crimes to the temple isn’t enough. Don’t you want to disgrace Morfolk and me beyond recovery?”

Petra, knowing how far life could fall into the mire, quickly sought a way to survive.

“I have a way to disgrace Morfolk for decades. Would you like to hear it?”

Indeed, today’s events would be talked about across the empire for a long time.

She utilized the popularity of Petra Landry, a renowned actress, at Lady Tibey’s masquerade ball. The impact would be significant. I barely suppressed my urge to laugh out loud.

“Take Petra Landry to the temple. She and I will make a vow.”

At my command, Erika, in her yellow mask, signaled the knights hidden around the venue.

Seeing the knights move, I looked down at Philip, still struggling at my feet, with cold eyes.

“Lord Morfolk, you have deeply disappointed me. Spreading such ‘false rumors’ to cover up breaking your vow. I will formally request a temple trial at dawn tomorrow.”

“No… my lord, it’s not like that…!”

“Why, didn’t you want a temple trial? We must fulfill the vow. Fortunately, it’s before the marriage. Isn’t that right?”

His pallid pupils shook violently.

If Petra bore a child, the temple would conduct a paternity test. If confirmed to be Philip’s, the vow would be enforced by the temple.

According to the vow, by next spring, the Morfolk family would expel Philip and pay an enormous compensation. Philip Morfolk’s life would fall into my hands, and then it would be up to me how to deal with him.

Ignoring Philip’s desperate calls, I shifted my gaze to the top of the stairs. Guests were gathered, looking down at the stage from a high vantage point.

“Lady Tibey.”

“Yes, my lord.”

One of the people clustered on the staircase bowed gracefully.

Lady Tibey’s other identity was that of a secret informant. She was responsible for gathering all the crucial information and spreading rumors throughout the central region.

“As the host of this ball, you are the most suitable witness for today’s events.”

“It would be my honor to assist you, my lord.”

Lady Tibey placed her hand elegantly over her chest as she spoke. She, too, stood to gain much from the ‘disgracing Morfolk’ affair.

Thanks to today’s scandal, her ball would remain popular for a long time. The price of her invitations would skyrocket.

“I’ll send a carriage to your residence tomorrow. And Erika, you will personally escort Petra Landry. We can’t risk Lord Morfolk harming her to destroy evidence, can we?”

Petra, who had come down from the makeshift stage, bowed her head and quickly followed the McFoy knights out. Erika, after exchanging a glance with me, followed her out of the hall.

“This can’t be happening…!”

Philip’s anxiety peaked as the situation rapidly unfolded. He realized that if this uproar concluded, it would indeed be his end.

“My lord, you misunderstand. That vile woman deceived me! I’m the victim here!”

“What nonsense. Can a woman conceive a child by herself? Petra Landry is not some fairy from the founding myth.”

There was a legend in the founding myth about the first head of a family who bore a child alone due to their fairy lineage.

“It’s true! Please believe me. I am, after all, your fiancé.”

It wasn’t worth listening to him anymore. I turned my back on him.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Philip began to babble incoherently.

“I only wrote that letter of engagement termination because that crazy woman told me to! She threatened me!”

Amazingly, he seemed to genuinely believe he was the victim here.

Also, he was deeply mistaken. The moment he broke his vow, he became a traitor. He was already a criminal to me, and I had no need to sort out every detail of his wrongdoing. Most importantly, I wasn’t interested.

“The reason for the breakup was all her idea, not mine!”

Yes, I know, you pathetic fool.

I moved on, picking my ear as I walked. People made way for the head of the McFoy family. Philip desperately shouted at my retreating back.

“I never intended to use your dealings with the zealots as a reason for the breakup!”

I came to an abrupt halt. The crowd fell into a cold silence.

Amazingly, Philip was speaking as if the scandal were true. It was always a dirty ‘rumor,’ a mere fabrication.

He should have chosen his words more carefully.

Anyone who dared to bring up a noble’s scandal directly to their face could lose their tongue on the spot. What Philip just said was sheer madness.

I turned around, doubting my ears. The simpleton seemed pleased just to have stopped me, his face lighting up.

Philip staggered to his feet, his unsteady movements causing those around him to recoil.

In an instant, the audience formed a circle around us, with my knights quickly stepping forward to guard me.

“I don’t mind if you’re not pure, my lord. That lowborn woman was just trying to climb the social ladder by driving a wedge between us.”

Philip seemed to think I would be moved by his portrayal of himself as a ‘forgiving’ fiancé who wouldn’t abandon his sullied bride.

Where should I start correcting him? Dealing with the world’s most foolish man made my vision blur for a moment.

He had clearly lost his mind from too much criticism in a short time. Or maybe he was heavily drunk from the fruit wine he had been chugging out of nervousness. He couldn’t be doing this sober.

Even the music, which had been playing without pause, fell silent, creating a deathly stillness. The people, frozen like statues, swallowed hard, each looking for cues from the others.

“I don’t care if you aren’t pure, my lord. So please, don’t listen to her and listen to me.”

He lacked the sense to notice what really mattered.

I smiled at him. Philip, wiping his cold sweat, smiled foolishly back at me.

‘Well done, you scumbag.’

I only smiled to reward Philip Morfolk for his unsolicited self-destruction. The smile didn’t last long. My face hardened as I turned away. Philip reached out to me in panic.

Clang—

A chilling metallic sound rang out behind me. Multiple screams erupted simultaneously.

‘A sword?’

It was unmistakably the sound of a sword being drawn, though the ball was fundamentally an unarmed event.

Did my knights draw their swords? I instinctively turned back.

“…”

It wasn’t my knights who had drawn their swords.

A man stood with his sword aimed at Philip’s neck. He wore a deep blue, purple-embroidered formal suit that contrasted with his transparent silver hair.

His face was hidden behind a white mask, but his sharp jawline, tall stature, and broad shoulders exuded the presence of a handsome man.

That silhouette was strangely familiar, reminiscent of…

It reminded me of the time when Norma Diazi lost his composure and caused a commotion in an inn’s dining room while we were heading to Katam.

The man in the white mask spoke.

“Insulting my benefactor is something I cannot tolerate as a knight.”

His voice was imposing, making anyone who heard it flinch. It was very different from the usual gentle and kind tone of someone familiar, but that voice was—

It was a voice I knew all too well, leaving me gaping.

“Norma Diazi challenges Philip Morfolk to a duel to the death.”

Norma had resigned as a knight earlier today, but he was brazen enough to draw his sword.

“A… Ah… Ack…”

Philip wet himself when the sword was suddenly aimed at his neck.

Norma Diazi? A commotion broke out among the masked ball attendees.