☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The door to the inner chamber of the Empress’s palace opened.
Seeing the head maid enter at a brisk pace, the Empress spoke up.
“Does His Majesty still refuse to see me?”
Her voice was low, but her gaze was fierce.
The head maid swallowed hard and nodded.
“Yes, that is correct.”
At that moment, the Empress threw a vase.
Crash!
“Ha! You imprison my son, and now you won’t even see me?”
The Emperor had been generously overlooking Fritz’s misdeeds until now.
Had it been under normal circumstances, Fritz’s incidents would have been appropriately smoothed over, and he would have inherited the throne without issue.
‘Yes, my son, who resembles me more than anyone.’
In a world where her beloved son was the sun, she would surely have lived happily.
But the reality she faced now was Fritz’s dethronement as crown prince.
She was filled with a sense of betrayal.
‘How could you do this to me?’
<Mercedes, now that you are my wife, you will enjoy everything you desire.>
Her husband, Leopold, had promised her the highest status and happiness, and he had kept that promise until now.
But now, her husband was not only imprisoning her precious son but also forbidding her from seeing him.
Moreover, he was refusing to meet with her, his wife.
Mercedes’s eyes were bloodshot.
‘Yes, all of this change in him is because of…’
She attributed all of this to the most convenient target.
‘That crow woman dared to betray me?’
If Cornelia hadn’t mentioned the embezzlement, Fritz wouldn’t have been trapped in the tower, and she wouldn’t have been ignored by her husband like this.
‘I should have never given birth to that! That parasitic girl who’s ruining my life!’
When she became Empress after defeating Bianca, who was known as the flower of high society, Mercedes thought she would lead a life full of praise.
And her quick pregnancy boosted her confidence to its highest point.
However, since ‘that’ was born, she felt not happiness but humiliation.
<You were so arrogant, claiming to be a princess, huh?>
<Moreover, they say her hair is pitch black. Could she have a lover?>
<I’ve heard her eyes are purple. So that would mean she’s really His Majesty’s child… but could it be some sort of curse?>
<Well, that could be possible. There’s no way a royal would have black hair without being cursed by a demon.>
The demon that had brought her down from heaven to hell in an instant.
And now it was once again trying to plunge her life into chaos.
‘You have betrayed your promise and touched my son. And…’
Finally, the Empress’s lips parted.
“I’ve heard that Cornelia’s child sat on the Emperor’s lap. Is that true?”
“Yes, the attendants said so.”
Mercedes’s lips twisted.
She pulled a piece of paper from the drawer.
It was the contract stating that she would protect her daughter and her family’s safety.
The Empress crumpled it up.
‘I gave you the mine, yet you broke our promise!’
The Empress’s long, white hand threw the contract into the flames, which were devouring the firewood in the fireplace.
The white paper was quickly consumed by the fire.
As the Empress watched the paper burn, her red lips curled into a cruel smile, her mind overlapping the image of her daughter with the scene before her.
‘Now that it has come to this, I have no choice but to threaten the safety of your child.’
Mercedes sat at her desk, quickly wrote something down, and handed it to the head maid.
“Deliver this letter to my brother.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Despite searching thoroughly, Reinhardt could not find Sardin and Robert.
He raised his voice in extreme anger.
“These fools! With all these people, they can’t even find two men?”
However, he couldn’t keep searching indefinitely.
The state council meeting was just around the corner.
‘Although I’ve talked with the nobility faction, it would be wise to meet with Marquis Arzen, as one can never predict human affairs.’
For that reason, Reinhardt went to visit Marquis Arzen.
There, he received unexpected news.
“I heard that Fritz has been dethroned.”
“Oh, isn’t that a good thing? He was ousted without us having to lift a finger.”
“Yeah, of course, it’s fortunate that he was deposed, but one problem has arisen.”
“What is it?”
“It seems the Emperor has appointed the princess’s son as the next heir.”
Hearing Marquis Arzen’s words, Reinhardt furrowed his brow and asked again.
“You mean, the five-year-old brat?”
“It’s four years old.”
“That’s that. If you were the Emperor, you could entrust the country to such a brat… I suppose.”
Thinking about it, the Emperor was the one who appointed the reckless Fritz as the Crown Prince.
Whether the child was three or four, it wouldn’t be impossible to place him.
“It would be wise to prepare a countermeasure. Well, even without my urging, those with their wits about them would oppose it.”
“Yes, that’s true. But if, by any chance, the Emperor pushes forward…”
“That won’t happen. The child will die.”
Although they were cooperating now because of the child, if the child were to disappear, there would be no reason for Cornelia and Duke Blant to cooperate.
For that reason, Reinhardt was planning to kill the child soon.
‘I’m looking forward to it. How pitiful and sorrowful it will be to see that woman crying over her lost child. And how sweet it will be to comfort that delicate body.’
Just then, as Reinhardt unconsciously licked his lips, he heard:
“I understand the Grand Duke’s words. However, our family’s existence is at stake in this state council meeting.”
At that, Reinhardt smiled, recalling someone he had thoroughly brainwashed.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve taken care of everything.”
Reinhardt had left two long-standing suggestions for the Grand Madam.
One was to take all the blame and the other was to reveal Duke Blant’s true identity.
‘That he is Erich’s twin brother.’
Once the Grand Madam confesses and takes the blame, Medelin Arzen will be freed.
And Cornelia, upon discovering that Erich is a fake, will feel a great sense of betrayal.
At that moment, Reinhardt planned to use Medelin to further deepen the misunderstandings between Cornelia and Duke Blant.
‘What if, because of that woman, Duke Blant becomes unbearable, and the child dies as well? And if that were to be pinned on Duke Blant?’
Soon, Reinhardt’s smile grew more pronounced.
‘Cornelia won’t be able to stay with him any longer, will she?’
Reinhardt placed a hand on the Marquis’s shoulder.
“Marquis, just think about your daughter’s release and the restoration of your family.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Late in the evening, Sardin returned to the Duke’s residence.
However, the place Sardin returned to was not Cornelia’s room.
“Your Grace, it’s Sardin.”
“Come in.”
As he entered the room, Sardin observed Erich.
Erich was reading a book with a beautifully wrapped bouquet placed on his desk.
Sardin approached the desk and bowed, saying, “I have returned after completing my mission.”
Erich closed the book he had been reading, placed it on the desk, and asked Sardin, “So, how was Grand Madam’s condition?”
“It was as you expected, Your Grace. The Grand Madam is currently addicted to ‘bad dreams.’ And whether she has been brainwashed or not… she was somewhat harshly blaming you.”
“What did she say?”
“Well, she called you a bastard who abandoned his mother because of a woman…”
As he said this, Sardin watched Erich’s reaction. He thought Erich would not take it well.
However, unexpectedly, Erich had a blank expression.
“So that’s how it is.”
It was Sardin who was taken aback by that attitude.
“Are you alright?”
At that question, Erich nodded.
“Yes, I sent the antidote knowing this would happen.”
Although it was a question about whether he was okay after hearing the Grand Madam’s resentment, the Duke was focused on the fact that she had been brainwashed.
‘That’s strange. It’s as if he’s accustomed to hearing such verbal abuse…’
“So, what was ordered?”
Sardin snapped back to reality at Erich’s sudden question and opened his mouth.
“Ah, I administered the antidote. However, even if she regains her senses, I wonder if the Grand Madam will willingly side with us…”
“She’ll have no choice. She’ll value her life.”
Finally, Erich spoke in a cold voice.
“I’ll take care of the subsequent matters, so you must keep all the facts from Cornelia.”
“Yes, understood. Then I will take my leave…”
Just as Sardin was about to say he would step back, he flinched upon seeing Erich pick up the book again, discovering a familiar phrase on the cover.
“That’s not… the Archduke of Tarrant’s family heirloom, is it?”
“Yes, it’s the Archduke Tarrant’s heirloom.”
He wanted to ask about its purpose, but Erich spoke even faster.
“Now, go back. Cornelia will be waiting for you.”
“Yes, understood.”
Just as Sardin was about to leave, Erich said,
“Oh, and bring this to her.”
What Erich handed to Sardin was the bouquet that had been on the desk.
It was a beautiful bouquet made only of flowers that Cornelia liked.
Sardin asked Erich,
“Why don’t you give it to her yourself…?”
“Because you giving it to her will make her happier than me doing it.”
The Duke answered as if it were obvious. However, a bitter expression was clearly etched in his gaze.
Feeling an inexplicable frustration, Sardin sighed and then fixed his gaze resolutely.
Soon, he took the bouquet and spoke.
“Yes, I will do that.”
