Medelin felt her heart racing.
It had been a long time since she had locked eyes with the one she longed for.
‘This is…’
Sometimes, Medelin felt nervous and uncomfortable when meeting his gaze.
But the discomfort was only temporary; each time she saw his face, the ecstatic feeling that rose within her made her believe the source of that discomfort was simply the shyness stemming from her affection.
However, now, facing him in this situation, she felt she could finally understand the true nature of that emotion.
It was a warning sent by her body in response to the hostility directed at her.
‘Yes, you’ve been deceiving me all this time. Flirting with that woman!’
Just as Medelin was about to lose her composure in her anger, someone stepped in quickly.
“Duke Blant, how dare you interrupt like this! What is the meaning of this?”
It was her father, the Marquis.
‘Yes, I can leave it to my father now.’
Marquis Arzen was not just a man of high rank.
He was a viper who had ruled over many nobles and manipulated them for a long time, standing at the pinnacle of the imperial social scene.
As Medelin expected, Duke Argen didn’t miss what Erich had said and pointed it out.
“Moreover, shameless! To slander my daughter without any evidence? When all the truths are revealed, will you be able to bear the consequences?”
Slandering someone in such an official setting was like wielding a double-edged sword.
A misstep could turn back on oneself.
So, Duke Blant, that damned man should rightly regret his reckless slander against Medelin.
However…
‘Why does he show no sign of agitation?’
Erich Blant’s gaze showed no signs of wavering.
No, instead, it bore a cold smirk.
“Marquis, do you think that wanting to see blood is a common form of hatred?”
When he mentioned the letter Medelin had written to the Duchess, the Marquis’s expression hardened.
“T-That was because my daughter is still young…”
“Twenty-five is not a young age. Moreover, harboring murderous intent against royalty is not a crime that can be forgiven simply because one is young.”
At that, the nobles aligned with the Emperor nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. A letter has been discovered; how can you brazenly claim to be innocent?”
“Tsk, how will you bear the consequences of this?”
Amid the sharp sarcasm from those around her, Medelin bit her lip in frustration, and the Marquis clenched his fists tightly.
‘Erich Blant, you damn scoundrel!’
The reason he had allowed his daughter to remain unmarried and stubborn until now was simple.
It was because Erich Blant was the most outstanding man in the Empire.
‘Moreover, if we acquire the mines owned by the Duke’s family, our house could establish itself as the largest jewelry store on the continent, surpassing the Empire!’
Thus, Marquis Arzen had intended to eliminate Cornelia at the right moment and position Medelin as the Duke’s new wife.
However, the situation has now changed.
‘If Archduke Tarrant becomes Emperor, all these scandals will disappear! Besides, even Duke Blant won’t be safe then!’
Until now, he had refrained from crossing the line out of fear of Erich’s power and influence, but the Marquis no longer felt afraid.
“Duke, this is all because your mother put ideas in my daughter’s head…”
Just as Marquis Arzen raised his voice—
“Everyone, be silent!”
At the Emperor’s stern command, the Marquis had no choice but to close his mouth.
‘Damn it, are they all in cahoots?’
Finally, the Emperor spoke in an angry voice.
“Medelin Arzen continues to deny her guilt, but considering the letter and the testimonies of those present, the circumstances indicating an intent to harm the princess are clear.”
However, Marquis Arzen was not one to listen quietly.
“Your Majesty, it was not Her Highness the Princess who was in the carriage that day! Moreover, Her Highness did not suffer a single hair out of place! How can you accuse my daughter of injuring royalty?”
At that moment, someone interjected.
“Marquis Arzen, that is precisely why His Majesty has summoned you. Furthermore, even if the intent to harm royalty is unfulfilled, it is still a serious offense, is it not?”
The Marquis found himself unable to refute that.
While the statement was correct, the one who spoke was Reinhardt.
‘Right, he must have some plan in mind.’
Reinhardt then bowed respectfully to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, there are still other criminals to be interrogated.”
Only then did the Marquis realize Reinhardt’s intentions.
‘Ah, I see. He intends to postpone the judgment on Medelin and move on to the interrogation of the Grand Madam, planning to make her take the blame for everything.’
As if waiting for Reinhardt’s words, the nobles aligned with the Emperor echoed his sentiment.
“That’s right. There’s still the interrogation of Bianca Blant remaining.”
“Indeed. In terms of severity, her crimes are worse, aren’t they?”
For the Emperor’s faction, both Duke Blant and Marquis Arzen were political rivals.
Moreover, it was a rare opportunity to tarnish Erich Blant’s reputation.
Thus, they were determined to drag Bianca, the Duke’s mother, into the fray.
“Your Majesty, please begin the interrogation of Bianca Blant!”
Watching this unfold, Reinhardt wore a triumphant smile.
‘Alright. I mentioned the Grand Madam and saved Cornelia, so she should be pleased, right?’
The moment Reinhardt looked at Cornelia with anticipation, he frowned.
It was because Erich Blant, sitting beside her and glaring at him, was bothersome.
‘I’d like to get rid of him right now, but if I wait a little longer, I could become the next Emperor.’
When their eyes met, Cornelia slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.
Reinhardt smiled back at her, then gazed at her with greed.
‘She’s even more beautiful today.’
Cornelia, wearing a crinoline dress that gently draped over her shoulders, looked more enchanting than usual.
‘If I kissed those red lips, what kind of reaction would she have…?’
At that moment, he saw something that made him unable to control his anger and contorted his face.
‘That bastard!’
Erich Blant was reaching out to cover Cornelia’s face with his hand.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
When I first faced Medelin and Marquis Arzen at the state meeting, I thought I would be fine.
However, as I watched their shameless words and actions, my anger began to boil.
‘Innocent? She tried to kill my child!’
Medelin, along with the Grand Madam, had tried to get rid of my child when he was still in my womb.
And yet, she had the audacity to claim she was innocent?
‘Moreover, when the chandelier fell, she briefly seemed pleased. She must have wished for my death.’
Honestly, I wanted to bring up the letter she wrote to the Grand Madam and hurl insults at her shameless face.
But I couldn’t do that because I was to become the Crown Princess of this Empire.
‘Yes, I can just let her words go in one ear and out the other. After all, Medelin will be punished with exile for her attempted harm against royalty.’
Just as I was about to brush it off, someone spoke up, voicing my thoughts as if they were my own.
“How shameless.”
It was Erich, sitting right next to me.
‘Why are you…?’
I felt a mix of confusion and something strange.
Usually, he wouldn’t engage in conversation unless necessary, but now he was fiercely criticizing the Marquis and Medelin.
“Twenty-five is not a young age. Moreover, harboring intent to kill a royalty is not a crime that can be forgiven simply because one is young.”
The nobles agreed with him, and I could see the momentum of Medelin and the Marquis faltering.
Honestly, it felt refreshing.
‘Still, having someone stand up for me in front of others and express my anger… honestly, it feels good.’
I smiled unknowingly, but soon my mood plummeted again.
It was because of what Reinhardt said.
“Your Majesty, there are still other criminals to be interrogated.”
As if they had been waiting for this, the nobles began to criticize Erich.
“It seems Duke Blant is not in a position to call others shameless.”
“Indeed. He couldn’t even manage his own household, and now he pretends to care for his wife….”
Of course, they weren’t wrong.
But there was a difference between me cursing him and others doing so.
I’m the only one who is allowed to criticize Erich.
‘He’s trying to divert attention to the Grand Madam. This must be intentional.’
As I glared at Reinhardt with disapproval, he smiled at me, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
In the past, that greedy gaze felt trivial, but now it was unbearably repulsive.
This was because Reinhardt was the true culprit who had tried to kill my child, and perhaps he was even the one who caused my child’s death in my previous life.
‘If I had my way, I’d like to put a bullet hole in that head right now…’
As I imagined how to deal with him, I unknowingly lifted the corners of my mouth when someone covered my face with their hand.
It was Erich, sitting right next to me.
“What are you doing?”
I whispered, trying to hide my confusion, and Erich replied.
“Oh, I thought you might be feeling uncomfortable.”
I didn’t show it, but somehow he knew.
It felt both fascinating and strange.
Yes, this feeling came from the relief of having someone by my side to protect me.
However, I couldn’t afford to relax under his protection.
Especially not now, in front of so many enemies.
“I’m not afraid of those kinds of gazes. So you can lower your hand.”
As he began to slowly lower his hand in response to my words, I added quietly.
“You’re going to protect me, right?”
