I could see Erich looking at me with surprise in his eyes at my embarrassing words.
‘He must be wondering if I ate something wrong.’
A wave of unbearable shame washed over me, and I hurriedly added, “You haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you? You said you would protect me! That’s why I said it.”
Erich smiled softly and nodded slowly. “Yes, of course. I will definitely protect you.”
Feeling somewhat shy at his response, I turned my head away, but then I caught sight of it.
Reinhardt’s menacing gaze directed at me and Erich.
‘Now he’s not even trying to hide it.’
From the moment I promised him the throne, he had been viewing me as his possession.
By gaining my support to ascend the throne and making me his empress, he believed there would be no damage to his legitimacy.
In the midst of all this, he must have been bothered by me whispering with Erich, whom he considered his property.
Reinhardt directly urged my father. “Your Majesty, you must quickly interrogate Bianca Blant to ascertain the truth.”
At Reinhardt’s urging, the nobles aligned with the Emperor, who viewed Erich as a thorn in their side, also chimed in.
“Archduke Tarrant is right, Your Majesty!”
“We also need to check if Duke Blant is also involved.”
There was a time when I thought the same way.
But now, I knew better than anyone that Erich would not harm me.
I frowned in displeasure.
‘Sigh, should I just do it now?’
I had evidence to hold Reinhardt accountable, and I originally planned to reveal his misdeeds when the candidates’ qualifications were being discussed.
However, watching him continue to act boldly was making me feel worse.
It seemed the Emperor thought it wasn’t the right time yet, as he was trying to dissuade them.
“The interrogation of Medelin Arzen is not over yet.”
Before the Emperor could finish his sentence, someone laughed loudly in the conference room.
As the atmosphere in the hall turned cold, that person glared at the Emperor and spoke.
“Your Majesty, what are you hesitating for? Please interrogate me at once!”
It was the Grand Madam standing in the corner of the conference room.
‘She really has lost a lot of weight.’
Unlike Medelin, who still had a spark of vitality, the Grand Madam’s skin was pale and slightly gaunt.
Her sunken and lifeless appearance resembled that of a sick person.
Yet, oddly enough, I didn’t feel any guilt.
‘You tried to kill my child.’
Eventually, she turned her head toward me.
The moment our eyes met, her expression contorted.
I soon felt her dull gaze come alive.
The emotions contained in her fiery gaze were so vivid that it felt like either hatred or perhaps affection.
‘It can’t be affection; it must be hatred—toward the one who trapped her here.’
I frowned and glared at her.
Although I planned to reduce her punishment due to my deal with Erich, I honestly wasn’t inclined to do so.
‘Who do you think would help you out of goodwill? If it weren’t for Erich…’
But soon, I realized that she wasn’t looking at me.
‘Why is she looking at Erich like that…?’
However, my confusion was only temporary.
‘Right, the Grand Madam has made her move. Moreover, the nobles are starting to voice their suspicions about Erich…’
I gazed at Erich.
Even in a situation where he was being blamed due to his mother, he remained indifferent.
Instead, he only looked at me with concern.
And I noticed the faint fear hidden in his eyes.
‘He probably thinks I still hate him.’
Yes, to be honest, I had hated and resented him for a long time.
However, seeing him protect me and my child even when his own life was in danger, that resentment and hatred gradually melted away, until it eventually disappeared without a trace.
‘Yes, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive.’
Therefore, it was my turn to help him now.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The Grand Duchess made her move. And she did it dramatically.
Despite her gaunt appearance, traces of poison were clearly visible on her face.
At that moment, her gaze shifted toward Erich.
At that moment, her gaze turned towards Erich.
Erich smiled bitterly at her contorted eyes.
‘Yes, you must still hate me. Mother.’
The Grand Madam’s attitude wouldn’t change just because her fake son had turned out to be her real son.
She had already rejected him once, and during their time together, only lies and hatred had accumulated between them.
Moreover, right now, there was someone she needed to protect by his side.
‘You can’t acknowledge me as your son, nor Cornelia as your daughter-in-law.’
He soon met his mother’s cold gaze.
‘But in the end, you will have no choice but to answer as Cornelia intends. If you make a statement that harms her, you won’t remain unscathed either.’
Even with those thoughts, the anxiety in his mind didn’t fade away.
‘If that woman reveals my identity in front of Cornelia, I will…’
At that moment, someone spoke up.
“Your Majesty, I have something to say.”
It was none other than the victim of this incident, Princess Cornelia.
The Emperor sighed and asked his daughter, “What is it?”
“Everyone believes that the Grand Madam gifted me poisoned tea, but that is incorrect. What I drank was not Taesalcho.”
The conference room erupted in chaos at the princess’s statement.
“What do you mean? That the princess did not drink Taesalcho?”
“Then, doesn’t that overturn the verdict?”
The room quieted down due to the sound of the Emperor’s gavel striking.
“Everyone, be silent!”
The Emperor then asked his daughter, “You say you did not drink Taesalcho; explain what you mean.”
“Yes, the tea I drank is called Pure White Fairy.”
“Is that poisoned as well?”
“No. It is an herb that is good for blood circulation and is commonly gifted to mothers. Isn’t that right, Count Schultz?”
Suddenly pointed out by the princess, Count Schultz was momentarily taken aback.
However, being a high-ranking noble who attended the state meeting, he quickly regained his composure and nodded.
“Yes, Your Highness is correct.”
“Then why was Pure White Fairy mistaken for Taesalcho?”
“Taesalcho and Pure White Fairy have entirely different effects. However, their scents and appearances are similar, which can lead to confusion among those who have only a superficial understanding of pharmacology.”
The Emperor then turned to the Grand Madam and asked.
“Bianca Marsha Blant, your guilt has been revealed through the confession of the head maid. However, the princess just claimed that the tea you gave her was not Taesalcho, but something else.”
Reinhardt furrowed his brow as he looked at the Grand Madam.
She should deny this, yet she stood there with her head bowed, saying nothing.
As if affirming what Cornelia had said.
‘That useless old woman, I have no choice but to step in now.’
Reinhardt then gestured to one of his subordinates, a noble aligned with the Emperor, signaling him.
The noble nodded and then spoke up.
“However, Your Majesty, I heard that a Taesalcho tea bag was indeed found in that room! Isn’t this the princess trying to protect the Grand Madam?”
At that, the princess let out a hollow laugh.
“The head maid had grievances against the Grand Madam, who treated her poorly. Isn’t it unreasonable to determine the Grand Madam’s guilt based solely on her words?”
“Then, regarding the order given to the coachman to tamper with the wheels…”
“As mentioned in the letter, it was Medelin who orchestrated that from behind.”
While speaking, the princess glared at Medelin.
Medelin flinched and bit her lip, trying to return the glare, but she lowered her eyes in the face of Erich’s fierce gaze beside her.
“Of course, I won’t deny that the Grand Madam tried to set me up. However, she had no intention of taking my life.”
“I don’t understand how you can be so sure.”
Given that the princess had been defending the Grand Madam, most expected her to provide a compassionate reason for her defense.
For example, that our mother-in-law wasn’t such an evil person.
However, the princess’s response was rather calculating.
“If I were to die before I’ve been married for ten years, my dowry would return to the imperial treasury. That would be a clear loss for the Grand Madam, so she wouldn’t kill me just yet, would she?”
It was a somewhat absurd answer, but it was one that the nobles had no choice but to accept.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
My words stirred the conference room.
I raised the corners of my mouth as I observed their reactions.
’Yes, honestly, this is how it is between the Grand Madam and me. Above all, it’s the truth.’
I looked at the Grand Madam.
She was staring at me with a blank expression, her thoughts unreadable.
‘She probably doesn’t feel grateful; she’s likely just annoyed.’
No matter what I had done for her in the past, all I received in return was resentment and hatred.
Whether it was jewels, clothes, or money.
So there was absolutely no way she would be grateful for this half-hearted defense.
She must think that she ended up in prison because of me in the first place.
‘To be honest, I’m still angry. The thought of her not acknowledging her mistakes or reflecting on her actions is infuriating. But…’
I sighed as I glanced at Erich beside me.
‘Still, a promise is a promise, and she is his mother. I suppose I should be satisfied with her exile.’
Living in a rural area with good air, she might regain her health. And perhaps she would reflect a little on the wrongs she committed.
Having finished my thoughts, I opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty, the Grand Madam intended to set me up, but she never meant to harm me. Moreover, as a grandmother, would she really want to kill her own grandson? I hope you take this into consideration…”
“No!”
Before I could finish, someone interrupted.
“I… I did try to kill my grandson.”
It was none other than the Grand Madam.
TL/N: Hii. I’m sorry for the lates updates. I was a little busy. Also about the chapter 129. I accidentally put the chapter number instead of the normal price 15. If you bought the chapter please make a report at Moonlight Discord Server. Sorry for the inconvenience.
