‘Erich is a fake?’
I couldn’t believe those words and stared at Erich.
Soon, a hollow laugh escaped me.
‘That beauty has been consistent since he was young; that’s impossible.’
The handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes possessed an unparalleled beauty that no one could dare to imitate.
But a fake? Honestly, no matter how closely related, finding someone who resembled him that much was nearly impossible.
‘Unless he had a sibling, but Erich is an only son.’
How many times had people regretted the fact that the Blant Duchy’s only son went to war?
‘If there had been another son, they wouldn’t have sent the heir to the battlefield.’
At that moment, as if reading my thoughts, the Emperor spoke.
“Archduke Tarrant, your words sound utterly absurd.”
Then Reinhardt replied.
“Your Majesty, I understand that my words may sound ridiculous. But you must believe me.”
“If what you say is true, how could their faces be identical? And where is the real Duke?”
In response to the Emperor’s question, Reinhardt answered with a solemn expression.
“The real Duke, unfortunately, died during the war. And that fake over there claimed to be his substitute.”
Hearing those words, I furrowed my brow.
‘A substitute? That’s impossible. I’ve known Erich since he was a boy.’
Despite that thought, parts of my mind that had been bothering me began to surface one by one.
First, the ‘Erich Blant’ who had been so affectionate and sought me out had changed his attitude after the war.
And then…
‘Right, at the time, I felt like the boy who gave me the handkerchief and the Duke of Blant who danced with me were different people.’
When he handed me the handkerchief, Erich’s gaze held an unusual maturity and darkness that didn’t match his age.
Moreover, he was so cautious in his demeanor towards me that I truly felt precious, just as he had said I was noble.
However, the Erich I saw again at the ball was slightly different.
While he was still kind and considerate, he didn’t hesitate to touch me to steady me as I stumbled.
Additionally, that bright face of his held no shadows at all.
‘If the two are truly different people, then I…’
At that moment, the Emperor’s voice broke my thoughts.
“Archduke Tarrant, do you have any evidence to support your ridiculous claims?”
“Yes, of course. I have witnesses and relevant documents.”
Hearing that, the Emperor looked at me and then turned to Erich, asking, “Duke, what do you think of this?”
I gazed at Erich with trembling eyes.
Despite the accusations against him, he maintained an unwavering expression.
“If Your Majesty permits, I would like to prove my innocence by putting my honor and my family’s honor on the line.”
His confident demeanor steadied my briefly shaken heart.
‘That’s right, Erich can’t be a fake. This must be another scheme by Reinhardt to separate us.’
It seemed the Emperor shared the same thought, as he fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“I believe, as the Duke said, that this matter has little to do with his identity.”
In other words, the Emperor was dismissing Reinhardt’s claims.
And I understood why the Emperor was acting this way.
‘He’s likely worried that this might hinder my promotion as the Crown Princess. Erich is one of my few allies.’
Regardless of the truth, Reinhardt’s aggressive stance clearly indicated that there was something that could shake Erich’s position.
If that were the case, there was only one solution: to set aside the risk and throw out a bait that would divert Reinhardt’s attention.
“However, since the Duke’s honor is at stake, this cannot be overlooked. Therefore, I would like to discuss the matter of electing a new Emperor before addressing this issue.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Reinhardt gritted his teeth.
‘What nonsense. To say the Duke’s identity has nothing to do with this!’
But he had no choice but to keep quiet at the Emperor’s next words.
‘He wants to discuss the election of the next Emperor first?’
It was not unreasonable for the Emperor to take this approach.
After all, a significant amount of time had already passed since the attempted assassination of the princess.
If one were to weigh the importance of matters, selecting the Crown Prince was undoubtedly the most pressing issue, and he likely felt there could be no further delay.
‘Right, there’s no need to provoke the Emperor and make things worse for myself.’
Moreover, hadn’t he also been waiting for this moment?
Reinhardt bowed his head to the Emperor.
“I will follow Your Majesty’s words.”
In response, the Emperor turned his gaze to Erich.
“Duke, what is your opinion?”
Erich glared at Reinhardt, clenching his fists tightly.
‘Reinhardt Tarrant.’
From the beginning, Reinhardt had planted Xenon to extort money from the Grand Madam under the pretense of hoping for the “real Erich’s” survival.
It was clear that he would reveal his identity to sever the bond between Erich and Cornelia.
As expected, seeing Reinhardt’s anticipated actions, Erich felt a deep sense of murderous intent.
‘If it were up to me…’
He was already fully prepared for everything Reinhardt was about to do.
If it were up to him, he wanted to humiliate the one trying to expose his identity right away.
And he wanted to prove to Cornelia that he wasn’t a fake.
However, at this moment, there was something that took priority over his feelings.
<Father, I will become Emperor!>
Erich clenched his fists tightly and bowed his head to the Emperor.
“…I will follow Your Majesty’s words.”
In response to the two men’s answers, the Emperor solemnly declared a recess.
“Then we will take a short break and resume the meeting.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
I let out a sigh of relief at the unexpected recess.
‘At least I have a moment to catch my breath before the big event.’
I then looked at Erich.
His face still appeared expressionless, but his gaze was heavy.
‘He must not be feeling good. After all, he’s been subjected to such slander…’
I understood well, having been through it countless times myself.
How unpleasant it feels to be slandered by malicious rumors that aren’t even true.
‘The most typical example was being called a bastard child, just because my hair looked different from the Emperor’s.’
And the words that had once comforted me in that situation were…
<But please don’t consider yourself a defective product. To me, the princess is the most noble person in the world.>
Those words had come to me as a salvation when I was a wounded child.
What that young boy had said still lingered in my heart, providing solace.
Yet, the one who had spoken those words was now wearing a dark expression.
Like someone pushed to the edge of a cliff.
I impulsively poked Erich with my finger.
He looked at me in surprise.
“Cornelia?”
Honestly, I didn’t want to see him, who had been a light in my life, struggling like this.
“Don’t let such a despicable slander get to you. You are a hero who saved the country. And to me, you are…”
Just as I was about to pull out the words inside me, an unexpected interruption cut me off.
“Cornelia, it’s been a while!”
I looked up and saw my aunt’s son, Loren, looking at me.
“Loren? Yes, it has been a while.”
“Yes, to be exact, it’s been ten years. You are still dazzlingly beautiful.”
Loren’s intention in approaching me so familiarly and offering such compliments was obvious.
‘He’s probably asking me to be on his side. If he gains my support as the Emperor’s daughter, it will be easier for him to become Emperor.’
Finally, I spoke to him.
“You’re still good at giving compliments. Thanks to you, I feel good!”
At that, Loren blushed bright red and said, “You really are beautiful! No, you’re even more so now than back then…”
Just then, someone interrupted his words.
“Oh, it’s been a while, Prince Loren.”
“Archduke Tarrant, it’s been a while since I last saw you.”
Reinhardt smiled and said to Loren, “It seems the meeting will start again soon, so why don’t you return to your seat?”
In response, Loren glared at Reinhardt with an annoyed expression before opening his mouth.
“It’s the same for both of us. Why don’t you return to your seat as well, Archduke?”
At that, Reinhardt looked at me with a regretful expression and quietly said, “Your Highness, I will be looking forward to it.”
In other words, he was reminding me not to forget to firmly support him in the upcoming meeting.
I replied with a smile, “Yes, it will be worth looking forward to. I have quite a lot prepared.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
As we returned to our seats, Reinhardt glared at Loren.
‘How dare that prince set his sights on what belongs to someone else?’
In fact, Loren was only showing interest because he was a strong candidate, while the other royals present seemed to be contemplating how to act friendly towards Cornelia.
Only her distant relative, Duke Hauzen, maintained his composure without approaching Cornelia.
‘So this has made it clear. Cornelia is considering supporting me for the future.’
Moments ago, Reinhardt’s words made Cornelia suspicious of Duke Blant.
In such a situation, unless she was a fool, she would calculate that it was more certain to side with him than to cooperate with an uncertain husband.
Reinhardt gazed at Duke Blant with a sense of exhilaration.
‘Once this matter is settled, you will surely be abandoned by Cornelia.’
At that moment, the chamberlain beside the Emperor spoke up.
“Everyone, please be quiet and take your seats!”
As the somewhat noisy conference hall fell silent, the Emperor resumed the meeting.
“Now, we will discuss the agenda regarding the next Emperor. If anyone has an opinion on this, feel free to speak.”
Before the Emperor’s words had even finished, Cornelia raised her hand.
“Your Majesty, there is a person among the royals here whom I would like to recommend as the next Emperor.”
At that sight, Reinhardt couldn’t help but smile to himself.
‘How adorable, trying so actively to recommend me.’
But he doubted his ears at her next words.
“I would like to recommend myself as the next Emperor.”
Dang straight!!! Take that reinhardt!!! 😆😆😆