✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Translated by: Alina
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
‘I didn’t even know, foolishly misunderstanding…’
It was when my face involuntarily twisted.
“Janet, it was your fault for upsetting the matriarch, so go back to your quarters and reflect on yourself. I will decide your fate later.”
“Yes.”
“Escort the Duchess to her room.”
He issued such an order, deciding whether to send his subordinate to a safe place or remove me, who was bothering him.
‘Perhaps it could be both.’
Unintentionally, a dark thought crossed my mind, and I felt a pang of self-reproach.
Lost in my thoughts, Janet responded stiffly.
“Yes, understood.”
Soon, Janet put her hand on my shoulder.
“Let’s go. Madam.”
It was strange.
Just a moment ago, I was grateful to her, but now I feel reluctant to see her.
‘How unsettling. These filthy feelings lingering within me.’
Even though I could have added a word of gratitude for standing up for me, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
‘Treating someone who helped me like this. How despicable, Cornelia.’
Feeling self-disgust, I quickly left the place.
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Seeing Cornelia enter, Erich finally let go of the matriarch’s hand.
As soon as her hand became free, she looked at his fake son with eyes full of anger.
“How dare you to me…”
Until now, the fake son had always submitted to her in front of others.
She’s not sure if it was guilt for taking the place of the real son, who treated him well, or some other reason.
But, for the first time, his fake son broke that rule.
And he did it in front of the woman she despised so much.
‘If only my real son hadn’t disappeared. You…’
The matriarch’s blue eyes were suddenly filled with vitality.
To her, Erich whispered softly.
“Mother, let’s discuss this inside. There are many eyes watching.”
Indeed, there were many eyes watching in this place.
If, by any chance, it were known that the real Erich was missing, her position as matriarch could be in danger.
The matriarch clenched her jaw and then looked at Erich.
“Fine, let’s go inside and talk.”
Shortly after, a harsh slapping sound echoed through the Duke’s office.
Slap!
“How dare you speak to me like that?”
With more force than when she struck the knight, the matriarch slapped his fake son’s cheek, leaving a faint red mark on his cheek.
“You dare to disgrace me? Are you going to tell me to leave now?”
Unable to control her anger, the matriarch continued to fume, but Erich casually brushed his fingers over his bleeding lip and nonchalantly spoke up.
“Leave? I was preventing you from making a mistake, Mother.”
“What? A mistake? What mistake did I make?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Erich’s previously indifferent gaze turned sharply menacing.
“You were about to slap the princess’s face earlier. Don’t you think that could become a problem later on?”
The matriarch’s expression hardened at the accusation.
The fake son was a problem, but there was also a chance that Cornelia could hold her accountable later.
‘But I won’t confirm it.’
Finally, she laughed in disbelief at the astounding situation.
“Hah, did you really think I was going to slap that child’s cheek?”
“Then you weren’t?”
Of course, the intention behind raising her hand was indeed to slap her in reprimand.
At that moment, she was infuriated by Cornelia’s insolent behavior, which made her lose her temper.
But not wanting to admit her own mistake, the matriarch threw a fit instead.
“What do you take me for? Even if I’m angry, I wouldn’t go so far as to…”
“Yes, I don’t think you’re someone who would go so far as to slap the princess’s face. If you did, it could give the Emperor a reason to pressure the Duchy.”
‘This damn… how dare he mock me?’
Pretending otherwise, the matriarch felt her anger boiling inside at the words that indirectly criticized her.
But if she let out her anger, he might really find out she tried to hit Cornelia.
“You’re stating the obvious.”
Upon hearing this, Erich’s handsome face broke into a smile.
“I made a mistake earlier, it seems. I’m sure Mother won’t forget that.”
Although his tone initially sounded affectionate, there was a hidden thorn in his words.
Exactly….
“You’re a wise person, Mother, so I believe you won’t forget that fact in the future.”
It was a warning not to dare touch Cornelia again.
‘This damn guy!’
Inwardly, she wanted to slap him again.
How dare that scoundrel insult her—the puppet duke who could do nothing without her!
But since she had not yet found her real son, she still needed that fake one.
Soon, she spoke coldly to the fake son.
“I’m glad you understand. But in the future, it’s best if you don’t play the role of a head in front of me. The ring that bears the head’s seal belongs to me, not you.”
With those words, the matriarch turned her back.
‘Yes, once my real son returns, the issue with this fake one will be resolved. And…’
She clenched her fist, recalling the incident that led to the confrontation between her obedient real son, Erich, and the fake son.
‘I can’t just stand by and watch that woman interfere.’
When the matriarch returned from the office to the annex, where she resided,
“Madam.”
Seeing Xenon bow his head in front of her room, she raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Come in for now.”
As she entered the room, Xenon followed.
“I distinctly remember telling you not to acknowledge me at the mansion. Even talking like this could make that fake suspect.”
“Yes, but my master cannot freely come and go in this mansion, so I had to come.”
He handed her an envelope.
The matriarch’s expression was astonished as she looked at the letter.
‘This is….’
Trembling, she spoke to Xenon.
“Alright, I understand. You may leave now.”
Xenon nodded and began to leave but stopped.
“By the way, I heard you’ve been clashing with the Duchess a lot these days…”
“What about it?”
When he heard the matriarch’s pointed response, Xenon chuckled and spoke.
“If you ever need help, please don’t hesitate to ask. My master will gladly help.”
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Alone in the office, Erich sighed.
‘Since I warned that the Emperor would intervene, the matriarch won’t directly harm her.’
But then, thinking of Cornelia, his face twisted.
‘Why did she behave like that?’
Being skilled in swordsmanship, she could have avoided or intercepted the matriarch’s hand.
However, Cornelia didn’t do that. Instead, she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
As if she were waiting for violence to be inflicted upon her.
Had he not intervened, Cornelia would have received a slap from the matriarch of Blant.
With a ring on the matriarch’s hand, a mistake could leave a mark on her face.
Thinking about it made him feel like his blood was boiling.
‘Why doesn’t she take care of her own body, even though she has a child…’
In the midst of his thoughts, Erich unconsciously clenched his fist tightly.
Soon he chuckled bitterly.
‘How foolish. It would actually be advantageous for me if the child were to disappear…However, I’m concerned about what might happen to the child.’
But there was nothing he could do.
’If something happens to the child, she will…’
<Yes, there’s a child inside me. The child of the person I loved.>
<Don’t shout. If something happens to the child, I will never stand idly by.>
Soon, a pain began to spread in his chest.
Ignoring the pain, he muttered quietly.
“Yes, it’s my responsibility that the child exists. That’s why I must protect it.”
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Is it because if I want to go out, I have to take Janet with me?
For a few days, I stayed in the room without going out.
Even when Janet came to visit, I ordered her not to come unless called, fearing that the matriarch might target her again.
Fortunately, the matriarch did not bother me or Janet for those few days.
‘How strange?’
After calming my head, I realized that her behavior was strange.
‘With her hostile behavior lately, why hasn’t she touched me? She usually can’t stand me. What could be the reason for leaving me alone?’
While pondering this question for a moment…
‘By the way, Xenon’s past seems rather suspicious.’
Although I hadn’t left my room for a few days, I had been in contact with the Information Guild through Sardin.
But the problem was that, until I received the recommendation from Count Schultz, his past seemed really ordinary. It was strange, to the point of being unbelievable.
Xenon demonstrated exceptional strategic talent and quickly became Erich’s aide. It doesn’t make sense that such a person graduated from the academy with average grades, does it?’
He, who used to be an ordinary person, turned out to be a genius tactician.
Such things only happen in novels.
But that wasn’t the only strange thing.
‘His swordsmanship grades at the academy were terrible. It’s a score that one wouldn’t receive unless they were completely incapable of holding a sword….’
Although their appearances were vaguely similar, when looking at Xenon’s past history, there were many aspects that made him feel different from his current self.
‘It’s as if he borrowed the identity of someone else who looked like him.’
