I Ran Away With Obsessive Male Lead's Child

Chapter 23

 

He remained prostrated on the floor, his voice trembling as he spoke.

 

“Your Majesty, I-I saw it clearly. The carriage bearing the royal seal entered the Barté ducal estate. Later, a carriage without any seal definitely headed towards the estate! I swear on everything I have!”

 

Mary closed her eyes tightly at the man’s words.

 

“Please, Your Majesty, believe in Her Majesty. If you don’t believe her, who will?”

 

Mary’s pleading eyes trembled with emotion.

 

“It’s so strange. The Queen said she doesn’t love me.”

 

“….!”

 

Mary’s eyes shook violently.

 

Despite the lack of certainty, the Queen still loved the King. At least, that’s how it appeared to Mary, who had observed them closely. Why would she say she didn’t know as the person involved?

 

“The Queen has never acted in a way that would tarnish her honor. Hasn’t she lived here only to be with you?”

 

He muttered softly. He was too suspicious to trust the changed Mary.

 

“Mary Carter.”

 

“….”

 

“I hate lies.”

 

Her body trembled violently. Yet, she remained silent, her lips tightly sealed.

 

His hand holding the sword hovered in the air. Then, with a sharp sound and a swift motion, red blood splattered on the floor.

 

“Y-Your Majesty, spare m-me. I-I told the t-truth, didn’t I?”

 

The man pleaded in terror.

 

Arden tilted his head slightly, looking down at him.

 

“Yes, you told the truth. Quite audacious to make demands of me, Lord Gevron.”

 

A dry smirk tugged at Arden’s lips.

These scoundrels, they were all the same.

 

With a weary sigh, he swept back his hair and approached the lord with a sense of exhaustion.

 

“Ee, euaaaagh!”

 

The terrified man’s eyes widened in horror, and soon his scream was silenced.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

Leticia, startled by the sudden commotion outside, grabbed the curtains. Eventually, it wasn’t Mary who appeared, but someone else.

 

“Where’s Mary? And why are you here?”

 

“Um, well…”

 

Luna hesitated, tears welling up in her eyes. Behind her, other maids also seemed to be on the verge of tears.

 

Sensing something was seriously amiss, Leticia quickly prepared to go out.

 

“Luna, tell me what happened.”

 

She trembled slightly. Luna’s body shook with fear as she held tightly onto her hands.

 

“T-th-that’s… I don’t know the details. I just heard that from now on, Mary Carter won’t serve in the Queen’s chambers anymore.”

 

“I need to see Her Majesty. It’s absurd for her to make such a decision without informing me.”

 

As Leticia took a step to leave the bedroom, the steward, Serena, appeared. Soon, the knights stood behind her.

 

“From today, Her Majesty will not leave her chambers.”

 

“What is the meaning of this?”

 

“It’s Her Majesty’s command.”

 

Ha!

Her lips involuntarily curled into a sneer.

 

It had seemed strange from the moment Raymond hurriedly summoned Arden without asking for any reasons. Mary’s sudden disappearance must have been related to him.

 

“Could it be…?”

 

Was she summoned to inquire about her visit to the duke’s mansion?

 

If it was Mary, she would never break the pact we made.

 

There was only one answer to why she hadn’t returned.

 

Mary was gone. She was dead. That’s why she couldn’t serve anymore.

 

As this conclusion settled in, Leticia’s hand trembled fiercely. Anger engulfed her, leaving her feeling burnt inside.

 

“Step aside.”

 

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

 

“Weren’t you the stewardess of the queen’s chambers? Seems you’ve forgotten who you serve.”

 

“I serve the queen, but my master is His Majesty the King.”

 

Serena’s firm words made Leticia’s gaze turn fierce.

 

Indeed, she had no allies here. With Mary gone, what was left for her?

 

Clutching her dress tightly, Leticia raised her head and stared directly at the stewardess.

 

“If you don’t step aside, I will punish you severely.”

 

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

 

Serena remained unmoved.

 

She nodded to the maids and then turned to the knights.

 

“Ensure that Her Majesty cannot leave. Her chambers must be kept locked.”

 

“Stewardess!”

 

Leticia’s voice grew louder, but no one paid heed.

 

“If Her Majesty disobeys and leaves, others will suffer. Please, wait until Her Majesty’s anger subsides.”

 

Though Serena’s voice was dry, there was sincerity in her words.

 

Relaxing her clenched fist, Leticia chuckled bitterly.

 

“So, you’re choking me like this. Using others’ lives as leverage…”

 

Leticia raised her head and laughed ruefully.

He was right to think that he had changed. What had he expected, deceiving himself over and over again?

 

“I have something to say to His Majesty, so please convey my request to him. If he does not listen, I will act as I see fit.”

 

“…Understood.”

 

Shin Yejang nodded slightly and closed the door.

 

In this vast palace, she became like a bird trapped in a cage.

 

Whether her threat had been effective or not, Leticia emerged from her room and headed to the audience chamber with the knights.

 

With people flanking her on both sides and behind, it looked like she was being escorted like a criminal. Eventually, they arrived at the audience chamber, where the door opened, and Leticia entered.

 

Her lips trembled slightly at the faint smell of blood that brushed her nose.

 

Leticia took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure.

 

Lifting her head to face Arden directly, she approached the platform.

 

“Please, everyone else, step back. I wish to speak with His Majesty alone.”

 

Without saying a word, it seemed they all knew what had happened here.

 

She trembled all over, trying to stand firm.

 

If she had known it would come to this, she should have told him everything. If she had, this situation might not have arisen.

 

“…No, that couldn’t be. It might have been too drastic.”

 

Arden wouldn’t do that.

 

He wasn’t the kind of person to take someone’s life lightly. So, before this unease creeping up from his toes devoured him, he needed to make sure.

 

Arden’s blue eyes shifted to the knights behind Leticia.

 

With just one look, they all left the audience chamber.

 

Soon, silence fell.

 

“I wasn’t getting carried away.”

 

In the face of a changed situation, she should not have acted hopeful without realizing it.

 

She closed her eyes, then opened them again, choosing her breath carefully. Then, she met Arden’s gaze once more.

 

His empty blue eyes were silent. The unwavering gaze, devoid of any tremor, didn’t waver from her. His neatly dressed figure, untouched by disorder, and the blood-stained sword placed beside him seemed contrasting.

 

Arden didn’t say a word. He just stared into her golden eyes. He tilted his head slightly and clenched his jaw.

 

In the empty audience chamber, the two faced each other. The passage of time around them felt slow, suffocating.

 

It was Leticia who broke the silence first.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

However, Arden raised his hand, interrupting her words. His straight blue eyes remained fixed on her without any tremor.

 

“Whether it’s an excuse or a lie, just say it. I’ll listen to anything. But you should think carefully.”

 

“…The things I want to say are neither excuses nor lies.”

 

Leticia lowered her head.

 

Soon, he chuckled and leaned back in his chair, then stood up, his long legs stretching as he descended from the platform. The sound of his boots echoed in the audience chamber.

 

“They say the carriage that left the ducal estate without a crest soon entered the ducal estate.”

 

Arden stood beside Leticia in no time. He was within arm’s reach. Without hesitation, he lifted her chin up with his hand.

Leticia responded obediently to his touch.

 

“Speak. Is that man your lover?”

 

“…No.”

 

“Did you deceive me every time, going to the ducal estate and frolicking with him?”

 

“I swear by the honor of the royal family, I never acted dishonorably.”

 

Leticia lowered her head.

 

She didn’t avoid his burning blue eyes as she spoke.

 

But even this time, he wouldn’t believe her words.

 

If he had trusted her in the first place, she wouldn’t have acted like this.

 

She struggled to suppress the mockery that threatened to escape her lips. And finally, she admitted once again.

 

That their relationship couldn’t change.

 

“Karen. He didn’t have a name or any information about his lineage.”

 

“….”

 

It was expected.

 

He wasn’t from the Brivent Kingdom.

 

She didn’t know where to start with him. Even if she spoke, she wasn’t sure if he would believe her words.

 

How could she trust someone who came out like this, just listening to the words of others, without knowing who pushed them?

 

There was no trust between her and him.

 

“Even if I say no, will you believe me?”

 

At Leticia’s words, Arden released her chin. Then he firmly grasped her shoulders and said,

 

“At least make an effort.”

 

“Didn’t you already decide on the answer you wanted to hear?”

 

“Leticia Levrater.”

 

Flames sparked in his eyes once again.

 

He never held onto her hand every time. He was eager to let go.

 

Arden closed his ears and hoped that only what he believed was the truth.

 

‘Will everything end if you give me the answer I want to hear?’

 

With a resigned expression, Leticia looked at him and said,

 

“…Arden, I hate you so much.”

 

“….”

 

“Say the answer you want. I’ll say it just like that.”

 

“Say no.”

 

Arden said, gripping her shoulders tightly and burying his face in them.

 

“That’s the only answer I’ve decided on.”

 

It was a gentle voice, as if saying he would forgive everything if she said just that. Leticia stared at him for a moment with bated breath.

 

He might forgive her, but Leticia couldn’t forgive herself.

 

Her eyes, emptied even of small hopes, suddenly reached out and gently brushed his cheek.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Arden’s face wrinkled at her affectionate yet sweet voice. She spoke as if she would give him the answer he wanted. When Arden’s blue eyes softened even more.

 

“No. That man and I are truly not what you think.”

 

“….”

 

He held her shoulders tightly and lowered his head to bury his face.

 

“Alright, that’s enough.”

 

A lie.

 

He still didn’t believe her. If she returned to her room like this, he would probably confine her, not letting her take a single step out.

 

As Leticia lightly brushed Arden’s golden hair with her hand, she said,

 

“I want to sleep with Your Majesty tonight.”

 

At her words, Arden’s head lifted.

 

This was her only chance. Today might be the last day she could escape from him.