Chapter 67
Orbo was not an easy opponent. Without batting an eye, she said everything she had to say before leaving the reception room.
“Even Your Majesty will have to admit it. This mess happened because someone unsuitable was seated in that position! Do you really not know why Her Majesty the Queen left? You must have glared at her with those cold eyes every day. You never told her you loved her, nor did you show her any affection. Do you think I don’t know you? I’ve observed you from afar since childhood. Admit it! Her Majesty the Queen left because she didn’t love you! And isn’t it strange for you to act like this now, even though you didn’t love her either?”
She spoke relentlessly, her voice filled with indignation. To some, this might seem fearless, but Arden had no intention of killing her. He detested complications more than anyone else.
However, unlike his usual self, he stared at her with eyes filled with murderous intent. The deadly aura emanating from him made Orbo’s fine hairs stand on end.
“I don’t care if I die! My feelings for you, Your Majesty, will never change. Why wasn’t it me? If it had been me, things wouldn’t have gone so awry! Who cares about some insignificant sleep!”
Tears streamed down Orbo’s face as she bit her lip. Arden, standing by the door, watched Orbo trembling and crying before rising from his chair. The sound of his shoes striking the hard marble floor filled the reception room. Unconsciously, she swallowed dryly. Though she had spoken boldly, she wasn’t without fear. To suppress her trembling, she tensed her entire body and stood firm.
Arden stopped in front of the door and said:
“If I stay here, I might tear your mouth apart, so I’ll leave instead. Lady Orbo Belita, you’d better not set foot in the palace again. If you value your life, consider this my final warning.”
His blue eyes gleamed coldly. This truly was his last warning. His patience had worn thin, and he was itching for someone to cross the line.
“This is undoubtedly Her Majesty the Queen’s handwriting.”
Raymond tried not to recall the contents he had read, but the shocking nature of the letter etched it into his mind.
After meeting Orbo, the king had summoned him and the head lady-in-waiting to read a letter and confirm if it was written by the queen. He compared it with his memories.
Leticia’s handwriting was unmistakably elegant and meticulous, exuding grace. The slight curve at the end of her letters was a distinctive trait.
“…It is indeed Her Majesty the Queen’s handwriting.”
Serna also confirmed with a grim expression.
The handwriting was identical, leaving no room for denial. Even though the king didn’t want this answer, lying could cost them their lives. While he might not actually execute them, the current king was more than capable of imposing a severe punishment.
‘So it really was Leticia who wrote the letter.’
Arden gave a faint, bitter smile at their words. Even when trying to think optimistically, his thoughts spiraled to the worst. Stories he hadn’t seen or heard began to swell in his mind.
Pressing his temple with his fingers, he furrowed his brows. The headache that had taken root wouldn’t go away. Even the nightmares that plagued him nightly had changed.
Instead of dreaming of the brother who had tormented him, he now dreamed of Leticia turning her back and leaving him. Her face showed no lingering attachment, and she never looked back. He often woke up reaching out to grab her.
While getting some sleep was a relief, for Arden, nothing had truly changed.
“How did Lady Orbo come into possession of this letter?”
“She claims the letters Her Majesty sent never reached their destination. Apparently, something went awry, and in the end, she was abandoned by the man who might have been her child’s father. Whoever that scum is, I don’t know.”
“…Didn’t she claim she didn’t know who he was?”
“Red eyes.”
Arden gritted his teeth at the mention of red eyes. There was no chance that the story about Karen had leaked outside. Since the matter had been handled within the palace, the mere fact that Orbo knew about it was proof enough.
Still, he couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling.
“Her actions in the palace make it hard to believe it was the emperor.”
“I agree. If I recall, Her Majesty the Queen seemed to regard the emperor even more favorably than Your Majesty. Didn’t the two of you even act like a harmonious couple to deceive the emperor? It doesn’t make sense for her to have borne the emperor’s child after going to such lengths.”
Arden agreed with Raymond’s assessment. He, too, didn’t believe she had the emperor’s child. If that were the case, the emperor would have acted blatantly to claim Leticia for himself.
“It seems there’s a rat in the palace. Find them. And trace the funds of the Belita family. Look into where they’ve spent a significant amount of money recently.”
“I’ll get on it immediately. Should we also send someone to the Empire?”
“It’s unlikely, considering the current silence.”
Arden suddenly thought of Arserion. The pope, who had unexpectedly come to bless the queen, crossed his mind. He also recalled frequently seeing Cardinal Cavita meeting with her late at night.
“It seems I’ve overlooked something.”
“Pardon?”
“Arserion. We’ll need to send a secret missive there.”
“…But isn’t that also part of the Empire?”
“Send it directly to the papal seat. Discreetly and swiftly.”
Raymond left the office immediately to dispatch the letter. Arden, left alone in the empty room, stared at the letter before crumpling it and throwing it into the trash. The sharp, stabbing pain in his chest seemed to intensify, becoming more unbearable than before.
Leticia eventually collapsed, as if her poor health had finally caught up with her. Her body burned with fever, and every exhale felt hot. Though Cavita held her hand and tried to channel strength into her, it only provided temporary relief.
“I’ll find medicine that won’t harm the child.”
“…I’m fine. If I just rest for a while, I’ll get better. You don’t need to…”
She couldn’t even finish her sentence. Her pounding headache made her instinctively close her eyes tightly. Clenching her teeth did nothing to alleviate the pain. Despite being under a blanket, chills ran through her body, making her curl up for warmth.
“I didn’t expect you to get this sick while His Holiness was away. Why are human bodies so frail? Tsk.”
Though Cavita grumbled, he never stopped wiping her sweat. Leticia found it both curious and uncomfortable how casually he treated her, even as a man. The priest who had guided her here had claimed he was too busy to come, leaving Cavita to stubbornly take over as her caretaker.
“If my presence as a man bothers you, I can appear as a spirit. In that form, you can’t even tell if I’m male or female.”
“…What does that even mean? I already know you’re a man.”
“Does that matter? You don’t seem too sick, judging by how quick you are to retort!”
Cavita shook his head, placing a cool, damp cloth on her forehead.
“Rest well. You’ll recover faster if you sleep. You think too much about unnecessary things. Why complicate things? Just focus on what makes you happy.”
His tone conveyed frustration.
“If it’s really hard, should I call that guy you don’t like but who’s incredibly skilled?”
“No, thank you.”
The thought alone was unbearable. As soon as Leticia thought of Eren, the headache she’d briefly shaken off came rushing back. It felt unfair that his unnaturally robust health had left her in this state.
When she arrived at Arserion drenched from the rain, she’d thought she might fall ill—and she was right. Once the tension in her body eased, the symptoms hit her all at once. What had been keeping her from collapsing earlier was likely Eren’s strength and Cavita’s care.
She felt a deep sense of futility in the situation that seemed to offer no improvement.
‘I can’t let this continue. I need to meet with the pope and have a proper conversation. I need answers—what he’s thinking and what he’s hiding from me.’
Both Cavita and the pope seemed to want her happiness, as if it were their duty. She couldn’t understand their insistence. The only connection between them was her missing mother. Her thoughts spiraled endlessly, hoping that if she kept unraveling the questions, she might finally solve the problem.
However, her worries continued to grow, and her anxiety gnawed away at her. She kept telling herself that things would improve with time, that better days were ahead. She tried to comfort herself and hold onto hope, but the reality she faced remained harsh and unyielding.
“Ah…!”
Once again, she felt pain in her lower abdomen.
