‘My goodness, Coral was right. How can such a woman exist?’
But she couldn’t back down after coming this far. She was the one who possessed him. Reminding herself of this fact, Glenoa spoke with even more confidence.
“Coral loves me. He promised me that he has no intention of breaking up with me.”
“Pfft.”
For the first time, there was a reaction from Ashika. It was laughter that seemed both incredulous and perplexed about how to handle the situation.
Ashika had been tense from the moment Glenoa appeared. She wondered if this woman would cause problems. How to avoid scandal in a public place. Whether her behavior might bring shame to her family.
But her tension was short-lived, and now the situation felt like a comedy.
‘I heard she was brazen, but all she comes here to talk about is love.’
Ashika couldn’t hold back her laughter. Glenoa, claiming love with an unfaithful man, seemed like the protagonist of a comedy.
Under that blatant gaze, Glenoa’s face crumpled.
“Is it funny that a woman with nothing is asserting her love? Or does Coral’s promise seem like a lie to you?”
Glenoa emphasized Coral’s name, wanting to stress how intimate they were. But despite her confident tone, her hands gripped her dress tightly. A fierce light shone in Glenoa’s eyes.
Though from a fallen noble family, Glenoa was accustomed to receiving attention. Numerous men had been enchanted by her, whispering love and proposing marriage. After weighing the wealthy and noble sons of the capital, she had chosen Coral.
But when the woman before her burst into laughter, Glenoa felt utterly worthless. It felt as though her desperate clinging was nothing but a joke.
“Is that all you have to say?”
Ashika’s tone remained consistent throughout. She wasn’t looking down on her opponent, nor was she mocking her. But that unwavering, upright attitude felt like an insurmountable wall.
Anger surged up. Glenoa twisted her lips into a smile and took another step closer to Ashika.
“Did you know that Lady Igraine is rumored to be barren?”
For the first time, there was a flicker of emotion in Ashika’s eyes. Satisfied by this, Glenoa continued without hesitation.
“How unbearably repulsive must you be for him to have left you alone during two years of engagement.”
Her whispering voice was still beautiful yet venomous. Ashika blinked slowly and met Glenoa’s gaze.
“Surely you don’t think Lady Schwern is the only woman Lord Oclein has met?”
Although she couldn’t find definitive evidence, it was closer to certainty than mere suspicion.
“I refused him because his lips were filthy from kissing one woman after another. When Lord Oclein touched me, it felt like my flesh was rotting. I wonder how Lady Schwern managed to endure it.”
Vitriol poured from her small lips with an expressionless face.
“That’s…”
Glenoa’s face crumpled miserably. She gritted her teeth, then gripped her dress tightly before releasing it. Her grotesquely distorted face smoothed out as if by magic.
Glenoa took a light breath, then bent toward the seated Ashika and whispered in a much lower voice.
“Fine. You keep your pride. Thanks to that, the child in my womb will be his heir.”
Ashika momentarily lost her words. Even Ashika, who had maintained her composure throughout, couldn’t hide her shock.
Seemingly satisfied with her reaction, Glenoa straightened up and looked down at Ashika triumphantly. The way she gently cradled her lower abdomen seemed like a boast.
Nobles had always valued bloodlines, and this was no exception even for illegitimate children. The higher the nobility, the more obsessed they were with their bloodline. However, nobles were extremely careful about preventing pregnancy with their mistresses because of the dishonor and scandal that would follow.
But the arrogant Coral was inexperienced in such matters. He let his guard down because he had provided the mansion where Glenoa stayed and all the servants.
Coral had spared no expense for Glenoa, and with the jewels she received as gifts, she first won over the maids to her side. It wasn’t difficult to switch out the medicinal tea that she was supposed to drink after their intimate encounters.
Although fallen, Glenoa was still of noble blood. Coral was expected to receive a Count’s title at the very least, so what law said she couldn’t become a Countess?
Moreover, Coral’s whispers in bed had fueled Glenoa’s confidence.
“He says he doesn’t want to touch you with even the tip of his finger. If you want an heir after marriage, you’ll have to find a lover. He said the Igraine family will become a lineage passing from one bastard to another.”
The blood in Ashika’s body turned ice cold. Unlike her shocked face just moments ago, Ashika’s face became rigidly cold.
It was a fact that everyone knew but dared not mention. This statement insulted both Ashika and her deceased father.
Suddenly, Glenoa felt that her words had gone too far. But she quickly dismissed the thought.
‘I have an Oclein child in my womb—what can she do?’
Silence fell between them. Even Jeanne, who had heard everything from close by, didn’t move.
After a while, Ashika slowly rose from her seat. The woman who had seemed small revealed a distinct presence as she stood.
‘What’s with this woman?’
Glenoa hesitated and took a step back.
Ashika remained completely composed, just as when they began their conversation. Her gaze toward Glenoa was strangely cold and calm.
For a very brief moment, a clear emotion flashed in Ashika’s eyes. An excited feeling, like that of a hunter swiftly catching their prey.
“Jeanne.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Subdue this woman.”
A firm command fell from Ashika’s lips.
Before she could understand what was happening, Jeanne approached Glenoa.
“What is this… mph!”
Jeanne covered Glenoa’s mouth and twisted her arm in one motion, forcing her to kneel on the ground. There was not a moment of hesitation in her movements as she subdued her opponent. It was Glenoa’s mistake not to be wary of Jeanne just because she was a woman.
“Mmph, mmph!”
Glenoa struggled to break free from Jeanne’s grip. But at Jeanne’s signal, other guards who had been waiting from a distance rushed over.
Ashika took a step forward and instructed Jeanne.
“Remove your hand.”
“This is illegal! …mmph!”
When Jeanne removed her hand from Glenoa’s mouth, Ashika unhesitatingly stuffed her own handkerchief into Glenoa’s mouth to gag her again.
To Glenoa, who was terrified and unable to even scream, Ashika coldly pronounced:
“You are charged with defamation of a high noble.”
Even as she uttered those words, Ashika’s tone remained even.
“Mmph… mph!”
The daughter of a fallen noble family, little different from a commoner, versus the sole heir of a ducal family. The difference in status was as vast as heaven and earth.
If Glenoa had been properly educated as a noble, she would have known about this overwhelming difference in power. If she had been born a commoner, she wouldn’t have even dreamed of aspiring to such heights.
But her ambiguous noble status and the ambiguous backing of the son of a marquis… the sweet fantasy they encouraged must have been quite tempting.
Ashika looked down at Glenoa and calmly whispered:
“The child in your womb won’t protect you. As a noble, how could you not understand the nature of nobility? If you had just known your place, both you and your child would have been better off.”
Regrettably, Glenoa had rejected even the sympathy she could have received as a woman. It was all her own doing.
Palace knights on patrol belatedly noticed the situation and rushed over. Despite the approach of these large knights, Ashika showed no sign of shrinking back.
“What’s happening, Lady…?”
“The House of Igraine will charge Lady Schwern with defamation of a high noble. However, Lady Schwern is currently pregnant, so we can’t just place her anywhere. We will take her to the Igraine mansion for protection, so please direct any procedural matters to the Duke’s residence.”
“Young Duchess Igraine?”
The knight recognized Ashika’s identity with surprise, and was shocked again to hear that the captured woman was pregnant. A dispute between the Young Duchess Igraine, who was to be married in just two months, and a pregnant lady.
However, in the face of Ashika’s chilling tone, none of the knights dared to say it wasn’t allowed. Confirming that no one was stopping her, Ashika directed her family’s knights.
“Take her to the mansion. Be careful, as she’s pregnant.”
“Mmph! Mph!”
Glenoa desperately resisted being taken away. But a noble lady could not withstand the strength of robust knights.
Ashika, who had already reverted to her usual self, slowly walked toward her carriage.
‘It’s fortunate this isn’t the imperial palace.’
If it had been, she wouldn’t have been able to take someone away like this, almost as if kidnapping them.
The palace knights watched helplessly as Glenoa was essentially carried away. Igraine’s entourage quickly disappeared from view with their prepared carriages.
That day, the fact that the Young Duchess Igraine’s fiancé had a mistress leaked from someone’s lips. And to make matters worse, it was followed with the shocking news that the mistress was pregnant. The rumor spread like wildfire.
It was the first time the Young Duchess Igraine, who had maintained a presence so inconspicuous it was nearly absent, became the talk of the nobility.
