The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead

Chapter 18 Wrong Choice Of Master 

“You came in late yesterday.”

“I was with the Princess.”

The Duke and Duchess of Drea’s brows narrowed subtly at Killion’s honest answer.

The Duke spoke heavily.

“Have you already forgotten what happened at the Hunting Festival? The Crown Prince and the Princess were the ones who attacked you.”

“The crown prince was certainly behind the masked assailants, but not the Princess, for she was attacked while she was with me.”

His voice was firm.

It was impossible for him to doubt Veronia, with whom he had run in fear for his life, with whom he had fallen off a cliff, with whom he had shivered in the cold.

But his parents, unable to learn the details, let out a frustrated sigh.

This time the duchess added a word.

“That’s the imperial trick, my dear, to pretend to give you the princess, only to trap you in the end.”

Killion could argue no further, for it was the imperial method.

The duke and duchess’s anxious conversation about the imperial family continued.

“The current imperial family seems to be a collection of cunning individuals, and I don’t see any part of it that I can trust.”

“That’s true. I hear the southern provinces are in a drought and there’s nothing to eat, and they’re raising taxes even more because of the war, and there’s a lot of backlash.”

“Well, what’s a lord to do if he cuts local taxes, when he’s raising more national taxes.”

Tsk, tsk, the Duke and Duchess clicked their tongues in unison and shook their heads.

“The situation is so bad, yet the imperial palace is holding another banquet, I don’t know what they’re thinking!

“What are you thinking, you don’t have any thoughts at all. It seems that there are signs of civil unrest in the southern provinces… so I’m worried.”

A dark shadow fell over Killion’s face as the word ‘civil unrest’ came out of the Duke’s mouth.

In the time it took for the information to get here, they must have already been organising and making plans.

No, perhaps they had already begun to act.

Seeing the worry in Killion’s eyes, the duke spoke cautiously.

“There is a meeting of Club Glory tomorrow, and you are invited to attend. Isn’t it about time you did?”

“…”

“Especially since we’ll be discussing the situation in the South and the Empire’s great issues, and we need the input of young nobles now more than ever.

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

Killion replied briefly.

Club Glory was a secret society of like-minded high nobles, of which the Duke of Drea was the current president.

Its members were all men of great power, and it was the quickest and most accurate source of confidential information, both foreign and domestic.

Moreover, once a decision was reached, it could be implemented immediately.

Membership in this prestigious group was almost always hereditary.

Thanks to strong confidentiality clauses passed down from generation to generation, no one knew the exact nature of the club unless they were a member.

Rumors abounded, but only in the form of ‘I heard it’ was so.

The Duke and Duchess’s faces brightened as Killion, who had been putting off attending for so long, nodded in agreement.

***

 As the Duke of Drea had said, the mood at this meeting of Club Glory was not one of good cheer.

“There are already reports of civil unrest in the southern provinces, which is why the Marquis and Marquise of Lothra are absent tonight.”

The Marquis of Lothra was the overlord of the Southern Province.

He said he had received a letter saying that he would not be able to attend the meeting in the capital because he was dealing with civil unrest.

“It is time for urgent action,” he said, “for if we dawdle, we do not know when the bombs will go off in other provinces or in the capital.”

“If the current imperial atrocities remain unchecked, it is inevitable that sooner or later the entire empire will be plunged into chaos. We may even lose our country altogether.”

The dynamics of the neighboring countries were also alarming.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Empire of Asnatham went to war in the midst of civil unrest and civil war.

The future of the country was at stake. There were sighs and sighs of frustration everywhere.

In the midst of all the worry about the dire situation, a thought crossed Killion’s mind.

‘I hope this gift is to your liking, Lord Killion. Thank you for your kindness, and I will not forget it.’

Her voice was recorded in the vial Veronia had given him.

Last night, when he shook the vial, he heard Veronia’s voice, along with the tinkling of the magic stone.

He listened to her voice over and over again, because it was so strange and beautiful.

And then she said, ‘Thank you for everything, I won’t forget you… as if she was leaving…’

It was definitely a light and cheerful voice from start to finish.

The content could have been considered a normal greeting.

But it was strange.

The more he listened to her voice in the glass jar, the more he couldn’t help but feel a flutter in the pit of his stomach.

‘What the hell… are you afraid of?’

It was a question he had asked himself many times before.

He had questions, but no answers.

He succeeded in swallowing a sigh, but not in concealing his embarrassment, for the Duke of Langford, seated next to him, asked in a concerned voice.

“Count Drea, are you unwell? You don’t look well.”

“Ah…”

Killion, suddenly aware that several eyes were on him, panicked.

How could he have been so distracted in such an important position?

He was worried about Veronia’s well-being in the palace, when he should be concerned for the people who were crying out in pain.

‘… Pathetic.’

Drying his face, Killion stood up.

“If you’ll excuse me. I’m going to wash my hands for a moment.”

As he walked to the door, Killion thought to himself.

Something must have happened to his head.

Maybe it was the after-effects of war, maybe it was the after-effects of a hunting raid.

***

In Empress Sandra’s chamber, a booming voice rose an octave and echoed throughout the room.

“What, you mean to tell me that the Empress’s dressing is already finished, when it hasn’t even been half an hour since it began, and there are still three hours to go before the banquet begins!”

“Yes, I am afraid so, Your Majesty. The Princess has ordered that the dresses, shoes, and jewelry should be from the wardrobe catalog, and that the make-up should be light and the hair simple.”

“It’s crazy, it’s crazy! She is out of her mind! Oh my. This is finally crazy!”

The elderly maid, who had the report on Veronia’s behavior, ruffled her hair.

So did the other maids who had been working on Sandra’s hair.

They all looked as if they were afraid to start a fire.

“This is no time for this. I must go to the Princess now, and I’ll take this opportunity to mend my ways!”

Sandra leapt to her feet.

She had to make a statement.

Rattling.

The door swung open without a knock, and Sandra burst into the room, exuding a fearsome aura.

Her footsteps were fast and furious.

“Oh my god, what are you doing here so early?”

Veronia asked, her eyes widening in surprise at Sandra’s sudden appearance.

But no answer came out of Sandra’s mouth.

Instead, she walked straight to the handmaidens standing beside Veronia.

She raised her hand in the air and slapped them across the face.

Slap! Slap! Bam!

The faces of the three maids in front of her all turned in the same direction.

Their cheeks quickly swelled red and swollen, scratched by the ring, and soon trickled with blood.

“Do you know the error of your ways!”

“Your Majesty!”

The maids who had been beaten without knowing it bowed their heads and sobbed.

Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Mother, what is this?”

Veronia exclaimed, ready to pounce on Sandra.

But Veronia was immobilised by Sandra’s handmaidens, who stood behind her and held her arms tightly.

“Let go of me! Let go of me!”

Veronia cried out as she twisted and turned, but the force on her arm only increased.

Unable to move, Veronica felt terrible.

Sandra shouted at Veronia’s handmaidens, not even looking in her direction.

“How dare you think that this is some sort of child’s play?”

“Oh, no, Your Majesty!”

“Of course not, Your Majesty!”

The young maids cried, kneeling on the floor.

Blood from the gash on their cheeks dripped, dripped, dripped onto the floor.

“You girls stood idly by while he made the wrong choice. How can you call yourself proper servants, how can you say that you weren’t just playing games!”

A bad choice? What did she do? Oh… of course not. Veronia understand now why the Empress was fussing.

She was blaming her for not taking the time and care to dress for the banquet.

She would not strike the Empress, the face of the imperial family, on the day of the banquet, so she would strike her maids.

‘For that reason alone, you have done this…!’

Veronia glared at Sandra through clenched teeth. Tears welled up in her puffy eyes.

It made her furious to realise that all she could do now was glare.

‘…Take it. You have to suck it up…!’

Veronia exclaimed, her eyes tightly shut.

“I’m so sorry, mother. It’s all my fault, I was careless, I should have been more careful with my make-up for such an important day.”

Sandra’s gaze shifted to Veronia.

Sandra signalled with a shake of her head, and the maids released Veronia’s arm.