“The Emperor didn’t call Edith in because he had other feelings for her, right?”
Patricia asked Elizabeth, who was following behind her. The walk, intended to calm her anger, only tangled her thoughts further.
Elizabeth inwardly suppressed a laugh and responded.
“Well… I don’t really know. Viscount Fortrion spent a lot of money to buy her, even though he didn’t see Edith’s appearance first.”
The nervousness in her answer made Patricia even more distressed.
It hadn’t occurred to her that Elizabeth was trying to get under her skin.
“Well, considering that she seduced the Little Duke of Lexion, it shouldn’t be difficult to catch the Emperor’s eye.”
Edith naturally attracted the attention of other women as well. Her seemingly innocent yet determined eyes and stubborn lips were unforgettable; once you saw them, it was hard to forget.
She was a woman with an overall light complexion that made her seem infinitely gentle when she smiled, but it also made you wonder what she had in mind.
Moreover, upon close observation, Patricia realized that Edith was not a soft-hearted person who could be easily bullied. Not at all.
『 No way, it can’t be. If the Emperor had any interest in women, he would have made it known long ago.』
Patricia chose to believe in Agnas XIV’s ruthless nature, fully aware of what the women who smiled at him were subjected to.
However, after she had finally calmed down, a man she never wanted to face appeared in front of her.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I wonder if you have been well.”
“… Little Duke of Lexion.”
It was Walter who had been wandering around in the nearby garden because he had not heard that Edith was in the Health Bureau.
Their gazes locked in mid-air. Surprisingly, it was Elizabeth who was nervous.
『 Nicholas Fortrion… How did that bastard think of imprisoning a man like that in his manor?』
He had filed a lawsuit demanding proof of Claude’s lineage and the legitimacy of the Imperial Consort, and now he was casually asking if everything had been uneventful.
Even when he was held captive as a stableman, she remembered vividly how he repeatedly caused significant injuries and losses to Nicholas Fortrion. However, within the palace walls, Walter had no intention of backing down.
It was no wonder that Patricia, who never batted an eye at the slightest provocation, was so agitated.
“I think things would have been better if your family hadn’t filed a lawsuit. Are you still mad at me because of what Gilbert did on his own?”
“I wouldn’t think so. Haven’t you done even worse things?”
A momentary shadow fell over Walter’s face, which had been smiling, teetering on the edge of mockery and respect.
“I’m simply expressing my dissatisfaction since you took my wife as a servant.”
“…”
“Where is she now? I think it’s past time to get off work.”
Lexion’s magic read his master’s will and heavily oppressed the surroundings. Patricia realized at once that he was not joking.
“Little Duke, not just anyone can become a lady-in-waiting to the highest-ranking woman of the Imperial Palace. Besides…”
A twisted smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“If it were Lady Edith, she is taking a walk alone with the Emperor. His Majesty summoned her as she was working, making my medicine in the Health Bureau.”
Patricia looked at Walter’s slightly distorted eyebrows. It was a bit comical that someone so bold as to dare to file a lawsuit against the Imperial Family would react to every single thing about his wife.
“Then you go ahead; I’m sure you’re wondering what conversation is going on between the two of them right now.”
“…”
Walter said in a mocking tone and immediately walked away. Patricia found everything about him annoying.
“Elizabeth. Didn’t you say that the Little Duke worked as a stableman for a long time?”
“I… I don’t know if he worked, but he did spend a long time not knowing his own lineage.”
“After so many years in the capital, I have become accustomed to Lexion’s arrogance.”
Patricia smirked as she watched his graceful demeanor as if saying that he had already forgotten the past hardships.
Leah Lexion.
Walter was undoubtedly the son of that woman. Even though he didn’t inherit the family’s signature golden eyes, the eyes that looked at her and the strange contempt they contained were the same as his mother’s.
Suddenly, Patricia remembered the day when she ran into Leah by chance at the Imperial Palace.
It was late at night. For some reason, Leah was walking from the direction of the imperial training hall. She, who had been the most prominent woman in society since her debutante, shone even more beautifully in the night.
Her cheeks were slightly tinged with pink. And the corners of her eyes held an unintentional smile.
Leah, who was in love, was truly beautiful to the point of being enchanting.
Patricia, on the other hand, felt so plain.
As soon as Patricia came of age, she tried everything to catch the eye of the Emperor, with the sole intention of lifting her family’s status.
Patricia, pretending to love him, supported the uncomfortable Emperor in his movements, who was having difficulty moving around. People pointed their fingers at her, saying she had no sense of shame while watching her act.
Leah Lexion, who could share her feelings with whoever she was with, already had a lifetime of shame and self-loathing dominating her entire being.
『 I thought God might be a little fair since Princess Leah was terminally ill and died young.』
The fact that she lived and walked around fine for several years and even gave birth to a son was so annoying to her.
As long as the blood of Lexion is passed down, the contempt and pity that Leah showed her that night will continue.
『 Anyway, if the current emperor dies, only Claude and I will be left among the Imperial Family. Then, starting with Lexion…』
Patricia repeated these thoughts like a mantra, calming her dizzying thoughts.
──────────✿◦•
“Shit. Didn’t Edith say that His Majesty is her ideal type?”
Walter asked, walking with as wide a stride as the tailoring of his clothes would allow. Cassius answered, following him.
“Well, she mentioned that she finds him attractive, but I don’t remember her saying that he’s her ideal type.”
“That’s the thing.”
Walter thought to himself that he should have come earlier and stopped the damn Emperor from flirting with his new bride.
He didn’t know if it was jealousy or self-blame that kept simmering, but he couldn’t help it.
It was Edith who asked him to investigate Rosaline, Patricia’s former lady-in-waiting.
“Cassius. Report immediately when that woman and her baby have recovered their strength.”
“It will still take two days. She seemed like she hadn’t eaten properly, probably due to running away. Seeing as she fainted as soon as she was moved to the safety of the Lexion annex, it seems like she has finally relaxed a bit.”
“Still, she should be able to testify in a day or so.”
Rosaline had fainted. But Walter could instinctively sense that her plea to spare her life would become a piercing blade against Patricia.
It was a bit annoying to have come late to pick up Edith while trying to find out about that fact.
“Ah, Walter. You’re here?”
Besides, Edith’s mood was strangely different, a little subdued, after being alone with the Emperor.
After forcefully kicking Cassius out of the carriage, who was trying to get on the carriage with him, Walter spoke to Edith.
“It looks like M’lady seems to be lost in thought.”
“No, not at all. No thoughts whatsoever.”
Edith tried to sound calm, but her answer only confused Walter further.
“I heard you took a walk alone with the Emperor.”
“Yes. I’ll tell you about it later. I’m a little tired right now…”
Edith leaned on Walter’s shoulder and pretended to sleep. Because there was nothing she could tell him right now.
『 If it turns out that the paternity test results show no connection, despite having stolen the Emperor’s blood, it will be disappointing.』
Now, it was not just a matter of finding or not finding his biological father.
Walter’s magical power was unstable even at this moment. The urgent priority is to find his father’s blood to calm down his outburst as quickly as possible.
If, in this situation, the Emperor’s blood proved negative, Walter’s disappointment would be indescribable.
Edith decided to figure out the results on her own first, and as soon as she arrived at the Lexion Manor, she headed to Theos alone.
“Theos. Can you give me a sample of Walter’s blood?”
“What? The Little Duke’s blood?”
Although it was a somewhat questionable request, Theos knew that Edith would not do anything that would harm him.
“Here it is, M’lady.”
“Thank you. I’ll use the lab alone for a moment.”
Theos’ laboratory was equipped with a space for simple experiments. Edith closed the door and opened the box where the magic tools were stored.
As finding Walter’s father was an urgent priority, there were various types of paternity detection magic tools that the vassals had ordered in advance.
『 No matter what the results are, it’s better than not knowing anything.』
Edith carefully placed the stolen emperor’s blood on one end of the magic tool. Then, the moment Walter’s blood sample was dropped on the other side.
Zzzzing—
With a violently intense reaction never seen before, the results were instantly displayed.
“… Oh, my God.”
Edith’s entire body lost strength, and she stumbled, so she supported herself by leaning on the desk.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
