Since the Emperor had given the order, there was no way for Claude to avoid having his blood drawn. In that case, she had no choice but to stop the trial itself.
『 Count Gerturk. Hurry!』
After making a quick decision, Patricia glared at Count Gerturk, who was seated in the audience.
If there were any further delays, she would lose the opportunity to use the installed magicite bombs that she had worked hard to obtain.
The Count nodded and gestured to his subordinate.
However, the expected thunderous roar was not heard.
『 What’s happening… how is everything going? The mages must have received the signal, right?』
Count Gerturk left the audience and headed to the corridor of the courtroom. After confirming again that there was no one around, the Count pressed his subordinate.
“What do you mean, we can’t use the bombs?”
“I apologize, Count. Judging by the severed communication, it appears that the mages were attacked.”
“What?! Attacked?”
The mages that Count Gerturk dispatched throughout the capital today were not just one or two.
There is only one noble family that can subdue so many people and even completely get rid of the magicite bombs.
“Count. Seeing how much you had prepared, it seems like you’re quite anxious.”
Count Gerturk trembled when the heavy voice he had been thinking of unconsciously reached his ears.
Swoosh—
Franz, hiding behind a pillar, used his magic to bind the feet of the Count and his subordinate.
Crushed by the dense force in an instant, they groaned between their teeth. Unable to move, their only resistance was to glare at the Duke of Lexion.
“Count. Do you know what Gerturk’s failure is?”
“…”
“It’s being overconfident, mistaking a bit of luck for skill when you don’t have a single thing right.”
There was one thing that went on without the Gerturks’ knowledge.
“Lexion knows what Gilbert and the mages who accompanied him have been working on with the magicites.”
After Walter bought off Baron Humphrey, pretending to be injured due to Gilbert’s plan, the mages of Lexion secretly roamed around Baron Humphrey’s territory, meticulously recalling the research conducted by those under Patricia’s command.
In the process, it was not difficult to see what Patricia wanted, to condense a huge amount of magic energy into the magicites and detonate them like a bomb.
“It’s too obvious, Count. Trying to destroy the entire capital with magic that you can’t even use well… I guess you were planning to take advantage of the preconceived belief that only Lexion can use such wide-area magic.”
“Ugh…”
“To think that you believed my grandson and I wouldn’t know what came out of your head. There is no misjudgment more wrong than that.”
Franz stepped on Count Gerturk’s hand, who was lying on the floor. Having already subdued his futile resistance, it was now time to go and witness Patricia trapped in a desperate situation.
As the Duke expected, Patricia was unable to hide her nervousness.
『 What on earth is the Count doing?』
According to the plan, by now, there should have been the sounds of chaos and people screaming. However, no matter how much she glanced at the large window, there was no sign of dust clouds or the like.
She realized her plan had gone terribly wrong.
“Your Highness Claude, if you excuse me.”
The imperial doctor, observing proper etiquette, quickly drew Claude’s blood.
Several crystal rods, including spares, were prepared to confirm his lineage.
The doctors placed Claude’s blood on one end of the crystal rod and the Emperor’s blood on the other.
Everyone’s eyes moved from the doctor’s fingertips to the crystal rod, and soon a faint shimmer enveloped it.
Zzing—
However, the blue light was nowhere to be found. A profound silence fell over in an instant.
“The color of the crystal rod is the same, so the result hasn’t been revealed yet?”
“No, that can’t be. There was clearly a light just now. That means…”
“Are you saying that the Imperial Consort has deceived everyone?”
Dozens of pairs of eyes all shifted to Patricia.
“What the…”
With an expression of astonishment, she briskly walked to where the Emperor, the Little Duke of Lexion, and his wife were present, protesting to them.
“This is a ridiculous result, Your Majesty! Please allow us to prepare another crystal rod on our end!”
“Are you suggesting that I had the doctors bring in tampered crystal rods? If it’s a blood test, I’ll have it redone as many times as you want.”
The Emperor’s voice showed no sign of wavering, as if he had already determined which side’s claim was true.
Instead of making excuses, Claude, surrounded by doctors, was shocked by the results and was shaking.
And in the audience seats, there was the Little Duke who resembled Leah Lexion, someone Patricia had envied and despised so much.
『 If things are already irreversibly screwed up…』
Patricia’s eyes lit up like those of a madman as she made a decision.
She reached into her arms and quickly pulled out a dagger. The blade, shimmering with a crimson hue, crafted from magicites, was immediately aimed at Edith.
Swoosh—
Patricia’s charge was fast, as if there was no room for hesitation.
The dagger sliced through the air intending to pierce Edith’s heart at any moment.
“…!”
At that moment, Walter pulled Edith towards him.
Since it was not the attack of someone who had learned swordsmanship, it was not difficult to read the trajectory.
Swish—
The dagger wielded by Patricia never reached Edith. But it managed to cut a slit in Walter’s forearm as he wrapped his arms around her.
A minor injury, bleeding but not life-threatening.
However, Patricia’s body shook as she burst into a sinister laugh. It was a terrible mockery that gave goosebumps to those who saw her.
“Little Duke. Your magic is too much for you to handle, just like your mother’s.”
“…!”
The corners of her mouth gently rose, and at the same time, Walter gritted his teeth.
His heart clenched as if he were falling from a great height, and his vision suddenly spun. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he tried to fight off the dizziness.
His magic which had barely steadied by the efforts of Lexion’s doctors and mages had been disrupted as the blade of a dagger made of magicites pierced his flesh.
Edith was no mage, but she knew instinctively that Patricia had used a trick to encourage Walter’s magic outburst.
“Walter!”
“Ugh…”
“Vane, get someone, now!”
Edith glared at Patricia while barely supporting Walter, who seemed on the verge of losing consciousness at any moment.
Patricia laughed as boisterously as ever, even though her arms were bound by the Emperor’s knights.
“After losing his daughter to a magic outburst, and now his newly found grandson as well, should I say that the Duke of Lexion is also very pitiful?”
As her tearing laughter spread, Claude’s shoulders trembled.
Patricia watched Walter’s exit with a grin on her face in a state restricted by the knights. Only a few minutes after being grazed by the dagger, he had already lost consciousness and could not control his body.
『 Since the blade is filled with sharply honed magical power for attack, it’s only natural.』
Her predictions were accurate.
As Leah’s son, he was also destined to live a terminally ill life as he inherited immense magical powers.
『 If I die like this, I will happily accept the punishment.』
As Patricia stared with bloodshot eyes at the door, someone came into her field of vision. It was the Emperor, with a stern face.
“In the name of Agnas, from this moment forth, I will dethrone Patricia from her position as the Imperial Consort, and the members of House Gerturk who have made a mockery of the Empire and the Imperial Family will face execution.”
“I do not ask for leniency, Your Majesty. I have nothing more to lose.”
Patricia twisted her mouth and looked at the Emperor.
“I may not have gotten everything I wanted, but I achieved some of my desires. My pitiful existence wasn’t in vain without accomplishing anything.”
However, she wondered why the Emperor seemed to be mocking her. Patricia was sick of seeing that face, unable to read his thoughts.
“I don’t see what you’ve gained. Erasing from the world what Leah Lexion, whom you envied so much, left behind?”
“…!”
Patricia froze as if he had read her mind.
The Emperor motioned for an extra crystal rod to be brought in and then smeared one end with Walter’s spilled blood. On the other end, he bit off his fingertip, letting his blood flow.
Zzing—
The crystal rod glowed with a deep blue light that no one could refute.
“What the…!”
Patricia’s eyes shook wildly.
The spectators, who had been confused by the unexpected attack on the Little Duke, also stopped their bustling movements and fixed their gaze on the Emperor.
“Whose blood has reacted with His Majesty’s?”
“The blood that the Little Duke just coughed up…”
“So, does this mean that the Little Duke’s father is the Emperor?”
Every word echoing from all directions pierced Patricia’s chest like daggers.
『 Was Leah Lexion pregnant… with the Emperor’s child?』
The fact that Leah, who already had everything she wanted, rose to a higher position made Patricia more miserable than before.
While she was trying to please the old emperor, Leah had insight into who would take the throne. She really was a woman she didn’t like from start to finish.
Plop, plop. Tears rolled down Patricia’s trembling chin and onto the floor.
The Emperor, still wearing an emotionless expression, spoke.
“Becoming a member of the Imperial Family. To exercise great influence over the entire empire from the highest place. In the end, my son will have everything you wanted.”
Finally, for the first time in her life, Patricia felt like she could read the Emperor’s emotions.
The Emperor’s voice was filled with confidence that Walter would awaken, and he was determined to make sure he did.
At the same time, he felt a tremendous amount of anger at her for trying to harm his son, whom he had so painfully reunited with.
“Since you have been causing such trouble in the name of Claude, you know best how heavy the punishment is for trying to harm the Empire’s only remaining Imperial Descendant.”
“…!”
“Take Patricia Gerturk away.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
