Everyone looked at Jerald with surprise.
No one expected the emperor to show up at the annual meeting of the princess. It was unexpected.
“I see the sun of the empire, the emperor.”
“I see the father of Limburg, the one and only master.”
Temporarily taken aback by the unexpected appearance, everyone stood up and paid their respects to Jerald.
And Claret, last of all, stood up from her seat and asked in a bewildered voice.
“What brings you here…”
“Someone is here, so I came to see her.”
The identity of that “someone” was unclear. However, Pristin sensed that it referred to her. It was because Jerald’s gaze was directed towards her when he said those words.
Pristin bit her lips unconsciously.
“I came to see what the commotion was. What happened?”
“Somebody insulted my friend, and I got angry and raised my voice.”
“Friend?”
Upon hearing that, Jerald now openly made eye contact with Pristin.
“You mean Lady Pristin?”
“Yes, Brother.”
“Who insulted her?”
“Lady Gennant—”
“Your Majesty, I certainly did not insult Pristin of the Lamont family!”
At the appearance of the emperor, Tanya blocked Claret’s words in a bewildered voice.
However, Claret shot Tanya a disapproving look and concluded what she was going to say.
“Lady Gennant framed Lady Lamont as a swindler! She accused her of pretending to be a noble and roaming around as a fraud, saying that how could a noble live in a place like exile.”
“…Is that so?”
His tone became quieter and slower than before. Pristin realized from his demeanor that he was now angry. When he was upset, Jerald had a habit of lowering and stretching out his voice.
“Your Majesty, that’s not true. I was just reasonably suspicious for the sake of the honor of the royal family…”
“You are unbelievably arrogant, Lady Gennant.”
In a voice just as low as before, Jerald asked coldly.
“Who dare allow questioning the emperor’s decisions?”
“Your Majesty, I was just…”
“Do you still not understand the situation?”
Jerald cut off Tanya’s words and spoke with a sharp voice.
“In my opinion, the lady seems to be greatly dissatisfied with my decision to grant Lady Lamont a palace.”
“No, Your Majesty, I swear it’s not…”
“Do you think it matters whether Lady Lamont is truly noble or not? I granted her a palace as a token of gratitude for assisting the princess during her exile and saving her life. You are mistaken if you think whether she is a noble or a commoner is of any importance.”
“But, Your Majesty, impersonating a noble is a serious crime.”
“That’s exactly it.”
Seemingly reaching the limit of his patience, Jerald asked Tanya in a chillingly low voice.
“Even so, who is the princess to suspect so presumptuously?”
And the moment she heard that question, Tanya realized, almost too late, that she had crossed a line. She tried to close her mouth with a belated realization of her mistake, but it was already too late.
“Is the princess doubting my judgment?”
“…”
“Am I serving as such an incompetent and inadequate ruler?”
In Jerald’s voice as he spoke those words, both anger and displeasure could be felt. The nobles present in the room swallowed their dry saliva and only watched the reaction of the emperor.
Doubting the decision made by the emperor in such a careless manner was not loyalty as a subject, but rather disloyalty. To prevent any unnecessary spark, everyone remained silent and observed the situation.
“I have clearly realized today that there are so many fools in this world.”
Jerald stared at Tanya with a contemptuous look in his eyes as he spoke.
“I shall grant the title of Countess to Lady Lamont.”
“Your Majesty!”
Tanya exclaimed in astonishment.
“Granting a title is not something to be done so casually…!”
“You are just like your father.”
Jerald interrupted Tanya’s words with a cynical expression on his face.
“I find it chilling how much you resemble your father in constantly opposing what I’m trying to do.”
“Your Majesty…”
“You have no idea how much your father opposed the decision to grant Camer Palace to Lady Lamont.”
He continued with a snort.
“And what kind of etiquette is it to talk back to the princess?”
“Your Majesty, you misunderstand.”
“I can’t seem to grasp where the misunderstandings begin and end.”
Jerald asked Tanya sternly, with an unchanging expression.
“Where do you think I’ve heard everything from?”
Tanya’s body tensed at his words, realizing that Jerald had been listening to everything from the very beginning, despite entering the scene late.
Caught off guard, Tanya only managed to nervously bite her lip in response. Jerald, who had been silently observing her, suddenly started walking towards her.
Tanya flinched and froze, wondering why he was approaching her so abruptly. After a moment, Jerald slowly leaned in, his lips near Tanya’s ear.
To any onlooker, it might have seemed like a deeply romantic gesture, but everyone involved knew that this was far from the case in the current situation.
It was merely Jerald getting closer to her to deliver a warning that should not be overheard by others.
“If every woman in this world were to disappear, leaving only you,”
“…”
“I would never choose to marry you, Lady Gennant. Let me be clear here today.”
With those words, Jerald straightened his posture, showing no signs of emotion, and turned away from Tanya. Pristin wondered what Jerald had said to her, but from the look of Tanya’s expression, it did not appear that he had said anything good.
Tanya trembled as if she had just heard a deeply humiliating remark, her eyes filled with silent anger.
“Lady Pristin.”
Then she heard Jerald calling her. Pristin, who was absent-minded for a moment, looked at Jerald with a surprised look.
He was looking at Pristin with a gentle expression, as if he had never had all kinds of negative emotions on his face.
As someone who had witnessed all the different expressions he had shown before, Pristin was completely taken aback by this extreme contrast.
“I have something to say to you. Come with me for a moment.”
With those words, Jerald left the reception room.
Left behind, Pristin thought about what to do with a bewildered expression, and eventually sent a greeting with her eyes to the princess and then left the drawing-room.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Jerald kept walking. Pristin followed Jerald.
“Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Your Majesty.”
There was no answer to the call. Jerald continued to walk forward as if he were trying to get out of there.
It was only when Jerald reached a secluded garden, far away from the palace, that he finally came to a stop.
Pristin halted her steps as well, standing in line with him.
Suddenly, Jerald turned around and locked his gaze onto Pristin. The coldness that had been present in his eyes earlier seemed to have disappeared. Instead, his eyes were slightly bloodshot, appearing red.
Pristin called him with a bewildered look on her face at the unexpected appearance of weakness.
“…Your Majesty.”
“I’m sorry.”
At the apology, Pristin was overwhelmed with emotion for a moment.
“What?”
“…”
“For what?”
“…I should have granted you your rightful position from the beginning, not the palace.”
“…Is that why Your Majesty feels sorry for me?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Pristin waited for him to continue, but there was only silence between them. She wondered what could be going through Jerald’s mind that made him apologize to her in such a heartfelt manner.
After hearing his response, Pristin was at a loss for words. She could understand why he felt sorry for her, but that wasn’t the reason she had hoped for. A fragment of a past memory flashed in Pristin’s mind, and she swallowed back the bitterness.
‘I can’t believe you’re sorry for this.’
Then, she couldn’t help but wonder how much more remorse he would feel once he knew the whole truth.
If there was an emotion beyond simply feeling sorry, he would probably experience that towards her. An emotion that couldn’t be adequately expressed with just an apology. Pristin unknowingly bit her lip as she imagined scenarios that hadn’t yet unfolded, and perhaps never would.
‘As expected, I can’t reveal it.’
She couldn’t reveal it. What he did to her.
Pristin felt her voice stifled as she mustered the words through her suppressed anger.
“Just for something like that…”
“It’s not just something.”
Jerald reacted sensitively.
“You were humiliated.”
“It was something I expected.”
Pristin retorted calmly.
“I already told you, I am a fallen noble.”
“…”
“Did you really expect me to be seen favorably in society? Because I took care of the princess in exile and saved her life? Of course not!”
She paused for a moment as her emotions continued to rise, then continued in a slightly less agitated tone.
“Even if I had saved her life, I would still be an irredeemable fallen noble in their eyes. That fact remains unchanged.”
“That’s why I’m saying I was wrong.”
In a voice that didn’t match the content of his words, Pristin sensed a tone of pity and helplessness.
It reminded her of a pet that had done something wrong and was seeking approval from its owner.
Unconsciously, Pristin clenched her fist.
Why do you keep feeling sorry for me?
It’s as if you’re preventing me from fully hating you.
