Chapter 76
Those who had gone out into the courtyard and were now re-entering the hall shuddered, saying they had seen something utterly disgraceful.
That small whispering stirred the curiosity of those inside the hall. Everyone turned their eyes toward the door that connected to the inner courtyard, wondering what had happened.
Unable to resist their curiosity, people began to gather one by one. Though they claimed they couldn’t even bring themselves to speak of it, their tongues wagged freely.
Completely unaware that Lady Mares was right beside them, they expressed sympathy for her plight.
At first, Elicia paid little attention, but since her own name kept surfacing in people’s mouths, she became increasingly uneasy about what had occurred outside.
“Really? That’s the kind of man he is—throwing away his fiancée just because she fell ill.”
“Lady Mares did well to break off the engagement with such a libertine.”
“Indeed. I’ve heard she may not appear often in society, but she’s truly a virtuous young lady.”
As their chatter tickled Elicia’s ears, a loud commotion broke out near the door leading from the courtyard.
Having been caught in a disgraceful scene, Gustavo was livid. He had carefully built his image until now, only for it all to collapse in a single moment.
And he blamed Leticia for it all.
If only she hadn’t rushed, he would have taken her to a safe place he knew, and none of this would have happened. No one would have seen them like that.
“Filthy mess I’ve gotten tangled in.”
Gustavo coldly shoved Leticia away.
The woman who had driven him mad with lust only moments ago no longer seemed alluring. She was no longer a bundle of charm but a burdensome nuisance.
Adjusting his disheveled clothes, Gustavo left without waiting for her. Everyone nearby had already scattered.
Exposed in the most humiliating way a woman could be, Leticia wanted nothing more than to hide.
She resented Gustavo for abandoning her, but when she saw him walking away, desperation took over.
Having fallen to the very bottom, she had no option but to cling to Gustavo. Hastily fixing her appearance, she rushed after him.
“Let’s go together, Gustavo.”
“Together? Don’t follow me—just go your own way.”
“My way is by your side.”
Even as he pushed her away, Leticia trailed after him, speaking playfully, trying to keep his attention.
But his pace was too fast, and by the time she caught up, they had reached the entrance to the hall.
She grabbed his arm and clung to him.
“Gustavo, you’re walking too fast. I can’t keep up.”
“Let go! Who told you to follow me?”
Already seething with rage, her tugging was like pouring oil on fire.
“Why are you acting like this? We were so happy just now.”
“Happy? You ruined everything!”
“What did I ruin?”
“My image! Do you know what it cost me to build it?”
Losing all reason, Gustavo lashed out thoughtlessly.
“You’re so cruel! You used to say I was adorable!”
“That’s expired. Now I can’t even stand the sight of you!”
Her clinging only infuriated him more, and he roared at her, oblivious to the crowd gathering around them.
Leticia, realizing all eyes were now upon them, broke into pitiful sobs.
“H-how could you! I believed you when you said you loved me… I gave you everything…”
“You enjoyed it too, didn’t you? That should be enough.”
“Are you saying… you never loved me?”
“Love you? Never. You disgust me!”
Her desperate clinging felt like a leech; he recoiled in revulsion.
But the more he rejected her, the more she sobbed and clung like a tragic heroine.
Instinct told her that if she failed to secure him now, all her efforts would vanish into nothing. Worse, her face was already recognized—her chances of making another good marriage were gone.
“I gave you everything… What am I supposed to do now, sob… sob…”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Sleeping together a few times doesn’t wear you out.”
Compared to the ruin of his image, Leticia’s grievance meant nothing to him. She was only a tool to vent his frustrations whenever Elicia or Delina humiliated him.
The more Gustavo raged, the more Leticia wept bitterly, dramatizing her role.
“Don’t ever come near me again. Don’t even dare greet me!”
With that, Gustavo turned sharply to leave.
But as he stepped forward, he froze.
At the hall’s entrance stood the Emperor and Empress, surrounded by a crowd.
“Y-Your Majesty… Your Imperial Majesties…”
“What is this commotion?”
The Emperor’s voice made Gustavo glance back. Leticia was sitting on the floor, sobbing miserably.
“Th-this is…”
“From what I hear, Lord Verato seems to have done something that requires him to take responsibility for this young lady…”
“That’s not true, Your Majesty! I never did anything requiring responsibility!”
At the Empress’s words, Gustavo jumped in denial. To him, sleeping with a woman a few times hardly called for “responsibility.”
The Empress frowned slightly and gestured for him to step aside.
When he did, Leticia was exposed at the center of the scene, like the star of some melodrama. The more attention she drew, the louder her sobbing became.
“Raise her up.”
At the Empress’s command, two ladies-in-waiting helped Leticia to her feet.
“To which house does this young lady belong?”
“Hicc… Your Majesty… I am Leticia of the Beck viscounty.”
“Beck?”
The Empress’s tone sharpened as she turned to look behind Leticia—straight at Elicia.
Caught in the Empress’s gaze, Elicia awkwardly nodded.
Leticia’s desperate display to cling to Gustavo was so shameful it made onlookers flush with secondhand embarrassment.
“Coveting what wasn’t hers, she’s fallen to the mud at last.”
Watching Leticia lose all reason and dignity, even mockery felt pointless.
“So, a Beck young lady…”
“Your Majesty, I… I… hicc…”
Leticia buried her face in her palms and wept again.
The Empress’s lips curled with cold amusement.
“How just like her mother she behaves.”
Now that her identity was revealed, the whispers began again.
“Beck… Isn’t she the one living in the Mares household?”
“Oh heavens, yes—Leticia Beck!”
“My goodness! She was carrying on with Lady Mares’s fiancé?”
“How ungrateful—repaying kindness with betrayal.”
“No wonder Lord Verato abandoned his ailing betrothed.”
All the murmurs were scornful.
Any ordinary person would have been mortified, but not Leticia.
Since Gustavo had never truly loved Elicia, she saw no wrongdoing in herself. Though she longed to curse back at those insulting her, she restrained herself. Securing Gustavo was more important.
“My only crime was believing him when he said he loved me, sob…”
Leticia pressed on with her tears.
Driven into a corner, Gustavo raked a hand through his hair in agitation.
If they were alone, he’d gladly crush Leticia underfoot. But here—before the nobility, before the Emperor and Empress—he had to tread carefully.
Lifting his head to explain himself, his eyes fell on Elicia, standing beside Tirchen at the Empress’s side.
All his rage at Leticia suddenly shifted.
“This is your fault! If not for you, none of this would have happened!”
He lunged toward Elicia with outstretched hand, face twisted with hate.
Watching Leticia’s pathetic collapse had left Elicia heavy-hearted, but the sight of that hateful hand reaching for her made her shudder.
She saw overlaid before her eyes the past—when he had poisoned her, mocking with Leticia at his side.
She remembered his lies about the antidote that led Tirchen to his death, and the glee he took in it.
His last words before dying echoed clearly:
“If not for your father-in-law, I’d never have been sentenced to death by the Crown Prince. I should be grateful.”
His devilish smile flashed in her mind, crushing her in terror.
“Elicia!”
Teus, standing nearby, rushed to intercept Gustavo and reached for her as she staggered.
Only moments ago, he had failed to protect her from Gustavo’s aggression. The guilt still weighed heavily, and seeing her threatened again triggered an instinctive need to shield her.
His hand hovered, ready to draw his sword if necessary. But before he could touch her—
Tirchen, standing right beside Elicia, pulled her into his arms, shielding her.
Terrified and pale, Elicia buried her face against Tirchen’s chest, closing her eyes. Her expression was weary, but the paralyzing fear had subsided.
The sight stabbed Teus with bitter defeat.
For years, he had watched over Elicia, waiting for the day he could stand by her side. Yet at the critical moment, he failed her again.
His outstretched hand, left hanging useless in the air, seemed to lay bare the unbridgeable gap between them.
Lowering his hand, Teus turned and quietly left.
He now knew the one who could protect Elicia, the one who belonged at her side—was not him. A searing regret weighed on his shoulders as he walked away, lamenting all the chances he had never taken to confess his heart.
