“I understand both of your opinions clearly. It seems there will be no compromise. Then I have no choice but to take the path that will cause a ruckus.”
She decided that further discussion was unnecessary and immediately rose from her seat. Rising without the emperor’s permission was rude, but when she refused to obediently say ‘yes’ until the end, the emperor slammed his fist onto the armrest of his chair, clearly enraged.
“Karia Pandeon, do not forget who you are! You have brought disgrace to the royal family from the moment you were born!”
“‘Myself’?”
Just as she was about to leave without hesitation, her steps halted at the lifetime of words that had repeatedly struck her across the back of her head. She turned her head and looked at the emperor and the grand duke.
Having regained memories of her past life, there was one thing she wanted to say above all else. It wasn’t that she hadn’t spoken before because she didn’t know, but because she had never had the opportunity.
And perhaps they already knew it, but today she would speak the words they had always ignored.
“If my existence is such a disgrace to the royal family, then you should blame the one who caused it, not me.”
Her blood-red eyes, sharpened like a blade, slowly swept the room, piercing without hesitation everyone she shared blood with.
“As you all know, my birth was not my fault, was it?”
“What?! You actually… Karia! Can’t you stand there, Karia?!”
The emperor shouted, furious, but Karia left without even looking back. The anger rising in her chest made the room unbearable.
The prestige of the royal family, the honor of the throne. If that was what they valued most, then she would trample it completely. How satisfying it would be to watch their precious royal name fall into the gutter.
“Big sister!”
However, a panicked voice called out to her as she walked, pondering how to scatter filth throughout the palace with every step.
‘Big sister’? Someone actually called her that? Karia turned her head suspiciously, and to her surprise, it was Princess Cerivis, running up, panting.
“Big sister! I… I couldn’t say it in front of His Majesty, but I respect your intentions.”
“-Princess?”
“Even though the duke may have been too busy to notice, how could anyone live in a house treated that way? Even I couldn’t bear it.”
She smiled awkwardly but warmly, holding Karia’s hand. Her soft, delicate hand, never having endured hardship, enveloped Karia’s.
Although it was clearly a friendly gesture, Karia couldn’t help but feel that everything about it was contrived.
“Big sister, even though our past relationship wasn’t great, that was just childish behavior. Let’s leave it behind. I may have many older brothers, but you’re the only big sister I have, so you’ve always been on my mind. Now that this has happened, let’s live like real sisters from now on.”
“Sisters? Me and Princess Cerivis?”
Sisters? That wasn’t something either of them wanted… Why suddenly say something like that?
Karia briefly suspected that she had been sent by the emperor to persuade her. But the emperor was not someone who would send his precious daughter just to convince her if he could simply ignore her wishes.
Karia quietly looked into the princess’s eyes and slowly lifted the corner of her lips.
“-Shall we do that, Cerivis?”
She couldn’t tell what her hidden agenda was, but Karia detected unmistakable nervousness in her behavior. As proof, when she lowered her voice and called her by name, the princess’s expression stiffened momentarily, but she could not counter it.
It was clearly the princess’s mistake. Since Cerivis approached in such a flustered manner, Karia held absolute dominance in this relationship.
‘But “duke”? Someone who never used honorifics outside her family is now calling Rubyderf Pandeon “duke”?’
As Karia replayed the words the princess had said in her mind, she noticed something odd.
The princess, second in line for the throne after the crown prince, was an extremely proud royal. Being the youngest child, she had grown up spoiled, thinking everyone was beneath her.
Naturally, she would have thought the Duke of Pandeon, running around trying to support a collapsing house, was insignificant. But this was entirely unexpected.
‘Now that I think about it, the matriarch once mentioned that rumors were rampant in the capital that the princess was infatuated with Duke Pandeon. I had dismissed it, thinking it was impossible…’
Karia looked at Cerivis, whose carefully drawn smile was trembling with displeasure at being called by name. Her fragile patience, like a candle flickering in the wind, was clearly visible.
‘Is this because of what she’s heard? Some story… about me?’
Her thoughts overlapped with memories of the duke, previously struggling like a desperate dog. Did he think she would hear anything without family or friends to inform her?
Karia stared silently at Cerivis for a while before smiling and speaking nonchalantly.
“Oh, by the way, I didn’t tell His Majesty one thing about Duke Pandeon. If I had, he might have reconsidered.”
“About the duke? What…?”
“It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but the man has been unfaithful.”
Speaking softly, as if sharing a secret, Cerivis froze like stone. Realizing she was being observed, she quickly masked her surprised expression, but Karia didn’t miss the sequence of changes.
“Unfaithful? What… Have you heard something?”
“I heard it from the servants. A servant who attended a party to serve him saw him with a woman at dawn. They couldn’t see her face, but her hair was very light.”
Karia made a sad expression and stroked Cerivis’s long hair.
She deliberately said “party” because it seemed the most plausible.
If it were a one-time event, they might have met at the party; if repeated, it would have happened at least once during a party. Since they attended parties in the capital every night, the timing made sense.
And if they were alone, it would naturally be after greeting friends and acquaintances, in the relaxed atmosphere of early morning.
Karia feigned ignorance, leaving the bait. Cerivis clenched her fists behind her back but tried to act nonchalant.
“Can we be sure about that? It could have been a private conversation, a friend, or a subordinate. And that day was a masquerade, so she might have been wearing a wig!”
“Masquerade…? Could be.”
“Yes, I’m sure! Don’t worry about such trivial things when your head already aches.”
Cerivis placed her hands over Karia’s, as if seeking comfort, but her body slowly moved away.
‘She thinks the party I heard about was a masquerade.’
Karia gently released Cerivis’s hands. She had no intention of pressing her immediately. She wasn’t holding a grudge against the duke, and there was no reason to waste such a good piece of leverage so easily.
Even the foolish princess would reflect on her mistakes alone in her room later. Then, as the emperor’s favored child, wearing expensive dresses and jewelry, her leash would be entirely in Karia’s hands…
“Cerivis, your taste in clothes has changed a lot. You used to wear dresses that emphasized a feminine silhouette, but today… this looks very comfortable.”
“Ah, I got tired of following trends.”
“Your shoes have low heels, easy to walk in. But… are you unwell? You look very pale.”
Karia slowly scanned her from head to toe. Judging from her earlier appearance with the emperor, it wasn’t like she was punishing herself, so what was with this simple outfit?
From a young age, she had always wanted to be the most beautiful lady in the empire and never went out without being dressed up.
Karia hid her scrutiny, stroking her back with a kind, worried expression.
“Should I take you to the palace doctor?”
“Actually, I’ve been getting anemic recently. I guess it’s because I have too much on my mind.”
“Then would you like to have a meal together? When your body is weak, you need to take care of your nutrition.”
“Meal…?”
Cerivis couldn’t help but gag at the word. Her eyes shook with embarrassment, and Karia’s eyes narrowed in amusement.
“Oh, I’m not feeling well today. I should go back and rest. Good luck, big sister.”
“Right, you should rest if you’re sick. Thank you for coming to see me first, Seri.”
Thanks to her, Karia had a very good idea. Smiling devilishly, she waved at the princess as she fled.
When the small figure of the princess disappeared in the distance, Karia couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.
“Pfft! Hahaha!”
“-What’s so funny?”
Someone spoke to her as she laughed, clutching her stomach against the wall. From the voice, she didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
So Karia didn’t bother looking. She quickly composed herself and walked forward, while Alcad persistently followed behind her.
