“Ah, I see. So that was the situation. I apologize for speaking rashly yesterday.”
Alcard noticed the noble heirloom sword Noah wore at his waist, the kind that could have been passed down through generations, and apologized with an awkward expression.
In truth, Noah had done nothing wrong yesterday—he had only fulfilled his duty. Alcard’s anger the day before had been aimed not at anyone else but at himself for failing to understand his younger sister’s situation. Realizing that belatedly brought a flush of embarrassment over his earlier behavior.
Noah had no reason to argue here, so he accepted the apology with his usual impassive face.
“But what’s that you’re carrying? A child?”
“Oh, yes. This child is my… um… my son. He wanted to see His Majesty the Emperor, but he couldn’t overcome his drowsiness. He’s still too young to manage otherwise.”
Alcard’s face flickered briefly with a laugh, as if thinking, He really can’t be helped. He then quietly rubbed his side as he watched Noah.
I knew he was good-looking, but it seems he’s already married. His estate isn’t in great shape either—supporting a family must be tough.
Alcard clicked his tongue inwardly in sympathy and patted Noah’s shoulder.
“You’ve been busy since morning. I’ll rely on you to keep Karia safe. If you ever need help, come find me.”
Alcard passed by with a friendly face, but a hint of arrogance in his manner. Noah watched his retreating back silently, then slowly lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Who’s really helping whom?”
His voice carried a faint scorn, as if mocking the very notion of courtesy. Though his lips smiled, his eyes were completely dry.
Unfortunately for Noah, he didn’t notice that Andion, witnessing this duality, grew more cautious of him.
“Her Imperial Majesty’s niece, the Duchess of Pandeon, Karia Pandeon!”
The Emperor, who had endured over two hours of dull audiences, crumpled his face at the familiar name announced by his attendant.
He turned his chin, which had been propped on his fist, toward Alcard standing nearby and said,
“Commander of the Imperial Knights, I specifically told you to inform me that you would refuse the audience with the Duchess of Pandeon.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I was busy and forgot to pass along the message,” Alcard said brazenly. The Emperor clicked his tongue at the bold lie. He considered sending the attendants to turn Karia away immediately, but her presence in the grand hall took precedence.
And as soon as she appeared, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“What is she doing in front of His Majesty…?”
“What is the meaning of this?”
Karia appeared dressed entirely in black—a black gown, a black veil, from head to toe.
The Pandeon family had not held any recent funerals, and anyone in mourning would naturally skip an audience.
Of course…
The Emperor pressed his hand to his forehead. A child who had never once attended an audience suddenly showing up? Clearly, this was a protest.
As expected, Karia paid no heed to the hundreds of gazes upon her, walking gracefully and stopping just below the throne.
“Madam!”
Of course, among the ministers was her husband, Duke Pandeon. Even as a voice called his name urgently, Karia did not flinch, instead bowing to the Emperor.
“I humbly greet Your Majesty, the sovereign of the Empire.”
“Yes, Duchess of Pandeon. You’ve come to meet the Emperor dressed like this. Has someone died?”
You mean to say that if one does not divorce, it’s as if they’re dead?
The Emperor found her unadorned face not pitiful but ungrateful. Just yesterday, he had instructed her not to bring disgrace to the royal family, yet here she was, flaunting herself openly.
But Karia delivered an answer no one anticipated.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Today, I am dressed like this to mourn. I beg your forgiveness.”
“Mourn what? Who has died? If you speak nonsense, I will not allow you to enter this hall again!”
“My conscience. My conscience has died.”
The word stunned the Emperor. He blinked, thinking he had misheard.
“What? What has died?”
“Your Majesty, I have committed a grave sin by hiding a secret from you. I wish to confess it here and cleanse myself.”
Confess a sin? The Emperor, baffled by her strange words, showed his incomprehension, and so did everyone else in the hall.
The only one who understood her intent immediately was Rubidov Pandeon. He gazed at her desperately, but received no response.
She had already given him a chance, and he had squandered it.
“Your Majesty, the Pandeon estate has been financially struggling, and every year we have relied heavily on the imperial treasury to help our people survive the winter. It is, of course, the lord’s duty to care for his people, but Your Majesty has shown mercy since you consider them your subjects as well.”
“Yes, that’s true. And what’s the issue with that?”
“However, the Pandeon estate’s poor finances were not due to any mismanagement of the estate itself. The Duchess of Pandeon was embezzling funds to enrich herself.”
The hall fell silent, as if doused with cold water. Embezzlement by the Duchess? The Pandeon Duchess was a highly esteemed socialite. And even if true, why reveal this so publicly in the grand hall?
Among those unaware, whispers began:
“The Pandeons are divorcing, it seems?”
“Divorcing? What does that mean?”
“I heard the Duchess has already left the ducal mansion to live in a townhouse.”
“Rumor has it the Duke was unfaithful too?”
The Emperor, seeing long-contained rumors spread before him, clenched his fists in anger. But Karia’s revelation did not end there.
“The Duchess purchased a barony, the Baron of Devon, seemingly unrelated to the Pandeons, and used it to embezzle funds. The sum amounts to nearly five million gold—enough for the Pandeon estate’s people to survive five winters comfortably.”
“Hah!”
“Each winter, the imperial treasury covered the deficit caused by the Duchess’s embezzlement. This is no different from the Pandeons using imperial funds for private purposes. As a member of the royal family and a subject, how can I stay silent?”
Before she finished, all eyes turned to Duke Pandeon. If Karia were speaking nonsense, he should have denied it—but his face had gone pale, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh. He had suspected the estate’s financial troubles stemmed from the Duchess’s indulgence, but he had not known she created a fake identity to hide illicit funds. Furious, he confronted the Duke.
“Duke Pandeon, is this true?”
“-It is true.”
The Duke, with resentful eyes, finally admitted her accusation was correct with a deep sigh. Denying it would be futile; an investigation would reveal the truth immediately.
He tried to spin the story to favor his house as much as possible.
“I only learned of this matter a few days ago and am still investigating. I did not report it to Your Majesty earlier as the circumstances were unclear, and I did not wish to upset you.”
“That is a lie. The evidence is that the Duchess has fled to her estate.”
“Madam!”
Even he was blocked by Karia. She would not allow him to escape.
Her entire presence here was to corner Rubidov Pandeon. She overturned all the reputations he had built in society, exposing his family’s misdeeds.
This sullied the names of both the Duke and Duchess. Since Karia was about to cease being the Duchess, she had little concern for propriety.
Had Rubidov heeded her proposal from the start, none of this would have occurred.
“I was the one who investigated this and informed Duke Pandeon. Naturally, I advised that Your Majesty be informed first. After all, hiding massive illicit funds under a false name like Baron of Devon invites suspicion, does it not?”
“Madam, why do you do this? It’s an extreme leap.”
“Your Majesty, do you know why I discovered this first? It was because the funds embezzled by the Duchess were used for maintaining my own dignity. During my marriage, I never received any allowance for personal upkeep from Duke Pandeon.”
Though speaking to the Emperor, Karia’s words were clearly meant for all in attendance. She left nothing hidden, causing the nobles to murmur amongst themselves.
