Chapter – 30.
The Returned Siegfried
The hall erupted into loud murmurs.
“What kind of absurd statement is that?”
Georg, who had maintained a taciturn expression the entire time, was unable to hide his agitation for the first time.
“I mean it literally. The rumors outside are nothing more than rumors. Siegfried is currently in the underground prison.”
“What?”
“He was sent there by none other than the Empress. Curious about the reason?”
Josephine could not close her gaping mouth. Seeing her reaction, Henries inhaled sharply and curled his lips into a chilling smile.
“Because Siegfried dared to climb over the Empress. The one who dishonored my wife and insulted me first was none other than that bastard.”
“Henries!”
Unable to endure it any longer, Josephine shouted. She could only conclude that Henries had finally gone mad.
“Why are you so angry, Empress? Isn’t it the truth? Or did you truly share your heart with him behind my back?”
“You really have lost your mind.”
Josephine clicked her tongue and slowly shook her head.
Why is he suddenly acting like this?
Even Josephine, who had watched Henries through two previous lives, could not understand his behavior at all.
No matter how deep his paranoia had grown, there were limits to what one should say.
“Listen carefully. The Empress has been recuperating due to illness all this time. Therefore, everything she says is nothing more than the ramblings of a sick woman.”
“Your Majesty, the Empress may have been injured, but she has never once suffered an injury to her head.”
When Dolkin spoke up in protest, the beautiful façade of Henries’s face twisted grotesquely.
“I don’t want to hear it! Not only did you dare to arbitrarily access imperial records, you even fabricated them—how do you intend to atone for this crime?”
At that moment, Josephine realized something.
Is he… jealous? Henries?
His actions meant that he would not tolerate her defending Siegfried while turning her back on him, the emperor, nor would he tolerate the loss of the nation’s dignity.
This was a warning to the Artua family, including Dolkin, who were on her side.
Defend the Empress any further, and he would pin crimes on them and wipe them all out.
But it didn’t end there.
Did he notice that I used divine power on him?
Henries was aware that she had promised to seal her divine power in order to marry him.
If there was a basis for his sudden public assertion about her relationship with Siegfried, this was the most likely reason.
And if that were the case, the problem became far more serious.
Even if Siegfried were summoned here later, it would make no difference.
If traces of remaining divine power were discovered on the mute Siegfried, the only thing awaiting Josephine would be death under the charge of blasphemy.
“Since your accounts differ, there is only one possible conclusion.”
Georg spoke, unable to hide his discomfort.
“Please bring Prince Siegfried here. We must personally confirm whether he truly was in the underground prison, and whether there are any wounds or scars left on his body.”
“Yes, that would be best. I, too, happen to have something I’m curious about.”
Henries, whose eyes had already gone wild, readily agreed.
Josephine was utterly bewildered. Just moments ago, he had been adamant about never handing Siegfried over—had his petty jealousy now made him forget that he was the emperor of this nation?
“And what is it that you’re curious about?”
“Whether the Empress truly laid hands on Prince Siegfried or not. I will prove the Empress’s innocence in front of everyone.”
“Very well. If it turns out that we were mistaken, we promise to formally compensate the Empire as well.”
Georg pushed back just as hard. There was no longer any room to retreat.
Just how far do you need to drag me down before you’re satisfied?
Josephine bit her lip and shot Henries a piercing glare. It felt as though dark tears of blood were already gathering at the corners of her eyes.
He truly hadn’t changed at all.
Unable to control his own emotions, and perfectly willing to wound those around him just to vent them.
She was sick of it—utterly exhausted.
How long would she have to keep living like this?
Her heart pounded violently, and the scene before her eyes blurred again and again.
Creeeak.
At that moment, the doors of the audience chamber opened wide once more.
The person who entered was none other than Harriet.
“Prince Siegfried has arrived.”
At those words, everyone gasped again, each for a different reason.
“Prince Siegfried has arrived?”
As the envoy delegation stirred, the expressions of Henries and Josephine stood in stark contrast.
“Siegfried—that bastard—is here?”
Henries’s fist, gripping the armrest, trembled like a quaking leaf.
Meanwhile, Josephine could hardly believe this reality.
The last image she had of him—gaunt and frail—was still vivid in her mind.
With his pale, hollow features, he had looked like an angel who might sleep forever.
“How… is he here?”
He had been a patient. Had he miraculously overcome the toxicity of the alraune poison on his own?
“Please enter.”
Harriet bowed toward the doorway.
Soon, the person stepping onto the red carpet of the audience chamber was truly Siegfried.
“Ah…”
Josephine’s eyes burned hot. With her eyes faintly reddened, not the bloody tears from before but clear, scorching tears of relief threatened to spill over.
Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness—you’re alive.
Overwhelmed, Josephine pressed her fingertips gently against her lips.
Looking again carefully, he was no dream.
His once pallid skin now glowed with healthy warmth, like sunlight, and even his perpetually bluish upper lip had regained color.
He really is royalty.
For a moment, Josephine stared at him, spellbound.
From the dark-blue formal uniform adorned with gold cords and insignia, to the glossy black hair tied together and flowing past his shoulders—
He possessed a dignity and nobility of a completely different order from someone like her, an orphan with no lineage.
A direct descendant of the Norden bloodline said to carry the blood of the creator god Odin—Prince Siegfried, the First Prince.
“I greet His Imperial Majesty.”
Siegfried appeared as a tall, flawless, and robust young man.
Henries regarded him with deep displeasure before allowing him to rise.
“And I greet the Empress once more. I swear upon the name of Norn, goddess of fate, that I will never forget the kindness you have shown me.”
At Siegfried’s words, Josephine briefly felt confused.
“Kindness? What do you mean—”
“Thanks to the Empress risking her life to protect me, I am able to stand here today.”
With that single sentence, the emotions in the hall sharply diverged.
“What do you mean by that?”
Henries snapped, unable to contain his irritation.
“Prince Siegfried, it is a relief to see you in good health.”
Georg offered a courteous greeting.
“Sir Georg, it has been a long time. You still seem as sharp-tempered as ever.”
“Haha, you flatter me. I am ashamed that we have yet to find a way to bring Your Highness back to your homeland.”
Georg and Siegfried exchanged formalities, each quietly sizing up the other.
“It has been ten years, hasn’t it? What brings you here?”
“Rumors that Your Highness has been subjected to continuous abuse by the Empress and the imperial family have spread widely in our homeland.”
“Ah.”
Siegfried nodded, a dangerous smile curling on his lips.
No one understood why that smile was so meaningful.
“It seems His Majesty the King of Rigg is quite desperate, to be concerned even about my health.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty the King of Rigg has always worried for you.”
“I have no need for the concerns of a father I barely remember. And besides—”
Siegfried looked from Georg, to Henries, and finally to Josephine as he spoke.
“Whatever the case for others, the Empress has never once abused me nor confined me in the underground prison.”
“Is that truly so?”
At Georg’s repeated question, Siegfried nodded without hesitation.
“Yes. On the contrary, the Empress is my lifesaving benefactor—one who saved my life long ago, when I was still a child.”
