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At that moment, Kaiden shouted in a loud voice filled with anger.
“Your Majesty. Marian killed countless monsters that invaded the capital and saved the empire’s citizens and everyone here. She lost my child in the process—are you now denying the facts? Your Majesty is currently slandering her!”
At those words, the hall erupted once again.
“How dare he accuse His Majesty of slander! No matter how great the Grand Duke of Baltstein is, that is going too far!”
“But it was the Grand Duke’s own child! His heart must already be in turmoil, and this time His Majesty has truly gone too far!”
“No, what are you saying to His Majesty?! Isn’t the real issue the profligate behavior of that wastrel?!”
“Is that even a confirmed rumor? Besides, you don’t even have children yet, so you’re speaking recklessly…!”
“What?! I’m already dying of stress because I can’t have a child, and now you want to fight?!”
The nobles supporting the emperor and the nobles who found the emperor’s words suspicious began snarling at each other like dogs.
Bled, glancing around them, muttered from my shoulder.
[It’s clear public opinion has shifted after this monster invasion.]
‘Yeah. People have started doubting the emperor’s words.’
In the past, everyone would have unconditionally taken the emperor’s side, but now they were split cleanly in half and busy saying whatever they wanted regardless of the emperor’s presence.
That meant my actions had been that important a turning point.
Which was why I couldn’t understand the emperor. I could understand him bringing the one-armed knight to discredit me.
But to personally voice vulgar street rumors himself—he had played a foolish card, nothing more.
When I looked at the emperor, he had lowered his eyes and was scanning the hall, as if taking note of which nobles had spoken against him.
[Is he trying to weed them out?]
‘The ones who won’t obey?’
[Yeah. But something feels off.]
I agreed with Bled. The emperor’s demeanor felt excessively relaxed, so I stayed on guard in case we had missed something.
At that moment, my eyes met Crown Prince Marius’s. He stared straight at me and smiled.
‘…He’s smiling?’
Killing intent surged in an instant, but I barely held it back. It seemed even my abnormal murderous urge rose less when I was cornered like this.
More than that, that smile bothered me.
The scene of imperial authority crumbling was unfolding right before his eyes, yet he was smiling? I was frowning in confusion when—
“Enough.”
The emperor raised his hand. The hall fell silent again. Rough breathing could be heard here and there. The nobles seemed to have exchanged fiery insults among themselves.
The emperor slowly opened his mouth.
“Grand Duke. I understand your desire to deny it. However, a man has appeared who claims the child Marian carried was actually his.”
“What does that….”
As I muttered in disbelief, the emperor continued.
“Marian, he says he is your former lover.”
What?
The hall buzzed once more.
“Former lover…!”
“This story, we absolutely have to hear.”
I was dumbfounded.
No, why is someone who is the emperor himself so interested in my private life?
Even Kaiden beside me seemed to be trying to guess what the emperor really wanted.
At that moment, one piece-of-trash guy flashed through my mind like lightning. At the same time, the emperor raised his hand.
“Enter.”
As the massive doors of the audience chamber opened, the chamberlain announced loudly.
“The fourth son of Baron Gir, Trash Gir!”
A man of average height, wheat-colored hair, and vague features entered the audience chamber with a terrified face. The moment I saw that face, I remembered exactly how we had broken up.
“Lady Marian, I want to have a child with you!”
“We’ve never even kissed once, what kind of bullshit is that!”
“It’s not a bad offer for Lady Marian! I’m the fourth son of a baron, and Lady Marian is of commoner birth! But since Lady Marian is a Sword Master, the two of us would make a rather well-matched couple!”
…Because he spouted that kind of nonsense, I beat him to a pulp on a rainy day until dust flew, and then he walked into the Baltstein prison on his own two feet.
I clutched my head in disbelief. Why the hell is that bastard appearing here?
The emperor asked.
“Are you indeed Marian’s former lover and the real father of the child?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Trash, extremely nervous, bowed his head and answered in a trembling voice. Seeing him like that almost made my eyes roll back in rage.
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
“You whispered love to me so sweetly—how can you do this?”
Even when I couldn’t hold back and shouted, Trash kept lying in a trembling voice. I felt like my insides were going to explode from frustration.
“We’ve never even properly met because I was busy…!”
“You said you would give me everything.”
“When did I ever…!”
I had no choice but to stop speaking.
“If there’s anything you want to eat or buy, just tell me. I’ll buy it all for you.”
The sweet nothings I had lavishly thrown at Trash in the past came back to me. My head started to hurt.
Before I could say anything, Trash cried out in an aggrieved voice.
“You said you would treat me well! You said you would even pluck the stars from the sky if I wanted…!”
[Did you really say that?]
‘I did not!’
Trash, emotions apparently surging, let out a “Heuk!” and covered his mouth with his hand.
[That guy’s acting is top-tier, huh?]
All I could do in disbelief was let out a “Ha!”
I was so frustrated I thought I’d go mad, yet the nobles’ excited voices drilled into my ears. The misunderstanding was snowballing.
“The wastrel’s frivolous behavior has come back to bite him.”
“By the way, who could the real father be?”
“The Grand Duke must be beside himself. The person he’s about to marry is that loose.”
At those words I was startled and looked at Kaiden. I hadn’t even thought to check on Kaiden until now.
I had already smeared the name of Baltstein because of my own inadequacy, and now I was humiliating him further—I didn’t know where to put myself.
Yet Kaiden was glaring at Trash with eyes fierce enough to burn him to ashes.
I was bewildered. I had naturally assumed he would look at me with reproach.
Kaiden turned to me. In a voice low enough that only I, right beside him, could hear, he murmured.
“Sorry in advance.”
Huh? Sorry for what?
I’m the one who should be sorry, so I couldn’t understand why he was apologizing instead.
But when he opened his mouth, I understood why he had said that.
“Marian proposed to me.”
Kaiden declared loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear.
“And she said she wouldn’t get a single drop of blood on my hands.”
…Yes?
“She said that if we married, she would take responsibility until the grave.”
…Every single one of those lines was what you said to me.
My mind was about to go blank, but I endured with a Sword Master’s mental strength.
By saying those words, Kaiden had now officially turned me into a frivolous wastrel.
The nobles in the hall excitedly whispered among themselves.
“So that’s how a wastrel seduces men—with sweet words and honeyed tongues.”
“No wonder people go crazy over the wastrel.”
“His Grace the Grand Duke must have fallen for Sir Marian’s absurd sweet talk too. How regrettable.”
“Honestly, if a Sword Master said that to me, my heart would flutter too.”
“The devilish wastrel….”
I quietly closed both eyes.
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