Chapter 126
That day, Pierre gave me a few instructions.
“There will likely be a spell on the brooch. It’s probably rigged to activate when it sees you, my lady.”
“Is there no way to dispel it in advance?”
“Since we’ve already done the preliminary work on Jessica Miranda, the brooch is merely a trigger. If we destroy it, the actions might stop, but the backlash would probably be severe.”
“You don’t mean she’d die, do you?”
“She might vomit blood and collapse. Depending on the severity, it could even cause permanent damage…”
“Rejected. I may dislike Jessica a bit, but that’s going too far!”
“Yes. The mildest option, then, is to confront her, let the spell activate, and hold out.”
The more I mulled over the conversation, the more it felt like an insurmountable mountain of obstacles.
I rubbed my throbbing forehead.
All this suffering because of a few villains—what a nightmare.
At least it was fortunate that Pierre was being quite cooperative.
My efforts to persuade him by leveraging Edwin had paid off.
“I’ll need time to cast another spell to counteract it. If you can hold out until then, I’ll give it a try.”
Right. Life is all about enduring.
I took a deep breath, preparing for the impending clash of forces.
Just in case my hair got grabbed, I tied it into a low bun.
I wore no accessories that could be used as weapons.
Thinking of the Barnard siblings who had caused this mess made my teeth grind involuntarily.
From the start of the year until now, it had been utterly exhausting.
“Hah, this year is definitely cursed. Why are all these villains so obsessed with me?”
It must be the ripple effects of changing the original story, drawing endless attention from the supporting leads.
I was in the midst of self-mockingly thinking I’d been hit with a real peach blossom curse when Alferen, who was in the carriage with me, spoke gently.
“Just lock her up until the founding festival is over, I say.”
Still harping on that.
I let out a series of heavy sighs and replied.
“If we lock up Jessica before the spell even activates, what kind of misunderstandings would that invite?”
“They’d say Duke Ainluk took personal revenge, or something like that.”
“Forget it. How could I stand to see a blemish on my man’s reputation?”
At the words “my man,” Alferen’s cheeks flushed red. Thanks to that, his intensity softened a notch.
“I’m just worried you’ll get hurt if we catch her on the spot.”
“You’ll be right there to protect me, oppa. And Lord Ordel is with us too.”
Of course, I wasn’t entirely free of worry myself.
But just knowing there was someone concerned for me made my heart feel more fortified.
When I deliberately responded with extra bravado, Alferen let out a long sigh and gently touched my cheek.
“At least wear this, then.”
Following that, he pulled a brooch from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
“I’ve enchanted it with defensive magic. If you’re attacked, it reflects right back at the opponent.”
Even after pinning the brooch to my chest, his face still showed unease.
That affectionate worry of his inevitably lifted my spirits, no matter how I tried to resist.
I barely managed to suppress the corners of my mouth that kept trying to rise uncontrollably.
“When did you prepare something like this?”
As I fiddled with the brooch and asked, Alferen answered.
“From the moment I heard the prince was targeting you.”
“This looks really expensive.”
“Nothing’s too precious to spend on you.”
His reply, without a hint of hesitation, sent the corners of my mouth soaring sky-high, beyond my control.
What do you do with a lover who picks only the prettiest words?
Stamp him with a lip seal as punishment!
I quickly shifted to sit beside him and planted a deep kiss.
I completely ignored May’s earlier warning to go easy because it would smudge my makeup.
“Aw, so cute! Why does this mouth of yours only say such pretty things, just like it looks?”
At my cheesy flattery, Alferen blushed familiarly.
“Praise me as much as I’m pretty.”
Despite his shy words, the hand gripping my waist tightened with force.
I leaned toward him as if I had no choice.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re pretty.”
With that low murmur of praise, his lips were mine.
* * *
In front of the founding festival event stage, seats for the dignitaries had been prepared.
It was a gathering place for all the prominent nobles of the capital.
Cesare, watching these people laugh and chat obliviously to the impending chaos, sneered inwardly.
At the emperor’s table sat the empress, the concubine, and the crown prince.
Normally, the concubine’s seat would have been for the crown princess, but she had been showing signs of miscarriage for the past few days and hadn’t attended the event.
Thanks to that, the concubine, seated in the place of honor, wore an exceedingly cheerful expression.
As always, the seating arrangement for the event blatantly divided along faction lines.
It was structured so that if a terrorist attack occurred, the crown prince’s faction would suffer the greatest damage.
With the crown princess’s miscarriage all but certain, enduring a terrorist attack on top would deal a significant blow.
If it succeeded without a hitch, the plan would yield manifold benefits.
Courses prepared by the imperial household were being served one by one at the tables.
After the meal, the main event would begin in earnest.
It was around the time Cesare was putting a mouthful of appetizing meat stew into his mouth.
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, Jessica, seated beside him, retched dryly.
Their eyes met immediately after.
A foreboding sense washed over Cesare, draining the color from his face.
‘No. It can’t be…’
He had always been thorough with contraception.
But.
In that moment, Cesare’s mind flashed back to how Jessica had started preparing the contraceptives herself not long ago.
‘Did she deceive me?’
He had assumed she feared the stigma of premarital pregnancy just as much.
Or could it be another man’s child?
The more his thoughts spiraled, the darker Cesare’s expression grew.
He had called her to his room every day to cast the spell on her.
During the day, she was with Nanael, so there was no way she could have met another man in between.
‘Can we meet briefly after today’s event? I have something important to discuss.’
Recalling the words Jessica had said that morning, Cesare felt his mind reeling.
Now he saw it: a ploy to lull him into security so she could conceive!
“You…!”
It was then that Cesare, trembling with rage, glared at Jessica.
Having noticed his realization, Jessica struck first.
“Yes, that’s right. I’m pregnant with Your Highness’s child.”
Jessica blushed as she stroked her flat belly.
Nanael, beside her, was equally shocked.
When their eyes met momentarily, Nanael looked at Cesare as if he were vermin.
That glare seemed to say, “I told you to keep your lower half in check.”
Next, the frozen face of the concubine beside the emperor came into view.
She was too busy gauging the emperor’s reaction to do anything.
It wasn’t just her.
Jessica’s bombshell declaration set the nobles at nearby tables whispering.
A situation where the card he intended to discard after today had turned the tables on him.
“Follow me.”
With a terrifying expression, Cesare roughly grabbed Jessica’s wrist.
“That hurts. You should treat me gently now.”
Along with her brazen demand, Jessica intertwined her hand with his.
It felt exactly like the hand of a demon dragging him down to hell.
If he didn’t shake it off right now, he’d be helplessly ensnared—he felt an urgent panic.
Just then, sensing the surrounding gazes, Jessica said smoothly.
“We have a child to protect together now, don’t we?”
The way she caressed her flat belly was revolting.
Even her coaxing words made Cesare shudder.
‘Do you think I kept the spot beside me empty all this time to marry a woman like you?’
Especially now, when his reputation was already in tatters, marrying some insignificant woman was absurd.
As the commotion grew, the emperor, seated at the head, wore a displeased expression.
Then, feeling humiliated by the crown prince’s impassive gaze, Cesare clenched his fist.
Unable to hold back, Cesare sneered.
“Husband and wife? We don’t even know if the kid in your belly is mine.”
Subtly implying the problem lay with Jessica, she didn’t back down.
“That’s hurtful. It’s only been Your Highness for me. Your fiancée who believed and waited even when you strayed with a courtesan. The child can hear, so maybe be more careful with your words?”
“What did you say?”
“You were the one who cheated in the first place. I’m innocent. Don’t insult me and the child any further.”
Her tone was subtly instructive.
Her smug attitude, as if she’d already seized victory, grated on Cesare’s nerves.
Mentioning the courtesan—akin to pulling his trigger—pushed him beyond endurance.
“Stop the nonsense and come with me!”
