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Chapter 64




The moment I saw the calm smile, my body moved on its own. There was no time to think. I stretched out my hand and roughly grabbed Dodelea’s collar.
“What did you just say?”
“I did a few things to that pill.”
What?
“But it’s your fault, not mine. You were the one who decided to take that pill, right? If you hadn’t taken it, Duke Laphreon wouldn’t have suffered.”
Is that what you should be saying now? Seeing Dodelea calmly complaining, I felt my blood boil with anger.
“You almost killed Theo with that pill.”
I tightened my grip on her collar and said firmly. Anger rose from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. It felt like the anger I had been building up since I heard that my stepmother had killed my father finally exploded.
“You almost killed Theo.”
I clenched my lips tightly. How much pain he must have endured. How worried he must have been, thinking he might die. Teldaeo even waited calmly for his death. I swallowed the words I couldn’t say. Dodelea twisted her lips in a way that showed she didn’t understand.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“What?”
“Why are you making such a fuss? You didn’t kill him.”
At that moment, my head went numb. Didn’t she say she loved Teldaeo? This seemed more like crazy obsession than love.
“And even if he had died, there would have been nothing we could do. It’s fine, I can wait again...”
SLAP! I couldn’t remember what Dodelea was saying. I slapped her cheek hard as she smiled calmly and spoke. Her head turned weakly to the side.
“Ah! Your Highness! How dare you...!”
My stepmother, who had been silently watching from behind, shouted. As her scream echoed with a loud friction sound, everyone’s attention focused on us. In an instant, many people gathered around. Despite the murmurs, I didn’t let go of Dodelea’s collar.
“Repeat what you just said.”
You didn’t kill him, right? Even if he had died, there would have been nothing we could do? I remembered Teldaeo’s calm words when he thought he was dying.
“You don’t know how hard he tried not to die.”
“I don’t care.”
Dodelea shrugged with an innocent look. Her calmness made my anger surge again.
“Theo was worried he might die!”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
Dodelea laughed mockingly and looked at me. Despite her split lip and the blood that had formed, she still looked defiant.
“He wouldn’t have died from that.”
“I don’t think you understand!”
You wouldn’t know what the curse on them is! As I shouted, Dodelea shook her head and said confidently.
“No, I understand better than you.”
Dodelea’s eyes widened and she giggled.
“He wouldn’t have died from that.”
I regretted not hitting her with a fist instead of my palm. As I clenched my fist again, Dodelea extended her ring finger. Finally, she spread all five fingers and raised her hand. Then she lightly tapped my forehead.
“...What are you doing?”
Just as she was tapping my forehead, a loud roar was heard, and someone forcefully pushed me away. I let go of Dodelea’s collar and was thrown back.
“Dodelea!”
A desperate shout was heard. When I looked up, I saw the Emperor examining Dodelea’s face.
‘Oh no.’
I had momentarily forgotten where I was. I had just slapped the cheek of the Princess, whom the Emperor cherished the most, at a royal-sponsored event.
‘Oh, I’ve gotten myself into trouble.’
Dodelea, standing under the Emperor’s protection, looked at me with a victorious smile. She had planned this from the beginning. The Emperor turned sharply. His face, red with anger, looked at me.
“Duchess Laphreon. What is this? How dare you lay a hand on the Princess in front of me!”
As soon as the Emperor roared, my stepmother, who had been standing behind me, rushed forward.
“Your Majesty! I saw it with my own eyes!”
My stepmother shouted loudly, as if she had been the one slapped.
“The Princess was trying to resolve the misunderstanding between me and Duchess Laphreon, saying that family shouldn’t fight!”
My stepmother glared at me and pointed.
“Duchess Laphreon laid a hand on the Princess, saying that family matters should be left alone!”
The crowd murmured again. Although they hadn’t heard our conversation, they had seen me grab Dodelea’s collar and slap her. There was no one here to take my side while Teldaeo and Selpheus were at the hunting competition.
“Your Highness.”
As I opened my mouth, everyone looked at me, curious about what I would say.
“I didn’t speak up because I didn’t want to put the Princess in an awkward position. But since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you.”
“What?”
“Everyone here knows this is a royal-sponsored event. Would I dare touch the Princess just because I interfered in family matters?”
My stepmother bit her lip as she glared at me. I glared back at Dodelea, who was smiling behind the Emperor.
“I’m not that stupid.”
“Duchess Laphreon, you...”
“The Princess says she loves my husband so much that she wants him. It’s a well-known rumor in society, so Your Majesty must have heard it.”
The Emperor frowned silently.
“She came to me and said she wanted my husband, without any sense of shame.”
Everyone’s eyes flicked to Dodelea. Her face hardened like a statue.
“My husband has already rejected the Princess several times. Yet, she threatened to use all the power of the royal family to kill my husband and me if I didn’t give him up.”
I sneered at Dodelea, looking down on her.
“I couldn’t just stand by.”
It was already a public fact. The foolish Dodelea had been spreading it around.
“My husband is not an object, but if we’re talking about ownership...”
“...”
“He’s mine.”
As I drove the point home, Dodelea glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
“No matter how noble the Princess is, he’s mine, and she can’t touch him.”
The Emperor’s face was covered with anger. It seemed he was about to draw his sword and cut out my tongue.
“I will accept the punishment for laying a hand on the Princess, but I will do the same thing again if the situation arises.”
“Duchess.”
“Teldaeo de Laphreon is my man. No one can touch my husband.”
All the noblewomen and young ladies fell silent. Although they couldn’t openly support me due to the Emperor’s presence, they seemed to agree with me. They probably didn’t want to set a precedent where a married man could be taken just because the Princess liked him. But the Emperor was still like an active volcano. To him, the shock of his precious daughter being hit was more significant than any reason.
“Your daughter said only the truth.”
A seasoned voice, supporting me for the first time, echoed solemnly. I turned my head hurriedly.
“Take your hands off my granddaughter-in-law.”
“Who dares to lay a hand on the Laphreon family?”
Gloria and Cethys stood there.
“...Cethys, Lady Gloria.”
Cethys, who had approached, pushed away the knights who had been holding my arms. Gloria, moving similarly, stood in front of me, protecting me, and looked at the Emperor.
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”
“...This is the first time since the last incident, Gloria.”
A cold atmosphere, like a snowstorm, continued. The two of them quietly stared at each other like animals about to hunt.
“Duchess Laphreon dared to lay a hand on the Princess. She cannot avoid punishment. Don’t interfere, Gloria.”
“Are you going to punish her right in front of me, Your Majesty?”
Gloria straightened her back. The Emperor clenched his fists and chuckled.
“Do you really think you’ll step in for this Duchess twice, Gloria?”
“She’s not just any Duchess; she’s the hope of our children.”
The Emperor’s gaze shifted from Gloria’s shoulder to me. His face was covered with displeasure.
“You really cherish her.”
“I’m taking my granddaughter-in-law back. Will you allow it, Your Majesty?”
As soon as Gloria finished speaking, the Emperor’s face changed. It felt like standing in the middle of a deep lake with thin ice.
“Gloria. Did you not hear me? She dared to lay a hand on the Princess. Even the royal law can’t satisfy the need for justice here.”
“Your Majesty.”
Gloria’s voice, which had been calm, now lacked any trace of a smile.
“Do you still remember the late Emperor’s will?”
The late Emperor’s will? As soon as those words were spoken, the Emperor became eerily quiet. He ground his teeth and spoke sharply.
“Gloria, you only have two chances left. Are you going to waste one of them now?”
Despite the threatening anger, Gloria remained calm. She turned her head and gently wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
“I will take that as permission to take my granddaughter-in-law, Your Majesty.”
Gloria started to move, but the royal knights quickly blocked our path. Cethys, who had been watching from the side, also moved swiftly.
“Do you know who you’re blocking?”
Cethys, standing protectively in front of us, muttered coldly, as if she could kill everyone at any moment. The knights, intimidated by her, flinched.
“Move, or you’ll die.”
Cethys growled again. But the royal knights only watched, not moving from their positions.
“Are they asking for death? If that’s their wish...”
“Cethys.”
Gloria called out, and Cethys, who seemed ready to charge, stopped abruptly. Gloria patted Cethys’s shoulder, which was still tense with excitement, and tilted her head back.
“Your Majesty.”
The Emperor glared at us as if he could tear everyone apart. I was worried that if Gloria and Cethys took my side, they might be punished too. As if sensing my thoughts, Gloria gripped my shoulder firmly and smiled calmly.
The tense atmosphere continued. After a moment, the Emperor, frowning, slowly raised his hand.
“Stand aside.”
‘What?’
Stand aside? Did I hear that wrong? The royal knights, who had been unmoving, parted the way at the Emperor’s command. Gloria, as if she had anticipated this, raised one corner of her mouth and nodded slightly.