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Chapter 45
They were reaching the conclusion she had guided them to: “The Duke and Duchess of Pandeon are divorcing because the Duke mistreated her.”
Of course, some criticized her, saying things like “How vulgar, shaming your husband in front of everyone while babbling about illegitimate children.” But that was fine. Carya wasn’t only out to disgrace the Pandeon Duchy.
Yes, she wanted it known that even the imperial family had such a vulgar princess among them. If she could, she would have shouted it loudly in the middle of the marketplace.
“Just how is the Duke of Pandeon running his household that such outrageous things are happening?!”
As the throne room grew noisier than a marketplace, the Emperor’s loud, booming voice brought silence.
His crimson eyes burned with rage, and the Duke of Pandeon immediately knelt and bowed his head—not to Carya, but to the Emperor.
“I have no excuse for causing Your Majesty distress. As head of the house, I was careless and incompetent, and all mistakes stemmed from that. However, even now I am working to understand and resolve the matter. Please, grant me just one chance to make amends!”
Alcard, infuriated by the Duke’s brazen plea even after everything had been revealed, shouted furiously.
“Your Majesty, will you continue listening to such nonsense?! He disregarded the mercy of the imperial family and neglected your daughter! This is a blatant insult to the imperial house!”
“Both of you, be silent!”
When even Alcard jumped in to defend Carya, the Emperor’s patience finally snapped. He cursed—words unbecoming of an emperor—freezing the entire hall.
After the command to be silent, no one dared even breathe loudly.
A minute passed before the Emperor finally reined in his fury. Or rather, he caged it for now. He was still angry, but as Emperor he had to control even this absurd situation.
“The Duke of Pandeon certainly deserves punishment for his failings, but for the Duchess to bring such a massive matter into an audience… her intent is questionable. Duchess of Pandeon—no, Carya. Must you insist on divorce, even in this way?”
He understood why she had dropped such a bomb here. Her only goal was to gain the Emperor’s permission for divorce.
In other words, if she could endure this moment, the matter would no longer be raised. Since she had already humiliated herself so publicly, she had to secure at least this one victory.
“In life, every marriage faces trials. And wasn’t most of this the fault of the Duke’s mother rather than the Duke himself? Acting out of anger and publicly disgracing your husband—this does not reflect well on you.”
“……”
“You are a member of the imperial family. You must be an example to all nobles. Forgiveness and generosity are also necessary. Carya, do you hear me? Divorce is out of the question—absolutely not!”
While the Emperor lectured her, trying to persuade her, Carya looked up at him without moving. Her face was expressionless—neither delight in humiliating her hateful husband nor resentment at being denied even after all this.
She simply looked at the Emperor with glassy, transparent eyes, without blinking. As if she had no emotions. As if she had transcended everything.
Did she always look like this?
Was it fortunate she wasn’t screaming in rage, or was she sick? Either way, her reaction was strange. Just as the Emperor was about to call her name in puzzlement, the Duke of Pandeon spoke up shamelessly.
“My lady, I was wrong. I promise to change from now on. Please, grant me just one more chance.”
“Th-there, you see? Even the Duke says so. Be generous and watch over him.”
Even to the Emperor, the Duke was detestable. A scoundrel who dragged home an imperial princess above his station, making her suffer despite having two children already. Rumors said he had been unfaithful as well. Whether true or not, he was vile.
Once this matter settled, the Emperor planned to punish him harshly, breaking his spirit for years to come. He would also send imperial agents to observe whether the man truly changed. Someday, Carya would surely soften her heart…
“Ha! Haha, hahahaha!”
Then suddenly, Carya burst out laughing. Loud, ringing laughter echoed through the throne room. Covering her face with both hands, she shook—whether from laughter or tears, none could tell. The eerie sight made onlookers shiver.
After a long, unsettling sound that reverberated across the vast hall filled with two hundred people, she lowered her hands. A pleasant smile adorned her face.
“Then let’s say it was my fault.”
“What?”
“I’ll take the blame.”
Her eyes curved like crescent moons, her lips forming a soft smile. Her tone was ordinary—flat, almost conversational.
“But in truth… I have a hidden child.”
The words themselves were anything but ordinary. Because she said it so lightly, people doubted their ears—but once spoken, they could not be unsaid.
The Emperor, especially, could not believe it. A hidden child? From Carya? The illegitimate daughter of his own brother?
What was she saying with that shameless mouth?
“W-what did you say?”
“I no longer wish to be a duchess in name only. I want to live as the mother of my children.”
“What did you just say?! Are you insane? Guards! Remove her at once—”
“Mother!”
The Emperor, his blood pressure soaring, clutched his neck and ordered the guards to drag her out. True or false, such words could not be spoken here.
But then, a small figure leapt out from the crowd. A child, his robe hood slipping off as he ran to Carya.
When he reached her arms, everyone could see clearly—his radiant golden hair and crimson eyes.
“Th-that hair! And those red eyes!”
“Good heavens, then it’s true?!”
The Emperor collapsed backward, clutching his throat. Nobles cried out, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Some called for physicians, while the Imperial Guard rushed in to check on him.
The throne room dissolved into chaos.
And in the midst of it, only Carya strode calmly forward, carrying the child in her arms. Her blooming smile dripped with venom.
The imperial family’s illegitimate daughter had borne an illegitimate child. Could there be a greater disgrace? Now, no one could stop the divorce. Even if the Emperor and the Duke objected, the nobles and vassals would force it through.
“My lady!”
In the pandemonium, the Duke of Pandeon still called her his wife.
“Shall I carry him for you, milady?”
“No, I must show him off more. He’s my precious child.”
But Carya did not stop walking. The real revenge was only beginning.
“Turning misfortune into blessing, they call it.”
Inside the carriage, Carya stroked Andyion’s fine golden hair and pale cheek as he sat on her lap. When she had first transformed him into this form, she thought it a mistake. But now it seemed like foresight.
Who would doubt that a child with these features was anything but her own?
She couldn’t hide her constant smile, while Andyion purred in her arms like a well-fed kitten. Watching, Noah clicked his tongue.
“Split personality, is it? How does a little brat change faces like that?”
“Hmm? Did you say something, Sir Trantes?”
“Mother, hold me tighter.”
Andyion wrapped his arms around her neck, resting his forehead on her shoulder, and shot a glare at Noah from the blind spot. Like a young beast marking its territory, the sight only made Noah chuckle.
Though still a child, he acted like a cranky old man whenever they moved together in the morning. Yet by her side, he finally looked his age.
From head to toe, he resembled Carya—so much so that even his irritating little expressions appeared adorable.
“You haven’t asked, have you? Who his father is, or where I’ve been hiding him all this time.”
After absentmindedly stroking Andyion for a while, Carya slowly raised her head and asked.
Noah sat across from her, his expression mixed and unreadable.
Since meeting Princess Celibus yesterday, Carya had planned to reveal the golems as her illegitimate children. She knew merely exposing the Duke’s corruption would not be enough to overturn the throne room.
When she had asked for Noah’s cooperation, she expected sharp, probing questions. She wasn’t foolish—she knew his words about “wanting to make her smile” were not the kind spoken in a simple business arrangement.
But when she brought him the golden-haired children late that night, when she explained she intended to stage this spectacle in the audience hall, Noah had remained calm. Thanks to that, everything went smoothly.
Still, Carya couldn’t shake her unease.
