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Chapter 49
Maybel began explaining clearly to Zigmunt.
“In my opinion, the person Mom wants to avoid the most is Dad.”
In the past, Zigmunt had gone so far as to write a thesis on her behalf and even take credit for her work.
Moreover, even after the lab was ransacked, he hadn’t gone on a massive search for Sophia.
‘Probably because Master loves Sophia, he just can’t bring himself to do it.’
Sophia knew this too, so she wouldn’t avoid Zigmunt as her first priority.
But Caesar was different.
Sophia’s misfortune had begun because of him.
No matter how much he might regret it, she would never want to see him.
Of course, this was something no one could know except the person involved—but Maybel knew.
‘Because that’s how it’s written in the novel.’
With firm conviction, Maybel told Zigmunt her plan.
“Then, what if we threaten Mom by saying, ‘I know where you are. I won’t tell Caesar, so cooperate with me’? Wouldn’t that work?”
“Hmm…”
Zigmunt fell silent at Maybel’s sharp and cold analysis.
‘Was I thinking about this all wrong?’
He had assumed that a child starved for affection would long for her mother’s warmth.
Yet here she was, excitedly suggesting they threaten her mother.
‘Whatever happened, it’s clear… she doesn’t mind using Sophia.’
“Alright. Then let’s do it your way.”
And so, contrary to his worries, Zigmunt could prepare the decisive move with a light heart.
This was exactly what Dain had submitted in the petition.
“Did the witness not come?”
“No. She had her reasons. As you can see from the petition, Duchess Sophia Ashilonia is also a victim of domestic abuse.”
The revelation caused a stir in the courtroom.
It was understandable—stories of the Ashilonia Duke and Duchess’ deep love were famous, after all.
Their marriage was a rare first-love union in noble society.
Moreover, Sophia had given an heir to Caesar, who was rumored to be infertile.
That alone suggested the couple’s relationship was strong.
But Dain spoke firmly, as if to deny all these rumors.
“Therefore, the Esclide Duke House petitions to revoke Duke Caesar Ashilonia’s parental rights over Princess Maybel Ashilonia and to grant sole custody according to Duchess Sophia Ashilonia’s wishes.”
“This is absurd…! Sophia is missing!”
Caesar claimed the petition was fabricated, but Sophia’s signature appeared on it.
Compared to the marriage contract, it was undeniably hers.
This caused the courtroom to stir again—this time in a different sense.
Everyone in the Empire knew Zigmunt was utterly smitten with Sophia.
Even though he had officially denied it, people assumed his admiration for her was genuine.
Now, putting Sophia’s support and the Duke House behind the petition, Zigmunt seemed almost as if he truly cared for her.
“Could the rumors of the Duchess’s infidelity…?”
“And the father of the princess sitting over there…?”
As whispers grew, the judge struck the gavel to restore order.
Meanwhile, he reviewed Sophia’s petition.
“I have verified the truthfulness of the plaintiff’s claim. According to Imperial Law, designating parental rights is difficult without a divorce, but given the special circumstances, I will issue a ruling.”
“Your Honor!”
Caesar shouted in panic at the unexpected last-minute twist, but the judge ignored him and delivered the verdict.
“Defendant Caesar Ashilonia is found to have attempted to mark individuals with a modified seal through illegal means, and, based on testimony from his wife, Sophia Ashilonia, has been confirmed to have subjected his daughter, Maybel Ashilonia, to severe abuse—”
“Your Honor!”
Enraged, Caesar tried to rush the judge, but the gavel fell first.
“Parental rights are hereby revoked.”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Caesar’s face froze in shock as an irreversible ruling was rendered.
A short while later, inside the carriage returning to the Duke House, Kellic asked.
“Why did Maybel’s custody go to that woman? Why did they give it to her?”
Even Maybel herself found it a little unexpected.
She had naturally assumed Zigmunt would obtain custody.
‘So when he said I could choose where to live, it meant I could stay at the Duke House, right?’
Noticing Maybel’s curious look, Zigmunt cleared his throat.
“To revoke Sophia’s parental rights, we would have needed evidence that she participated in abuse.”
“That’s obvious! Maybel grew up alone partly because of Caesar, but originally that woman—”
“Kellic.”
Zigmunt calmed the agitated Kellic.
Kellic fell silent, seemingly realizing that, in the end, these people were indeed Maybel’s parents.
“Why? Kellic, you weren’t wrong.”
“Huh…?”
“You weren’t wrong at all,” Maybel replied calmly.
“It didn’t make a difference. Even if Mom left, I wasn’t lonely. That was really fortunate.”
Kellic, in a new sense, was silenced.
Occasionally, he pondered—Maybel truly had a transparent abyss within her.
It made understanding her suffering easy, but gauging its depth was impossible.
The floor looked shallow—but as soon as one stepped in, they would sink endlessly.
‘Difficult…’
How could he make Maybel’s abyss, her wounds, shallow?
While Kellic remained silent, Zigmunt carefully spoke.
“First, the opposing party must appear for the trial. If they repeatedly refuse, we can compel attendance, but that takes time.”
“……”
“And Kellic, you saw for yourself. Ashilonia could easily use public opinion to nullify the attempt to mark Maybel—it was just an attempt. Nothing was completed.”
“But the seal was real! It hurt, and it could have actually marked Maybel…”
“Yes, I know that well.”
A fleeting shadow of pain crossed Zigmunt’s face as he spoke.
Maybel, listening quietly, was slightly surprised.
‘He speaks as if he experienced it himself…’
Strangely, Zigmunt, one of the highest-ranking people in the country aside from the emperor, could not possibly have been marked by the seal.
“Anyway, while waiting for Sophia to appear at the trial, parental rights remained with Caesar. Kellic, I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.”
“Of course! I heard there’s a time limit on the restriction order! That means Maybel would eventually have to return there!”
Kellic shuddered at the thought.
“So we decided to handle it step by step. First, we get Maybel away from Caesar…”
Zigmunt glanced at Maybel.
Seeing her calm, he continued.
“Then, next, we save her from Sophia.”
Ah, there are stages.
‘It wasn’t that Master feared me.’
Maybel felt a wave of relief—and then a slight shock.
It almost seemed as if she regretted not becoming Zigmunt’s daughter from today’s trial!
But no.
She never dreamed of such indulgence.
‘Focus, focus!’
Maybel drew a firm line in her mind between herself and Zigmunt.
“Ugh… it’d be easier if we could do it all at once… Since Master and I are alike, we’d really feel like family…”
Meanwhile, Kellic still wore a sulky expression despite hearing everything.
After muttering alone for a while, he brightened and spoke to Maybel.
“Still, it’s fortunate, Maybel. From now on, we can be together!”
Although Maybel’s custody was still technically with Sophia, Sophia was currently missing.
Furthermore, the petition explicitly entrusted Maybel’s protection to the Esclide Duke House.
That was Zigmunt’s intention—but Maybel had no idea.
In any case, this meant that Maybel could continue living at the Duke House indefinitely.
Unless Sophia reunited with Caesar and petitioned to restore her parental rights, of course.
‘I’m uneasy about this novel ending being a happy one for the protagonists…’
But she would do her best to prevent that.
That evening, after much thought, Maybel approached Zigmunt.
To ensure a “happy ending” for the protagonists—that is, Sophia’s downfall—she had to verify something first.
Just like Zigmunt had before the trial, Maybel spoke bluntly.
“Master, how much… do you like our mother?”
