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Chapter 62
“No guests without prior permission are allowed to enter.”
But this was a huge misunderstanding. The mercenaries guarding the townhouse’s gate saw the Pandeon family carriage and snorted, blocking their way.
Even when Lamia got out of the carriage and revealed her face, they remained unmoved. They showed no intention of softening their fierce demeanor just because a child was in front of them.
“This is Lady Lamia Pandeon. She’s not a guest, but the daughter of the Duchess herself.”
“As far as I know, the Duchess is not currently at Pandeon. The masters of this residence, Marquis Balta, only have two children: the eldest son, Master Andion, and the eldest daughter, Miss Alice. I’ve never heard of a Lamia.”
“At least let us enter to announce our visit…!”
“-What are you talking about?”
Repeatedly insisting they wanted to enter, being refused, and the conversation going in circles on the same spot, the tension between the mercenaries and the Pandeon knights grew sharper.
Meanwhile, Lamia, unable to understand the words she had heard, looked confused and tugged at Ansen’s sleeve.
“This is Stepmom’s house, right? Who’s the Marquis? And who are Andion and Alice?”
“Ah, well…”
“Does Stepmom have other children besides us?”
As confusion clouded Lamia’s face, Ansen’s eyes wavered. He hadn’t realized that Lamia didn’t know about Caria’s other children.
Forgetting even what Lamia had insulted Caria with, Ansen was at a loss, unsure how to explain illegitimate children to a seven-year-old. At that moment, a child’s voice called out from a distance.
“What is all this commotion?”
“Ah, young master.”
“Mother isn’t in a good mood these days. Don’t make unnecessary noise.”
Seeing the boy frown with such displeasure, the towering mercenaries bowed their heads. The Pandeon knights, witnessing this, were silently shocked.
His blonde hair and red eyes indicated his status. Yet he appeared only five years old, just beginning to speak and walk on his own. Could the mere appearance of such a young child be so overwhelming?
‘Is he really five?’
Though a child, Andion’s expression and tone were excessively mature. He walked up with his hands behind his back, clicked his tongue at the Pandeon knights in their blue uniforms, and said,
“I’ve heard Pandeon is a noble family with a long history, but it seems far freer than I expected.”
“E-excuse me?”
“I believe I’ve made it clear that my mother, Marquis Balta, does not welcome your visit. Yet for you to ignore such courtesy entirely—should I interpret this as a deliberate provocation?”
He spoke without raising his voice or using harsh words, yet every word carried weight. The Pandeon knights froze under the scrutiny of a mere five-year-old.
While they hesitated, Lamia, frowning fiercely, stepped in.
“Who are you? Why are you in Stepmom’s house? And those hair and eyes… could you really be another one of Stepmom’s children?”
“‘Another child’?”
Andion let out a small scoff at her words, then slowly approached Lamia. Though taller than him by a handspan due to the age difference, Lamia was intimidated by the boy’s confident presence.
Stopping a step ahead of her, Andion raised his right hand to his chest and bowed respectfully in a noble greeting.
“I suppose introductions are in order. I am Andion Balta, eldest son of Marquis Balta. Lady, you are from the Pandeon family, correct? I believe you are mistaken—my mother only has me as a son.”
“What do you mean?! I have an older brother!”
“It seems you are slow with news. My mother and your father have already divorced. Therefore, you, Lady Lamia, have no relation to the Pandeon heir.”
“What—what?!”
Though Andion’s tone was extremely polite, the content was anything but. Realizing she was being mocked, Lamia trembled with rage. In a sudden fit of anger, she grabbed Andion by the collar.
The knights tried to restrain them, but their noble statuses made it impossible. No one could simply pull the furious Lamia away.
“What did you say?! Say it again! I said, say it again!”
“I thought you lacked manners, but apparently, your memory is poor too.”
“Hey!”
“Go away. You mean nothing to my mother.”
His last words whispered quietly into Lamia’s ear. Furious, Lamia raised her hand to strike.
The Pandeon knights all thought the same: somehow, that hand must not hit Andion.
But before they could intervene, it happened. Lamia slapped Andion across the face. Immediately, a sharp, angry voice rang out.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Caria, her face set in a terrifying expression, strode toward them. The Pandeon entourage had never seen her face so hardened.
“Stepm—!”
“How dare anyone lay a hand on my child in my house?! And what right does a Pandeon lady have to cause havoc here?!”
She shielded Andion, radiating terrifying fury. The Pandeon knights immediately knelt and lowered their heads.
The situation was bad. No, it was the worst.
“I apologize! The lady missed her mother so terribly that she came to see her, but it seems she was too surprised upon seeing your child!”
“Surprised? A Pandeon lady lashes out at a smaller child when surprised? I knew she was ill-tempered, but I didn’t expect such recklessness outside her home!”
“Duchess, please calm down and consider the lady’s feelings!”
“You’re mistaken! I am not the Duchess but the master of this house, Marquis Balta, and my child is a direct descendant of the Emperor himself! Do you not realize the gravity of this situation?!”
Ansen tried to calm her, but it only backfired. A daughter of the Pandeon house striking a direct royal descendant…
This was different from the time the matriarch struck Caria. Back then, they were related on paper. But Lamia and Andion were complete strangers.
Moreover, they had barged into a royal residence without warning. Even if Caria were to punish Lamia immediately, there would be no excuse.
“Stepmom, listen! Lamia came to apologize! She spoke ill of you without realizing it, but now she knows it was wrong and wants to say sorry! But she won’t let me in…”
“The Pandeon lady has no manners. Even at seven, she doesn’t know one must request permission before visiting another’s home? Her insolent tone and her habits—they are a mirror of the Pandeon matriarch. Has she still not learned to speak respectfully to adults?”
Caria’s cold, piercing voice hit Lamia like a north wind, shocking her. She had expected her apology to be accepted, that they would reconcile and walk home hand in hand—but this response was beyond comprehension.
“Stepmom, why are you like this to Lamia? Is she really a stranger to you?”
“-It seems this cannot be resolved here. I will report and protest directly to the Pandeon Marquis.”
“P-please, not that!”
As Lamia stood dumbfounded, Ansen bowed at Caria’s feet. He could endure insults or blows, but if the Marquis learned of this, he might lose his position as a knight.
“This is entirely my fault. Bringing the lady here was my own decision. Please hold me accountable for everything.”
“-You can speak quite like a knight. Why didn’t I know this before?”
“I beg you, please.”
“But there’s nothing you can do. This is not a place for a mere knight.”
Caria, holding Andion, turned her back to Ansen, Lamia, and the Pandeon knights with a cold expression.
Back in the carriage, Princess Servis peeked her face out the window.
“What’s going on? Why so serious?”
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out.”
Without easing her anger, Caria ordered Servis. The tense atmosphere forced Servis to obediently step down from the carriage.
“I’m canceling our plans. I’m going to the Pandeon Marquis’s residence. You can take your carriage wherever—opera or whatever.”
“What?! That’s not fair! We had plans first!”
“That promise was made for the time when my son wasn’t being struck by a naughty girl.”
Caria glanced at Servis’s face and then her belly, saying, “You’ll understand soon enough.” Servis shivered and fell silent.
Seeing Caria this furious over the incident—far more than when she herself had been struck—made Servis vaguely realize just how precious a child could be.
Though she knew she was carrying a child, it hadn’t felt real to her. She valued the child because it was hers, but that was all. She wasn’t particularly fond of children.
‘Her reaction is so different from when she was hit. And it’s just that tiny child?’
