Astaire didn’t doubt Valentine’s infidelity in the slightest.

Even if it was an illegitimate child denied by God, a first child was still a first child. Astaire, who had been without a child for so long, was overjoyed and held a banquet to celebrate Valentine’s pregnancy.

A celebration for a maîtresse-en-titre carrying an illegitimate child — it was unprecedented. Moreover, this maîtresse-en-titre was an unmarried virgin.

At this outrageous act, even the Holy Father, the representative of the almighty God, spoke harsh words towards the Sehera Empire.

“May God’s curse be upon Sehera.”

As always, Astaire paid no attention to anything. The only one uncomfortable with the Holy Father’s blatant curse was Valentine.

It was while Valentine was making her way to the banquet hall with heavy steps…

“Is that what you call words now?”

She heard a woman’s voice filled with tears shouting.

Thanks to Astaire’s tyranny, the imperial palace was always full of crying. It was such a familiar situation that she was about to ignore it and pass by, but the man’s voice that followed was one she knew well.

“I’m already going crazy as it is… Why, why at the same time as me…! I’m already…!”

“It’s His will.”

Valentine stopped in her tracks. The woman’s shout echoed again.

“That’s why I’ve endured until now! What, what am I?”

Valentine turned towards the source of the voices. At the end of the corridor were Liam and a woman she had never seen before.

“He has never been sincere to me until now. His heart always… lived in a distant place.”

“You knew that and still chose and acted accordingly.”

Liam’s voice was utterly cold. It wasn’t like the Liam Valentine knew.

“What you did was something no one wanted.”

“No one?”

“I’d like to ask you. Why did you do it?”

“Why, you ask?”

The conversation continued, incomprehensible to Valentine. The woman spat out words as if screaming.

“Because I wanted it. Because I desired it. Because it’s mine!”

“People call such feelings selfishness. Do you seek forgiveness and love after ruining someone’s future with your selfishness?”

The woman’s hand slid down Liam’s chest. Tears rolled down from her transparent red eyes.

“Liam, don’t say such things. Even though I’m this broken… You, at least, should understand me. You should… understand…”

“Lily…”

Liam’s regretful murmur echoed. Valentine, tilting her head at the strange atmosphere between the two, called out to Liam.

“Brother?”

“Tina.”

Liam, recognizing Valentine’s voice, turned his head. His long black hair swayed. Liam, who had come up to the capital, had grown even more handsome.

Valentine’s lips trembled as she saw the woman.

“Who is this?”

“You’re seeing her for the first time. She’s my fiancée. Lily, the mistress of Blumir.”

At that moment, the woman’s hand holding Liam’s clothes trembled violently.

“…Pleased to meet you, Madame Marguerite. I am Amaryllis de la Sienne.”

Amaryllis, who had hurriedly wiped away her tears, gracefully held her dress. Her lips trembled as she spoke.

“I’m glad to meet you like this. I… had a gift I wanted to give to you, Madame Marguerite.”

“Lily.”

“They say it’s a good medicine for the fetus.”

Amaryllis’s fingertips trembled as she handed a small vial to Valentine. Valentine took the vial without any suspicion.

“Thank you for Mademoiselle Sienne’s kind consideration.”

Liam secretly sighed. As always, his gentle voice was heard.

“Go ahead first. I’ll follow soon.”

“Yes, brother. See you in a bit.”

Valentine, turning back towards the banquet hall, swallowed the medicine and discarded the empty vial. Even though it was a small vial, it was cumbersome to keep carrying it around.

* * *

“Such a ridiculous event will never exist again.”

At the extravagant banquet, the Empress, whom she met after a long time, sneered.

Valentine agreed. She found her own appearance quite ridiculous. Her parents in heaven must be watching her with tears of blood.

Not wanting to cause unnecessary conflict, Valentine ignored the Empress. As she craned her neck looking for Cassian who might be somewhere, the Empress became upset.

“Where are you trying to go?”

A rather rough hand grabbed Valentine’s wrist. The Empress’s tongue, now somewhat under the influence of alcohol, was sharp.

“I’m not finished speaking.”

“……”

Valentine quietly stared at the Empress. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the Empress.

The Empress, Solice of Ingrid. The Chief Minister of State during the reign of Patrick VI, Cassian’s father and Astaire’s grandfather, was the Count of Ingrid of that time. Unlike the Blumir Duchy, which, despite being a collateral branch of the imperial family, had early on moved to the countryside to protect their territory, the Ingrid County, also a collateral branch, had always been loyal subjects who adhered to the system and served the Emperor.

Originally, the Empress was a supreme being who had neither reason nor need to engage in such petty squabbles with a mere royal concubine. However, Solice de le Ingrid had always found life arduous due to Astaire’s behavior.

In the midst of this, for the concubine to become pregnant first and even have such an event organized, her stress must have reached its peak, blinding her to everything before her eyes.

The Empress spat out as if chewing her words.

“How filthy.”

“Your Majesty.”

“What good is inheriting noble blood? The first thing you did was become someone else’s concubine, and the next was to conceive an illegitimate child.”

The Empress’s sarcasm was scathing. Both were things that nobles would find horrifying. Especially for an unmarried virgin. If she hadn’t been a royal concubine recognized by the Emperor, she might have been thrown out onto the streets and stoned to death.

And now, an illegitimate child… an illegitimate child.

While she could endure some level of insult to herself, the humiliation of having her unborn child insulted was unbearable.

Valentine secretly bit her lip. How much Valentine loved Cassian, or how much Cassian loved Valentine, wasn’t important.

In the eyes of the world, this precious child was nothing more than a filthy bastard. Wasn’t that why Cassian, knowing this better than anyone, couldn’t be entirely happy?

If it weren’t for Astaire, if they had just received permission to marry, none of this would have happened in the first place.

“Duke Blumir must be crying. Did he ever imagine his daughter would become so depraved in his lifetime?”

“…I think it would be best if you stopped there.”

“Stop there?”

The Empress added a twisted smile.

“Don’t be mistaken. I am the mistress of the Imperial Palace. Think again about what position a maîtresse-en-titre holds! How dare a mere concubine think she can order me around?”

“……”

In response to her words that were full of hostility, Valentine let out a quiet sigh. She had never even wanted to be by Astaire’s side. So arguing with the Empress was just uncomfortable.

However, perhaps the Empress took Valentine’s sigh as mockery. The Empress, her face contorted, threw away Valentine’s hand that she had been holding.

“Ah!”

Valentine cried out and collapsed. Her body, momentarily losing balance, fell to the floor in an instant.

Her stomach, which had hit the ground, stung with pain. Valentine instinctively curled up her body.

At some point, an unbearable abdominal pain came over her. She took in a rising breath. People who had gathered nearby began to murmur.

“Blood…”

Someone swallowed their words. The hem of her dress was gradually turning red.

The Empress’s lips trembled as she sat down on the floor. The effects of alcohol that had been quietly consuming the Empress disappeared in an instant.

Astaire, hearing the commotion, came running. He picked up Valentine, who was trembling on the floor, unable to move, clutching her stomach.

The hem of Valentine’s dress was soaked with blood.

“Empress!”

Astaire’s shout resonated throughout the space. An utterly chilling threat escaped his lips.

“If anything happens to Tina, know that you will die.”

“……”

The Empress stared blankly into space. She knew better than anyone that Astaire’s fierce threat was not an empty one.

* * *

When Valentine finally regained consciousness, the first person she saw was Astaire.

As her eyelids trembled and her violet eyes with a faint light finally gazed at the world, Astaire tightly grasped Valentine’s hand with his cold hands.

“Valentine.”

The last memories fleetingly crossed her mind. Recalling the terrible abdominal pain, Valentine barely opened her mouth. It was a maternal instinct.

“The child…”

“We lost our child. And…”

Even for Astaire, who was insensitive to others’ pain, there were words he couldn’t say. He couldn’t bring himself to speak about Valentine’s current poor condition.

As soon as the words ‘we lost our child’ fell, a strange light filled Valentine’s beautiful eyes. Those beautiful eyes trembled pitifully.