Chapter 19

Henry maintained his composure even in the face of Graham’s insults. There was a reason why the King despised him so much.

Before Graham ascended to the throne, the previous King had two sons to consider for succession. One was Graham, who now sat on the throne, and the other was Prince Pete, ten years younger than Graham. As the child of the Queen, Graham was the legitimate heir and naturally first in line for succession. However, the young prince, born of the third concubine, was so exceptionally intelligent that the previous King found himself deeply conflicted.

Should he prioritize lineage or capability?

While the King deliberated, the nobles began to pick sides, supporting one prince or the other and clashing over their choices. Most supported Graham, the legitimate heir, while only a few advocated for passing the throne based on individual merit.

Among the latter group was Werner, Henry’s father. Werner had seen through Graham’s cruel and decadent nature. Concerned that the Kingdom’s future would be in jeopardy under Graham’s rule, Werner persistently tried to persuade the previous King against placing Graham on the throne.

But for reasons unknown, Prince Pete fell gravely ill and passed away before he could even hold his coming-of-age ceremony. With one of the two options gone, the throne naturally fell to Graham. Werner, suspicious of Prince Pete’s sudden death, urged the previous King to conduct a thorough investigation, but the King refused.

Thus, Graham became King. One of his first actions as ruler was to exile the nobles who had opposed his succession. His initial target had been Werner, but as Werner had already passed away by then, Graham could do nothing to him.

Although Werner was gone, Graham’s anger remained. It was passed down entirely to Henry, Werner’s son. Graham, eager to find any excuse to execute Henry, could not pin any charges on him because of Henry’s unwavering dedication to defending the borders.

Then, when Graham discovered that Henry had taken a beautiful woman who could have become one of his concubines, his resentment only deepened.

“Your Majesty, I believe the Marquis’s words should not be dismissed so lightly.”

The Chancellor grew anxious as he watched the King disregard Henry’s warnings. If Henry, an excellent Knight, deemed the border defenses weakened, it was undoubtedly true. However, blinded by jealousy and rage, Graham refused to heed Henry’s words. Dismissing such advice out of personal spite could have severe consequences for the Kingdom’s safety.

“What does that brat know? It’s all nonsense!”

“But—”

“Silence! How dare you talk back to me in my presence? If you have time to argue, go fetch more wine!”

Graham hurled the wine bottle he was holding at the Chancellor. Startled, the Chancellor caught the bottle and, without a word, retreated from the Audience Chamber.

“Ah, what a waste. If I had known she would end up with that man, I would have snatched her up the moment the Duke offered her.”

Graham licked his lips as he thought of Catherine. Though he had never seen her in person, the Duke had described her as being perfectly aligned with Graham’s tastes.

If the opportunity arose, he vowed to bring her to his bed.

A lecherous smile spread across Graham’s face.

* * *

To think Henry had an older brother.

Catherine still felt her heart racing as she tried to calm herself. It was a relief that the man who had appeared from hiding in her bedroom was not a monster but Richelle’s son. However, her startled heart did not settle easily.

“Are you all right?”

Alto, noticing her state, spoke to her gently.

Catherine did not respond. It wasn’t that she was deliberately ignoring him; she simply couldn’t find the right words to say. She wasn’t fine, but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t fine either, as it might cause Alto to feel guilty for failing to ensure her safety.

“Are you planning to stand there all night?”

When Catherine hesitated to enter the bedroom, Alto assured her that he would stand guard so she could rest without worry. Though she still harbored ill feelings toward Alto for his careless remark the other day, having someone by her side—even someone she disliked—was better than lying alone in a vast bed without Henry.

“This happened because I failed to properly ensure your safety, Madame. The least I can do is watch over you as you sleep.”

Alto chuckled as he spoke, though it was unclear whether he found the situation amusing or was trying to make Catherine laugh with him.

“That man—or rather, Henry’s brother—how did he end up like that?”

Unable to sleep, Catherine decided to ask what had been on her mind. She wanted to know how Wiggins’s face had become so disfigured and how he had lived with such a condition.

When Catherine asked about Wiggins, Alto fell silent for the first time. He seemed to be searching for the right words, his lips pressed together in thought.

Perhaps Alto knew everything about Henry and Catherine’s relationship. He appeared to be debating whether it was appropriate to share Henry’s family history with someone who might leave him one day.

“It’s all right. You can tell me. I just want to understand Henry better.”

Though curiosity played a part, Catherine’s primary motivation for asking about Wiggins was her desire to understand Henry more deeply. She, too, had a painful family history, and she felt that learning about Henry’s might help her connect with him on a deeper level.

Alto was surprised by Catherine’s words, though she couldn’t see his expression in the dark.

“As you might have guessed, the Lord’s mother is not Lady Richelle.”

That explained a lot.

No mother would speak so cruelly to her own child. If Richelle was not Henry’s biological mother, then everything made sense.

“Originally, Lady Richelle and Lord Werner had a son, but he suffered an accident at a young age, which left half of his face burned beyond recognition.”

“Burned?”

“Yes. Though he was fortunate enough to survive, his face and hand could not be restored. And perhaps due to the trauma, his mind seems to have remained at the age when the accident occurred.”

Catherine recalled Wiggins’s childlike stuttering and his tendency to repeat the same words. He had been unable to form sentences, only muttering short phrases. The realization left her feeling heavy-hearted.

It was a tragic story. Had it not been for the accident, Wiggins would have grown up normally, inherited the title, and lived a proper life. Instead, the accident had robbed him of not only his title but also his ability to lead a normal life.

“Then is Henry… adopted?”

“Well…”

Alto hesitated. It seemed he was being cautious because the story involved Henry’s birth.

“You could say he is, but also not.”

“What do you mean? Explain it clearly.”

“The Lord’s father is indeed Lord Werner, but his mother is not Lady Richelle.”

“So then…”

Catherine’s mind raced. The father was the same, but the mothers were different. One mother was the legitimate wife, while the other was not. This meant that Henry’s mother…

“She was a woman Lord Werner spent a single night with.”

Alto admitted that he had never met Henry’s mother. He had joined the household after Henry had already grown up, so everything he told Catherine was secondhand information.

“Though Lord Werner and Lady Richelle had a son, that son was incapable of fulfilling his role. Meanwhile, another son, born of a woman who wasn’t the legitimate wife, appeared at their doorstep. Lord Werner had no reason to reject him. Thus, my Lord was separated from his mother before he turned five and raised here.”

Catherine, who had also lost her mother while fleeing from a greedy father, felt a pang of sympathy for Henry. She, too, had a painful family history, and her heart ached for him. Though she had suffered abuse from her grandfather, she still had memories of being loved. Those moments had been possible because they shared the same bloodline.

But Henry likely had no such memories. He had been separated from his mother at a young age and raised entirely by a stepmother.

From what Catherine had seen of Richelle over the past few days, she could only imagine how cruelly Richelle must have treated young Henry. The thought of the wounds he must have endured as a child made her heart ache.

“Well, in any case. The Lord grew into a fine knight, inherited the title, and now has a beautiful wife by his side. Surely only happiness awaits him from now on.”

Alto laughed again as he finished speaking. This time, Catherine found herself smiling along with him.

“Only happiness awaits…”

For some reason, those words reassured her. If happiness awaited Henry, it meant she, too, could find happiness by his side.

She wanted to be happy.

And I wanted Henry to be happy too.

Catherine thought to herself.

“Thank you, Alto, for telling me.”

“Not at all, Madame.”

Alto smiled, his face flushing slightly at Catherine’s gratitude.

Henry had no family but her. Thinking that, Catherine suddenly missed him. She wished that when she closed her eyes and opened them again, he would be lying beside her.

She thought she could sense his scent lingering on the bed. Catherine closed her eyes.