“I’m sorry.”

Rublier apologized.

The ‘I’m sorry’ coming from his mouth was so unfamiliar that Satin was quite taken aback. It was a word she had never heard before. Just as she hadn’t said she loved him, Rublier had never said he was sorry.

“I’m sorry, Satin. I… I just.”

For a long time, Rublier, unable to continue speaking, revealed his inner thoughts with an utterly miserable face.

“I want you to take revenge on me as you live your life.”

Satin didn’t even look at him.

Despite Satin’s cold treatment, Rublier stayed at the Del Mare mansion and remained by her side. He personally took care of all the tasks that the servants should have done.

Satin threw up her hands at Rublier, who refused to leave her side even for a moment.

When Satin, who had become extremely picky about food due to morning sickness, fell asleep after vomiting, he didn’t even take a sip of water.

He was by her bedside until the moment Satin fell asleep, and was always there whenever Satin woke up at any time.

It was impossible to know when or how much he slept. He was even always in a state of tension, ready with his sword.

Satin didn’t ask anything. It was none of her business.

On the surface, Caldeblanca was quite quiet. It was because of the mourning period for the Pope. However, rumors about Satin were still rampant.

Due to her family’s great concern about who she might encounter when and where, Satin hadn’t taken a single step outside the mansion since her return.

No matter how large and splendid the mansion was, it was still an enclosed space. Feeling stifled, Satin opened the windows wide and looked down at the street, witnessing people in black clothes mourning the Pope’s death.

Come to think of it, Rublier had been staying at the Del Mare mansion continuously. While she was a patient, it was puzzling why this man wasn’t being mobilized for the national funeral.

How long was he going to stay at someone else’s house? Did he not have a home to return to, or a job? She couldn’t understand why he was being idle.

“Go back. Don’t you have a lot to do in the Knights?”

Although her first words in a long time were unkind, Rublier happily engaged in the conversation.

“I’m not going back now. I quit.”

“…What do you mean?”

Good heavens. He really gave up being a Paladin in exchange for opening the Great Temple.

It was absurd. But anyway, Rublier’s circumstances were irrelevant to her. Satin turned her back and rested her chin on her hand.

Apart from the fact that food didn’t sit well with her due to the memories of her recent time in prison, her health was improving rapidly.

Unlike the prison where there was nothing proper to eat, her parents and Rublier had brought in all kinds of food that Satin might be able to eat, so after a few trials and errors, meals became somewhat possible.

It was a peace like the eye of a storm, but daily life was quiet as if nothing had ever happened. However, even during quiet times, anger would suddenly flare up inside. She wondered if she had developed a mental illness.

At such times, she would wander around the entire house, regardless of whether it was dawn, trying to cool her heart.

Satin’s parents were shocked, thinking their daughter had developed sleepwalking. But when they saw Satin with her eyes wide open, they just left her to do as she pleased.

Rublier always followed Satin, maintaining a distance of two or three steps.

When Satin, who was wandering in the darkness without a lamp, was about to trip, he would quickly catch her and retreat before she could get angry.

She wanted to walk slowly through empty streets, fields, around lakes, but the city streets lined with luxury mansions were not a good environment for leisurely walking alone. She felt stifled, feeling trapped in the mansion.

It was near the end of the week-long national mourning period. Her parents called Satin to sit down.

“Satin, you know the newlywed house you lived in? It would be good for you to stay there for a while.”

“…Why?”

“Why? It’s for your safety, of course.”

“That’s right. This mansion seems too noisy and not good for you to stay in.”

There was a reason her parents couldn’t speak openly about their suggestion. As news of Satin’s pregnancy spread gradually, some people had assumed that the father of Satin’s child was Gjorn.

They said that since it would be from the Del Mare bloodline anyway, the baby would inherit the family’s unique genetic traits resembling Satin, so it wouldn’t matter who the father was.

People who were gossiping about this rumor in groups of three or five in the shopping district were caught and beaten by Rublier, who had gone out to find fruit for Satin while she was asleep.

Then people started whispering and spreading rumors from hidden places that couldn’t be seen.

If they talked openly in a visible place, they would be held responsible for their slander even if it meant being beaten, but because they feared Rublier and Del Mare, they whispered secretly, which was even more maddening.

The person who first suggested that Satin should stay at the newlywed house was Rublier.

Satin needed a quiet, secluded, and free place. Seeing Satin just staring out the window, restricted from even going out due to health concerns, made her seem like a bird with broken wings.

Moreover, it was only a matter of time before the gossip reached Satin’s ears.

Of course, Satin, unaware of this, vehemently refused.

“I don’t want to stay in someone else’s house when I have my comfortable home.”

Rublier, who was present, quickly interjected.

“I will transfer the ownership of that house to Del Mare. I can send someone to bring the documents right away if needed.”

A house was suddenly hers with just a word. Satin looked at Rublier, dumbfounded.

“Are you crazy?”

“I owe you a large amount of compensation, Satin. I will pay it off gradually from now on.”

When was it decided that they divorced by mutual agreement, and what compensation is he talking about? This is news to her. She never asked for it and has no intention of receiving it. But her parents and Rublier didn’t back down.

“Sir Ka Dillon. Would you please leave us for a moment?”

As the conversation kept going in circles, Satin’s mother requested. Rublier looked at Satin, then nodded and left the room.

He probably didn’t go far. He’s probably somewhere near that door. Satin easily guessed.

Her mother took Satin’s hands in hers. Satin looked around for somewhere to rest her gaze, then just stared at the back of her hand hidden under her mother’s.

“Satin, we’re not asking you to forgive him.”

Satin stubbornly kept her lips sealed.

“Whether you forgive Sir Ka Dillon or not is up to you. How could we force you to do something your heart doesn’t tell you to do? It’s just that if the Knights come barging into this house with swords again, there’s no one in our family who can protect you by force.”

“We know you’re angry with us too.”

At her father’s addition, Satin neither affirmed nor denied.

“…We’re very sorry to you.”

However, even after hearing an apology from her father, she couldn’t completely ignore it. While still maintaining her silence, Satin quietly raised her gaze that had been avoiding her parents.

“It wasn’t because we didn’t trust you.”

Her mother continued after her father.

“A child to their parents is someone that just needs to be alive. Someone that must be kept alive at all costs. Justice, principles, none of that matters. This is a completely different category of reasoning.”

“Injustice often occurs in the world. And most people hope that someone will sacrifice themselves to fight against that injustice. But it’s also human nature to hope that the person sacrificing isn’t themselves or someone they love.”

With that mindset, they didn’t listen to anything Satin said about the oracle and only sought ways to save Satin.

When Gjorn was released from prison after agreeing to Kirion’s deal, they wanted to save Satin in the same way.

“The reason why people of the older generation teach the younger generation to live justly and follow principles is usually because it’s so difficult to live that way. People generally uphold justice only when they themselves are safe, when they’re confident they won’t be harmed. But when danger is certain, isn’t it easier to conform to the majority rather than stand up and rebel?”

“Those who overcome injustice by sacrificing themselves become legends. Why do they remain? Because they’re that extraordinary. I realized through this incident that my daughter is someone like that.”

Her father dropped his head.

“…Citizens might say that nobles from guardian families should naturally act like you. It’s easy to say when you haven’t experienced it. But among all those nobles gathered there, who else acted exactly like you? There wasn’t a single one before Sir Ka Dillon appeared. That’s why when someone who acts differently from others appears, they’re remembered in history and revered as heroes. Like Dionysius I, the first Pope of Caldeblanca.”

“The attitude of the people at your trial was probably the typical reaction. Some might believe you committed a crime, but even if they don’t, the danger you’re facing is too terrifying for them to handle…”

“After what happened to you, your mother and I had many conversations. And we came to a conclusion between ourselves. Satin, do as you wish with the holy relic. You can keep it or throw it away. We decided not to ask you about it again. It’s rightfully yours since we passed it down to you long ago.”

It must have taken her parents considerable time to come to this point. Satin raised her empty hand and touched her concave belly, which didn’t look at all like it contained a child.

Will I be able to pass down the holy relic to you?

“That’s also why we trust Sir Ka Dillon. Among all those people, he was the only one who fully took your side. We believe that despite your differences, you both share a fundamental similarity. And that man is a Paladin. Even though he stepped down voluntarily. He’s the person who can protect you most certainly, more than any ordinary man, so we feel at ease when he’s with you. Okay?”

Concerned about Satin’s complex feelings, her parents deliberately didn’t mention that he was the father of the child in Satin’s womb.

“Actually, Satin. With Sir Ka Dillon’s consent, we’ve already moved some of our assets to that house. There’s some money, jewelry, and documents for land, vacation homes, and farms — think of it as receiving part of your future inheritance now.”

This was quite unexpected. Satin asked back, perplexed.

“Why did you do that?”

“It’s all going to be yours anyway, so what’s wrong with receiving it early? Your assets are there too, and for the sake of prenatal care, wouldn’t it be better to move to that house in the suburbs rather than this noisy house full of people?”

The topic shifted again to the suggestion of moving houses. Even if not for prenatal care or assets, she would have had to visit that house at some point anyway.

Satin, deep in thought, spoke heavily.

“If I move, what about you, Mom and Dad?”

“We need to stay here and keep the main house.”

“If people can’t see me, they might misunderstand and think you’ve hidden me away.”

“There’s no reason for misunderstanding if we remain here.”

It’s like changing residences with her parents as guarantors.

If Satin didn’t appear for the trial or if her whereabouts seemed unclear, Kirion would try to retaliate against her parents.

“And you know, Satin. If, if Satin.”

Lowering her voice, her mother whispered in Satin’s ear.