Chapter 8

“Consider this a serious warning, Bianca. If you want to maintain your deceitful image as it is now, do not provoke me any further.”  

Eric could no longer hold back.  

He followed up with a threat, implying he would expose the Princess’s twisted true nature to everyone if she crossed the line.  

Bianca was the Empire’s sole heir.  

“You must always be perfect so that no one can find fault with you. At the same time, you must not lose your humane, kind, and gentle side. Always remember this.”  

This was something she had heard repeatedly from her father, His Majesty the Emperor, since childhood.  

She didn’t think her personality was particularly warped or twisted.  

If Eric, who was boring and annoying but never wrong, said so, then it was probably true.  

Bianca pouted her lips.  

Still, it stung a little to see him exploiting her weaknesses to threaten her.  

In truth, it had been half a joke, but Eric’s reaction was far more intense than she had anticipated.  

‘Could it be?’  

Just as Eric knew Bianca well, Bianca also knew Eric.  

If he had heard her thoughts, he would have vehemently denied them, but Bianca believed Eric was similar to her in nature.  

He was someone who found everything tedious, and when something did catch his interest, he became unnaturally obsessive about it.  

In other words, for him to react so sensitively that he resorted to threatening her over this matter…  

“You’re serious about that lady and her child, aren’t you? You like them, and you already think of them as yours, don’t you?”  

“There you go again, imagining things.”  

“Come on, be honest. There’s no need for secrets between us.”  

Eric shot a glare at the grinning Princess but turned on his heel without a word. It wasn’t worth responding to her nonsense.  

“If that’s not the case, why are you so angry? Look at yourself right now. You’re acting like someone terrified I might ruin what you consider to be your possession.”  

Bianca watched Eric’s retreating figure and threw out one last remark to get under his skin.  

The moment Eric disappeared completely from sight, Bianca’s red lips curled into a sly smile.  

“You can’t fool my eyes, Eric. After all the years we’ve spent together? Because of you… I’m genuinely starting to get interested.”  

Her body burned with excitement, and she could no longer suppress it.  

“Laura!”  

Bianca raised her voice, calling for the head maid of the Rose Quartz Palace.  

Her heart, thrilled by the discovery of something entertaining after such a long time, began to race.  

Before anyone realized it, her expression had returned to that of the harmless and lovable Princess she was known to be.  

***

Several days passed.  

“Miss, it seems you are gravely mistaken. There is no space in this mansion that I, as the head of the Herrington family, cannot enter.”  

“If you understand, then quietly think of a way to prove the child’s bloodline. Your stiff attitude is starting to irritate me.”  

On the day she had resolved to escape, Eric had immediately seen through her pretense of feigning unconsciousness and growled at her with a menacing aura.  

That image of him remained vivid in her mind.  

However, for reasons she couldn’t fathom, Eric hadn’t shown his face in the room where Euphrasia was staying since that day.  

It wasn’t just Eric.  

Even the servants of the ducal house, who had been constantly peeking into her room and watching her every move, vanished after that day.  

There was only one exception.  

“Madam, it’s Demian. I’ve brought your breakfast. May I come in for a moment?”  

“Leave it at the door.”  

“Well… couldn’t I hold Young Master Louis just once before I leave? I keep seeing his little smiling face in my mind, and it’s driving me crazy…”  

The only person who still visited her was Demian, the butler of the ducal house.  

Every day, he personally brought lavish meals to her door.  

Demian even began addressing her as ‘Madam’ in a respectful yet friendly manner.  

Euphrasia no longer refused the food Demian brought.  

“If you’re going to nurse, you should eat something first.” 

Eric had advised her.  

It wasn’t for her own sake but for the sake of her child.  

Today’s breakfast consisted of freshly baked bread, warm soup, and a steak with a perfectly seared crust.  

Creak.  

The slightly ajar door opened a little further as Demian cautiously stepped into the room.  

He glanced at Euphrasia before naturally walking over to the cradle where Louis lay.  

“Oh my, our Young Master! You’ve grown at least a handspan taller overnight! Are you growing an inch every day? How remarkable! Truly extraordinary! You must grow up quickly to support the Herrington Ducal House!”  

Demian, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, treated Louis as the next heir to the Herrington family.  

With his wrinkled eyes crinkled in a warm smile, Demian held the baby with practiced ease. His genuine affection for Louis was evident in his expression and actions.  

It was hard to coldly dismiss the elderly butler, whose hair had turned white with age.  

Thus, Demian became the only person from the Ducal House allowed into Euphrasia’s room.  

“If he grows an inch every day, he’ll soon be taller than me. That would be quite a problem, wouldn’t it?”  

Watching the scene, Euphrasia joked lightly with Demian.  

For the first time in days, she smiled faintly, her expression softening.  

This was the most significant change that had occurred over the past few days.  

Although Euphrasia herself was unaware, it was a sign that the thick walls around her heart were beginning to thin.  

Euphrasia was slowly adapting to life under confinement in the Ducal House.  

“Even if Young Master Louis grows as tall as Duke Eric, he’ll still be adorable and lovable.” 

Demian replied playfully.  

At the mention of Eric’s name, which naturally slipped from the old butler’s lips, Euphrasia’s brow furrowed slightly.  

Noticing her displeasure, Demian quickly added an excuse.  

“Of course, there’s nothing cute about the current Duke. He’s so tall and cold that he lacks any warmth. It’s quite concerning, really.”  

As he continued to badmouth Eric, Demian added a nostalgic memory.  

“Actually, Madam, Duke Eric was quite adorable as a child. Can you imagine it? A little boy trying to look serious and act grown-up—it was utterly endearing.”  

“Was he really?”  

Unsure of what to say, Euphrasia gave a short response and awkwardly smiled.  

Just then, a low chuckle echoed from the hallway.  

“All this time, you’ve been holding back from talking badly about me? I had no idea my childhood antics were so embarrassing.”  

“D-Duke…”  

Eric appeared at that moment, his expression light with amusement as he teasingly looked at Demian.  

The old butler’s eyes widened, and the color drained from his face as he stammered.  

“Well, I didn’t mean it that way… Oh! I just remembered I have a very important task to attend to! Madam, I’ll see you again at lunchtime!”  

“Wait.”  

Demian, who had been about to flee, froze in his tracks.  

Even then, he carefully placed Louis back in the cradle before turning back.  

Eric, now devoid of any humor, turned his gaze to Euphrasia.  

“It’s been a while, my lady. Have you been well?”  

“What brings you here? I don’t think we have anything to discuss face-to-face.”  

The peaceful days she had managed to maintain were shattered in an instant by his arrival.  

Euphrasia’s face tensed with unease.  

“There’s no need to be so stiff. I have no intention of entering that room.”  

Eric raised his hands lightly.  

“So… have you figured out a way to prove the child is mine?”  

“Did you come here just to mock me?”  

Euphrasia’s sharp tone carried a hint of anger.  

“Of course not. Then again, since you haven’t stepped outside this room, there’s no way you could’ve found a method. So…”  

Eric turned his head slowly toward Demian.  

“Take the child.”  

“Pardon?”  

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”  

Demian, who had been about to question Eric further with a shocked expression, hesitated and approached Louis again.  

The old butler’s face was filled with guilt he couldn’t hide.  

It was something he didn’t want to do at all.  

And yet, Demian couldn’t dare to disobey Eric’s order.  

“…I’m sorry, Madam. I will personally ensure Young Master Louis is kept safe.”  

It all happened in an instant.  

“What… what are you doing?”  

Euphrasia’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected turn of events.  

She belatedly reached out toward the old butler, but Demian was quicker.  

Unable to even meet Euphrasia’s gaze, Demian took the child and left the room.  

“Duke!”  

Finally, a sharp, metallic tone escaped from Euphrasia’s lips.  

“This… this is…”  

Her vision began to spin.  

The dizziness overwhelmed her to the point where she could barely stay on her feet, but Euphrasia fought to maintain her balance, glaring at Eric with a mix of anguish and resentment.  

It was as if she were on the verge of death.  

The trauma of her wedding night—when Eric had taken her child by force, even at the cost of her own life—came flooding back into her mind.  

‘You need to stay strong.’  

She couldn’t allow such a thing to happen again.  

Muttering to herself in panic, Euphrasia’s eyes burned with a resolute light.