The imperial family, Count Spencer, and Kate Spencer sat around a large round table. All servants had been dismissed. Everyone wore grim expressions. Only Aidan seemed no different than usual.

The silence was so deep that the Emperor’s long, heavy sigh was clearly audible. Karina looked at Kate, who sat with her head deeply bowed. Her gaze unconsciously drifted lower, toward Kate’s abdomen hidden beneath the table, before she quietly swallowed and turned away.

The child in her womb might be of Aidan’s blood. The thought made this gathering feel incredibly uncomfortable. What should she do when Kate declares in front of the Emperor and Empress that the child in her womb is of Aidan’s bloodline?

She closed her eyes to cut off the tangling threads of complicated thoughts. There was no need to think too hard. Even if the current Aidan wasn’t at fault, the unchangeable fact was that she couldn’t accept Kate’s child. Therefore, she had only one choice.

She would request a formal divorce before the child was born. And this time, she would truly sever ties with this imperial family and live a quiet life far from the capital.

Even as she steeled her resolve, her feelings remained inexplicably complex. It bothered her that once again, she had to give up something because of Kate Spencer. It was also unfair that Aidan, who had done nothing wrong, had to take responsibility for this entire situation.

Wasn’t there another way? Even if Kate’s child was of Aidan’s blood, perhaps there was a way to avoid…

She laughed at herself when she realized how desperately she was thinking. There couldn’t be such a solution. She had simply realized that she had grown too attached to the current Aidan to easily turn away.

“Kate Spencer.”

The Emperor broke the long silence by calling her name. Kate flinched but neither answered nor raised her head to look at him.

“Is the child you carry truly of imperial blood?”

Everyone tensely watched Kate at his low, heavy voice. She bit her lip while keeping her head down, then slowly nodded.

“If that statement proves false, not only you but the entire Spencer family will be held accountable.”

Lying about imperial bloodline was high treason. It was a natural warning. However, Count Spencer bristled.

“Your Majesty’s words insult my daughter!”

The implication that it might not be of imperial blood suggested she might have been with others. Not only Count Spencer, but Kate too looked at the Emperor with wide, shocked eyes.

“There was no one else! This child… is His Highness’s child!”

Her eyes instantly filled with tears. Seeing her seemingly genuinely wronged expression, the Emperor nodded while taking a long breath.

“If you don’t doubt it, I request that you confirm and proceed with the marriage talks between Kate and His Highness Lloyd as soon as possible.”

Count Spencer requested again.

“Even if it’s a prince’s child, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s Lloyd’s, does it?”

At the Empress’s pointed remark, Count Spencer looked at her with hardened lips. He too knew who his daughter had favored. But Aidan already had an official princess consort. Moreover, she was the daughter of Duke Hewitt. Meanwhile, Lloyd was still single.

Furthermore, the night with Lloyd had been quite publicly exposed. Therefore, as a father, it naturally made more sense to link her with Lloyd rather than Aidan. If it was acknowledged as Aidan’s child, she would at best live as his lover, but if claimed as Lloyd’s child, they could request for her to be made princess consort. This was why Count Spencer kept pressing about Lloyd without even mentioning Aidan.

“I heard that until before Aidan’s wedding, Miss Spencer frequently entered and left his chambers.”

At the Empress’s observation, Count Spencer’s face contorted. Karina tightly gripped her dress under the table. She too had heard this from the knights guarding Aidan’s chambers. It was an undeniable fact.

“Moreover, even on his wedding day, didn’t he leave his princess consort to meet Miss Spencer? The child could have been conceived that night. With Prince Lloyd, it was only one night. I’m sure you understand which is more probable without further explanation.”

The Empress added another point, firmly establishing that the child was more likely to be Aidan’s.

“If it’s my child, what do you intend to do?”

Aidan, who had been quietly listening until then, asked. At this question, the Empress responded coldly, asking what else could be done. The Emperor’s face had hardened even more than before, and Count Spencer visibly grimaced.

“I already have Karina. But Miss Spencer is carrying my child? If by any chance that’s true, what will you do?”

The final decision would ultimately come by the Emperor’s command. Even though it was his own business, he had to ask the Emperor.

“We will have Kate Spencer stay in the palace and care for her for life. Her child will also be acknowledged as of imperial blood and raised here.”

It was quite an ambiguous answer. Though nicely phrased, it ultimately meant they would acknowledge her as a lover and let her live in the imperial palace.

“What a fantastic conclusion.”

Aidan said with a smirk. At his disrespectful tone, Karina kicked his foot under the table.

“Why? Isn’t it true? Instead of telling me to divorce and take responsibility for the woman who bore my child, they’re saying she should live as a lifelong lover? If that’s the case, why not just tell her to get rid of the child?”

As Aidan’s unfiltered words poured out, Karina swallowed a sigh. Though he wasn’t wrong, this wasn’t the place to speak so bluntly. That temper of his would cause trouble someday.

“Please calm down…”

When she warned him with a forced smile, he returned a gentle eye-smile as though he understood. That made her even more nervous.

“Would you divorce your princess consort if ordered?”

The Empress seized on Aidan’s words as if she had been waiting for this.

“Your tone suggests you’re hoping for a divorce?”

Aidan asked with a smile. Despite his expression, his tone was equally barbed.

“Your Highness said it yourself. That you should take responsibility.”

The Empress cleverly twisted Aidan’s words. Aidan, who had been quietly staring at the Empress, raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“Yes, responsibility must be taken.”

After emphasizing the word ‘responsibility,’ he turned to look at Kate Spencer.

“You think so too, right?”

As he sought agreement even from Kate, everyone watched Aidan with expressions showing they couldn’t understand what he was trying to do. Karina felt the same. What was he planning? Even if Kate’s child was Aidan’s, it wasn’t something the current him had done.

After looking around at everyone, Aidan fixed his gaze on Lloyd.

“A man should take responsibility for his actions without running away. Especially if he bears the title of prince.”

It was unclear whether he was talking about himself or to Lloyd. He muttered like he was talking to himself and smiled faintly.

Maybe he had lost his mind in this absurd situation. Karina seriously considered this possibility. That’s how completely unable she was to grasp what Aidan was thinking.

“Me divorcing Karina? There couldn’t be anything more absurd.”

Lloyd deeply frowned at his definitive statement.

“You said one should clean up after making a mess, so why are you suddenly changing your words?”

“I haven’t changed anything.”

Aidan met Lloyd’s gaze and smiled.

“You made the mess, so you should clean it up. It has nothing to do with me.”

Lloyd sneered at Aidan’s words.

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know what kind of relationship you had with Miss Spencer? Even if not now. You were closer to her than I was, weren’t you?”

It was a warning not to try avoiding responsibility so irresponsibly.

“A close relationship…”

Aidan trailed off and turned to Kate.

“Answer me, Kate Spencer.”

She flinched at Aidan’s call.

“Have I ever…”

Aidan continued word by word toward her, who still kept her head deeply bowed.

“Slept with you?”

At Aidan’s question, Kate gripped her hands even tighter. Her hands were visibly trembling. Everyone, including the Emperor and Empress, looked at Aidan, wondering what he was saying.

“I said answer me.”

Aidan urged Kate with a smiling face.

“Prince Aidan, everyone knows she frequented your chambers!”

The Empress stepped in, demanding to know what he was talking about.

“Entering chambers doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping together, does it?”

Aidan answered, turning to the Empress, then looked at Karina.

“Isn’t that right, Karina?”

Karina had no response to his innocently smiling face. Actually, Karina too had spent nights in his chambers, but nothing had happened between them.

She might have believed that even if the current Aidan had been in a room with Kate, nothing might have happened. But the previous ‘Aidan’ was different. No, actually, she wasn’t sure. Perhaps, as Aidan had said before coming here, she might not know much about ‘Aidan’ at all.

“It wasn’t just once or twice, but she frequently entered and left Your Highness’s chambers, didn’t she? And you’re saying nothing happened? Isn’t it more far-fetched to claim it’s Lloyd’s bloodline when he only slept with her once?”

“That’s right! It was really just once, and even that was a mistake!”

Lloyd protested indignantly, backed by the Empress. Despite the atmosphere threatening to descend into chaos, Aidan remained completely unfazed. His gaze stayed fixed on Kate.

“That’s why I’m asking you to answer, Kate Spencer. Whether you really ever slept with me.”

Kate couldn’t answer Aidan’s call. Now her entire body was trembling like an aspen leaf.

“Kate Spencer. Answer.”

The Emperor urged her to respond. Count Spencer was also staring intently at his daughter, waiting for her answer.

“I…”

Though she opened her mouth, she couldn’t easily continue. Even that single word came out in a trembling voice.