5. Goodbye, Father

The next day, in the garden of the grand ducal residence. The sky was dazzlingly clear, but Kayla’s eyes remained melancholy. She sat on a bench and exhaled deeply. Beside her, Martha silently poured tea. Last night before dawn, Kayla had cried until exhaustion. She sobbed until her voice grew hoarse and her body weakened. But when the sun rose, something in her eyes had changed. Like a clouded vision clearing, a firm resolve had taken root in her heart.

“Martha.”

When Kayla called in a low voice, Martha looked up.

“Yes, Miss.”

“Can a person… report their own parent?”

A moment of silence passed. Martha lowered her head in thought before carefully answering.

“… If someone isn’t righteous, anyone should stand against them. Even parents.”

“… Yes, you’re right.”

Kayla nodded slightly in response. The teacup in her hand trembled minutely, but this time she didn’t set it down. She seemed prepared to finally accept the weight she had endured for so long.

“I don’t want to live only as a victim anymore. I don’t want to hide after knowing the truth.”

Martha closed her eyes and bowed her head deeply. Her eyes grew moist. She felt her mistress had grown stronger. The girl who had been suppressed and tormented for so long was now moving forward to face the truth and carry out justice.

※※※

Meanwhile, in the office of the grand ducal residence, a heavy silence lingered. Theodore was examining the slave trade records placed on his desk. Precise dates, amounts, signatures. And numbers that assigned value to human beings. Most of the trading partners were anonymously listed merchants and nobles, but some contained clues that could reveal their identities with investigation. His eyes, carefully reading through the documents, now reflected anger. Just then, with a knock, Kayla opened the door. Her eyes and trembling hands betrayed her tension.

“May I… come in?”

“Anytime.”

Theodore guided her with a gentle voice. Kayla closed the door and carefully stood before Theodore. Unlike when looking at the documents, his eyes became infinitely warm before her.

“I want to know what you’re going to do next.”

“I’ll report to His Majesty the Emperor, receive an official document, and investigate the Baron’s household.”

“… When you go to the baronial residence, may I come with you?”

Theodore was momentarily silent at the unexpected request.

“… It might be dangerous. And painful.”

“I know. But… I need to see with my own eyes. So I won’t deny it.”

Theodore stared at her intently before finally nodding.

“Alright, we’ll go together. But if it’s dangerous, I’ll stand in front.”

Kayla smiled slightly.

“Of course, you’re Theodore after all.”

At her brief smile, Theodore carefully embraced her.

“It will be painful, but thank you for being brave.”

※※※

Given the magnitude of the case, the investigation proceeded quickly. The next day, having received the Emperor’s permission and an investigation order, Theodore and Kayla visited the Grenville baronial residence with the imperial knights. In the meantime, the Baron’s home had acquired many luxurious decorations. All purchased with the marriage dowry. Theodore halted his horse and spoke in a resolute voice.

“There will be evidence of illegal trafficking inside. Search the premises.”

“Yes! We’ll follow your orders!”

The knights moved in perfect unison at Theodore’s command. Hearing the commotion, Baron Grenville came outside and bristled before them, appearing flustered.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke! What rudeness is this toward your bride’s father!”

“This is an official investigation order from the imperial palace. Keep your mouth shut.”

Theodore spoke in a cold voice. At that moment, Kayla slowly stepped forward. Baron Grenville’s expression softened at the sight of her.

“Kayla? Oh, have you been well?”

“Baron Grenville.”

Kayla addressed him by name instead of calling him father. Her voice was filled with determination. Baron Grenville’s expression crumpled at those words.

“… What?”

As the baron tried to approach Kayla, Theodore blocked his path. Kayla opened her mouth while suppressing her trembling hands.

“I will not call you father anymore.”

“What?”

“You sold children, didn’t you? To foreign countries, and to monstrous nobles. Can you deny it?”

“That’s… all lies! On what grounds are you making such accusations!”

Kayla held out the transaction documents she had received from Theodore. The Baron’s face turned deathly pale upon seeing them.

“Your signature is here. It’s definitely your handwriting. It’s over now!”

The Baron’s mouth opened, but his excuses were hollow.

“That’s a forgery! A trap to frame me…!”

At that moment, knights emerged from inside with more documents, and decisive evidence was collected one by one. From within the mansion came the sounds of Joanna and Neville crying. Theodore spoke to him in a low, cold voice.

“Baron Grenville, you are under arrest for slave trading and trafficking of minors according to Imperial Law Article 14. Bind him.”

As Theodore spoke, the knights restrained the Baron.

“No, this is all a misunderstanding! I am… the father of the Grand Duke’s bride! This is a conspiracy!”

He struggled, but no one paid attention. At that moment, Kayla spoke calmly.

“You should be ashamed. The most shameful thing is… that I ever called you father.”

Theodore stood silently by her side. Baron Grenville’s face grew increasingly pale. From inside, Joanna was dragged out, glaring at Kayla with murderous intent.

“… I should have sold you off sooner!”

However, Kayla’s gaze remained unwavering.

※※※

Hot humidity pressed down on the air in the grand ducal residence. When night fell, Kayla came to Theodore’s room. Her expression was still sad, but somehow her heart had hardened. Theodore approached her.

“Thank you, Theo.”

“……”

Theodore said nothing in response to Kayla’s thanks, just looking at her. Her pain seemed to transmit to him. But Kayla read his expression and smiled faintly.

“Without you, I couldn’t have changed anything.”

“No, it was your courage.”

“… You changed my life when I was a fugitive. Truly, thank you.”

“Kayla…”

Theodore carefully embraced her. This time silently, for a long time. Outside the window, stars flowed quietly. Kayla’s eyes were also clear and serene like the stars.

Three days later, the square of the Teoran Empire was scorched by dazzling sunlight. Baron Grenville’s execution became an official occasion attended by the Emperor himself, not just a simple punishment but to establish imperial justice. When the noon bell rang three times in the square, crowds gathered like a black wave in front of the guillotine. The knights were struggling to maintain order, but they couldn’t suppress the people’s fierce anger. The banners filling the square all bore the same cry:

“Revenge for the children!”

“Judge the demon!”

Soon the iron gates opened, and Baron Grenville, Joanna, and Neville appeared. Grenville’s face was pale blue, and Joanna glared at Kayla with murderous intent. Neville was crying in terror like a young beast, but no one showed him any sympathy. On the platform stood the Emperor, Theodore, and Kayla wearing a cloak. Though cloaked, everyone recognized her.

“That woman is Grenville’s eldest daughter.”

“She’s the one who reported her father.”

“How brave! In noble society, that’s almost like s*icide…”

“There’s a reason she became the Grand Duke’s bride.”

Whispers spread like waves. But Kayla’s eyes were fixed on her family members bound in chains beyond the guillotine. The Emperor raised his hand and addressed the imperial citizens. The square immediately fell silent.

“People of the Teoran Empire! Here and now, we will show the end of these criminals who kidnapped and sold innocent children!”

The crowd’s anger erupted in cheers. Amidst this, Joanna gritted her teeth and shouted:

“If it weren’t for that girl!”

Kayla silently looked down at Joanna. She was no longer an object of fear for Kayla. Joanna showed no signs of remorse, still displaying strong anger toward Kayla.

“Baron Grenville and Joanna are sentenced to death according to imperial law for slave trading, trafficking of minors, and violation of noble duties.”

As the Emperor finished speaking, knights bound Joanna and the Baron to the guillotine. Baron Grenville muttered as if his soul had left him.

“I… I… how could this… Kayla…”

At that voice, Kayla’s heart pounded. Memories of his hand stroking her head as a child and the moment he tried to sell her flashed simultaneously. The image of the father she had loved overlapped with the criminal who deserved her hatred. The contradiction tore at her heart. But now there was no choice. Unlike the dazed Baron Grenville, Joanna shouted with venom until the last moment when her neck was fixed to the guillotine. The blade gleamed as it caught the light.

“You damned thing! Even in death, I’ll—”

Swoosh—

It happened in an instant. The blue blade of the guillotine fell upon their necks. Joanna’s words were never completed. In that moment, cheers erupted from the previously quiet crowd.

“Hurrah!”

“Revenge has been taken for the children!”

“Justice has been upheld!”

Through it all, Kayla stood quietly on the platform. It was difficult to clearly read any emotion in her eyes. No tears welled up, nor did her lips tremble. Theodore firmly held her hand. He could feel her hand trembling slightly.

“Kayla…”

“… I’m fine.”

But Kayla found it hard to breathe as guilt and liberation intertwined within her.

‘I did the right thing. But… I made my father die.’

That contradiction stabbed at her heart. Just then, as Neville was dragged out, the crowd murmured again.