Chapter 11 (Part 5)

Cloud threw a small vial to Ophelia with an expressionless face. The vial was half-filled with a red liquid.

“Do you know what this is?”

Ophelia knew the vial well. It was her bl＊＊d given to Rybid.

The bl＊＊d of the Imperial Family is the key to the secret passages of the palace. The secret passages are one of the secrets only the Imperial Family should know and must keep.

Non-Imperial Family members can never open the secret passages. Ophelia had given Rybid the secret passages and even the bl＊＊d to open and close them.

The reason she gave it was simple: to kidnap Yuliana. Rybid succeeded in kidnapping Yuliana, but…

“Since you didn’t deny it… it seems it was indeed you who gave it to Pope Rybid.”

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“Aens confessed everything.”

Cloud sighed deeply, pressing his forehead. He frowned in frustration.

“I cherished you, Ophelia…”

“…”

Ophelia kept her mouth shut.

She hadn’t expected Anthus to wage war just to save Yuliana. She thought a kidnapped young lady would become dishonored and naturally abandoned. She wanted to see Anthus hurt and fall into despair over Yuliana’s kidnapping.

But he nonchalantly declared war and pushed into the Holy Kingdom. And within days, he made the Holy Kingdom a vassal state of Sirius.

Using the large-scale teleportation array in the Florence territory, he teleported all the soldiers and knights near the Holy Kingdom. In chess terms, he ignored all the rules and checkmated the king directly.

And the kidnapped Yuliana was supposed to become an impure woman, but people thought she participated in the war with Anthus.

Nothing goes as desired. Ophelia wanted to give up on everything. And part of her hoped Anthus and Yuliana wouldn’t work out and would be unhappy.

Cloud slammed his fist on the table. Startled by the loud sound, Ophelia’s shoulders flinched.

“Speak!”

“Is there any evidence that it’s my bl＊＊d, Brother?”

Cloud clenched his fist at Ophelia’s words.

“It’s neither mine nor Moca’s. And of course, it’s not the Crown Prince’s either.”

“What about Seria?”

“Seria is preparing for marriage with Maxwell in the Marquis Fedeurus family. She has no reason to meet Pope Rybid. But Ophelia, you have a reason to meet Pope Rybid, don’t you?”

Ophelia bit her lower lip.

“You resented Anthus and were jealous of Lady Yuliana. You used Beonar to tear them apart, which incurred Anthus’s wrath. Yet you didn’t give up and decided to use Pope Rybid to somehow tear them apart.”

“Brother… Even if I say I don’t know, or that I didn’t do it, you won’t believe me, will you?”

“I want to believe you as much as I cherish you, Ophelia, but you’re not creating a situation that makes you believable, are you?”

Ophelia fell silent again. She knew. Cloud would never believe her…

And it was true that she had given Rybid the palace’s secret passages and her own bl＊＊d, which could open the passages… So she couldn’t say anything.

“Keeping your mouth shut doesn’t erase your crime, Ophelia. The more you keep silent, the deeper and wider your crime grows.”

Cloud sighed deeply and continued speaking.

“I initially asked if you knew what this small vial was, but you answered precisely that it was ‘bl＊＊d.'”

Ophelia’s eyes widened, and her face began to turn pale.

“This was found in Pope Rybid’s room. And it’s confirmed that the secret passage opens with the liquid in this small vial. In other words, this bl＊＊d is proof that it’s the bl＊＊d of our Sirius Empire’s Imperial Family. You answered precisely that the substance in this vial was bl＊＊d… How did you know?”

“Bl＊＊d… Anyone can see it’s bl＊＊d!”

“Yes, it would be correct to answer that it looks like bl＊＊d to anyone. But you answered precisely that it was bl＊＊d from the start.”

Ophelia bowed her head.

“Ophelia, you… You abandoned your family, who shares your bl＊＊d, to protect me. You always followed me and helped me ascend to the throne as Emperor. I wanted to do anything for you, who chose me over your bloodline. It’s unfortunate you didn’t end up with Anthus… But the Rockbellion family is blessed by the dragon, so even our imperial family can’t easily touch them. As long as we have Rockbellion’s loyalty, there’s no problem for our imperial family.”

“Why are you telling me this, Brother?”

“Because you’ll disappear now.”

“That…”

“Handing over the secret passage known only to the imperial family to someone else is treason, Ophelia… You are no longer a princess.”

“Brother… I was wrong. I won’t do it again…”

“What did you do wrong?”

“Th-that…”

Cloud looked at Ophelia with cold eyes.

“I’m sorry, Brother. I just… wanted Anthus.”

“No, it wasn’t Anthus you wanted; it was the Rockbellion’s magic stone mines. If you had genuinely liked Anthus… You could have become the Duchess of Rockbellion. With the blessing of the dragon.”

Cloud shook the bell on the table. The chamberlain entered through the door.

“You called, Your Majesty.”

“As of today, Ophelia is stripped of her title as princess and demoted to a slave below commoners!”

“Brother!”

Ophelia clung to Cloud, tears streaming down her face, but Cloud only looked down at her coldly with fierce eyes.

“I won’t say it again, Ophelia.”

Ophelia, demoted to a slave, was sent to a convent on the outskirts of the Sirius Empire. It was a place where noblewomen who had committed crimes were gathered, but Ophelia was sent there as a slave.

“I’m a princess! Not some slave!”

“Crazy for a slave, aren’t you?”

The noblewomen who had been sent to the convent for their crimes didn’t leave Ophelia alone.

“It doesn’t matter if you were a princess, a mistress, or a courtesan outside. Now that you’re here, you’re just our slave, Ophelia.”

“No… No, I’m not!”

“She is indeed Princess Ophelia. But being demoted to a slave and sent here… means we can torment her, right?”

“Wh-who are you!”

“Don’t know? Are you really asking because you don’t know? One of the maids and servants you tormented was my daughter. You probably don’t remember, do you? Well… you tormented and killed more than just a few.”

“Oh my, Lady Lubeus. Do you know that lowly slave?”

“Of course. Because of that wench, I was sent here.”

“I don’t… know you!”

Lady Lubeus raised the corners of her lips widely.

“There are a few people here who got caught trying to kill that Ophelia wench with me.”

Ophelia trembled in fear. Looking around, there was no one to protect her.

“Let’s get along well, Princess Ophelia. Soon, the families of the maids and servants you killed will come to see you.”

“N-no. This isn’t right.”

“Not right, tsk… It’s finally right… My daughter died because of you. Don’t you remember? Her name was Luxanna… You threw a thick glass bottle and hit her head, k＊lling her! I came to confront you and got imprisoned here.”

“I don’t know… I don’t know anything… I didn’t kill anyone!”

“God does exist, after all. My prayers were answered! For you, Ophelia, to end up here! It was worth enduring so tenaciously! I’ll make you shed more tears than the people you tormented did.”

“No! This is a dream! Brother! Brother!”

Lady Lubeus grabbed Ophelia’s hair.

Ophelia cried out at the first violence she experienced. Lady Lubeus laughed at this and began to torment her viciously.

But that was just the beginning.

* * *

“Is your body okay? How’s your appetite? Lia, let me know if there’s any food you want to eat.”

“I’m not hungry right now. My body is fine.”

Anthus sighed in relief.

“That’s a relief. It doesn’t seem like you have morning sickness.”

“Our Cora seems really gentle.”

Anthus named the unborn child ‘Cora,’ meaning ‘heart.’

“I think they take after me, being gentle.”

Yuliana smiled at Anthus, who was already becoming a doting father.

“Lia. I talked to Father and Mother, and they said we should have a simple and quick wedding.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

“I’ll let them know.”

Yuliana hoped for a simple wedding because the engagement ceremony had been too extravagant. Anthus wanted a grand wedding, but he couldn’t put the pregnant Yuliana’s body under strain, so he prepared all the wedding procedures to be short.

Everyone agreed with Anthus’s opinion. Anthus smiled as he gently embraced Yuliana’s waist and kissed her belly.

“Cora, you must protect Mom more than Dad today.”

Anthus lifted Yuliana’s waist slightly and kissed her belly, raising the corners of his mouth.

He had achieved his long, nine-year unrequited love. He was getting married and even had a child. Could he be any happier? To maintain this happiness, he must prepare for the dangers ahead.

“No matter what happens, I will protect you, Lia and Cora.”

Anthus smiled brightly and lifted his upper body to kiss Yuliana’s lips.

“I will protect you too, Yan, with Cora.”

Yuliana smiled brighter than anyone else as she nestled in Anthus’s arms.

“Do you remember, Yan? The time when you took responsibility for our first kiss.”

“Of course. I couldn’t sleep that night.”

He recalled the day they first kissed in Frey’s glass greenhouse. The hot sensation of her lips kept him awake for days.

<Since we shared our first kiss, we can take responsibility together. I want to take responsibility for you, Lady Loengrin.>

She thought she should push him away, but her body and heart couldn’t control themselves. Emotions she couldn’t understand with her mind accepted his lips before she even realized it.

“Of course, I remember. How could I forget? My heart was pounding so hard that day, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Lia, so I couldn’t sleep… That trembling moment still… makes me tremble.”

“I wanted to tell you that marrying you wasn’t out of responsibility, Yan.”

Anthus lightly kissed Yuliana’s temple with a curious face.

“More than responsibility, I want to say that marrying you feels natural now.”

Yuliana’s confession made Anthus’s heart swell.

His heart pounded. He felt like he had received an unexpected gift, covering his mouth and bouncing his body.

“Why are you like that, Yan?”

“I’m just so happy… I’m happy…”

Anthus looked up and gently gazed at Yuliana, his eyes slightly red.

“I want to tell you something too, Lia.”

“What is it?”

“Loving you is the most natural thing for me.”