A sin worthy of cutting out one’s tongue.

It was the first time Anita had ever spoken so harshly, but she meant every word. In her view, bringing up lineage in front of the child she was carrying was an unforgivable insult. The fact that these words had come from the child’s own father had broken something inside her.

She wanted to scream, to hurl her pain at him and let it tear through the silence. Instead, however, she forced herself to remember what she still had to accomplish. Perhaps this was only possible because she had long since stopped expecting anything from Cedric.

“Letting such vile rumors spread unchecked will only harm Your Majesty as well.”

Allowing rumors like that to circulate about their unborn child would undoubtedly damage Cedric’s authority and dignity. For this reason, he had already ordered a discreet investigation into who had started them. However, he had no intention of telling her.

He wanted her to feel uneasy. He wanted her to be afraid of losing her position, afraid enough to remain under his control. Despite knowing that this fear could harm the child, he preferred her that way. Yet when he saw her trying to speak calmly with tears falling, his chest tightened as if pierced by an icy blade.

For a moment, he considered telling her that the culprits were already being dealt with. In the end, though, he said nothing, merely looking down at her in silence.

The quiet stretched between them. Then, having reined in her emotions, Anita wiped her tears away and lowered her head. Her voice, now dry and hoarse, broke the silence.

“…Your Majesty. You asked whether you should entrust the title of Empress to someone useless.”

“…”

“I know. Since House Hardyde fell, there’s little left of me worth anything. It’s true, I may be useless. And I understand that your mercy toward me is only for the child’s sake.”

Cedric clenched his fists at her bitter tone before realizing it. Hearing her echo his own cruel words, the same ones he had thrown at her twisted his face with something dangerously close to shame.

But Anita, her head still bowed, didn’t notice. She continued quietly, listing the few valuable things she had left in her bleak reality.

“Still, Your Majesty, there are a few things I can offer. As you know, many of Callithea’s remaining rights are still in my name. They may have fallen into the hands of traitors now, but the titles, lands, and revenues are all legally mine. My mother also left me some holdings abroad.”

“…”

“I would have inherited more domains and rights had Hardyde not collapsed, but I won’t mention them since I don’t have the relevant documentation. However, I will give you all the documents that I do have.”

“…..”

“I may be useless and unable to exert any influence despite owning the documents, but you are fully capable, Your Majesty. If you have the justification, who would dare to say anything? Even the traitors would probably bow to your authority.”

“…..”

“I will dedicate all of these to you. You may dispose of my personal jewels as you wish. It doesn’t matter if nothing is left for me.”

She had offered these things to the former emperor while pleading for her nephew’s life. However, the former emperor had not coveted any of Anita’s authority. In fact, he had even left her a certain amount of personal assets.

Yet Cedric offered no reply or reaction to Anita’s offer to dedicate everything she owned. Growing anxious, she clasped her hands, which were resting on her abdomen, and tightened her grip slightly. Slowly raising her head, she gauged Cedric’s mood before opening her mouth.

“I won’t be entirely useless within the country either. The former emperor…”

Mentioning the former emperor’s dying wish naturally brought Gerard to mind. Although she understood the former emperor’s judgement, she simultaneously pitied Gerard, who had become illegitimate overnight. She paused before continuing.

“When the late Emperor named you as his sole legitimate heir, he did so through the Church of Asteria.”

“..…”

“Because of that, most of the faithful swore allegiance to you. The opposition was weaker, and there was less bloodshed than anyone had expected. Even the traitors lost much of their strength and influence.”

Before his death, the late emperor had summoned an Asterian priest to his bedside and proclaimed his final will through this confession. The result was decisive: Gerard, once Cedric’s rival, was branded illegitimate overnight. The Church and the nobles who had once resisted Cedric now turned to his side and acknowledged his divine legitimacy. It was this will that enabled Cedric to denounce the Dowager Empress and Gerard as traitors and ascend the throne without turmoil.

“I understand that my faith displeases Your Majesty, but those who share it are also your subjects too—your people.”

“…..”

“Take me under your protection, and you will calm their unrest. By doing so, you will prevent needless division during the early years of your reign and ensure that all serve you as loyal subjects of Laxion.”

Her reasoning was sound. Those who had suddenly sworn allegiance to Cedric under the late emperor’s command could not help but feel uneasy; only days before, they had been prepared to fight him to the death. Meanwhile, the nobles who had always supported Cedric would undoubtedly oppress the newly converted faction.

For now, their fragile hope rested on one thing alone: that the new emperor would show mercy and not reject the Callithean princess who was carrying his child. However, if Anita were to be stripped of her title and expelled from the palace, that hope would collapse and rebellion, whether great or small, might soon follow.

If Cedric dismissed her now, those desperate factions could turn to the fading remnants of the Dowager Empress and Gerard’s cause.

Every word Anita spoke was true. Yet, to Cedric, a wife who dared to speak of politics needed to be swiftly put in her place. A Callithean princess meddling in Laxion’s affairs, how laughable.

“’Princess, I hadn’t realized you were so clever.”

It was the first time in a long while that he had used that title, and the deliberate change in his tone, along with the way he referred to himself, hit Anita like a blow. In that instant, she realized her mistake. What she had intended as proof of her usefulness had only provoked him further.

Still, once spoken, her words could not be taken back.

“Are you trying to revive the House of Hardyde using the child in your womb as leverage, too? How noble of you.”

At the accusation, Anita’s shoulders flinched. Yet she said nothing because it wasn’t entirely untrue. She had hoped that securing her position as empress would enable her to save her niece and perhaps one day restore her fallen house.

But why did it hurt so much to hear it from him? Something sharp and painful twisted inside her, deeper than she could name.

“You don’t even deny it. Remarkable. Truly remarkable.”

This time, Cedric was the one who was displeased when Anita didn’t fight back. His wife was a complete enigma to him. No matter how she reacted, it annoyed him. He couldn’t bear not to crush her.

He turned her head and grabbed her chin, which was pointing towards the floor. Then, applying a fair amount of force, he lifted her chin so that she was forced to look at him.

“Anita, listen carefully. Listen carefully.”

Soon, Anita’s blue eyes began to shine with moisture. No tears fell, but the rims of her eyes were reddened with sorrow.

Seeing her looking so forlorn caused a dull heat to rise between Cedric’s legs. In that instant, he was disgusted with himself for feeling aroused while his pregnant wife stood before him, quivering.

Instead of reproaching himself, he blamed Anita. It was her fault, he told himself; that strange l*st must be hers. The praise of that witch had not been idle, she was born with a bewitching charm that made men fall at her feet. That was why he could not strike her down now; that was why he trembled with these filthy urges instead.

Cedric shifted the unbearable shame of his desire and the tangled emotions it produced onto Anita. This manifested itself in more aggressive, merciless words.

“The reason I’m allowing the faith you speak of to remain for now is not because you are bowing your head to me.”

“…”

“My people are loyal to me out of a sense of duty, and they bow before me. I alone possess the right to their devotion. The late emperor named no heir other than me, and in the Laxion Empire, there can only ever be one emperor — me. So tell me, whom would they serve? A traitorous b*stard as their sovereign? That would be treason in itself, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“You speak of division? How laughable. Shall I tell you what will happen once that child is born?”

“…”

“The priests of Asteria, those who now bow their heads to me will turn. They’ll begin to follow you, the woman who worships their goddess, and in time they’ll pledge their loyalty not to the emperor, but to your child, the one who might one day claim my throne. For them, it’s survival. For them, it’s profit.”

“…”

“And you think embracing them under my rule will prevent waste and strengthen the empire? You’re wrong.”

“…”

“What must be cut away should be cut away. There may be blood at first, but only by removing the festering rot can the body be kept whole and healthy in the end.”

Cedric refuted each of Anita’s words, his tone steeped in the arrogance befitting an emperor.

Defeated and hollow, Anita no longer had the strength to plead her own worth. She lowered her gaze, closed her eyes, and turned away in silence.

Then Cedric’s eyes flashed. He seized her chin and gave it a sharp shake.

“Do you understand me? Everything you’ve said is nonsense to me. Do you hear me?”

The answer had been decided long ago. Anita merely gave a faint nod. Nevertheless, her mind raced. She couldn’t give up, not yet. What she needed to do wasn’t a choice anymore; it was something she had to accomplish.

Perhaps sensing the fear flickering in her eyes, Cedric suddenly released her chin. He exhaled, allowing some of his anger to drain away, and muttered under his breath.