episode_0064

“How could this be so brutal…!”

“Your Majesty, even if they are of royal blood, such actions without reason cannot be tolerated!”

“At a time like this, celebrating victory, to have such an incident… Your Majesty! Please, bestow punishment upon that heinous prince.”

Led by Duke Shurain, numerous nobles were pleading with the emperor.

And the emperor said,

“Why would you commit such an act?”

With a slightly stiff face, he gazed down at Eos.

“There should be a reason for this.”

Given the circumstances, it meant to fabricate one if there was no suitable reason.

“Your Majesty, regardless of the reason, punishment must be dealt!”

“Yes! Striking Noble Yeongsik with a wine bottle without any wrongdoing.”

“A person could have died. This cannot simply be overlooked!”

“Silence, everyone. If anyone interrupts again, I will punish them immediately.”

As the murmuring crowd hastily retreated, the banquet hall fell silent in an instant.

“Eos, explain to me. Why did you commit such a grievous act?”

Although the emperor’s face was rigid, the look in his eyes was not one of anger but suspicion.

He wanted to know desperately why and how someone could do such a thing, without understanding their motives or intentions.

Unaware of these thoughts, Eos hesitated for a while before speaking.

“Marino Luteon. How dare that man insult my fiancée in front of me.”

“Do you have evidence?”

“They were alone on the balcony.”

“Are you saying there is no evidence?”

“He had been insulting Lady Elaine in front of the nobles even before Your Majesty arrived. It’s impossible for him not to do so in my presence.”

“I asked if there is evidence.”

At that moment, someone stepped forward from the crowd and spoke.

“If you need a witness, here I am, Your Majesty.”

It was Count Gunter.

“A witness? Then please, tell us what you saw and heard.”

After glancing at Viscount Bart’s expression, Gunter cautiously began to speak.

Afraid of upsetting his kinsman, he proceeded with extra care.

“Before the banquet began, most of us witnessed Marino Luteon insulting Viscount Bart’s daughter.”

“What?”

The emperor’s voice lowered slightly, but his eyes gleamed with an intense fire, as if flames were flickering within them.

His sharp gaze scanned the faces in the crowd.

Each time it landed on someone, regardless of their status, they bowed their heads and took a step back.

Everyone present felt it.

The emperor was no longer the dying man he had been just a while ago.

Those who had fought alongside the young emperor on the battlefield finally realized.

“He has recovered…”

“He has finally risen above the pain of the past!”

Of course, even those who thought this eventually had to bow their heads and retreat.

It was because the emperor’s gaze was so intense.

“If you all witnessed Marino Luteon daring to insult my daughter-in-law and still supported him, what does that make you?”

The emperor’s voice sounded like the noise of a massive rock rolling down a hill.

An unstoppable weight, crushing everything in its path with relentless force.

Within the deep tones of his voice lay an unfathomable fear.

“I-I apologize…”

“Please, Your Majesty, grant him death…”

Finally, the emperor’s gaze turned towards Duke Shurain.

“Did you know about this, Prime Minister?”

The duke quickly bowed his head and replied, “I, I was a bit distant, so I did not hear.”

Then, as if waiting, Count Gunter stepped forward.

“The Prime Minister of the country would never lie, so perhaps my memory is mistaken. But it’s truly strange. Did I dream this? In my memory, the Prime Minister even smiled at me with his eyes. It’s still vivid.”

“T-That’s a misunderstanding. I was just…”

“Just?”

“I was feeling good and laughing at nothing.”

“Well, if you put it that way.”

As the Marquis retreated mockingly, the Emperor asked the Prime Minister, “How should we handle this matter according to your thoughts?”

On the surface, it seemed like an ordinary question.

However…

The atmosphere, including the tone and expression, seemed to imply a threat that if a satisfactory answer wasn’t given, there would be consequences.

The Marquis looked puzzled.

If Maro were not punished…

It could lead to a situation where many nobles could face punishment for disrespecting the royal family.

So, for now…

Making Maro solely responsible for causing unnecessary turmoil would be the best choice for everyone.

Of course, even then…

There might be a loophole to escape, so it was necessary to clearly understand what had happened.

“For now, wouldn’t it be wise to listen to what Luteon Youngsik has to say?”

“Very well.”

The Marquis poured wine directly onto Maro’s face.

“Ugh… Ugh….”

As Maro regained consciousness, tears streamed down his face.

His body ached, he was startled, and…

The numerous uncomfortable glances directed at him were overwhelming.

Even as he was lifted up and made to kneel by rough hands, the Emperor stood before him with a stern face.

“Tell me what happened on the balcony, speak briefly.”

Maro sensed it.

This moment was a rare opportunity to expose the fallen prince.

Then suddenly, his eyes met the Crown Prince’s.

“If you mention that I ordered it, you will never survive.”

It was a nonverbal expression implying roughly that.

By suppressing the urge to cry out in injustice that surged within him, Maro had no choice but to remain silent.

“Hmm…”

Maro cleared his throat and wiped away his tears.

His hair and neck, soaked in wine, felt so sticky that he wanted to wash them immediately.

“Your Highness… I was seduced by the fiancée of the Crown Prince. I couldn’t help myself…”

With a blurred ending to his words, Maro believed without a doubt that a significant number of nobles would sympathize with him once he spoke.

Nobles, by nature, were not those who could tolerate such insolence from lowly individuals pretending to be noble with bought titles.

Knowing this fact well, Maro had insulted Elaine in front of them.

It was to gain favor with the nobles and, ultimately, to catch the attention of the Marquis Shurain.

In fact, he had succeeded in catching the Crown Prince’s attention, which was more effective than he had anticipated.

Since everything on the balcony was orchestrated by him, he had essentially become part of a shared destiny with the Crown Prince.

Struggling to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling into a smirk, Maro put on the most pathetic expression he could muster.

Then, he looked at the Marquis Shurain, hoping he would take his side.

“Is this guy insane right now?”

“…?”

Shurain, the Duchess, slapped Maruno’s cheek.

“How dare you insult someone who is soon to become the Crown Princess?”

Maruno touched his cheek with one hand and bowed his head.

To be precise, it wasn’t that he “bowed” but rather that he was “forced to bow.”

What surged within him in that shattered moment was not just disappointment but fear.

“Why? Everyone despised that lowly maid! She should have helped me! They all laughed at my words, wearing happy faces!”

This situation felt entirely unreal.

He had briefly lost consciousness, and upon regaining it, everyone had turned against him.

“What on earth is happening here?”

Maruno looked at the Emperor with trembling eyes.

There was nowhere else to retreat.

Now, he could only trust the Emperor.

“Do you have any evidence that my daughter-in-law seduced you?”

With the most noble blood in the empire, he wouldn’t look kindly on any maid seducing a man.

Swallowing hard, Maruno urgently pointed to the balcony.

“There, from there… It was definitely her who seduced me!”

The Emperor asked the people, “Where is Elaine now?”

“She went out to the balcony earlier.”

“Summon her immediately.”

Maruno breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s right.”

Surely, that wretch must still be on that balcony, and her mere appearance would be more than enough to prove the accusation.

“Your Majesty, there is no one on the balcony.”

“No one?”

The Emperor looked at Maruno. “Shouldn’t she be there if what you say is true?”

“…”

The only thing speaking for the silent Maruno was his trembling eyes.

“Did anyone else see Elaine come out?”

“It seems no one did.”

“Then where on earth is that girl now?”

At that moment, the doors of the banquet hall opened.

Elaine walked in through the wide entrance, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened.

“Have you been looking for me, Your Majesty?”

“Where were you?”

The question did not stem from suspicion.

“I took a brief walk in the garden alone after catching some air on the balcony when night fell.”

“According to the kneeling author there, Elaine, you seduced him on the balcony?”

The reason for asking was to clarify the truth and prevent potential accusations in the future.

“I stayed there only briefly. I didn’t even encounter that person. Perhaps there was a mistake or confusion with someone else, Your Majesty.”

Then, Maruno shouted desperately, “Stop lying! That lace-adorned dress you’re wearing was undoubtedly the one you had on at the balcony!”

Elaine scolded Maruno with a rather incredulous expression. “Why are you trying to frame me for something I didn’t do? Look around. How many women here, including the ladies and princesses, aren’t wearing lace? Are you suggesting that every woman here seduced you?”

Maruno looked around with a helpless expression.

Indeed, everyone was wearing lace-adorned dresses.

At that moment, the Crown Prince stood up and walked towards Maruno.

“Your Majesty, this author’s crimes seem far from minor. Not only did he publicly insult someone who will be part of the royal family, but he also tried to falsely accuse her of seduction without any evidence. If she had been on the balcony, even if nothing had happened, it could have severely damaged her reputation.”

“Oh, no… I mean… I didn’t…”

Stammering with an unjust expression, Maruno tried to shout something to the guards as he stood up from his seat but…

Thwack!

He was struck by Servis’s fist and fell backward.

“Boldly disrespecting the royal family, daring to lightly regard even Your Majesty’s authority. Look here! Seize this criminal immediately and throw them into the underground prison!”

The Emperor, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke.

“Servis. It seems like it is you who has underestimated the authority of this throne. You are already behaving as if you were the Emperor.”

“Your Majesty, that’s not-”

“Silence. Do you think I am a fool?”

The Emperor commanded the chamberlain,

“Bring that person back. I am curious about what Servis was about to say.”