Vol. 1 - Ch. 58

Chapter 58 

God is not fair. Even House Winter, gifted with every ability, was not exempt from this truth.

The bloodline of House Winter, known for producing individuals who made extraordinary contributions once in every generation, was extremely rare. Usually, only one was born per generation. This was considered House Winter’s only weakness.

It was widely known that those of House Winter suffered countless dangers from a young age. Because of this, there were many willing to lay down their lives to protect the sole heir of the family. And now, the woman they were to take away carried the blood of House Winter within her.

‘What should I do?’

If they took her and something went wrong, if she were to lose the child, the Emperor would cast him aside without hesitation.

Even though he had been acting under the Emperor’s orders, Duke Bevelock had no intention of pushing Edmund into such a risky situation. That was why, despite Edmund’s provocative words, he found it difficult to open his mouth.

Duke Bevelock hesitated and took a step back. Just as he struggled to figure out how to handle the situation, one of his subordinates approached and whispered something in his ear.

At that moment, Duke Bevelock’s face brightened slightly.

“What is it?”

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor had arrived.

Perhaps believing that the situation had already been resolved, the Emperor appeared leisurely, his hands clasped behind his back. However, upon seeing the tense standoff, he halted and looked at Duke Bevelock. His gaze seemed to demand an explanation, as if questioning why things had not yet been settled. Duke Bevelock could only feel wronged.

“Your Majesty, that is…”

“Daphne is pregnant.”

“…What?”

For a brief moment, the Emperor was stunned. Then, he slowly unclasped his hands.

“A, a second child of House Winter…? It’s been so long… Well, congratulations. But rules are rules, are they not?”

“Is there any evidence that my wife attempted to poison Her Highness?”

“Evidence?”

The Emperor pondered.

There was none.

His daughter had wept as she told him, and he had simply seized upon it without giving himself time to fabricate proof. So that’s why he was holding out…

If the Duchess was pregnant, then Edmund’s actions suddenly made complete sense.

The Emperor recalled there had not been a second child of House Winter in nearly a century. This was an unforeseen variable. Like Duke Bevelock, the Emperor found himself speechless, his thoughts momentarily frozen.

“So, as for evidence…”

In an attempt to recover, the Emperor lightly tapped Duke Bevelock’s arm. But the man remained motionless.

‘Useless fool!’

“Evidence?”

At that moment, a voice called out from behind him.

“Your Highness?”

It was Elizabeth.

‘I knew this would happen.’

Even after watching Duke Bevelock disappear into the forest with the Imperial Knights, she couldn’t shake her unease. After much deliberation, she decided to head to the forest herself and now, she had walked in on this scene.

“Is the pregnancy confirmed?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Elizabeth, still leaning weakly against her maid, took a step toward Edmund. Then, she gritted her teeth at the sight of Daphne nestled in Edmund’s arms and scrutinized her from head to toe.

“I’m asking if she’s really pregnant. How can we be sure this isn’t just a lie to get out of the situation? Shouldn’t we confirm it?”

With those words, Elizabeth turned to the Emperor. Immediately understanding her implication, the Emperor shouted, “Summon a physician at once!”

“Have you forgotten? Only a House Winter-appointed physician may conduct the examination.”

“What? That’s….”

The Emperor’s words trailed off. Only now did he recall an event from long ago.

Before Edmund’s father, the previous Duke, was born, his mother had been pregnant with another child. As a gesture of goodwill, the Emperor had assigned a royal physician as her personal doctor. But that physician had taken a bribe and caused her to miscarry.

House Winter had nearly lost its bloodline forever, and in his fury, the previous Emperor had sworn an oath. Only a physician chosen by the Duke may examine a woman carrying House Winter’s heir. The Grand Mage had been the witness to this oath, and now, the current Emperor was powerless to break it.

Understanding the situation, Elizabeth shifted her approach.

“You said there was no evidence, correct? But we have a witness.”

She turned to her maid.

“Bring her.”

A short while later, the maid returned, leading another servant. Daphne’s eyes widened.

‘Anna…?’

* * *

‘No, that’s not Anna.’

For a brief moment, Daphne had mistaken her due to the similar hairstyle and physique. But as the maid stepped closer, she realized it wasn’t her. Still, the resemblance was uncanny – the brown hair, the freckles. It was almost as if she were Anna’s twin.

“You seem to recognize this girl, Duchess.”

Elizabeth pointed out Daphne’s startled reaction.

“…I simply mistook her for someone else.”

“How odd. Don’t you remember? She served you during the hunting tournament.”

Daphne furrowed her brows.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. My maid was brought from the North.”

“Oh my, Duchess. Look properly.”

Elizabeth grabbed the maid’s shoulders.

“Now that the situation has turned against you, are you really going to deny your own servant? I didn’t want to go this far, but…”

At Elizabeth’s signal, another figure appeared.

An imperial attendant.

“This maid happened to have a childhood friend working as an imperial attendant. And this attendant saw them together on the second day of the hunting tournament.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the attendant squeezed his eyes shut and declared, “That maid is the one! I saw her, without a doubt!”

Daphne was at a loss for words.

The resemblance was undeniable. Anyone would have mistaken her for Anna at a glance. Elizabeth turned to the maid.

“Now, tell us the truth.”

Elizabeth placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The maid flinched before finally parting her trembling lips.

“W-well… It was on the last day of the tournament, just as the hunt began. I was at the camp when Her Highness arrived, saying she wanted to apologize for being paired with Duke Winter.”

“She joined the tea gathering… but suddenly, the Duchess switched teacups, saying her tea hadn’t steeped properly. Both cups contained the same tea, but Her Highness said hers tasted strange.”

Daphne barely heard the maid’s words. Her mind was consumed by one thought – Anna. If Anna was truly missing from the estate, then where was she now?

“Then, the Duchess abruptly left… and later, we heard that Her Highness collapsed after vomiting blood at the palace. And this… I found this in the Duchess’s belongings. I kept it, just in case.”

Edmund flinched at the sight of what the maid produced. It was the same poison he had found in Daphne’s belongings and secretly disposed of.

“Duke, isn’t this proof enough?”

Mere moments ago, the Emperor had been speechless. Now, he smirked. He couldn’t harm Daphne while she carried House Winter’s heir, but this was more than sufficient.

“Duchess, come with us.”

At last, Duke Bevelock stepped forward.

“Daphne, you don’t have to go.”

“Duke, you heard Her Highness. Do you mean to accuse her of lying?”

“I have never seen this maid before, Your Majesty.”

“Are you implying Her Highness fabricated this? That she poisoned herself?”

The Emperor failed to notice the flicker of unease on Elizabeth’s face.

"Do you truly not understand the kind of misunderstanding your words could cause, Duke?"

The imperial knights drew their swords, while the Black Order placed their hands on their hilts. The situation was on the brink of exploding. Even in the midst of this tense standoff, Daphne turned her gaze from Edmund to the tent where Damian was.

'This can't go on…'

Taking a deep breath, Daphne stepped out of Edmund’s arms.

"I will go."

"Daphne."

"Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will protect our child."

She forced a trembling smile as she looked at Edmund. For a brief moment, she thought she saw something strange in his expression, but before she could truly take it in, she turned away.

As Edmund’s fingers belatedly reached out, they brushed lightly against Daphne’s hand.

"You have made the right choice, Madam."

Without looking back even once, Daphne walked forward, following Duke Bevelock’s lead. And just like that, she disappeared.

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