Shallen could not understand Kasallin’s words at all.

Although her voice clearly flowed into his ears, his mind could not accept it.

No, to be precise, he did not want to accept it.

Because the moment he began to think about what her words meant, he would have no choice but to admit that he had made an irreversible mistake.

“Just now… what did Her Majesty the Empress say?”

Including Isabella, the other nobles who had been scheming together were equally stunned.

Even the orchestra members playing sweet dance music stopped in unison, realizing it was not the time to play their instruments.

In a ballroom that was just moments ago filled with bright laughter, it felt as if winter had descended in an instant, so silent it was hard to believe such a quiet ball could exist.

“No way.”

In the suffocating silence, the one who managed to squeeze out a voice was Isabella.

Unlike Shallen, whose thoughts had completely frozen, she seemed to be searching for some sort of detour.

“You’re pregnant? Are you saying you’re with child?”

“Yes, Isabella Rudo.”

Isabella’s throat was so dry that she muttered ‘How’ in a barely audible voice.

Another person who had encountered an unexpected obstacle was present.

It was Lord Jeffrey, the physician who had personally diagnosed that Kasallin would likely never bear a child again.

Frowning, he shook his head repeatedly for a while before exclaiming, “That’s impossible.”

He firmly believed in his judgment and abilities, convinced that Kasallin, out of desperation, was telling an outrageous lie.

“Your Majesty, no matter how cornered you are, isn’t it wrong to utter such a lie?”

“Why do you think my words are a lie?”

“There are plenty of reasons. When I tested Your Majesty’s blood with mistwood sap, it turned dark red multiple times upon rechecking. Even now, the result would likely be the same.”

Thanks to Lord Jeffrey’s counterattack, Shallen, whose face had turned deathly pale as if he might collapse, regained a slight hint of color.

‘Right, that’s how it was,’ he muttered, looking at Kasallin again.

“Lord Jeffrey is correct. We have clear evidence. Yet, Your Majesty seems to stubbornly deny it as if it’s not true.”

“I’m sorry, but we have plenty of evidence on our side as well.”

At that moment, Sir Leon, the imperial physician, interrupted Shallen’s claims and stepped forward from the eastern corridor.

Sir Leon, exasperated and unsure where to begin, clicked his tongue at Lord Jeffrey.

“It’s you. The so-called physician who misdiagnosed Her Majesty.”

“What? Isn’t that rude for a first meeting! I have no memory of making a misdiagnosis!”

“You’re completely mistaken. In Her Majesty’s case, it’s not mistwood sap but jadewood sap that should be used. Her Majesty’s blood is extremely rare and different from others. It’s a simple theory you’d know if you studied even a bit of alchemy—did you not know that?”

“Alchemy? Are you insulting me with that baseless pagan sorcery?”

Lord Jeffrey’s face flushed red from head to toe, looking as if he might punch Sir Leon at any moment.

Shallen grabbed Lord Jeffrey’s sleeve, pushing him back as if to say he was no longer needed.

Then he stepped forward himself.

“I can’t believe it. Not until I see it with my own eyes.”

“Your Majesty, you know better than anyone that I’m not foolish enough to tell a lie that would be exposed in a place like this. Look at me. Do I look like someone trying to escape a crisis with a cheap trick?”

Shallen slowly blinked, like someone seeing a mirage shimmering through the haze.

Even to him, Kasallin’s gaze was unwavering, so upright it seemed almost noble.

“Then… is it really true?”

“Right now, growing inside me is a child who will one day inherit the throne of the Renel Empire. I swear before God, with not a shred of falsehood, I proclaim this truth to everyone here and to the people.”

As Kasallin declared this with a sincere and solemn voice, cheers and gasps erupted in the ballroom as if they had been waiting for it.

Especially the noblewomen who had believed in and followed Kasallin to the end shed tears of joy, offering unrestrained applause.

On the other hand, Isabella, the Clemens couple, and some of the nobles involved in the scheme stood pale, at a loss for what to do.

This moment, where joy and sorrow were starkly divided, marked a turning point that would completely reshape the social landscape of the Renel Empire—a monumental event.

“I intended to announce this joyous news today, in front of everyone gathered, to share the happiness.”

As Parnes spoke, the ballroom fell silent once again.

“Thus, I cannot forgive. When I think of how my Empress, who should only see and hear good things, suffered for nights on end because of vile traitors, even pulling out their teeth and cutting off their ears to hang at the city gates would not be enough.”

Parnes’ voice was calmer and colder than ever, which only heightened the fear of those listening.

Some nobles, even if Kasallin did not, knew he was capable of such actions.

Kasallin looked at Isabella.

She looked as if she had been doused in filth, overwhelmed by the humiliation and despair of being completely caught in the Emperor’s trap.

Her once proudly raised head was now bowed to the floor, her lips bitten so hard that drops of blood formed.

Her once radiant expression was now horribly distorted.

Not a trace of guilt could be found on her face.

Only the disappointment of a failed plan.

If a demon offered her a way out in exchange for her soul, it seemed she would do so a hundred, a thousand times.

“Scribe, take note. Isabella Rudo, who orchestrated all this…”

“No, my mother has nothing to do with this!”

Isabella, barely squeezing out her voice, glanced back with trembling eyes.

As the scribe’s hand paused, Parnes’ brow furrowed slightly.

Then, as if waiting for the moment, Duchess Rudo rushed forward.

She knelt abruptly before the Emperor.

As if answering Parnes’ questioning expression.

“No, it’s my fault for not properly watching over my wayward daughter with ill intentions. Isn’t there a saying that a child’s sin is the parent’s sin? Please, punish me instead of our Isabella!”

Duchess Rudo had drilled into Isabella, in case the plan went awry, that one of them must survive.

So that one could either free the other from prison or create an escape route.

There must never be a case where both were punished, so they could plan the next move.

Duchess Rudo had constantly reassured Isabella that she would do whatever it took to save her if she were in danger.

That was why Duchess Rudo had never directly participated in the scheme, always putting Isabella forward instead.

As if seeing through Duchess Rudo’s intentions in an instant, Parnes let out a mocking smile.

“Duchess Rudo, it sounds as if you’re saying you knew nothing of this but are willing to take the punishment in place of your daughter.”

“Shamelessly, yes. But what sin could this young one have? It’s the fault of this foolish mother who failed to teach her properly. So please, take my head instead.”

Duchess Rudo’s earnest plea was now soaked with tears.

To anyone watching, she didn’t seem like someone involved in the plot.

Above all, neither Isabella nor the salon nobles accused her of any wrongdoing.

Even the reports sent by Owl had noted no direct evidence against Duchess Rudo.

Parnes gazed into the distance with a far-off look.

Then, he fixed a chilling gaze on Duchess Rudo’s head.

His eyes gleamed with the light of someone plotting something intricate.

“Scribe, take note again. Isabella Rudo, who orchestrated all this, will be stripped of all noble privileges and banished from the capital as of today.”

Duchess Rudo’s lips twitched upward as she lay prostrate.

Parnes continued.

“Furthermore, Marquis Clemens and the nine nobles who conspired with him will face reprimands and receive appropriate punishment, and those serving in imperial offices will be removed from their positions.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“And.”

Parnes paused, looking at Kasallin.

Kasallin met his gaze and nodded quietly.

His eyes then turned to Shallen, who was still silently struggling to accept what was real, his face pale.

“King Shallen, you cannot deny that you, along with Isabella Rudo, attempted to disgrace my Empress.”

Until now, Shallen had barely avoided the worst damage to his reputation thanks to his status as the King of Kan.

But at this moment, such things were unimportant to him.

The contemptuous stares piercing his skin, the murmuring voices, even Parnes’ words barely reached his ears.

The only thing plunging Shallen’s heart into despair was one fact.

The fact that Kasallin was carrying Parnes’ child.

“I will not let this matter pass lightly. As of today, the Renel Empire will withdraw the alliance with the Kingdom of Kan and cut off all support.”

To someone unaware of the two nations’ circumstances, this might seem like a light punishment.

But the Renel Empire cutting trade with the Kingdom of Kan meant, in other words, opening the possibility of attacking across the border at any time.

In short, the two nations had become enemies in an instant.

An ominous air spread among the nobles who understood the true weight of Parnes’ words.

The people of the Kingdom of Kan and the Renel Empire in the same hall glared at each other silently.

The stationed soldiers also quietly tightened their grip on their spears.

“I’ll give you one day’s grace. I hope you return to your country swiftly within that time. And I’d prefer you never appear before the Empress again in private. For your information, this is not my will but the final mercy granted by our Empress.”

Shallen’s eyes widened to their limit, red veins standing out starkly in the whites.

He felt as if the thin thread connecting him to her had been cleanly severed.

The fact that no friendly exchanges with the Renel Empire were possible anymore didn’t matter.

Only Kasallin.

The fact that she was carrying the Emperor’s child.

The realization that he could never meet her again felt like a cruel blade stabbing and tearing at his heart.