Beatrice looked at Rian with a strange expression. Whether it was a revival of misogyny or not, Rian’s complexion turned pale. Sensing that, Beatrice chuckled.

“It’s unbelievable……”

“So you should rely on my son. Surely, there won’t be a human who abandons my blood, the one who gave birth to and raised…… Unlike someone else. Oh, I apologize. Since Empress Mama has never given birth to a child, you probably wouldn’t know. Considering it’s been quite a while since she became Empress Mama and there’s still no news….”

I felt a bit annoyed by her mocking tone and clucking. To inflict such wounds on everyone and still be shameless.

No, I had nothing to do with Rian before. There were no morning chirps. As someone who had decided to do it when the children were okay, whether it was morning chirps or evening croaks, I felt a bit unjust.

Then I regained my senses and looked at her squarely.

“What’s so great about bloodlines… There are people who abandon their bloodlines.”

“What did you say?”

“There are even those who abandon their young sons… Ah, sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t talk about it in front of the person involved.”

Just as she had said, I received it in the same way. Whether she was fine with it only when she spoke or felt dirty when it happened to her, Beatrice suddenly vented her annoyance.

“Well, saying that won’t change anything. Empress Mama is ultimately just a mother in name only. Unlike me?”

“It’s laughable. Having a child doesn’t mean it ends… Beatrice, isn’t it strange? That Ridel runs away so much from you.”

“That’s because it’s still unfamiliar.”

“No. It’s because you unraveled all the magic. You remembered your mother who abandoned you, ran away. Because you don’t want to be involved with your real mother who repeatedly abandoned you, cast spells again to hide those memories. Understand?”

“Absurd. My magic can’t be unraveled. How perfect it is… Ah.”

Beatrice, who was inadvertently confined in her own net, belatedly closed her mouth.

But the words that came out of her mouth were beyond retrieval. The woman who claimed to have cast a spell on the crown prince with her own mouth. She foolishly and unbelievably testified to her own actions.

“Well, anyway…”

“So, even if you’re the one who gave birth to the child, there won’t be anyone keeping Ridel by your side. Now that Ridel knows everything, he doesn’t think of you as his mother.”

“Laughable. You must be envious. Because I, the real mother of the child, am envious. Ridel can never abandon his blood!”

“Even the mother abandoned herself, so it’s impossible not to abandon the mother as a child.”

She trembled. Whether it was a reality she didn’t want to admit or not, Beatrice remained silent for a long time. Then, she regained her composure as if nothing had happened.
Looking at it this way, it seems that she and Duke Evan both have strong convictions. They live with the belief that everything will definitely go well, that everything will move as they wish.

So, that’s why it turns out like that. It’s pitiful, and my tongue involuntarily clicks.

“How foolish.”

“What?”

Now, whether she has decided not to use honorifics with me or not, her brows furrowed.

“Everything is truly foolish. Just saying that won’t change anything. In the end, insisting like that will be your defeat, Beatrice. You could have had everything, but you let go of everything. Because of your excessive greed. The man you loved and the precious child. You let go of everything yourself. Thinking those people will stay by your side till the end is really… Isn’t it foolish?”

“F-foolish?! Did you just call me a f-fool?”

“Yes! Too foolish to put it mildly. Frankly, you surprised me when you appeared. I didn’t even know where you were, and suddenly someone I thought would never appear here showed up.”

Really, “fool” is the right word. There’s no other way to describe what she’s doing.

But she got stuck on what I said and kept shouting loudly. Without understanding at all why I said such things.

“How can a woman called Empress act so vulgarly…”

“How can a woman called Lady be so stupid? Haven’t you grasped your situation yet? Beatrice, you shouldn’t have appeared here if you knew your position.”

“My position?”

“Yes. Don’t you know that you’re being chased because of the attack on the Imperial Palace? I don’t understand why you appeared here. Even admitting to using magic yourself.”

But she just immersed herself in the cruel illusion she created and only lowered her head belatedly.

“Did I do such a thing? Is there any evidence? I just came to find my place today. Yes, today I came to reclaim my place.”

“Your place.”
“I couldn’t have done that, right? Is there any evidence? I came today just to find my place. Yes, today I came to reclaim my place.”

“Your place.”

It’s really frustrating that words don’t get through to this extent. If this were a novel, it would be a situation frustrating enough to make the author swear.

Whether she decided to whine like a child, Beatrice’s gaze shifted from me to Lianne.