Just the appearance of a character not present in the original work was enough to cause considerable unease, especially considering that this person was supposedly the father of her child.

Naturally, each day felt like walking on thin ice.

“Is he really the child’s father? What’s with this sudden twist? Did he do something to protect Leopold?”

Lowering her binoculars, Ermeldine leaned against the castle wall, trying her best to deduce the relationship between the two under the meager shade.

“It would be nice if I could visit the Francœur Castle one more time. There might be something on the floor of that wardrobe…”

After the previous attack, Henri completely prohibited Ermeldine from using her magic, citing safety reasons.

“He doesn’t seem to have any intention of involving me yet, but I need to know to handle things properly. I can’t afford any more complications.”

Exhaling a sigh as she faced the castle wall, Ermeldine, before leaving, took another look at Ferdand.

In his laughter, praised by the fencing instructor, the pure innocence of a six-year-old was evident.

Fortunately, his gentle and lovely face showed no trace of any malicious shadows.

“Where in the world are there wicked people born? Well, there are some psychopaths, but at least this woman seems to have genuinely cared for him as much as her son. How on earth did she become such a villain? Did some physical damage to her brain occur due to the torture she endured in her childhood?”

Although there could be no immediate affection for a child who hadn’t been conceived or nurtured, it was impossible to simply turn away.

The child, confined to an underground prison due to those vile humans, grew up without the warmth of his parents.

Ermeldine knew very well what it was like to grow up without the affection of one’s parents.

Wasn’t she an orphan herself, abandoned by her birth parents?

“They abandoned me, but I’ll never abandon you. When I leave the palace, I’ll definitely take you with me!”

Connected by blood but without memories.

Although Ermeldine didn’t know exactly what family affection meant due to being a Heaven’s Child orphan, at least she wanted to create an environment where the child could live without being cautious.

She couldn’t expect the child, who was neither born nor raised by her, to develop an immediate attachment, but she couldn’t just ignore him either.

Despite Leopold’s existence weighing on her mind, Ermeldine felt a small chill at the unpredictability this character, absent from the original, brought to the story.

The ball was just a day away.

Originally scheduled for early March, the Spring Welcome Ball had been postponed for over a month, filling both the inside and outside of the palace with the sweet and thrilling pink atmosphere.

“Wow. It’s really amazing!”

Passing through the corridor, Ermeldine unintentionally exclaimed while looking at the palace garden.

“It’s different. People who have participated in such events before.”

Although she knew that Valier was a selfish child in an unstable state to the point of being murderous, this sight was undeniable.

Spring’s beautiful colors seemed to be laid out dizzyingly, creating a harmonious and truly fantastic atmosphere overall.

Not knowing what a ball or a standing party was, Ermeldine had to rely heavily on the maids’ assistance this time.

She also had to consider advice from Runi, who occasionally represented the gazes of the common people.

However, Valier, who had a lot of experience attending such events, was preparing for a perfect ball as if to prove that his flawless planning during the founding festival was no coincidence.
Ermeldine, leaving the palace for a final check, headed to the square. There, she saw a theater group performing a small play for the people gathered in preparation for tomorrow’s market and the upcoming ball.

“Is it a play?”

Fellio, glancing at the theater troupe, responded with an indifferent tone, expressing no interest.

“Judging by the makeup, it seems to be about Viscount Bellian’s story.”

The play, praising Valier, who was treated almost like a saint by the common people, had already bored Fellio. He shifted his gaze towards the magical displays set up in the square.

“Is that so? They did quite a convincing job with the makeup.”

However, Ermeldine, unfamiliar with such performances, found it intriguing and slowly started moving towards them.

“Oh, there are too many people…”

Although the square in front of the palace was guarded by the royal guards, having witnessed several assassination attempts, Fellio, feeling uneasy, closely followed Ermeldine.

“What’s that? Are they marching?”

Seeing an actor dressed as Valier getting off a poorly made carriage, it seemed to depict a scene from a parade.

Soon, an actor in shabby attire, portraying Valier, approached.

At that moment, Ermeldine grasped the content of the performance.

“Could it be…?”

Swish!

As the actor waved a fake dagger, red dye was sprayed around. They had used red dye, not easily obtainable here, for the performance.

“Die! Die! Die!”

When the actor in ragged clothing, with overturned red dye, fell, the crowd watching began chanting “Die!” towards the actor portraying Valier.

Soon, an actor dressed as Henri appeared, wielding a prop sword, and beheaded the actor playing Valier.

“Wow!! The witch is dead!! Wow!!”

It was almost madness.

Although all of this happened as part of a play, the enthusiasm of the crowd towards the actor portraying Valier was real.

Experiencing such blatant and collective hatred for the first time, Ermeldine instinctively felt fear.

There was no thought of how ironic or deserved it was; she was just overwhelmed with terror at the people cheering while looking at the actor’s body.

As Ermeldine trembled, watching the people cheer over the actor playing Valier, Fellio smiled mysteriously and whispered quietly.

“Things have changed.”

“?”

“Talking about the role lying there.”

“!”

Indeed.

Originally, it should have been Ermeldine lying there, receiving the hatred of the crowd. Ermeldine felt a shiver run through her entire body.

“Now that the final check is roughly done, let’s go inside. It’s difficult to guard in this atmosphere.”

Not wanting to cause trouble for Fellio or the royal guards, Ermeldine nodded slightly and walked towards the palace.

As the crowd’s jeers grew louder, Ermeldine’s heartbeats quickened.

Facing the pain of a single person’s hatred was one thing, but the intense pain from the collective hatred pouring from all sides was beyond just discomfort.

A feeling so overpowering that it affected not only the soul but the physical body as well.

Ermeldine genuinely felt relieved that she wasn’t the one lying there, beyond her soul.