Among those gathered, everyone except Cedroy was bewildered and bowed to the king in consternation.
Cedroy knew that King Elmerat had been observing this situation for a while. He was well aware that such a commotion would not go unnoticed in the king’s ears. Perhaps Lady Morin, whose name seemed to be Grete, didn’t seem to know.
There was no trace of the usual relaxed expression on Elmerat’s face. Instead, he looked as perplexed as everyone else, and Cedroy knew that the reason was himself.
“Duke of Balthminster.”
Cedroy lowered his head.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I need an explanation for all of this.”
With a stern expression, King Elmerat looked around the audience once and then turned his gaze to Morin, also known as Grete.
“You speak first, Lady Morin. Why did you cause a disturbance with the Duke’s companion?”
A spasm occurred in Grete’s cheek. Not only King Elmerat but also numerous others were watching her, making her body stiffen and her shoulders tremble anew.
Maiana knew too much to gloss over the situation with a natural lie. If she exposed her past, and if the things she had done were scrutinized in front of so many people…
“Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, Grete screamed loudly, dropping to her knees on the floor. Everyone was naturally surprised by her actions, even King Elmerat raised an eyebrow.
However, Maiana, without being flustered, pulled Ariante closer to herself. Though her expression was indifferent, her eyes looking down on Grete were filled with disdain and anger.
Checking the atmosphere around quickly, Grete, shedding tears, spoke.
“Your Majesty, please forgive me. I-I didn’t know.”
“What didn’t you know?”
Grete glanced at Maiana.
“Th-this person… I didn’t know she was… the companion of Duke of Balthminster. I…”
“If she is not the companion of the Duke, then who do you think caused such a commotion?”
Color drained from Grete’s face.
At this moment, Maiana’s true self as an employee was nowhere to be found. No one could find a trace of her being hired, and even compared to what Grete herself had, everything she wore seemed more genuine and precious.
“W-well…”
As Grete stammered to find an excuse, King Elmerat spoke.
“Even if she is not the Duke’s companion but just an employee working in the castle, your actions are unforgivable. How dare you hesitate to serve those who work for the king and the royal family? What do you think, Lady Morin?”
“Your Majesty! That’s not true! I would never… Your Majesty, please!”
Ignoring Grete’s cries, King Elmerat turned away from her. And with a voice loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear, he spoke.
“We cannot leave those who arrogantly cause disturbances unpunished. I hereby demote Lord Morin and his wife, Lady Morin, to the rank of viscount, and I also reduce the size of their territory to a level commensurate with that. Furthermore, Lady Viscountess is prohibited from entering the palace for any reason without my permission. So be it.”
“Your Majesty!”
Grete screamed as she was forcibly lifted by the courtiers waiting and crouched on the floor. She staggered, struggling and wailing.
“Your Majesty, I was wrong! I won’t do it again. Your Majesty! Duke, I was wrong! Please, please show mercy. Your Majesty!”
Her cries, echoing through the hall, suddenly ceased. In the spot where Grete had been taken, only a discarded pair of shoes and a hat adorned with colorful feathers, all twisted grotesquely, remained eerily rolling on the floor.
While attendants hurriedly cleared Grete’s traces, King Elmerat, touching his forehead as if suffering from a headache, spoke.
“Chief Attendant.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak.”
“Take Lady Balthminster to her chambers. And send my maids to attend to her.”
“Understood.”
Maiana looked at the king and Ariante with a bewildered expression. Ariante, holding Maiana’s dress hem, also seemed unable to comprehend the situation, focusing her gaze solely on Cedroy’s face.
At that moment, the king alternately looked at Cedroy and Maiana.
“Duke of Balthminster, and you. Both of you, follow me. Right now.”
The king turned abruptly. Balthazar, who had been quietly standing by his side, gestured to Cedroy with a nod. It meant not to speak right now and simply follow.
“Maiana.”
As Cedroy called her name in a low voice, Maiana looked even more bewildered and bowed her head lower than before.
“The lady can’t be left alone, Your Grace.”
“It’s okay. The maids attending to the queen are people I know well.”
He bent one knee and matched eyes with Ariante.
“Ariante, can you wait patiently while Father meets the queen for a while?”
“Does Maiana have to go, Father?”
Ariante’s small hand firmly held onto the hem of Maiana’s dress. A small sigh escaped Cedroy’s lips as he looked at Ariante, lips sealed.
He said, “I’ll be back soon.”
“Don’t scold Maiana. Please ask the queen not to scold Maiana, Father.”
Cedroy lightly touched Ariante’s hair, smiling gently.
“Sure, I’ll do that.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
