Is this how livestock feel when being dragged to the slaughterhouse?

Duke Hersher’s heart was devastated as he headed to the imperial palace to attend the tea time hosted by the Crown Princess.

He wanted to turn the horse’s head around and return to the mansion right now.

No, he wished he could open this door and escape to somewhere unknown.

But Duke Hersher knew what fate awaited if he fled.

‘The moment I do that, my whole family dies.’

He tried hard to calm his anxious mind.

Everything depended on him. The family, the relatives, even his own future.

“What happened to all the families we contacted?”

The duke asked his aide by his side.

They had reached out to families who had long maintained close relationships with the Hersher family or sworn loyalty.

They had asked for help after hearing that they would also be attending this meeting.

However, the aide’s expression was not good.

“There has been no reply from any of them.”

“Even after giving them so much money?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

There was no reply from anywhere.

Thinking they might ignore just a letter, Duke Hersher had sent a huge sum of money along with it.

It was an amount comparable to the family’s annual operating budget.

He thought he could spend that much money if only he could escape the current crisis.

He needed to get as many of them on his side as possible to lead the atmosphere.

Only by creating an atmosphere of forgiveness, even if he had to kneel down humbly, could he survive.

Restoring the fallen family’s dignity could only be done if he survived.

But no one was willing to take his side.

“We have arrived.”

Hearing the coachman’s voice, he looked out the window and saw they were already in front of the imperial palace.

“Did Aria not say anything?”

“No, she did not.”

The duke asked his aide with one last hope, but the answer was the same as before.

He needed to know exactly what Aria had done to Clea in order to be cautious about it or appease her anger.

But Aria had locked herself in her room and wouldn’t say anything despite the duke’s inquiries.

It was useless even when he said it was for the family’s survival.

In the end, he tried to hear through the servants, but for some reason none of them could speak properly.

There seemed to be no sign of recovery in the completely fractured father-daughter relationship.

The duke bit his lip as he got out of the carriage.

“Well, who do we have here. If it isn’t today’s main character, Duke Hersher.”

By chance, he encountered a familiar figure.

The duke frowned as soon as he heard the voice.

In front of him stood Grit Odoi, grinning.

“I see you don’t know whose turn it is after I’m finished.”

Despite the duke’s words, Grit’s expression did not change. Rather, he smiled even more than before.

“Whether I die today or tomorrow, it’s all the same anyway. What could be better than seeing a despised enemy die before I do?”

Duke Hersher, who was already on edge, wanted to lunge at Grit right then and there.

But he did not. Because a provocative remark came to mind.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see your son.”

The effect was certain.

Grit’s expression twisted terribly. The seemingly good mood from just moments ago vanished like a lie.

Duke Hersher approached him regardless, put a hand on his shoulder and continued speaking.

“I believe it. That your son is not an illegitimate child or anything of the sort.”

Though it had disappeared now, there was a rumor long ago that the Odoi family’s legitimate heir might be illegitimate.

Knowing that Grit hated that story the most, Duke Hersher deliberately said it and then calmly walked into the palace.

Seeing Duke Hersher like that, Grit relaxed his expression and smiled.

“Ha, rushing in without even grasping his own situation.”

Knowing that he would never act like this towards himself if he knew what had happened at the Odoi mansion, Grit found it absurd.

It was laughable to see him acting recklessly without realizing the fire at his feet.

“Haha, I’ll get to see an interesting sight.”

With those words, Grit also headed into the palace.

* * *

The gathering was very modest.

Various foods were placed on the table, but besides that, there were no musicians or expensive alcohol.

Not even luxurious interior decorations or fancy dresses were prepared.

The clothes Clea wore were not a dress but the empire’s uniform.

It was partly due to the rushed preparations, but in reality, there was no need to prepare such things.

‘Who would dare challenge me now that the Crown Princess battle is over?’

Common sense dictated so. If Clea had not yet ascended to the position of Crown Princess, they would have been wary.

Those with ambition might have targeted her, and those actively supporting their own families would have been busy finding faults.

But the owner of the position had already been decided, and the fight was over.

They had no choice but to accept the result, regardless of what it was.

Of course, there were still quite a few who wanted to shake her.

‘Someone who would fight me, who has even taken on the role of acting authority.’

They must have already seen it. The seal of acting authority stamped on the letter.

She had the full support of Odin and Elaina. There was hardly anyone who could threaten her now.

In a situation where it would be strange not to give up, the only one who might challenge her was perhaps Aria.

Meanwhile, the people attending the gathering were watching Clea’s reactions, waiting for her to speak.

“Lastly, the two dukes have arrived.”

And at that moment, the two protagonists who would light up this gathering arrived.

With the doorkeeper’s announcement, two dukes entered.

One had a fearful look on his face as if he had come to his deathbed, while the other frowned as he looked at Clea.

People looked at the two with disapproving gazes.

Some even sent hostile glares as if looking at mortal enemies.

Clea, who ignored all of this, waited until the two dukes sat in the seats she had designated.

The seats for Duke Hersher and Grit were right on either side of her.

Duke Hersher, who was guided to his seat, momentarily gave Clea a look as if asking if this was the right place.

Clea lightly ignored it, and seeing her response, he had no choice but to sit in that seat.

“It seems everyone has arrived.”

All eyes turned to Clea.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who have come from afar.”

“Not at all. We nobles are the ones who should be grateful to Your Highness the Crown Princess for creating this gathering.”

“That’s right. We nobles are truly grateful to Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

As soon as the words ended, several nobles praised her.

“I appreciate your words, but the person who deserves the most credit for creating today’s gathering is Duke Hersher.”

But at Clea’s following words, the smiles disappeared from the nobles’ faces.

People had not forgotten what the Hersher family had done on the wedding day just two days ago.

As the atmosphere turned cold, Duke Hersher swallowed.

“I have heard and know well of the duke’s loyalty towards His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Cr-Crown Princess.”

The reason she did not wear a dress on a day like today was for this.

“However, I regrettably have doubts about whether the duke’s children are truly loyal to the empire.”

She needed the intimidation of a uniform rather than the elegance of a dress.

“The actions the young lady committed that day are beyond the line, even for the Hersher family. Don’t you agree?”

“Your Highness’s words are correct. We all know the young lady’s circumstances well, but there is a line that can be accepted.”

Oberon, who was attending on behalf of the Philip Marquis family, opened his mouth.

As he, known as Admund’s right-hand man, agreed, others joined in as well.

“We know managing children is the hardest task, but the young lady has already come of age. If this is lightly forgiven, what would become of the imperial family’s dignity?”

As the floodgates of criticism opened, even those normally called the duke’s people began to attack him more eagerly.

Duke Hersher’s face had turned pale.

But still, the criticism continued.

As time passed and everyone was rebuking him, Clea raised her hand.

When she raised her hand, everyone closed their mouths as if it had never happened.

Clea looked at the duke and said.

“However, I wish to forgive the duke for what happened that day.”

At those words, Duke Hersher looked at her with wide eyes.

Grit smirked at Clea’s words, but everyone else’s expressions hardened.

They hadn’t expected her to suddenly say such a thing.

“Your Highness.”

Duke Hersher looked at Clea with tears in his eyes. It was something he had never imagined, so his emotions were in turmoil.

He was about to express his gratitude to Clea.

But Clea’s words were not finished.

“What happened on the wedding day is nothing compared to what happened before.”

She stood up from her seat and slightly lifted her top.

Everyone was bewildered by the sudden situation, but as time passed, they furrowed their brows.

There was a large scar on the side of her body.

“A long time ago when I visited the Odoi mansion. That day I met the Hersher young lady there.”

Hearing those words, people showed reactions as if saying ‘it can’t be’.

Soon they turned their gazes towards Grit.

They had been wondering why he was attending this gathering, but now they seemed to understand the reason.

Clea looked at Grit, who was receiving everyone’s attention, with a smile.

“As it happens, the two of you visited our mansion on the same day and time.”

Even as he opened his mouth, Grit still couldn’t shake the feeling of being played by Clea.

So he was very displeased with the current situation, but he smiled seeing Duke Hersher trembling.

Meanwhile, Duke Hersher looked at Grit with a desperate face.

“I saw it clearly with my own two eyes. The young lady stabbing Her Highness the Crown Princess in the side with a dagger from who knows where.”