I sneaked out of the reception room. I felt a dreadful fatigue from life because of the scene I had just witnessed.

Ariana, who was waiting in the front room, looked at me worriedly, but I gave her a reassuring smile.

When I sat on the sofa, I noticed a stack of newspapers in the basket beside me. All were unread.

I opened today’s Targanzi, hearing the laughter spilling from the reception room.

“……!”

“The recent theft of Princess Miliora’s ring from the Imperial Palace presents another perspective for us.

Where is the boundary between maintaining dignity and indulgence for the royalty? Did Her Highness engage in excessive luxury and consequently get involved in a crime?”

‘What nonsense is this…’

The tone of the article was bizarre.

It reported on the theft of Princess Miliora’s ring from an anonymous source and suggested that her possession of too many jewels had inevitably exposed her to crime.

It was impossible for an event inside the palace to be reported in a newspaper, and moreover, the ring had never been stolen in the first place.

And blaming the victim to boot.

Cheers erupted from the children in the reception room.

‘This is not the time for this!’

I glared at the reception room door while tightly crumpling the newspaper.

“Duke, perhaps you could be less popular today?”

As I was holding onto my waning patience, a servant from the Imperial Palace appeared.

He frowned at the noise coming from the reception room and checked the medallion on my chest as I approached.

“Is Her Highness having guests?”

“Yes. She’s having a tea party.”

“You’ll need to leave and come. The Empress commands you immediately. I assume you know why?”

I showed him the crumpled newspaper in my hand.

“Is it because of this?”

“Yes. The Empress is furious.”

“I will accompany her shortly.”

I sent him away and reentered the reception room.

“Your Highness, someone has arrived from the Empress’s palace.”

The children looked at me as if I were a sworn enemy of their ancestors, having interrupted their delightful time with Duke Caidel.

“You are summoned to the Empress’s palace right now.”

The expression of Her Highness grew icy, and the children became teary-eyed.

However, Duke Caidel stood up gracefully and said his farewell.

“Thank you for inviting me today. I must not hinder your duties, Your Highness. I shall take my leave.”

“Very well. Rocard.”

As Duke Caidel left, Princess Miliora spoke bitterly.

“You may all leave.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The children reluctantly stood up and left.

The moment the door closed, Princess Miliora asked sharply,

“Why!”

I handed her the unfolded newspaper.

“This… This is your fault!”

The ring theft had been her own drama. I was so dumbfounded that my mouth fell open.

“I’ll have the writer of this article arrested!”

As far as I could go was in front of the reception room of the Empress. The servant of the Empress allowed only Princess Miliora to enter.

But no sound was heard from inside. It seemed the Empress was not one to raise her voice.

Which means the last time I got whipped, the Empress was truly enraged.

“……”

After some time, Princess Miliora burst out crying and ran out. Her soaked cheeks clung to her silver hair, obscuring her face.

She didn’t speak a word on the way back to the princess’s palace, and I followed her in silence.

As soon as we returned to the reception room of the princess’s palace, Princess Miliora threw herself onto the sofa and burst into tears.

I just sat quietly on the opposite side.

There’s no need to console someone whose tears will stop only when they want them to.
And the unbearable tears couldn’t be soothed by anyone near. Such tears could only be expelled from the body.

Long after, Princess Miliora lay down directly on the sofa, worn out from crying.

The usually bustling parlor felt unusually quiet.

Suddenly, she asked earnestly,

“Do you find me funny?”

“No.”

As I answered calmly, Miliora slightly smiled.

Her hostility towards me seemed to have flowed out of her, just like her tears.

Time will fill it back up, but for now.

I softly asked,

“What did the Empress say?”

“A hideous wench who scatters filth on the path of the Orabis. A mutant born into the noble Tagar lineage… She asked how you’ll restore the tarnished royal honor. And I had nothing to say.”

“…”

“She said so because I couldn’t answer. That you shouldn’t have been born.”

Damn it.

I firmly kept my mouth shut, wary of showing her any sympathy.

Pity from a lowly bastard like me would only be harmful to her already wounded self-esteem.

“What will you do?”

“Think…? I have no thoughts. The Empress said the same. She couldn’t understand how someone could live so thoughtlessly, like you.”

I didn’t mind and softly asked,

“What do you want to do?”

“Heh… What could I possibly do? I’m just me.”

Miliora lay there and chuckled weakly.

I spoke briefly.

“If you could.”

Turning her head toward me, she brushed the wet hair strands away from her cheek.

“I wish I’d never been born.”