‘I have to protect my child……’

Although it was an unplanned pregnancy, Claire loved the child.

In fact, her love for Oscar naturally spread to affection for the child, and even after being betrayed by him, her love for the child that had once taken root did not disappear.

So Claire wanted to protect the child somehow.

The sin lies with Oscar, not with the child in her womb.

“I’m truly sorry, madam. You can curse at me and hit me, I have nothing to say.”

Claire, who confessed the whole truth, apologized with her head bowed, tears dripping.

Arasila let out a silent sigh.

With even the child’s life held hostage and threatened, she felt too pitiful and sympathetic to say anything.

If she hadn’t complied as demanded, Oscar would have really made Claire disappear without a trace.

Arasila, who had been staring blankly at Claire with her head bowed dejectedly, slowly opened her mouth.

“Claire, I’ll help you.”

“……How?”

“I’ll make sure your child is recognized and protected as Vandermir’s child. In return, will you help me too?”

Let’s teach Oscar Vandermir a lesson together. Arasila held out her pristine white hand.

Claire hesitated, then grasped that hand. Now that everything was exposed, there was nowhere left to retreat.

Oscar sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, chuckling as he read newspaper articles criticizing Demian.

He couldn’t be more thrilled and pleased about the fall of the once-revered knight.

When he first learned of Claire’s pregnancy, he initially thought of eliminating her to hide the truth.

But the next moment, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.

‘Wait! If I pin this on Demian, won’t it drive a wedge between the couple and lead to divorce?’

After failing to seduce Iris, Oscar had been staying in the capital without informing his family, holding out.

At the same time, he felt fear and discomfort about how his parents would react if they found out about this.

To avoid being scolded by his parents, he needed to bring back results other than seducing Iris.

For example, the divorce of Demian and Arasila.

But with those two unlikely to divorce, there seemed to be no other way…… when Claire, whom he had met while impersonating Demian, showed up pregnant.

In fact, Oscar had often used Demian’s name when playing around in the capital.

And only with commoners who couldn’t accurately distinguish between him and Demian, not nobles.

Fearing rumors about him might reach his parents’ ears, he impersonated the half-brother he despised to play around comfortably.

He had even used Demian’s name to play around in Vandermir territory, so it was almost like a habit.

Still, this hadn’t caused any problems until now.

Commoners wouldn’t dare to gossip freely about nobles, and Demian didn’t attract attention by causing trouble with women publicly.

But who would have thought he’d make the worst mistake of sowing his seed with a commoner.

Oscar turned the sudden crisis into an opportunity.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself, blackmailing Claire to cause discord in Demian’s household and watching from the sidelines.

‘Hmm, but there don’t seem to be any particular rumors about the couple’s relationship going bad?’

He had expected a woman with high self-esteem and pride like Arasila to immediately scream for divorce from Demian who brought home an illegitimate child.

Or at least cause some discord, but it was unexpectedly too quiet.

‘Ah, it would be troublesome if the plan fails like this.’

Oscar knew he couldn’t perfectly make Claire’s child Demian’s.

Demian wasn’t the type to sit quietly and take the blame for something he didn’t do.

He planned to take care of Claire himself once he achieved the goal of driving the couple apart.

Quietly, when public interest died down, without anyone knowing.

‘Tsk, should I just kill Claire now and make it look like Demian did it?’

While seriously considering that option, he received a message from Claire.

「I have an urgent matter to discuss with you regarding the child. Please come to the Flair Theater tomorrow at 2 PM.

But you must come alone. That’s the only way our secret will be kept.」

“What, who does she think she is to summon me?”

Oscar grumbled, but slightly raised the corner of his mouth.

If he couldn’t think of a better method, it wouldn’t be bad to eliminate Claire at this opportunity.

As long as he could protect his safety and honor, he didn’t care what happened to the child.

Oscar Vandermir was a man who loved himself too much to feel paternal love for a child not yet born.

As a selfish and cowardly man who only cared about himself, he considered himself the most important above all else.

The Flair Theater was closed every Thursday. And today was Thursday.

Oscar frowned as he entered the dark theater.

He was annoyed at Claire for troublesomely calling him out here.

In the theater so quiet that even a small cough echoed, he looked around for Claire.

Finally, he saw Claire standing alone in the middle of the stage. Oscar approached her without hesitation.

“What did you want to say? It better be important since I came in the middle of being busy.”

He arrogantly lifted his chin while crossing his arms and standing with one leg out.

Claire slowly looked up at Oscar and opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“You said, young master. That you’d spare my life if I pretended my child was Lord Vandermir’s.”

“Yeah, but.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I want a different price than my life.”

At the words spoken clearly, Oscar exhaled sharply as if dumbfounded. He ran his hand through his hair and said sharply.

“Are you crazy? What do you want? Money?”

“No, please officially register my child in the Vandermir family.”

Claire shook her head and answered firmly. She added.

“Then I’ll keep quiet about you being the child’s real father, like now.”

“Are you joking? Asking me to register your child in the family is no different from telling me to reveal that I’m the father!”

Oscar burst out angrily. His face turned bright red as blood rushed to his head for a moment.

Claire calmly retorted.

“I don’t care if the father is you or Lord Vandermir. As long as it’s not illegitimate on paper.”

But Oscar couldn’t accept this either.

There’s no way Demian would officially register someone else’s illegitimate child as his own.

He was the type who wouldn’t budge even under family pressure.

So to officially register in the family, Oscar’s registry would have to be used, which he hated more than death.

He had no thought of taking responsibility for his own child whatsoever.

“Promise me you’ll officially register my child in the Vandermir family. If not, I’ll reveal that you’re the real father.”

“Wow, you’ve really gone mad?”

Oscar grimaced while holding his forehead.

He didn’t like being threatened by a commoner he had considered just a fleeting amusement.

He pounded his chest roughly and shouted.

“I’m the eldest son of the Vandermir family! The heir presumptive! You’re telling me to take a child born by someone like you as my own? To leave a stain on my life?!”

“You made this child anyway. I didn’t get pregnant alone. So you should take responsibility too.”

Claire asserted her consistent claim without wavering in the slightest.

It was thanks to the advice that the other party would immediately attack if she showed even a slight opening.

“Ha, really…… You put on airs as an actress with no popularity, but in the end you act no different from a street woman?”

Oscar sneered, annoyed that she suddenly showed her claws.

Claire’s lips trembled at the statement that sharply scratched her pride. She retorted with an upset face.

“Aren’t you similar, young master, sowing your seed with just anyone?”

“What did you say? You really!”

Oscar threateningly raised his hand.

Claire shrank her shoulders and stepped back. But after a few steps, her back soon hit the wall.

Realizing there was nowhere left to run, Claire took a breath. Oscar approached with a vile smirk.

“Hey, fine. Looks like you don’t want to live that much, so just die then.”

It wasn’t just talk. On his way here, he had temporarily hired some special henchmen and brought them along.

Currently, they were waiting near the carriage, but if he gave the order and left, they would take care of the aftermath cleanly.

“……Can you be so heartless to someone carrying your child, young master?”

“Who cares. Who would want a child mixed with the lowly blood of commoners as their own? Just stay as Demian’s illegitimate child. Then there won’t be any stain on my honor, so I don’t care.”

Claire glared at Oscar with tears in her eyes.

She knew he was this kind of person, but seeing it again with her own eyes, the disappointment and hurt were immense.

She said through gritted teeth.

“If you don’t register the child, I’ll run straight to the newspaper and reveal everything.”

“I’ll just stop you from going.”

“No, you won’t be able to. I already asked my friend. If I don’t return by 5 o’clock, to take a letter confessing the truth to the newspaper.”

“―What?”

Oscar’s expression changed completely in an instant.

He had been relieved thinking it would be over if he got rid of her here, but he was angry at her for leaving a clue so impudently.

“Do you really want to die?!”

Half out of anger, half to threaten Claire, he clenched his fist and hit the wall behind her with a bang.

Then an amazing thing happened.

With a creaking sound, the white wall slowly tipped backwards.

It wasn’t a real wall, but a false wall.

Thud.

What was revealed when the false wall disappeared was even more surprising.

There… dozens of reporters were looking at the two of them, holding notepads.

They all had their ears pricked up, their eyes shining as if they couldn’t miss this scoop.

Oscar looked around at them with a blank face. He couldn’t immediately grasp what was going on.

A clear and bright voice reached his ears.

“Ah, does he have the theater all to himself.”

Sitting in a chair in front of the group of reporters, Arasila muttered as if to herself, looking at Oscar with displeasure in a skewed posture.

Demian was seated next to her.

Only then realizing their presence, Oscar gaped with a shocked face.

“You, how did you…”

“Vandermir young master, could you please be quiet? We’re in the middle of a press conference here.”

“Ah, no, what…”

“Our Demian has recently been unfairly embroiled in an illegitimate child scandal. We were meeting with reporters to explain that.”

Arasila leisurely looked around at the reporters busily moving their hands, then added with a bright smile.

“Thanks to you, we explained well.”

“……!”

Oscar’s face turned pale as he briefly recalled what he had just blurted out.

His eyes shook aimlessly as he looked back and forth between his brother’s couple and the reporters.

When his gaze finally fell on Claire, Oscar realized.

That she had conspired with the two of them to trap him.

“You, you! How dare you betray me? Do you think you’ll be safe after this?!”

Oscar, who felt betrayed even though he had been thinking of killing Claire, shouted while pointing at her.

With emotion taking precedence over reason, he seemed to have momentarily forgotten that reporters were present.

“The one who deceived people wasn’t Claire, but you. And you shouldn’t act violently towards someone carrying your child.”

Arasila, who had gotten up and approached, pulling Claire behind her, gently refuted.

The strangely irritating tone annoyed Oscar, and as he tried to approach her, Demian blocked his way.

“Keep your distance, brother. I have a habit of drawing my sword before speaking.”

“……!”

Demian twisted the corner of his mouth.

There’s nothing scarier than a sword master drawing his sword, so Oscar had no choice but to step back hesitantly.

Now unsure of what to do, Oscar rolled his eyes and stood awkwardly.

Seizing the opportunity, the reporters swarmed towards him like bees.

“Vandermir young master! Is Claire’s child really your bloodline?”

“Why did you impersonate your brother? Did you do it on purpose?”

“Does telling her to disappear for money mean you’re abandoning Claire and the child without taking responsibility?”

Oscar’s face turned pale as if he might faint at any moment from the questions flying from all directions.

He mumbled things like “No… It’s not me…” then suddenly turned his body and ran outside.

Unable to find a way to resolve the current situation, he attempted physical flight for now.

To avoid the situation that had suddenly come upon him.

“Young master! Please wait!”

“Answer our questions before you go!”

“Everyone chase after the Vandermir young master!”

The reporters rushed out of the theater following Oscar.