“The princes are very young. It’s natural that the responsibility of those who serve them closely is heavy.”

The Marquise said with a pitiful face.

The Empress gently fanned herself, seemingly agreeing with her words.

‘It’s the Empress’s doing.’

The Marquise volunteered as the Empress’s spokesperson.

It was a part where one could tell who had instigated Count Efilton to create this commotion.

“It’s such a regrettable incident.”

“A tragedy indeed!”

As the Marquise spoke in a sad voice, Count Efilton nodded his head vigorously.

‘This is a rigged game!’

Was it because I was angry, or was it fear?

My heart was pounding wildly.

As my expression hardened, pleasure settled in the Empress’s eyes.

Damnably, the one who could determine the current situation was Empress Wayeno.

I calmed myself and pleaded with the Empress.

“Your Majesty the Empress, Louis and Evan are also sons of His Majesty the Emperor. Young Master Giovanni denied that.”

The surroundings turned cold at my words.

The Empress’s brow furrowed as if irritated that a lowly person had spoken. She was annoyed but didn’t rebuke me because there was nothing wrong with what I said.

I decided to continue speaking.

“This is a matter that amounts to insulting the royal family.”

“What nonsense, it’s just young children quarreling!”

Count Efilton immediately stood up.

As the Count prepared to make a fuss, the Empress slowly stepped forward.

“They are still young children, so it’s natural that they have difficulty discerning right from wrong.”

“You speak wisely!”

“Moreover, didn’t Prince Louis raise his fist against the Count’s son? Shouldn’t we view a slip of the tongue differently from losing one’s temper and lashing out?”

“Of course, please look at our Giovanni’s face! It’s already turning blue with bruises!”

The Count and Countess joined in supporting the Empress’s words.

To make matters worse, Giovanni, who was in his mother’s arms, burst into tears.

“Waaah, Mother-”

“Oh, my baby. This mother’s heart is breaking even more!”

The Countess comforted Giovanni.

The Empress moved at this staged rural drama.

“This must be my responsibility as well. As the mother of the imperial family, I should have looked after the young princes, but this incident occurred because I left them in the care of mere nannies.”

Sharp thorns were hidden in her elegant tone.

Wayeno’s gaze turned towards the children.

‘Orphans without mother or father.’

Children unacknowledged by the Emperor.

Her eyes were saying this.

“Though late, I will watch over them closely. Although Duke Bladis has become the princes’ guardian, he is not of a delicate character, so help will be needed.”

“Indeed, how benevolent!”

Count Efilton bowed his head as if deeply impressed.

But his wife, seeming unwilling to back down, pointed at me.

“The princes are blameless, but please punish that nanny!”

“Please grant my wife’s request!”

Their target was not the princes, but me.

‘They were just waiting for Kashar to leave his post.’

If they had directly touched the children, they couldn’t avoid conflict with Kashar, their guardian.

But I was only Kashar’s lover, not his wife, so even if I was punished, Kashar couldn’t hold them legally responsible.

“It seems best to leave such matters to the host of the party.”

The Empress asked with a seemingly pleased smile.

“Marquise Tuberosha Lemang, what do you think?”

“It would be good to give thirty lashes to the nanny who miseducated the princes.”

It was a terrible punishment that would leave scars all over the body.

A knight holding a whip approached me as if to carry out the punishment right here.

As I stood frozen, I heard voices calling me from below.

“E-Eileen.”

It was the twins.

Louis’s eyes shook anxiously. Evan’s gaze, who had hit Giovanni, even more so.

“Shh. I’m alright.”

The knight was still approaching me.

I needed to hurry and push the children away, but their small bodies desperately clung to me.

“No-!”

“Emma, quickly take them away.”

“B-but.”

“Hurry!”

Startled by the shout, Emma closed her eyes tightly.

After taking a deep breath, she hugged Louis and Evan and stepped back.

“Eileen!”

“As she’s the Duke’s lover, don’t remove her dress.”

“I obey your command.”

The Empress, who had been watching the crying children, gave a seemingly generous order.

As the knight stopped behind me, I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘This is going to hurt terribly, isn’t it?’

From the description, even one lash would be enough to tear the skin.

I wanted to run away right then.

But if I left my post too, the children might be blamed for my crime.

Everything had become a mess due to unexpected events.

In my darkening vision, Kashar’s face appeared.

‘Protecting me wasn’t in the contract, right.’

Would I be able to survive thirty lashes?

It was terrible to think of dying by the Empress’s order, not even as a villain-in-training.

My whole body trembled at the sound of the whip tapping the floor.

‘We even shared potato pancakes and makgeolli!’

And yet, despite being lovers in name, I was about to die from a beating.

‘Please appear quickly…!’

Just as I was hoping he would arrive before the thirty lashes were complete.

Whoosh-!

The sound of air being cut sharply echoed.

I gritted my teeth.

“…?”

But no matter how long I waited, I didn’t feel the terrible pain.

The moment I carefully opened my eyes.

Thud.

The severed whip lay on the floor.

“I didn’t expect to have to pluck heads in the Empress’s palace.”

Thump.

The knight who had been holding the whip had his neck twisted horribly.

“…Good heavens.”

Everyone held their breath.

Beyond the corpse that couldn’t even scream, I could see Emma covering the children’s eyes.

Soon, a hand with red marks pulled me.

“Come here.”

As I was embraced in Kashar’s arms, the strength left my legs.

I exhaled a ragged breath, feeling his hot body temperature.

‘I’m alive.’

I was tearfully grateful to him for appearing at the right moment.

My body, which hadn’t been hit even once, trembled. The more it did, the tighter his arms holding me became.

“To kill someone in my palace!”

“I burst a bug that tried to harm my lover, is that a problem?”

“We were about to give appropriate punishment to a nanny who had done wrong!”

The Empress retorted sharply to Kashar’s words.

But the answer came from elsewhere.

“What is all this commotion about?”

The deep voice belonged to a man with shining silver hair.

The middle-aged man, who looked to be in his 50s, was dominating the scene with cold eyes.

Daios Shyer Lahan Rihart.

It was the Emperor’s appearance.

“We greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Infinite glory to the sun of Rihart.”

Everyone bowed their heads at the sudden appearance of the Emperor.

Except for one person.

“Your Majesty-!”

Wayeno clung to Daios’s arm.

Her angry eyes were now wet with joy.

“That you have come is such an honor.”

Daios’s eyes were cold as he looked at the Empress.

At this, Wayeno smiled brightly while inwardly sweating.

This was surely an unusual event, as the Emperor had not attended any event led by the Empress for nearly 5 years.

“I asked what is going on here. Empress.”

“As it’s the young princes’ first time attending a party… there was a small disturbance. It must all be due to my inadequacy.”

Tears welled up in Wayeno’s eyes. It was such a transformation that one might wonder where that vicious woman had gone.

At this, the Emperor’s gaze turned to Louis and Evan.

The eyes of the children, seeing their father’s face for the first time except for when they were just born, widened.

After silently looking at the twins, the Emperor’s eyes turned back to the Marquise.

“Let the host of the party explain.”

“…Well, actually.”

The hesitating Marquise carefully reported.

It was about the princes swinging their fists at the Count’s son’s wordplay.

‘This is outrageous!’

Seeing the Marquise give testimony that was clearly advantageous to her, my fear completely disappeared.

“Is that statement true?”

“There is not a shred of lie, Your Majesty.”

Wayeno answered immediately.

Everyone in the hall was a witness.

Nevertheless, the reason Wayeno could be so confident was because of the Emperor, who had strangely always taken her side whenever trouble arose.

‘That’s why the nobles couldn’t testify freely either.’

Even if they only spoke the truth, it would become a lie with one word from the Empress, so how could they speak rightly?

The hall fell silent again.

It was none other than the voice of a drunkard that broke the silence.

“Ahhh, my wiiiife is so good at lyiiing-”

“…?”

Everyone’s heads turned at the voice that seemed more fitting for a marketplace.

‘…Marquis Gerald?’

He was the head of the Lemang marquisate and Tuberosha’s husband.

Unlike his quick-witted and intelligent wife, Marquis Gerald was a trash who loved alcohol and gambling.

“D-darling?”

“Hic-!”

Tuberosha asked in bewilderment, but Marquis Gerald answered with a burp.

Everyone’s brows, including the Emperor’s, furrowed sharply.

‘Even among good-for-nothings, there are levels.’

In the original work, he was the one who pointed a sword at Evan.

He was famous for being human trash, but he usually listened well to his wife’s words, yet today he was so drunk he couldn’t understand what was being said.

“I feel goooood-”

Gerald shrugged his shoulders.

What he was holding in his hand was.

‘…Makgeolli?’

He was taking three steps and one sip, in a rhythm of three steps, one drink.

‘Come to think of it, the Marquis had a taste earlier too.’

When the tasting line was almost over, several servants had come and taken away the tasting cups.

In the place where I had followed them with my eyes, Gerald was there.

‘That guy won the bid.’

I knew he had awakened after drinking makgeolli, but I didn’t know he would like it to that extent.

While I was out on the balcony, the secret auction had all ended.

Soon, everyone’s gaze turned to the platform.

There, the name of the owner of the item that was auctioned off at the highest price was written.

[1st Place. Evan Rihart, Louis Rihart’s Makgeolli. Final winning bid 4,900 gold.]

‘This is crazy.’

That amount was enough to buy a small castle and have some left over, a sum that would rewrite auction history.

And soon the auction price caught the Marquise’s eye as well.

“Y-you crazy XX!”

“Aack-!”

Tuberosha, who had her jaw dropped, started pulling Gerald’s hair.

Whether his eyes had properly rolled back, Gerald’s hair was being pulled out in clumps by the Marquise’s hands.

The winning bidder was anonymous, but who wouldn’t know when he was declaring, “I won it,” like that?

‘Even I would have beaten him to death.’

I knew he was trash originally, but how could he sell a castle for a few bottles of alcohol no matter what?

I was more dumbfounded than happy.

The splendid party had truly become a mess.

Gerald screamed and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“You said to buy anything!! Whipping the nanny… if busy… Aaack-!”

“Y-you drunken idiot, what are you saying!”

“Mmmph-!”

The Marquise hurriedly covered her husband’s mouth.

But she couldn’t avoid the Emperor’s gaze.

“What do you mean by that, Marquis Gerald.”

“Your Majesty, please do not heed the ramblings of a drunk man.”

Wayeno gently pulled at the Emperor.

But the Emperor removed her hand and ordered the Marquise.

“I will hear testimony from the Marquis. Remove your hand.”

“B-but… Ack-!”

Before Tuberosha could remove her hand, Gerald bit it.

With his mouth freed, Gerald grinned with a reddened face.

“Nooo- hic, I heard it aaall. My wife aaand that pig Count were conspiring-”

People’s mouths fell open.

Indeed, it was the power of makgeolli that could make one unrecognizable even to their parents.

“She said she’d definitely make the naaanny taste the whip- ugh, urk-! Man Baron Gerald will no longer endure this!”

“Can you say those words even after sobering up?”

“If you say I’ve spoken falsely, y-you can cut open this belly-”

Gerald made a gesture of cutting open his belly in response to the Emperor’s question.

There was no need to hear more.

“Imprison the Count and Countess Efilton for insulting the royal family, and the Marquis and Marquise Lemang for fraud. Other charges will be determined in court.”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

Tuberosha exclaimed. Soon, knights quickly bound her as she struggled and the drunken Marquis.

“Your Majesty the Empress, don’t you know that all of this is a misunderstanding!”

Tuberosha shot a pleading look at the Empress, but Wayeno pretended not to see.

‘Of course.’

Empress Wayeno kept people around her that she could discard at any time and used them.

The Lemang marquisate was the same. The Empress had paid off the Marquis’s gambling debts in his place, preventing Tuberosha from leaving the Marquis. She left weaknesses to make it easy to discard them both someday.

Having drawn the line with Tuberosha, the Empress clung to the Emperor’s arm.

“To think the Marquise would do such a thing… I’m truly shocked. Your Majesty, please calm my startled heart.”

Wayeno’s hands clung to the Emperor.

After looking down at her for a moment, the Emperor exhaled a short sigh.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the Emperor’s resigned attitude, Wayeno smiled as if it were natural.

Soon after, both the Empress and Emperor left the banquet hall.

Even the host of the party had been dragged away by the knights.

“I-I should be going now.”

“Ho ho, we too shall…”

The nobles looked around cautiously and left one by one.

All that remained were us and the Count’s son.

“M-Mom, Dad?”

Giovanni searched for his parents who had been dragged away.

The child sniffled, then suddenly turned his head to glare at me.

“Hey, wench!! This is all because of you!”

Wow, look at this kid’s language.

It made any pity for the left-behind child seem ridiculous.

As I gaped in disbelief, there was a light sound of a neck being cracked beside me.

It was Kashar.

“Little one, it’s called collective responsibility, you know.”

Suddenly, Kashar was looking down at Giovanni.

“Life’s going to get tough for you from now on.”

Sometimes, living can be worse than dying, you know.

His voice was as cold as ice.

“Let’s go back.”

“Ah, yes.”

I answered reflexively and turned around.

There stood the twins.

“Come here.”

As I spread my arms, the small children rushed into my embrace.