Erina shook off the arm that Mirea had grabbed.

“I don’t understand why Lady Iolls is looking for Revil.”

“If you’re not coming back, hand over the child. Hurry!”

“But Lady, neither Count Iolls nor you have any right to claim Revil.”

“What…?”

“I begged His Majesty to allow me to take the child, saying that you were abusing him.”

Erina’s eyes grew cold as she recalled the time she had taken Revil from the Iolls mansion.

Mirea’s hand mercilessly striking down to hit Revil, Revil curling up in a familiar way.

Clearly, it hadn’t been a one-time occurrence.

Erina found Mirea’s shocked expression increasingly suspicious when she said that Iolls no longer had any authority over Revil.

She wondered why Mirea was so obsessed with Revil.

Of course, regardless of the reason, she had no intention of returning Revil.

“You, don’t tell me, don’t tell me you showed the child to Duke Kerenik?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you showed the child to the Duke, to that bastard!”

Mirea suddenly shouted at Erina.

Erina had thought Mirea would be angry about her telling the truth to His Majesty.

But contrary to what Erina had thought, Mirea was wary of Sandes.

“Why?”

“Because that child is…!”

Mirea was about to say something but stopped, biting her lip tightly.

“Speak, madam.”

“No, no. That child is just the heir to Iolls, so he needs to come back. Yes, so hurry and hand over the child.”

Sensing something in Mirea’s words, Erina pressed her.

“Is that why you hit him? The heir to Iolls? That tiny child?”

Erina asked in a suppressed voice, chewing on her anger.

Mirea, not noticing Erina’s emotions due to her outwardly calm appearance, answered incoherently.

“An heir needs discipline, so I did that. How dare he become Iolls, so I had to. How dare he covet Iolls with his lowly bloodline!”

“That child?”

Erina bit the inside of her cheek hard, swallowing her anger to avoid shouting along.

“Yes! Some woman from who knows where even ensnared my husband, and now her child…”

Mirea, who had been ranting, suddenly stopped talking.

Mirea’s face turned deathly pale.

Shocked that she had blurted out the secret with her own mouth, Mirea covered her mouth with both hands.

It was something she had hidden all her life, never telling anyone.

Something shameful she couldn’t even tell her son.

“Ah, no. No. That child…”

Mirea stumbled backward, stuttering, and tripped, falling down.

With a dazed face, Mirea mumbled and groped backward while still on the ground.

Her desire to escape the situation was clearly evident.

Erina was so shocked by Mirea’s behavior that she couldn’t speak for a moment.

It felt like puzzle pieces that had been discarded in a corner, unable to find their place, were suddenly coming to life.

The previous Count Iolls, who had died even before Erina married Peiron, was known to the public as a quiet and unremarkable person.

But piecing together what Mirea had blurted out in her agitation, it seemed that like Peiron, he had another woman, and even a child.

And shockingly, that child was Revil.

“My goodness.”

Erina was too surprised to learn that it was Mirea who knew about Revil’s existence, something that had no information in the original story.

Everything had seemed like a coincidence, but the child’s entry into Iolls was not a coincidence.

Revil staying at the orphanage, his seemingly chance entry into the Iolls mansion, his silent disappearance in the original story – all of it.

Erina felt dizzy at this hidden, shocking truth.

Perhaps even the reason Revil’s fate was unknown in the original story was because Mirea had intervened.

Then suddenly, a thought struck Erina, and she asked Mirea in a trembling voice.

“Don’t tell me, Lady Iolls, you’ve been…”

As Erina approached and spoke, Mirea looked up at her from where she sat.

“Abusing the child? Revil? Since he was young, since you knew about him?”

Erina hoped that Mirea would mock her, saying she was just imagining things.

But Mirea only opened and closed her mouth, unable to answer.

It was an unwilling affirmation.

Erina finally understood Revil’s attitude – wanting affection but quickly giving up, as if used to it.

Just because children have been in an orphanage since they were young doesn’t mean they all fear or seriously guard against adults like Revil does.

While there are children who naturally don’t approach adults due to their innate personality, Revil had learned to give up, knowing that even if he desperately wanted and yearned for something, it would slip through his fingers and scatter, all because of the continuous violence he had experienced since childhood.

Erina’s heart ached to the point of burning.

She hated herself for not looking closely enough, for thinking it was just unfamiliarity with a new environment, when she could have helped sooner if she had just looked more carefully.

“Are you insane?”

Revil had known it wasn’t just being adopted to an unknown place, but Mirea’s vicious plan.

He had been afraid because he knew he had no choice but to enter the prison that was the Iolls mansion.

“You, are you crazy? What sin did the child commit? What sin did that tiny child commit!”

Erina shouted at Mirea.

Mirea was terrified of Erina’s eyes, flashing with anger.

It felt like the painful truth and dirty shame she had just blurted out would be exposed to everyone at any moment.

But no matter what, she had to get that child back.

She had to prevent the child from meeting Duke Kerenik.

Mirea, who had been crawling backward, struggled to stand on her weakened legs.

“I, I never did that! So hurry and bring the child!”

“No, I won’t let him be in your hands anymore. Don’t look for Revil from now on.”

“No! Bring him right now. If he meets the Duke, no, I just need to see the child right now.”

Mirea suddenly pushed Erina aside and rushed into the mansion.

“Lady Iolls!”

People were startled by Mirea’s sudden attempt to barge into the mansion.

Barun caught Erina as she was about to fall from being pushed.

Silphiane, who had been standing behind Erina, grabbed Mirea, who was trying to run in like a madwoman, and threw her down.

“Aagh!”

Mirea rolled ungracefully on the ground, and Erina tried to calm her startled heart.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

As Barun supported Erina, Silphiane stood in front of her, looking down at Mirea who had rolled on the ground.

“Attempting to harm Lady Medelia, who is under imperial protection, will be considered an act of defiance against the imperial order.”

“What? I just asked for the child to be returned!”

Mirea’s right cheek was full of scratches, perhaps from rolling on the ground.

Silphiane took another step towards Mirea.

“I, I just wanted the child…!”

Mirea fled without looking back.

Even as she stumbled away, Mirea didn’t forget to board the Iolls carriage.

As Erina watched Mirea fleeing, her eyes momentarily met those of the Iolls carriage driver.

It was the same driver who had worked for Iolls for a long time and had left Erina in a remote village without returning.

The driver, seeing Erina’s gaze, became frightened and hurriedly drove the carriage away.

“My lady, are you alright?”

At Barun’s worried question, Erina, who had been staring blankly at the departing carriage, came to her senses and said,

“…I’m fine.”

Erina quickly turned and headed into the Kerenik mansion.

She wanted to see Revil.

She wanted to meet the child, hold him tightly in her arms, and comfort him for enduring so well on his own.

Erina walked faster than usual.

Shmilden’s face hardened as he watched Erina’s retreating back.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.