Chapter 7
In an instant, the surroundings fell silent.
The Emperor, the priest, the crowd, the trash, and even the lion all stood there with their mouths hanging open.
In this absurd situation, I was the only one maintaining my composure.
With my hands clasped tightly together, I stared at the ground with a devastated expression.
After some time had passed, the Emperor finally regained his senses and spoke.
“What do you mean his father was changed? How can a father be changed when he isn’t even the child? Explain yourself!”
He pressed me for details, and after pretending to hesitate several times, I finally opened my mouth.
“The Goddess told me that there were originally two boys in the Veloche Ducal House.”
“Two boys? As far as I know, the Duke of Veloche had no brothers.”
“That is what the world believes, Your Majesty. I believed so as well. But the Goddess revealed the entire truth to me.”
“And what exactly is this truth?”
The Emperor asked in a puzzled tone.
Putting on a grave expression, I continued.
“My grandfather, the previous Duke, had a second son.”
“A second son?”
“A hidden illegitimate child.”
“What?! An illegitimate child?”
“The former Duke of Veloche?”
“That can’t be true!”
“How could His Grace possibly have had an illegitimate child? I refuse to believe it!”
Not only the Emperor but even the crowd erupted in shock.
And understandably so.
Who was Maitland Veloche, my grandfather and the former Duke?
For twenty consecutive years, he had ranked first among the men women of the Catalon Empire wanted as a husband.
His private life was spotless—he tolerated neither mistresses nor even a single night of debauchery.
No matter how busy he was, he always ate dinner with his family.
And when his wife suffered through menopause, he sent her a bouquet of flowers every single day without fail.
A true gentleman and romantic.
Such a man having an illegitimate child?
How could anyone believe that so easily?
Even I, who had impulsively started this entire mess because I was furious at that piece of trash, was beginning to feel guilty.
I’m sorry, Grandfather. But your son is trying to kill me. I can’t just sit back and take it. I’ll do my best not to damage your reputation too much.
While silently asking for forgiveness, the impatient Emperor cut in.
“Why have you stopped talking? Is it truly a fact that Maitland Veloche had a hidden illegitimate child? Answer me at once, Lady!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Quickly composing myself, I shamelessly nodded.
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
“Good heavens. An illegitimate child from that upright Maitland… How could such a thing happen?”
Although the Emperor often clashed with my grandfather because the old man never knew how to flatter people, he had always respected his integrity.
That made this revelation all the more unbelievable to him.
Though I had no choice, I couldn’t bear to let my grandfather’s reputation be dragged through the mud any further.
I hurried to clarify.
“However, Your Majesty, this was not something my grandfather did of his own will.”
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying the child’s mother deliberately threw herself into his bedchamber?”
“It pains me to say it, but yes.”
“Hah… I find that difficult to believe. Maitland was not the sort of man who could be taken advantage of so easily.”
The Emperor shook his head in disbelief.
I quickly continued.
“The Goddess told me that forty-two years ago, while passing through a village near the capital, my grandfather happened to meet a woman.”
“And that woman was the illegitimate child’s mother?”
“Yes. She was a slave in her mid-twenties being sold at a slave market. She was painfully thin from starvation, and exhaustion was written all over her face.
Feeling sympathy for her, my grandfather paid the slave trader and rescued her from the auction.”
“Hm. That does sound like Maitland. He was absurdly compassionate for a man of such status. Tsk. Foolishly so.”
Clicking his tongue, the Emperor glanced anxiously toward the crowd.
Even though they were standing atop a high cliff and the distance was too great for anyone to hear unless one shouted—as I had been doing—the Emperor, ever sensitive to public opinion, couldn’t help worrying.
After looking around for a while, he finally seemed to realize that none of the citizens had heard his criticism and quietly sighed in relief.
Watching him from the corner of my eye, I continued.
“Yes. My grandfather was never the sort to ignore someone in need.
He brought the woman back to his lodging, gave her food and a room to stay in, and even told her to rest as long as she wished.
Not only that, but he also gave her enough money to start a new life wherever she wanted once she recovered.”
“Hm. A good deed indeed.”
“Yes. His intentions were entirely noble. But unfortunately, that kindness became the beginning of a tragedy.
After learning of my grandfather’s status, the woman sought to rise above her station. She slipped a vile drug into his food and then entered his bedchamber.”
“Oh, that poor Duke.”
“What a vicious woman.”
“How tragic.”
Sighs and murmurs spread through the crowd.
It seemed they were saddened that an act of kindness had produced such a terrible result.
The Emperor, apparently feeling the same way, let out a deep sigh.
“So the illegitimate child was conceived that night?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
My grandfather was furious, but he could not bring himself to abandon a child who had already been born.
After discussing the matter with my grandmother, he provided the mother and child with a home and financial support.
The former slave and her son came to enjoy a life of comfort they could never have imagined before.”
“What despicable ingrates!”
“They drove a stake through the hearts of the former Duke and his kind-hearted wife, who were practically their benefactors, and still slept peacefully at night?”
“Absolutely vile!”
By now, the crowd had transformed into an audience watching a play, reacting enthusiastically to every twist.
And then I threw an even bigger bombshell.
“But their greed did not end there.
The mother and son desired the ducal title itself.
And to achieve that ambition, they murdered the legitimate heir of the ducal house.”
“W-What?! Murdered?”
The Emperor’s face turned pale.
The crowd covered their mouths in disbelief.
“Yes, Your Majesty.
The legitimate heir of the ducal house was murdered thirteen years ago.
By that man.”
Pointing at the trash standing below the cliff with his jaw hanging open, I broke into sobs.
The Emperor stammered.
“Th-Then are you saying Maitland placed the illegitimate child in the dead heir’s position and made him his successor?”
“No, Your Majesty.
My grandfather knew neither that the legitimate heir had been murdered nor that the illegitimate child had taken his place.”
“What? How could he possibly not know?”
“At the time, my grandfather had just lost my grandmother and was not in a sound state of mind.
And according to the Goddess, my real father and that illegitimate child looked almost identical—as if they were twins.
Distinguishing between them was extremely difficult.”
“H-How can that…”
The Emperor shook his head.
The crowd began murmuring once more.
“W-Wait a second! What exactly is going on? Someone summarize this!”
“So you’re saying the Duke of Veloche—or rather, that man—killed the real heir and stole his place?”
“How could something like this happen…?”
The crowd stared at the trash with expressions of utter disbelief.
“T-That’s ridiculous!
No, Your Majesty! An illegitimate child born of a slave? Murdering the legitimate heir? It’s all slander, Your Majesty!”
Finally regaining his senses, the trash frantically waved his hands.
“I am unquestionably the legitimate son born to the former Duke and Duchess!
There was never any illegitimate child in the Veloche family to begin with!
Everything that woman says is a lie, Your Majesty!”
Beating his chest with both fists, he desperately proclaimed his innocence.
The Emperor looked troubled.
Turning toward me, he asked,
“Saintess, do you have any proof of this claim?”
Proof?
As if I had anything like that.
But I met his gaze without flinching.
“Your Majesty, I am merely conveying the words of the Goddess Hedel.”
“Hey, if you keep impersonating the Goddess like th—”
Unable to watch any longer, the lion tried to stop me.
But I had already gone beyond the point of caring.
“Shut up. If you so much as say the wrong thing here, I’ll stuff a hundred humans into that mouth of yours every single day.”
At that point, I wasn’t seeing reason anymore.
