(Orlax Pov)
"Alright, stop laughing. Give me your hand for a moment."
I asked Alice to give me her left hand and took out a pair of silver rings with a small blue gemstone in the center.
I placed the ring on her pinky finger and looked into her mismatched eyes, which gazed back at me with a smile.
"Even though our engagement happened rather strangely, and you didn't get a say in it, I hope we can live happily in the future."
"Although this is a little touching, I still feel weird about your straightforwardness. Go back to being your usual tsundere self."
I sighed, thinking about how chaotic the coming days would be because of this white-haired girl.
"Alright, alright, let's head back inside."
We started heading back inside where Alice's family was waiting for us, when suddenly, Alice grabbed my left hand and intertwined it with her right hand.
"Hmm, what are you doing?"
"What? Aren't you my fiancé? What's wrong with walking while holding hands?"
I remained silent in the face of her logic, which annoyed me slightly, until we reached the breakfast table, where she let go of my hand upon seeing her family.
I sat across from Armanthur, who had his wife sitting to his right, occasionally throwing angry glances my way.
To his left sat his son Daniel, engaged in some discussion with his father.
On my right sat Alice, with Sera in her lap, drooling at the food on the table.
A short while later, everyone started eating in silence, with only the sounds of cutlery filling the room.
After we finished eating and the dishes were cleared from the table, I finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Grand Duke, may I speak to Lady Catherine in private for a few minutes?"
"May I know the reason?"
"It's nothing important, I just have some doubts I want to clarify."
While I was speaking to Armanthur, seated before me, I glanced at the blue screens floating in front of me.
[Armanthur, Loyalty: 87]
[Daniel, Loyalty: 43]
[Catherine, Loyalty: 3]
[Alice, Loyalty: 94]
'Catherine, only three? I expected it to be zero.'
I shifted my gaze back to Armanthur, who was addressing me, and then turned to his wife sitting to his right.
"Of course, Your Majesty, I have no objections. Shall we move to another room?"
"Lead the way, my lady."
Upon hearing her agreement, I rose from my seat and followed her into another room adjacent to the dining hall.
She quietly closed the door and sat on a couch opposite me, looking a bit nervous.
"Alright, my lady, why did you do such a thing?"
"What do you mean, Your Majesty? What did I do?"
She asked in confusion, though her voice was slightly shaky.
"My lady, there's no need to pretend. I know you were the one who leaked the information about Sera. I'm asking you—why did you put a young child's life at risk?"
My certainty that Catherine was the one who leaked the information came from the fact that Sera's existence was only known to the servants in the palace and the Zephyrus family.
At the palace, I had been monitoring all the servants to prevent information leaks, so I was sure none of them were responsible.
As for the Zephyrus family, Armanthur himself was a father and would never endanger a young child's life due to his high moral character. Daniel, on the other hand, was the type to act before thinking and was a person committed to honor, so I ruled him out automatically. Alice wasn't aware of Sera's existence until today when she saw her, leaving only Catherine, who harbored great resentment toward me due to my engagement with her daughter.
"You can't answer, can you? Then instead, tell me—why do you hate me so much? I haven't harmed any members of your family and have treated them with respect. I even ignored the insults you threw at me the last time I came here. So tell me, what is the reason for your intense hatred?"
After finishing my words, I crossed one leg over the other and waited for her to speak.
After taking a deep breath, she raised her head, her eyes filled with intense anger and a hint of guilt.
"You say you haven't harmed my family? You killed my sister, you monster."
I was slightly taken aback by her words and annoyed at being called a monster. Perhaps because she assumed I would kill her, she had mustered the courage to insult me with confidence.
"Excuse me, when did I kill your sister, my lady?"
"Ha! Don't you remember? Four years ago, you coldly murdered the Empress and didn't even leave a body, reducing her to ashes."
Upon hearing this, I adjusted my posture and sat upright, staring into her now reddened eyes.
"Could it be, my lady…?"
"Yes, the late Empress was my sister—my only remaining family at the time—and you didn't even leave her body for me to bury properly."
Tears began to stream down her face as she struggled to contain them.
'Sigh… how do I justify this now?'
"I cannot deny that I was the one who killed her four years ago, but my lady, have you ever considered why I killed her that day?"
"It doesn't matter! The reason doesn't matter—you killed her anyway, and now you come and take my only daughter from me. At the very least, I wanted to make you feel a little loss, even if it made me a miserable person for endangering an innocent life."
"My lady, although this does not justify my actions, I will explain to you what happened that day."
I waited for her to calm down slightly, and when she focused her gaze on me, I began to speak.
"When I returned home four years ago, I found several knights standing outside my house. I rushed inside, and there she was—the Empress—sitting on a couch, looking at my mother, who had been stabbed in the abdomen, with a wide smile on her face."
"Lies! My sister would never do such a thing!"
Catherine started yelling in anger upon hearing me, almost rising from the couch to stop me, but I continued to speak, ignoring her.
"Then tell me, what was the reason for the Empress being in my home at that time?"
"This… this…"
Her anger quickly faded, replaced by confusion as she started stuttering.
"Yes, this happened four years ago, but I didn't kill her. At that time, I just wanted to escape and leave everything behind. But… I couldn't."
I clenched my fists as I spoke, the memories becoming increasingly painful each time I recalled them.
"Then why didn't you escape? Why did you kill her?"
Catherine seemed to have found a contradiction in my story, beginning to doubt everything I had said.
"Ha… At that time, she cursed me. When my mother was dying, she said these words to me: 'I hate you. I wish I had never given birth to you. I curse you—I curse you to be the end of this world and remain alone forever.'"
Catherine looked shocked by my words, placing her hand over her mouth in surprise.
"Can you believe that? Instead of her last words being encouragement for her son to keep living, she cursed me. After that, the curse activated, and when I regained consciousness, all I saw were flames engulfing the place, so I fled to avoid being caught."
"This… I had no idea something like this happened."
"Of course, my lady. How would you have known? You were blinded by your anger toward me and your bias against my physical traits, never even considering asking me about what happened that day."
Catherine remained silent as she listened to my words, lowering her head.
"Anyway, I didn't tell you this so you would pity me, but rather so you would understand what truly happened that day. Now, let's return to the main topic."
I then directed my gaze toward the door, frowning slightly.
"Grand Duke, I did not know you had a habit of eavesdropping on others' conversations."
Catherine raised her head, looking toward the door as Armanthur stepped in, a complex expression on his face.
"My dear, I…"
"Silence, Catherine."
Before she could finish speaking, Armanthur shouted at her angrily, causing her to retreat in fear.
Catherine remained silent, lowering her head, while Armanthur turned his gaze to me, stepping forward until he was right in front of me.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for eavesdropping. But please, grant Catherine another chance. Despite the disgraceful act she committed, she was blinded by her anger and did it in the heat of the moment. I beg you, Your Majesty—not as the Grand Duke, but as her husband—please give her another chance. I swear to you that something like this will never happen again."
The Grand Duke of the Empire, who had never lowered his head in his life, was now kneeling before me, pleading for his wife's forgiveness.
Tears streamed down Catherine's face as she witnessed her husband kneeling for the first time in his life, begging for her.
'Armanthur, you truly are a great man. For your family, you would throw away your dignity so easily. You have earned my respect today.'
I thought to myself while watching the Grand Duke kneel before me.
Suddenly, Alice and Daniel entered the room, rushing toward their father upon seeing him kneeling before me. But he gestured for them to stop.
Alice shifted her worried gaze from her father to meet my eyes, seeking an explanation.
"Oh, Grand Duke, although your wife acted out of anger towards the crime I committed four years ago, she put my daughter's life at risk. Therefore, I will punish her now."
I looked at Armanthor, who lifted his head, still showing determination.
"Then, Your Majesty, punish me instead of her. I am ready to endure any kind of punishment."
"No, my dear, this punishment is mine, and I will bear it myself. Please, Your Majesty, punish me."
Catherine wiped her tears and stood beside her husband, speaking with determination, ready to bear the punishment herself.
Before I knew it, Alice approached me and suddenly touched my hand.
A wave of surprise appeared on Alice's face when she heard my thoughts, and a joyful smile spread across her face as she stood behind me.