Chapter 186
That loathsome woman was staring back at her blankly. She had been declared missing, her fate unknown, ever since the imperial palace raid…
‘Who knows what kind of man she’s been rolling around with during that time?’
Her shameless face, completely unscathed, infuriated the Duchess. How could this woman remain so pristine when her beloved Atria bore a permanent scar from an arrow wound?
‘Even the Duke, as a man, must have completely lost his mind over that woman.’
From head to toe, she was dressed in outrageously expensive attire. The Duchess scoffed inwardly, thinking the world must truly be nearing its end.
Still, she thought it was fortunate to have encountered her like this.
Since she had no way to learn the woman’s true parentage, she could only threaten her.
“So, you’re alive after all.”
“……”
“You must know that my husband is suffering humiliation because of you, don’t you?”
The woman remained silent, standing there with a vacant expression. Irritated, the Duchess strode toward her briskly.
“Honestly, what harm has our family caused you? If anything, it’s because you’re from such lowly origins that a marriage like yours was even possible—thanks to the Antares family!”
“……”
“So go plead for him. Beg for your father to be released, as the Duchess of Arcturus—”
“Why should I?”
“…What?”
For a moment, the Duchess thought she must have misheard. This woman, if nothing else, had always been shockingly good at groveling, just like the lowliest commoner in the territory.
But now, with a composed face, she stared directly at the Duchess and spoke again.
“I said, why should I plead for a man who isn’t even my father?”
“Y-You…!”
The Duchess felt dizzy and staggered momentarily, though she managed not to collapse with the help of an attendant.
However, the attendant sternly admonished her in a calm voice.
“Mind your words, Duchess.”
“What—what nonsense is this? This girl is—she’s part of the Antares family—!”
“It has been confirmed that this lady is the daughter of the late Second Prince Saiph, Your Grace.”
“What…?”
“As such, though she has not yet been formally recognized, she must now be treated as an Imperial Highness.”
The Duchess nearly let out a hysterical laugh.
What absurd nonsense! What a terrible joke!
But then she remembered—those within the Imperial Palace never spoke of bloodlines lightly. The realization sent a chill down her spine.
‘It’s a trap.’
That wretched Emperor had orchestrated this, all to wash his hands clean and avoid any consequences.
Meanwhile, Freesia silently gestured to the attendants.
What an amusing thing it was.
During her three years as a duchess, no one had ever moved at her slightest gesture.
But now, after only a few days in the palace, the imperial palace’s attendants acted as if they were her limbs. In mere moments, they forced the Duchess to her knees.
“This—this is…! Ugh!”
The pain of her knees slamming against the floor made her groan.
But no physical pain could compare to the shock of seeing who was brought in next.
“Atria!”
“Mother…!”
Why was her daughter, who should have been safe at home, here?
The growing sense of dread made the Duchess’s gaze tremble like a trapped animal’s.
“Wh-what are you planning to do to us?”
“What you had schemed to do to me. Or perhaps, what you taught your own daughter to do.”
As Freesia’s words ended, an imperial attendant brought in a large wooden box, heavy enough to require both hands.
Her pale green eyes landed impassively on the vials inside.
It wasn’t difficult to track down the noble suppliers of such poisons, nor to find out exactly what the Duchess had purchased.
It was only a matter of time and power.
“A d**g that ruins a pregnant woman’s womb and kills her child.”
As Freesia spoke, her gaze shifted past the Duchess to Atria, who was trembling violently.
“Do you think such poison would benefit a young woman with no children?”
The Duchess’s face turned ghostly pale in an instant. Atria still had a long life ahead of her. If such a d**g were administered…!
“No, no! Absolutely not…!”
The Duchess scrambled on her knees, crawling forward as she shouted.
“Please, spare my daughter! Please, Your Highness, show mercy, just this once!”
“Oh? Then you can drink it instead.”
“What…?”
“You mocked my mother, calling her a woman who soiled herself in fear when her tongue was cut out, saying it was impressive she didn’t lose her child despite it.”
As the attendants restrained the Duchess, one of them forcibly pried her mouth open. Freesia watched the commotion calmly and murmured.
“So, you should endure it more gracefully than her, shouldn’t you?”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
“Go on, show me what kind of mother you are.”
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