I Never Wanted His Child - Chapter 117

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Lady Eston, who had been slapped, bowed her head and clutched her skirt tightly.

“You’ve seen the newspaper, haven’t you?”

“Anyone who doesn’t read the newspaper every morning can be considered lazy.”

“Hah! Would you care to explain?”

“I don’t understand why you’re so angry. Is there something I don’t know? Reddish-brown hair and dark green eyes, they belong to Princess Verne, do they not? I’m not sure why you’re so upset over some gossip.”

“My hair color is…”

Verne swallowed her words and took a deep breath.

It seemed the King was unaware of the situation. That left only one person behind all this, Lady Luther.

“What were you going to say about your hair color?”

Adrian had anticipated that if he went out in the city with Verne, who resembled Emilia, the newspapers would write provocative articles. He planned to use Verne to leave the palace and go to the Ducal mansion, but meeting the Duke halfway changed his plans.

However, in the end, the outcome was favorable for Adrian, so he was satisfied.

‘Judging by her reaction, red isn’t her natural color.’

Adrian stared at her, feigning ignorance.

“…My hair does naturally have a reddish-brown hue, but I cannot tolerate seeing my name in such lowly newspapers. You must ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Princess Verne fanned herself to cool her flushed face.

Although she was still breathing rapidly, her face returned to a calm, expressionless state.

“If you don’t, the Kingdom of Eponsen will certainly take issue with this. You know what’s at stake with this marriage, don’t you?”

Princess Verne closed her fan with a snap and turned away.

“I need someone else assigned to me. Keeping someone without manners around makes me feel degraded.”

She glared at Lady Eston before leaving the audience chamber.

As soon as Princess Verne left, a servant rushed in and whispered to the king.

“Your Majesty, the captain of the guard is here. It seems something serious has happened.”

“A serious issue?”

“There was a commotion in Epfora Park, and the Duke has decided to personally interrogate those involved.”

“Interrogate them personally?”

“It appears a dog from an illegal dog-fighting ring targeted the Duchess.”

“Damn fools!”

Adrian jumped up from his seat.

* * *

Emilia gazed out the window.

“Madam, everything will be fine. The Duke is very strong…”

Dell continued to speak reassuringly.

“And the skills of Duchy Heinrich’s knights are well-known throughout the kingdom, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

However, Emilia wasn’t listening. Her eyes were fixed on the front gate.

An illegal dog-fighting ring? How long has it been operating?

She bit her lip. Undoubtedly, there were other illegal activities taking place, hidden in the shadows. And the royal family was likely turning a blind eye.

‘Is the treasury running low?’

Given that they haven’t been able to effectively tax the nobles, running the kingdom must be difficult.

‘The Duke seemed unaware of this.’

And there’s another pressing issue. The dog had charged directly at them, as if someone had commanded it to.

‘If that’s true…’

Does this mean the royal family is truly targeting her?

She had her suspicions about the letter, but it was just a feeling. This incident, however, seemed to confirm her doubts.

Emilia saw a carriage stop outside.

But she didn’t go down. Instead, she watched from her room.

A man, held by the knights, stepped out of the carriage.

“It looks like the Duke has returned. Won’t you go down?”

“I’ll wait. He’ll likely start the interrogation immediately. It’s best to ask after it’s over.”

“Int, interrogation…?”

“He didn’t hand them over to the royal guards. He intends to interrogate them personally.”

Dell swallowed hard. Emilia watched the men head toward a part of the mansion before turning away.

‘This will reveal a lot.’

Whether the Duke is staging this as a show for the royal family, or if he genuinely wants to uncover the truth.

It was a chance to understand how deeply their ties ran.

* * *

Sitting in the chair, Mikhail watched the beaten man closely.

Time was slipping away.

“Nothing is more important than life, right?”

“Ugh…”

“If you die, that money becomes worthless.”

A black shoe crushed the bloodied hand, causing the man to scream in agony, his eyes wide with pain.

“Aaaagh!”

The air in the room was damp. This underground space within the Duke’s mansion was known only to the most loyal members of the Heinrich household.

Mikhail scratched his eyebrow with his thumb while pressing harder on the man’s hand.

“The name is Gargen. He has been running the dog-fighting ring in Delphora Street for ten years. It has been confirmed that he has been sending money to the royal family during this time.”