Chapter 230
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Moreover, the people at the banquet would just stand by no matter what happened to her.
Those who now knew the royal family and the Duke’s relationship was broken surely realized Emilia and Mikhail could never be together.
Anyone smart enough would know the care he showed her in public wasn’t genuine.
So no one was there to help Emilia here.
She turned her gaze toward Mikhail, standing amid the crowd.
‘…Will Mikhail help me?’
She wasn’t sure but thought he might.
Still not wanting his help, she straightened up and faced Adrian.
“Your Majesty. I didn’t expect you to come personally to congratulate the engagement.”
Adrian smiled more deeply at Emilia’s boldness in standing her ground.
“So she lost the initiative, huh?”
“Is that so? But Dalhia and Your Majesty don’t suit each other.”
“Engagements rarely happen because people suit each other. Like everyone else, it’s out of necessity.”
Adrian snickered and stood beside her, just a bit closer so his arm almost touched hers.
Emilia curled up as much as possible, trying to avoid contact.
“Everyone seems to be talking about you and me. How does it feel to be in my position?”
“As I expected. I have nothing left to lose, but Your Majesty still does, don’t you?”
He was still king and held some power, but Emilia had nothing left except the ruined Loren family.
And all her loved ones were already dead.
“You must have something to lose too.”
Adrian’s gaze suddenly shifted toward Emilia’s belly.
A chill ran through her body.
‘Could he know?’
No one knew about Emilia’s pregnancy except those in Duke Heinrich’s household.
“Nothing. Everything’s been taken away.”
“Even if the Duke dies?”
“He’s not someone who’ll die easily. I’m not worried.”
“You seem to trust the Duke quite a lot, even in this situation.”
There was meaning behind Adrian’s words. He must have had a reason for approaching.
“May I leave now?”
Emilia took a step back and asked. Adrian smirked and grabbed her wrist.
“If you step back one more time, my hand will reach your head.”
“…”
Emilia bit her lip hard.
“You strangely resemble someone I’ve been looking for. There are many things I want to ask, so I hope we can move somewhere else.”
Every word of his sent chills down her spine.
“What’s the problem if your hand reaches my head?”
“The problem is that you’re hiding the fact you have short hair.”
“It’s strange that a woman cutting her hair short is a problem.”
She answered casually.
He clearly knew who she was.
The short-haired woman who stayed at the Spiegel newspaper and fought the knights.
“If you are indeed that woman.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know better than anyone what I’m saying. Or shall I take a look?”
“Won’t people stare if you do? Even if my hair is short, most here won’t focus on that.”
Unless they whispered about Adrian’s behavior, it wouldn’t matter much.
Emilia looked at Adrian as if daring him to try. Even if her wig came off, would it compare to his antics?
People might whisper, but it would just be a minor incident.
“Women sometimes cut their hair short. It’s easier to style various looks with wigs.”
“So you’re trying to wiggle out of this. I wonder if you’d still say that if I locked you up as a suspect.”
If there was justification, it wasn’t impossible. If knights testified to catching her, she’d have no choice but to comply.
“Do as you please.”
Emilia didn’t dodge the confrontation. The royal family’s instability would only deepen, and her conflict with Duke Heinrich would intensify.
As long as it could ignite a spark, she didn’t care what it was.
‘The anti-royal group will start moving now.’
The railway was to be built in about two weeks. That was enough.
“Hah! I wonder what makes you so stubborn.”
The grip on Emilia’s wrist tightened.
“Emilia.”
But Adrian’s hand soon went limp and fell away.
Duke Heinrich suddenly appeared beside Emilia. His red eyes locked on the wrist from which Adrian’s hand had slipped.
“I didn’t expect Your Majesty to have words for my wife.”
“Duke Heinrich, there’s something I want to ask.”
“Speak.”
He lightly put his hand on Emilia’s shoulder, as if shielding her from Adrian.
She looked up at him.
“There’s a report that Madam Heinrich is the woman guarding the Spiegel newspaper. Though I don’t really believe it, shouldn’t we check?”
“Is that so? Whoever made that report must be mistaken. My wife hasn’t stepped outside the Duke’s estate once.”
“Can you take responsibility for that claim?”
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