Chapter 25
At that moment, Tilda’s cold voice brought everyone back to their senses.
“So, whose Name was it?”
“From what the two of us observed, it was written as ‘Leo’.”
When the elderly court physician from earlier answered, Tilda nodded. Leo. It was certain. A Name could appear in many forms. It could manifest as a full name, a nickname, or even a pet name. There was no real rule to it. Tilda turned her head toward Leopold.
“Has Lady Wittgen’s name appeared on you as well?”
“No, it hasn’t.”
Leopold answered confidently in a firm tone. Since he had felt somewhat unwell yesterday morning and had been examined by a court physician, he could answer this with certainty. As if confirming his words, the elderly physician slowly nodded, and Tilda’s expression relaxed.
Then Karl narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Then does that mean it is a one-sided manifestation? However, in that case I understand that most situations can be resolved through treatment.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That is true, however the method is…”
The physician glanced around and trailed off. But no one present failed to understand that the words he swallowed were far from appropriate for a lady’s modesty.
“Even so, this is something that must not occur under the present circumstances. Leopold already has a fiancée. The young lady’s situation is unfortunate, but I trust Duke Wittgen will make a wise decision for the sake of his house and the Empire.”
When Tilda’s sharp voice pierced her ears, Mina suddenly came to her senses. The meaning of those words was painfully clear. For the sake of the family and the imperial family, they should abandon one daughter.
In other words, Tilda was urging the Duke to sacrifice Mina for Rose.
Mina recalled once again the ruthless actions the Empress had committed in the novel, the merciless character who could order someone killed without even blinking. If it were anyone else it might have been different, but if it was Tilda, it was entirely possible.
‘It’s already unfair enough that I got dragged into this damned world and became someone with a limited lifespan because of this stupid Name system. And now I’m supposed to sacrifice myself for my sister? No way. Why should I?’
That couldn’t happen. Grinding her teeth at the rising sense of crisis, Mina quickly spoke up before Duke Wittgen could answer.
“W-Wait, please! The Name engraved on my body is not His Highness the Crown Prince’s name!”
Mina’s desperate voice echoed loudly through the high ceiling of the audience chamber. Everyone immediately froze in shock, their mouths falling open.
“What? Then whose name is it? The only Leo around you would be our Crown Prince.”
“When I was young, Grand Duke Tessen… I also called him Leo, Your Majesty.”
At the unexpected name, several people widened their eyes in surprise.
“Leo, Grand Duke Tessen, already knows about my Name.”
It hadn’t been agreed upon beforehand, but Mina argued desperately to save herself. In truth she had no idea whether Wilhelmina had actually called him Leo when they were young, but that didn’t matter.
Karl let out a low hum as he murmured,
“Hm… that is true. Leopold and Leonhardt could both use the same nickname.”
As if it were something he hadn’t considered before, Karl appeared to ponder for a moment before raising his voice and calling for the chamberlain.
“Chamberlain, send word at once for Grand Duke Tessen to come to the palace immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The chamberlain hurried out. Mina anxiously glanced around. Rose and Gisella were glaring at her with terrifying expressions. She had blurted it out first, but now worry piled up like a mountain.
‘Surely Leonhardt won’t openly deny what I said, right?’
He had already seen the Name, so he could probably grasp the situation. But since she had no idea how he would react, Mina nervously bit her lip again and again.
Time passed unbearably slowly.
While Mina stood there staring at the tips of her shoes with her head lowered, suddenly a pair of splendid red shoes entered her field of vision.
Startled, she turned her head and saw that Rose had somehow come very close beside her. Mina flinched.
What now? What is she doing?
At that moment Rose leaned closer and whispered quietly.
“Grand Duke Tessen doesn’t actually know about it, does he? You lied.”
Mina frowned in disbelief. She was just about to open her mouth to argue when—
“Your Majesty! Grand Duke Tessen has arrived!”
The attendant’s voice rang clearly through the silent audience chamber.
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