Chapter 268
“I’m saying it’s possible that a beggar off the streets was seated as the heir of the Ducal family!”
He pleaded with a veined neck, but the crowd soon stopped listening.
They looked at him with eyes similar to Rubens’s—pitying and disdainful. Like looking at useless trash…
“Damn! Why can’t you idiots believe me even when I tell you?”
Kallen cursed loudly, stomping his feet.
“Pathetic. To try and slander Duke Krygen like this. This is why bastards of low birth are unacceptable!”
“Why did he come back to Laden? How can a criminal wander freely like this?”
“He wasn’t imprisoned because of family influence. The Duke’s been having a tough time lately, must be dealing with lots of worries.”
“That druggie probably came to throw another party and crawl around like a dog.”
“He still looks drunk. Look at him raging! Demanding the Duke to strip in a public trial! Every family seems to have one of these troublemakers! Tsk tsk.”
The hateful and mocking words stung Kallen’s ears. Countless eyes whipped him harshly.
Spitting on the floor with disgust, some spectators left the courtroom as if the trial was over.
Bastard, illegitimate, druggie, troublemaker—none of these insults were due to Kallen’s fault!
Born to a maid who was a noble’s mistress, unwillingly registered into the Krygen dukedom, accused falsely of d**g use, losing the succession battle, and exiled to an island.
He had tried to expose a fraud who deceived many and restore his family’s honor, yet was scorned as a troublemaker like any other household.
“What did I do wrong? Why is that bastard so eager to destroy me?”
He felt wronged. That bastard was definitely a con artist!
Lady Werfel had confirmed it all to him!
Why evade everything now? Why was he the only one suffering like this…?
He felt the solid hardness inside his coat—a keepsake he always carried, swallowing his resentment after being exiled as a child to the island.
‘Yes. I can’t back down now.’
A strange madness glinted in Kallen Krygen’s eyes.
“Brother, I was wrong.”
Kallen lowered his head and approached Rubens, looking so apologetic and timid he couldn’t even meet Rubens’s gaze.
Though most of the crowd had left, a few still watched them closely, scrutinizing Rubens.
‘Those must be the ones who believe Kallen Krygen.’
Rubens wanted to strangle Kallen and silence him forever but controlled his anger and wore a mask of the benevolent elder brother.
“If you’d asked me, I would have told you properly. Well, it’s fine now. Maybe this was bound to come out someday. I guess I was too careless with you all this time.”
“No, I was too arrogant without knowing my place. I’m sorry. I’m much younger than you. I knew you’d been lenient with me…”
Though talking to Kallen, Rubens’s eyes followed Macy.
‘She looked very shocked.’
She bowed her head, completely drained.
Last night, Macy told Rubens to die.
‘Death…’
The word sounded surreal coming from her lips.
The only thing resembling Macy was the tear-filled eyes among her twisted sneer.
The moment Rubens saw those eyes, he felt suffocated.
He knew how deeply Macy had been hurt by his harsh words, how scared, frightened, and desperate she was.
Those emotions stabbed his heart like sharp needles.
He felt profound sadness as if the ground beneath him was collapsing. The pain squeezed his heart, wishing it would shatter beyond recognition.
‘If I die, will your hatred truly disappear? Will your wounds heal and your pure self return?’
Countless torments and bitter doubts endlessly followed. Macy had shouted bitter curses but couldn’t hold back her teary eyes.
If she knew Rubens died because of her, would her fragile heart fall into self-loathing again?
He couldn’t find the answer to how to keep Macy from getting hurt, but one thing was clear:
‘The closer I am to Macy, the more harm I cause.’
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