Chapter 7.23
He wasn’t wrong. If you owned the pond, you’d own whatever was inside it. But could someone really claim ownership of a pond inside the royal palace?
“Your Highness, what shall we do with them?”
“Lock them in the dungeons. Interrogation will begin at dawn.”
Richard pondered how to deal with the stepmother and stepsisters who had insulted Judy Esther.
“Your Highness, we’re innocent!”
The knights dragged the stepmother’s gang away as they wailed in protest. Count T was pulled along, repeatedly calling out his sister’s name.
According to the original story, the stepmother and stepsisters were brutally tortured and executed by Richard. Maybe even this situation was subject to the immutable laws of the original plot. They hadn’t committed crimes warranting hanging, but aside from Judy Esther, they were the most wicked characters.
“Richard, what do you intend to do with them?”
“Well, I’ll have to think about that now.”
Richard gently stroked Judy Esther’s cheek.
“By the way, you—are you the daughter of Baron Thomas Gizzola?”
Suddenly, he turned his gaze to Ella.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You said you didn’t want to marry Count T?”
“Yes. I want to inherit my father’s title and rebuild his trading company.”
Ella looked at Richard and spoke clearly, stating her resolve.
“That’s the proper course of action. Even if the head of the family is absent, an heir who has only undergone the coming-of-age ceremony can inherit the estate and title.”
Richard smiled at Judy Esther as he spoke. Seeing his expression, eager for her praise, Judy Esther couldn’t help but smile back.
Inflicting harm on a member of the royal family meant immediate arrest without trial. Even if proven innocent and eventually released, months would pass by then. By that time, Ella would have fully reclaimed her rights.
“Your Highness is amazing.”
The white knight, the prince of fairy tales, stood right before her. Richard, a prince by birth, was her man.
Ella finally seemed to understand the situation and suddenly collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
“Judy Esther, thank you. Your Highness, I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life.”
“Get up.”
As Judy Esther bent down to help her up, Ella waved her off.
“You must take care of yourself, especially with your condition.”
“Huh? What condition?”
“You’re carrying the precious crown prince.”
Judy Esther poked Richard’s side, urging him to explain quickly.
Instead, he lowered his head and whispered into her ear.
“My seed fills your body, and it’s all crown prince.”
“No, it only counts when one is actually born. That’s not the case yet.”
“Who knows if one of them will come into the world.”
The longer they talked, the more Judy Esther felt like stopping him.
“You really have no filter, do you?”
Judy Esther said primly, and Richard grinned slyly. She knew better than to fall for that face.
“Judy Esther, shall we make a baby?”
Maybe it was the moonlight, or maybe it was magic. Her heart pounded.
Or maybe, it was because she had fallen in love. I love Richard.
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