Chapter 4
The place Mariel entered while holding Philip’s hand was the Emperor’s audience chamber.
Though smaller than the central hall, it was no less grand in its design.
This was a space primarily used to receive foreign envoys and important guests, and it had only a single entrance.
Structurally, it made eavesdropping nearly impossible.
The ceiling was lower than that of an ordinary hall, preventing voices from echoing.
There was only one reason the Emperor had summoned Mariel and all those involved to this place tonight.
The conversations that would take place here must never leak outside.
Despite the number of people present, a heavy silence hung in the air, so thick that even breathing could not be heard.
Click. Click.
Only the sound of Mariel’s heels and the soft rustle of her dress echoed through the space like a funeral march.
Mariel lifted her gaze toward the man standing tall at the highest point of the hall’s center.
The closer she drew, the more certain she became that he was the Emperor.
No one else could dominate an entire hall with a single cold expression.
If the king of the underworld were to ascend to the human world, would he not wear such a face?
“…Mariel.”
Her father, Count Cleve, who had arrived earlier, approached and nodded with a heavy expression.
Supported by Philip, Mariel bent her knees and bowed before the Emperor.
Philip also lowered his head beside her, maintaining his grip on his sister’s hand.
“Sir Philip and I have already met in the council.”
“And you must be Lady Mariel, fiancée of Arthur Lowell.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the mention of Arthur’s name, her chest felt as if it were being crushed.
Mariel swallowed a short breath, forcing herself to remain composed.
She had more than enough reason to refuse coming here.
But there was something she herself had to confirm, so she had forced herself to come.
“Let me introduce two of my most distinguished subjects.”
“One is the man who would have become your father-in-law.”
“And beside him stands Duke Wilhelmar, the Empire’s greatest chancellor.”
“He was to become my father-in-law as well.”
Startled, Mariel turned her gaze toward the Duke.
Arthur… don’t tell me—!
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you already knew to some extent.”
“Then I will ask plainly.”
“Lady Mariel, were you aware that your fiancé, Arthur Lowell, had been in a long-standing relationship with another woman before his death?”
What was this supposed to mean?
Mariel was so stunned that she forgot where she was, forgot the chamberlain’s countless warnings.
“A long-standing relationship, Your Majesty?”
“Arthur was devoted to history and archaeology.”
“He didn’t even gamble.”
“I believed it was impossible for a man like him to deceive me, his fiancée—”
“It would have been nothing but betrayal…”
Even as she spoke in defense, she felt foolish and naive.
If this was not betrayal, then what was it?
A fiancé who had been rolling in bed with another woman until the night before the wedding, only to burn to death—what a cruel absurdity.
The Arthur Lowell she knew loved history and books.
He had been the only one happy to discover her own interest in reading and history, so unlike most noble ladies.
He gifted her books, spoke with her through the night about ancient civilizations and past eras.
He smoked a little too much, but he neither drank nor gambled, earning him the nickname “the old-fashioned gentleman.”
Then how could someone like him…?
Mariel squeezed her eyes shut.
She wished it were all a dream—one she could wake from by smashing her head against a wall.
“Lady Mariel.”
A low voice called her name.
Through tear-blurred vision, she saw the Emperor standing before her.
Ignoring Philip’s attempt to stop her, Mariel stepped forward.
“Your Majesty.”
“The Arthur I knew loved learning above all else.”
“He was introverted, but kind.”
She spoke with everything she had.
“To someone like me, who only wished for a simple family, he was the perfect choice.”
“But…”
Yes—he had been the best choice possible.
There had been no one better than him.
And yet.
“Now I don’t know.”
“I don’t know if he was truly the Arthur I knew.”
“I don’t know who he really was.”
Like someone unmoored, Mariel spilled the words she had kept inside.
Watching her, Reinhardt felt pity stir within him and slowly approached.
Her fragile figure, swaying as if she might collapse at any moment, made something sink in his chest.
At the same time, fury surged toward those responsible and the families that had caused this disaster.
Duke Wilhelmar.
The Duke’s month-long absence from the palace was surely because he had already noticed that Friede had another man.
And yet he had dared to conceal it, pretending ignorance.
If he could have, he would have hidden it forever.
Reinhardt’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Duke Wilhelmar and Count Lowell.
“Look carefully.”
“At the people who will bear indelible shame and humiliation because of the foolish actions of your children.”
After fixing his eyes on Mariel, the Emperor continued.
“I have become a fool who did not even know his fiancée had been taken by another man.”
“And this woman has become a bride abandoned on her wedding day.”
“This is the result of the actions of the children you were so proud of.”
With no words to offer, Duke Wilhelmar and Count Lowell turned their heads away in discomfort.
Watching them, Count Cleve and Philip clenched their fists, suppressing their rage.
Had this not been the Emperor’s presence, they would have already grabbed both men by the collars.
“It is also my duty to mediate this matter properly.”
“That is why I summoned everyone involved.”
“Since the children of these two families committed an irreversible crime,”
“I will determine punishment and compensation.”
“Do you understand?”
Sweating coldly, Count Lowell stepped forward first, as if deciding it was better to be struck first than later.
“Y-Your Majesty is absolutely right.”
“Not only I, but my entire family already considered House Cleve as in-laws.”
“We are deeply ashamed.”
Bowing deeply, he continued.
“To correct my foolish son’s wrongdoing, we should arrange a marriage with another fine young man of equal standing.”
“However, the only unmarried male in my family is not yet even ten years old…”
His voice trembled at the end, as though he himself were the victim of this tragedy.
“Therefore, if Count Cleve permits it, I will offer financial compensation, even if I must sell my territory to do so.”
Hearing this, Duke Wilhelmar also interjected, as if struck by an idea.
“That will not be a problem.”
“Though they are from collateral branches, there are several young men of marriageable age in my house.”
“They are all intelligent and outstanding youths.”
“Any one of them would be an excellent match for Lady Mariel.”
The Duke spoke with confidence, even more boldly than Count Lowell.
“And we will also contribute to the poor young lady’s dowry as compensation.”
It was disgraceful—utterly disgraceful.
To speak of compensating a broken marriage with another marriage, as if this were some ancient custom.
Such traditions may have existed long ago, but to invoke them now, in this era, in this situation—
It was nothing more than the Duke using his status to crush Mariel into submission.
A clear message of: *Take this and disappear.*
Rage surged through Mariel once more.
She clenched her wedding dress so tightly it nearly tore, bloodshot eyes fixed forward.
Consumed by fury, she didn’t even realize the man standing before her was the Emperor himself.
“I can’t listen to this anymore!”
“How dare you speak of my sister like that—!”
Unable to endure the absurdity any longer, Philip shouted, forgetting where he was.
“Do you think I don’t know you’re trembling in fear of punishment for insulting His Majesty’s authority?”
“Philip, His Majesty is present.”
“Calm yourself.”
“If it weren’t for His Majesty, you would have ignored the humiliation you inflicted on Mariel and our family without shame!”
“You shameless, disgraceful men!”
Though Count Cleve tried to stop him, Philip did not hesitate.
Known for his fierce temperament even among young politicians, he spoke without restraint.
At the young man’s piercing words, Duke Wilhelmar’s face flushed crimson with anger.
“Your words go too far, Sir Philip!”
“Too far?”
“What exactly have I said that’s wrong?”
“No matter how powerful your house is, this is unacceptable!”
“A man who didn’t even know his daughter was sleeping with another woman’s fiancé—”
“What right do you have to speak of compensation?”
“What did you say?!”
Duke Wilhelmar trembled as he glared at Philip.
Had the other man not been the Emperor, he would have demanded Philip be dragged away at once.
But today, any reckless move could bring devastating punishment, so he swallowed his rage.
Though it was his daughter Friede’s sin, the Duke still felt, in some part of his heart, that he himself had been wronged.
As the chaos in the hall reached its peak—
“If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, shut your mouth.”
The Emperor’s low voice sliced through the space like a blade.
