Chapter 52
His bloodshot eyes made him look like a man who had already lost half his reason.
The veins in his neck bulged, and he even ground his teeth.
This was the very same Duke Cartes who had once been praised as one of the most handsome men in the Empire.
Yet his vicious eyes and hardened expression now made him look positively terrifying.
Ruth, who had been watching quietly, finally lost his patience and tried to step forward.
Riena extended a hand to stop him.
"Tell me what you want. I'll grant it."
"Hah!"
The moment she finished speaking, Cartes's mocking laughter echoed through the office.
It was a bitter, desperate laugh, like that of a man who had given up everything.
"Make all of this as though it never happened. That's enough. I do have a conscience, after all."
He raised his chin and laughed as though he were being generous.
Then he continued with determined eyes.
"Restore my ducal title, spare my life, and restore my reputation."
"Very well."
"And one more thing."
His trembling index finger pointed toward the ceiling.
His expression was almost dignified, as though he were making a solemn oath.
"Give Kanter back to me too. We've spent years together, so I must take him home and raise him myself. I insist."
He emphasized those final words and broke into a violent smile.
His face was so full of hatred that simply looking at him was unpleasant.
"We can proceed right now. I have no objections."
The venom in his voice was revolting.
Riena wanted to draw a magic circle immediately and conduct the paternity test on Kanter and Cartes.
But she couldn't.
There are too many people watching.
Calling in the Imperial Palace's official mages to perform the test would also be dangerous.
The mere fact that the test had taken place could damage Kanter's reputation.
Click.
The office door swung open, revealing a familiar face.
"I greet Your Highness the Crown Princess."
The worry on Riena's face gave way to a small smile.
His broad shoulders and neat, exposed white neckline contrasted with his jet-black hair, creating a strangely striking impression.
Melance's lowered violet eyes reflected the sunlight, shimmering with an almost unreal beauty.
His tightly pressed lips carried an air of remarkable superiority as he looked down at Cartes.
"With Your Highness's permission, may I conduct the examination myself?"
Riena gave a small nod.
Melance's long, pale fingers immediately swept through the air.
"W-wait!"
Cartes stretched out both arms, unable to hide his alarm.
"I-I would prefer to entrust this matter to an Imperial Palace mage."
"Are you questioning me?"
Melance's calm voice struck like a threat.
"Of course not! I merely wish to follow the official procedure."
"If we were following the official procedure, your head would already be hanging at the execution grounds."
His tone was indifferent, but his words were utterly firm.
A chill ran down Cartes's spine.
He hurriedly touched the back of his neck.
"The Grand Duke's heir is helping you for the sake of your reputation, Duke. Why don't you simply accept it?"
"......"
Well, Kanter couldn't possibly be his son anyway.
Following Riena's suggestion would probably be better for his reputation too.
Even so, something about it made him uneasy.
"So you really are suspicious."
"N-no, I'm not...!"
"You suspect that I might lie, and you also doubt my abilities."
Melance's gaze bore down on him, cutting off every remaining avenue of escape.
Cartes stammered, struck directly where it hurt.
He hadn't expected the young lord to point it out so openly.
But this was a matter involving his life.
He couldn't simply let it pass.
"P-please understand."
"I don't."
"?"
Melance made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
He gestured with his chin toward the knights guarding the office.
The door opened again.
Hesitant footsteps came from the entrance.
The face that appeared was deathly pale, without a trace of its usual freshness.
The child's breathing sounded so fragile that he seemed ready to crumble, and his dark eyes were filled with tears.
"Um... I greet... Your Highness...."
Everyone watching frowned with concern.
He looked as though he might faint at any moment.
Kanter's small chest rose and fell without pause.
Cold sweat gathered across his pale forehead.
Suddenly, Melance's fingers sliced sharply through the air.
"!!"
Before anyone could stop him, a magic circle formed.
Blue light wrapped around Kanter and Cartes before being absorbed into their bodies.
The knights' eyes widened at the rare display of mana.
"......"
Everyone held their breath and exchanged anxious glances.
How much time had passed?
Eventually, Melance's red lips parted.
"...Please give your orders, Your Highness."
Everyone, including Riena, tilted their heads.
"...It's over?"
"It finished a while ago."
"Oh. What was the result?"
Melance let out a small sigh of disbelief before explaining.
"If the two subjects are not biologically related, their mana will clash. In that case, the person with the weaker energy will experience side effects."
"What kind of side effects?"
"Vomiting blood, fainting, or something similar. The symptoms would be obvious at a glance. However...."
His violet eyes turned toward Kanter.
The boy was pale with fear, but he showed no particular side effects at all.
"Th-th-that's impossible.... It can't be! There's absolutely no way...!"
Despite Cartes's disgraceful reaction, Melance simply looked at Riena with an indifferent expression.
"The results are clear. Please make your decision, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
"...Everyone present is forbidden from speaking about what happened today. You may leave."
"We obey!"
The knights answered loudly, bowed their heads, and promptly left the room.
Even as the door closed, Cartes continued staring at Kanter with a vacant expression.
Then he began savagely tearing at his own hair.
Only hideous hatred and thick madness remained in his eyes.
White saliva gathered at the corners of his twisted mouth.
"Hah... hah... hahaha...."
His indescribable laughter echoed intermittently through the office.
Kanter, who had been listening silently, slowly raised his chin.
The moment their eyes met, Cartes looked like a wild beast about to tear out the child's throat.
"Cartes, if you have anything left to say, say it now."
"......"
He frowned and struggled to swallow the sob rising in his throat.
"This can't be.... All because of that little thief... Thief... you filthy little rat!"
There wasn't the slightest sign of remorse.
His bloodshot eyes and the bulging veins in his neck made him look as though he might destroy himself at any moment.
His behavior was so disgusting that merely sharing the same room with him was unbearable.
Kanter's unfocused green eyes stared at Cartes in disbelief.
He hadn't even hoped for genuine remorse.
If his father had offered him a single apology, even an empty one, he had been prepared to forgive him.
But watching this scene, it was almost impossible to tell who was the victim and who was the perpetrator.
"H-how can you remain so shameless to the very end?! My young master is your biological son! What will it take for you to believe the truth?!"
The nanny's voice nearly tore through the office.
It was filled with reproach, resentment, and bitter grief.
Even those listening felt their hearts ache.
Cartes merely scoffed at her sobbing.
"Do you have evidence...? Witnesses? Do you know how much our family has done for this damned Empire...? And they throw me away like this...?"
"We have evidence and witnesses! Even now, please ask the young master for forgiveness.... Please... I'm begging you. Please...!"
"Forgiveness...?"
Foaming at the mouth, the Duke let out a low shout.
But the nanny showed no sign of retreating either.
"Madam ran away because she was afraid of you, Your Grace!"
He glared at her as though he wanted to kill her.
She continued fiercely.
"You told Madam that you were incapable of fathering children! So when she discovered she was pregnant, it was obvious what would happen if you found out...."
"Right... so you're saying that's why she ran away? Ask any stray dog whether it would believe that story! She obviously slept with another man while she was gone!"
"H-how can you say something so cruel...?"
Kanter, who had been watching the argument, now looked beyond calm.
He seemed almost unnaturally still.
"There is a witness...! Viscountess Meriel can testify...!"
"Shut up! There's a limit to how much you can lie!"
No matter how much truth they told him or how much evidence they presented, it was impossible to have a conversation with Cartes.
No.
The truth was what Duke Cartes feared.
That was why he'd decided to turn away from it.
If he acknowledged the truth, everything he'd believed until now would collapse.
It was a filthy choice.
But perhaps that made it all the more characteristic of him.
As Kanter watched, he felt as though he were slowly sinking underwater.
His ears grew muffled.
His heart and lungs felt as though they were filling with water, leaving him unable to speak.
"Ruth."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
"Show Cartes these documents."
Riena handed Ruth the bundle of papers she'd been examining.
He accepted them neatly and walked toward Cartes.
Every step carried dignity and an intimidating presence.
Cartes, who had been fidgeting anxiously, watched Ruth's expression.
The moment he received the documents, he began devouring the words with his eyes.
His trembling gaze was full of greed.
"......!!"
Only after he'd finished reading did his mouth finally close.
"A personal letter from Viscountess Meriel, the seals of the witnesses, and a photograph clearly dated with Kanter Cartes's year of birth."
"Th-this isn't enough evidence...."
As expected, Cartes shook his head and busied himself examining every detail of the documents.
Riena sighed and turned toward Kanter.
"And these are the journals Erani kept while raising you."
Kanter lifted his head and looked at her.
"Era... Erani?"
There were five small notebooks, bound in old, inexpensive leather.
