Chapter 23

Fernan asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Illegitimate?"

"Apparently so. The physician’s daughter said the Marchioness never had a second child."

Lloyd also added that the physician had died a long time ago, and it appeared that he was murdered.

Fernan, who had been silent for a while, suddenly clenched his fists. Lloyd glanced at him with a pale face.

"Your Highness, if you will allow me, I will secure witnesses and written testimony.”

"…"

“Please send a formal complaint to Marquis Elody to hold him accountable."

It wasn't very uncommon for nobles to have illegitimate children. There were even times when the mistress and the child would be given separate places to stay.

But it was in other cases that the illegitimate child was taken directly into the family.

Among the aristocracy of the empire, where bloodline was important, it was a deception and fraud against the other party to proceed with the marriage with the illegitimate child.

"This is a fraudulent marriage, Your Highness.”

Lloyd spoke with force. Fernan was a member of the royal family, a Grand Duke of the empire at the center of the political world.

The Marquis dared him to deceive him into this marriage with his illegitimate daughter; with this fact, the Emperor would not be able to say a word about this if Fernan wanted a divorce.

However, despite Lloyd's ensuing words, Fernan remained silent for a long time.

His face remained so quiet that it was hard to tell what on earth he was thinking.

In his mind all the words and behaviors that Julia had shown him, one after another passed by.

The aphrodisiac was found in her room earlier and the words that had insisted on her innocence.

Even the look of contemplation and the soft, reluctant attitude when the Marquis was mentioned.

Of course, due to the nature of "he" the Marquis, there was no way he would care for an illegitimate child.

Fernan now could guess how the Marquis usually treated Julia, just by seeing how he blatantly slapped Julia in the Grand Duke’s castle.

That must be why Julia reacted the way she did whenever the Marquis was mentioned.

Everything added up.

Fernan was as quiet as ever, and for a moment there was an indescribable anger in the depths of his eyes.

Lloyd opened his mouth again.

“Your Highness, of course, this was done by the Marquis, but it is a self-evident fact that the Grand Duchess also remained silent and watched from the sidelines.”

The words caused Fernan’s brows to twitch, and then slowly return to normal.

Lloyd was right. Regardless of the situation before and after, the fact that Fernan had been deceived by her was self-evident.

And Fernan felt an obvious shiver of rage at the situation.

But it wasn’t because of the fact that Julia was an illegitimate child, nor the fact that he was deceived by her.

It was directed at the Marquis who had treated Julia so badly.

Fernan, who had been silent for so long, finally opened his mouth.

"Lloyd.”

"Yes, Your Highness."

His face quickly turned cold.

"Nothing of what was said today can come out.”

"…Eh?"

“Burn all the documents that can be considered as evidence.”

Fernan stood up from his seat, leaving Lloyd with a surprised look on his face.

There was a sense of nervousness as Fernan left the office.

***

Getting down from the carriage, Julia looked around the area for a while.

Surrounded by a large wall, the Temple of Ilion had an open entrance for anyone to enter and exit freely.

Julia, who was walking up the stairs, suddenly turned around.

She saw Fernan’s knight following a few steps behind her.

"I'll go on my own from here."

When she hinted, the knight looked at her with an expression of difficulty.

Sighing soundlessly, Julia opened her mouth again.

"This is a safe place, I don't need an escort."

The knight was troubled for a while, and then he quickly bowed.

“Yes, then, I will wait outside."

Nodding with relief, Julia retraced her steps.

When she finally climbed the high stairs and passed through the doorway, she found the garden straight ahead.

In the garden, the temple visitors were spending their time. In the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, her frustrated heart gradually began to fade away.

Shortly after, Julia entered the main building and walked along the corridor.

It must have been a long walk. From the other side, a child was seen running.

The child stopped in front of Julia and greeted her in a crisp voice.

“Hello.”

"Eh…Hello."

Julia replied and smiled faintly. The child, who wore a priest uniform that was larger than his body, looked like a young priest.

The child suddenly grabbed her hand without saying a word, and walked confidently forward. 

“Where are you going?"

Julia asked with a panicked look on her face, and the child in front of her smiled as he turned his head around.

"Master Matheus asked me to take you. I heard a very precious guest has come.”

Julia's eyes grew wide and round. How did Matheus know that she was going to visit him when she had never told him?

She followed the child cautiously and saw a large arched door at the end of the corridor.

The child opened the door with a bang and jumped inside.

"Master Matheus!"

Once inside, a vast space was revealed.

Matheus, who was standing on the platform, turned around. He spotted Julia and smiled softly, just like in the past.

"Welcome."

Julia, who was staring at Matheus as he approached, hesitantly opened her mouth.

"Did you know that I was coming?"

"Yes, I knew."

Matheus's calm gaze landed on the pendant around her neck

“Thanks to the fact that the pendant has my power, I can feel your presence even from a far distance."

"Ah…"

Julia gently stroked the pendant. Matheus, who was staring at her, asked.

"Do you need help?"

Julia nodded without reply. Matheus seemed to have the ability to see into her mind.

Although she hadn't known him very long, Julia felt an unexplainable trust in him.

She had a feeling that he would be able to teach her how to be happy.

"Let's move to a quiet place first."

Nodding, Julia followed Matheus' lead into the next room. The small room, which appeared to be a prayer room, was peaceful and serene.

After taking a seat, Julia opened her mouth after a few moments of pondering.

“I…”

Julia was overwhelmed. After catching her breath, she continued slowly.

"I want to get out of this situation."

Matheus listened to her silently. In his warm and careful gaze, Julia’s thoughts and feelings naturally came out.

“I want to be happy, but I can't, so I hope I can avoid this misery."

"…"

“I don't want to…love my husband. It seems like I can really do that, but it has to be now… but that person keeps me from moving forward."

As she confided this, the faint resentment towards Fernan began to build up again. Julia gathered her gaze with a deep sigh.

"What should I do?"

Her voice began to tremble. Matheus was lost in thoughts with his head down.

After a while, Matheus slowly raised his head and opened his mouth in a cautious voice.

"I don't dare to understand what you've been through."

"…"

A sad light came into Matheus' eyes.

"With my lack of power, I will never be able to fully resolve the situation you are facing."

Julia gave a small smile. She felt a little lighter when she confided her heart to Matheus.

Matheus stared at her and quietly spoke again.

“But I can provide you the last resort.”

Matheus' face was a little dark as he said this.

That was when Julia realized that this last resort wasn't a good thing for her. 

Julia stared at him and nodded, meaning that it was okay.

She felt like nothing was matter. As long as she could get away from this misery.

And so it was early evening when she returned to the castle after her long meeting with Matheus.

Entering the bedroom, Julia found an uninvited guest in her room.

Fernan was standing in the middle of the room waiting for her.

It was the first time he came to Julia's room like this since the aphrodisiac was found in her room a while ago.

"Why are you here…?"

Julia mumbled in a perplexed voice.

However, Fernan, who had entered her room at will, only asked with a blank face.

"You…. Are you the Marquis’s illegitimate daughter?”

There was no explanation as Julia's eyes gradually grew wide. Her face turned pale.

Julia, who couldn't answer immediately and only trembled with her gaze, murmured in bewilderment.

"I…”

"I guess it’s true.”

Fernan swept his hair roughly. His face was slightly distorted.

Julia, who was silent, approached him.

Until now, the Marquis had thoroughly concealed the fact that Julia was his illegitimate daughter.

However, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was impossible for the Marchioness, who had never been pregnant with her second child, to completely deceive everyone pretending to have given birth.

The Marchioness’ physician, the young errand boy….. Many people were sacrificed in the hands of the Marquis only to cover up the secret.

The reason being that Julia's value as a commodity would be diminished if it was revealed that she was an illegitimate child.