Chapter 130

Rosemond’s shocking comments had everyone surrounding them buzzing. Already, the conversation between Rosemond and Patrizia wasn’t just theirs. Rosemond probably wanted this attention. The shallow tricks were amusing. Patrizia quietly opened her mouth.

“Lady Efreni.”

“Yes, Empress Majesty?”

“Now this is nothing but violence against me and the Imperial Family. Does a mere daughter of a Duke dare to find out whether the Empress is infertile or not?”

Patrizia shouted in a voice full of anger.

“This is a private matter between His Majesty and I, and it is also directly related to the danger towards the Imperial Family. But you dare as a mere daughter of a Duke, try to make me, the Empress, take a fertility test? While discussing the Empress’s fertility? What is this offense? Did Duke Efreni teach you to do so? To disrespect the Moon of this country?”

“You are misunderstanding. I don’t know why Your Majesty is reacting so sensitively.”

“The Lady Efreni regards the work of damaging myself, the Empress, as nothing special. Do you know that now, this is an offense against the Imperial Family?”

As the atmosphere grew serious, the eyes of the people were naturally brought towards Patrizia and Rosemond. In an instantaneous situation, Petronilla, who had been roaming the party hall after separating with Rothesay, finally noticed the fuss and ran to their side. There she found Rosemond insulting her sister.

“….”

When Petronila tried to say a word with an angry expression on her face, someone came forward first. Everyone looked surprised at the unexpected figure.

“Everyone stop now.”

At the heart of all this controversy was the Emperor. Lucio organized the situation in a low voice. Patrizia shot Lucio a glare, and Rosemond looked happy as if she had met someone who was her savior. She greeted Lucio with an insidious voice.

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“… I greet the Sun of the Empire.”

When Patrizia barely greeted him with an expression as if she ate dung, Lucio asked Patrizia to figure out the situation.

“What is going on, Empress? On a day celebrating the Founding Day.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty. Lady Efreni dared to insult me and the Imperial Family.”

“Lady Efreni, is the Empress’s words true?”

Rosemond was frightened by Lucio’s first time showing an angry expression but soon went on the offensive.

“The Empress is over exaggerating. This is not true.”

Lucio sighed at the opposing positions. He asked, “Patrizia, what did Lady Efreni say to insult you?”

“…!”

Rosemond looked at Lucio with a shocked face. He never called Patrizia by her name in front of Rosemond’s eyes, and even when she wasn’t there. His name for Patrizia has always been “The Empress,” nothing more or less! Rosemond stared at the two, Lucio and Patrizia, with eyes filled with rage.

“She said Your Majesty and I had never spent the night together. Then she asked me to test my infertility due to my not being able to conceive yet.”

“Lady Efreni, this is a misleading statement. Do you not know the meaning of what you said right now?”

“Your Majesty, is this not a serious problem?”

Rosemond, whose face was completely cold now, replied with a sharp voice.

“Your Majesty is not young, and nearly thirty. In the absence of other immediate heirs to the throne, the issue of a descendant is more important than anything else. I’m just saying that I’m concerned about whether the Empress is forgetting about that, but it is unfair to react like this. Can you really treat me like this?”

The last words weren’t a good match for the previous sentence, but it was one of the things said so far that Rosemond really wanted to say to Lucio.

How could he do this to her? How dare he!

“Even if Lady Efreni’s sincerity is true, it is very insolent to discuss the Empress’ role. Same goes for the fertility test. Is this not enough to take it as an insult?

“I am not saying Her Majesty should take it alone. I will do it too. Still, to show this kind of reaction…”

Rosemond smiled while lifting the corners of her mouth.

“Doesn’t it mean that there is something going on?”

-SLAP

At the same time, those words were spoken, Rosemond’s head turned. Patrizia raised her hand once again with a terrifying look that she had never shown before.

-SLAP

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“I am right to do so, Lady Efreni. As the hostess of the Imperial Palace, I am just correcting with discipline.”

Patrizia added while pulling up the corners of her mouth.

“Of course, I am regretful for the fact that the location can be shameful to Lady Efreni but it was inevitable.”

Patrizia turned her head and found the Duke of Efreni. He was with a familiar woman, and Patrizia laughed after realizing that she was the woman who had been with Rosemond earlier.

Ah, of course. Was that it? Patrizia opened her mouth.

“Duke Efreni? Where are you?”

“Empress Majesty.”

The Duke of Efreni appeared quietly when he was called. She smiled brightly and said, “Congratulations on the adoption of your lovely daughter, Duke.”

“I am very thankful, Your Majesty.”

“But if you have such a daughter, she should be educated well.”

Patrizia still maintained her smile and spoke on.

“If the outside is clean, but the inside is dirty, it will someday lead to ruin. Duke, you are not trying to present that sort of fate to your only daughter?”

“Is that possible, Your Majesty?”

The Duke of Efreni quietly apologized.

“It is the fault of my shortcomings, Your Majesty. Please look leniently at the sins of my daughter.”

“…”

“However, Your Majesty. Is this not a matter to separate and think about?”

“What?”

“Because the situation is in dire need for an heir, precaution must be taken for this part…”

“Duke of Efreni.”

Patrizia could not bear it, and cut his words off.