Chapter 105

“His Majesty called me?”

“Yes. Duke.”

The attendant responded with a bowed head politely.

“Roxana, will you go with me?”

The reason why the emperor called the duke was probably to discuss political affairs.

But before I could say no, the attendant quickly interrupted.

“I’m sorry, but His Majesty only called you.”

“Is that so?”

The duke frowned.

However, the servant still kept his composure with his head down.

There was still time before the trial began.

However, he hesitated, unable to take a step easily, as if he was concerned about me being left alone.

Then, the servant opened his mouth again to encourage him.

“Your Excellency, His Majesty is waiting for you.”

“I’ll go inside first. It’s okay.”

“Keep the guards with you. I’ll be back soon, but if anything happens, call me right away.”

The duke glanced at the Crown Prince, not at me.

He must have said it with him in mind.

At this, the Crown Prince laughed incredulously.

Soon after, the duke followed the attendant with a disgusted face, and I too tried to go inside with the knights he had left behind.

But the Crown Prince stopped me.

“Are we not done talking yet?”

The duke’s knights immediately stood in the way between him and me.

Then, the Crown Prince’s escort knights shouted, ready to draw their swords at any moment.

“Outrageous! How dare you stand in front of His Highness the Crown Prince!”

It was similar to before, but the situation was different.

The imperial palace was different from the duke’s residence.

We couldn’t fight armed battles in the imperial palace anyway, so putting aside the fact that our knights were outnumbered, nothing good would happen if we made a fuss in the prince’s realm.

“Stop.”

As soon as the Crown Prince raised his hand, his knights retreated.

He came slowly and stood in front of me.

“Really. Are you going to go all the way?”

The Crown Prince asked me with a complicated face.

“Your Highness must be aware that we have come too far to turn back, right?”

“No. It’s not too late. We’re young, so there’s plenty of time to right the wrongs of the past.”

Right the wrongs?

Considering what he had done so far, wasn’t he too shameless for those words to come out of his mouth?

“Your Highness is right. But once the trust has broken, it’s hard to mend. The person is gone and she won’t come back.”

After hearing my words, the Crown Prince was silent for a while.

I was getting tired of dragging this out.

He stared at me, and I did not avoid his gaze.

A few minutes later he sighed and said.

“I apologize for what happened to Viscountess Willis. I misjudged. But don’t you feel like you’re giving up too much because of the one person who betrayed you?”

“I am not talking about Viscountess Willis.”

At my words, suspicion filled the Crown prince’s gaze.

“My daughter has a strong will. I would do anything for that child.”

The Duke’s gaze and voice were resolute without the slightest wavering.

The empress let out a small sigh and continued.

“It is an undeniable fact that your family has supported and helped the crown prince so far. I know that the crown prince hasn’t been his best. I am also a woman, how can I not understand that feeling? He’s been careless all this time.”

She added in a serious tone.

“I swear on my name that this will never happen again. When the crown prince ascends the throne, your family’s hard work will not be forgotten. If it ends like this, wouldn’t it be a waste of what you contributed so far?”

“Does it matter? However, it is impossible to pick up water that has already been spilled. I believe that the Empress will understand my feelings as you’re also a parent. I think the conversation is over and I’ll be on my way.”

Despite sharp warnings and gentle persuasion, the duke’s intentions did not change in the slightest.

The empress could only keep her eyes open as the Duke closed the door and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, the gentle smile on her face was all erased.

The Empress clenched her fists with a hardened face.

Her sharpened fingernails stabbed her palms deeply, causing a stream of blood to flow.

***

Not long after I sat down, the solemn atmosphere and a sharp impression entered the Supreme Court.

As soon as we were seated, the trial began in earnest.

Unlike ordinary trials, today’s trial had very few observers.

It was probably because of the crown prince’s image.

“Then, the trial of Roxana Lillian, the eldest daughter of Duke Lillian, and the Crown Prince, Jeremy Clyce will begin.”

Our counselor handed over a bundle of documents to the Supreme Court Justice, who was in charge of the trial today.

The judge read it carefully and then spoke in a hard tone full of authority.

“Princess Lillian, please get up.”

When I got up from my seat, the Supreme Court judge asked me.

“I will ask you this for the first and last time. Do you have any regrets about the fact that you asked the crown prince to annul the marriage? You will have to answer carefully as irreversible consequences will be determined by your answer.”

I could feel the Crown prince’s gaze piercing me.

I answered with a calm voice, ignoring his gaze.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

This time he looked at the Crown prince and asked.

“Would His Highness the Crown Prince accept this decision?”

I turned my head towards the Crown prince and met his eyes.

Naturally, there were no more good feelings left in his gaze at me.

He exuded such a hideous aura that the people sitting around him had cold sweat on their foreheads.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t my business.

“I will ask you again. Does His Highness the Crown Prince accept this?”

“I accept it.”

The judge hit the wooden board with a gavel.

“Then I approve of the annulment.”

As the Supreme Court Judge’s voice fell heavily, the hall became silent in an instant.

It felt like time had stopped.

Soon, however, a murmur was heard from the observer’s seat, and only then did the stopped time seem to flow again.

The annulment ended more easily and quickly than expected.

As if he thought about the image of the imperial family, he did not disclose the things submitted as a reason for the annulment.

The audience was small and everyone knew the content anyway, so it wouldn’t have a big impact, but it was a little sad to think of Stephen, who stayed up all night preparing for today.

Well, thanks to the thorough preparation of the material, even the crown prince accepted it without dragging it out.

“Since it was done under an agreement between the two, there is no need to pay alimony.”

The ill-fated relationship was finally over.

After the Supreme Court Justice adjourned, I got up from my seat without looking at the Crown Prince.