"You're really an idiot, Brother." Valeria's low groan filled the room, her voice thick with disappointment as she looked at her brother with disdain.
"Our father knew you were foolish, which is why he originally wanted me to rule this Empire instead of you. I suppose his decision to offer the throne to me was wise." Valeria's voice was solemn, her expression serious.
"However, I had no desire to rule the Empire and be confined to the Imperial Palace for the rest of my life. That kind of existence doesn't suit me. That's why I declined our father's offer." Valeria sighed.
Everyone turned their gaze to Philip, waiting for his response. He had been silent for several minutes, staring at the floor, lost in thought.
'This is so troublesome... I never anticipated something like this. How foolish I was to entrust such an important responsibility to someone like Fedrick. He's really let me down,' Emperor Philip thought, blaming himself.
"By the way, dear brother, where are your concubine Agatha and Fedrick? Why aren't they here?" Valeria asked, frowning as she demanded a satisfactory answer.
"I don't know. I haven't seen them since this morning. They're probably somewhere in the palace," Philip replied, scratching the back of his head, equally puzzled.
He had informed everyone about Valeria's return, so they should have been here to greet her. Yet they'd ignored his instructions, and now Valeria was asking about them.
"If the people you're looking for are a stout young man with an arrogant expression and a woman with short hair in a revealing outfit, then they're on the northeast side of the palace," Yuan said with a wide grin, having been using his Divine Sense the entire time.
'So, that's the Wyvern child that was taken from Pinebrook Mountain... And it's the reason so many people died there. So, he's the second Crown Prince, Fedrick,' Yuan thought, a sly smile crossing his face as he looked in the Wyvern's direction.
"By the way, I found something interesting with them—a Wyvern child. I wonder how he got hold of that..." Yuan's gaze settled on Emperor Philip, who looked taken aback.
Not only him, but everyone in Valeria's family stared at Yuan in shock.
"H-How did you know where they are and what they're doing? Did you see them on your way here?" Concubine Priscilla asked, her disbelief evident.
"Well, I'm watching their every move right now, even as we speak," Yuan replied with a mysterious smile, pulling Valeria close to him.
"..."
"What?!" Everyone looked at Yuan, dumbfounded. How could he be keeping an eye on them while sitting right in front of them? This was simply unbelievable!
"H-How?" Emperor Philip asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"By the way, Valeria, my husband may have a way to treat your mother's illness, if you'd allow him to examine her," Anna suggested, smiling warmly. Although Anna was younger, she cared deeply for Valeria, who was, after all, her daughter-in-law.
Valeria, despite being older than Anna, respected her words deeply. Even Mireya and Sylvia, though over 200 years old, honored Anna's wisdom.
'Yuan has always been so mysterious and unpredictable. The events unfolding since meeting him are filled with mystery... He may truly have a way to cure my mother of her illness,' Valeria thought, her gaze fixed on Yuan, as if seeing a glimmer of hope—a hope to free her mother from her suffering.
A moment later, Fedrick and his mother, Agatha, entered the room with puzzled expressions, sensing that something unpleasant awaited them.
'What's this strange feeling I'm getting? The atmosphere in here feels tense,' Agatha thought as she walked in, feeling the weight of the room's silence. She noticed that everyone's eyes were on her and her son.
As her gaze fell on Valeria, seated on Yuan's lap, Agatha's eyes widened in disbelief. It was as if her world had shattered. She stared, dumbfounded by the sight before her.
'W-What is going on here?! And why is that woman—Valeria—sitting on a man's lap? And such a handsome young man, too!' Agatha's mind raced with disbelief and shock, her face betraying her thoughts.
Then, her eyes landed on the two women sitting on either side of Yuan, each radiating an ethereal beauty that seemed almost divine.
'How could such beautiful women exist in this world?' Agatha muttered inwardly, jealousy flaring as she took in the sight of Yuan's wives, seated gracefully on the luxurious sofa.
Beside her, Fedrick stood in stunned silence, his eyes fixed on the women surrounding Yuan. Their beauty left him momentarily entranced, and he found himself unable to focus on anything else, his heart racing as he gazed at them.
'They're so beautiful... Who are these women, and what are they doing here?' he wondered, his expression one of bewilderment.
Watching his half-brother's reaction, Daniel clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch Fedrick and demand he apologize to Yuan.
'This fool! Didn't I warn him yesterday to keep his eyes off Yuan's wives? Has he already forgotten?' Daniel thought, feeling a surge of frustration—not only because Fedrick ignored his warning, but because his actions were now humiliating the Imperial Family.
Finally, Emperor Philip broke the silence, his voice low and tinged with anger. "So, you two decided to show up at last, did you? What were you doing when I ordered everyone to gather here?"
'Why is he angry at us? Could he have found out about our plan?' Agatha's heart pounded as she began to sweat, panic creeping over her.
Agatha and Fedrick approached and sat on an empty sofa near Philip, feigning innocence. With a forced smile, Agatha responded, "Oh, we were just watching over and feeding the Wyvern child my son brought from the merchant. It's growing quickly with the special food provided."
"Oh, really?" Emperor Philip replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.