Chapter 12: The Price of Intrusion

Unlike Freddy, who had steeled himself for his wife to be punished after her many past transgressions, Cyrus could not accept the reality that his sister had become an intruder within the imperial palace.

“Count Miller, why are your sister and Princess Belinda acting together?”

“Y-Yes.”
“Our household once accepted a princess from the Lind Kingdom.”
“Though she was a princess, she was an illegitimate daughter.”
“She married into our family and passed away a few years later, shortly after giving birth.”
“There was such a connection between our house and the Lind Kingdom, but we have never been in contact since.”
“However, recently, we suddenly received a letter from Princess Belinda, asking us to mediate an audience with Your Majesty.”
“I sent a letter of refusal, which my sister offered to deliver.”

“You refused?”
“And yet, your sister appears to be with her now.”

“……My sister was delighted to learn that even a small country’s royal blood ran in her veins.”
“She said she would deliver the refusal letter herself, but I suspect she did not.”
“In the past, I told her that if one had a relative working in the palace, it was possible to enter areas normally restricted to non-staff for the sake of a meeting.”
“She likely used Dorothy’s name to gain entry to the palace.”

He had trusted his sister, but now he understood.

Daisy was not the sister he had believed her to be.

She had said Dorothy bullied her, but now he realized that was probably untrue.

……The same applied to his friends.

They had told him many things about Dorothy.

They claimed she was unfaithful, had many lovers in the past, and loved flashy things.

He wanted to ask where any of that was true.

The reality was the opposite.

She was earnest, worked diligently, owned not even a single necklace, and above all, had firmly earned the trust of the Emperor and the Empress.

Cyrus himself worked in the palace.

He understood what kind of man Eugene was.

If Dorothy had truly been the woman his friends described, she would never have gained such trust.

“Your Majesty, if my sister has been wandering the palace without permission, then she is fully subject to punishment……”

Clenching his fist tightly, Cyrus looked straight at Eugene.

“……I will accept any punishment.”

There was no way he could ask for leniency.

He could never ask for this to be overlooked.

If he did, the very survival of the Miller Count House would be at risk.

“……I do not intend to make this public.”
“Fortunately, only those present here and those currently searching for the two know the details.”
“This will be handled internally.”
“Lind diplomat.”
“Belinda will be expelled from the Empire.”
“She will never again be permitted to set foot within the Empire for the rest of her life.”
“She is also forbidden from ever appearing before me or Aurelia.”
“You will take full responsibility for monitoring her.”
“Count Miller.”
“Your sister is banned from entering the imperial palace.”

“Yes.”
“Thank you for your magnanimous judgment.”

“Yes!”
“I will immediately send my sister back to our territory.”

Having prepared themselves even for execution, both Freddy and Cyrus felt a measure of relief at this outcome.

However, Belinda, having seen the splendor of the imperial capital, would never again be allowed to return.

And if the imperial couple ever visited the Lind Kingdom, she would have no choice but to hide herself so as not to catch their eye.

As for Daisy, she was effectively dead as an imperial noblewoman.

Who would willingly marry a woman forbidden from entering the imperial palace.

Even if the reason was not made public, it was something that would have to be explained to any prospective husband.

“Count Miller, be grateful to Dorothy.”
“Since entering the palace, she has served Aurelia with unwavering devotion.”
“If I were to punish the Miller Count House, that burden would extend to Dorothy as well.”
“I wished to avoid that.”

“……Yes.”
“Dorothy, I am sorry.”
“Daisy used your name without permission.”

Cyrus’s pale face turned toward Dorothy.

“……From now on, Lady Daisy will surely face many hardships.”
“Please support her.”

“……I will.”

Dorothy bowed deeply to Eugene and Aurelia.

“Your Majesty, thank you very much.”

“Dorothy, while we are here, I wish to confirm something regarding you and Count Miller.”
“If you wish to proceed with the divorce as planned, I will approve it here and now.”
“What will you do?”

Aurelia had already consulted him about Dorothy’s divorce, and since both parties were present, Eugene thought it best to settle it immediately.

Ordinarily, divorce required paperwork and procedures at the appropriate offices.

However, if the Emperor himself approved it, no one could overturn the decision.

At the word divorce, Noah did not miss the way Cyrus’s body stiffened.

After hearing about the necklace, Noah had suspected as much.

It seemed Cyrus had genuinely hoped to reconcile with Dorothy.

But after this incident, that became impossible.

Cyrus’s sister had used Dorothy’s name without permission to bring Princess Belinda into the palace.

That was unforgivable.

With all the accumulated guilt, if Dorothy wished for a divorce now, Cyrus had no choice but to agree.

“……I intended to divorce from the beginning, so if you are willing to approve it, I humbly request it.”
“However, I would like to speak with Cyrus-sama one last time.”
“May I ask you to wait just a little longer?”

“Very well.”
“Once Dorothy and Count Miller have finished their discussion, I will approve the divorce.”
“Count Miller, is that acceptable?”

“Yes.”

If possible, he had wanted to start over with Dorothy.

The Dorothy who had begun working at the palace was nothing like the rumors that had reached his ears.

He had not known she could be such a vibrant and beautiful woman.

When he occasionally saw her in the dining hall or corridors, she spoke to others with a gentle smile she had never shown her family.

He wanted to ask why she had never turned that smile toward him.

……Somewhere deep down, he understood that it was they who had taken that smile from her.

Yet he did not want to admit that the woman he saw now was her true self.

He wanted to avert his eyes from his own foolishness for failing to bring that side of her out.

But reality mercilessly placed the word divorce before him.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and a soldier who had been searching for the two intruders entered.

“We have located Lady Daisy Miller and Lady Belinda of the Lind Kingdom.”
“They will be brought here shortly.”

“Good work.”
“A gag order will be issued regarding this matter.”

“Yes, sir!”

Eugene nodded in satisfaction at the soldier’s report.

“Now then, let us hear the excuses of those involved.”
“You would do well to pray that their foolish justifications do not worsen their punishment.”

Watching the despair etched across Freddy and Cyrus’s faces, Eugene said this with a thin, amused smile.