Chapter 49

"……Your Majesty?"

Despite Dian calling him with a trembling voice, the emperor did not respond. He slowly removed his hand from Dian's abdomen and stood up. His attitude was so cold that Dian felt as if she had made a huge mistake.

"Pregnant?"

"……"

"Is the court physician sure about the diagnosis?"

This was a reaction she had never even considered. The tears of joy that had been flowing had already dried, and instead, cold sweat trickled down her back.

"No, not yet. It's just that the symptoms match early pregnancy… so… I was told to be careful with my body."

"When can a proper diagnosis be made?"

"In a month."

"I see."

Karl gazed at her intently and then slowly nodded. Then, he turned around and left without a word. Dian, feeling as if the emperor was about to slip away, desperately grabbed him.

"Your Majesty!"

The face that turned back to her was undoubtedly the emperor, the emperor she loved, the emperor who loved her!

"Aren't you happy?"

After asking, Dian's heart felt as if it would burst. An eternal silence followed, and the emperor finally responded in a cold tone.

"……I am happy."

"……"

Was it because of the long silence, or the indifferent tone?

"Take care of yourself."

The emperor turned and left the room without a backward glance. Dian stared at the door he had left through with a bewildered expression, her mouth clamped shut to prevent a scream from escaping. Her large, sky-blue eyes trembled uncontrollably. Her heart beat so hard it hurt. She gasped for breath, and something struck her mind forcefully. A shock like being hit on the back of the head hit her. What had the late empress, Lady Beatrice, said?

"Ah……"

Even after giving birth to a son, a successor, she was not recognized as the emperor's mother. Her son was taken away by the late empress immediately after birth and she could not see him until he was six years old. Karl had always pitied his mother. So, he thought Dian would be treated differently. But now, looking at his face……. Then, Dian realized something very important. Even after becoming emperor, Karl did not correct the records about his birth mother, Lady Beatrice. He was still recorded as the adopted son of the late empress, with not a single mention of Lady Beatrice. He could have changed it but did not. What did that mean? Why did she only realize it now? Had she only seen what she wanted to see? Dian's breathing became rough, and Lorette rushed to support her.

"Your Highness, slowly, slowly breathe. Here, drink some water."

Her jaw trembled so much that the water Lorette fed her dripped onto the bed.

"Are you okay? Should I call the court physician again?"

Dian did not answer, curling up under the covers. She was so cold that she pulled the blanket over her head. An unthinkable possibility arose in her mind. Could Karl Ulrich not have wanted a child with her? Could he give her child to the empress, just like the late emperor did? And leave no record of her, the child's birth mother, just as he did. Empress, empress……. He would give her child to that woman. Dian's eyes turned red. She curled up like a shrimp, hugging her abdomen.

"Baby. I will never let you be taken away, never."

＊ ＊ ＊ Karl, who left Dian's room with a blank expression, immediately summoned his personal court physician. He remained alone in the room, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the desk. His brow was furrowed, and it was clear he was deep in thought. One thing was certain: he was not at all happy about the news Dian had brought. A short while later, the court physician entered with a tense expression. Karl continued to tap his fingers on the desk, raising an eyebrow at the physician.

Tap, tap, tap. The steady sound made the physician unconsciously swallow.

"Impossible, Your Majesty."

"……"

The physician's plausible excuse made the emperor's cold expression even colder, causing the physician to break out in a cold sweat. Just before being summoned by the emperor, the physician had been scolding those who had examined Dian, questioning the accuracy of their diagnosis.

"It's highly unlikely. It's a one in a million chance. I prescribed that medicine so many times… there was not a single error."

"Is that one in a million chance me?"

The physician, faced with the emperor's displeasure, quickly knelt and apologized.

"I am sorry. However, Your Majesty, the diagnosis may not be accurate. Early diagnosis is really…."

Karl's eyebrows twitched. He glared at the physician's head with a cruel look and exhaled in frustration. He was taken aback by the unexpected situation. This news would inevitably become public. It couldn't be solved by silencing a few people, and if the diagnosis was accurate, it would be impossible to hide in a few months. What would the empress say when she found out? He could already see the cold, indifferent expression of Adel. She would likely say nothing, or perhaps even congratulate him with an icy smile. But for Adel, this would further undermine her already weak position. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in Karl's mind. His purple eyes narrowed.

"A matter that would undermine her position…."

The physician, still kneeling, cautiously looked up at the emperor. The emperor's eyes were narrowed, and he was clearly deep in thought, but his expression was not that of a father who had just learned he was going to have a child. ＊ ＊ ＊ When Lenox returned to the headquarters of the Mage Corps, he immediately went to the Duke of Despina's office upon being summoned. He was still excited and took several deep breaths to calm down. He managed to control his breathing, but he couldn't stop his lips from twitching. Lenox entered the Duke of Despina's office. The duke seemed to be deep in thought.

"Your Grace. Did you call for me?"

The Duke of Despina glanced at Lenox and gestured to the sofa.

"Sit."

Lenox obediently sat down. The duke narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Lenox. If it weren't for the duke, Lenox and Dian would be living completely different lives. Over a decade ago, when the duke visited a territory to destroy a tower, he first met the siblings. He witnessed Lenox's awakening by chance and took in the orphaned siblings. Lenox had exceptional magical abilities but was not very intelligent. In contrast, Dian had no magical power but was intelligent and had an outstanding appearance. Over time, as Lenox grew, he played a significant role in controlling the Mage Corps, while Dian helped make the cold and prickly emperor more friendly towards the duke. However, Dian's usefulness began to wane. As the saying goes, "flowers bloom for a season," and the emperor's favor towards Dian had recently diminished. The plan was to send Dian out of the palace and have the empress take over her role. While pondering how to create a puppet empress, the duke heard about the princess of Gothrop across the sea. The 14-year-old princess had just given up her position as heir to her 4-year-old brother. What kind of "giving up" was that? It was more like being taken away. At the time, he never imagined that the 14-year-old princess had fought against her mother and lost her position. The emperor was gently persuaded to send a marriage proposal, and the Dowager Empress of Gothrop sent a long, detailed letter in response. However, it was all a lie.

'The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems. She's like an old fox. What? Her daughter is too scared to leave the palace? How could such a timid daughter destroy a tower on her own? Damn it.'

The Duke of Despina clicked his tongue and shook his head. What to do? As the duke's eyes narrowed and his expression became increasingly displeased, Lenox, sitting in front of him, began to fidget, constantly checking the duke's expression. Under the sharp gaze, Lenox swallowed hard. The duke's displeasure made him anxious.

'Because I took you in, you must repay me. Be useful.'

Dian inwardly sneered at this, but Lenox took it to heart. To Lenox, the Duke of Despina, who appeared at a critical moment, was a savior. The thought of being deemed useless by the duke made him more afraid than the day his parents died. Lenox was so anxious and restless when the duke's displeased expression reached him that he could no longer contain his joy from before.

At that moment, the duke suddenly called him.

"Lenox."

"Yes! Your Grace!"

Lenox answered immediately. The duke's purple eyes carefully examined Lenox. An oppressive silence settled.

"Why are you doing this?"

Unable to bear it, Lenox finally asked, and the duke responded in a subtle tone.

"Can you defeat the empress?"

Lenox's heart sank. For a moment, he forgot to breathe, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Finally, with a pale face, he answered urgently.

"I can!"

"Really? You destroyed a tower that was almost 5th grade, but was 4th grade, on your own… Can you really?"

"I can! Your Grace, I am Lenox Poitiers. If you challenge me, I will accept immediately! Please believe me!"

The duke inwardly clicked his tongue at Lenox's fervent declaration of his abilities. Without any certainty of winning, he was rushing in recklessly. If he lost, what then? If Lenox were smarter, he would have said that he would control the Mage Corps well, regardless of the empress's abilities, instead of declaring he could win. However, the duke found him easier to handle being somewhat foolish rather than cunning, so he did not blame him. But Lenox's anxiety had already grown and filled his chest.

'What to do? What to do? What to do…'

It was only natural that he thought of the salvation he had just conceived. Dian's warning to keep it a secret vanished in the face of such overwhelming anxiety.

"Your Grace."

As Lenox, who had been fidgeting, suddenly called out with a bright look,