Chapter 9
Hyuga pressed Lincia for an answer.
“……”
She knew what kind of reply would please Harvich.
But Lincia could not admit to an affair with her own lips.
Julius would never let her live if she lowered her value by confessing such a flaw.
If she were alone, perhaps she could have accepted death.
But she could not die carrying Harvich’s child.
As her silence dragged on, the retainers of the ducal house fixed their stares on her.
The imperial envoys looked at her with growing frustration.
It was as though her refusal to speak was unbearable.
But still, Lincia did not open her mouth.
“It is my child.
So enough of these reckless suspicions.”
Like a splash of cold water over heated flames, Harvich’s voice cut through the tense hall.
Lincia turned to him in shock.
Her wide eyes searched his face.
The crimson eyes that met hers were still devoid of feeling.
Why?
Forgetting even her own precarious position, Lincia nearly asked him the question aloud.
Why would he say that?
“Now then, let us eat.
You’ve come a long way, have you not?”
At Harvich’s words, the long-delayed courses finally began to arrive.
No one dared speak while the servants laid out the meal.
Only after the dishes were set did Tereo, regaining his composure, glance toward Harvich.
“A banquet?
In the duchy, banquets are never held outside their season.”
The retainers, who had been quietly watching the situation unfold, began to mutter their disapproval.
“That is true.
In the duchy where food is scarce, no one’s birthday is celebrated.
There can be no exceptions.”
Banquets in Cassius’’’ territory were held only at certain times.
For two or three months of the year, snow blanketed the land.
This was the season known as the Day-Snow.
Even beasts ceased to roam.
In that time, the duchy could rely only on winter berries and moss for sustenance.
So before the Day-Snow, they held a great Hunt.
The game caught in that hunt was what sustained the banquet that followed.
It was a ritual carrying their fervent wish that few lives be lost during the long winter.
“But this is the birth of a new imperial heir, even if he be the heir of the north.
Do you mean to say the duchy cannot spare even that much?
We forgave the lack of a wedding ceremony because the weather was uncommonly harsh.
But this time, surely it is different?”
Tereo frowned.
His tone was incredulous.
“As you say, a new successor has been born to the ducal house.
How can we not celebrate?
The imperial family has even sent gifts, have they not?”
Harvich’s eyes slid toward Tereo.
“A banquet shall be held.
One that will not shame His Majesty.
You may rest easy.”
The banquet ended.
Since Harvich himself had claimed the child, the retainers could no longer act hostile toward Lincia.
Tereo and the other imperial envoys declared they would depart after the celebratory banquet.
They also announced their intent to demand further supplies from the imperial treasury.
Outwardly, the gathering turned cordial again.
But Lincia alone sat with unease.
She knew what Harvich had sacrificed to shield her.
When the meal ended, Harvich left the dining hall without a glance back.
Lincia rose quickly and followed him.
Tereo’s voice called her name from behind.
But she ignored it.
“Wait.
Speak with me.”
Harvich was walking with his retainers.
Lincia, cutting in suddenly, drew every eye upon herself.
She caught hold of his hand.
“Go on to the council chamber.
I will join after I speak with my wife.”
The retainers withdrew without comment.
The bustling corridor fell silent.
Lincia lowered her head.
“Why did you say that?
You don’t believe the child is yours.”
“You would claim that I am the father, would you not?”
His gaze dropped to her flat stomach.
“I—”
Harvich did not wait for her words.
“Even if you stay silent, His Majesty will interpret things however he wishes.”
“……”
“So I did only what I must.”
He freed his hand from hers.
When he turned away, Lincia snatched at the hem of his cloak.
“What is it you must do…?”
Harvich exhaled a long sigh.
Then,,, final,l,y, he met her eyes.
“To protect the people who live on this land.”
“……”
“Even if my wife bears another man’s child, I must close my eyes for their sake.
That is my duty.”
Lincia knew then that she was not included among the people who lived intthis his his land.
And knowing that, she could no longer hold on to him.
The brief exchange left Harvich weary.
Each time he saw her fragile face, his chest churned.
Looking upon her troubled expression only ever brought him pain.
He pressed his temples as another wave of headache swept in.
“It is your child!”
The cry tore from Lincia’s lips.
It was louder than ever before.
Harvich had always known she was not bold enough to betray him.
Yet whatever his thoughts, the child she carried had no connection to him.
He had no memory of lying with her.
The only night he had gone to her chambers was the night she received her diagnosis.
Still, her desperate insistence did not look like a lie.
“That night, you seemed unwell.
Maybe that’s why you don’t remember.”
Her plea forced him to search his memories.
But he had never been ill.
Nor had there been a night that slipped from his mind.
Part of him wanted to believe her.
If not for the weight of evidence screaming that she deceived him, he might have.
But for her to claim he was the father—was that not too cruel a jest?
By then, he had reached the council chamber.
With a sigh that had become second nature, Harvich opened the doors.
The room was already crowded with retainers.
Before he could take his seat, Hyuga stormed forward.
His eyes blazed.
“Why did you do it?”
Hyuga stood before him, eyes rimmed red with fury.
“It was our chance to rid Cassius of the Grand Duchess!
Why—why did you stop it?”
“I should be the one asking.
Why did you?”
“Because I trust you, my lord!
If you are blameless, then it must be true that the Grand Duchess was unfaithful!
This matter is too grave to ignore.
For her, of all people, to—how low must she think of us?”
The words burst from Hyuga in a torrent of pent-up rage.
Harvich swept a slow glance across the gathered men.
Then he replied.
“Enough.
To lose yourself to emotion in front of so many eyes will only bring harm.”
“But—!”
“The Grand Duchess is blood.
To even suspect her of infidelity is a crime.
You will give her a proper apology next time.”
“My lord!”
This chapter close