Chapter 58: Madman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: Madman
Sitting on the imperial throne, Ivan observed the scene before him and had a single thought.
A madman.
Herdin Delmark is a complete madman.
Only a lunatic would beat a young nobleman to a pulp in broad daylight and drag him to the Imperial Palace in such a state.
No matter how grave the crime, taking matters into one's own hands against a nobleman was an issue that could easily escalate into a feud between families. There was no way Herdin hadn't considered this.
In other words, dragging the eldest son of a prominent house here like this meant he was prepared to make an enemy of the Baldwin family.
Setting aside the eldest son of the Baldwins…
Ivan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Rachel, who stood frozen and pale beside the battered Wesley.
He had never expected Herdin to drag in Rachel as well—his own cousin and a close relative of the Imperial Family.
Pressing his throbbing temples, Ivan reconfirmed what Herdin had just said.
“So, you are saying that the young lord of the Baldwin family and Rachel plotted to violate Blair during the hunting competition to cause a scandal? And in the process of fleeing from them, Blair became lost?”
“Yes. Everything Your Majesty has heard is correct.”
Ivan looked at Wesley and Rachel, his annoyance clear in his eyes.
The moment Wesley met Ivan’s gaze, he blurted out, “T-The truth is a bit different from what His Grace said! It’s true we tried to cause a scandal, but we never intended to actually violate her!”
Instead of refuting Wesley's words, Herdin presented a small bottle and a piece of parchment. The chief chamberlain standing nearby took them and handed them to the Emperor.
“This is the medicine bottle found on the kidnapper who was bribed by the eldest son of the Baldwin family. The buyer has been confirmed as Wesley Baldwin himself.”
Ivan frowned as he read the description of the drug's effects on the parchment. Wesley saw his expression and desperately tried to explain.
“That was only meant to frighten the Duchess! I swear, I had absolutely no intention of defiling her.”
As Wesley scrambled to defend himself, Rachel, who had been standing frozen in fear, looked at Ivan with pleading eyes and spoke up.
“I-I only lent him the money! I truly had no idea what he was going to use it for! I just thought he was going to use it for gambling, like he always does.”
Hearing this, Herdin asked in a chilling voice without even turning to look at her, “Then how do you explain falsely testifying that the Duchess, who had been kidnapped, disappeared with a knight, Lady Seldon?”
The sheer pressure in his voice made her flinch.
Rachel's lips trembled. After a moment’s hesitation, she made an excuse.
“That was… because the Duchess had hurt me before, and in my distress, I lied to damage her reputation. I really had nothing to do with anything else. Please believe me, Your Majesty!”
At that, Wesley snorted.
“Ha! So you're going to wriggle out of this all by yourself?”
“I'm not wriggling out of anything! It’s the truth!”
Rachel felt wronged. When he’d asked to borrow the money, he had promised he would take care of everything. Yet he had botched the job and was now dragging her down with him.
Wesley sneered at her.
“Hurt? Don't make me laugh. Weren’t you the one spouting nonsense about wanting to ‘borrow’ someone else’s husband?”
At Wesley's words, Rachel's face flushed bright red.
“Stop making things up!”
“Ha! Who’s the one lying now?”
The two began raising their voices, on the verge of coming to blows. They seemed to have completely forgotten where they were, or even their own safety.
Ivan swallowed his irritation, looking at the two of them as if they were the most pathetic creatures on earth.
These absolute fools…
If they were going to plot something, they should have at least handled it cleanly. Were they still going to bicker and point fingers at each other like children?
If Herdin's goal was to annoy him, he had certainly succeeded.
As Wesley and Rachel's voices grew louder, Ivan finally spoke.
“Enough!”
Silence fell over the room as if cold water had been poured over them.
With annoyance written plainly across his face, Ivan asked Herdin, “So, what is it that you want, Duke?”
“I request that Your Majesty try them personally and hand down a fitting punishment.”
Ivan glared at the pathetic duo standing behind Herdin, but he had no intention of punishing them severely. Wesley aside, Rachel was his cousin, and they had been close since childhood.
That brat Blair always acted so meek and gentle, yet she had a strange way of rubbing people the wrong way. That must be why she and Rachel clashed.
However, if he only showed leniency to Rachel, the House of Baldwin would complain about fairness. It would be best to just give them a decent scare and let them go. That way, he could also curry favor with Marquis Baldwin.
“I sentence Wesley, the eldest son of the Baldwin family, and Rachel, the eldest daughter of the Seldon family, to one month of house arrest.”
Upon hearing Ivan's ruling, Herdin's face hardened.
Ivan offered a compromise, attempting to appease Herdin as well.
“The House of Baldwin and the House of Seldon shall pay appropriate damages to Delmark for the psychological distress caused by their childish prank.”
Yet, Herdin's expression did not soften.
Ivan continued, “While it is deplorable that they ruined an imperial event over personal feelings, it seems the situation escalated far beyond their original intentions.”
“Are you judging their crime to be light simply because it was not their intention?” Herdin’s voice was sharp.
“Indeed. As a result, Blair is safe and without any major injuries. Wouldn't wrapping things up here be to Delmark's benefit as well?”
Benefit.
At that word, Herdin let out a cold sneer.
Knowing the scandal his sister had almost been framed with, and the danger she had barely escaped, how could the Emperor weigh it against a mere ‘benefit’?
Ivan also remembered to express concern for Blair as her brother.
“I say this because Blair wouldn't feel comfortable either if her own flesh and blood were punished.”
“Are you truly satisfied with that, Your Majesty?”
The cold gaze in Herdin's eyes was deeply meaningful.
“Before she is the Lady of the House of Delmark, my wife is Your Majesty's only sister and a member of the Imperial Family who carries its noble bloodline.”
“…”
“Your Majesty's ruling on this matter will stand as a precedent, one of generously pardoning traitors who dared to harm a member of the Imperial Family.”
Only then did Ivan realize Herdin's true intention.
“If someone were to insult and attempt to harm Your Majesty,” Herdin continued, his voice dropping, “would you be able to hand down the same ruling as today?”
On the surface, he seemed to be worried about the prestige of the Imperial Family and Ivan himself, but the look Herdin directed at the Emperor was practically a threat.
Ivan frowned at Herdin's insolence, but his gaze soon shifted into something peculiar.
He’s going this far for Blair?
For an unwanted wife, the daughter of his enemy, whom he should resent and hate?
Things were getting far more interesting than he had expected.
“Thinking on it again, it seems I handed down too lenient a punishment, swayed by personal feelings. You are right, Duke. Traitors must receive a fitting punishment.”
Ivan looked at Herdin with amusement and readily gave him the answer he wanted.
“Although Rachel is close to me, she dared to harm my sister. I cannot overlook this.”
The Emperor's sentence fell upon the traitors, who were utterly bewildered by the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
“Wesley Baldwin, Rachel Seldon. I sentence you both to permanent banishment.”
* * *
After her bath, Blair returned to her bedroom with Lina and Meli. The two helped her change into a nightgown and guided her to the vanity.
Lina brushed Blair's hair, carefully observing her complexion before asking gently, “Madam, are you feeling less tired today?”
“Yes. I think a few days of good sleep have finally set me right.”
Fortunately, her hypothermia had resolved without any lasting effects. Only then did Lina, who had been crying and blaming herself for everything, finally seem relieved.
However, perhaps because her body was exhausted from the sudden temperature changes, Blair had done little but sleep in a daze for the past few days.
Still, I’m glad I recovered before Lina’s worries grew any deeper.
Glancing into the mirror, Blair noticed the table behind Lina and Meli. Remembering something, she spoke up.
“Oh, by the way, I've been enjoying the marshmallows you've been leaving for me. But you don't have to do that anymore.”
“Marshmallows?”
“Yes. You've been leaving them on the table every morning.”
A few days ago, after waking up late, Blair had found a small bowl of marshmallows on the table. Thinking it was a snack Lina or Meli had brought for her, she had eaten them. Eating the fluffy marshmallows first thing in the morning had sweetened her mood as well.
But the next day, and the day after that, the plate of marshmallows was there again, like a gift.
Lina and Meli looked at each other and tilted their heads as if hearing this for the first time. Then, recalling the small empty dishes that had been left on the table, they let out soft gasps.
“Ah, so that was a marshmallow plate?”
“…You didn’t leave them?”
“We don’t enter the room until you call for us, Madam. We thought you had brought them in yourself.”
Blair’s eyes widened.
If it wasn't her, the owner of the room, and it wasn't Lina or Meli, then there was only one person who could have left the marshmallows every day.
“Sweet dreams, Madam.”
As Lina and Meli left after finishing their duties, the faint chime of the grandfather clock striking ten could be heard through the closing door.
Looking at the table where the bowl of marshmallows had been placed every morning, Blair thought of the one person who must have brought them.