'Who could it be?
The mastermind who incites the rebellion and targets the royal family.'
Before my retreat, the rebel leader led the execution of Emperor Franz and inspired the people to destroy the entire royal family.
However, the identity of that character was shrouded in mystery, and I had to die without knowing who they were until the last moment.
'That's why I first tried to convince Barakill to have full control over firearms.'
Currently, only the officially authorized manufacturer, Barakil, can obtain weapons that have become a symbol of the Royal Guard.
I thought the leader of the traitors would secretly communicate with Barakil or somehow try to communicate with the Royal Guard to smuggle weapons.
'But I never imagined that they could make similar replicas without having access to the actual weapons.'
In fact, that person was really cunning.
The way they managed to avoid the traps I had set earlier was impressive.
However, I know nothing about them.
I didn't know how much they knew about my identity, and if they did, why they would target my child first.
'In the end, revealing their identity and motives is a task I must accomplish.
I must eliminate them for the sake of my child's future and mine.'
While I was boiling in my thoughts about this unknown enemy, someone called out to me.
"my lady."
Sardin seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something.
Finally, he opened his mouth.
“I'm sorry.
I wasn't able to properly detect the enemy's presence due to my shortcomings.
However...”
He looked like he was about to say something else but closed his mouth.
Seeing that, I sighed.
'He seems to blame himself.'
I trust Sardine, unlike anyone else.
I handed him Damien, who I was carrying in my arms as a sign of my trust.
“Sardine, take him inside the palace now.”
“But, ma’am...”
Seeing the worry in his eyes, I reassured him.
“There is no need to worry about another attack.
The Champion of the Empire, Duke Brant, will not allow any harm to come to his wife and child.”
I said, staring at Eric.
'Yes, I have to deal with this guy first.'
My fucking husband, Eric Lennon Brant.
If it were up to me, I would want to banish this vile man.
But as he said before, we still haven't broken up.
Simply letting my emotions take over and denying it won't solve the underlying issues.
Now that he saw me alive, it wouldn't be long before news reached the capital.
'Besides, just expelling him would…well, that's a worry.'
I looked at Sardine and said, “Hurry up and take the child inside.”
At my command, Sardin bit his lip and bowed his head.
Then I addressed everyone.
“I have something to discuss with Duke Brant.
All of you return to your seats.”
I stared at him and said, “Follow me.”
A moment later, when I entered the drawing room with him, I turned to Janet, who was trying to follow us.
"Stay outside.
I have something to discuss with him alone."
With a wary look at the Duke, Janet nodded and replied, “Please call me whenever you need me.”
I watched her retreating figure with a troubled expression.
'I wish you had nothing to do with this.'
Just a moment ago, as the gunshots rang out, she threw herself around me, not caring about her safety.
Just like that day, when she protected my baby even though she knew it would hurt her.
'But… I can't completely trust you now.'
I stared at the person who had broken my trust in her.
“Eric Lennon Brant, what…?”
But before I could finish, he interrupted me.
“Am I not wanted?”
"What?"
While I asked him in disbelief, he answered with a rude face.
“Your guards were helpless in the face of the gun.
You know very well that it would be a foolish choice to expel someone like me, who can fend off bullets, in such a situation.”
Eric's blue eyes pierced.
“Moreover, in a situation there is someone to protect.”
I looked at him with the cold, emotionless look I was afraid to see.
Yes, even when he knew Damian was his son, Eric looked at him with the same expression.
'In the end, he didn't value Damian very much at that time either.
It was like he was looking at someone else's child.'
My insides boiled with anger, but I remembered what was bothering me.
‘The letter Zeno showed me just before my retreat.’
The agreement sealed with the seal of Arjen and the head of the Brant family, coupled with the fact that they were offering me and Damian as sacrifices to ensure their safety, pointed directly at the leader of the traitors.
Of course, there was a possibility that the leader of the traitors would not have reached out so recklessly at this point before the rebellion began, but I doubted Eric Lennon Brant's intentions in wanting to stay close to me and my child.
'Yes, it's time to find out his true intentions.'
After a moment, I calmed down my anger and spoke calmly.
“So, Schwanhilde’s hero, Duke Brant, says he will protect me and my child?”
"Yes."
“Why?
I’m nothing but an annoying person who not only committed adultery, but also cheated on you and ran away.”
For a brief moment, a crack appeared on his face at my cold question.
But before I could discern what that emotion was, the crack disappeared without a trace.
“As I said, you are my wife, and both you and the child are my responsibility.”
'Ah, so you intend to be a generous husband who embraces his runaway wife and child?'
His answer was, as always, deeply influenced by the awareness of the gaze of others.
I smiled sarcastically and stared at him.
'True, I never expected you to answer honestly.
So…’
After my retreat, I was thinking of ways to survive against Eric Lennon Brant.
I came up with two solutions.
Either I run away so that he can never find me and wait until he remarries, or I keep him close, take measures to prevent him from killing me, and use him to my advantage.
However, the option of running away became invalid the moment he found me.
So, my answer was acceptance.
“Okay.
But I have conditions.”
Currently, I was in a situation where I was hiding my identity and disguising my death.
If it is revealed that I am alive, it will cause a huge uproar.
“You should come to the capital and confirm my story.”
Before I could finish my sentence, Eric brushed back my hair that had fallen in my face and stared at me with his intense blue eyes.
'What is he doing now?'
At that moment, Eric moved closer to me.
As I drew in an involuntary breath, he whispered softly in my ear.
“It doesn't matter what it is.
I'll do whatever you ask.”
With that, he left the room.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure, then clenched my teeth and tightened my fist.
'Crazy idiot, does he think he can do whatever he wants?'
Just wait; I will survive using you.
Meanwhile, Sardin sat with a face filled with guilt.
'I couldn't tell her.'
He wasn't entirely sure who had tried to kill Damien, but Sardine had a rough idea of who the culprit was.
He clenched his hands so hard that his veins showed, and sweat formed inside them.
Sardine shuddered, without loosening his grip, as the terrible feeling he had just experienced continued.
'If it wasn't for the Duke, Young Master Damian would have died.'
However, Cornelia would have either thrown him out or, in the worst case, killed him if all the facts had been known.
But what was even scarier was…
'I'm afraid you'll blame me, ma'am; This is what terrifies me.'
Because of this fear, Sardin found himself unable to talk to her.
'However, even if I lose my life, I must tell the truth.'
At that moment, someone pecked his cheek.
He was his little master.
“Sadie, are you thinking of something stupid again?”
“Young Master, I...”
“I already knew who was behind the attempt to kill me.
So why did I stay silent?”
Soon, Damian wore a bitter expression.
'Yes, because of the causality, I can't tell my mom and dad.'
Sardin could have known this because he already knew Reinhardt's true identity.
However, telling anyone else would be against the law of causation.
Damian fixed his violet eyes on Sardin.
“As you know, I am very strong.
However, the reason I do not advance myself is because my magical power has limits.”
Damian clenched his small hand and then opened it.
With such little magic, accumulated for less than four years, he could only use mid-level spells a few times a day.
Even then, using all of his magic would leave him unconscious.
'I need to save my magic for today.
Besides, there's a good chance that mom and dad won't believe me.'
Damian looked at Sardine again and opened his small lips.
“Of course, I can try to talk to my mother somehow.
But the reason I stay silent is because I trust someone.”
“Trust someone…?”
At Sardin's words, Damian smiled brightly and replied.
"my dad."
A sadness beyond his years appeared in his violet eyes.
'Yes, you kept that promise.'
Damien looked at Sardin with a face that looked like he was about to cry and spoke.
“My father will definitely protect me and my mother.”
Even if it cost him his life.
The child swallowed those words, looked out the window, and said, “Since my father found the person who tried to kill me earlier, he will find out who is behind it, right?”