Let's be patient. The opponents are children.
I tried to repeat it like a mantra, but the truth was I was so angry that it was difficult to even smile. A group of people intellectually belittling and ostracizing one person...
And our Bianca, of all people.
I tried to suppress my boiling anger and slowly surveyed the room. The more I did, the paler the children's expressions became.
I can't believe the day has come when I'm grateful for Rebecca's fierce expression—the kind that looks scary even when she smiles.
As I looked down at the children, I clapped my hands lightly, as if I'd just remembered something I'd forgotten.
"By the way, I should have explained why I stopped by, but I forgot. Actually, I came to give you gifts I prepared."
"G-gifts...?"
"Yes. We prepared them in advance because Princess Bianca's friends were visiting."
When I gave a subtle signal, Mina placed the doll box she'd brought on the table. The children glanced into the box while watching me nervously. They were scared, but they couldn't help their curiosity.
"This... is this for me...?"
"That doll looks like me!"
The princesses whispered softly to each other. Even though they were suppressing their voices out of fear, they couldn't hide their excitement.
Of course.
I'd found out what Bianca's friends looked like in advance and ordered dolls custom-made to resemble them. The children kept glancing at me, but they couldn't take their eyes off the dolls that looked just like them.
Looks like you really like them, huh?
I looked at those children and slowly raised the corners of my mouth.
"Since we prepared these with so much care, it would be right for these dolls to go where they belong, wouldn't it?"
I first took out the doll that resembled Bianca from the box. Then I looked at Bianca and smiled gently.
"First, of course, goes to our lovely Princess Bianca."
"Y-yes...?"
Bianca looked back and forth between her doll and me with her round blue eyes.
"It's a gift. I hope you like it."
"Thank you, Your Highness..."
The corners of Bianca's mouth rose slightly. She looked confused and happy about the situation.
"Now, next..."
The children's eyes all turned to my hand. Everyone looked like they desperately wanted to be called next. I took out the doll that resembled Judith from among the remaining dolls and muttered thoughtfully.
"A blonde doll."
Judith's eyes sparkled with anticipation. I pretended not to notice and tapped my chin with my finger.
"Hmm. This one..."
For a long moment, I pretended to deliberate in front of Judith, who couldn't hide her excitement. Then I tossed the doll over my shoulder to Mina.
"Please throw this in the trash."
Not only the young princesses but also Mina's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Your Highness, this expensive doll? It's precious—made by a doll craftsman we could barely get a reservation with!"
"What's so precious about it? It definitely looks grumpy..."
I looked down at Judith and continued indifferently.
"It looks like a stupid child who enjoys bullying her friends."
Mina, looking between me and Judith, nodded slowly as if she'd finally realized my intention.
"Ah, I see."
"Exactly. It would be a problem if we gave the wrong gift and our princesses ended up resembling these ugly dolls. Therefore..."
I looked at Judith, my eyebrows arching.
"Trash belongs in the trash can, doesn't it?"
Judith bit her lower lip, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. I looked down at the child coldly and slowly parted my lips.
"I told you."
"It's right for this doll to go where it belongs."
As my voice gradually grew colder, the children's shoulders began to tremble—just like Bianca's had when they'd been bullying her moments ago.
I looked down at the box and immediately pushed it toward Mina.
"All the rest—throw them in the trash!"
"Understood, Your Highness!"
Mina, who answered cheerfully, glanced at the young princesses with a stern expression. All the disappointed children looked on the verge of tears.
Meanwhile, Judith secretly glared at Bianca with a look that said, Just you wait.
Bianca, noticing that glare, shrank her shoulders again in fear. And that scene truly set off my disgust.
"Everyone, listen to me carefully."
I placed both hands wide on the table and leaned forward slightly, my voice dropping low. All the children, including Judith, looked up at me with frightened expressions.
"I plan to convey to the Grand Duke all the discriminatory remarks the princesses made here."
"Wh-what...?"
"Especially you, Princess. You said your mother often makes disparaging remarks about mixed-blood demons, didn't you?"
"Your Highness! That's...!"
"If you're unlucky, this story may reach His Majesty's ears. But what can we do...?"
"......"
"Do you think your parents will be in a lot of trouble?"
The princesses' faces turned deathly pale.
Until the founding of the Western Empire, the contributions of mixed-blood demons had been significant. That was why Emperor Letitz never tolerated discrimination against them. No matter how young they were, these girls were daughters of high-ranking noble families. There was no way these children didn't know that if this matter reached the Emperor, their families would face severe consequences.
And because of that...
They also knew their own situations would become very difficult.
"Your Highness! We were wrong! Please, please don't do that...!"
"I-I was wrong, Your Highness..."
However, Judith only wore a sullen expression, almost looking angry.
"We... we're still young and immature! And these are just words children say by mistake while playing!"
Oh? Where did you learn something like that?
They learned the excuses of their overprotective parents and used them as shields.
I looked down at Judith and gently curved the corners of my lips.
"A child's mistake... well, that could happen."
"Th-that's...? I knew Your Highness would understand...!"
Judith's eyes lit up like a clever child who'd deceived an adult as intended. I looked down at her and opened my mouth again.
"So I have to make this issue even more serious."
At my words, the princesses all looked desperate, as if their world had collapsed.
"Your Highness...!"
Erica, who soon burst into tears, screamed hysterically.
"Judith, this is all because of you! What are you going to do about this now?!"
"Erica's right! If it weren't for Judith, we wouldn't have had to say those things!"
Judith glared at the other children as if she wanted to kill them, then raised her eyes defiantly toward me.
"Your Highness, this is too much! Even good children make mistakes sometimes!"
"Well, Princess Judith."
A cold laugh slipped from my lips.
"Strictly speaking, what the princesses just did isn't a mistake—it's a wrong."
"...!"
"Of course, even good children make mistakes sometimes. When that happens, it's an adult's job to correct them."
"Your Highness, please...!"
"So I'm trying to correct the princesses' wrongs in my own way."
Judith kept biting her lip, clearly nervous that the situation wasn't going as planned.
I slowly bent down toward Judith. The moment we made eye contact up close, Judith's frightened face froze like ice.
"You'd better look forward to it, Judith."
"Even if it's just to make sure that 'good child' doesn't repeat the same mistake..."
My relaxed expression remained the same, but my voice grew even colder.
"I'm a person who believes you should never be forgiven carelessly."
That night, Cedric tossed and turned, unable to sleep until late.
Eventually, he took his wooden sword and headed to the training hall behind the mansion. When Cedric arrived, he removed his thick nightgown, clearly revealing his strong, sculpted upper body.
Every time he moved to loosen his stiff muscles, hard lines drew across his frame. Cedric finally finished preparing and slowly adjusted his grip on the wooden sword. He desperately needed the harsh training that would push his body to its limits.
It was because of the meaningless thoughts swirling in his head.
Cedric raised his wooden sword and swung it toward the training dummy. But his thoughts wouldn't let him go.
"It turns out those princesses have been secretly ostracizing Princess Bianca ever since the capital."
"Her Highness saw it at the Orangery today and scolded them."
Cedric's grip on the wooden sword grew tighter.
"Why now? Why...?"
The sound of the blows grew louder.
"I think Her Highness has really changed a lot. She looks so much more comfortable than before—and so happy!"
"The Grand Duchess loved you so much that she has no regrets left now! Haha!"
As thoughts came to him one after another, Cedric gritted his teeth and swung the wooden sword harder.
Was it really because our married life was so painful?
Perhaps, as she felt more at ease after the divorce, her original generous nature was emerging...
That meant he had tormented Rebecca with unnecessary doubts throughout their marriage.
Cedric gritted his teeth and swung the wooden sword in rapid succession to erase the overwhelming guilt. He was immersed in it, striking again and again—
CRACK!
Cedric's gaze fell at the sudden sound. Half of his wooden sword was lying miserably on the floor. It seemed it couldn't withstand his strength and had finally broken.
"Ha..."
He inadvertently looked down at his right hand, which still held the other half of the wooden sword, and let out an irritated sigh.
"A divorce contract is still a contract. Since it ended well, let's shake hands one last time."
A voice lingering in his ears like an auditory hallucination. Rebecca—she was that woman.
Cedric shook his head with difficulty.
"Forget about your painful married life. And next time, I hope you meet a woman you truly love and live happily ever after."
Thick veins appeared on his forehead as he shook his head harder. But her voice only continued to disturb his thoughts.
"Take care, Cedric."
The moment her last smile appeared in his mind, Cedric felt an unfamiliar sensation—a tingling near his heart. He reluctantly turned away, resting his forehead against his hand and letting out a long sigh.
His eyes fell on the low wall surrounding the training ground. Soon he frowned, his attention caught by something. At the low wall of the training hall—red hair rising above it.
It moved upward little by little, and then red eyes were revealed.
Innocent eyes looked around at Cedric, not even realizing he'd noticed. Cedric, stroking his brow at the sight, let out a faint, incredulous laugh.
"...Ha."
Rebecca. It was that woman again.