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Meanwhile, Cedric paced back and forth, his broad shoulders tense, a mean look on his face like he was ready to fight someone.

"I can\'t believe we have to put up with this!"

He shouted, clearly frustrated for the fifth time that day.

Not wanting to listen to Cedric complain again, Kris found a small stick and started drawing random lines in the dirt as he pretended not to hear him.

Cedric was so angry that he didn\'t even realize this. He just assumed Kris was just as mad as he was.

But in a way, Kris was upset, but he also knew yelling wasn\'t going to solve anything.

The situation felt hopeless.

『This is beyond frustrating. It used to just feel frustrating, but now it feels hopeless. Once they issued the [Decree of Unpersoning] against us, any chance we had of getting our titles back dropped from slim to none. I can\'t believe the princess would be so decisive and ruthless… no, actually, I don\'t think it was her or the king who made that decision. I\'m certain it was that fiend, God Vritra!

It has to be him!』

That realization alone made Kris push the stick into the dirt so hard that it snapped in half.

What made things even worse was that Cedric and Kris had officially been declared "unpersons" by the temporary state officials. This meant that whatever they said didn\'t matter anymore.

Even if they somehow found evidence to prove their innocence, it wouldn\'t make a difference because unpersons weren\'t considered real people—they were treated like objects. And objects don\'t talk, so no one would listen.

[Decree of Unpersoning].

It was the harshest punishment anyone could get, because once it happened, there was no turning back. From now on, Cedric and Kris would either be hanged or sold into slavery.

The latter seemed like the more likely outcome.

━ ━ ━ ━

The next day…

Prince Vritra had just finished yet another meeting with Lords Edmond and Gordias.

Lately, these meetings had become more frequent as they were focused on covering up and planting more evidence to keep the public convinced that Cedric and Kris really did try to assassinate the princess.

On top of that, they had to talk about the potential power vacuum that might form once Vritra and Luciana left Gladius City, which was very likely to happen.

It was better to address these issues now rather than let them grow into bigger problems later.

"Hmm, I feel mentally exhausted…"

Vritra glanced around the Bluesteel Manor.

Most of the hallways had been stripped of their decorations, all packed away in countless wooden chests and stored in one of the mansion\'s many large rooms.

Now, the place felt empty.

Every step echoed, and the same went for any word spoken.

The whole manor felt lifeless.

What made it even sadder was knowing this used to be the home of a man with a somewhat happy family, and now all of that was completely gone.

『Well, it can\'t be helped…』

Just as Vritra was about to leave, he noticed Lady Katherine walking down the same hallway.

Behind her were her two young boys, who hesitated and hid a bit when they saw him. They didn\'t know much about Vritra, but they knew enough to be afraid… Katherine had used him as the villain in a few bedtime stories to keep them in line.

The irony was, he was now her guardian angel.

Vritra gave a calm nod to the lovely Katherine.

"Katherine…" he greeted.

"Lord Vritra," she replied softly, tilting her head with a smile that made her even more beautiful.

…

A little while later, Vritra and Katherine stood on a small stone footbridge built over a garden stream.

Not far from them, Katherine\'s two sons played happily by the water.

Edward was the older brother at six years old, while his younger brother Edgar was four.

Both boys had their mother\'s brown hair and amber eyes, which was fortunate for them—if they had looked anything like Cedric, their father, Vritra probably would\'ve been irritated just looking at them.

The young lord was tired of Cedric for the story, so even the slightest resemblance was very likely going to annoy him.

『I\'ll be good for now though…』

Vritra smiled and nodded to himself.

"To be honest, I\'m surprised your sons are handling this news so well. They don\'t seem to despise either of us for putting their father in prison. It\'s a bit unsettling, like they\'re plotting something I don\'t know about. Unless you haven\'t actually told them yet?"

Vritra shot Katherine a sideways glance.

The noblewoman bit her soft, cherry-red lower lip, clearly showing her hesitation. Her face was tense, and she clutched the edges of her light-pink shawl tightly.

Vritra looked forward and continued to talk.

"I also wonder how they\'ll deal with all the rumors they\'ll hear about their father as they grow up. Or about you, since you played quite a big role in his downfall. Sigh~ I almost feel sorry for them…"

He was about to say more but noticed Katherine had finally calmed down.

She seemed ready to speak.

"I… I don\'t care what anyone else thinks, as long as I can protect my children. I\'ve been mentally preparing myself for the day I have to tell them the truth about their father. I\'m even trying to make you look like a hero, someone they can look up to… but that hasn\'t gone very well so far."

"How so?"

"Well, you don\'t exactly have a… clean record."

"I wasn\'t talking about that. I meant, what\'s the point of making me their role model?"

"O-, Oh?! I apologize for my mistake."

Katherine\'s eyes widened slightly, and she seemed a bit panicked. Her soft cheeks turned a light shade of red, almost like she had a natural blush. It made her pretty face shine, rivaling even the most beautiful jewelry.

Vritra waved his hand dismissively.

"Don\'t mind me. Go on."

"Well…"

Katherine didn\'t find it hard to explain why she chose Vritra as her sons\' role model, but she definitely needed to get ready for it.

She adjusted her bangs and began to speak.

"I want them to get close to you, or at least respect you beyond just fear. Maybe if they appeal to your emotions, they won\'t lose their noble status because of their father\'s foolishness."

Tears began to roll down her lightly flushed cheeks.

"Some might call that devious, but a mother has to do what it takes to protect her children. I may not have had much luck with love, but seeing my sons grow up to be nobles and marry suitable women—that\'s enough for me."

She placed a hand on her chest.

Vritra tucked his hands behind his back and smiled mildly.

"I don\'t have much to say about your approach, except that you\'re right. But honestly, I won\'t lie and tell you I\'ll make an effort to ensure your sons live a noble life in the future."

"B-, BUT──!"

Vritra raised a finger, signaling Katherine to stop. He could see she was about to argue.

"That doesn\'t mean I\'m not giving you a chance. What I will tell you is this… I\'m not going to spell out what I want, nor will I demand it from you. But by this evening, I expect you to have something to offer me in exchange for your sons\' opportunity to keep their noble status. It doesn\'t have to be something of great value, but it has to be worth my time."

"Does such a thing even exist?"

Katherine\'s face turned sad as she gazed at her reflection in the stream below the footbridge.

"Who knows?"

Vritra shrugged and walked away.

Katherine stood there, wondering what could be a fair exchange to give her sons a chance at maintaining their noble status.

『I know he says it doesn\'t have to be anything valuable, but he also says it should at least be worth his time. If Cedric hadn\'t had all his properties taken by the Royal Court, I might still have something to offer. But now, I really don\'t have anything that would even be worth considering.』

Then, a thought crossed her mind.

Slowly, her smooth, slender hands moved toward the two full melons on her chest.

"I see…"

It was obvious what Vritra wanted.

『My body…』

Before she had a chance to think or fully consider if this was what the young lord really desired, a loud scream interrupted her thoughts.

"MOTHER!"

It was Edward, who waved very excitedly with a big smile on his face. In his other hand, he held two small shells, eager to show them to his mother.

"Mother, come see what I found!"

He called out again, still waving enthusiastically.

Katherine smiled warmly and walked down the footbridge to join her beloved sons.