Chapter 8

The atmosphere in the family room of the main palace was so tense it was hard to breathe.

Silence filled the large room, pressing heavily on everyone inside. No one dared to speak first.

Roxanne sat upright on the long sofa.

Beside her, Killian Lunnart sat quietly with his usual expressionless face, as if this entire situation did not affect him much at all.

But Roxanne was different. Her thoughts were completely chaotic.

She did want to marry Killian. Ever since returning to the past, she had already decided that. But she had never imagined things would end up like this.

So humiliating.

Across from them sat the emperor, his face cold and unreadable. Beside him were Leon, Liora, and Rion.

No one spoke. Even Rion, who was usually the most talkative, sat silently, occasionally glancing at Roxanne with concern.

The tension in the room grew even heavier when the door opened. Everyone turned at once as two people entered.

Grand Duke Lereg and Stefanie.

Roxanne’s gaze instantly turned cold the moment she saw the woman.

Stefanie looked exactly as she remembered. Beautiful, graceful, always wearing a gentle expression as if she had never done anything wrong in her life.

That woman never received the title of Grand Duchess, even after Killian’s mother died. The Grand Duke had never officially married her. From beginning to end, Stefanie was nothing more than a mistress.

And yet, in Lunnart Castle, she lived like the true lady of the house. And Roxanne knew very well how that woman had made her life miserable in her previous life.

Just seeing her now was enough to make her chest tighten with irritation.

“Killian, dear… what exactly happened?” Stefanie asked with a worried expression.

Her hand reached out, about to touch Killian’s arm.

But Killian avoided her.

The movement was small, but obvious enough for everyone to notice. Roxanne froze slightly. In her previous life, she had never seen Killian behave this way toward Stefanie.

“Stefanie.” The Grand Duke’s voice was heavy. “Watch your behavior.”

Killian also spoke immediately, his tone cold.

“His Majesty the Emperor is here. You should mind your manners, Mother.”

Stefanie immediately looked awkward. Her hand slowly lowered, and her face stiffened slightly from the reprimand.

Roxanne almost clicked her tongue.

That woman was truly terrible at pretending. Even her panic looked fake, as if she only wanted Killian’s attention.

When Roxanne turned her head by accident, she found Killian already looking at her.

Those red eyes were calm, yet difficult to read. Roxanne gave him a faint smile before casually looking away.

She then folded her arms and sat upright again. Silence filled the room once more. But this time, it felt even more suffocating.

Finally, the emperor spoke.

“He has stained my daughter’s honor.” His voice was cold and firm, making the atmosphere freeze even further.

Grand Duke Lereg did not answer immediately. His expression remained calm, though his gaze turned more serious.

The emperor looked directly at Killian.

“If he does not marry her,” he said slowly, “then he must be executed.”

Roxanne immediately lifted her gaze. Honestly, she was surprised by the emperor’s reaction.

She had not expected her father to be this furious. All this time, Roxanne had always believed the emperor did not care much about her, especially not about her and Rion.

That was why she initially thought this was only about the imperial family’s honor.

But now, she began to feel it might not be just that.

The emperor had barely spoken since earlier. But Roxanne knew very well that when that man fell silent, it meant his anger had already reached its peak.

The room became quiet again until Grand Duke Lereg finally spoke.

“Your Majesty,” he said calmly with a slight bow, “it would be better if we resolved this matter with a clear mind.”

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward him.

“I am certain Killian can settle this without ending up at the execution grounds.”

The emperor slowly turned his gaze toward the Grand Duke. His face remained cold, unchanged.

“You think this is a trivial matter?” he asked quietly.

His voice was low, but it only made the atmosphere more oppressive.

The Grand Duke did not answer immediately.

The emperor then shifted his gaze toward Killian, who had remained silent the entire time. His sharp eyes stopped directly on the heir of House Lereg.

“State your decision, Killian Lunnart.”

Killian did not answer right away. His expression remained as calm as before, as if the suffocating tension in the room had little effect on him.

But it was precisely that silence that made the situation even more tense. Everyone stared at him, waiting for an answer that never came.

The emperor looked at Killian sharply.

“Previously, you refused to marry my daughter,” he said coldly. “But now you are the one who has ruined her honor.”

The atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavier.

Roxanne quietly held her breath. She also knew that in her previous life, Killian truly had rejected this marriage.

She never imagined everything would change into this.

“Your Majesty… Father, please calm yourself.”

Leon finally spoke.

The emperor slowly turned his gaze toward his second Prince.

Since the beginning, Leon had been the only one brave enough to speak and ease the situation. And as always, only Leon could speak to the emperor without making things worse.

The emperor did not answer.

“Your Majesty… forgive me.” Stefanie’s soft voice suddenly broke the silence.

Everyone immediately looked at her.

The woman stood carefully, though Roxanne knew very well that her true nature was nowhere near as gentle as her appearance suggested.

The emperor’s gaze sharpened.

“You dare speak to me?” His voice was low, yet enough to make the atmosphere even more terrifying.

Killian let out a quiet breath.

Roxanne glanced at him briefly.

He seemed slightly uncomfortable with Stefanie’s behavior. Meanwhile, Grand Duke Lereg was also staring sharply at the woman, clearly displeased that she dared interrupt the conversation.

But Stefanie still stepped forward.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” she said softly. “But I still have the right to speak… because no matter what, I am the one who raised Killian.”

Roxanne almost scoffed at those words. The emperor looked at her expressionlessly.

“What is it that you wish to say?”

Stefanie took a slow breath. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking again.

“You yourself said that Killian previously rejected this marriage. So tell me, Your Majesty… do you truly believe Killian willingly did all of this?”

Her eyes slowly shifted toward Roxanne.

“Or perhaps… this was all nothing more than a trap?”