"And by what right do you raise your voice and interrogate my wife in such a manner?"
Kyle gaped at him, then snapped in disbelief.
"You're defending her? Have you lost your mind? She's the one who leaked the information to her father! How else would everyone know? Her father owns the paper that broke the story!"
Mathias met his accusations with a look of utter indifference, his voice dripping with apathy.
"That's your problem, not mine. I told you to divorce her, but you refused. Now you must face the consequences. The truth would've come out eventually, regardless."
Kyle persisted, his voice growing desperate.
"But she betrayed us!"
Mathias stepped closer to Olivia and gently took her wrist, examining the red marks Kyle had left behind. His voice dropped, calm yet menacing.
"And if she did? Is this the first time she's let you down? You chose to trust her, Kyle. No one forced you. Now bear the weight of your own choices."
Olivia watched them silently, her expression unreadable as the tension crackled between them. Finally, she broke the stalemate, her voice sharp and resolute.
"You two, listen to me. I didn't tell anyone anything. But if neither of you trusts me, it doesn't matter. This isn't my problem, after all."
Kyle stared at her, his eyes a mix of heartbreak and anger, before storming out of the room without another word.
Mathias lingered, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity she couldn't decipher. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and edged with frost.
"Olivia, now that this little sibling drama has concluded, you should go greet the Empress.
The two figures moved toward the grand drawing room, their steps measured yet tense. The air inside was thick, heavy with an unspoken charge, Olivia, ever graceful, dipped into a refined curtsy, her voice smooth but laced with a quiet edge.
"Your Majesty."
The Empress, seated elegantly on a velvet chaise, turned her head at the sound, momentarily distracted from the soft giggles of the child nestled in her arms. With a slow, deliberate motion, she handed the little girl over to Kael, her expression hardening as she picked up the folded newspaper resting beside her. Without preamble, she lifted it, the bold, damning headline staring Olivia in the face.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Olivia barely glanced at the paper, her expression one of studied indifference. With a light shrug, she replied, "I wouldn't know. This is the first time I'm seeing it, just as you are."
The Empress's eyes darkened. "Are you telling me you had no hand in this disgrace? No part in this scandal that now stains our family name?"
A slow, almost mocking smile curved Olivia's lips. "No. I had nothing to do with it."
The room seemed to exhale in the moment of silence that followed—right before the sharp crack of a slap shattered it. The force of the strike sent Olivia's head snapping to the side, her cheek burning under the weight of royal fury. Gasps rippled through the room, servants and courtiers frozen in shock.
The Empress lifted her hand again, intent on delivering a second blow, but before she could, a strong hand shot out, seizing her wrist mid-air.
"What do you think you're doing, Your Majesty?"
The voice was steel, cutting through the room like a blade. Matthais had moved with lightning speed, one arm drawing Olivia protectively against his chest while the other held the Empress's wrist in an iron grip. His stormy eyes burned into hers, his anger barely leashed.
The Empress's face remained composed, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in her gaze. "Stay out of this, Your Grace. I am disciplining my daughter—teaching her the consequences of deceit and betrayal. Release me."
Matthais did not relent. His jaw tightened, his voice dropping into something dangerously low. "She is my wife. Here, she is not your daughter—she is the Duchess of Lucron. And you will remember that before you raise your hand against her again."
Olivia, still cradling her stinging cheek, slowly reached up and placed a hand over Matthais's, urging him to let go. Her voice, though quiet, carried the weight of unshaken defiance.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, for my lack of proper decorum. It seems growing up without a mother left me with no one to teach me such graces."
Her words were a dagger, slipping effortlessly between the cracks of the Empress's armor. For a brief second, something flickered—pain, regret, a ghost of emotion long buried. But Olivia did not stop.
"But as my husband has said, I stand here not as your daughter, but as the Duchess of Lucron. And I would advise you to remember that. After all, I doubt you wish to see the royal family at odds with the most powerful duchy in the empire."
The room held its breath, waiting, watching, as mother and daughter faced each other—one a sovereign, the other a rising force of her own. The battle lines had been drawn.
The tension in the room thickened, a storm brewing in the silence. The Empress, her patience fraying, sank onto her gilded chair, pressing her fingers against her temple. The weight of expectation and scandal bore down upon her, and all eyes remained fixed on her, awaiting her decree.
"Well?" she finally spoke, her voice taut. "Does anyone have a solution to this disgraceful affair?"
A voice cut through the silence, sharp and unwavering.
"What do you mean, Mother?" Kael's frustration crackled in the air. "I am already married to Leila. There is no scandal—only the fact that I did not announce it sooner."
The Empress turned to him, her gaze cold and severe. "Are you telling me to accept that the Crown Prince of this empire has married a commoner? Impossible. And a physician, no less?" Her tone dripped with disdain. "Women belong in the home, serving their husbands—not meddling in matters beyond their station."
Kael's expression darkened, his jaw clenched with barely restrained fury. "But I love her."
For the first time that evening, the Empress softened. A flicker of something almost maternal crossed her face before it vanished beneath the weight of duty.
"I can accept her as a concubine," she conceded, as though offering a gift. "But first, we must address this situation before it spirals further out of control."
Kael's fury exploded. "A concubine?" His voice rang through the chamber, raw and incredulous. "She is my wife, Mother. How can I ask her to be anything less? How can I strip her of her dreams? Do you think so little of me? That I would ask the woman I love to abandon everything she has worked for? Even if she were a gypsy, I would still love her!"
"Kael!" The Empress's voice cracked like a whip. "You are the Crown Prince! You must know your place!"
But he did not falter. Instead, he met her glare with steady defiance, his next words spoken with chilling certainty.
"Then I will no longer be the Crown Prince."
The air in the room turned razor-sharp, the weight of his declaration sinking into every soul present.
"If being the heir means sacrificing my happiness, then I renounce it." His voice was firm, resolute. "I will live with my wife and my daughter, and I will not care for anything else."
Before anyone could stop him, Kael strode forward, scooping up his child with careful hands. His movements were controlled, but his fury was unmistakable. Without sparing another glance at his mother, he turned on his heel and marched out.
"Kael!" The Empress's voice rang with desperation now, her imperious facade cracking. "Kael! Return this instant!"
But he did not.
The doors slammed behind him, and silence fell—a silence so absolute it felt deafening.
The Empress, her face now an unreadable mask, turned toward Matthais. When she spoke, her voice was devoid of warmth, stripped of all emotion.
"Duke of Lucron," she said coolly. "I expect you to resolve this matter before it escalates further."
Matthais met her gaze without flinching. A pause, then a slow nod.
"As you command, Your Majesty. I will do what I can."
As the grand doors of the palace swung open, the Empress stepped out, her regal silhouette illuminated by the torches lining the courtyard. Her expression was unreadable, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed her frustration. Behind her, the Duke and Duchess of Lucron stood at the threshold, offering a formal farewell.
As the carriage carrying the Empress disappeared into the night, Olivia turned toward Matthaios, her voice low but edged with suspicion.
"Matthais… is it possible that you were the one who leaked the news to the press?"