Chapter 63 (2/2)

“Yes, please.”

“If you succeed the Monique family in two years later as you wish, will you be my lonely son’s friend just as your father was my friend?”

Surprised by his unexpected request, I gazed up at the emperor. I could see his overflowing affection for his son in his pensive blue eyes. I was surprised. I didn’t know how much the emperor, who was allegedly always displeased with his inferior son, loved him so much.

“…Sure, I will.”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll talk to you later as I have other people waiting to see me. Oh, I haven’t talked with you much because I focused on your daughter. Sorry, Marquis. When you come to the palace next time, come and see me. We can talk a lot then.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m leaving now.”

When we left, led by the protocol officer, I saw the old man and the middle-aged man with purple hair, who had been in the waiting room, approaching us. Duke Jena, the stubborn old man walked and stopped in front of me and my father, said, raising his eyes, “Long time, no see, Marquis Monique.”

“… It’s been a long time, Duke Jena. ”

“Where are your manners? You are a marquise, but I am a duke.”

“Yeah, but you are lower in terms of protocol rank here. I would feel shameful in this situation, but it seems that you are proud of your title.”

“Are you kidding me?”

As if he was conscious of people around him, Duke Jenna responded in a low tone instead of shouting at my father in a fit of anger.

“She looks like your daughter.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“These days there are wild rumors about her. You know, the apple never falls far from the tree. I think it’s because she has inherited vulgar blood from you.”

“What did you say, Duke Jena?”

Suddenly, my father stared at him with a murderous intent. I stiffened unconsciously. I even shuddered at my father’s offensive stance as if he was about to hit him.

“I asked, what the heck did you say, Duke Jena?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

My father gnashed his teeth and stepped closer to him. At that moment, the protocol officer standing a little way from them was restless, calling Duke Jena. As he was the next to meet the emperor, his quarrelling with my father delayed the order of the other nobles waiting their turn.

Duke Jena smiled sarcastically at my father and passed by him roughly. Watching him leave, I was lost in thought.

‘Vulgar blood? What does that mean?’

Although I couldn’t understand what it was, my father was obviously hiding something from me, given that he was so upset with Duke Jena.

“Tia, let’s go.”

How much time passed? As my father was staring in the direction Duke Jena walked for a long time, I opened my mouth after hesitating a bit, “Well, Daddy?”

“Yes, honey. What’s wrong? ”

“I mean what the duke said a little while ago.”

“It’s just bullshit. Never mind. ”

“I see…”

As he cut me off resolutely, I quietly shut my mouth, but I was still perplexed by Duke Jenna’s words. He was clearly referring to me when he mentioned ‘vulgar blood.’

Even though he was in confrontation with my father, the duke was not in a position to say that the blood of the Monique family, one of the empire’s founding fathers, was vulgar. If that’s the case, his mention of ‘vulgar blood’ referred to my mother.

I was puzzled. Although I was involved in the social circles in the past, I had never heard of anything about my family’s pedigree. Even if my mother was from a vulgar family, they would have mentioned her name at least once.

‘Is Duke Jena lying?’

However, the duke’s convincing attitude and my father’s violent anger bothered me. If he was lying, there was no reason for my father to be so angry.

Then, what is the truth? I thought I needed to look into my mother a little further.

‘Oh, I think I have to ask him.’