Chapter 28:
Everyone turned to Lisbeth, who was pale and trembling.
I grinned. This was too perfect.
She was shuddering visibly as she announced, “You can’t do this. I have been waiting to beco your highness’s woman for the past four years!”
What was she talking about? I watched Lisbeth and the emperor as if I was watching an interesting movie. All I needed was so popcorn.
Lisbeth wobbled towards the emperor and lodramatically collapsed in front of him. She reached out to touch his leg with obvious desperation.
She continued to explain, “Rember four years ago? We were at a party and we danced together? Ever since then, I have been waiting for you! You have been the only man in my life.”
Four years ago, Lisbeth would have been only 10 years old. The emperor would have been in his early 20’s. To her, he would have looked like a true prince on a white horse. He was her first love.
The emperor pulled his leg away from her reach. He looked at her so coldly that even I shivered.
Lucretius asked cruelly, “So?”
“I...!”
“I have danced with hundreds of won in my life. Does that an I should marry all of them?”
Big drops of tears rolled down from Lisbeth’s eyes. The Duke couldn’t stand to see his daughter being rejected. He stood up.
“Your highness! The Bonafit family has been loyal to your family ever since our land was gifted to a royal mber a long ti ago. We have been gifting you with our daughters for generations. My own sister was sent here to beco Emperor Kentius’s concubine!”
“That’s right. Now, your oldest daughter, Sa Bina des Bonafit, has beco my wife, so you have done your duty.”
The Duchess of Aeal raised her voice sharply, “But Sa Bina was sent here to beco the forr emperor’s concubine!”
She was finally losing it just as I had hoped.
The emperor replied, “The forr emperor passed away on the day of their wedding. His death occurred even before Sa Bina entered his bedroom. Therefore, my Bina had never been anyone’s wife.”
At the emperor’s solid logic, the Duke and his wife beca speechless.
Based on my understanding from living here for a month, it was indeed true that my marriage to the forr emperor was invalid.
“...”
“...”
Suddenly, the Duke exclaid, “In that case, I will no longer acknowledge Sa Bina des Bonafit as my daughter!”
What the hell was he talking about?
“What did you say?” The emperor asked in a harsh voice.
The Duke repeated himself. “I said that I officially un-adopt Sa Bina.” He must have believed that this was the only way to get what he wanted.
“...”
“This ans that I still need to fulfill my duty as the Duke of Aeal. I need to present you with my daughter to beco your wife.”
I understood now. The Duke was correct. If I was no longer his daughter, he needed to send his daughter to the emperor for marriage. This also ant I had no right to marry the emperor without the family na Bonafit.
Only those of noble families could marry the emperor. If I wasn’t adopted by the Bonafit family, I was a nobody in this world.
“...”
I felt angry and bitter. I spent a year with him, yet he threw away just like that. I was like disposable garbage to him.
Sadness and anger filled , but suddenly, I thought of sothing.
Did this an I could leave the castle?
If I couldn’t be his wife anymore, the emperor had no choice but to let go. I would be useless to him.
I began to feel hopeful when the emperor laughed quietly.
“Hahahahaha!!!”
His laugh filled the room. Everyone jumped and watched him nervously. Even Lisbeth had stopped crying and watched him wide-eyed like a rabbit.
Suddenly, the emperor stopped laughing abruptly and yelled, “Scribe!”
The door opened with a loud bang and the scribe walked in holding a pen and a leather-bound book. It was a different scribe than the one I saw before.
The emperor ordered, “Write this down!”
“Yes, your highness!”
“Create a pledge for the Duke of Aeal to un-adopt his oldest daughter Sa Bina des Bonafit!”
Everyone looked at Lucretius as if he went crazy. The scribe didn’t react. He just followed the order efficiently.
After it was written, the emperor checked the docunt before handing it to .
“Do you accept?”
What was he planning to do?
I was only happy to be free from them, even if only in na. Perhaps, this was my chance to leave this place.
I signed my na expectantly. Since I was being un-adopted, I didn’t sign as Bonafit. The emperor shook his head when he saw this.
“Once this docunt becos valid, that is when you can stop using that last na, so for now, you need to sign as a Bonafit.”
Following his order, I added the last na on the paper. It felt strange knowing that this would be the last ti I write this na as my own. I felt sad and freed at the sa ti.
The scribe handed the form to the Duke. He seed surprised at how fast things were happening. He also appeared to be suspicious of the emperor.
Why was Lucretius agreeing to his request so quickly and without question? Didn’t the emperor just say he didn’t want to marry Lisbeth? The duke hesitated to sign.
The emperor asked, “What’s the matter? Didn’t you just say this is what you wanted?”
“That... is correct.”
The Duke had no choice but to sign.
The emperor signed as the witness and the notary. He then announced.
“With this docunt, my wife Sa Bina is no longer related to the Duke of Aeal, Detri des Bonafit.”
Finally, I was no longer a Bonafit. I also was no longer of the noble family.
Was this it? Could I leave here now? Would Lucretius be that kind to ?
Was he going to let go?
I couldn’t hide my hopeful expression. The emperor must have seen it.
He looked at with a smile. It was the sa smile he gave on the night he murdered the forr emperor.
I knew sothing wasn’t right.
The Duke stepped forward and made a request.
“This ans I haven’t done my duty in gifting my daughter to the royal family, so I am happy to let my only daughter Lisbeth to...”
The emperor shook his head.
“No, you are mistaken. You have already fulfilled your duty.”
“Pardon?”
“Was Sa Bina un-adopted before or after she was sent to this royal family?”
“... It was after.”
“According to our law, that ans Sa Bina was married to when she was still a mber of Bonafit family. Am I not correct?”
The scribe agreed with the emperor. The Duke and the Duchess’s faces looked shocked. I was impressed by the emperor’s cunning.
Suddenly, the scribe announced, “But your highness, there is one problem.”
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