Chapter 156: Chapter 82.2

The door opened and Prince Wade and Claude entered. Kieran approached Rosina who followed him and extended his hand.

No matter how bitter the rumors were, the two of them were no less than war heroes. He had reclaimed vast territories of neutral ground and signed a nonaggression pact with Geore.

Everyone gathered in the drawing room were on their knees. The ladies who had talked loudly were no exception.

Upon hearing the news that the prince and the grand duke had arrived, Gliad and Anastasia dashed down from the second floor. In a blue dress, Anastasia looked so young and beautiful that she didn’t look like she was in her fifties.

“Prince, Grand Duke.”

Claude looked up at Anastasia, who smiled gracefully, and raised the corners of his smooth lips.

No matter how carefree he pretended to be, he was obviously disconcerted that he couldn’t find Canillia.

He turned his gaze to the second-floor railing and saw Ian Sergio holding a glass of champagne. The expression on Ian’s face as he leaned against the railing and looked down at Claude and lifted his glass of wine was composed and relaxed.

“Everyone, let’s all go get dinner. Guide the ladies.”

Everyone exchanged suspicious glances at this kind attitude of the marquis, who was usually cold and arrogant.

Eventually, Ian Sergio approached Claude, who was seated in his designated seat. The nobles who saw Ian was about to sit down, but got up and greeted the foreign guest.

“This is Grand Duke Ian Sergio of the Duchy of Geore. He helped us greatly in this war. He even saved my husband’s life. I am most grateful for him.”

Chuckling at the spiteful praise, Ian greeted the nobles of Kayan.

“I am Ian Sergio. It is a pleasure to meet the nobles of the Empire.”

Murmurs of excitement burst from here and there. Those who knew the rumors of Ian turned white, and the women were delighted with the appearance of a handsome new man.

“Now, now, everyone, please take a seat.”

When the bell on the table rang, the waiting servants began to deliver food. Everyone was talking pleasantly, but the atmosphere at the top seats where Claude was seated turned cold as if it were a completely different world.

Rosina was worried as she looked at Kieran, who had become haggard over the past few days. After that day, when they all rode together, Kieran completely cut off contact with the outside world.

“Sir, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Kieran smiled calmly at Rosina’s worried expression and shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

Rosina lightly wrapped the back of Kieran’s hand. The acts of the marchioness horrified anyone who saw her, so one could only imagine how Kieran felt.

Kieran, who looked down at Rosina’s hand, kissed her soft cheek and whispered.

“I’m really fine, Rosina.”

Rosina blushed at his kind voice.

Seeing the two, Wade raised a glass of wine and said to Ian, “Tell them when you return to the dukedom: the woman who came with you is not to my taste.”

“She’s one of the beauties from the land; what do you dislike about her?”

“Everything.”

Speaking in an ill-tempered way, Wade got up and offered a toast. All the nobles who were chatting happily raised their glasses.

“May the peace of the past, the beauty of the marchioness, and the prosperity of the Empire last forever.”

All of them toasted in the air.

Claude took a sip of the wine and checked the time. She would have almost arrived by now.

Anastasia stood up, raising a fork and tapping the glass. After receiving everyone’s attention, she looked around the crowd and made eye contact with each person.

“Thank you all for attending. As you know, I have prepared this place today to ask for forgiveness for my negligence.”

While listening to Anastasia’s abominable speech, Claude imagined Canillia walking to him.

She would open the back door of the car and get out, wearing the dress he saw last night and go up the stairs. Just imagining how beautiful she would be with the jewels he left behind made the cells in his body run wild.

Will the servant who opens the door recognize her? No. She was not the Canillia that they knew.

“Canillian…is the child of Louvre.”

The nobles exclaimed in surprise and broke into talk amongst themselves.

“But he is a child born from my heart. I was weak, so I asked the maid I loved to give birth to a boy for me. Kieran’s health was not good, so it was a decision for the family. However, the maid ran away because she didn’t want the child to be taken away, and I heard the news that she had died. So, my husband and I brought back the child who had been abandoned in the Louvre. That child is Canillian.”

Lies.

Anastasia told the story with a straight face and wiped her tears with the handkerchief she had prepared. Marquis Gliad jumped up and left. He wasn’t the only one who blushed with shame.

Rosina’s patience had reached its limit as she saw Kieran’s face turn to ash.

“For that reason, I misunderstood the child for a while. I must have been possessed with something… So I organized this event to apologize to Canillian, who must have been disappointed in me. But as expected, he didn’t come.”

Words of sympathy poured out to Anastasia, who wore a sad expression on her face.

“It’s not your fault. But a child from Louvre… You made a big decision.”

“You must be an angel. I will remember the saying that he was born with your heart. I’m impressed.”

“Sir Canillian is rude in many ways. To drive a nail into the heart of the one who raised him without being grateful!”

It was so arrogant that she could no longer stand it. How dare she brazenly lie in front of the imperial family. Glaring at the tableware, Rosina couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to get up.

Claude, who raised his eyebrows for a moment, met her gaze. He calmly blinked his eyes, as if telling her to sit back down.

Regaining her composure, Rosina clasped her trembling hands tightly and looked into the faces of the nobles one by one.

Claude, who saw this, smiled bitterly, put down his glass and got up. Ian, who detected something from him, also erased his smile and got up.

The two men exchanged dry glances and turned towards the entrance to the greenhouse. Their actions caught the attention of everyone speaking loudly.

A transparent glass door opened on both sides, and a woman walked in with a footman’s courteous escort. It was a woman with wavy honey-colored hair and green eyes that were incomparable to the greenery of the greenhouse. With every step she took, the jewel sparkled under the lights. The clear features of the small and slender face shook the hearts of men.

Everyone murmured with bewildered expressions at the appearance of the woman they had never seen.

When Anastasia recognized the woman and dropped the wine glass she was holding, Claude approached her, kneeled on one knee, and kissed the back of her lace-gloved hand.

“Lady Canillia.”