***
The atmosphere was cold.
It didn’t matter whether Sez was mentally seventeen years old, she was legitimately terrified.
Yulia had a serious look on her face, Bern was standing next to her, and a miserable-looking Lilien…
Of course, Yerna was also standing there, biting her lips.
Sez lowered her head like she was a sinner.
This was the worst situation possible.
Sez didn’t expect things to get this bad…
Rayton, however, didn’t seem too scared as he stood next to Sez.
Slowly, Yulia stood up from her seat and walked towards Rayton.
She suddenly slapped him across the cheek.
Sez closed her eyes tightly as the sharp sound rang out through the hall.
‘I shouldn’t have said anything.
I should’ve just taken the beating, even if it made me a cripple.’
It was too late for regrets.
“You vulgar thing.”
Yulia’s voice was full of disgust.
“Clearly, you still don’t know your place.
How dare you do that to my daughter!”
Yulia glared at Rayton while Sez frantically searched for a cliff to jump to her death from.
“You should be grateful that we are tolerating filth like you living in the palace, and yet…”
Rayton didn’t budge one bit despite Yulia’s lashes.
He didn’t bow his head like Sez and didn’t apologize as they wanted him to.
His cheeks started to swell.
His calm composure seemed to anger Yulia even more.
“We’ll see if you can keep that mask of yours on once His Imperial Majesty finds out about this!”
Sez screamed internally.
The emperor already hated Rayton, so who knew what would happen if he found out about all of this…
“I want to see what His Imperial Majesty will say once he finds out that Lilien beat Sez up cruelly.”
However, Rayton’s rebuttal was incredible.
“What did you just say?!”
Lilien yelled and approached him like an angry rhino.
Rayton kept talking, he didn’t give a damn about Lilien and Yulia’s reactions.
“Sez didn’t do anything, Lilien hit her first.
I also recall her calling Mistress Yerna a pimp.”
Yerna’s face turned as red as a tomato.
Of course, it wasn’t like the emperor would punish or even think to scold Lilien for bullying Sez.
However, the emperor had no idea who Lilien really was, as she acted like a courteous, gentle princess around him.
So, well, it would be like a punch to the gut for the emperor if he found out, and there would be nothing good in it for Lilien.
Both Yulia and Lilien knew that.
“Kneel.”
Lilien, who was standing right in from of him, still huffing and puffing, glared at Rayton.
“Kneel and beg for mercy.
Then I’ll forgive you.
Both of you.”
“S-sister!”
Sez couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore, so she mustered the courage to step in.
“It was all my fault…
I shouldn’t have bothered my sister… I’ll kneel and apologize for…”
“Yerna.”
Yulia interrupted her.
“Didn’t you know that Princess Sez has been hanging out with Rayton and doing all these rebellious things?”
Yerna clenched her trembling fists.
Yerna looked not only angry but ashamed too.
Yerna already had a strong inferiority complex toward Yulia, and this kind of humiliation…
well, it was obvious how angry she was.
Sez thought she’d get slapped at least twenty times once they returned to her room.
“I know you are busy dealing with noble families since it’s the wedding season, but shouldn’t you have taken care of your daughter properly?”
‘Oh, please…’
Sez clasped her shaking hands together.
“You are also responsible for what happened!
Say something, Yerna!”
Yerna bit down on her lip as Yuria shouted.
Although Yerna had established connections with numerous noble families and strong influences in the Imperial Family, she was still not comparable to Yuria, who had a strong and impressive family background.
“Yerna!”
Yulia hassled Yerna.
Sez also looked at her.
Yerna approached her daughter slowly and grabbed her thin wrist as hard as she could, Sez whimpered as her mother’s long nails mercilessly lodged into the soft flesh of her arm.
“…Sez, apologize to Yulia and Princess Lilien.”
“…….”
“Kneel before her!
Now!”
‘Things could have gone much worse than this.
At least they only want me to kneel.’
Sez was about to bite the bullet and kneel before Lilien.
“Tell him to kneel, too!” Lilien shrieked.
“Rayton set fire to my hair!
I’m sure he did it!”
‘No, that wasn’t Rayton.
It was Eton.’ …But Sez couldn’t say that right now.
She didn’t know what to do.
“What do you mean by set fire, dear sister?”
Rayton took his time answering.
What a great change of attitude, considering that he had told her to shut her mouth before he broke it first.
Sez thought he might even be a better actor than Lilien.
“I’m only guilty of putting out the fire, am I not?
I would have left you until you had nothing left on your scalp if I was the one who set the fire.”
Yulia and Lilien’s faces contorted.
It was the first time that Rayton had rebelled like this in front of the adults.
Sez was surprised, too.
This wasn’t the old silent, obedient Rayton.
All of a sudden, Bern charged at Rayton and punched him without saying a word.
Dark red blood began to flow from Rayton’s mouth.
“Who else in this palace could do such a thing other than you?”
“…….”
“You did it, only a cursed one like you could have done something like that!”
‘…Ha!’
Rayton smirked momentarily, speechless.
Of course, Lilien’s hair caught fire out of nowhere but he didn’t know that he would be falsely accused of doing it.
His little smirk seemed to have made Bern’s head spin.
“Kneel and beg!
Before I kill you with my own bare hands!”
Bern sent a kick full of rage toward Rayton’s stomach.
‘Oh, that’s where he got hurt last time…’
Sez’s face turned white as Bern began beating Rayton mercilessly.
He took the beating silently.
It seemed like even the new and improved Rayton couldn’t just fight back in front of everyone.
No one was stopping Bern.
Yulia was still, hugging Lilien’s shoulders tightly, and Yerna remained a bystander.
Sez was the only one shaking.
“P, please… Bern, it’s all my fault… I’m begging you…”
Sez tried to stop him, but it was all in vain.
Just then, she heard an unexpected voice.
“I think that’s quite enough.”
It was Lisette, looking pale as ever.
The mood became even colder once she appeared.
Bern faltered as Lilien, Yulia, and Yerna grimaced.
They didn’t expect her to show up like this, as Lisette had never stepped in before no matter how much Rayton was bullied.
“Rayton, get up,” Lisette spoke calmly.
She stared at him before looking around at everyone else.
“I’ve heard it all from Owsen.
There was a fight.
There seems to have been a misunderstanding, but anyway, it would be proper for us, lowly people to apologize first.
Rayton, apologize.”
“I apologize.”
Sez would call that a talent too, the talent of apologizing while having the most unapologetic look on his face.
“Mistress Yulia, and Princess Lilien.
I apologize, too.
I hope you’ll accept it.”
Lisette lowered her head politely.
Of course, Yulia wasn’t planning on just letting it go.
“Lisette, you know you can’t just apologize and call it a day!
Are you even seeing the state of Lilien’s face right now?!” Yulia shrieked.
“I will visit the emperor and inform him personally!
You’d better be prepared, too!”
The emperor’s beloved Lisette was a thorn in her side.
This could be the perfect opportunity to appeal to the emperor, saying that Rayton and Sez took sides and bullied Lilien.
Of course, Yulia would have to cry and make up some stories, but Lilien was quite good at acting, so it was worth a shot.
“I told His Imperial Majesty myself.”
“…What?”
Her words caught everyone in the hall off guard.
Sez was no different.
“His Majesty ordered me to apologize to Yulia and not make any more of a fuss.”
“Uh, that’s….”
“Of course, I didn’t tell him that Princess Lilien hit Princess Sez first.
So, you don’t have to worry.”
Yulia bit her lip as she sensed a warning in Lisette’s words.
“I apologize once again, Princess Lilien.
I’m really sorry.
If you don’t mind, I’ll bring you some medicine that’s excellent at treating burns.”
“…I don’t need it.”
Lilien spat out like there were worms in her mouth, Bern wore a similar expression.
Bern glared at Lisette like he was staring at the most disgusting thing in the world, but Lisette just maintained her calm smile.
“…Bern, Lilien!”
Yulia, who trembling in anger, called out to her children.
It seemed that she was backing down.
It was no wonder as her options were limited in this situation.
What more could she say when the emperor had ordered them to not make any more fuss?
Yulia took several steps before coming to a sudden halt and looking back at Lisette.
“Do you think His Imperial Majesty will favor you forever?”
Her voice was cold.
“Lisette, you’d better know your place.
Mistresses without a proper heir always meet an ugly end.
Always.”
It was a poorly disguised insult, but Lisette kept her composure.
“I’ll keep that in mind.
Thank you, Yulia.”
Yulia gave Lisette one last glare before leaving the room.
“…….”
Lisette stared at the door Yulia left wide open for a while, then turned to Yerna.
“Mistress Yerna.”
Yerna didn’t even answer.
She only looked at Lisette with a hard expression, the same one she made whenever she beat Sez.
“If you don’t mind, can my Rayton tutor Princess Sez in Kazarkish for a while?”
“…What?
Who tutoring what?”
“It won’t take up too much time.”
“Do you seriously believe that-?!”
“His Imperial Majesty already approved it, as well.
Will it still be difficult?”
Lisette kept using the emperor to her advantage, as there was nothing more powerful than his name when it came to the palace.
Yerna frowned, but in the end, she could not refuse.
“Thank you for giving your permission.” Lisette bowed.
Yerna glared at Lisette before heading over to the exit alone.
“…….”
Sez glanced around.
Lisette was smiling sweetly while Rayton was expressionless as if nothing had happened.
“Sez!
Why aren’t you following me?!” Yerna yelled at her.
“Yes, yes…
I’m going…”
Sez scurried over to her mother.
She glanced back at Rayton and saw him staring at her.
‘Are you okay, brother?’
Sez asked without making a sound.
Rayton just nodded.
‘That’s a relief.’
Sez sighed softly.
The situation was hectic already, but she couldn’t ask for anything more since Rayton was not hurt too badly.
“Sez!”
“I-I’m going now, mother….”
Sez followed Yerna out the door, and soon enough, Rayton and Lisette were the only people left in the hall.
“…….”
Lisette’s emerald eyes reflected Rayton’s face.
She reached out slowly and stroked Rayton’s swollen cheeks.
“Mother, I’m fine…”
“I should have come a little later.”
“…….”
“Princess Sez would have felt sorrier for you, then.”
It looked like her regret was real.
Rayton lowered his head, chewing on his lips.
“I’m tired.
I should go back now.”
“I’ll take you…”
“No need.”
Lisette called Marie, who was waiting outside, and she entered at once.
Marie supported Lisette and both staggered toward the exit, leaving Rayton alone in the room.
Rayton stood there for a long time.
His cheeks were numb and his ears were ringing, and he could taste a trace of bitterness in his mouth.
He wasn’t a stranger to all of this, and yet…
he couldn’t figure out why he felt so miserable.
Sez’s pale face suddenly popped into Rayton’s blurry mind.
‘Are you okay, brother?’
Even her muffled, silent worries had spilled out.