Contract Marriage: Rewritten - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Translator: Yonnee
—
At the funeral, the nobles whispered among themselves with grim expressions.
“What happens now?”
“Indeed, His Majesty is no longer in any condition to produce an heir, is he?”
“Then, among His Majesty’s brothers…”
Everyone was calculating which branch of the family was now closest to the throne.
“You!”
The empress, who had been raging and gasping for breath after being held back by the ladies-in-waiting trying to calm her, suddenly shouted sharply at Laniakea, who was standing in the corner.
“You! It’s you, you wretched woman! Pretending to live quietly like you were dead—it was all to deceive me, wasn’t it?! You and that scoundrel Hyperion conspired to kill my sons!”
She then charged at Laniakea like a madwoman.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“Please calm down!”
The ladies-in-waiting shouted but made no attempt to stop her.
They were already exhausted from trying to control the deranged empress all day.
The empress had slapped and scratched the faces of the ladies-in-waiting who tried to hold her back.
Naturally, they were worn out.
‘It would be better if she took out her anger on someone else for a change.’
Now that the empress had chosen an easier target, the ladies-in-waiting saw no reason to intervene.
“Bring my sons back to life!”
The empress screamed as she wildly swung her arms, attempting to grab Laniakea.
At that moment.
“Approach, not allowed!”
Lucy, who had been standing behind Laniakea, stepped forward to block the charging empress and extended her arm.
For Lucy, it was merely a light push.
But that was by Lucy’s standards. With a single gesture, the empress’s body lifted off the ground and flew through the air before crashing to the floor.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“What is the meaning of this!”
The faces of the ladies-in-waiting, who had been watching idly, turned pale.
Even though the empress was acting like a madwoman, she was still the most powerful figure in the imperial palace—practically the emperor in her own right.
To see someone throw her was unthinkable.
One of the shocked ladies-in-waiting glanced at Laniakea, who stood frozen, and immediately shouted.
“Your Highness the First Princess Consort! How could you commit such an unforgivable act!”
If it was revealed that the empress had been injured due to their negligence, the ladies-in-waiting would face consequences.
Thus, they were quick to shift the blame onto someone else—namely, Laniakea.
“Me?”
Laniakea was baffled by their accusations.
She was already stunned that the empress had charged at her, but now they were blaming her for something she hadn’t even done?
At that moment, the empress’s guards arrived.
“It’s the Lupin maid!”
“She has monstrous strength! Everyone, be cautious!”
Lucy, who appeared to be nothing more than a petite, adorable girl, was now surrounded by the burly imperial guards.
In an instant, the tension in the funeral hall transformed into something entirely different.
Lucy surveyed the guards pointing their blades at her, then smirked.
“Pathetic fools. I’ll kill you all.”
Unlike usual, Lucy’s imperial language was smooth and fluent.
Hearing her, Laniakea clutched her head in frustration.
Lucy had always been better at reading than speaking and struggled with conversational practice.
To help her improve, Laniakea had suggested they start with simple expressions.
Lucy had then brought a mysterious book and insisted on practicing one particular line.
“I doubt you’ll ever have a reason to say this in real life…”
“Learning. Important. Must!”
Lucy, who usually became deflated whenever studying was mentioned, had sparkled with enthusiasm for once. Laniakea couldn’t bring herself to refuse and had repeated the phrase with her countless times.
“Alright, try after me: Pathetic fools. I’ll kill you all.”
“Pa-ffetic? Pathetic f—fools, I’ll ki….”
Unlike other phrases, Lucy had mastered that line remarkably quickly.
And now, those words had come back to haunt her.
“She’s trying to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress!”
“Seize the traitor!”
Before they knew it, Lucy had been labeled a traitor.
If she resisted any further, she truly would be branded a rebel.
Given the empress’s current state, she might even pin the deaths of the princes on Lucy to satisfy her rage.
“Lucy! No! Stand down!”
Lucy, who had looked ready to lunge at the guards, froze at Laniakea’s cry.
Just then, the empress, supported by the ladies-in-waiting, let out an ear-piercing scream.
“Ahhhhh!”
Unable to contain her fury, she flailed and broke free before once again charging at Laniakea.
Lucy moved to block her, but Laniakea shook her head, signaling her to stay back.
It would be quicker to let the empress pull her hair and hit her once to end this situation.
But as the empress reached out to grab Laniakea, at that moment—
Thud!
With a dull sound, the empress’s body flew through the air once more before rolling to the ground.
“Uh…?”
Laniakea, who had been bracing herself to have her hair pulled, opened her eyes in surprise.
Lucy was several steps away, surrounded by guards.
This time, it hadn’t been Lucy.
‘Then who…?’
Who had stepped in to protect her in this situation?
At that moment, a voice unfamiliar to Laniakea spoke from above her head.
“Are you alright, Wife?”
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