Goddess Kingmaker Chapter 15

Roen ran towards me, leaving behind the guard who was raising his voice at the maid.

 

The first thing she did was check me all over to see if I was hurt, and only then did her own vision seem to clear.

 

“You… you’re just too much! No matter how much you hate the baby, how could you do something like this!”

 

“Hey! How dare a lowly maid from a beggar’s nest scold us?!”

 

“You! I’m going to tell my mother! I’m going to tell her to kick you out of this palace right now!”

 

As expected, the kids were in an uproar.

 

They were screaming so loudly that they almost rolled on the floor, but the more they did, the more people gathered.

 

“Oh my god!”

 

“What on earth is going on?!”

 

Rumors always spread fast, but nothing spreads faster than this kind of scandal.

 

It was obviously a total mess—one of those legendary, unsolvable disasters where you don’t even know where to begin—but clearly, none of it was my fault.

 

“Get out of the way, move! I said move!”

 

Not long after, the Grand Duchess appeared.

 

She covered her mouth tightly as if she didn’t want to believe it, as she would always push away the maids herself while elegantly folding her fan.

 

‘That expression doesn’t look unfamiliar.’

 

It reminded me of a time in my past life, when I was in elementary school, and the weirdest kid in class set fire to the science lab. That expression on his mom’s face when she ran in? Exactly like this.

 

“Ha… Th-this is impossible!”

 

“Mom! You came at the right time! Do you know what that arrogant maid from the beggar’s nest said to us?”

 

“Shut your mouth, Harmel!”

 

“……”

 

The kids, who were always so used to leaving everything to their mom, instantly fell silent. But the Grand Duchess, being a mother, must’ve instinctively known.

 

That her sons weren’t the kind to quietly back down in a situation like this.

 

“Whyyyy! Why are you yelling at us!”

 

“Mom, you dummy! You idiot! We didn’t do anything, so why are we being blamed?”

 

The chaos was further compounded by the wild dogs that snarled and threatened to bite anyone nearby, including their mother.

 

Still, the Grand Duchess approached her unruly children.

 

“You really didn’t do this?”

 

“We told you we didn’t!”

 

“Then who did?”

 

“That’s….. I don’t know! I don’t know!”

 

The kids, who clearly hadn’t thought that far ahead, started looking around and then suddenly turned their gazes to me—nestled safely in Roen’s arms.

 

At that moment, I cracked open my eyes as if I’d just woken up from the noise, and some of the maids gasped in admiration.

 

“Mmm?”

 

Even the kids turned their heads as if they had lost their energy at my innocent and pure eyes that knew nothing.

 

“Ugh… No way.”

 

“That useless baby beggar couldn’t possibly…”

 

The kids started turning the palace upside down, convinced someone else had to be responsible.

 

Roen, having stepped back from the agitated children, gently comforted me.

 

“Baby, you must’ve been so scared. It’s okay now.”

 

“Aaang.”

 

“Close your eyes and sleep a little longer. Don’t watch things like that.”

 

“…….”

 

Why not?

 

I’m going to look at it again and again and engrave it in my mind.

 

I pretended to yawn and opened my eyes.

 

The Grand Duchess, unable to bear the continued chaos, finally called the guards.

 

“Stop this and search the area right now! Quickly!”

 

“Y-Yes, Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”

 

“My children said they didn’t do it! This is slander! Before His Majesty arrives—”

 

“What is it that must be done so urgently before I arrive?”

 

“……”

 

Just as the Grand Duchess was pressing the guards hard, the true star of the show appeared, instantly silencing the uproar: the Emperor.

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

“I return from several days of inspection, utterly exhausted, only to be welcomed by a palace in uproar. Such an impressive welcome.”

 

“I-It’s not like that, Your Majesty—”

 

“Get out of the way!”

 

“Hiik.”

 

Although the voice was not very high, the charisma of the natural leader could not be hidden.

 

At the emperor’s solemn command, everyone who had been noisy bowed their knees at once.

 

Even they had to avoid the sharp pieces scattered all over the floor, so this place literally became a silent battlefield.

 

‘What a sight.’

 

This little miracle I’d pulled off was ridiculously satisfying. I couldn’t even hide my twitching lips. But just as I was about to grin, my eyes met the Emperor’s.

 

“…….”

 

How long had he been watching?

 

I wondered if someone as small as me even caught his attention, but the Emperor had been looking at me for quite a while.

 

Thankfully, he didn’t seem suspicious. In fact, he tilted his head slightly as he gazed at my face, like he was…. worried?

 

“Aaang?”

 

“Huh. Not a single peaceful day since you came here.”

 

Yeah, right. Worried, my butt.

 

I swallowed back my grin and acted like I hadn’t heard.

 

The Emperor, flustered by my cold reaction, looked like he wanted to say something more—but Count Montes, who had followed behind, stepped forward first.

 

“Your Majesty. The treasure chest from Aragon and the statue from Delman have both been destroyed. They were priceless artifacts, impossible to replace.”

 

“Is that all?”

 

“The crystal ball made by the master craftsman Evlon has also been broken. It was a legendary item that was said to be able to see the future.”

 

“…..”

 

‘Oh dear, you should have left that out in advance.’

 

The more I heard about the value of the item, the more I felt sorry, and I lowered my eyes slightly.

 

However, I couldn’t put the broken item back together, and I didn’t really want to.

 

The Emperor, after glancing briefly at me, got straight to the point.

 

“Harmel! Thebes! Tell me the truth!”

 

“We didn’t do that! It’s true! Aaaah!”

 

“Father, can’t you see how sincerely they’re denying it? There’s no way my children did it!”

 

The third prince, Erno, who had accompanied the emperor on his inspection tour, quickly approached his wife and sons.

 

While making sure no one else could see, he gave the boys a fierce glare and then firmly shook his head.

 

“Although our Harmel and Thebes are a bit more active—”

 

“If they act this way twice, they will turn the palace upside down.”

 

“Father!”

 

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess simultaneously made expressions of resentment.

 

Following them, their kids also began to whimper, saying that it was unfair.

 

They look like miniature freedom fighters rallying for justice.

 

“That’s right. Our children would never do something like this. Your Majesty, please believe us. Those two are so clever — someone must be framing them. There’s no doubt about it!”

 

“If it wasn’t Harmel or Thebes,…. then why not just say that child did it instead?”

 

“Aang.”

 

I shrank down in the face of all the gazes that were focused on me at once.

 

Overwhelmed by sudden anxiety, I grabbed a bit of Roen’s clothing and started sucking on it.

 

The Duke and Duchess’ faces were distorted in despair, as if to say, ‘How can you even consider that thing?’

 

“Th-that’s not what I meant. I was just suggesting there might’ve been an outside intruder—”

 

“Then you tell me.”

 

Ignoring his third son entirely, the Emperor pointed his chin at a guard who had clearly been worn down by the Duchess’s persistent nagging.

 

“How many visitors came here today?”

 

“Y-Your Majesty. As of this morning, only the young masters and a single maid who came to pick them up have entered Layton Palace.”

 

“Did you hear that?”

 

As if he already knew the answer, the emperor looked at the four members of the family indifferently.

 

Even I was quite surprised by the cold eyes that showed no sympathy or affection, even though they were blood relatives.

 

“Thebes, Harmel! Do you think I don’t know that you have been so arrogant and presumptuous whenever you have come to the palace?”

 

“Hikss.”

 

“I just didn’t bring it up because I thought you were still young and immature. But did you think I was pleased with your behavior? Why do you keep disappointing me more and more!”

 

As the Emperor furrowed his gray eyebrows, the Grand Duchess bit her lips as if she felt wronged.

 

She covered her mouth as if sobbing, as if she could not bear to see her children fall out of favor with the Emperor.

 

“Ugh. That’s too much. As Your Majesty said, they are still children. So, can’t you trust your bloodline and care for them a little more?”

 

“Yes. I should care for them.”

 

“……”

 

The Emperor’s slight smile caused both the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess to raise their heads anxiously.

 

That eerie curve of his lips sent a chill through the room — and everyone’s eyes flickered nervously as he slowly began to walk.

 

“So you guys are putting my bloodline in danger.”

 

“Ahh.”

 

He stopped — right in front of me.

 

“They ignored their own quarters and trashed the place where this child is staying. So, out of concern for my bloodline, how could I possibly overlook that?”

 

“Your Majesty! This is nonsense! That child is a child of unknown origin, not yet qualified! How can such a child be on the same level as Harmel and Thebes?”

 

“Shut up!”

 

The Emperor’s fury burned more intensely than ever, silencing the room. Even I, who was babbling, closed my lips.

 

I could feel the Emperor’s patience reaching its limit as he stepped on all the scattered pieces in front of the cradle.

 

“Are you still talking about bloodlines? Do you think that those kids who are worthy of being my grandson and yet always cause trouble like this are better than this child?”

 

“Oh, Father. What can we do about what has already happened?”

 

The Grand Duke, who thought that it would be a loss if the situation dragged on, quickly stepped in.

 

He seemed to realize this was the moment to cut losses and try to smooth things over.

 

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