TSMMT Ch 6

The Target of Revenge

[Doctor] "You are pregnant."

The doctor didn't offer congratulations. Everyone knew the rumor that the queen, who resembled a walking corpse, despised the king intensely.

Upon hearing the news, the maids busied themselves exchanging glances. The queen herself remained silent, staring only out the window.

[Dianna] "My cycle is irregular…… How far along is it?"

The doctor examined her abdomen using a magical device.

[Doctor] "You are twelve weeks along."

[Dianna] "I see. Thank you for your trouble. Everyone, leave us."

Left alone in the room, Dianna stared blankly at the sky. A child grew inside her flat abdomen—a child.

Reality refused to sink in.

Is a child in this small stomach? A baby? My baby?

She stroked her abdomen all day long.

A child exists between that monster and me?

She tried to pinch her abdomen, but her strength failed her.

A life inside her brought wonder and awe. Yet, above all else, it brought absolute horror!

Clutching her abdomen, she wept.

I ended up carrying that bastard's child after all! It really happened!

She sobbed, gagging from the overwhelming nausea. She struck her abdomen with her fist. She struck it repeatedly, over and over.

A certain solution existed: take medicine to end the pregnancy, or slam her abdomen against the sharp corner of the furniture.

Yet, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She kept striking her abdomen with her hands, wailing until sleep claimed her.

---

Dianna accepted the cup Lady Levian offered. It was a tea party with noblewomen close to the Levian family, organized to celebrate the queen's pregnancy.

[Saruvia] "The doctor said this tea benefits the unborn child."

[Dianna] "……."

She stared at the tea. Lady Levian spoke with a hurt expression.

[Saruvia] "Why? Do you think I slipped something into the tea?"

She lowered the corners of her uniquely lovely eyes and pouted. Her face captured the warmth of the sun, but Dianna kept her gaze on the teacup.

[Noble] "You go too far, Your Majesty. What could Lady Levian possibly have done?"

An elderly noblewoman lectured her. Whispers broke out among the crowd. The knights also began insulting Dianna, ensuring she heard them.

Right, with so many witnesses, would the lady dare harm me? Even if she intends to, I can't reject it.

Dianna drank the tea.

And then……

[Dianna] "Ah, ah! Ahhh!"

She lost the child. Lady Levian looked down at the screaming queen with a chilling smile.

---

[Guiscard] "Ann!"

The door to Dianna’s bedroom burst open. Guiscard strode inside, anxiety filling his trembling purple eyes. Dianna faced him, color completely drained from her face.

[Dianna] "You returned quickly."

Only a short time had passed since he departed for battle. His disheveled appearance proved he had rushed back instantly. He took a step closer to her.

[Guiscard] "More importantly, the child……"

A strange excitement filled his face. Dianna realized that no one had told him what happened to the child.

[Guiscard] "They said you were pregnant. The child……"

[Dianna] "Is gone."

[Guiscard] "What?"

His expression shifted. His eyes turned ice-cold as he stared intensely at her face. The brief warmth that had touched his features vanished instantly.

[Dianna] "The child is gone."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "There is no child! It's gone! I took medicine!"

She shrieked the words as if confessing a horrible crime.

I hadn't even decided whether to love or hate this child yet.

[Dianna] "Why? Did you want a child from me? A child from a Panborough slave?!"

She had completely lost her mind.

She had only known about the child's existence for a single day. A foolish mother, she had remained ignorant of her own pregnancy, neglecting the child for three months.

Should I rejoice that this monster is gone? Or should I mourn?

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

She intended to reveal what occurred at the tea party.

Yes, if Guiscard cared about the child, he would at least avenge its death.

[Dianna] "Your Majesty, that child was……"

But he spoke, a look of profound horror twisting his face.

[Guiscard] "Did you destroy the child yourself?"

Following his mistaken assumption, Dianna fiercely argued that Lady Levian had killed the child.

Unexpectedly, he readily ordered the arrest of Lady Levian.

Having just lost her baby, Dianna's face remained utterly pale.

---

[Saruvia] "How could I ever harm Your Majesty's child, the royal bloodline, right in front of everyone!"

Lady Levian shrieked, her face white with shock. Dianna and Guiscard sat in the audience chamber, facing them as the truth remained hidden.

[Noble] "She speaks the truth! The lady would never do such a thing! Harm royal blood openly in a crowded room?!"

The nobles who attended the tea party shouted. Dianna addressed them.

[Dianna] "Then who forced me to take the medicine to end my pregnancy?"

Whispers erupted at her calm tone. Tears welled in Lady Levian's bright blue eyes.

[Saruvia] "No one at that tea party poisoned Your Majesty."

[Guiscard] "Is that so?"

A dark, simmering voice cut through the air. The eerie tone sounded as if it originated from the depths of hell. Guiscard's fury was immense.

Dianna anticipated the truth coming to light, but the world always proved unfair.

[Saruvia] "I know Your Majesty dislikes me."

Lady Levian continued in a trembling voice.

[Saruvia] "But isn't it too cruel to use Your Majesty's own child to frame and eliminate me? Your Majesty orchestrated this entire incident."

Her accusation perfectly mirrored the exact suspicion Guiscard had harbored.

[Noble] "Your Majesty. Sir Alcio has captured a suspicious individual within the palace."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Saruvia] "I intended to keep this matter quiet, but for the sake of my honor, I must bring it to light."

At Lady Levian's gesture, guards brought in the captured man, forcing him to his knees.

Dianna had never seen him before, yet the man acted as if he recognized her. He locked his gaze onto her and cried out in desperation.

[Man] "Your Majesty! Why are you doing this…… Y-you promised to spare my life!"

[Dianna] "Who are……"

Lady Levian cut her off.

[Saruvia] "This man sold the pregnancy-ending medicine to Her Majesty."

[Dianna] "……."

Dianna raised her head to look at Lady Levian. The atmosphere in the room shifted. Guiscard's royal guards, aides, servants, and the nobles from the tea party all directed horrified glares at Dianna, viewing her as a mother who murdered her own child.

[Dianna] "No. I never did that."

She shook her head frantically.

[Dianna] "I genuinely never……"

Her voice trembled as she looked at Guiscard. He stared back with his usual icy indifference. For the first time, Dianna shook her head in desperation.

[Dianna] "Please believe me. I didn't…… do such a thing……"

Lady Levian orchestrated all of this. I remember her face, her arrogant smile. She forced me to swallow that poison.

But the truth had already been fabricated.

Witnessing Dianna's desperate plea, a strange emotion flickered across Guiscard's face. The look mirrored pure joy.

[Dianna] "……Guiscard."

When she uttered his name, he looked forward and spoke.

[Guiscard] "A person wouldn't intentionally harm their own body. Furthermore, how could a mother murder her own child?"

Is he believing me? Does he actually believe me? Does this man understand the truth after all?

But Lady Levian stood her ground firmly.

[Saruvia] "No, she lies! Clear evidence exists."

[Guiscard] "Evidence?"

[Saruvia] "Your Majesty, why do you hide everything? Did you not inflict wounds upon your own noble body?"

Wounds? Confusion filled Dianna's face.

[Saruvia] "Your Majesty wished to destroy the child. I know about the bruises on your abdomen."

Dianna's pale face lost all remaining color.

Yes, the moment I learned of the pregnancy, I furiously abused my own abdomen.

[Saruvia] "The bruises were so horrific that I learned of them through the maids."

[Dianna] "……."

[Saruvia] "Your Majesty only needs to check for yourself."

Guiscard looked at Dianna's face. This time, she couldn't bring herself to deny it. She couldn't utter a lie……

Her silence provided him with his conclusion. The corners of his mouth curled upward.

[Guiscard] "There is no need to check."

[Dianna] "……."

[Guiscard] "We will close this matter."

He rose from his seat, his voice ice-cold. Despite his calm expression, a suffocating aura oppressed everyone in the room.

He offered a faint smile and grasped Dianna's hand. Why did his burning touch send shivers down her spine?

She stepped forward listlessly, pulled along by his grip.

Her cold hand met his scorching palm. Guiscard looked down at her, raised the corners of his mouth, and drew his sword.

Is he going to kill me? Is he finally granting me death?

She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.

[Man] "Aaagh!"

The suppressed scream of a man made Dianna flinch. It was the man accused of selling the medicine.

[Guiscard] "No other man is permitted to frequent the queen's chambers."

He muttered the ambiguous words. Dianna trembled violently, looking back over her shoulder.

She had fallen into a perfect trap. Guiscard didn't believe her. Lady Levian smirked as the triumphant nobles followed behind her.

Everyone here is a monster.

Complete loathing for this place consumed her. Tears rolled from her closed eyes.

---

Requested by one of our lovely readers, I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please consider supporting the author on Naver Series and Kakaopage.