The final measure I had considered… was actually quite a simple method.
『Noie just needs to forgive me directly.』
No matter what stain I had, if she, my wife, forgave and accepted it… by playing the role of the ideal wife, I could shut out the noise from the sidelines. But if I did this, my evaluation would plummet.
Well, as for me, I didn’t care about the evaluations or gazes of others. I would be fully satisfied just living happily with Noie. If push came to shove, I could declare (threaten) that Noie and I would move to the countryside and live leisurely, which would make everyone else pale in fear.
Perhaps the reason the Republic launched such a foolish scheme this time was that they mistakenly believed Noie was someone who would follow my instructions.
That was wrong. Noie was 『pure white』 in both good and bad senses. Therefore, if I ordered her to 『repeat the words I conveyed』 and told her what to say, she would speak them without hesitation.
No matter how much those words degraded her status, or went against her will… Noie trusted me and would absolutely say them.
Because I knew that, I had kept it as my final resort.
-0-
Noie, who had appeared in front of Lady Rashem, said nothing and simply looked at her.
As expected, startled by the sudden appearance of the Kingdom’s strongest… one of the continent’s foremost figures, she stumbled back in fear and ended up sitting after tripping over a chair.
But probably, Noie wasn’t even looking at her.
The only existence Noie cared about was… the infant who continued to cry wailing.
「…crying.」
Noie’s monotone voice echoed in the silent chamber.
「Why?」
「…What is it!」
Lady Rashem shouted as if to shake off her fear.
She turned a scary face toward Noie, as if glaring at an enemy she had finally found.
「The baby is crying. Why?」
「Just let it cry on its own!」
Lady Rashem waved her hand broadly, as if swatting away something unnecessary.
Watching that, I finally realized.
She was not a 『mother』. She might have given birth to the infant held by the maid, but she herself had not accepted it. In other words, it was an unwanted child.
「No. Babies are precious. Very precious.」
However, Noie hadn’t noticed.
Because she was straightforward and pure, she probably believed that all mothers were truly 『mothers』.
Unable to ignore the wailing presence, Noie stepped toward it. Then, the frightened maid cowered, and as a result, the infant slipped from her arms.
I wasn’t worried. There was no way Noie wouldn’t catch it when it was right in front of her.
With speed invisible to the eye, she caught the baby and checked it in her arms. Confirming the wailing infant, she again stepped toward Lady Rashem.
「It’s crying.」
「Don’t come any closer!」
「Why?」
Noie, who had stopped in her tracks with a start at those words, must have been confused… her ahoge was trembling vigorously in distress.
It would be difficult to leave everything to Noie to solve from here.
Originally, this was a problem caused by some mistake of mine… or rather, the previous me. Therefore, I had no choice but to wrap it up myself.
「Lady Rashem.」
At my call, she turned to look at me.
Accepting her gaze, I glanced around the room.
The three people from the Kingdom side… were looking at me as if enjoying what was about to happen. Wait for it, I’m going to give you an incredible revenge soon.
The Republic side, like the other spectators, was completely unable to grasp the situation.
Well, if one of the continent’s foremost Dragonslayers suddenly appeared, anyone would be flustered.
Now… shall I begin my final rampage of the day?
「I have no memory. But after watching you just now, there is something I can say clearly.」
「W-what is it!」
「The old me was not so desperate that he would lay hands on a woman like you.」
「……」
She distorted her face uglily and glared at me. But I didn’t stop.
「To be blunt, I feel not even a shred of interest looking at you. Not because of your appearance, but because of your attitude of treating your own child like an 『object』. Let me say it again… What you desired was 『me』 as a royal or king. I cannot believe your actions were driven by a desire for the father of that child.」
Who would have thought the day would come when I would say such cruel things to a woman… I’m sorry, deceased Mother. But I truly couldn’t forgive it. This person didn’t seem to pour even a drop of love into her child. Even now, she was completely ignoring her child, who was likely crying from hunger.
Even though Noie was looking around for help in a way uncharacteristic of her.
「If you had filed this complaint seeking the father of your child, I could have chosen to accept it while crushing the Republic’s scheme.」
「You dare speak insolently against our nation here!」
A man stood up from the Republic’s VIP seats and protested. In a sense, I thanked him for doing such a good job.
「A cruel man who abandons the child he conceived. You are trying to impress upon the citizens of Univance that I am unworthy of being Noie’s husband. Then you intend to cause trouble to separate Noie and me, spreading anxiety within the Kingdom. A standard tactic of the Republic from a historical perspective… though saying this to them directly won’t make them admit it. Ahaha.」
The man who had protested turned his face dark red, his mouth trembling with rage.
So this is what humans look like when they get too angry.
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