Lady to Queen

Chapter 192: CHAPTER 96 (2) – Do You Actually Like that Man?

“Call for the Duke of Efreni! I said call for the Duke of Efreni!”

Rosemond had started yelling as soon as she had woken up. Patrizia was able to hear her shouts even from the entrance of the prison. She walked to the prison cell where Rosemond was being held, without a trace of a smile on her face. Rosemond screamed louder after discovering Patrizia. She was so loud that everyone there felt pain in their eardrums, and they all frowned as they covered their ears.

“It is you! Do you think you will be alright after doing this to me?”

“I will be alright. I am the Empress of this country, and you are a death row inmate waiting to be executed the day after tomorrow.” There was no ridicule and no laughter in Patrizia’s voice as she spoke. She just delivered her last words with a sincere tone and facial expression. “There is no point in searching for the Duke of Efreni.”

“What! Who are you to be saying that to me…!”

” Duchess Efreni discovered the truth that he raped her in order to get married to her. Duchess Efreni has applied for a divorce, and the Duke Efreni, no, James Headwick, has gone down to his younger brother’s estate. I am planning to finish the divorce proceedings for the two as soon as possible, so he is now no longer an Imperial Prime Minister of the Marvinus Empire. He will just live on as a common family member of Baron Headwick.”

“You…!” When the secret she thought that nobody knew was revealed, Rosemond asked with a dumbfounded expression on her face. “How do you know that secret…!?”

“How do I know about that?” Patrizia continued on smoothly. “That is not the only thing I know about. I am also aware of what you used to threaten James Headwick with and how James Headwick became the Prime Minister and Duke.”

“How do you know about that? That is something only Jany and I…!”

“Indeed.” Patrizia agreed with her confirmation. “It is true that it is something only you and January know. I do not know if you are aware of this, but due to all of that, January was kicked out of the house with James Headwick. With a young son who is not even five, she was chased out in a penniless state.”

“…”

“The Duchess of Efreni has disowned you. You are no longer a daughter of the Efreni family.”

“…”

“If Duke Efreni did not cooperate, you intended to reveal the whole truth. But now even that has become meaningless. The Duke has nothing left to lose now.”

“Even so, I should be able to inflict some wounds on that man.”

“…” Rosemond’s words made Patrizia’s expression go dark. ‘That man’ meant Lucio. She warned her briefly. “Do not do that.”

“Why?” Rosemond asked her as if she found it amusing. “Tell me, Patrizia. Do not tell me you like that man or something? Come to your senses! That man is a murderer. He is an abandoned man who killed his mother with his own hands!”

“I do not think I can blame the man if I did not go through the situation myself. Rosemond, you also got revenge on the half-brother who raped you, right? Then you should know. You cannot throw stones at him.”

“So, do you actually like that man? How stupid of you!”

“I never said I liked His Majesty. I just have feelings of sympathy for him.”

“Sympathy!” Rosemond burst into laughter. “You are also not sane to sympathize with such a man. After going through something like that, you, who knows better than anyone what he did…!”

“Stop it, Rosemond. This is not something that you can meddle with. If you dare to flap your lips in front of him, I will slit your throat before that mouth of yours can even open.”

“You…” Rosemond demanded angrily, “Why in the world are you doing this to me?”

“Why am I doing this?” Patrizia did not even seem flabbergasted as she replied calmly, “I am the one who wants to ask that. You kept stabbing at me when I did nothing. I really did not have any desire to do this to you. The goal was to live and go quietly, as the Empress in name only.”

“…”

“You are the one who made me like this. That is why Rosemond, I have the right to do this to you.”

“The Empress in name only… ha! You are saying quite noble words!” Rosemond scoffed as she mocked Patrizia. “It is a position that every woman in the Empire craves and looks up to. And you say you would have stayed in that seat as the Empress in name only? Do not make me laugh atthat. How could that be possible!?”

“Not everyone thinks like you. Well, perhaps most actually might think like that, but at least I did not.” Patrizia matter-of-factly brought the whole situation to its end, “It is all over.”

“It is not over yet.” As if there was no chance of it being over, Rosemond spoke to her in a poisonous voice, “A woman who is pregnant with the Imperial heir cannot be killed.”

“You mean you are going to try to have His Majesty, the Emperor’s child now?” You will need at least a week to get results of a pregnancy. And you are going to be executed the day after tomorrow. Above all that, no one will believe your words. Do not come up with such foolish thoughts.”

“I have to live. I cannot die like this!” She opened her eyes in a grotesque way as she swore in a firm voice, “I will definitely give birth to the Crown Prince and become the Empress Dowager. I have to make it so that no one will be able to ignore me. I am not going to let anyone treat me carelessly!”

“… Rosemond,” Patrizia quietly called out to her. “Even if you found a way to stay alive now, you will not be able to become the Empress Dowager.”

“Do not be ridiculous. Who are you to say that!?”

“Because you are infertile.”

“…” At those words, Rosemond’s expression froze on her face.