Chapter: 421
It was the duke who broke the silence.
“You can’t refuse after what happened. I will meet the emperor tomorrow, apologize for what happened today, and accept the proposal—”
“No, I do not want to. I will never accept his marriage proposal.”
“If you marry the emperor, you will become the empress again!”
“A woman with a child became the empress. Then she would be ridiculed for the rest of her life.”
“Isn’t that better than being ridiculed as a princess who gave birth to an illegitimate child?”
The duke sneered coldly.
Astelle did not answer.
It was far better for her to live comfortably with Theor in the countryside than to enter the Imperial Palace and live next to Kaizen.
‘Become the Empress again……’
A conflict arose in her heart.
The reason that Astelle had thoroughly hidden Theor’s biological father was that the child would be taken away if it was discovered that he was the emperor’s son.
If Theor became prince and entered the palace, Astelle could not protect him.
Poor Theor will be oppressed by the children of the new empress and will die horribly.
But if Astelle herself becomes Empress again……
She no longer has to hide the truth of Theor’s birth.
She can enter the imperial palace and gain the power to protect Theor.
‘Would it be safe for me to become Empress again?’
Astelle thought fiercely in her mind and came to her senses by the duke’s sweet voice.
“I know you’ve been having a hard time. At that time, I was too harsh. I am so sorry.”
The Duke apologized to Astelle in the form of a benevolent father.
Then, he began to show his true intentions.
“But now, why not forget about the past and look at the reality? The emperor has publicly proposed to you. You have a chance to become the empress again. Are you really going to refuse it?”
“Yes, I am.”
Astelle answered without hesitation.