The imperial court was deafeningly silent. If it had been anyone else, he would have been punished by now. Even if he had been a Duke, the outcome would have been the same.
However, the person who had presented the naked truth was an imperial prince. Other than the emperor, no one wields more power than her.
Despite the fact that she was a neglected prince with no background, most of them would not dare to tie the bell. There were, however, exceptions.
"Your majesty, you should not say those words." Count Cristo attempted to calm the situation, but Duke Gerald's voice was heard louder.
"When they were only imperial princes, our great emperors fought and won battles against armies many times their size. If your highness isn't brave enough to fight a few barbarians, he should step down as imperial prince."
"Oh! So Duke Gerald thinks I'll be the empire's succeeding sun?"
"You!" Duke Gerald's white beard shook with rage, but he couldn't speak. After all, his words could easily be summarized in this manner.
"I appreciate and respect your faith. But, with due respect, I don't think I'm qualified to be an imperial prince, let alone an emperor."
Each of Hilda's words astounded the court more than the previous one. After all, no prince in the empire's history had ever refused the title of "imperial prince" in front of the entire court.
"I would rather give the command of the great emerald army to the brave duke Gerald and live the rest of my life as a commoner." Hilda looked at the old Duke, adding, "If you have the way, I would be obliged to follow."
"SILENCE." The voice wasn't loud, but it was powerful enough to weigh on the hearts of everyone in the court.
Hilda was no exception. She, like others, did not dare to raise her head, but rather than fear, she was intrigued by the pressure of the emperor's aura.
'He may not be any weaker than the White Tiger.' She believed she had become powerful. Despite this, she had the impression that the emperor's distance from her had not shrunk at all.
"Do you doubt my decision?" The emperor inquired. Even though no one could see him, anyone could tell he was unhappy. Nobody dared to ask whether he had directed the question at the Duke or Hilda.
Nonetheless, the entire court responds in unison, "Forgive us, my lord."
Hilda silently observed the court's behavior while keeping her head down. But the moment she looked, a pair of angry old eyes met her gaze. Hilda chose to ignore them.
"Hilda."
"My lord," Hilda responded instinctively.
"You would remain within the capital's walls until they completed the investigation."
"As you command, your majesty."
"The Duke will provide 1000 infantry and 200 knights to aid the imperial price before the north expedition."
"My lord," the old duke almost protested instinctively, but he managed to control himself in time, "as you wish, my lord."
But it wasn't just Duke Gerald who was irritated; Hilda was as well. She naturally does not want to take people into battle who are unwilling to listen to her. That would be equivalent to death.
"My lord," Hilda couldn't bear the thought of remaining silent, "isn't that giving him a chance to stab me in the back?"
The court was once again deafeningly silent. The emperor took some time to respond. It gave Hilda the impression that the emperor, too, wasn't expecting those words.
"The Gerald family will be exiled from the empire if you do not return from the expedition alive."
"Was Hilda truly a neglected prince?" If someone had asked this question right now, everyone in the imperial court would have said, 'No.'
'He knew,' Duke Gerald, on the other hand, was preoccupied with something else. Even if others didn't understand, the old Duke understood why the emperor had issued such an order.
'I should have stopped the prince.' However, it was already too late to regret his action, and all he could do was accept the punishment.
'What the fuck?' the curse was stuck in Hilda's throat, and she had no idea what had just happened. 'Did he threaten the Duke on my behalf?'
However, before she could say anything, the empire ordered, "leave."
Naturally, the imperial guards escorted her out of the imperial court. They led her back to the carriage. It wasn't until it came to a halt that she realized she'd returned to her manor.
A shadow slammed into Hilda's body the moment she stepped out of the carriage. It had such an impact on Hilda that she had to take a step back.
Rhea was rubbing her face on the wolf pelt that covered her body. While Wolfy was standing there, she avoided looking Hilda in the eyes.
When Hilda met Rhea's puppy dog eyes, all she could do was smile and rub her head. "Did you miss me?" Hilda asked with a smile.
Rhea nodded with all her might. Her (R) innocence heightened Hilda's delight. "Good girl," she said as she patted her (R) again.
"My lady," Wolfy said, turning both pairs of eyes to her, "it's time for your study. You should not make your teacher wait."
Hilda came up with the idea of the teacher. After all, Rhea had received no formal education at her parents' home. So Hilda resolved to patiently teach her about ethics, writing, and other necessities.
Rhea, predictably, appeared hesitant, while Wolfy maintained his stern demeanor. "The teacher has already been waiting for you for half an hour," she explained calmly. "Please do not make the teacher wait."
Rhea turned to Hilda as soon as she realized her pitiful eyes weren't working on Wolfy. And the plea pierced her (H) heart.
Hilda, on the other hand, cleared her throat when she met Wolfy's gaze and said, "I have no intention of leaving. You should finish her study as soon as possible so that we can have dinner together."
Rhea realized he couldn't just avoid her study, but she wasn't ready to say goodbye to Hilda just yet. As her head hung low, she heard Hilda say, "Don't you want to have dinner with me?"
After another enthusiastic nod, Hilda said, "Then you should go back and finish the study first. I'll ask the teacher to cut today's lesson short."
Rhea's eyes twinkled, and she smiled brightly at Hilda, the brightest she'd (H) seen in a long time. It healed all the wounds of her (H) heart from the recent incident in a flash. She (R) dashed into the manor, frantically waving her hand.
"Wolfy?" Hilda called. The leg that had risen into the air to follow Rhea came to a halt in mid-air. "Can we have a conversation?"
"I have to assist Rhea with her studies," Wolfy responded without even looking back.
"As soon as I arrived in the capital, I was taken to the imperial court." An awkward silence ensued because of Hilda's words.
"You should freshen up first," Wolfy said as she walked away. "I'll be waiting for you at the office."
Everything, from the bath to the food, was ready as soon as word of her return reached the manor. Naturally, Hilda returned to the office after a light meal.
Hilda hugged Wolfy without hesitation when she saw she was waiting for her at the office. Wolfy, on the other hand, struggled.
Hilda didn't know if Wolfy wasn't really trying to flee or if she (H) was too strong. But Wolfy struggled as long as Hilda held her (W) in her embrace.
"What happened to you?" Hilda inquired, not releasing her.
All her (W) struggle lost their power with just one question. Realizing that she had hit the right point, Hilda continued asking, "You should tell me if you are unhappy about anything. Did I do anything to upset you?"
Wolfy pushed her (H) away with all her force, and Hilda didn't resist. "What happened at the imperial court?" Wolfy asked, taking a few steps back and putting some distance between them.
"Does that matter right now?"
"Yes."
"Wolfy." Hilda grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Wolfy tried to resist, but it only threw Hilda off balance, and Hilda collapsed on the sofa with Wolfy on her lap.
Wolfy was taken aback by the abrupt change in circumstances. Wolfy attempted to flee as soon as she realized something was wrong. However, Hilda's cracked lips sealed her lips before she could.
*Ouch*
Hilda screamed in agony as Wolfy mercilessly bit her (H) lips. Hilda tried again to kiss her again, who was still struggling to get up. Nonetheless, the outcome was the same.
She (H) could taste a slight metallic taste from the warm liquid that had touched her tongue as she (H) licked her (H) lips.
"All right, bite me as many times as you want." She snatched her (W) cheeks and turned them towards her, expecting another bite. That's what she (W) did.
"If biting me makes you happy, I'd gladly be your punishment. Just don't be mad at me." She pressed another kiss against Wolfy's lips.
Wolfy bit her again. Nonetheless, it was a feeble protest. There was no discomfort. Hilda simply allows her (W) to do as she pleases. Wolfly released her (H) lips after a few more soft bites.
Hilda looked up to find Wolfy avoiding her gaze. Hilda placed her hand on Wolfy's back and continued to pat her softly.
As Wolfy continued to snuffle, her (W) shoulder shook repeatedly. Hilda had no idea what had happened. She hurriedly placed Wolfy beside her, but Wolfy refused to look at her.
Hilda moved and kneeled in front of Wolfy. "What is the matter? Please tell me. How would I know if you didn't tell me?"
Wolfy, on the other hand, continued to weep while covering her face with her hands. Finally, Hilda took her hand in her own and compelled her (W) to look her in the eyes, asking, "Please tell me."
"I don't know," Wolfy yelled, his red eyes fixed on Hilda. Her face was a mess of anger, shyness, and reluctance as she repeated her words, "I don't know."
Hilda just sat there and waited as Wolfy said again, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I hate those women."
"Women!?" Hilda had no idea which woman she (W) was talking about, but she had a bad feeling about it.
"I hate Fiona. I hate that knight girl. I hate you." Her fluent resentment slowed down for a moment before she added, "I hate Rhea. I hate me."
Naturally, Hilda couldn't make head or tail of her (W) rambling, but she didn't forget to smooth things over. "OK, you can despise me. But I adore you."
She (W) glared at her (H) as if she didn't believe a word she (H) said. She (W) attempted to shake off her hand before yelling, "I hate you. I despise you the most."
Hilda patiently waited for her (W), as Wolfy took a long time before saying, "you made me like this. You," she continued to glare at Hilda, adding, "because of you I…"
"What did I do? Tell me, Wolfy."
"I don't know. I don't know." Wolfy said after a brief pause, "I hate it when you sleep with others. I hate it when you mate with that old hag. I hate it…"
Wolfy takes Hilda's hand in her, explaining, "I know I shouldn't feel it like this when you sleep with Rhea. Rhea is a very good girl, and she is your wife. But…"
Wolfy clutched her left breast and said, "It hurt when I heard her voice that night. It hurt in here. My heart was in pain. I hate it. I hate that feeling."
As tears flowed down her cheeks once more, she continued to mumble. "I don't want to do it. I don't want to despise her, but I can't help myself. It irritates me. I despise it when you..."
Hilda didn't let her end. She jumped up and hugged her. She realized there was only one way to alleviate her discomfort. That was with even more LOVE.