Chapter 358. Love (1)
Translator: Aura / Editor: SaWarren, HB168
Sovieshu’s face stiffened, his eyes darkened and the atmosphere around him became heavy.
When Rashta took several steps back, the small distance between them widened. She turned pale and denied it desperately.
“No! No! No! It can’t be! Your Majesty, this doesn’t make sense!”
Sovieshu, who remained motionless, sighed lightly.
“It doesn’t make sense?”
He was quick to mutter in a desolate voice,
“Yes. As you say, this really doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t mean that…”
Sovieshu clenched his fists repeatedly. He was very angry, but he couldn’t vent here, so he looked even angrier.
In fact, not only was his mind in chaos, but he was also overcome with all kinds of negative emotions. It was very painful that the princess, whom he loved so much, was not his daughter.
Those present stood in silence, unable to breathe. No one knew what to say in this unprecedented situation.
Only the princess, surprised by the blood that had been drawn, continued to cry intensely.
“Marquis Karl.”
After a while, Sovieshu called out to his secretary in a deep voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Marquis Karl, who was also shocked by what had happened, quickly approached. Sovieshu then muttered helplessly.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Your Majesty…”
However, when Sovieshu spoke again, his voice was determined.
“Bring that man.”
‘That man?’ Rashta, who was devastated, raised her head curiously.
Suddenly, there was a commotion. When Rashta looked in that direction, she saw Sovieshu’s men dragging Alan in.
‘Why is Alan here?’
Startled, Rashta shouted,
“Your Majesty!”
But rather than answer, Sovieshu turned to the priest,
“Priest.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do another paternity test to see if the princess is this man’s daughter.”
Sovieshu’s order was categorical and cold.
Rashta exclaimed in astonishment as she felt the blood drain from her entire body,
“Your Majesty, let’s repeat the test! It doesn’t make sense! The Princess really is our daughter! The test must be repeated!”
Sovieshu became angrier when Rashta asked him to repeat the test, his patience had run out. He didn’t want to suffer that humiliation again, he didn’t want to hear again that the princess was not his daughter. However, he did want the test to be done with Alan.
“Let me go! Let me go! Rashta! Rashta!”
Alan shouted her name desperately as he was dragged in. When he brazenly uttered the Empress’ name, those present whispered to one another.
Rashta ignored Alan and tried to approach the princess.
‘No doubt someone has manipulated the test result. I don’t know what that person did, but it was manipulated. Otherwise, this would not have been the test result.’
If she didn’t hold the princess herself and draw her blood to check the result, she would never believe it.
“Your Majesty, it must have been manipulated. If not, it is because too little blood was drawn from the princess. If more is drawn, the correct result will be obtained.”
The priest took a step back and shouted with a frightened look,
“Not much more blood can be drawn. The baby couldn’t take it!”
The princess’s crying grew louder. Sovieshu’s face became even stiffer than before.
The n.o.bles present also looked at Rashta with displeasure. It would be cruel to draw more blood from that little baby unnecessarily, even if it wasn’t the princess.
Alan was terrified and asked Rashta for help, but no one cared about him.
Sovieshu, who felt that the more time pa.s.sed the more he would become a laughing stock, coldly ordered.
“Do the paternity test.”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”
The priest returned to his position in the structure and said to Rashta,
“Empress. Please stand here.”
But Rashta stepped back and shouted,
“I won’t do it unless the test is with Emperor Sovieshu! I’ll not take a paternity test with that man! It’s an insult to me! Your Majesty! Absolutely not!”
With fists clenched and teeth bared, Rashta looked like she would attack anyone who came near her.
She was still the Empress of the Eastern Empire, so there was nothing to be done if she flatly refused to take the paternity test.
The priest hesitated and looked at Sovieshu, who was frowning.
Alan hastily knelt down and begged.
“Your Majesty, I have nothing to do with the Princess. I only met Rashta again after she became your concubine.”
Rashta was so enraged that he still called her directly by her name that she hit Alan in the s.h.i.+n with her heel, with all her might, and blood spurted out.
“Ah.”
Alan finally closed his mouth and bent over in pain.
Sovieshu watched the pathetic scene, then gestured to the two knights near Rashta.
Once they received the order, the two knights surrounded Rashta, grabbed her by the arms and dragged her in front of the structure.
This was not the way to treat the Empress, but none of the n.o.bles were surprised.
Now that the situation had reached this point, Rashta would not be able to remain in the position of empress. It would only be a matter of how much she would endure, in what manner she would fall, and whether she would be punished once she was deposed.
One knight held Rashta in front of the structure while the other extended her hand and pressed hard on the wound made by Sovieshu in the previous test.
Blood flowed from the wound again, falling into the newly placed plate.
“Let me go! Let me go! I am the Empress! You can’t do this! Your Majesty, I am still the Empress! You can’t do this!”