To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

He sighed and stood up from his seat.

“Enough. Let’s have you return for today.”

“Ah…”

“There’s no point in discussing this when our opinions don’t align. It will only lead to conflict.”

Emmett didn’t look angry at Liv at all, but his gaze trying to maintain composure made Liv feel even more uncomfortable. It was as if… he had given up on conversing with her. As she was pushed out and left her seat, Liv felt truly resentful.

She was frustrated that she couldn’t even explain why she valued her own life so much. It was clear Emmett was disappointed in her, and she was confused about where to start setting things straight. Ultimately thinking she had misspoken, Liv gloomily left the Lartman ducal residence.

When Liv arrived home looking completely dejected, Hildegard asked with surprised eyes.

“Sister, did something happen? Why…”

“I don’t know, I ruined everything…”

Liv went into her room, pulled the blanket over her head and sobbed. How could she appear the same as others? Did she have to live cloaked in complete lies, becoming someone else and covering herself in falsehoods? That’s why Liv could never reveal her true self in human society.

‘Why am I so bad at relationships with people?’

If she failed even in her relationship with Emmett, whom she had genuinely tried to get closer to, was it impossible for Liv to get along with humans after all?

Thinking her life was always a mess, Liv wept all night.

* * *

The next day, a banquet was held at the imperial palace to commemorate St. Matthew’s Day. In the Holy Hilysid Empire, it was unimaginable for a noble to be absent from a banquet commemorating Saintesses, so Liv attended despite her gloomy face.

Liv saw Emmett standing far away, but he didn’t even glance at her.

‘Even though he knows I have no one else to talk to…’

For a moment she felt regret, but in any case, Liv didn’t resent Emmett. She knew she had misspoken, and above all, no matter what attitude Emmett showed, Liv’s love for him could overcome anything.

On the other hand, unlike Liv, Emmett looked as if he wasn’t concerned at all about yesterday’s events.

“I heard His Majesty the Emperor will grace this place?”

“What’s the occasion?”

“He must be in a bad mood. Probably someone again…”

“Ah…”

Judging from the whispers of the people around, today was the day the Emperor was coming, and Emmett’s attention seemed focused only on that.

‘The Emperor…’

He had already caused an incident last time, so she couldn’t do anything to stand out today. Even if the gods muddled her mind, Liv resolved not to lose her senses.

Thus, when the Emperor finally arrived.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”

How dare that man show himself here?

If he makes even the slightest mistake towards my child, I will punish him.

Even as the gods raged as if to crush Liv, she tried her best to stand her ground.

Fortunately, Liv succeeded in enduring the gods’ anger. She realized how to persevere even if her head felt like it would explode in pain.

As soon as the Emperor appeared, the people around all had frightened faces. She had heard the Emperor was a great man, but even considering that, their reactions were too extreme. Because it was as if they feared the person himself rather than his position…

And the reason was revealed in an incident that occurred not long after the banquet began.

“Hmm, a white tiara. Isn’t that the symbol of the former imperial family?”

When the Emperor pointed to a noble lady wearing a white tiara and said that, the noble lady immediately prostrated herself on the ground and cried out.

“M-my mother’s keepsake, I wore it out of ignorant insolence…! I meant nothing else by it!”

“Well, doesn’t that mean you’re displeased with the Steinberg imperial family?”

The Emperor was harassing an innocent noble lady, nitpicking her trivial attire. Liv may still be ignorant of many things, but she now knew a thing or two about dress etiquette in high society. And there was no etiquette stating that wearing a white tiara was a breach of decorum.

“Y-Your Majesty…! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“How should I deal with those who defy me…?”

Muttering that, the Emperor turned his head to Emmett beside him.

“Duke.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think about chopping off the head wearing the tiara? Can you do it for me?”

“…Of course I will follow Your Majesty’s will in all things, but for the sake of giving the young lady a chance to repent, perhaps cutting her hair would suffice.”

“Good idea. Execute it at once.”

Then without a moment’s hesitation, Emmett strode forward, drawing the sword at his waist.

“D-Duke, please…”

The noble lady begged with tears in her eyes, but Emmett grabbed her hair without batting an eye.

Liv covered her mouth at the sight that followed.

The moment Emmett moved his sword, golden locks of hair fell in a shower to the floor. Even as he carried out the cruel punishment on the noble lady, he had a pious and blind look as if following the will of god, making it all the more incongruous.

“Ah… aah!”

As the lady who had become a hideous sight screamed and prostrated herself, the Emperor made a dismissive gesture to have her removed. She was dragged away by the guards.

Now a heavy silence hung over the banquet hall.

Liv could understand why the young nobles had called the Emperor a ‘tyrant’ before. She still couldn’t tell what he was like as an ‘Emperor’, but at least judging by his attitude towards an individual, he could certainly be called a tyrant.

But what surprised Liv most of all was Emmett’s attitude.

The Emmett she knew was a kind man, but the Emmett from a moment ago was so ruthless and cold, and didn’t seem to harbor the slightest doubt about his actions. Of course, that didn’t mean Liv’s love for Emmett would cool, but she began to think that perhaps there was another side to Emmett she didn’t know.

Only after a terrifying atmosphere was created in the banquet hall did the Emperor leave with a satisfied smile. Only then did the suppressed voices of the nobles burst out.

“Hah, that was truly suffocating. By the way, didn’t that young lady just have her debut not long ago?”

“Indeed, how pitiful… Now that she’s fallen out of His Majesty’s favor, who would want to marry her?”

“His Majesty is really cruel too… Why pick on an innocent lady?”

Then, as they made eye contact with Liv, the lady who had been speaking grinned. She was one of Lady Zibel’s gang who usually disliked Liv, so she felt a foreboding.

“If he wants to harass someone, he should harass someone else.”

“Huh? Who…?”

“Who else could it be? That brazen fake Saintess, of course.”

“Ah.”

It was a topic that could change the mood, so smiles appeared on their lips. The chilly atmosphere had to be dispelled somehow, and one appropriate way was to make another scapegoat.

“Come to think of it, she’s alone today.”

“Seems like she’s finally been abandoned by the Duke.”

“The Duke made a wise decision. He was only showing a passing interest, after all.”

“She’s returned to where she belongs.”

Usually she would have let it go in one ear and out the other, but today’s Liv couldn’t do that.

‘Is this really where I belong?’

The helplessness of being abandoned by Emmett was filling Liv’s mind. Perhaps because she was engulfed in negative emotions, the words of the ladies that she would normally ignore hurt even more.

Soon, feelings of resentment towards the noble ladies began to grow in Liv’s heart.

‘Why do they always pick on me?’

They seemed to grow even closer to each other while reviling Liv. Even though the fact that Liv was a ‘Fake Saintess’ didn’t harm them, they criticized her.

She was sick and tired of suffering because of them…

Suddenly, a knife on the table caught Liv’s eye. What would happen if Liv stabbed her own neck with that knife right here?

Would the gods punish those who tormented Liv?

She could ask the gods to help her right away, but predicting what the capricious gods would do was very difficult.

The gods usually didn’t grant Liv’s requests. They mostly didn’t understand what humans thought, what emotions they experienced, and what they wanted. Only when Liv suffered did they finally become enraged and inflict divine punishment.

Then couldn’t Liv inversely make use of that? As if entranced, Liv walked to the table and grabbed the knife.

‘Should I slice or stab?’

Slicing alone didn’t seem likely to kill her after all. Then she could just deeply stab her neck with this.

Liv wasn’t afraid of death. She wouldn’t die anyway. The reason she feared death was because the gods’ wrath might turn towards those around her. So now, she could freely use her own life however she pleased.

The moment Liv, having finally made up her mind, tried to stab her own neck with the knife…

“Liv!”

Someone grabbed Liv’s hand.

Looking up, Emmett stood right in front of Liv with an angry face. He had grabbed her so forcefully that she couldn’t even pull her hand out.

In a voice tinged with anger that flickered unstably like Liv had never heard before, Emmett asked her.

“What were you trying to do just now?”

“I was just…”

Because of the Duke who had rapidly approached Liv, people around them were already watching the two with intrigued gazes. People’s eyes naturally went to Liv’s hand that Emmett had grabbed, and the knife grasped in that hand.