The whole hall was covered by gasps and shock as Odette screamed Emma's name.
Suddenly, guards and maidservants ran towards her to see what's the matter.
"Your majesty, what's wrong?" One of the maids asked.
"Where's Emma?!"
Odette was out of control.
"Who's Emma?"
"The name doesn't ring a bell."
"That aside, didn't you see how her majesty approached the duke?"
"I saw it too! She touched him!"
"More like, she caressed his face. Is that even proper?"
"Why did she do that?"
"Her majesty is acting weird."
The nobles who saw what she did earlier were curious.
Their mouths were itching to gossip and their tongues wanted to entertain through magical plays of words.
All of them were dumbfounded by Odette's action.
But the ones who are most surprised were Stephen and Dorothea.
The Dwight family already knew that Odette was somehow obsessed with Raphael but the current rulers had no idea of this mess.
"Your majesty, what are you doing?" Stephen finally stepped in as she held Odette by the wrist.
"Son! I need to find that whore! She ruined my plans!!" Odette was acting beyond reason.
Stephen couldn't figure her out at all.
"Raphael is mine. He was originally mine. Why won't you let me have him?"
*SLAP!*
*Gasp!*
Everyone held their breaths as they saw the very emperor slapping his own mother, the empress dowager.
"....?!.." Even Odette was surprised.
"Please escort the empress dowager to her chambers. She must be drunk from drinking alcohol. Go." Stephen ordered a guard.
"I'm not drunk! I need to find Emma!!"
"I apologize for my mother's rudeness, Duke Dwight. I'll compensate you for this."
Yet another round of shocked gasps filled the area.
It was the first time they saw the emperor bowing to someone of lower rank. And that lower rank was none other than the hero of the empire, Duke Raphael Dwight.
"Please raise your head, your majesty." Raphael uttered.
"EMMA!!!!!"
Though the conversation still went on, the empress dowager who was getting dragged out of the banquet halls still kept screaming Emma's name.
*Creaaak—*
Suddenly, the huge doors opened.
Someone entered.
*Tak*
*Tak*
The hall was quiet and steps echoed around the place.
"!!!!"
Odette's eyes widened with anger as she saw the person who walked in without worry.
"EMMA!!"
"That's Emma?"
"So she's a maid."
"She must be the empress dowager's trusted person."
"I thought she was a noble."
Emma walked towards the empress dowager while ignoring all the gossips.
"I greet your majesty." Emma bowed in front of Odette.
"Y-You-!!"
*SLAP!*
Emma received a harsh blow on her left cheek.
'Endure it.' Emma silently thought.
"The empress dowager looks furious."
"Just what did the maid do?"
Continuous gossips filled the area and Stephen and Doeothea felt nothing but second hand embarrassment.
How they wished that this night would just end in a flash.
"Your majesty, please calm down." Emma suggested.
"Calm down?! You ruined everything!! How can I calm down?!"
"Please, let's talk about this somewhere else-"
"YOUR MAJESTY THE EMPEROR!!"
Somebody suddenly shouted.
A man rushed in between the crowded halls and found himself free after approaching close towards the emperor.
"Protect their majesties!!"
Knights surrounded Stephen and Dorothea in a blink of an eye.
*Shing*
A sword was drawn and it pointed at the man's neck.
"Who are you?!"
"..!! I- I'm an Imperial Doctor!" He raised both of his hands.
"Doctor?"
"Please hear me out, your majesty. I have something important to tell you." He bowed his head to the ground.
The knights looked at each other with confusion.
"Step back. Go back to your posts." Stephen ordered.
"Yes, your majesty." The knights answered in unison then left afterwards.
"....."
"...."
Stephen strode towards the bowing man.
"Stand up."
"Thank you so much, your majesty."
"Identify yourself."
"Yes... My name is Duncan Delgado, I am an Imperial Doctor."
"!!!!"
Odette and Emma's expression were afrightened after they heard Duncan introducing himself.
'That rat! Why is he here?!' Odette screamed inside her head.
"Alright. And what's so important that you decided to come here and tell me this 'something' personally to me?"
This was the only time that Stephen decided to forgive such rudeness. Since everything was already a mess because of his mother, he gave Duncan a chance.
"Because I believe that everyone in this hall deserves to know the truth... Especially to the Dwight family." He glanced at them.
'Ah, so he's the one.' Carla, Raphael, and Callahan knew that this was the man that Catherina mentioned.
"What truth?"
All the nobles were silent, as if they were watching a thrilling movie.
They were curious about what's going to go out of Duncan's mouth. They were excited to know about this 'truth.'
Even Dorothea was also curious. She felt that something big was about to happen.
Odette won't let him say anything. And Emma was also the same.
They couldn't let him reveal the whole truth right here and now.
"Your majesty! That doctor is a quack! He-!"
"Silence, mother." Stephen glared at Odette.
"!!!" Odette was left dumbfounded.
"Continue." Stephen added.
"Yes, your majesty.. This truth is something that has been haunting me for over six years. My guilt cannot take it anymore that's why I decided to muster courage for the sake of atonement...
Everyone!! Please hear me out.
I am here to reveal the truth about Lady Catherina's death six years ago and her existence...."
"What is he talking about?"
"Six years ago?"
"What does he mean?"
Duncan felt like he was about to get choked by words.
But he already decided to end things here after meeting the alive Catherina.
"Lady Catherina Dwight is still alive!!"