Chapter 178: Chapter 178

Tatiana stood up, her wine glass trembling in her hand, her face flushed not only from the drink but from the insult. "Who do you think you are exactly?" she spat, her voice sharp and bitter. "His Majesty himself assigned that position to me. You cannot fire me."

Lydia looked at her, her lips curling into a cold, mocking smile. She leaned back slightly in her chair, her eyes shining with icy fire. Then she chuckled softly, the sound both sweet and cruel. "Yes, I can, darling," she said calmly. "And you ask who I am? Let me remind you." Her tone dropped, colder, cutting through the tense air. "I am the Grand Duchess. And you? Who the hell are you? You are just a lady in waiting. Oh, forgive me." She tilted her head slightly. "A former lady in waiting."

Tatiana’s eyes widened, fury and shame mixing together, but Lydia did not stop.

"I think I should have the rules read to you again," Lydia continued, her voice sharp and deliberate, "since you are clearly too slow to comprehend them. As my lady in waiting, if you were caught having any kind of affair with my husband, I have every right to throw you out of here. Every right to punish you." She gave a small laugh, bitter and full of disdain. "So instead of dragging you through disgrace, I am being generous. If you don’t want to be humiliated publicly, or worse, punished as the law allows, you had better leave this palace by dawn."

She turned her head slightly toward the corner of the room, where Katherine stood quietly, her eyes wide but her face calm. "Dispose of all Lady Orlova’s belongings from her room," Lydia ordered. Her voice was clear, cold, final. "Anna will be occupying that room starting tomorrow."

Katherine bowed her head. "Yes, Your Highness."

But before Katherine could move, a calm, deep voice spoke.

"Do not do that, Katherine," Ivan said. His tone was steady, but it carried weight.

Katherine stood still, her hands folded, unsure what to do. Her eyes shifted between Lydia and Ivan, caught in the middle.

Ivan’s eyes turned to Lydia. His face was serious, his jaw tense, but his voice was calm. "I understand you don’t want her as your lady in waiting anymore," he said quietly. "But you cannot kick her out of the palace."

The air in the room shifted. Lydia slowly put down her fork, her fingers trembling slightly though her face remained composed. Her eyes locked on him, sharp and dangerous. Her voice was low but cutting. "Excuse me?"

Ivan said nothing more at first. His silence was heavy, almost unbearable. For original chapters go to novｅlfire.net

Lydia leaned back in her chair, then chuckled bitterly. "Ah," she said, her voice laced with mockery. "I remember. She’s with child, isn’t she? Or at least that is what she claims." Her lips twisted. "I’m sorry, but I don’t care. Whether she’s with child or not, I want her out of here."

Her eyes darkened, and her voice rose sharper. "Do not expect me to shelter your bastard child, Your Highness."

The room fell into silence.

Ivan’s face was still, but his voice remained calm, steady, almost pleading. "Still... don’t kick them out. I know I made a mistake, but I already promised I would take care of them. I cannot abandon my child." He paused, his eyes heavy. "Please understand that I can’t abandon them. Please."

His words were calm, but to Lydia they felt like knives cutting into her chest. Every syllable burned, every plea scraped her heart raw.

Her hands clenched tightly against the table. Her body was shaking, though her voice came out cold as ice. "Repeat what you just said."

Ivan’s eyes did not waver. His voice was low, steady. "I’m sorry. But I won’t abandon them."

Lydia’s face hardened. Her lips trembled. She let out a sharp laugh, but there was no joy in it. Only pain. "How chivalrous," she said bitterly. "How noble of you."

Her body was seething with rage. Her eyes shone with hot tears she tried to hold back. "You won’t abandon your child?" she hissed, her voice rising.

Her hand reached out blindly, grabbing the nearest thing — a candlelight. Without thinking, she hurled it across the table.

The candleholder flew past Ivan’s head, landing with a loud crash against the wall. Flames flickered for a moment before the servants rushed to put them out.

Gasps filled the room. Everyone was stunned, frozen in shock.

Lydia’s chest heaved. Her eyes were red, her tears spilling freely now. "You can’t abandon your child?" she screamed. "Coming from you? The same man who abandoned his own son?"

Her voice broke, the words raw, torn from her chest. Hot tears streamed down her face. "Screw you," she spat. "Despicable bastard!"

Her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she stood, her body trembling with fury and heartbreak. Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the dining hall, her tears falling with every step.

Anna and Katherine immediately rushed after her, their faces full of worry.

Lydia walked quickly down the corridor, trying to control her sobs, but the tears would not stop. They rolled down her cheeks, blinding her, burning her eyes. She pressed her lips together, trying not to cry out loud, but the pain was too much.

She reached her chambers, her hand reaching for the door. But she was shaking so badly that she couldn’t even turn the handle properly. Her strength failed her. Her anger and pain mixed until she couldn’t think straight.

She pressed against the door, struggling, but then her knees gave way. She collapsed to the floor, her body shaking violently with sobs.

Katherine and Anna hurried to her side, kneeling beside her, their hands gentle as they tried to help her.

Lydia buried her face in her hands, her voice trembling with broken laughter and sobs. "It’s funny, isn’t it?" she whispered bitterly. "When I told him about my pregnancy, he ignored me. He called me a liar." Her shoulders shook with anger and pain. "But he believes her. He believes her when it’s obvious she’s lying."

Anna looked at her in shock. "What do you mean?" she asked softly, her voice cautious.

Lydia lifted her tear-stained face, her eyes burning with fury and pain. "Lady Orlova isn’t pregnant," she said bitterly.

Her words cut the air like thunder, leaving the room silent.

Meanwhile, back in the dining hall, the atmosphere was heavy, suffocating.

Boris slowly stood, his eyes on Ivan. His voice was calm, but there was weight behind it. "Let’s have a word, Your Highness," he said firmly. "I’ll be in your study." Without waiting for a reply, he walked out of the hall.

Ivan sat still for a moment, silent, his face unreadable. Finally, he stood and left the room without a word, following the direction Boris had gone.

Tatiana remained alone in the dining hall. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached again for her glass of wine, but her lips pressed together tightly. She had gotten what she thought she wanted, yet for some reason, her heart was filled with a strange, cold fear.

She sat there, silent, trembling.