Chapter 3

Cordelia carefully turns her head and sees a woman wearing heavy armor on her body. In just one look, the young girl can easily tell the identity of that woman. Her scarlet hair is tightly tied while her sunset eyes are glaring at the maid who dragged her into the garden. She is definitely her mother, Marquess Viviane Demitria.

After two years of battling with their enemies, the Black Knights finally succeeded in defending their kingdom last month. Although it took them two years to do that, it was still worth it. Viviane led her troops without showing any weakness and all of it paid off seeing how their enemies started retreating and raising their white flags. After they succeeded in their mission, it was time for them to go back.

Viviane and her troops are scheduled to return to the capital next week. The Emperor was planning to hold a huge banquet to celebrate their victory. But the female General couldn't wait anymore and decided to go back first. She was really yearning to see her family again after spending two years on the battlefield.

Since two years had already passed, Vivian knew there were a lot of things that probably changed within her family. Maybe her husband has already grown a beard or developed a new design for their ship. Her children have surely grown up and already learned a lot of things. The female General was already making plans for how she could spend her vacation with them and catch up on the things she missed for the past two years.

But instead of a warm and loving welcome from her family, Viviane saw a maid trying to hurt her daughter. To her anger, she hit the maid on her spinal cord and kicked her hard in the stomach. There is a chance that the maid will die soon but Viviane doesn't care about it.

"Cordelia!"

Viviane quickly approaches the young girl to see her condition. She almost cried on the spot seeing the condition of her daughter. She looks so small, thin, and weak. The female General suddenly becomes scared that her touch will hurt the young girl and tries to hold her as gently as she can.

"My baby, w-what happened to you? H-How did this happen?" Viviane asked in a shaky voice.

The female General is shaking all over her body. She never expected this to be the scene where she would see the first after she had participated in war for years. Viviane tries her best not to cry in front of her daughter. But the pain in her heart after seeing Cordelia in this state is so much that tears start falling down her eyes.

"Mommy's now here, baby. Everything is now going to be alright." Viviane said as she kept her voice soft and steady.

Taking a deep breath, the female General removes her gloves first before she carefully carries her daughter's small and frail body. She doesn't dare to put more strength in her arms thinking Cordelia must be in too much pain right now. She is about to go inside the mansion when they hear several footsteps approaching them.

"Viviane?!" Fernando called in a surprised voice. "Why are you here?"

The Marquis already heard that the Black Knights succeeded in their mission and they were scheduled to return to the capital next week. That's why he is surprised to see his wife who is also the General Commander of the Black Knights in front of them right now.

"What were you doing when I was away, Fernando?!" Viviane asked the first question in her mind. "Do you even know that a maid is hurting Cordelia?!"

Looking around, they can finally see a maid who is moaning in pain not too far from them. Fernando frowns when he hears his wife's complaints. This is the first time he hears that a maid is hurting that little girl. No wonder Viviane is so mad right now.

"There must be a misunderstanding—"

"Misunderstanding?! Fernando, I saw with my own eyes how that maid tried to kick our daughter—"

"She is not my daughter!"

"W-What?"

The Marquis takes a deep breath before he looks at his baffled wife.

"I already know that truth, Viviane. There's no need for you to hide the truth."

"What are you talking about? Cordelia is our daughter!"

"It is already useless to hide the truth from me." Fernando bitterly replied. "A Paladin already confirmed the truth about your infidelity."

Seeing the confusion and anger in Viviane's face, Fernando decided to explain everything that happened after she left to do her duties as the General Commander. He told her about Cordelia's unusual mana waves that didn't match his. After the Marquis explained everything to his wife, the female General Commander quietly carried the little girl in her arms and passed her to Finnick who followed his father and watched everything in silence. Viviane told her eldest son to carefully hold Cordelia before she faced her husband.

"Viviane—"

The Marquis cannot even finish his words since Viviane gives him a hard punch in his face. The punch is so powerful that Marquis Fernando falls on the ground with his nose and lips bleeding so hard. The servants who are present at that time want to stop her but they quickly stop seeing the murderous look on the female General Commander's eyes.

"You mean to tell me Cordelia has been in this situation for years now just because you believed that Paladin's words more than me, your wife?!" Vivian said in a scary voice. "To a small child like you... How could you..."

Marquis Fernando slowly sits himself on the ground and looks at his wife.

"You know better than anyone that mana waves never lie, Viviane." Fernando replied as he wiped the blood off his face. "Cordelia's mana waves don't match with mine—Ugh!"

"Use it." Viviane demanded. "Use it and see the truth with your own eyes."

"You... Why do you have this?"

"Is that even important right now? What's more important is to prove my innocence here!"

The female General throws a dagger on Fernando's face. But it is not just an ordinary dagger but a royal artifact—The Dagger of Truth. The Emperor entrusted it to her before they left the capital thinking it could be a huge help for their mission. Not even in her wildest dream that she will use the dagger to prove herself in front of the man she married. Viviane shows her palm to Marquis Fernando and gives him instructions.

"Cut me with that dagger after you ask me a question. If the dagger turns black, that means I am lying and poison from its blade will kill me on the spot. And nothing will happen if I'm telling the truth."

When Marquis Fernando shows hesitation on his face, the female General Commander angrily pushes her palm and urges him to do it quickly. After hesitating for a bit, he holds Viviane's hand and places the sharp blade on her skin. After swallowing hard, the Marquis finally asks her a question.

"You... Did you cheat on me with other men?" Marquis Fernando asked before slicing his wife's skin.

Blood starts trickling down her skin but Viviane does not even flinch. Her eyes are staring straight at her husband. With a steady voice, the female General Commander gives him a firm reply.

"No. I did not cheat on you. I will never cheat on my husband."

The two wait for a minute to see any reaction from the dagger. But its blade never turned black nor did the female General become affected because of poison. That makes the Marquis feel a shiver in his spine.

"T-Then Cordelia... Is she really my daughter?!" The Marquis asked again and cut Vivian's palm for the second time.

"Yes. Cordelia is our daughter." Viviane replied. This time, her eyes are filled with unshed tears.

Just like what happened earlier, the dagger retains its shine and not even a speck of black spots can be seen on its surface. The Marquis lets go of the dagger and looks at his wife with shaking eyes. He tries to speak but no words come out of his mouth.

"Do you believe me now, Fernando?" Viviane asked. "I will never dare to cheat on the man I married. I never thought that you..."

"N-No way! There's no way!" Fernando denied. "But Cordelia—"

"Have you forgotten? Our daughter is quite special among our children because she got most of her mana from me."

When Viviane was conceiving Cordelia in her womb, she was so frail and could not even stand up for too long. It was because their third child was slowly absorbing her mana and became reliant on it. Aside from keeping them both healthy, Viviane had to take a few mana potions every month, or else the baby in her womb might possibly die.

"The mana in Cordelia's body is mostly mine because she was dependent on my mana to keep her alive."

"No... Then I... to Cordelia..."

Not only Fernando, but also Finnick who is currently holding the weak child in his arms suddenly shakes in fear. They witnessed how his mother proved herself. That means Cordelia is their real sister from the very start. His mother never cheated on his father but they treated a small child like a living trash because of their foolish thoughts.

Viviane has no time to deal with her husband or to think of her shattering heart. She still has more important things to do. Blinking her eyes, she turns her back on the Marquis who is having a mental breakdown, Viviane quietly gets Cordelia from Finnick's arms. She needs to bring her daughter to a physician and check her condition. The female General carefully rides her horse as she keeps Cordelia safe in her arms.

Ignoring the call of her husband and son, Viviane leaves the mansion while thinking about Cordelia's safety.