The Duchess of Kellus stormed into the Grand Ducal Residence today.
For one reason only.
Because of something the Grand Duchess told her at the tea party.
“Madam Pessia, why are you here…….”
“Oh, I was invited by Her Highness to speak with her, and I’m on my way back. Then, I’ll get going now.”
Armédie pushes open the door to the parlor, her eyes full of questions.
She’s dying to know. What are we going to talk about.
Even at the end, her eyes are drawn to the parlor.
She’s probably lurking out there, eavesdropping on our conversation.
“Yes, I have something to tell you.”
“The Partani Hotel……. Tell me how you knew about it.”
“Is that what you’re so rude as to come here to ask?”
“I asked you how you knew my husband had a mistress.”
Venom flashed in Madam Kellus’s eyes.
She’d seen it coming. Her husband’s affair.
If she had timed it right, she might have seen the two of them sprawled out on a luxurious bed.
“Having a mistress is a tiresome business, don’t you think?”
I smiled, oblivious to her words.
Madam Kellus’s crimson lips were quivering sweetly.
Let’s see, what happened at the Partani Hotel.
I want the Duke to be all mine.
Taryn, ı am already yours.
I'm not ..... the Duchess.
Taryn’s voice was full of pleasure.
The Duke and his mistress embrace each other, whispering sweet nothings.
Then, the door opens and the Duchess enters, looking despondent.
'You , what the......'
The Duchess looks at the mess of clothes on the floor and falls to the ground.
With a short scream of surprise, the mistress throws a blanket over herself to cover her naked body,
She was duchess’s maid, who had been her daily companion.
“If it were a simple affair, I wouldn’t have come here!”
“Then, what did you want to know that brought you here in such a hurry?”
“I asked you how you knew things that even I, who live with them, did not know.”
Armedie has been listening to our conversation from the other side of the door.
She gestures to her maid (Flotty’s maid) to be quiet.
She hands her the sapphire ring on her finger and demands silence.
“I’ll tell you, but first you must calm down and sit down.” (Flotty)
“I appreciate the gesture, but I only want to hear the answer, and I have no time for leisurely tea.
This poor woman may have to give up her place as a noble duchess.
In this empire, where no woman is allowed to study, no woman is allowed to advance in society, the reputation of a woman abandoned by her husband is set in stone.
The dishonor of divorce to be replaced by a mistress?
For men, such a thing is considered heroic.
“Them meeting in complete secrecy, and them planning to throw me out of the duchy, all of it!”
“By any chance, do you think I took advantage of that maid?”
“No. ……So tell me the truth, Your Highness, lest I misunderstand you.”
The maid was not a woman who would remain merely a mistress.
Someone who would take the Duchess’ place at his side, and push him to the brink.
A clandestine rendezvous that would not end in sordid privacy.
“If I tell you how I know, what will you do for me?”
“I’m telling you that I’m suspicious of Your Grace.”
A shrill voice echoed through the parlor.
“Whether you suspect me or not is of no consequence to me.”
“Your Highness!”
“Lower your voice. Will you be satisfied until this is in the mouths of others?”
Madam Kellus shuddered with fury, unable to contain her rage.
Of course my plan is to get within earshot of Armedie.
Things will go smoothly thanks to her, who moves according to plan.
“Unfortunately, I have nothing to do with Duke Kellus.”
“Ha……. Are you asking me to believe that?”
“Again, I don’t need your trust.”
Madam Kellus pursed her lips as she watched me cut her off firmly.
I know she’s resentful, but I’m not the one who did this.
“If you want to keep your position as Duchess, I can help you with that.”
If she wasn’t traumatized by her husband’s love affair, then preserving her position would be enough.
After all, it was an arranged marriage.
If you’re afraid of life after divorce.
“In three days, the mistress will be after you.”
“What the…….”
“You’d better take one person you trust with you, they’ll be your witnesses.”
Madam Kellus is skeptical, but she can’t shake the ‘just in case’ feeling.
I’m the one who brought to light that her husband had a mistress.
“You’ve got nothing to lose, it’s just a matter of following up.”
“…….”
“Don’t you wonder what you’ll see?”
To believe or not to believe.
I can see Madam Kellus’s mind racing.
“Well, think about it. There’s plenty of time.”
That’s all I have to say.
The choice is now hers.
“What exactly are you hiding, Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know what to make of that attitude of yours, as if you know everything.”
Even in this situation, her arms were crossed, and she was glaring at me.
I thought, “This is enough.”
Armédie is listening in.
It’s the perfect time to say what I need to say to the Queen.
“I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to keep it to yourself.”
“What do you mean ……?”
“I actually have a special ability. Whether you believe it or not, it’s true.”
Her expression subtly twists.
I wonder what I can say to get her interested.
How can I get her to take an interest in me, to show her true face?
“I can read people’s futures.”
“……? That sounds really interesting, and unbelievable.”
“The choice is yours. I have nothing to add, so you may leave.”
I don’t care if you think you’re listening to a crazy woman.
I don’t want Madam Kellus’s faith. Only the Queen is my goal.
“What do you mean? You want to me leave?” (Duchess Kellus)
“……If what you say is true, tell me my future.” (Duchess Kellus)
I wondered who Diana Kellus’ red hair resembled.
Her hair, blazing like the sun, swayed with her gestures.
There was desperation in Madam Kellus’s hand as she grabbed my wrist to leave the parlor.
“That depends on what you choose to do in three days.”
“…….”
“Think about it.”
I smiled and dropped her hand.
I open the door and see no sign of Armédie outside.
‘She’s quick.’
Armédie will take the shocking tale of what she has seen and heard today to the palace.
The Queen will be horrified to hear this.
She will begin to worry that her plans might go awry.
‘Show yourself, Queen.’
From top to bottom.
I will reveal them to the whole world.
“Where?” (Flotty)
“Not far from the capital. I need to check something out, so I’ll be gone for a while.” (Denver)
“Hmm…….”
For the first time, I realized that sleeping in the same bed with a man might not be a bad idea.
The bed was big enough that I could spread my arms wide and not touch him,
It was only possible because all we talked about in bed was work.
“It’s dangerous, so don’t see the queen or the prince alone. Until I return.”
“There might be clues in the abandoned palace, is that what you are saying?”
“I’m not sure if it’s still there, but I know it started there.”
I wondered if this is something to say while languidly lying down, resting his head on his hand.
The look in this man’s tired eyes was more obscene than I had realized.
Before I could get carried away, I turned my head away quickly.
“Why don’t I come with you? I might be able to use my powers to pick up more important clues.”
“You can’t, it’s dangerous.”
“What?”
The Grand Duke rejected my suggestion very quickly.
I thought he’d take me along, since I’d be useful.
While I’m still reeling from his unexpected answer, he glances up into my face.
“Then I should come with you, in case something happens.”
“It’s not that your abilities are useless.”
“…….”
“…There’s an evil spirit living in the abandoned palace.”
He spoke with a slight pause. Like he was waiting.
I wonder if he thinks I’m afraid of ghosts or something.
I thought it was full of priests serving the snake or something.
“It’s okay, I’m pretty good at that.”
“Still, no. You stay here and get the Queen’s attention.”
We could solve the problem quickly, so why are you acting so frustratingly slow?
If anything, I’m more likely to be in trouble if I am alone in the capital.
“I don’t like inefficiency. I’d rather go with you, do a quick scan, and come back.”
“Flotty, why won’t you listen to me?”
“It’s more dangerous for me to stay in the mansion alone.”
Plus, he found an abandoned palace that could hold clues.
It’s a welcome surprise.
Right now, I’m just meeting the queen and the prince and having a war of nerves.
This opportunity will never come again.
I must seize every clue I can find in the abandoned palace.
“I won’t be a burden, so please take me.”
“…….”
I’m dying to find out what they’re up to so I can escape.
“Ha.”
His shallow sigh was an affirmation.
I smiled contentedly and went to bed.
With the illusion that things would somehow be resolved quickly.
“This is…….”
The abandoned palace?
It was a long drive from the outskirts of the capital.
The castle stood before them, seemingly devoid of any living creatures, let alone signs of life.
“Wait here with Hardin.”
“What do you mean, we’ve come all this way.”
Hardin and Harton stood guard outside the abandoned palace.
The cobwebs in the nooks and crannies and the vines hugging the outer walls made the castle look even more inhospitable.
“Don’t regret it.”
Even as he spoke, the Grand Duke urged me to stay close behind him.
‘Come on, I’m not scared.’
I pushed open the door and stepped inside the abandoned palace.
The bats, startled by my unexpected visit, flapped their wings and flew out the door in unison.
“Huh…….”
An abandoned palace is indeed an abandoned palace.
With no lights inside, I had to rely on the trickle of sunlight to move forward.
Leaking rainwater soaked the floor, making it creak with each step.
“Flotty, don’t keep walking ahead of me.”
“Oh, I was being curious, I’m sorry.”
I let my mind run ahead of me, and walked past the Grand Duke.
It’s dark, quiet, and I can’t see much.
Across the wide hall, I see a staircase, dirty with dust and rainwater.
I walk and climb for a while, looking straight ahead,
Something doesn’t feel right.
“…… Your Highness?”
A hand grabs the end of my hair and refuses to let go.
“……What are you doing?”
And what’s with the uneasy look in his eyes?
Is he afraid of ghosts?
“I feel uneasy because you keep getting ahead of me…….”
Despite his words, his face in the sunlight was full of worry.
Oh, I shouldn’t be laughing like this in an abandoned palace,
I laughed out loud.
“Are you scared?”
Isn’t it funny that the Grand Duke, who wouldn’t bat an eyelid if a man died in front of him, is so frightened at the mere mention of a ghost?
I put my hand over the Grand Duke’s that was holding my hair.
“Let me hold your hand.”
I said, unable to contain my laughter, and he looked down at me with a puzzled expression.
“That’ll make it less scary.”
The blush that colored his pure white face was quite cute.
I smiled and tugged on his hand.
For a moment, the stifling tension in the abandoned palace was gone, but the real trouble was just beginning.
“Shhh.”
The Grand Duke clamped his free hand over my mouth as we wandered down the second-floor hallway.