Chapter 30: [Chapter 030] You are not my husband
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"Blie."
While Grand Duke Noevian kept a watchful eye on Countess Acacia from a distance, Crown Prince Bardednaldo, having noticed the tense atmosphere, called out to Doris. Exchanging a meaningful glance with her father, Duke Castagna, Doris slowly looked up at him. Bardednaldo's gentle blue eyes were filled with concern.
"It doesn't seem like the Grand Duke is very enthusiastic about this. Is there really any need to make a vassal's wife from the Grand Duke's household your maid? If Your Highness needs anything, there would be a line of noblewomen eager to serve you."
"I wouldn't want someone from the Grand Duke's household near me either."
Her green eyes, as she looked down haughtily, shimmered faintly.
"If you don't want to get involved, Your Highness will have to take action. As I said, don't upset my father."
"..."
"Look over there, Your Highness."
Bardednaldo turned his gaze to where Doris was pointing. Duke Castagna, with a plump face, raised his champagne glass and smiled.
"He may be smiling, but I'm sure his heart is burning. His only daughter has been married for several years and hasn't conceived yet, and the son-in-law of the Crown Prince, the foundation of this nation, can't even save face for his father-in-law at a gathering like this."
"Your Highness, didn't we already pay our respects to the Duke during the toast?"
"You said that the western Castagna territory had contributed the most taxes this year? I don't find that very complimentary. It sounds more like you're saying that the family that lives the most luxuriously is the one where the people are most discontent."
"You know that's not what I meant, Your Highness."
"Then you should have made it clear by placing the Grand Duke of Trovica behind you instead of my father."
Doris lowered her voice and glanced at Noevian, who was keeping a watchful eye on Blie Acacia.
"Since you keep misunderstanding Your Highness's intentions, what else can I do? I can't have the Grand Duke by my side to gauge Your Highness's intentions, so I'll have to have someone from the Grand Duke's household instead."
Doris's eyes sparkled like a cat that had discovered an interesting toy.
***
The Crown Princess told me she would send me a letter, and I left the party. When I returned to the first floor, many noblewomen were giving me strange looks, curious about my conversation with the Crown Princess. The red-haired woman who had told me about Roardnes earlier was staring at me as if she wanted to know everything about what I had talked about with the Crown Princess, but I avoided her gaze.
"Let's talk."
Noevian, who had been watching me from a distance, finally approached me with a stern expression. He had clearly come to reprimand me. He led me to a quieter part of the third floor, away from the noisy party.
"...You've done something truly insane."
"What?"
He looked down at me with bloodshot eyes.
"Don't you know? We were supposed to spend the evening at the manor."
"I told you I wanted to come, and I even asked if I could come with someone else."
"I told you to wait for me. And to appear suddenly like this, especially..."
Noevian's voice trailed off as if he were recalling a terrible nightmare.
"When did you start contacting the Second Prince? Or how did you even manage to bring him to the party..."
"...You look jealous."
I looked at Noevian with a strange and curious expression. I had never seen him like this before.
"I've never seen you like this."
It was true. The calm and rational man I knew was nowhere to be found. It was both unfamiliar and exciting. Was this Noevian's true self?
"Don't change the subject. Did you do this on purpose? To make me angry? I had to lie to the Crown Princess to cover up your impulsive actions."
"Think whatever you want. And I wouldn't have cared if you hadn't helped me."
"..."
Noevian's expression faltered. A strange sense of betrayal and anger flashed in his dark blue eyes. I watched him intently.
"At Adriene's farewell party... you and the Second Prince left together in a carriage."
And then, his eyes suddenly lit up with a strange intensity. I felt a strange sense of betrayal and anger.
"Blie, are you... are you in love with the Second Prince?"
"Of course not. I love you."
I forced a smile, though my heart was pounding. It was easy to say those words.
"...Anyway, about becoming the Crown Princess's maid... why didn't you discuss it with me first?"
His tone had softened slightly, but there was still a hint of anger in his voice.
"Why would I discuss something like that with you?"
"What?"
"My husband is the Count of Acacia, isn't he?"
My slightly rebellious response made his face harden into a truly angry expression. His eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what I had said, but he couldn't shout in a place where others could hear, so he just dropped his jaw. It was so strange that he seemed surprised when I told him the truth. Noébian, after glancing around, grabbed my wrist and dragged me to a secluded corner. With strides that showed no regard for me, he cornered me and his eyes gleamed like a green sword in the darkness.
"...Say it again."
"You're not my husband."
"What are you trying to say?"
"If you were the Count of Acacia, I think you would have let me do whatever I wanted. I need friends other than just you."
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
"Ha, friends? Don't you understand the situation? A Crown Princess doesn't have friends."
Noébian spoke incredulously, his eyes still wide. But I looked straight at him, gripping my wrist that had gone numb, and said:
"What's the difference? If people knew about our relationship, I wouldn't be respected. Are people in the royal family so different?"
"Blier!"
"Everyone despises me. They pretend that I'm not in the Prince's mansion or the Count's mansion, but everyone thinks I'm low and promiscuous just because I'm a mistress!"
I pushed his hand away and spoke in a low voice. It was a blatant lie. Some of the maids at the Count's mansion genuinely cared for me, and some hoped that I would really become Noébian's mistress and enter the Grand Duke's mansion with him. And as long as I was healthy, I was confident that I could handle the wicked people in the Grand Duke's mansion. Noébian seemed to not have thought that far, and he looked down at me, speechless. The shadows under his eyes were still there. I disliked it very much.
'If you wanted me to die as you wished, you should have quickly taken this Blier and brought her to the Grand Duke's mansion and enjoyed yourself instead of me. Why are you dragging it out? You pretend to be sad and miserable and gain sympathy from everyone. You only cause confusion to Blier and Adrien.'
Now it was my turn to be angry. Noébian listened to my complaints silently and then opened his mouth.
"No matter what, don't get involved with the Crown Princess."
His voice softened slightly as he looked at my face, which seemed hurt as I held my aching wrist.
"Everyone says you're the head of the Crown Prince's faction, don't they?"
"..."
"It wouldn't be bad to be friends with the Crown Princess. She said she would help you."
"...It's better not to get involved with her."
He slowly wiped his face with one hand and frowned. He seemed quite troubled by his mistress's recklessness. Seeing his expression, I laughed.
"I don't want to get involved either. But how could I refuse the offer of Her Highness, the Crown Princess?"
"..."
I heard Noébian sigh deeply. And then...
'Those eyes again.'
"His dark blue eyes gazed endlessly into mine, filled with a troubled expression. Every time he looked only at my eyes, I felt a heart-wrenching pain.
'...Who are you seeing in my eyes?'
I wondered if he was thinking of Adrien. I wanted to scream and ask if he had already forgotten her and was now so indifferent that he could embrace another woman with the same eyes. I wanted to ask if he and this woman had really conspired to kill me, but I bit the tender flesh inside my lips to hold it back. The bitter taste of blood on my tongue snapped me back to reality. After all, Adrien means nothing to Noébian. He's just desperate to have his way with Blier, who's right in front of him. The betrayed expression he had when he entered Roardnes was still vivid in my mind. I was barely holding onto my crumbling heart when...
"..."
Noébian's face, which seemed to be suppressing his anger, came closer to me. I reflexively turned my head away from his impulsively approaching lips.
Leaning against the dark wall, Noébian remained still, his eyes darting around without turning his head. I could feel his gaze on my cheek as he looked at me. In this situation, trying to kiss me...! The miserable feelings I had barely managed to hold onto suddenly slipped out of my hands and exploded in my chest like fireworks. Was Noébian Trovica such a rude man?
"I..."
I barely opened my mouth, suppressing the nausea rising up.
"Just because I love you... doesn't mean you can treat me however you want."
I suppressed my trembling voice as well. I didn't look at Noébian, who was standing still, not even breathing. I couldn't face Noébian, who was trying to kiss Blier.
"I don't want to hide anymore just because I'm your mistress. Even the Empress's mistress showed her face in society, so is there any reason for me, whose existence is still faint, to hide like a criminal?"
"..."
"And if you didn't want me to get involved with Her Highness, the Crown Princess, or the Second Prince, why didn't you do something about it right now? Or at least tell me how to avoid getting involved."
I'm sure you could do that much, right? Without showing my trembling body, I passed by him and went out into the light. My heart, which had been swept away by misery and embarrassment, was certainly charred black. But... it strangely excited me that Noébian was so flustered and angry about what I had done.
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