Chapter 69: [Chapter 069] I want to leave my husband
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As soon as Doris received my letter, she sent an official document announcing that she would be visiting the Grand Duchess Adrien, and then she left the palace with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, who had always seemed uncomfortable with Doris, looked surprised when I told him I had something to say. But that was only for a moment. As soon as he opened the first document I handed him, the shock was evident in his once gentle eyes. Doris, who was standing beside him, was equally shocked, but soon couldn't hide her excitement and exchanged glances with me. She seemed unable to control her mouth, which was about to split open, as if she couldn't believe that Blier Acacia had done such a good job without being told to. As the Crown Prince's face twisted, Doris bit her lip to keep from smiling.
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The Crown Prince's flawless white hand reached for the second document I handed him. As he took it out and read it one by one, his facial expression, which he had barely managed to maintain, changed constantly. The first one contained the fact that Noevian had deliberately sent rebels and monsters to the West. The second contained the fact that he had 'created' them. The Crown Prince, who seemed to have stopped breathing and couldn't even blink, was startled and raised his head when Doris gently touched his arm. I met his eyes, filled with silent despair.
"I need time to think."
"Your Highness! Can't you see it with your own eyes? What kind of things has this man, who calls himself a member of this royal family, been doing behind the scenes! And to do such a thing to the West, of all places, which is my father's territory! I can't believe it. If my father finds out..."
The word "father" from Doris's mouth made the Crown Prince's expression even more astonished. He must be under a lot of pressure from Duke Castagna. I already knew quite a lot about the Crown Prince's current situation through Nora. It was obvious that once the Duke found out about this, there would be a bloodbath within the Crown Prince's faction. Bardenaldo, who had barely placed the documents on the table with trembling hands, quickly wiped his face. He seemed to be trying to regain his composure. As I watched silently, I met Doris's gaze, who was urging me to do something, and I opened my mouth heavily.
"Your Highness, Your Highness will need time to think as well."
"Blier!"
"He's not just a commoner. He's Your Majesty's younger brother and Your Highness's uncle. He's a person who has a great influence on Your Highness's power, so it won't be easy to get rid of him by connecting him to the rebels."
Bardenaldo seemed to be slightly comforted by my gentle voice and slowly nodded, taking a sip of his cold tea. But he couldn't seem to come to his senses and shook his head several times. Doris frowned slightly, then stood up when the Crown Prince suddenly got up from his seat. She seemed ready to tear his soul apart if he tried to defend Noevian again.
"Your Highness, please finish your visit to the Grand Duchess and return to the palace slowly."
"Your Highness, surely you won't go and consult with the Duke after seeing this?"
"Doris."
The Crown Prince called her by name. His voice was very low, and Doris flinched.
"This is a very serious matter that could plunge this empire into great turmoil. As long as I am the Crown Prince, this kind of thing must never happen again."
We both held our breath at his firm voice. The Crown Prince stared at the ceiling with a deep sigh, then suddenly turned his gaze to me.
"...I can't help but say thank you. Whatever your intentions, I will never forget that you revealed a truth that I could have lived my whole life without knowing."
The Crown Prince spoke as if he were truly sincere. Logically speaking, it would have been the best scenario for me to simply bury this matter and live comfortably as a Grand Duchess. He nodded slightly towards me, as if it were unusual, and left the annex with a determined expression. Gaspal followed him out, looking bewildered. Doris sat down and smiled brightly, watching them leave. She seemed to have the world in her hands, having caught Noevian, who had been an eyesore, and the Crown Prince, who had also been caught with a major weakness.
"Ah, Blie. I never thought you'd do such a good job. It's so satisfying. I think you'll feel this same sense of triumph soon when the Grand Duke falls. How about it? Shall we toast as women?"
Doris popped open the champagne bottle that had been sitting on the table like a decoration. The maid who had come with her from the palace reached out for the bottle in horror, but Doris easily stopped her and poured some into a glass. The decorative champagne was lukewarm and probably tasted terrible, but Doris drank it as if it were sweet nectar and then poured me another glass. I reluctantly clinked glasses with her and took a sip. It was just as tasteless as I expected.
"I wonder what His Highness, the Crown Prince, will decide. I thought he would immediately summon the Grand Duke and reprimand him for something like this."
"Ho ho, Blie. You don't know His Highness well enough to say that."
Doris laughed cruelly and filled her glass again, downing the drink. "What a tiresome man to have so much affection but not the courage to take everything he wants! If he lets this slide, I won't just sit idly by, so don't worry."
She actually seemed pleased. I was confused and paused for a moment, tilting my head. Could it be that after discovering her husband's involvement with the rebels in the West, this was all she had to say? I thought Doris would be much more furious.
"Ah, this is just between you and me."
She leaned closer to me, whispering as if it were a secret. But since we were separated by the table, she couldn't get very close.
"If he doesn't abandon the Grand Duke, I'm going to change husbands."
"!"
I barely managed to set my champagne glass down on the table and stared at her. Doris met my gaze and smiled wickedly. It seemed like what she really wanted to say wasn't "thank you" but something else entirely.
"For example, what about the Second Prince, Roardnes?"
I had to clench my teeth to keep from gasping. What kind of nonsense was Doris talking about now?
"With all the contributions he's made, especially in the West, it's unfair for him to be discriminated against because of his eye color. It's as if the Grand Duke gave him wings only to clip them. And he's the rightful heir of the late Empress Retina. Father seems to favor the Ninth Prince who's in Elacon, but I don't know. I'd prefer someone a bit more manly than a young prince like that..."
"What are you talking about, Your Highness?"
Doris's expression softened as I interrupted her. Thankfully, she didn't seem bothered by my interruption. She just seemed to be carefully observing my reaction. Staring at me intently, Doris smiled like a madwoman.
"I'm just saying there's a possibility. It all depends on whether His Highness abandons the Grand Duke or not. Will he abandon the Grand Duke and climb higher, or will he sink with the Grand Duke's failing ship? The decision is His Highness'. And there's no way the daughter of the Castanyas would stay with a man who can't make such a simple judgment, is there?"
Doris drained her champagne glass and stood up lightly. I couldn't even bring myself to follow her. Cloaked in a fur coat by a maid, Doris smiled with a face flushed from the alcohol.
"Oh, I forgot I was here as a mourner, didn't I? It feels strange for a mourner to be popping open champagne. Blie, please write this in the guestbook for me."
I raised my head, trembling.
"Good for you, Adrienne Trovica."
Doris looked directly at me as if Adrienne were still alive. "It's useless when you're dead."
Even after Doris left, I couldn't get up from my seat for a long time. As Marie and Yona stood nearby, I kept replaying Doris's words over and over. Seeing Doris express her hatred for the dead Adrienne was, in a way, a gain for me. The fact that she showed me her true colors meant she had a high degree of trust in me. But... If the Crown Prince can't bear to abandon his uncle, she said she would change husbands?
'She could make Roardnes her husband?'
My hands trembled. The mere thought of Roardnes standing beside Doris with a gloomy expression tore at my heart. I knew he wouldn't be so easily manipulated, but on the other hand, I felt like Doris and the Duke of Castanya could do something like that if they set their minds to it. I couldn't bear the thought of Roardnes getting involved in this dirty mess.
'Everything depends on the Crown Prince's decision?'
The Crown Prince needs the power of the West. But he can't let go of his uncle because of his affection. If even this much pressure doesn't work...
"Yona, call Anya to the Grand Duchess's office immediately."
"The office?"
"To the dead Grand Duchess's office."
****
Annie was miserable these days. It was suffocating to be cooped up in the Grand Duke's mansion, a place she used to roam freely. Thankfully, she wasn't working in the dreaded laundry room anymore. And, thankfully, the horrible Countess Acacia hadn't sought her out.
"She said she had a big job for me."
The memory of being locked in a closet for a long time made her dread the Countess, but the fact that the woman who promised to use her for something big was now ignoring her was infuriating. It was a bizarre mix of emotions. She was too scared to approach her, but the fact that the other woman was ignoring her after promising her a big job made her anxious.
"Could she really become the Grand Duchess?"
From the famous Second Prince to the Grand Duke, and now the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Seeing her meet the woman in person under the guise of a condolence visit, it seemed like the woman's confidence wasn't just empty vanity. Quite a bit of time had passed since she was able to report back to the Duke of Castanya, as she couldn't snoop around. Annie gnawed at her nails and pressed the Grand Duchess's seal, hidden deep within her clothes, against her garment. How many times had she imagined using this seal on a blank piece of paper? She had fantasized countless times about becoming the Duke of Castanya's pawn, doing his bidding, and then, when the Grand Duke was drunk, sleeping with him so that she could claim this seal as her own. Knowing that Blie Acacia was of a lowly birth, there was all the more reason for her, a former noblewoman, to succeed. She threw down the rag she was pretending to clean with, and a noise caught her attention.
"Annie. The mistress is calling for you."
It was the woman's young maid.
"You're being awfully curt."
"Is there any reason for me to be polite?"
Yona was quite a bold child. Annie was dumbfounded by how much she had underestimated the girl with the cute face. As she followed the tiny maid, a sense of unease crept over her. They were standing in front of the dead Grand Duchess's office.
"Why are we here...?"
"Go in."
Yona opened the door easily and gestured for her to enter. The fact that this room, which was always locked, was open without the owner's permission was strange.
"You're here, Annie."
The woman she had been thinking about was sitting in the office in a surprisingly upright posture. She had heard that she was discussing matters with the butler, but she hadn't expected her to take over the dead Grand Duchess's office. As soon as she had that thought, the door behind her closed, and she jumped in surprise. Before she could react, Blie was already standing in front of her. Annie involuntarily took a step back, and she shuddered as she felt the cold door against her back. Then, she stopped breathing at the woman's words.
"How long are you going to keep the Grand Duchess's seal?"
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