Chapter 13
She was afraid that Sir Carls would find out about the insults she had been subjected to.
He was a great knight, so he would draw his sword without hesitation. But if he did, he would face the shame of fighting for an unqualified woman.
It was shameful for a knight to do such a thing.
Besides, if the Duke of Welsh's daughter was Victor's real fiancée... would Karls be by her side?
She tried to smile as she suppressed her dark thoughts.
“You've been accompanying me all day, so please go and dance, Carls.”
"What? I can't, Madam. The Grand Duke will put my head on a skewer!"
She eventually had to order Carls to leave her alone.
I also found out that he wasn't lying when he said he was popular, thanks to two ladies standing around waiting to ask him to dance. She was able to get away from Carls with this excuse.
I went out to the balcony and leaned against the wall. The fresh air was nice.
However, when she was alone, she could hear the gossipy whispers of the ladies more clearly.
-You said that Mrs. Welsh and His Highness the Grand Duke were lovers?
- wow! They are both so beautiful, they would have made a lovely pair. Besides, the Welsh and Morty families had been allied for a long time.
But because of his illness, she had no choice but to...
- The woman of that kingdom...
She was tired.
She wanted to leave and steal this dress. She desperately wanted to go back to the palace, where she felt safe, and had delicious food...
No. She missed home. She wanted to chew a piece of frozen sealand grass. Ironically, she was tormented by homesickness
[*: I think frozen grass is a delicacy in Sealand? ]
She was sold for her dowry. Bought to put the crazy Grand Duke to sleep...
Suddenly, a rough hand violently grabbed her left sleeve. I looked in surprise. A man wearing expensive clothes was pulling her sleeve.
She understood the meaning of his actions and turned pale.
What do you do? Let me go.”
“What makes you so expensive...?” They say you're a witch! "
The heavy smell of alcohol faded from him.
He smiled as he looked her up and down.
An unpleasant sensation crawled over her skin.
“What are you doing to make the Grand Duke sleep? I'm curious... how? "
He tied his arms to her, forcefully, trying to drag her away.
“Let's go out, this won't be your first time.”
Her hands trembled from the hideous insult.
She wanted to pull out a sword and cut out the man's tongue.
But right now, she was not a knight, but a lady at a social gathering.
Even the name of the Grand Duke did not protect her, so she was helpless.
The man was almost turning away from her.
She looked in shock, surprised that someone would help her.
“Count Maienfeld. “My master told me to take his wife.”
Karls, with a cold expression on his face, was pulling the man's hand away.
He could see his lady standing far away, confused, having lost his dance partner. It was clear that Karls had dropped everything to run over and help her.
Carles added frankly.
“If you want, you can fight me or my master. Maybe you don't know who he is, sir."
Count Meinfeld looked alternately between Karls' face and the patterns on his books. Minfield immediately woke up and ran away.
She could barely sigh.
***
They rode the carriage back home, and Carls apologized to her.
He said he "should never have left her side even for a moment," and that he "never dreamed there would be a man crazy enough to try to tarnish her honor."
She smiled automatically and repeated that she was fine. It wasn't really his fault. She was the one who asked him to dance.
Maybe he was trying to lighten her mood, he muttered softly.
“No matter how drunk I was, there was no excuse for his behaviour. Morty's name was clearly linked to yours… Ma'am, did he say anything strange?”
His expression became more serious. She realized she was no longer smiling. She hurriedly shook her head.
“No, I was a little surprised... and I'm tired.”
“If he is rude to you, please tell me. I am weaker than you, but I am still a good knight.”
She shook her head again.
She didn't want things to get any bigger. She didn't want to cause worries to those around her because of stupid rumors.
She has always been the type to carry her pain alone.
She just wanted to sit quietly and let it all blow over.
Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the residence of the Grand Duke. Sir Carls apologized repeatedly as he helped her out of the carriage
When she entered the palace, Sumona and Daedric rushed to her.
“Ma’am, you came home early.”
How was the banquet? Did you enjoy? "
Sir Carls tried to say something with an uncomfortable look on his face, but Omarion subtly nudged his side and smiled.
“She said she had fun and that there were a lot of good people.”
Seeing them happy with these words made her sad.
She was used to their kindness.
No matter how kindly the servants treated her, it did not change the fact that she was essentially a slave, sold for a dowry to serve the duke.
She was so excited that she thought she could act like a duchy steward...
Unable to shake off her depressing thoughts, she slowly returned to her room.
***
Victor came back late
She had locked herself in the bedroom since her return, and when she saw him, she didn't know whether to smile or cry.
She wanted to see him as well as avoid him all day.
As soon as Victor saw her, he greeted her kindly.
“How was the banquet?”
“It was fun.”
“You lied.”
Did I really hear you came back early?
He examined her with concern in his eyes.
“Do you have a fiancée?”
She struggled to suppress the question that was about to spill from her mouth.
Immediately, her pessimistic logic kicked in.
“What right do I have to ask such a thing?”
“I just married him because of his illness. I can't even manage the palace, and I will never claim an elegant lady. My usefulness is limited to two hours a night.”
It was hard to look at his face, so she pretended to be interested in her sword.
“Are you lying to me? "You look very sad."
“No, it's just that I'm tired. Who would dare say anything to the Grand Duke's wife? "
Victor approached her and smiled sweetly. He began running his fingers through her flowing hair.
“I am happy.”
“…”
“I was worried about you all day. Even in the Imperial Palace, I was only thinking about you.”
Victor's eyes were very kind.
Even if he was lying to her, she wanted to be fooled.
She closed her eyes to break the spell he had cast on her.
“Then...can you go to bed early? For me.”
Victor smiled and nodded.
“Of course. You have to wake up early tomorrow too.”
As she watched his back fall toward the bed, she swallowed her guilty conscience. She leaned her forehead against the cold hilt of her sword and muttered.
“But Victor, I was not the Grand Duchess there.”
***
Her schedule was packed. She attended a series of banquets and dances every day.
She went to a banquet, came back tired, and took a nap. When Victor returned, she woke up and greeted him. This became her daily routine.
Sleeping was a good escape.
Neither Victor nor the servants spoke to her for a long time after she woke up, so she just had to wait for Victor to fall asleep so she could sleep.
But after that, she couldn't sleep again, which was painful.
Victor's illness was weakening, and in less than five minutes he could be put back to sleep.
Whenever she saw Victor sleeping, a series of new emotions turned her heart upside down.
I felt betrayed, sad, and powerfully self-loathing.
She skipped breakfast on the pretext of being tired, and left the palace wilted, like a plant that had not been watered.
The maids simply thought she was completely exhausted from her schedule.
Daedric comforted her, as if he felt sorry for her.
“Ma’am, you just have to suffer a little in the first week from the second week onwards, you only have to attend meetings with close friends, so it won’t be too difficult.”
She smiled helplessly.
She knew she would be able to take a break next week, since she had no close friends.
***
The pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain in her mind.
Rumors of it spread faster than forest fires. Mrs. Welch's friends gathered like a pack of wolves and vitriolic spittle. Their tone was pleasant, but the content of their words was toxic.
After several days of banquets, she became the Grand Duchess in name only, the adulteress who took the rightful place of Nanaeel Welsh, the Grand Duke's soulmate and mistress.
She couldn't deny anything. She couldn't deny the existence of their engagement. She wasn't impudent enough to deny the truth.
Sometimes she was suffocated and angry, but she closed her eyes and endured it all.
If she got angry, she would be held against the Grand Duke. She didn't want to see Victor humiliated because of her.
Victor was a kind and friendly person who did not deserve the kind of ridicule she received.
As she endured the mistreatment of the ladies, she naturally ate less.
Karls was very worried about her, who was obviously fading day by day.
He told funny stories while riding in their carriage, and pointed out shops while looking out the window.
From time to time, he would go down to the market and buy snacks.
Seeing him work so hard made her sick to her stomach. Perhaps he did not know how she became the Grand Duchess, and was doing so simply because she was the mistress of the lord he served. She remained ashamed that he had to go through this.
But the only person she can talk to is Carls.
So finally, I asked him carefully.
"Is it true that Mrs. Welsh was the Grand Duke's fiancée?"
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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