# 36
“Yes, she is someone I wanted to get closer to,” Ella nodded, adding more to her response.
“It is surprising that the wife of the Marquis Mayer has become friends with the Duchess. After all, she cannot bear to see someone in need without offering help.”
Ella took a sip of water and blinked casually.
“But why do you bring this up?”
“No reason. It just occurred to me,” Kayden answered condescendingly.
“I see...” Ella smiled brightly, as if she was unfazed.
However, the hand holding the knife turned pale, and the silver blade trembled lightly.
After parting with Kayden, Ella returned to the residence of Count Garcelle.
“Miss, you are back. Should I prepare the bath water immediately?”
“No, it's okay. I just want to rest a little.”
“Understood. Oh, a letter from Baron Lemonner is on your desk. Let me know if you need anything.”
After finishing the short conversation with the servant, Ella went straight to her room and tore up the letter.
“Why did he send me a message after he decided to cut ties?”
Her voice cracked bitterly.
She was no longer the pathetic daughter of Baron Lemonner. Now, she was a lady of the great family of Count Garcelle, destined to walk the path of flowers as a future duchess.
'I should just order any future messages to be delivered.'
As Ella boiled, tears began to fall, seemingly out of nowhere. She remembered her meal with Kayden.
"Yes."
At first, she felt happy – she enjoyed eating in a restaurant that others envied, receiving admiring glances as she ate with Kayden.
But Kayden's lack of attention and his sudden mention of the friendship between the Marchioness and Diana crushed her happiness.
"…did not?"
When she was younger, she accidentally saw the Marquis Maier's wife and was impressed by her elegance.
Looking into her golden eyes, she dreamed of being her family.
If she couldn't become her family, she wanted to establish a close bond with Marquis Mayer's wife.
“How am I less than Diana, who married a dying duke?”
Both of her parents are from noble families, and Ella's reputation in high society is excellent. Moreover, there is no one more beautiful than her in the entire empire.
Her fiancé, Caiden, is destined to become Duke of Weessen after the death of the current Duke.
Why Diana? Why was Diana able to achieve what she could not?
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she bit her lip hard.
'I should have been the one to have relations with the Marchioness,' she thought bitterly, feeling as if Diana had stolen her rightful place.
'Did Diana steal it from me?'
Once that idea formed, it exploded into layers of stress and anxiety.
‘What if I lose Kayden, my position as Count Garcelle’s daughter, and my position as Duchess…?’
With trembling hands, Ella bit her nails.
The mere thought of losing what she had worked so hard to achieve suffocated her.
“…I won’t let that happen.”
Ella muttered coldly and called a maid. I quickly got ready to go out and headed to a specific place.
This was the mansion of Amanda, Kayden's biological mother, who was secretly enjoying men behind Kayden's back.
Kayden hated his mother for not maintaining her dignity and mixing with men, which is why Ella was the only one who knew about this place.
The palace was filled with handsome young servants and decorated with extravagant luxury items.
Amanda was sipping wine in the most luxurious room while her favorite butler served her.
She was about to retire to her room with them when the unexpected visitor arrived.
Amanda clicked her tongue in annoyance, noticing how some of the servants were staring at Ella in fascination.
'They're just supposed to be looking at me,' she thought gloomily, deciding to punish and expel them later. Now, I focused on the intruder.
"What's with the furrowed brows? You'll get wrinkles. If you're going to stand by my son, you must maintain your worth," Amanda scolded, her words reflecting her obsession with beauty as a supreme virtue.
“Yes, mom, I'll be careful.” Ella answered in a low voice, happy to hear compliments on her beauty, which was always recognized even when she was insignificant.
Then she quickly approached Amanda, took her hand, and looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Mom, can you help me?”
Amanda, surprised by the sudden touch, answered hesitantly:
“Help you...? Why don’t you talk to Kayden instead?”
"I can't, mom. You're the only one who can help me. You don't want Diana to become Kayden's wife, do you? Please?"
“Diana, Kayden’s wife? What nonsense are you talking about?” Amanda scoffed, withdrawing her hand.
“Calm down. Kayden has been busy lately, so stop worrying.”
“Mom, no. I wish it was just unfounded worry.”
Ella muttered.
“My son is not foolish enough to get involved with an ordinary person like Diana.”
Amanda trusted her son, even though it was a little strange for Ella to act this way.
“Mom...”
Amanda became increasingly annoyed with Ella, who seemed to not understand no matter how much she explained. Before the excitement from the alcohol wore off completely, Amanda wanted to ditch Ella and head to her bedroom. She hesitated for a moment, considering whether to reveal something she had kept secret.
“Go to the bedroom first,” she said to the servants.
“Yes, ma'am.”
The servants left one by one, leaving only two.
Amanda turned the wine glass around and began to speak.
"Ella, you don't have to worry about Diana ending up with Kayden. Diana can't get pregnant. I made her take a medication that was disguised as a contraceptive, but it actually made her sterile."
"What…?" Ella's eyes widened in disbelief."truly?"
“Do you think I would lie about something like that?”
Ella covered her face with her hands.
'Diana is sterile...'
If Kayden knew this, he wouldn't give Diana any extra attention, right?
Even if he couldn't abandon her, she would only be a concubine at most.
What would happen if Duke Harold discovered the truth about Diana?
As these thoughts raced through her mind, Ella's trembling lips curved into a sly smile. I felt like laughing out loud from relief and excitement.
“Mom, you should have told me this before! I wouldn’t have wasted my time worrying.”
“That's not the kind of information you spread, is it?”
“However, I feel a little annoyed. I went to great lengths to get this palace for you without Kayden knowing, after all.”
Amanda caught the subtle annoyance in Ella's words and drank her wine in annoyance.
“Well, I told you now, didn't I? Let go of my hand and leave. You're making my hands sweat.”
“Understood, I'm leaving now. Sorry to interrupt your time. I'll visit again, Mom.”
Ella gladly accepted the package and left Amanda's mansion.
Her steps felt much lighter than when she arrived. Thinking about Diana no longer brought her frustration or sadness.
'I will make sure that Diana will not dare appear in front of me again.'
Her golden eyes sparkled with excitement.
In the afternoon, under a bright sun, I visited the residence of the Marquis Mayer with Harold. This meeting was arranged to celebrate the successful cooperation between the Weisen and Meyer families and to discuss future plans. The Marquis and his wife greeted us as we got off the carriage.
“Thanks for inviting us to lunch,” Harold said.
“I'm honored. I'm grateful you agreed to visit,” the Marquis replied, shaking Harold's hand.
Then the Marquis turned to me, his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise. His lips moved lightly, and I blinked.
'Did he just say I look like someone...?'
Who do I look like?