Chapter 106
Dedrick immediately refused.
“I’m busy.”
“It’ll only take a moment…!”
But Dedrick gave a silent bow and left the reception room. Left alone, Perez chuckled quietly.
“Such poor social skills.”
Looking over the papers on the table, he smiled with satisfaction.
The concubine and First Prince, now living quietly after the emperor collapsed, probably hoped to be forgotten…
‘But let’s see.’
They started the fight. There’s no walking away now.
***
I nodded as I looked at the newspaper headline.
“I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“The cursed doll. The concubine hid it under the prince’s bed and made him sick. It got discovered later, and she tried to cover it up. I thought it ended there, but…”
The dead maid’s fiancé testified, and many others who had been used and discarded by the concubine came forward.
As her cruel and heartless actions were revealed, everyone began to condemn her.
“Huh?”
A line in the paper caught my eye.
“The Second Prince was nearly poisoned?”
Apparently, he barely survived and was now recovering. But since there was no proof, the culprit remained unknown…
After reading the whole article, I scoffed.
“That’s an obvious lie.”
Perez wasn’t dumb enough to fall for something like that. If he did, it was all part of his plan to frame the concubine.
Several articles already pointed fingers at her.
‘The timing is too perfect.’
It was one hundred percent Perez’s doing.
“Looks like the Second Prince is using the emperor’s collapse to quickly get rid of the concubine.”
“Why are you muttering to yourself like that?”
Ignoring Novembris’s annoyed tone, I muttered coldly,
“I can’t let this end like this. I need to completely destroy her.”
In the original story, Perez suffered so much at the hands of the concubine and First Prince.
“That’s harsh.”
“Compared to that evil concubine, I’m practically a saint.”
I folded the newspaper and placed it on the Grand Duke’s desk. Finally, I could clearly see his face.
Normally, I wasn’t allowed to meet him, but I had recovered a lot since then. The World Tree had bloomed generously, and I had absorbed its flowers, gradually lifting the restrictions on me.
Though I still couldn’t meet Dedrick, I had received permission from Novembris to meet the Grand Duke.
He looked displeased, probably because I snatched the newspaper before he could read it.
“…Did you read everything?”
“I read the important parts.”
“Then leave.”
“Before I go, there’s something I must say to you.”
I slammed my hands on the desk and stared wide-eyed at the Grand Duke. He frowned, but I didn’t flinch.
Instead, I stepped back and bowed at a right angle.
“Thank you, sir.”
“…”
“You saved me twice now.”
“You’re thanking me now? Took you long enough.”
I replied with a pout,
“Bris wouldn’t let me see you. It’s not my fault.”
“Is that really the only reason?”
Honestly, if I had begged Novembris, I probably could’ve met him sooner.
But I hadn’t, for one simple reason.
“To be honest… I was a bit salty, so I delayed it on purpose.”
I grinned, and the Grand Duke let out a dry laugh, waving his hand.
“If you’re done, get out.”
“Sure. See you again, Father-in-law.”
“…What?”
“If Dedrick and I get married, that makes you my father-in-law.”
His dumbfounded expression made me burst out laughing as I left the office.
“You’re always so cheerful.”
“It’s like hypnosis. If I don’t act like this, I’d want to run straight to Dedrick and never let go.”
“…Do you love him that much?”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“Because he treats me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.”
“…”
“He needs me, and I need him.”
After a moment of silence, Novembris quietly asked,
“…What if someone else needed you that much too?”
“Then they’d just have to endure it. That’s not my problem.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, displeased.
“Cold-hearted, aren’t you?”
I placed a hand over my heart and put on a saintly smile.
“My kindness is reserved for my sweet Dedrick.”
Annoyed, he threw his handkerchief at my face.
“Ah!”
Why the sudden tantrum?
As we walked down the hall, I spotted a group of maids huddled together. That usually meant juicy gossip.
I immediately approached them.
“Why can’t you just stay still?”
“I’m curious. Now hush.”
“…”
Despite his reluctance, he stuck close to me and listened in.
“…Is that rumor really true?”
“I told you it is! Honestly…”
After checking that no one was around, the maid lowered her voice.
“It wouldn’t be surprising if the Grand Duchess had an affair. Everyone just keeps quiet. Lots of nobles have lovers.”
“That’s not really the issue though.”
“That’s not the issue!”
The maid gulped and paused dramatically before dropping the bomb.
“They say… she had a child from her affair!”
The other maids gasped in shock.
Novembris and I exchanged looks.
“They’re moving faster than expected.”
“Do you know the saying ‘strike while the iron is hot’?”
“Never heard of it.”
“It means don’t wait around. Dedrick made the right move.”
Now that Arnold was involved, it was time for a counterattack.
“No point giving them time to react.”
Not that they could do anything, even if we did.
“You always say Dedrick does everything right.”
“What, Bris?”
I gave him a side glance and grinned.
“Don’t tell me… you’re jealous?”
His face turned red from his neck to his forehead.
“W-Why would I be?! Why would I care about you?!”
“Exactly, I’m nobody. So don’t worry about me.”
“…”
Just then, another maid dropped the next bomb.
“They say the child might be Young Master Somerset or Young Master Axel.”
One maid screamed.
“That’s insane! You’re saying she passed off someone else’s child as the Grand Duke’s?!”
“Quiet, you idiot!”
Another maid clamped her hand over the loud one’s mouth. Then a third, thinking carefully, nodded slowly.
“It’s not totally wrong. Dedrick clearly looks like the Grand Duke, but what about the other two? They only resemble the Duchess.”
Their faces turned pale.
“You know that old stableman? I heard from him that 25 years ago, a clerk suddenly disappeared.”
“A clerk? Why?”
“Why do you think? If one of the sons is really illegitimate, the Duchess probably made the clerk disappear to hide it.”
I was a bit impressed at how fast the rumor had spread once the spark was lit.
“So this is how gossip spreads.”
Even as the maids finished whispering, we kept hearing rumors on our way to Dedrick.
“I heard the clerk found out about the affair and got killed!”
“The Grand Duke doesn’t know a thing!”
“Are Somerset and Axel even his real kids?”
“Some say neither of them are!”
The whispers spread through the entire Grand Duke’s estate like wildfire.
Questioning Somerset’s lineage was probably part of Dedrick’s plan—to drive Delani over the edge.
“I should visit Delani first.”
“To see her explode with rage?”
“You really get me now, Bris. Of course. Let’s go!”
As I excitedly approached Delani’s room, Novembris blocked my way.
“She’s not there.”
“What? Then where?”
“She’s in the basement. With Arnold Exterus.”
The moment he said “basement,” my body froze. Memories of all the pain I suffered down there flooded in, turning my mind blank.
Every day in that basement had been agony.
The thought alone made me stumble.
Novembris quickly caught me and pulled me close.
