Chapter 66
The Interloper (1)
“How long has it been since the Duchess passed away? Eventually, some woman—rumored to be the Duke’s new lover—stayed at the lord’s manor for a while. The atmosphere at that time was terrible. Imagine that: only a few years after the official wife’s death, already a new mistress? And the Duke, who supposedly didn’t even know what love was. The servants gossiped nonstop.”
Up to this point, Helen already knew.
The Duke’s scandal was big enough that it was still talked about.
If that woman hadn’t left the Duke on her own, the rumors would’ve lasted even longer.
“But there’s another rumor that never spread to the outside. They say the woman who was supposed to be the new Duchess was a silver-haired, cursed person. The future mistress of the house being cursed— isn’t that ominous? So the servants kept quiet, but avoided her. The people who went against the master back then all died without a trace. Because of that, the rumor of her being cursed became accepted as truth and spread all throughout the manor.”
Even as he spoke, the slave kept glancing nervously at the man beside him.
The man seemed completely uninterested, flicking his fingers while his arms were crossed, passing the time.
“Anyway, that woman came saying she was carrying the Duke’s child. And guess what—when the baby was born, it had the same silver hair as her. The midwife who delivered the child ran away, afraid she’d be cursed. The plague had just swept through not long before, so the fear of curses was indescribable.”
The slave’s body trembled violently.
Back then, he too had been afraid of being cursed and used clean valley water to anoint his forehead every day like holy water.
“The master shut everyone’s mouths. After that, the two of them kept arguing, and before long, the woman left the house. I don’t know what happened after that. She left, and then my hand ended up like this. I really thought I was going to die, but since I was just a lowly servant, the master didn’t care.”
The slave finally finished his long story and exhaled.
He turned toward the man holding his leash.
Maybe because he hadn’t spoken about the Duke in so long, his severed wrist ached, and he rubbed the rounded scar through his clothes.
Helen smiled in triumph.
This information was worth far more than what she had paid.
Cecilka’s mother had actually been silver-haired.
And Cecilka herself had been born with silver hair?
She could hardly contain her laughter.
The Deneuve dukedom had hidden this all this time.
“So now… m-may I have my pay…?”
“Ah, yes. Payment. You gave information, so of course we must pay you.”
The man grinned, baring his white teeth.
Without the slightest hesitation, he drew the sword on his hip and brought it down on the slave’s neck.
A clean strike.
Thud. Roll—roll—roll.
The severed head rolled to Helen’s feet.
She screamed and kicked it away.
“What do you think you’re doing!?”
Helen shrieked in a sharp voice as she checked whether blood got on her red shoes.
The delight she had just felt vanished, replaced by fury.
“You got what you wanted. Now pay the rest.”
Despite her anger, the man remained calm.
He had broken his promise to the slave, yet demanded that Helen keep hers.
“Here. Are you satisfied?”
“Perfect. Should we meet again if you need anything else, dear customer?”
Helen threw a pouch of money at him with disgust.
She clearly wanted to get out of this place as fast as possible.
Pulling her hood low, she hurried out of the back alley where she had come.
Even after seeing something gruesome, the information she gained was more than worth it.
She felt satisfied.
‘Dare to ignore me? I’ll show you what happens when you challenge the woman destined to be the Empire’s Crown Princess.’
Her heels clicked sharply as she left.
Her steps were lighter than when she arrived.
“…….”
“…….”
Norden stared at Herald sitting across from him.
The Crown Prince had barged in without warning, ignored the tea Vincent served, crossed his legs, and sat there glaring at him.
“…What brings you here?”
Norden asked, meeting the other man’s dissatisfied eyes.
Herald’s sharp gaze scanned him from head to toe.
That bastard was with Retina. No mistake.
Herald sat with his arms crossed, posture crooked, lips twisted with irritation.
He wore a wig to hide his hair color, but Norden still recognized him.
The man with Retina at the masquerade was the prince sitting right in front of him.
“When are you going back?”
“We were planning to return after the social season, but depending on circumstances, it might be a little earlier.”
“You’ve been in Luddenheim for quite a while. I’d think you’d miss your homeland.”
“I do miss the northern landscape. But did Your Highness come because you were curious when I’d return? I heard the election for the Crown Princess is in full swing. I feel honored that you would worry about me during such a busy time.”
Norden pretended not to notice Herald’s anger.
He knew the prince was irritated, but provoking him would serve no purpose.
“I heard you’re also receiving marriage proposals. Has any young lady caught the prince’s eye?”
Herald’s gaze sharpened.
He had come simply because it annoyed him seeing Norden act familiar with Retina…
but now that he was here, he had nothing concrete to accuse him of.
“How could there not be? All of them are wonderful ladies—so wonderful I’d feel guilty taking them to the north.”
“The culture is different there. They might not fit well.”
“There are young ladies who are willing to understand northern culture.”
Whatever sarcasm Herald threw, Norden responded gently with a smile.
His calm sincerity only irritated the prince further.
“And who might that be?”
“It’s not confirmed yet, so I can’t say. I haven’t even spoken to my king or His Imperial Majesty. What about Your Highness? Has any young lady captured your heart? I heard that every candidate for Crown Princess has both beauty and intelligence. It must be difficult choosing just one.”
Herald’s temple twitched.
It didn’t take much for him to realize Norden was talking about Retina.
He trusted that Retina’s heart wouldn’t change, but having her potential groom sitting in front of him made it impossible to stay calm.
“Well. Perhaps another woman will take that position.”
Herald tapped his fingers restlessly, annoyance written openly on his face.
It was all Retina’s fault—
Even with her hair hidden, she was too beautiful.
He wished she would hide away where only he could see her.
“You speak as if there’s someone you have feelings for.”
“One never knows what might happen in life.”
“It would hurt the candidates’ feelings to hear that.”
“Let them hear. Those women are more interested in the title than in me.”
There was not a shred of Herald’s opinion in the selection of the candidates.
The Empress had chosen them—women who resembled herself:
flawless, noble, and useful for her ambitions.
“As long as they get power, they’ll endure anything.”
Herald scoffed and dismissed them.
The election was simply a system to choose a woman willing to stay in a miserable marriage for the sake of authority—just like the Empress, who never divorced the increasingly deranged Emperor.
“That is a rather harsh opinion of your future wife.”
“Political marriages are not made with emotion.”
“But you could still come to care for the woman you’ll spend your life with.”
“You seem to like your lady quite a bit.”
Herald probed, trying to pull a confession out of him.
For a moment, he almost revealed Retina already had a beloved partner—
but he shut his mouth.
That was something Retina had to say herself.
Norden, watching the Crown Prince’s unusually obvious emotional shifts, smiled meaningfully.
“Yes. Even if she already has someone she loves, she’s someone I’d still want to pursue.”
