Chapter 3
“But why on earth did she seduce her cousin’s fiancé? Was it just curiosity? Or…”
Just as Ergon was lost in thought about Agnes, Victoria slowly opened her eyes. She let out a shallow breath upon spotting Ergon.
“Your Grace the Duke.”
Victoria called out to Ergon in a hoarse voice, then raised her upper body and sat up.
“What exactly did I just see?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ergon apologized in a dry tone. Victoria wasn’t sure if he meant it, but frankly, it didn’t matter much. She had received a formal apology, and that was enough. After all, her only goal was to become the Duchess.
“It was Agnes who seduced you first, wasn’t it?”
“……”
Ergon didn’t answer. Victoria’s tone seemed as if she had already decided the answer.
“I’ll let this slide just this once. Because I love you.”
Victoria whispered softly as she took Ergon’s hand. Ergon gave a faint smile at the delicate touch secretly stroking the back of his hand.
She said she would forgive him even though her fiancé had been intimate with another woman, and she had witnessed it.
It wasn’t because she loved him, but because he was none other than the one and only Duke of the Karlia Empire and the current Emperor’s only brother.
Ergon lifted his gaze and looked at Victoria. The corners of her mouth were twisted into an awkward shape.
The reason he, with his overwhelming background, had chosen Victoria Winchester as his partner was because of her family. It wasn’t that he expected the ancient, illustrious Count’s family to be of any help to him in the future—quite the opposite. They were the fastest-declining house in the empire right now.
The Winchester family’s debts had been rapidly increasing for several months, and consequently, they were quickly losing the trust of their people.
They were the perfect family for Ergon, who had spent years leading the charge in ruining his own reputation.
“She’s an odd child, so her gaze might wander out of curiosity now and then. I understand that. But she’s afflicted with a strange illness.”
“Illness?”
Ergon’s neat eyebrows shot up. After hesitating for a moment, Victoria began fidgeting with his hand without restraint and continued.
“Yes. Apparently, she occasionally sees strange scenes.”
“What kind of scenes?”
“Just bizarre delusions. Imaginations or dreams she creates herself. Utter nonsense.”
Victoria eagerly rattled off gossip about Agnes, unaware that Ergon’s eyes were gradually filling with interest.
“Does that happen often?”
“Whenever she makes a fuss about touching other people. Do you know how annoying it is, the way she recoils as if something terrible is happening?”
Victoria twisted her lips slightly, then realizing Ergon’s presence, quickly composed her expression.
Whether she did or not, Ergon recalled Agnes’s earlier remark once more. So, her assessment of the boutique madam wasn’t simply due to sharp insight, but…
Unaware that Ergon’s green eyes were deepening with thought, Victoria continued her slander of Agnes.
“She’s been strange since she was a child. Once, during etiquette lessons when they were learning how to shake hands, she absolutely refused to unclench her fist. Anyway, she’s been jealous of me and tormenting me since then, and now she’s finally caused an incident.”
Knock, knock.
She stopped speaking only after hearing a knock. With Ergon’s permission, his aide, Ian, entered.
“Your Grace the Duke!”
Ergon excused himself to Victoria and approached Ian, whose complexion was poor. Ian’s round eyes were filled with concern.
“I think you need to return to the mansion.”
“What’s happened?”
“They say the imperial palace guard is searching the mansion.”
Ian lowered his voice further so that only Ergon, who was close by, could hear.
“A servant died from poisoning at the palace today. They apparently met their end while taste-testing food meant for His Majesty. It seems the palace is once again pointing to Your Grace as the primary suspect.”
“Ha.”
Ergon let out a bitter laugh. It wasn’t something that happened once or twice, but he couldn’t help feeling a pang of bitterness each time.
As he stood there troubled, Ian scratched his chin and began cautiously.
“Speaking of which, I happened to overhear something on my way here, unintentionally.”
Late at night, Agnes, having entered the stable as quietly as possible, felt along the wall. She saw that scene again.
Thud!
Enoch, slammed against the stable wall, was being brutally beaten and trampled by thugs. Behind the thugs stood Victoria and Jeremy.
Every time she touched the wall and saw that scene, it felt agonizing enough to die, but determined not to forget, Agnes stubbornly watched it again and again. Even the final image of her brother being dragged away somewhere.
Enoch, who had disappeared three months ago, hadn’t gone missing at the hunting grounds. He had vanished right here.
She was certain because Enoch’s clothes the last time she saw him matched his attire in the scene she saw through the wall.
Not long ago, Agnes had hidden in the abandoned stable to escape Jeremy’s bullying and discovered that the siblings were connected to Enoch’s disappearance.
The reason was obvious. After Enoch disappeared, Jeremy had taken the vacant position as the head of the sub-family.
All for the sake of a mere sub-family head position, they had done that to her brother.
Naturally, Agnes confronted Victoria with what she had seen, but was only told she was crazy. Without physical evidence, she couldn’t press further.
Eventually, Agnes began secretly investigating her uncle’s family. And she discovered a shocking fact.
The condition of Duke Ergon’s marriage to Victoria.
The Duke had agreed to repay the Winchester family’s debts in exchange for marrying Victoria.
Setting aside the fact that a Duke who wanted for nothing would accept such a disadvantageous condition, what truly surprised her was something else.
That the Winchester Earldom, which had long been engaged in substantial trade and had used the wealth accumulated from operating vassals and trading companies to regularly and smoothly conduct charity work, her proud family, had unknowingly accumulated a mountain of debt.
The debts had started appearing three years ago, and had begun ballooning rapidly three months ago.
She knew her uncle wasn’t managing the family affairs particularly well, but she never imagined the solid finances were wavering. Moreover, the timing of the sudden debt increase coincided with her brother’s disappearance.
Exiting the stable, Agnes slowly walked through the garden where lanterns flickered.
Her brother was gone, the family was buried in debt, and Victoria was trying to become a Duchess without an ounce of guilt.
Agnes could not forgive her uncle’s family. So, she first decided to stop Victoria’s marriage. If she truly became Duchess, finding Enoch would become forever hopeless. Her plan was to shake Victoria by seducing the Duke, find her brother, and drive her uncle’s family out of the household.
Rustle.
Suddenly, she heard a presence from the opposite side.
“Your Grace the Duke?”
Ergon, who had been walking briskly, spotted Agnes and quickened his pace. His chiseled face, broad, angular shoulders, and firm body clad in a black uniform rapidly closed the distance to Agnes.
Ergon subtly stepped into Agnes’s line of sight and stopped. A strange tension hung between them. Ergon spoke bluntly with eyes so cold it was hard to believe he was looking at a woman he had shared a passionate kiss with.
“You’re Victoria’s cousin.”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m Agnes Winchester.”
Agnes introduced herself calmly. Ergon recalled the slander Victoria had heaped upon her and let out a sneer.
“I find it hard to believe. Seducing your cousin’s fiancé.”
“What did my cousin say?”
“She said she’d turn a blind eye just this once.”
“Ha.”
Agnes involuntarily let out a bitter laugh. Then, feeling Ergon’s gaze, she hastily schooled her expression. But then.
Ergon suddenly reached out and grabbed her chin.
“Am I right?”
Even though lanterns were lit, it was quite dark, but Ergon had noticed that both of Agnes’s cheeks were red and swollen. Agnes felt embarrassed.
Is this how all womanizers are? Handsome, smooth-talking, and even sensitive… I suppose he earns his reputation as a womanizer.
“By the way, are you just going to leave like this?”
To avoid answering, Agnes gently wrapped both her hands around his hand on her chin. She had intended to seduce him, but again ended up revealing unnecessary circumstances. As Agnes habitually clenched her fist, Ergon’s eyes showed a hint of disapproval.
“You’re not denying it. Who did this?”
Ergon was more persistent than expected. Agnes, flustered, pressed her lips together.
How could she say that she was hit by her aunt for seducing her cousin’s fiancé?
An odd silence settled between them.
