***
When the Duchess opened the door to the study and entered, the Duke was disgusted.
“What else do you want to say!”
“Calm down, honey, I was wrong earlier. The child was making a fuss, and I was also out of my mind.”
“…”
“But think about it. How resentful must our Marianne be?
I think you know because you’ve been through the Elector of Turin. How disgusting and lofty that family is.”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand his daughter when he thought like that, but the Duke was frustrated.
“Still you have to look at things from a wider perspective. It’s not like I was going to take that girl as my daughter-in-law…”
“You have pride.”
The Duchess soothed her husband gently.
“So, honey, I’d rather just kill that bitch without doing something like this. Yes?”
“What?”
“What can’t you do? I heard that you planted an intruder well in the palace of the Grand Duke some time ago.”
“But…”
“I heard you missed a chance. That you might have gotten the title of Count of Aktura.”
Duke Blanchett’s eyes trembled.
“Killing the Crown Prince is too risky. Even if things go well, there’s a high possibility that we’ll be blamed for killing the Crown Prince and end up in turmoil. If you want to make a noticeable achievement, a Grand Duchess is perfect.”
In the Duke’s ears, his wife’s persuasion gradually began to sound plausible. The Duchess delivered the sweetest temptation for the last time.
“Let that nasty Elector of Turin meet his young daughter in the underworld, honey.”
“…”
Duke Blanchett recalled a sight he had once seen in the palace. The Elector of Turin was walking with the Crown Prince Idoel. And that he couldn’t even join the conversation.
The two were talking about the newly born daughter of the Marquis.
The Duke suddenly recalled the smile that had appeared on the corner of the Elector’s mouth at that time.
“Think of Count Aktura, honey, we will become high lords. You will become His Majesty’s most trusted subordinate. And even later, if a Crown Prince is born and our Ethan gets married and gives birth to a daughter…”
The granddaughter becomes the Crown Princess. If that happened, he might finally become a maternal relative of the royal family.
The wife whispered to the Duke who was almost convinced.
“Kill that bitch, honey.”
***
“Your Highness. A parcel has arrived from Madame Annege. She said you asked for something…”
“Ah.”
Lily, who had been absent minded, tried to smile. Then she saw it.
“Leave it there.”
“Yes, understood.”
As told, Mrs. Maureen put down the well-wrapped box, but Lilian didn’t seem to have the thought of unpacking it.
Mrs. Maureen hesitated then cautiously asked.
“Your Highness, if you feel unwell, should I send a message that you will not be able to attend the banquet tonight?”
This opening banquet was a special three day event. After yesterday’s affair with Damian, Lilian, who had lost all her strength, skipped the second night.
Coincidentally, it was the very next day after the scandal broke out, so people started talking about Lily’s absence. To put it bluntly, there’s even a rumor in the tabloids that the Grand Duchess was unable to come out because of being hit by the Grand Duke and bruised her eyes.
And it’s true.
‘I can’t miss today.’
If she missed today, then they’ve never attended the opening banquet as a married couple. Even if the affair scandal is laughed off as an event that everyone goes through every season in this country, it’s difficult for rumors of discord to immediately stop.
‘I have to prepare…’
Lilian rubbed her forehead with a tired expression. She tried to organize her immediate tasks, but failed to dislodge from her complicated thoughts.
“Can you give me a moment? About thirty minutes.”
After bidding everyone, including Mrs. Maureen, Lilian approached the box Madame Annege sent with a confused look on her face.
Inside was the shirt Lilian had ordered for Damian.
It was a shirt made of gray blue Kiyomun silk, which she thought would look good on Damian.
‘It’s a bit of a timing to give this now.’
Since yesterday, Damian and she have been pretending nothing happened. However, unlike Damian, who seemed calm or looks like it, Lilian was now very distraught and indifferent.
She wanted throw it out of sight for a while, but she couldn’t because of Madame Annege’s sincerity in fulfilling her urgent request at a busy time. Besides, it was too conspicuous if the Grand Duchess’ trash contained a shirt that fit Damian’s size.
In particular, Mrs. Maureen had no doubt that Damian and Lilian’s relationship was good, so she couldn’t unnecessarily surprise the elderly Madam.
Since she had nothing to do, Lilian carefully wrapped the package and hid it out of sight.
‘If I put it here, no one will find out.’
Adjusting her expression, Lilian pulled the rope.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Let’s start preparing.”
“I’ll see to it right away.”
***
Extensive preparations like the first day were omitted because Lilian was not feeling well.
Of course not all of them. There were a few procedures that Mrs. Maureen and her ladies in waiting insisted that could never be left out.
“Ayy, Our Ladyship is so white that we don’t have to worry.”
“Isn’t it a sickly color?”
Oops… when it was quiet for a moment, their true feelings came out. The atmosphere became cold.
“R-right, but it’s so good without a single pimple!”
“That’s right! How nice your hair is. Ours are like crumbs when we woke up, but when we touch Her Highness like this, it feels like touching silk!”
To rectify the atmosphere, the maids desperately began to flatter Lilian. Thanks to their efforts, Lily couldn’t help but laugh as well.
“Thank you. But your hairs are also very cute.”
“Hehe…”
The ladies in waiting who were praised worked their hands even more diligently.
Lily’s clothes today were a pale turquoise color like porcelain. Mrs. Maureen admired it.
“Mrs. Annege strongly recommended it, so it’s an excellent choice.
It suits your complexion, Your Highness.”
She’s not sure of that, but since that’s what they decided on, she’ll accept it.
In any case, it’s still a compliment.
“That’s right. It looks good on you.”
“You look like a peach.”
“Stop it. If you hear compliments like this every day, I think you’ll mistake me for a great beauty.”
“Oh my, even if you think so, you’re not mistaken at all. Right, Your Highness?”
Startled.
When Lilian’s shoulders trembled in surprise at Damian’s appearance, the ladies in waiting giggled, thinking that the Grand Duchess was shy.
It’s impossible not to notice his existence, who had already walked to the door. Lilian sighed inwarly and turned around.
“Here you are, You…ha.”
But Lilian was speechless. It was also because Damian, who was leaning back with his arms folded by the door, was wearing a gray blue shirt.
The tailored shirt, made of intertwined silk with blue and gray warp, matched Damian’s creamy flesh wonderfully.
When Lily lost her words, Damian smiled casually.
“Thank you for the compliment. Even my wife is beautiful today.”
“…you have great hearing to hear compliments you’ve never heard before.”
“Is that a compliment? My wife did not hesitate to express her regrets directly to Madam Annege, who runs the most famous and busy ‘Neju Liappa’ among the capital’s clothing botiques, and earnestly asked for it.”
Even if he knew the inside story, he knew too much detail.
“You wore such precious clothes, so of course, I have to look pretty.”
She hated it all the more because a man of unparalleled beauty would say such things even if he didn’t bother to find something that suited him.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not ready yet, so could you go out and wait for me, Your Highness?”
“Oh dear, if you become more beautiful than now, I don’t want to go out with my wife today…”
“Your Highness.”
The smile on Lilian’s lips was soft, but Damian could tell.
‘Her eyes aren’t smiling.’
“I told you I wasn’t ready yet.”
“I hear and obey.”
When he deliberately responded more politely, Lilian finally let out a silly laugh. Wicked Damian thought.
‘Done.’
No one knew, but Damian was relieved only then.
Getting angry and pouting was a good sign. Moreover, she even laughed, so at least with this, Lilian won’t be rude because she’s awkward or disturbed anymore.
‘Because that’s a bit dangerous.’
Lilian avoiding Damian. It was the most dangerous action in the current situation. In an analogy, it’s like turning your back on a bear and trying to escape.
Since when was it? Was it from the time she said she wasn’t dying yet?
Or from the moment he discovered the document hidden in the drawer of Lily’s study desk?
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