Chapter 126

Catherine Haricote thought something was off.

She couldn’t tell what was strange. Everything was going exactly the way she wanted.

According to how she’d lived her life so far, this was almost a foolproof third step. If she could just expose the adviser—who had been both her rival and a handy tool for getting close to the Grand Duke—for collusion with the Marquis today and humiliate her, everything would be complete.

‘Did they really think I wouldn’t notice them whispering behind my back?’

She always acted so high and mighty, but once the Grand Duke found out she was a woman who betrayed people behind their backs, he wouldn’t stand for it. Originally, since Aidan Pickering seemed to like the adviser, Catherine had planned to take care of them both at once, but this way was even more dramatic.

‘Yes, everything’s going according to plan.’

A strong sense of wrongness pressed in on her. Especially from the ice-cold gazes of those gathered in the banquet hall.

‘No, it’s fine. There’s nothing different from usual, right?’

She still hadn’t realized that what she said earlier at the castle gate had gone against common sense. She simply thought, as always, that it was natural and matched the character she had created.

It was because, more than any persuasion Nerys could have accomplished with her Jeweled Eyes, Catherine herself could not admit her own foolishness.

So Catherine regained her confidence. And she spoke proudly to the castle servants blocking her way.

“Are you going to step aside and let me pass? To think you’d dare not move aside even for me—how stupid can commoners be. Once I become the Grand Duchess, over half of you will be fired, so remember that.”

The servants hesitated and moved aside, making way. Catherine became even more full of herself.

“Move aside, move aside. Ah, that feels so refreshing. I was so frustrated trying to cater to these northern bumpkins.”

That’s when it happened. The people who had only given her the bare minimum space to pass suddenly straightened their backs and made a wide path. As if preparing the road for a king.

When Catherine looked back, her face twisted. Instead of the Grand Duke, whom she had expected to appear, it was Nerys the crowd was making way for.

“Miss Haricote, you’re early,”

Nerys was composed, as if the prediction that she’d be humiliated meant nothing to her. Catherine folded her arms and gave a bright smile.

“I thought you’d be a little scared. Or are you just shameless?”

“Why would I be scared?”

“Because everyone’s going to find out what a terrible woman you are.”

Someone in the crowd sucked in their breath. But Nerys smiled calmly, with the poise of a queen looking down on her people.

“If you can, go ahead.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Could Catherine Haricote even imagine ‘how terrible a person’ Nerys Truydd really was?

Thinking that, Nerys walked the path politely opened for her.

The castle staff looked at Nerys with trusting eyes. Even though it seemed she hadn’t done much for them, they curiously cherished her. Catherine, who had been openly trying to win favor since the start, still looked at her coldly, as if she’d never once been drawn in.

Therefore, the Grand Duchess who would share life with these people could never be someone like that.

Nerys thought that perhaps Ellen, who would know this best, might have even instructed the staff to act friendly in front of Catherine on purpose. Nerys walked down the corridor, receiving polite bows from the lords under Maindulante at the end of the path.

“Your Highness!”

In the middle of the crowd was a luxurious tea table. Though nothing was out of place about its arrangement, being so conspicuously displayed made it feel awkward.

Cledwyn, who had been sitting alone at the table, stood as the two women arrived and pulled out a chair for Nerys.

“Welcome.”

Catherine waited for her own chair to be pulled out, but he paid her no attention. In the end, it was Aidan, standing behind her, who pulled out Catherine’s chair. She looked up at him and chattered affectionately.

“At least you have some manners. I’ll make sure to introduce you to a good woman later. Oh, if Nerys Truydd gets dumped by His Highness, you can have her.”

Even the most insensitive, uninterested man in the room looked bewildered at that. Talfrin, blending in among the crowd, tilted his head. Was she day-drinking?

Nerys smiled and said something to Aidan. If Catherine got too riled up, it would look suspicious, and then her Jeweled Eyes abilities might be exposed.

“Miss Haricote is making a joke.”

Catherine shot back immediately.

“What you do is more of a joke. Weren’t you always whispering with His Excellency the Marquis whenever you got the chance? You’re such a wicked woman. I’m called wicked too, but you’re even worse. It’s normal to lie to catch a man, but you always act so high and mighty while stabbing people in the back.”

Saying that, she looked quickly at Cledwyn, as if waiting for him to be appalled. But Cledwyn’s expression didn’t change, and Nerys calmly replied.

“It’s only natural to treat guests well, and I don’t recall ever acting high and mighty.”

“You never acted high and mighty? You sit there pretending to be cool and aloof when in reality you’re just jealous and burning inside! You hate me, don’t you? You probably want to kill me! All women who lose their men are the same!”

Catherine’s voice grew louder, seemingly frustrated that things weren’t going her way. Nerys felt the stares turning to Catherine grow pricklier. It was amusing.

‘To think that after receiving the suggestion to be ‘honest’, these are the words she’d spill. I could tell from her saying her greatest wish as Grand Duchess would be to throw a garden party and show off her status, but for Catherine Haricote, the ultimate value seems to be which man falls for her.’

‘She has remarkable nerve and wit.’

If she’d valued something else more, she might have been useful in other ways. Nerys judged coldly. However… even if other possibilities existed, Catherine Haricote’s choices until now would not be erased.

When Nerys said nothing, Catherine got even more emboldened and shouted, her voice echoing through the hall.

“I’ve driven out three main wives, and stolen five courtesans’ regulars! No matter how noble, beautiful, or accomplished those women were, once their men were stolen, they all collapsed crying and hurled abuse at me! Not realizing that only makes them even less appealing! Idiots! And you, thinking you’re clever, scheming with that guy—I don’t know what you’re plotting, but you’re finished! Once I become Grand Duchess…!”

That’s when it happened.

“Roem?”

In the deathly quiet hall, a cautious voice rang out.

It was a small, doubtful voice. So weak that it was natural for it to be drowned out by Catherine’s booming speech, but Catherine fell silent at once.

At some point, Ellen had come right into the inner circle of people. Next to her stood a man, staring intently at Catherine.

The man looked unwashed, with messy hair and filthy clothes, as if he hadn’t cared for himself in a long time. He was at least handsome, though one eye couldn’t open properly, as if injured.

The man met Catherine’s eyes for a moment and then broke into a bright smile.

“It’s really you, Roem. It’s me, Dennis! Did you come all this way to find me?”

Everyone in the hall saw Catherine’s face go pale. She stared wide-eyed at Dennis, then shook her head.

“Dennis? I thought you were dead, so why are you alive?”

Saying that, she was startled by her own words and closed her mouth. But she couldn’t help herself and blurted out again.

“Why are you here? Are you here to resent me? To get revenge? Is that it? Because I asked the director to kick you out?”

“What?”

Dennis’s face, bright with joy, darkened. He looked at Catherine, puzzled.

“What are you talking about? Roem. There’s no way sweet you would do something like that.”

Unlike everyone else in the hall, Nerys glanced toward the entrance. As she suspected, the Marquis was standing there, watching leisurely, then grinned and slipped away.

‘No, that won’t do.’

Not that easily. Nerys signaled with her eyes to someone she guessed was Talfrin. He flinched, then flashed a familiar smile and disappeared into the crowd.

Dennis moved closer to Catherine—no, Roem. Tears welled up in his tired eyes.

“Ah, my beloved Roem. So you found out all about the director, that bastard, lying to me and making my face like this? You felt bad, so you came looking for me, right? See, I knew you’d come. I knew it was a lie that you didn’t love me…!”

“You idiot!”

Roem, frustrated, cut him off and snapped like thunder.

“Who’d love a loser like you? You were nothing but a no-name actor whose only good trait was your face! You had no skills and always came to me whining! Do you know how much you annoyed me every time? You should have just died, just died!”

Dennis, reaching out to Roem, froze in shock. By then, everyone in the hall had pieced together their story.

“So, she’s not the Marquis’s niece but used to be an actress? And her name is different?”

“That’s not all? Just to meet a new man, she ruined her previous lover’s life…”

Roem glared fiercely at the maids whispering nearby.

“Shut up!”

But the maids didn’t. Even the lowest-ranked ones had passed Ellen’s strict standards and wouldn’t be intimidated by some exposed fraud. Even the youngest maid from the kitchen glared back, as if to say, ‘What are you going to do about it?’

Under a wave of contemptuous stares, Roem trembled. She couldn’t even tell if it was from anger or fear.

“This can’t be.”

Why? What went wrong? Why didn’t things go as planned?

Roem muttered in confusion. She needed to get away. She had to think of something, anything, to escape this situation.

Cledwyn, who had been watching the whole fiasco, spoke gently.

“That was certainly an amusing show. I’ll forgive you for wasting my time.”

Which meant, of course, that he wouldn’t forgive any other crime. Roem instinctively put on a wronged expression and tried to defend herself.

“No, Your Highness. I know that person! I mean, I know them!”

She probably meant to say, ‘I don’t know them,’ but, being forced to be honest, that’s what came out. Nerys nodded slightly.

Cledwyn jerked his chin at Ellen.

“Handle it as you see fit, head maid.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Ellen stepped forward, a soldier grabbed Roem’s arm roughly. She panicked and struggled, calling out to Ellen.

“Ellen! Ellen, you like me, don’t you? Tell them to let me go! I look just like your previous mistress! Ow!”

As things got noisy, the knight clamped a hand over Roem’s mouth. But everyone had already heard what she said.

Everyone knew how much Ellen had cared for her former mistress, the late Grand Duchess. Some watched anxiously, others curiously eyed Roem, wondering what would happen next.

Ellen came close and gazed into Roem’s eyes. Then she smiled gently. Always the perfect head maid—yet her eyes blazed with anger that was impossible to hide, enough to terrify Roem.

“Of course I like you. Don’t worry. Since you dared to imitate our lady, I’ll make sure you get everything you deserve.”

Roem was utterly daunted. Only now did she realize that Ellen, whom she’d thought was simple and easy to handle, might actually be terrifying.

The knight dragged Roem from the hall. Nerys guessed she’d be locked away somewhere until spring and then sent off to one of those former wives she’d driven out.

‘Ellen’s not the type to grant an easy death.’

Dennis collapsed in a daze, and no one spared him a second glance. The spectators started to murmur, then broke into broad smiles.

Everyone knew who was next.

“Now then, you’ll have an explanation for bringing a rat into my castle, won’t you?”

Looking at the Marquis forced to kneel before him, Cledwyn grinned.