Abandoned Maid of the Grand Duke - Chapter 48
Was it because he didn’t see the Emperor’s misdeeds from a young age? Even if he didn’t abandon the guy, as long as such a wretched dog is Emperor, the empire will collapse someday. Why doesn’t he understand that the intelligent ones escape a sinking ship first?
Ernst knew that Kainri was a sentimentalist, but if he continues to hold on without a plan, it’s only a matter of time before luck runs out.
Well, in a way, it’s that kind of personality that made him stay loyal to Ernst in the battlefield where bullets and swords flew.
‘If worse comes to worst, should I drag him out?’
It would be too late if they moved only after the revolution had started. Intelligence reports from spies have been increasingly delayed this year. If information was leaking, it means the balance of power was shifting to the rebels.
In the worst case, should Ernst take Luina and her household out? Just as he was pondering what to do if Kainri insisted on staying, he heard a voice.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Julie, nestled in his arms, tugged at his sleeve like a child seeking attention.
“Don’t worry so much, okay?”
Julie cupped his face and gave him a kiss, smiling brightly. That unending confidence, that groundless assurance made Ernst furrowed his brows involuntarily.
Come to think of it, this woman… Considering the years he had watched over her, it spanned almost a lifetime. She had changed a lot since he returned from the academy, and even if you count from that time, quite a few years had passed.
Her appearance hadn’t aged at all, and she always seemed certain of an uncertain future. Somehow…
“Hold my hand…”
“Hand? Hand…”
“Ahhhh!!!”
…Or not? Considering she had run away while at the Grand Duchy and had given birth to Lilian on the roadside, there were some inconsistencies.
This time was no different. Despite the date to send Lilian to the Grand Duchy drawing closer, Julie didn’t seem anxious at all.
She knew the state of affairs well enough, judging by how she did odd jobs like gathering acorns to make ends meet—he let her do these things just to keep busy around the house—but was she really unaware of the situation?
The security was unstable. The political situation was precarious. The empire was shaking. There were uprisings. Knowing all this, would she still send Lilian to the Grand Duchy?
‘How?’
Her dearly cherished daughter? Julie, who knew all of this?
No matter how much he thought about it, the correlation was puzzling. Julie smiled at him as he tilted his head, trying to make sense of it all. Even with only three days left until the agreed-upon date, she seemed happier than ever.
***
Hmm, what should she do? It’s been so long that her memory had become hazy. She should have recorded it back then instead of trusting her memory.
A great writer habitually keeps a journal, but Julie certainly wasn’t cut out to be one. If she had the knack for writing, would she have ended up as Julie in this story? Still, she thought she should leave something behind to help her daughter.
‘What major event happened then?’
Julie pondered, resting her forehead against Lilian’s side as she slept.
Alright, let’s see. There was definitely a big episode, but trying to recall it in order made everything a jumbled mess. Where to start?
‘Ah, right.’
Meeting Glaeser Yornbach at the village festival in the central region. Silver hair and blue eyes, right? The meeting involved disarming explosives set by rebels, didn’t it?
‘Since her father taught her that, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.’
Julie definitely remembered the Crown Prince. The Emperor, wary of his son usurping the throne, sent Crown Prince Schvachen to his death. Lilian, with the help of Paladin Glaeser, rescued the Crown Prince who had given up escaping from the northern snow mountains. When they met again at the ball…
“Ahem…”
Julie decided she didn’t need to know about her daughter’s love life. Let’s stop there.
Young Grand Duke Piurn, would be handled by Grand Duchess Luina, so Julie would hold off on that. Starting with them being ‘siblings’ would spoil the fun if revealed too soon.
Oh, come to think of it, Julie regretted it more and more. She was genuinely invested in the Young Grand Duke stock at that time.
‘Wait, this isn’t the important thing right now.’
Reading it felt like a romance fantasy, but considering it as Lilian’s coming-of-age story, it was more like hard-boiled noir action. Forget the pretty petals flying around; this was pure chaos.
When Julie read the original story, the conflicts with the rebels were just background noise, but now that it was a reality before her eyes, she couldn’t just stand by. At least until Lilian secured her position as the Grand Duchy’s heir and mediated as the imperial descendant, she needed to provide hints to avoid landmines.
Without this level of cheat keys, the difficulty was extremely high. Especially since her trusted friend Yul turned out to be a traitor.
With that thought, Julie held her throbbing head and started jotting down notes like Zhuge Liang’s silk bag plans.
1- Pray. It costs money to play, but not to pray.
2- Bomb disposal principles. Even an extinguished fire should be checked again.
3- The northern snow mountains? Always be prepared for emergencies. Life is real.
4- Beware the trusted axe. Always be cautious of people.
5- Imperial ball – contraception is a must, one misstep can ruin your life.
Julie hoped Lilian wasn’t so dense that she couldn’t avoid danger after reading this.
