I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 35
“I have nothing to say, Your Highness. It’s all my fault. I don’t know how to apologize…”
“…You were merely toyed with. Don’t worry about the ink.”
“Ugh…”
“….”
Ignoring the man sprawled on the floor, I apologized to the First Prince who had a drop of ink on him. As the man kept rolling on the floor and getting in the way, I secretly pushed him aside with my foot under my dress while bowing my head. The Prince’s expression became subtle. Oh no, did he see?
“We should move to a different location. Hey, you.”
“Yes, yes! Your Highness!”
“Take care of this. If that man wakes up and asks for the Duchess, tell him to come find me.”
The First Prince ordered, throwing a large jewel to the shop owner. The owner’s eyes, which had widened as much as when I threw the ink bottle, glinted as they scanned the jewel, and the noble man collapsed on the floor.
“Yes! I’ll take care of everything! Don’t worry, Your Highness!”
Really now, when I was being harassed, he was trembling as if powerless. But in front of a jewel, it seems even the anger of a bleeding nobleman rising isn’t frightening.
“Follow me, Madam.”
While I was looking at the shop owner with displeasure, the First Prince gave me an order. No matter how different the situation, he’s certainly different from the Second Prince who would gently suggest.
“My lady…! My lady, what on earth happened…!”
“It’s alright, Pia. Don’t worry and go back to the Duke’s mansion. Tell them I’ll be a bit late, okay?”
“You want me to go back alone?! How could I do that!”
“I’m really fine, so don’t worry.”
Pia, who had rushed over belatedly, couldn’t grab me and just waved her trembling hands in the air. As I tried to calm the surprised Pia, I glanced at the First Prince. He seemed to be waiting for me but didn’t appear to have any intention of retracting his order.
How rude. Can’t you tell a delicate noblewoman who’s had an unpleasant experience to go home and rest?
“Get in.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
To my great honor, the First Prince escorted me to what appeared to be the imperial carriage he had arrived in. However, he didn’t tell me where we were going.
He said not to worry about the ink. It’s not like he’s offering to have my clothes remade, so where is he taking me?
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m merely offering the Duchess, who must have been startled by the sudden situation, a brief rest at the imperial palace. It’s closer than the Duke’s residence, isn’t it?”
Even if it’s far, I’d rather go back to my own home to rest.
“I’m merely grateful for Your Highness’s consideration.”
I expressed my gratitude once again, but perhaps the truth showed on my face, as the First Prince stared at me intently. The mask-like smile had long since disappeared as soon as the carriage door closed.
“I find it regrettable.”
“…?”
Is he talking about the rumors? Or the harassment from earlier?
“Even if you’re an illegitimate child of a fallen viscount family, you’re still a noble. Since you couldn’t have a debutante, you should have been more careful about marriage.”
As if the sunlight entering the carriage in the middle of the day was bothersome, the Prince slightly drew the curtains. Shadows fell across his face, and his low, soft voice reprimanded me.
“It would have been better if you had maintained your position as a Marchioness. Doing unnecessary things has led you to this situation.”
“…I don’t understand what you mean…”
“With that innocent and cunning ability, you should have somehow clung to the Marquis family and served me. If you have even half-noble blood, shouldn’t you have acted accordingly? You should have thought about rising, not trying to descend to become a commoner. I can’t understand it.”
“My husband is a Duke.”
“Does one’s innate bloodline change?”
“Does that mean different colored blood flows through me?”
I asked, meeting the Prince’s gaze directly, which was hard to see in the shadows. Despite my disrespectful attitude, the First Prince didn’t point it out, instead closing his eyes and slowly shaking his head.
As if he felt there was no value in dealing with me.
“Thinking like that must be why you made such a foolish choice.”
Opening his eyes again, he looked me up and down as if he had completely given up on me. I was overcome with mixed emotions as I realized that my position as a foolish noble had been completely degraded in his eyes.
What a truly classist person.
…And this person knows nothing about his own birth. Then, the largest faction supporting him, the Empress’s family, must not know the truth either. Only the Empress knows the truth.
“Madam. You will regret leaving your proper place without understanding where it was.”
“What place is that?”
“Like ordinary noble daughters, marrying into a noble family and quietly staying in your husband’s shadow. But your current position…”
Clop. Clop. I could feel the horse’s steps slowing down. Though the curtains were drawn and I couldn’t see, it seemed we had arrived at the imperial palace. The Prince didn’t draw the curtains even until we heard a knocking sound.
“It’s a position of downfall. You won’t see the new era of the empire.”
“….”
“I hope you understand that I didn’t help you today, but merely tried to educate someone who doesn’t know the shame of being a noble.”
Soon after, the carriage door opened and the Prince alighted. The one who escorted me as I got out after him was the imperial servant holding the carriage door.
“The Duchess has had an unpleasant experience, so introduce her to the reception room or the imperial garden until she calms down.”
The Prince didn’t look at me again. As if he had spoken his last words to me, who was once a ‘real noble’, his back turning away from me was utterly pathetic.
“…Isn’t he an idiot?”
Despite the irreverence of insulting a prince in the imperial palace, I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts.
The First Prince doesn’t simply want to become the next emperor; he’s moving with a sincere belief in creating a perfect and aristocratic empire. But considering his seed, it’s nothing if not ironic.
“What is the Empress thinking?”
Was it the Empress who instilled such ideology? Or did he just feel it himself as he grew up? Either way, thinking that it will be the First Prince who falls, not the Duke’s family, it would be a tragedy for him.
Because of this, rather than being affected by his words, I just felt an inexplicable uneasiness.
***
I adamantly refused the servant who offered to escort me to the reception room for warm tea, and instead decided to take a short stroll in the imperial garden.
Although I had stayed here for a few days before the banquet, I had only toured this magnificent garden once.
In fact, I wanted to go back right away because even that was bothersome, but out of minimal courtesy, I intended to kill just about 30 minutes.
“…?”
But I notice guards standing where there weren’t any before. I don’t think they were here when I encountered Lex Romenel before. Was it deliberately opened up because we were staying?
“…Can I pass through?”
But the problem is that the guard is dozing off. Did he get hit by a food coma? Sleeping while standing in broad daylight.
I was about to wake him up and ask if I could enter but then decided to just linger around without going in too deep. I was going to leave soon anyway.
And I thought it wouldn’t matter much since I had been here once before.
“My, I should punish the guard.”
But if the result was an encounter with the Emperor, I would never have done so. I was momentarily stunned at the sight of the Emperor appearing as soon as I turned the corner of the inner garden, wondering if it was a dream, and during that time, the Emperor greeted me first.
“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor!”
Oh come on, first the First Prince, and now why are members of the imperial family popping up everywhere? Aren’t the imperial family supposed to be hard to meet? I hurriedly bent my knee to greet the Emperor, not caring that my dress was getting stained with grass and gritted my teeth.
Like father, like son… No, wait a minute, the First Prince’s father isn’t the Emperor.
“You may rise. It seems the fault doesn’t lie with you.”
“I sincerely apologize for disturbing your rest, Your Majesty.”
“This is also a pleasant occurrence. I was feeling lonely just looking at the flowers. It’s fortunate. A flower I can converse with has come. Rise and come closer.”
If it’s okay, why don’t you just tell me to leave? Indeed, like father, like son. Even if the blood doesn’t match, the behavior is the same.
“I heard the Viscount couple suffered harm during the rainy season. Though late, I offer my condolences.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Not long after experiencing the death of your first husband, the Marquis, you’ve suffered the loss of your parents in succession. Perhaps you should take care of yourself this year.”
…What’s the intention behind these words? At first glance, it sounded like he was telling me to calm down, but from what I could see from the corner of my eye, the Emperor’s expression didn’t seem to be blaming me.
“Still, I think I’m fortunate to have found a good connection now. Thanks to my husband, Duke Yeager, I was able to quickly overcome the pain of losing my parents.”
“Yes, I’m glad to see your face doesn’t seem to have been too damaged.”
But it’s really annoying how he keeps talking about flowers and whether my face is damaged. I know I’m quite a beauty, but I’m not just a hollow flower with only a face to offer.
“It’s a pity. It would have been better if you hadn’t married the Duke.”
“…Pardon?”
“Why didn’t you just remain as the Marquis’s widow?”
