The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 78
“T-That person is my husband.”
‘huh?
“Wait a minute.”
Grace’s thoughts halted as she noticed something off, even though Gloria’s face had gone deathly pale, her fingertips trembling and the shivers passing through her grip on Grace’s shoulder.
‘Wasn’t Gloria’s husband the Count Parmer?’
Even though Gloria had claimed Grace was wise enough to understand, this out-of-context remark only served to unsettle her, solving nothing.
‘Is this all she can say?’
Yet, it seemed this was as far as Gloria could go in telling her.
At this point, Grace could deduce a few theories. Something had happened, and Baron Remante was involved, or something was about to happen, and it was likely related to him.
‘But Gloria’s husband isn’t Baron Remante; he’s Count Parmer.’
Did the Count have multiple titles? Grace pondered briefly, but if that were the case, Gloria wouldn’t have specifically mentioned Baron Remante.
Grace gently pried away Gloria’s shaking hand, which felt cold to the touch.
‘She’s terrified.’
“Sister, calm down first.”
Although Grace still didn’t grasp the full meaning, it was evident Gloria had exerted herself to reveal this much.
“Should I get you some warm water?”
“…No, it’s okay.”
Baron Remante, or Count Parmer, was a character who hadn’t even been mentioned in the original story, let alone made an appearance.
The sudden introduction of another name was an unwelcome surprise.
‘But this isn’t a random character. He’s my sister’s husband, just not described in the story.’
Grace reassured herself that if she thought calmly, an answer would emerge.
‘Soon something is going to surface, something close to my own circumstances.’
The fact that Gloria spoke out of the blue must be due to the differences from the original story. Grace had been active outside, unlike her character in the story, and had come to the Linden viscounty.
‘She wouldn’t have advised me to look into Baron Remante for no reason.’
“We’ll take care of it, His Excellency and I.”
After pondering for a moment, Grace asked Gloria a question.
“Sister, did I ever send you something in the past? Perhaps something that mother and father mentioned?”
“…What kind of thing?”
“Like jewelry or a brooch?”
Gloria seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking her head.
‘If she’s not lying, then where did the missing entries in the ledger go?’
⋆★⋆
That night, after Gloria’s mention of ‘Baron Remante,’ surprisingly, nothing happened.
It was so quiet that Grace felt empty.
The next morning, Gloria was nowhere to be seen. She had apparently been busy meeting old friends after returning to her hometown.
Moreover, everyone in the Linden estate… or more precisely, Grace’s family, seemed to avoid her gaze awkwardly or acted cautiously around her.
Grace guessed it was because of the incident the previous evening.
Not feeling particularly inclined to show magnanimity, Grace let them continue their cautious dance, choosing to spend her time with Benjamin instead.
She didn’t want to waste the remaining time in idleness.
‘Is this the calm before the storm…?’
“Come to think of it, I’ve never heard you talk about your friends.”
“Hmm…”
During a surprisingly peaceful morning, while strolling outside the Linden viscounty, Benjamin suddenly broached the topic as if it had just crossed his mind.
‘The truth is, I don’t have any friends.’
Grace had no one she could truly call a friend. Despite her nickname being Gracey, she was often merely seen as an oddity, a target for mockery.
“I don’t have many long-standing connections. What about you, Your Excellency?”
“I, too, have few from my childhood. The longest-lasting would be… Sylvester, His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“…You’ve known the Crown Prince for that long?”
“Yes, since he was very young.”
‘Oh, that’s a new piece of information.’
Grace leaned forward unconsciously, absorbing this new information with eager attention. As she drew closer, Benjamin’s ears tinged red, and he hesitated, stepping back a bit.
“Does that make him kind of a childhood friend?”
“Well, um, yes, I suppose you could say that.”
Benjamin averted his eyes from the closeness of Grace, casting them around somewhat awkwardly.
“And what about Marquis Charles?”
“He’s someone I met during a… less dignified time in my life.”
“Oh…”
“…Please, don’t take an interest.”
Benjamin’s words, meant to discourage, only piqued Grace’s curiosity further. She was dying to know exactly what constituted this ’embarrassing time’ in his life.
“Before I get carried away, I was wondering if I could borrow some of Your Excellency’s connections, if possible since I’m going to need to socialize once we go back to the capital”
Benjamin looked both surprised and pleased at Grace’s request.
“You’re thinking of re-entering society?”
“Yes, if you think it’s alright.”
Grace had a disastrous debut in the social circles of the capital when she first became a duchess. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he thought her staying quietly at home was the better option, but Benjamin seemed to actually want her to be active.
‘And I remember where the Marquis Charles’ house is.’
The Marquis Charles’ house was one of the empire’s defending swords.
‘The Felton ducal house is the tree that supports the sun, while the Marquis Charles’ house is the lake that reflects it. Such grand titles.’
A few generations back, they ruled over the eastern part of the empire, standing against foreign threats at the empire’s borders.
But as the position of the saintess, unique to the empire, became more solid and as magical technology advanced, the Marquis Charles’ house found less need to focus solely on martial prowess.
They continued to learn swordsmanship for the empire’s safety, but their attention started to shift elsewhere.
‘The social scene.’
And so, the Marquis Charles’ house became one of the pillars of the capital’s social scene.
‘If Benjamin is close with Marquis Charles, I might be able to ask for help.’
Despite the unsavory rumors about Grace, it was a well-known fact that no one could overtly express their disdain in the face of power.
‘They might serve you a subtle insult, but they wouldn’t dare do it openly.’
And before that, if you could prove yourself useful to the major factions, it was obvious they would want you on their side.
“Marchioness Charles is with child, so they’ll likely throw a party soon.”
“At the baby shower, then.”
It was a party to celebrate the upcoming birth and to wish for the mother’s safe delivery. Traditionally, only the expectant mother or invited women could attend such an event.
“Since I’m not acquainted with them, I’ll have to ask for your assistance.”
“Don’t worry. If I speak to Marquis Charles, you will likely be invited.”
“Even though his wife and I aren’t acquainted?”
“…Marchioness Charles really wanted to meet you.”
“It’s pleasing, even if it’s just a courtesy.”
Why would the core of the social circle want to see the Duchess of Felton, who was only spoken of in slander? Grace faintly smiled, thinking that any desire to see her might stem from a negative curiosity.
‘Oh, right.’
“I wonder if Gloria, my sister, could also be invited? If it’s too much trouble, never mind. She seems troubled lately, and I thought it might be nice to go out together.”
“Well… Marchioness Charles has no acquaintance with Countess Parmer, and the Count also lacks personal ties with the Marquis.”
‘As expected.’
Grace’s real intention wasn’t to secure an invitation for Gloria. It was merely a pretext to broach a more probing question.
“Is that so? Have you, by any chance, met with Count Parmer?”
“Occasionally, but never in a private setting.”
‘Most likely they met at royal functions or balls.’
This meant that Count Parmer’s reason for marrying Gloria might not have been to establish a connection with the Felton ducal house.
“What kind of man is he?”
“My Lady seems quite interested in Count Parmer.”
“After spending last night with my sister, I got curious about her husband.”
“I don’t know him well enough to give a full account, but he supports His Highness the Crown Prince, which is commendable.”
“And what about Baron Remante?”
“Baron Remante? I’ve never heard of such a title. Is he a provincial noble?”
“I only heard of him recently too. I wondered if His Excellency might know.”
“…”
“Suspicious”
It reeked of utter suspicion.
‘It’s so suspicious I don’t even know where to start.’
Grace had only wanted to stir the waters a little to ensure her own survival, but now it felt like it was causing a tsunami.
‘What can I do, this is my fate.’
Grace exhaled deeply, gazing into the void, unaware that a familiar voice would chime in beside her.
“Isn’t that the lake over there?”
“Yes? Oh, you know it well?”
The only pride of the Linden viscounty is a lake attached to an absurd legend.
‘What was it again, heals any disease or wound?’
The legend was so far-fetched and baseless that the exact phrases and supposed effects changed slightly each time.
Because of this, hardly anyone truly believed in its effects. But it was indeed a beautiful lake.
