Chapter 14
Isabelle La Glintland had a warm and lovely appearanceābright brown hair with a hint of pink. Anyone who saw her would immediately call her a gentle and beautiful woman.
But Isabelle La Glintland was not that kind of person.
If she were, she wouldnāt have climbed this far up in the first place.
āI made it all the way to Ibanesā¦ā
She began nervously biting her perfectly manicured fingernails.
āIsabelle, the reason I pulled a lowly girl like you from a poor fishing village and made you a duchess is because you must be the best dowry.ā
Thatās what the King of Glintland had told her when he lifted her out of the gutter, after she had lost her family and her noble name.
āIf you and Grand Duke Verk marry and start a new household in Soleria, your wish will come true.ā
To that, Isabelle had gladly nodded.
Officially, she was sent as a diplomatic envoy to strengthen the relationship between two countries. But in truth, it was a marriage missionāone that both countries needed. And the one who needed it most was none other than Isabelle.
āBut I canāt give up now.ā
Of course, she never thought Grand Duke Verk would fall for her right away. If he had wanted to come to Glintland, he would have given up his title long ago instead of joining the military.
She knew from the start this would be hard. Thatās exactly why the King of Glintland had chosen her after careful thought.
Beautiful enough to tempt any man. Graceful in every movement. A woman whose every word was sweet like sugar.
But no matter how charming she was, she couldnāt seduce a man she hadnāt even met.
On the day of the diplomatic banquet, Grand Duke Verk didnāt even show up. After the mess he caused in the audience room, it was no surprise he skipped the party.
He slipped away before she even got a chance to do anything.
Frustrated, Isabelle picked up a deep pink plum from the table and rubbed it with her thumb. The squeaky sound it made matched her irritation.
āSo heās picky when it comes to women, huhā¦ā
It wasnāt like there were no rumors. Two years ago, there was gossip about him and a noblewoman. But it turned out the lady had fallen too deeply in love and crossed the line. The Grand Duke actually earned sympathy from it.
And now, suddenlyāheās getting married?
Clearly, he had planned for this with a hidden candidate in advance.
A war hero, sureā¦ but maybe heās smarter than he looks.
Isabelle prided herself on knowing men. She had met manyāstrong ones, wise onesābut when it came to women, they were all the same. Even the most self-controlled men would crumble when faced with her.
Thatās why she had confidence. But things fell apart the moment she arrived in Ibanes.
Time was equal for everyone. Before she even reached Ibanes, the Grand Duke had turned the tide of public opinion and ruined the arranged marriage completely.
There was no gap for her to squeeze into.
Sheād seen a sketch in the newspaper of the āduchess-to-beāāa woman with pink eyes like unripe plum flesh. Supposedly the Grand Dukeās adjutant. Her looks didnāt compare to Isabelle at all.
If only there had been more time before the wedding, Isabelle would have tried to meet the Grand Duke in personāmaybe seduce him, or at least start some negotiations. But now, she had nowhere to go.
Orā¦ maybeā¦
Isabelle pressed the plum with her nail. Red juice oozed out like blood.
āā¦Should I get rid of her?ā
The position of duchess in Soleria. Maybe the Grand Duke didnāt need it, but Isabelle did. It was the key to everything.
This was Ibanes. Isabelle didnāt know a single person here. In a foreign land, she knew she couldnāt act recklessly. But sitting and doing nothing wasnāt an option either.
āIāll have to stir up trouble somehow.ā
She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and pulled the bell cord to summon the maid she brought from Glintland.
āBring all the gifts we brought from Glintland.ā
āAll of them, maāam?ā
The maid flinched. Understandably soāeverything Isabelle brought was extremely luxurious. Technically, they were meant to be her wedding dowry.
āAll of them.ā
Soon, the room was packed with boxes. As Isabelle walked among them with her arms crossed, she picked out one itemāa beautiful green vase.
āTell the royal steward of Ibanes that I want to send this to the Grand Dukeās estate as a wedding gift. Say itās carved from a single block of green beryl, perfect for his bridal chamber.ā
She had no intention of backing down. Her eyes sparkled as she examined the vase.
āAnd bring me every newspaper that reported on the Grand Dukeās wedding and the Ambroise family.ā
āYes, maāam.ā
The maid took the vase box from Isabelle and bowed. But just as she turned to leave, she noticed something strangeāanother box at Isabelleās feet, looking very similar to the one she was holding.
āā¦Is that the same?ā
Before she could figure it out, Isabelleās sharp voice came.
āWhat are you doing?ā
It was basically a warning. The maid quickly looked away.
āN-nothing, maāam.ā
She shrank back and left with the box in her arms. The moment she stepped outside, she let out a deep breath.
Isabelle La Glintland. There were many rumors about the woman who was adopted and titled by the King of Glintland. Some said she was just a street girl. Others claimed she was the last heir of a fallen noble house.
But to a lowly laundry maid, Isabelle was simply a powerful and intimidating noblewoman.
āSo that womanās not even a real noble? Then how did a maid like you get picked to go with her on this marriage journey?ā
Other jealous laundry maids had gossiped like that. They said it made no sense for the King to call her a distant relative.
But the maid didnāt care. Isabelle could be cold like just now, but she wasnāt hard to serve. The maid easily shrugged off what she saw earlier and looked down at the box in her hands.
āItās really pretty.ā
She smiled at the vase. At first, she had been scared to be chosen for this journey. But now, she likes it.
Even if the marriage seemed to be canceled and the nobles were upset, to someone like her, it was an amazing experience. She got to see things she never imagined, even received a few nice outfits from the royal palace.
The head steward had said she could sell those clothes when she got back. The pay was good, too.
Seeing a foreign palace and holding an expensive vase like thisāhow could she not be happy?
Creaaak. The door she thought had closed slowly opened again.
But the happy maid didnāt notice the cold gaze of Isabelle La Glintland still following her from behind.
***
Meanwhile, at the Ambroise householdā¦
Things were going more or less as Chloe expected.
People suddenly showed great interest in the Ambroise familyāa family they hadnāt even known existed before.
Who were they? What did their family look like? Every newspaper was writing about them.
They wrote about how both parents were scholars. That the family hadnāt visited the capital Ibaneres in years. That Chloe Ambroise was practically the head of the house. That her brother Eric attended a boarding military academy.
But the most attention went to the third childāLea Ambroise.
She was studying at a womenās university in the capital, which meant she was the closest sibling to Chloe in distance.
So all the newspapers were desperate to interview her.
But Lea was nowhere to be found.
Reporters visited the Ambroise familyās small house on Le Martin Streetābut every visit ended in failure. No one was there.
āAmbroise Family Missing in the Eye of the Storm?ā
That was the headline of one article.
Of course, they werenāt really missing.
In fact, right in the middle of all this chaosā¦
At this very momentā¦
Lea Ambroise, Chloeās younger sisterā¦
āā¦So I did cause a problem after allā¦ā
ā¦was standing in the center of Grand Duke Verkās mansion, mumbling blankly to herself.
