Chapter 21
He’s really strange today.
The Duke pressed his lips tightly together. It felt as though his emotions kept threatening to spill out.
“My lady, so please don’t worry about Solaris. Mabel misses you very much, but she’s also doing an excellent job as head maid.”
“The butler is right. Everyone is relying on him and doing well, so please don’t worry.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
Adelaide pulled Edward and Mabel into a tight embrace. When she first opened her eyes in this unfamiliar world, she had been lucky enough to meet people like them—people who truly cared for her.
“My lady, I brought what you mentioned in your letter last time.”
Mabel whispered softly into Adelaide’s ear. Adelaide lowered her head slightly, and Mabel showed her a stack of white papers.
They were the threatening letters Adelaide had once seen in her dream. After having that dream, she had secretly asked Mabel to check whether such letters really existed.
So they really were real.
“Ah, could you quietly give those to the red-haired woman over there named Luna? Make sure no one notices.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
The bells of the silver spire rang out.
“Let us go inside.”
The Duke extended his arm toward Adelaide.
Holding onto his arm, Adelaide glanced at Edward and Mabel. Then she exchanged meaningful looks with Luna and Sophia before walking forward.
“His Majesty Christian Lucius of Lumegria is entering.”
The King came himself?!
Adelaide’s eyes widened as she looked at the Duke. But the Duke’s gaze wasn’t on the King—it was fixed beyond him.
The King entered alongside the royal guards and Rosenfeld, the royal advisor.
The Duke and Adelaide walked across the red carpet and stopped before the King.
“The two of you must receive approval for your crystal union before His Majesty Lucius. Though it remains symbolic now, this is the union of two great houses, so His Majesty has personally attended.”
“It is an honor.”
Adelaide bowed gracefully, following the etiquette ingrained into her body.
A royal attendant approached and held out documents.
“Once the two of you sign, the engagement ceremony procedures will be complete.”
Huh? We spent half the day dressing up just for something this simple?
For some reason, Adelaide suddenly felt deeply wronged.
After the signatures were finished, the King’s deep and dignified voice echoed through the hall.
“I officially approve the crystal union of these two houses.”
The moment the King finished speaking, Adelaide looked toward Luna and Sophia. Both of them nodded subtly with determined expressions.
Now.
Adelaide bent her knees and staggered. Her grip tightened on the Duke’s arm. The Duke turned his head.
He saw Adelaide’s face had turned deathly pale.
“My… chest…”
Adelaide’s body collapsed limply.
Instinctively, the Duke caught her in his arms.
“Adelaide!”
Silver Sapphire instantly descended into chaos.
“My lady!”
Sophia’s desperate scream rang through the hall.
The sound of rushing footsteps mixed with panicked shouting.
“Clear the way!”
“Protect the Duke and Lady Adelaide!”
The Duke’s knights drew their swords all at once and surrounded the pair protectively. People screamed and scattered in every direction. Amid the pushing and chaos came the sound of crystal decorations shattering.
“Protect His Majesty!”
The royal guards quickly escorted the King away.
Rosenfeld hurried after them, but suddenly glanced back.
His eyes met the Duke’s.
The corner of Rosenfeld’s lips twisted slightly.
The Duke’s gaze turned ice-cold.
“Everyone move aside!”
At the Duke’s sharp command, the knights began clearing a path.
The Duke carefully tightened his hold around Adelaide in his arms.
“We’re returning to the estate. Hurry!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Duke’s knights moved immediately.
As the Duke carried Adelaide out of Silver Sapphire, Sophia and Luna exchanged meaningful glances.
“Rachel, you were startled too, right? Let’s go back quickly.”
Sophia and Luna immediately moved to Rachel’s side.
“I-I…”
“We should hurry. It’s dangerous here.”
With Sophia and Luna closing in from both sides, Rachel had no choice but to move with them.
As Rachel left Silver Sapphire, her eyes lingered regretfully on someone behind them.
Who is she looking at?
Luna followed Rachel’s gaze, but by then everyone had already left the hall.
Sophia and Luna practically dragged Rachel outside.
The Duke climbed into the carriage while carrying Adelaide.
“We leave immediately.”
The carriage door slammed shut, and mounted knights surrounded it as they sped away at full speed.
The Duke couldn’t even think about setting Adelaide down. He sat with her on his lap, holding her tightly.
“Please… just hold on a little longer. Please.”
His voice trembled.
Adelaide’s cold hand twitched faintly inside his arms. The Duke pulled her even closer.
“Where is Verheim?”
As the Duke stepped down from the carriage carrying the limp Adelaide, Sebastian approached.
“He has arrived.”
The Duke quickened his pace.
Carrying Adelaide, he entered his own bedroom and carefully laid her down on the bed.
Her slender hand fell weakly onto the sheets.
“Hurry, Verheim.”
The Duke’s voice dropped dangerously low.
Once the Duke and Adelaide’s safety had been secured, Marcus gathered all the servants into the hall alone.
Murderous intent radiated from him as he looked around.
“From this moment onward, every entrance to the estate will be sealed. Remember this well—no one enters or leaves!”
Rachel’s face turned pale as she looked around frantically.
Knights had already stationed themselves at every door.
“Rachel, you don’t look well. Well, it’s understandable after seeing my lady collapse. Come, let us pray together.”
Sophia tightly clasped both of Rachel’s hands.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Verheim hurried toward Adelaide to examine her condition.
Then—
Adelaide took a deep breath and slowly sat up.
For the first time ever, the Duke’s unwavering eyes shook violently.
“…Adelaide?!”
Seeing the Duke like this for the first time, Adelaide quickly spoke.
“I’m alright, Duke.”
The Duke’s gaze darkened coldly.
“Verheim, leave.”
With that short command, the physician withdrew, leaving the room filled with icy tension.
“What exactly do you think you were doing?”
The anger he had been suppressing finally burst out sharply.
“I’m sorry for frightening you. But there was no other choice.”
“…Whatever your reason is, it had better be enough to convince me.”
The Duke’s eyes were so cold they almost carried killing intent.
Carefully gauging his mood, Adelaide explained everything that had happened.
“Why would Rachel do something like this? And how did you even discover the poison?”
“Thanks to Luna. If it weren’t for her, I never would have known.”
“Did you discover who’s behind this?”
“That’s why we waited until today.”
“What kind of idiot risks their life for something like that?”
“Risk my life? I drank the antidote tea every single time. There isn’t even the tiniest trace of poison left in my body.”
The Duke clenched his fist tightly.
“Haa… so that’s why you insisted on keeping Luna close.”
He muttered the words almost to himself.
Even knowing Luna had been protecting Adelaide, for some reason anger kept rising inside him.
“Marcus.”
The Duke’s voice lowered dangerously.
“You called for me?”
“Throw Rachel into the underground prison.”
“Yes, sir.”
Receiving the order, Marcus headed straight toward the hall.
The servants shrank back at the killing intent pouring from him. Even the knights moved closer as if ready to stop him if necessary.
“Rachel!”
Marcus roared.
Rachel struggled desperately to flee, but Sophia still refused to release the hands she had tightly clasped under the excuse of praying together.
Marcus charged toward her with such murderous fury that it seemed he might draw his sword and cut her down on the spot.
“P-Please spare me!”
Rachel trembled violently under Marcus’s killing intent.
Only then did Sophia release her hands.
“Take her to the underground prison immediately!”
At Marcus’s order, two knights grabbed Rachel by both arms.
“Sophia, no! Please! Please save me!”
Rachel screamed as she was dragged away.
The servants whispered anxiously among themselves.
“The Duke said my lady is safe, so everyone should return to their duties.”
Luna calmly relayed the Duke’s message to Sebastian.
“Quiet! Everyone back to your positions. Immediately.”
Sebastian stepped forward firmly.
Only then did Mabel finally collapse into a chair in relief.
“Are you alright, Mabel?”
Sophia helped her up.
“Our poor young lady…”
Mabel still hadn’t stopped crying since the moment Adelaide collapsed.
“I want to take my lady back to Solaris.”
Edward added quietly.
Seeing their young mistress endangered inside the Duke’s estate broke his heart.
“Please calm down. Let’s sit over here first.”
Sebastian and Sophia guided Edward and Mabel into the reception room.
“My lady already knew.”
At Sophia’s words, Mabel’s eyes widened.
“What? What do you mean?”
“She wanted to know why someone was targeting her like this. She told us we should wait and see. Luna was also preparing for anything unexpected.”
“Sob… our poor young lady. It seems she was constantly threatened even back home…”
Mabel cried sorrowfully.
“Threatened?”
Luna asked sharply.
“A little while ago, she sent a letter to the estate. She told us to open the drawer in the study.”
“The drawer?”
“Yes. These letters were inside. I think she was hiding them from us.”
Mabel handed over the stack of letters.
Luna took them carefully.
“These are threatening letters.”
“She told me to give them to Miss Luna.”
“I’ll take proper care of my lady. The two of you should return to the territory. She is safer here. If my lady knew you saw her like this, she would be heartbroken.”
Luna calmly persuaded Mabel and Edward.
When she said Adelaide thought of them like family, Mabel’s tears started flowing all over again, but eventually she resolved herself to return.
“We understand. Please… take good care of our lady.”
Sebastian, Sophia, and Luna all nodded seriously.
