ELND Chapter 60

Chapter 60

 Why Are You Trying to Lock Me Up?

A few days later, in the afternoon.

The carriage had just begun to roll out through the garden.

“A date in the city, just the two of us! I’m so excited, Your Highness Vi!”

Bianca, her eyes sparkling, exclaimed as she watched the mansion grow smaller outside the window.

Before leaving for the Imperial Capital to attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet, Bianca and I had decided to spend some time together exploring the northern city.

It was a sudden plan, decided just this morning as we chatted in the Garden of Shadows.

If I’d known she’d be this happy, I would’ve taken her out more often.

Smiling faintly, I reached out to ruffle Bianca’s hair.

“I’m looking forward to it too, Bianca. Today, let’s go wherever you want. Anywhere with you will be fun for me.”

“Hehe, me too! Maybe because we decided so suddenly—it feels even more exciting!”

Just then, her tiny hand tightened around mine.

But at that moment, the carriage suddenly came to a halt in front of the castle gates.

“Would you please open the window for a moment?”

A knight outside tapped on the carriage window politely.

It seemed the rumors were true—the security around the fortress had indeed become stricter lately.

Well, once they see it’s me, they’ll surely let us through.

Thinking that, I opened the window casually.

“Your Highness Vi…!”

The knight’s face went pale the instant he saw me.

Really? Are there still people in this fortress who go white just from seeing me?

While I tilted my head in confusion, the knight suddenly shouted toward his comrades.

“His Highness Vi is inside the carriage!”

A wave of commotion rippled through the guards.

“His Highness Vi?!”

“What are you standing around for! Go inform the Grand Duke immediately!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

One of the lower-ranked knights ran off toward the Duke’s mansion in a panic.

Meanwhile, the knight by my window turned back to me with a troubled expression.

“I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness, but you’ll have to wait here a moment. You’re not permitted to leave the castle right now.”

“What do you mean?”

Guards stopping someone from leaving rather than entering the castle—

And not just anyone, but the Grand Duchess?

“Why are you stopping me and Bianca? Has something happened in the fortress? Everything seemed fine this morning when we left the mansion…”

Bianca looked as bewildered as I felt. Her eyes went round as she asked, but the knight just shook his head.

“No, nothing’s wrong, but…”

“But what?”

“Well, this is… under the Grand Duke’s direct order.”

The knight hesitated, glancing at me nervously.

“If Your Highness attempts to leave the fortress, we are to stop you and report immediately…”

“Not Bianca… me?”

Bianca and I exchanged confused looks just as someone shouted from behind the carriage:

“The Grand Duke approaches!”

A young knight’s voice echoed from the garden.

Moments later, the carriage door was flung open—

Bang—!

Standing there, face flushed and breath heavy, was Cedric.

“Rebecca. Where were you planning to go?”

He gritted his teeth as he spoke, his tie loosened and his once-neat hair completely disheveled.

As if even that wasn’t enough, he roughly undid the top buttons of his shirt and leaned against the doorway, eyes fixed sharply on me.

His tone hardened.

“You didn’t have any outings scheduled for today.”

It had been quite some time since we returned from Grayzone Village, yet Cedric’s anger toward me hadn’t cooled in the slightest.

Seriously? I made one mistake that day, but does he have to treat me like a criminal in confinement?

I was fuming inside when Bianca suddenly poked her head out from behind me.

“Grand Duke?”

Cedric’s eyes widened in shock—clearly, he hadn’t expected to see her there.

“Bianca? What are you doing here…?”

“What do you mean? I was on my way to the city with Your Highness, of course.”

I answered curtly for her, and Cedric blinked slowly before sighing in relief.

“…I see. Thank goodness.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why were your knights stopping my carriage? I understand you’re angry with me, but this is too much!”

Cedric blinked again, looking taken aback.

“Rebecca, it’s not like that…”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, biting his lower lip.

Confusion clouded his face.

“…Damn it. I can’t even come up with a decent excuse.”

Running a large hand through his hair, he sighed deeply. His usually immaculate appearance was utterly in disarray—his bangs even falling over one eye.

The knight who had been blocking the carriage stepped closer hesitantly.

“Your Grace, what shall we do? May we let Her Highness through now?”

Cedric’s gaze darkened again—an unreadable unease flickering within his eyes.

“Look, Your Highness Vi! Sugar candies!”

Bianca’s laughter rang brightly as we walked through the lively marketplace.

“If there’s anything you want to try, just say so. I’ll keep it a secret from your nanny.”

“Really?!”

She clasped her cheeks in delight, and I smiled softly.

“But tell me something…” I turned to the side. “Why are you here?”

I couldn’t hide my exasperation as I looked at Cedric, but he only shrugged nonchalantly.

“Thought I’d take a stroll through the city myself. Been a while.”

“You come to the city all the time for the trading office. You were literally here a few days ago.”

He ignored me completely, turning instead to wink at Bianca.

“Bianca, is it alright if I tag along on your date?”

Bianca hesitated for a moment, then beamed brightly.

“Of course! I actually prefer it this way!”

“But Bianca—”

When I started to object, she pouted.

“The truth is… I’ve been really lonely in the capital. I was so jealous of friends who could hold their parents’ hands and walk through the city together…”

With that, Bianca ran between us and took both our hands in hers.

“Your Highness, could you please grant me just one wish?”

Her pleading eyes blinked up at me.

Her wish… is just to hold hands with her family and walk through the city?

Such a small, innocent dream for the daughter of a Grand Duchy.

My heart ached, and I could only nod.

“Alright. But only for today, okay?”

“Hehe, yes! Thank you, Your Highness!”

Her pure smile made my chest tighten.

Fine. Once the divorce becomes public, I’ll have to leave anyway. Before that happens, I can at least grant Bianca this small wish.

Forcing a bright smile, I said, “Let’s go, Cedric.”

A faint, satisfied curve appeared on his lips.

“Good. There’s a shopping district nearby that noble ladies frequent—I’ll take you there.”

The area he mentioned was near the southern gate of the trading quarter.

The lively shouts of merchants echoed all around as we entered.

Bianca’s eyes darted everywhere in fascination, her little hands gripping ours even tighter, as if proud to show us off.

“Bianca, is there anything you’d like?”

“Eh? Oh, no…”

She smiled shyly.

“I was just wondering if any young ladies from other noble families were here.”

“To show them that you’re walking with both the Grand Duke and me?”

“Eh? Oh…”

Her face flushed red as she nodded slowly.

“Hehe… yes.”

Watching her, I chuckled softly and tapped my chin.

“Hmm. Since the Emperor’s birthday banquet is near, I imagine they’re out shopping too. But there are so many people here—and you’re a bit too short to see, aren’t you?”

Bianca drooped her head sadly.

“I guess so…”

I smiled and looked at Cedric.

“Cedric. When I count to three, lift Bianca’s arm, alright?”

“Lift her arm? Why—”

“One, two… three!”

Together, we swung Bianca gently up into the air.

She screamed in surprise at first, but when her feet touched the ground again, she burst into bright laughter.

“Now everyone will be able to see me, right?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Yes! Your Highness! That was so fun!”

“Was it? Then let’s do it again! One, two, three!”

Cedric and I both smiled as we watched Bianca giggle happily—

Until suddenly, a sharp, angry male voice cut through the crowd’s noise.

“Please, please! Just shut that mouth of yours, Camilla!”

…

“I told you again and again! I won’t tolerate your madness any longer!”

The voice slashed through the air, harsh and raw with fury.

I instinctively turned toward the commotion—and froze.

That’s… Count Dmitri, isn’t it?

A crowd had gathered, but the Count, blinded by rage, seemed oblivious to them.

He had always been a gentle man, even enduring his wife Camilla’s insolence without complaint.

For a man like him to lose his temper like that… what on earth happened?

Pushing gently through the onlookers, I stepped closer.

“Darling, please… don’t do this! Just this once, if we invest in this next trade, I swear we can pay off the debt from the sugar import deal!”

Unbelievably, the woman begging at his feet was Camilla.

But even more shocking was her appearance—

Her once-sparkling gown and shoes were dull and worn, and she had not a single piece of jewelry left.

A pitiful shadow of the woman she’d been.

“P-please, my love! Just give me one more chance! I can fix everything!”

But Count Dmitri only glared down at her with eyes full of disgust.

“You borrowed money from loan sharks without even asking me—and then you squandered it all on worthless schemes!”

He shook off her hands violently, sending her sprawling into the dirt along with a crumpled blue handkerchief.

“Ugh! My love—!”

Camilla whimpered in pain, but the Count didn’t even glance at her.

Instead, his voice rose even harsher.

“Do you have any idea how much of our family’s fortune you’ve wasted? Every day, debt collectors swarm my estate, peasants demand compensation—and I can’t stand the sight of your shameless face any longer!”