Chapter 83
The Meeting of Two Villains
“If that imprint really exists… does it mean that person will love only me forever?”
Rebecca, who had always trembled with fear before her father, said this in a quiet voice.
But in that moment, the Duke Vold saw for the first time her red eyes shine with a clear, bright light.
“Well, that’s what they say. So you just need to use his blind devotion to hand Lilian’s heart to me.”
“If the imprint exists… someone will love only me forever…”
“Rebecca. Are you even listening to your father?”
Lost in thought until then, Rebecca finally returned to herself.
“Ah, yes… yes, Father… I’ll do it. I’ll take that marriage.”
For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, Rebecca became obsessed with marrying Cedric from that day on.
After the marriage, as promised, she pretended not to know about the imprint whenever Cedric was around.
Yet she clung to him like a madwoman, desperate to spend a night with him.
“Now, after getting cozy with that half-blood demon, to ignore our agreement and, on top of that, openly run a business?”
The right to dispose of alimony after divorce—
That was the last leash he could use to control Rebecca.
And yet she dared to expand her personal wealth openly through business.
Wasn’t that a blatant act of defiance against him, her father?
Moreover, while Rebecca stubbornly delayed, the Kingdom of Kachis had begun to threaten to cut their support.
If Kachis really withdrew its support, what would happen?
He didn’t need to guess—he would immediately be branded a traitor by both Kachis and the Western Empire and likely killed.
“Ha! Soon enough, whether it’s that one or the other, everyone will be so desperate they won’t be able to kill me soon enough!”
Duke Vold barked this as he downed whiskey from the glass on the table.
A servant announced that a guest had arrived at the door.
Annoyed by the unannounced visit, Duke Vold grumbled a few times but soon relented as if there was no choice.
‘Who would be so rude to drop by like this…’
He turned with a furrowed face.
“Good day, Duke Vold?”
A woman’s voice reached him—honeyed yet confident.
As he recognized the voice, a crease formed on the Duke’s brow.
“Are you… Madam Dmitri?”
Camilla Dmitri.
He had heard the rumors about her at the imperial banquet and the after-parties.
Her massive investment failures and an affair with the late Count Bart had been revealed, and she was divorced by her husband.
That meant Camilla could be of no benefit to him.
Duke Vold squinted and examined Camilla.
“What does a madam want from me?”
But Camilla showed no sign of being cowed; instead she smiled with composure.
“I came with a proposal for you, Duke Vold. And—’Madam Dmitri’? Oh, Duke, you must be out of the loop. Haven’t you heard?”
“…….”
“I’m no one’s madam anymore.”
Camilla lounged on the guest sofa, crossing her legs, her red lips curved sardonically.
“So I’ve left the North and am traveling freely across the Empire. I’m so glad I can meet you here in the South.”
Her beauty, the kind that once made her the social scene’s star, was enough to stir even the middle-aged Duke’s heart for a moment.
“…Get to the point of your visit.”
He cleared his throat and spoke, trying to be civil.
The owner becomes awkward while the guest grows bolder—the more the situation went his way, the more composed Camilla became.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of news about Vice-Highness Bi’s business in the papers. It seems to be settling in very well.”
“Ha! If you came just to congratulate me—”
“Congratulate? Not at all.”
Camilla shook her head gently.
“Quite the opposite. I came because I worry about you, Duke.”
“…Me?”
A faint smile crept across Camilla’s mouth as she watched the puzzled Duke.
While serving as the chief maid to Grand Duchess Rebecca, Camilla had learned things whether she wanted to or not.
She knew that the Duke, who performed the role of a doting father in public, had been harshly scolding his daughter behind closed doors, and that Rebecca trembled like a badly treated dog before him.
She also knew Rebecca had suddenly changed.
If Rebecca was expanding her business and increasing her personal assets, it meant she was slipping, at least partly, from the Duke’s control.
‘Duke Vold would never allow Rebecca to stand proudly on her own two feet.’
That Camilla’s prediction was correct was evident from the Duke’s reddening face.
Rising from the sofa, Camilla approached the Duke slowly and continued.
“Rebecca no longer needs to live in her father’s shadow. She’ll be less inclined to heed your words.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head sadly.
“Is that all? It’s fortunate if she remains in the Grand Duchess’s position, but if their marital discord worsens and they divorce…”
“…….”
“Then you’ll lose the chance to propose a bride from your family for the Twins’ next Grand Duchess—think how troubling that is.”
Duke Vold mulled over Camilla’s words and nodded slightly.
A cracked plate can be temporarily mended, but the fissure will open again sooner or later.
The present improvement between the Grand Duke and Rebecca could also break the same way.
If Rebecca, now with substantial personal wealth, forcefully pushed for a divorce later, he would be left powerless to stop her.
‘And then I’d be deprived of the opportunity to position one of my other daughters born of a concubine as a lawful wife for the Twins family.’
A long sigh escaped the Duke.
“How worrying. It’d be better if Rebecca died in her role as Grand Duchess rather than divorcing…”
“……Rebecca dying as Grand Duchess?”
For a split second, a glint of hope crossed the Duke’s eyes.
If Rebecca divorced, the Vold family would lose the chance to place one of their own in the Twins’ Grand Duchess slot—but if she died while still Grand Duchess, the custom of giving preference to the dead wife’s natal family when taking proposals could allow the Vold family to claim the position again.
‘Then I could register one of my daughters born to a concubine as legitimate and formally propose her to the Twins family…’
A satisfied smile crept to the Duke’s lips.
His eldest concubine-born daughter Katrin came of age last year—his fourth, or was it fifth, child by a concubine.
Though her education was limited, she had her mother’s natural skill at enticing men.
Unlike Rebecca, she had been raised with some affection and thus would not betray him.
‘Yes, if Rebecca died and Katrin took her place, the outcome would be favorable to me.’
As the Duke’s affection turned steeply toward his beloved daughter Katrin, Camilla’s voice, almost inaudible, slipped out.
“Even if she’s a heartless child, killing your own offspring—wouldn’t it be better to borrow someone else’s hands for the deed?”
Being exposed to such a sinister thought made the Duke’s eyelashes tremble.
“What—what do you take me for to say such a thing!”
He tried to feign righteous indignation and shouted, but the shock had little effect on Camilla.
She merely scoffed and smirked in a leisurely manner.
“Duke, why don’t we be a little more honest with one another?”
Coming within arm’s reach, Camilla lightly brushed his forearm.
Her touch carried a faint seduction, and the deep crease between the Duke’s brows softened.
Her low voice continued.
“Throwing away such a golden opportunity would be foolish. I’d do everything I could before I lost it all.”
“…….”
“And if you were to do it, I’d be happy to assist you in some small way.”
Camilla smiled, bending her eyes with a sly expression.
The Duke, as if enchanted, stared at her and then cleared his throat to regain composure.
“Ahem. Say I agree—what do you want in return?”
“For me?”
“I’m sure you have demands if you came offering help.”
“Oh.”
Camilla arched an eyebrow.
“I knew we would see eye to eye, Duke.”
Pleased with his reaction, she walked slowly to his desk and leaned against it.
“I intend to make a comeback to the Northern social scene.”
“Isn’t the North the worst place to do that? —it’s where all your scandals are…”
“Yes. That’s precisely why I must return. Running away forever isn’t in my nature.”
She glanced at the Duke and flashed an enigmatic smile.
Given how thoroughly her scandals had spread across the Empire, it might indeed be advantageous to reestablish herself at the center of that very scandal.
The Duke found some sense in her words and inclined his head.
“A condition, then: give me the position of father to the next Grand Duchess. With that title, re-debuting in the North will be much easier for you.”
“If the position of the next Grand Duchess’s father comes back to me, then procuring that title will be easier than twisting a child’s wrist.”
“That’s reassuring. I knew you’d see it my way.”
Camilla’s satisfied smile remained as Duke Vold clicked his tongue shortly.
“But how will you have Rebecca killed? Lately, it seems she and the Grand Duke have been getting closer.”
Duke Vold muttered under his breath that anyone who harmed Rebecca’s hand would be torn to pieces.
Seeing his anxiety, Camilla smiled softly.
“Don’t worry about that, Duke.”
Her finger trailed to the invitation lying on his desk.
An invitation to the masked ball hosted by Rebecca herself.
A dark smile bloomed on Camilla’s face as she looked down at it.
“I’ll personally take care of killing Rebecca for you.”
