ITAYA 70

~Chapter 70~

Gwenndolyn stormed into her house, fuming.

The reading circle was a complete disaster. Although the elders would probably smooth things over, since it was such a venerable tradition, she couldn’t help but stew in her own anger.

Girls belonging to the Lady’s Reading Circle were always praised as the most desirable brides of the season. Married women in the group were admired as exemplary ladies. And Gwenndolyn was currently the chairwoman of the entire group.

Today, she had expelled everyone who had dared defy her.

“Let them regret it for the rest of their lives. Even if they beg, I’ll never let them back in!”

No matter how much the elders pleaded, her approval as chairwoman was required for anyone to rejoin.

Grinding her teeth, Gwenndolyn sank into her seat in front of the vanity. A day she’d thought would be perfect had ended in utter ruin.

“That wretched woman. So what if she’s smart? Who does she think she is, acting like she’s better than everyone?”

Her anger soon found its target: Anais.

“She must have done her research on Countess Reinglass. How else could that ridiculous coincidence happen?”

How could Anais’s favorite professor turn out to be the countess’s father? Gwenndolyn couldn’t accept it.

“That conniving girl. What else would you expect from someone with her background? Skulking in the shadows, always scheming!”

Unable to contain her fury, she slammed her hand down on the vanity. How dare this woman suddenly come between her and Baldwin?

“How do I put her in her place? How do I make her run away?”

Gwenndolyn muttered to herself, too caught up in her thoughts to even hear her maid call for her.

“Just leave me. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, my lady!”

The maid hurriedly left. Both the maid and the master of the house were in foul moods today.

Marquis Horace fixed his gaze on his daughter. He watched as she clutched her head, stamping her feet and muttering about how to ruin Anais. It was a worrisome sight—exactly as Baldwin had warned. Just thinking about putting Anais, the duchess, in her place was itself a problem.

“Gwenndolyn.”

“I need to make sure she can never show her face again. Why did Baldwin marry a woman like that? Why did he give her my place?”

She chewed her nails, voice rising in frustration.

“Gwen!”

Marquis Horace finally raised his voice. Only then did Gwenndolyn snap out of her frenzy and look at him, forcing a bright smile.

He had always been her greatest supporter, never denying her anything she wanted. In truth, he had spoiled her as much as anyone.

“Father!”

He quietly shut the door, unwilling for the staff to overhear.

“What have you been up to lately?”

“Pardon?”

He ran through the calculations in his mind. What if he supported her and gave up on his son? Would letting Gwenndolyn have her way be enough? Or would it ruin everything?

“So you want to ‘put the duchess in her place’? Are you planning to ruin our entire family?”

“What do you mean, Father! It’s because she keeps looking down on me. Am I supposed to accept such insults from someone of her lowly birth? I need to trample her first!”

But would she really stop there?

He clicked his tongue. Gwenndolyn wouldn’t stop, and Baldwin would never forgive the Horace family if he chose her over Anais.

He was now certain: Baldwin and Anais were not simply in a business arrangement.

He had no chance against Constantine—he realized that now.

“Get married as soon as possible, Gwenndolyn. And as soon as you’re wed, leave. Hurry up the wedding!”

“How could you say that, Father? Why should I leave Estus?”

“Because you refuse to see reason! No matter how much you dislike her, she’s still the duchess—the second-highest-ranking woman in the Empire!”

“Do you think the duke will stand by and do nothing? That’s the woman he chose!”

“Baldwin must have married her for the Graham Bank, not because he actually likes her!”

“Graham Bank?”

He let out a hollow laugh.

“Do you really believe that?”

“Of course! What else does she have to offer? She’s a divorcée, plain-looking, and nothing special. I just need to drive her away—then Baldwin can divorce her with no damage to himself. He’s already gained everything he could.”

Her logic was tangled and circular, but she was too stubborn to reconsider.

“Why are you so obsessed with the duke? He’s already married!”

“That should be my place! I was supposed to be the duchess!”

“What are you talking about, Gwen? You’re already engaged—you chose that man yourself!”

“That’s why I chose a foreigner! Everyone knows we’ll divorce after I have a child, and then I’ll make that child the Constantine heir!”

He was stunned. The world spun before his eyes.

‘What kind of nonsense am I hearing?’

He staggered, clutching his head.

“You think Constantine would ever accept someone else’s child? And why would the duke choose you?”

“Because I’m special to Baldwin!”

“…Have you lost your mind?”

“Father!”

“The duke said if I don’t send you abroad immediately, he’ll destroy our family.”

He clenched his jaw. Even if the truth was distorted, he knew disaster would strike if Gwenndolyn stayed.

There was no need to mention Teners to her.

“He knows everything you did to the duchess! I had to beg his forgiveness because of you! And you still think you’re special?”

She swallowed hard.

“You did? Why?”

“Because of what you did to the duchess! Do you think Constantine would let a challenge to their house go unpunished? They probably already have people watching us—every move, every word!”

“That can’t be. Father, Baldwin wouldn’t turn against Horace just for her.”

He thumped his chest in frustration. It was like talking to a wall.

“That can’t be…?”

“Gwen!”

She shook her head.

“I’ll go ask Baldwin myself. I’ll make him see sense. He must have forgotten who I am.”

She stamped her foot, tears streaming down her face—tears she didn’t even seem to notice.

He’d never seen her like this before, but now he understood.

Gwenndolyn had always been the queen of her own little world. It had never once crumbled.

She had never stepped down from her throne.

He rubbed his face in despair.

How could he make her face reality?

“The duke never saw you as special.”

For a moment, she froze and stared blankly at him—the first thing she’d really heard all day.

He pressed on.

“He loves the duchess.”

Her breath caught.

After a long silence, she spoke, her voice unsteady:

“Baldwin said so? Did you hear it from him yourself?”

Her expression seemed to crumble.

“Yes. He said he loves her.”

He lied smoothly.

“That can’t be… it doesn’t make sense.”

Tears fell unnoticed down her cheeks.

“It really doesn’t make sense.”

“Gwen… please.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Her voice was oddly calm.

“Think about what?”

“How to win Baldwin back. You want me to be the duchess, too, don’t you, Father?”

He stared at his daughter in a daze.

“You… really have lost your mind.”