KDYG l CH 14

Chapter 14

Isabelle La Glintland had a warm and lovely appearance—bright 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 wouldn’t have climbed this far up in the first place.

“I made it all the way to Ibanes…”

She began nervously biting her perfectly manicured fingernails.

“Isabelle, 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.”

That’s 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.

“If you and Grand Duke Verk marry and start a new household in Soleria, your wish will come true.”

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 mission—one that both countries needed. And the one who needed it most was none other than Isabelle.

“But I can’t give up now.”

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. That’s 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 couldn’t seduce a man she hadn’t even met.

On the day of the diplomatic banquet, Grand Duke Verk didn’t 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.

“So he’s picky when it comes to women, huh…”

It wasn’t 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, suddenly—he’s getting married?

Clearly, he had planned for this with a hidden candidate in advance.

A war hero, sure… but maybe he’s smarter than he looks.

Isabelle prided herself on knowing men. She had met many—strong ones, wise ones—but when it came to women, they were all the same. Even the most self-controlled men would crumble when faced with her.

That’s 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.

She’d seen a sketch in the newspaper of the “duchess-to-be”—a woman with pink eyes like unripe plum flesh. Supposedly the Grand Duke’s adjutant. Her looks didn’t 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 person—maybe seduce him, or at least start some negotiations. But now, she had nowhere to go.

Or… maybe…

Isabelle pressed the plum with her nail. Red juice oozed out like blood.

“…Should I get rid of her?”

The position of duchess in Soleria. Maybe the Grand Duke didn’t need it, but Isabelle did. It was the key to everything.

This was Ibanes. Isabelle didn’t know a single person here. In a foreign land, she knew she couldn’t act recklessly. But sitting and doing nothing wasn’t an option either.

“I’ll have to stir up trouble somehow.”

She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and pulled the bell cord to summon the maid she brought from Glintland.

“Bring all the gifts we brought from Glintland.”

“All of them, ma’am?”

The maid flinched. Understandably so—everything Isabelle brought was extremely luxurious. Technically, they were meant to be her wedding dowry.

“All of them.”

Soon, the room was packed with boxes. As Isabelle walked among them with her arms crossed, she picked out one item—a beautiful green vase.

“Tell the royal steward of Ibanes that I want to send this to the Grand Duke’s estate as a wedding gift. Say it’s carved from a single block of green beryl, perfect for his bridal chamber.”

She had no intention of backing down. Her eyes sparkled as she examined the vase.

“And bring me every newspaper that reported on the Grand Duke’s wedding and the Ambroise family.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The maid took the vase box from Isabelle and bowed. But just as she turned to leave, she noticed something strange—another box at Isabelle’s feet, looking very similar to the one she was holding.

“…Is that the same?”

Before she could figure it out, Isabelle’s sharp voice came.

“What are you doing?”

It was basically a warning. The maid quickly looked away.

“N-nothing, ma’am.”

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.

“So that woman’s not even a real noble? Then how did a maid like you get picked to go with her on this marriage journey?”

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 didn’t care. Isabelle could be cold like just now, but she wasn’t hard to serve. The maid easily shrugged off what she saw earlier and looked down at the box in her hands.

“It’s really pretty.”

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 this—how could she not be happy?

Creaaak. The door she thought had closed slowly opened again.

But the happy maid didn’t notice the cold gaze of Isabelle La Glintland still following her from behind.

***

Meanwhile, at the Ambroise household…

Things were going more or less as Chloe expected.

People suddenly showed great interest in the Ambroise family—a family they hadn’t 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 hadn’t 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 child—Lea Ambroise.

She was studying at a women’s 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 family’s small house on Le Martin Street—but every visit ended in failure. No one was there.

“Ambroise Family Missing in the Eye of the Storm?”

That was the headline of one article.

Of course, they weren’t really missing.

In fact, right in the middle of all this chaos…

At this very moment…

Lea Ambroise, Chloe’s younger sister…

“…So I did cause a problem after all…”

…was standing in the center of Grand Duke Verk’s mansion, mumbling blankly to herself.