CHAPTER 81……………………….
The Successor of Belarus
Inside the carriage on the return journey, the Duke of Belarus was lost in thought.
[Would it be enough if I became emperor?]
The young, inexperienced fellow had asked him whether it would be enough if he became emperor. Boldly, no less.
As the cool voice of Akkia resurfaced in his mind, a smirk appeared on Dmitri’s lips. He had bluntly told the weak duke that he could not give him his precious granddaughter.
Dmitri’s words were half sincere, half a carefully chosen excuse. He thought that after hearing such words, the duke would back down appropriately.
Even if the Duke of Heidern had lived a frail life, before being a duke, he was a legitimate prince of imperial blood.
Yet Akkia’s response surpassed his expectations.
“Would it be enough if I became emperor?”
To hear such a shocking reply from Akkia… The current emperor, Irei, was the cousin of the Duke of Heidern.
The previous emperor, Philips III, had an older brother—the firstborn of Philips II’s second wife. Philips III, not the eldest, became emperor because of his noble lineage.
“Hmm.”
Dmitri recalled the old woman who became empress as soon as Irei ascended the throne.
Before he left for the northern territories of Belarus, the last time he saw her, she was elderly, yet the ambition still burned in her eyes.
“The woman who couldn’t raise her son to be emperor.”
She had been the daughter of a count’s family and the lover of the late emperor. Yet, she was a daughter born not of the countess but of a servant.
Her lowly origin ultimately prevented her from ascending to empress. Perhaps she resented not only her own status but also the fact that her son was treated as illegitimate.
So, she ensured that her grandson Irei became emperor.
“I wonder if Akkia can surpass her.”
The frail Duke of Heidern had cast off his weakness. Akkia, revealing the claws she had long hidden, had essentially declared that she would become emperor.
“A storm of blood is inevitable.”
Dmitri, envisioning the near future, allowed a faint smile. He could already picture the moment before he departed when he had called Akkia to stand before him.
[Duke of Heidern, in a week there will be my granddaughter’s debutante ball at my townhouse. I would like to invite you. How does that sound?]
[I will consider it.]
The young duke, who had expressed his ambition to become emperor, now wavered at the news of Lea’s debutante ball.
“Then perhaps I’ll just observe a little…”
Resting his chin on his hand, Dmitri gazed out the window. Beyond the carriage window, the blue sky drifted by.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Miss, you look so beautiful!”
Lea slowly looked at her reflection in the mirror.
The cream-colored lace dress, falling in a bell line, accentuated her slender waist, and the crystals embedded throughout added a touch of luxury.
It could only be called the masterpiece of the top boutique madam in the capital.
Lea, who had previously found it difficult to manage others and had rejected having a maid, now accepted Emma as her attendant because Dmitri insisted it could no longer be postponed.
“How well it suits you.”
At first, Lea was uncomfortable having a maid. Having lived her whole life as a commoner, she was not used to commanding someone.
Moreover, Emma, who stayed by her side all day, was chatty like a little bird. Though it had been burdensome at first, over time Lea grew accustomed to Emma’s friendly nature.
Although they had not been together long, thanks to Emma’s warmth, the two had grown quite close.
Interrupting her thoughts, Emma’s high-pitched voice rang in Lea’s ears.
“I think we’re ready to go as is. You look absolutely stunning!”
Looking into the mirror, Lea agreed that Emma’s excitement was not an exaggeration.
“I think so too.”
As Lea admired herself in the mirror, there came a knock at the door. Both women turned their gaze toward the sound, and Edward entered the bedroom.
He was dressed in a suit as splendid as Lea’s. Memories of their meeting in the laboratory not long ago came to mind.
[Edward, my debutante ball is in four days. If it’s alright, would you be my partner?]
[I was about to ask first anyway. Of course, it would be an honor.]
While discussing the story of the venomous spider, Lea had suddenly requested Edward as her partner. Far from being taken aback, he agreed cheerfully.
Of course, Edward had not been Lea’s first choice; she had wanted to experience this with Akkia.
But since their encounter in the park, Lea had felt growing resentment toward Akkia, who avoided her—a frustration that had piled up like a snowball.
Perhaps partly in irritation, she had chosen Edward as her partner. Now, he approached the elegantly dressed Lea and extended his hand.
“Shall we go?”
With the brightest smile he had ever shown.
❀ ❀ ❀
The party, fitting for the return of the Duke of Belarus—head of the nobility for decades—was lavish and grand.
It seemed to display the full majesty of Belarus, once untouchable even by the royal family.
Consequently, the mansion was packed with people welcoming Dmitri’s return to the capital.
- “I heard the Duke of Belarus has someone to introduce tonight. Have you heard?”
- “Ah, I heard it’s a lady…”
- “A lady? Could it be the rumored mistress…?”
- “Well, the daughter of Count Hyatt supposedly saw her at a boutique in the city. She is said to be quite beautiful.”
The young ladies whispered about the duke’s mistress in clusters. One countess’s daughter scoffed at the compliment of her beauty.
- “Beautiful, huh? She even captivated the noble Duke of Belarus himself.”
- “I heard she’s a commoner. How could she know proper etiquette? Introducing such a woman at this party…”
As their conversation continued, their expressions stiffened. Though the gathering celebrated the Duke of Belarus’s return, the fact that the protagonist was a commoner irritated them.
- “Well, we’ll see soon enough. Let’s see what this mysterious lady is like.”
As the nobles in the central hall began speculating about the duke’s mistress, the Duke of Belarus descended the central staircase.
“Allow me to thank all the distinguished guests here today.”
As he appeared, the hall erupted in applause.
Dmitri, seeing his bustling mansion after so long, felt a wave of nostalgia.
During the time of his late wife and Ariel, grand parties were held regularly, and men had flocked to admire Ariel’s beauty.
He wiped the bitter smile from his lips. Today was a good day—it was the day he introduced his treasure, Lea.
“It has been nearly twenty years since I left the capital. I cannot express my gratitude that you have not forgotten this old man.”
Dmitri scanned the nobles before him. Today, Lea would become the sole heir of the Duke of Belarus.
And this fact would quickly spread among them.
He was aware of the rumors surrounding Lea. How dare anyone call his beloved granddaughter a mere mistress.
“How dare they attach such a scandal to the house of Belarus.”
This lavish party was intended to quash such rumors and publicly announce that Lea had been formally recognized as a lady of the Belarus family.
With a sly smile, Dmitri continued.
“Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce someone to you all.”
Pointing to the left of the staircase, a red-haired woman descended gracefully with Edward.
Her movements were elegant, her posture perfectly straight.
A commoner, they say…
To the young ladies’ eyes, she moved with the natural grace of a noble. Their gazes fell on her bright red hair.
- “Isn’t that the son of the Marquis of Alencia beside her?”
- “Yes. And that woman has red hair?”
- “Indeed… and her face looks so familiar…”
As the whispers continued, Lea, escorted by Edward, reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped before Dmitri.
Though already beautiful, dressed so elegantly, Lea was like a rose in full bloom.
Dmitri smiled more brightly than anyone, then turned back to the guests.
“Allow me to introduce my granddaughter, Lea.”
A heavy silence fell over the hall, as if cold water had been poured. People blinked in disbelief.
The granddaughter of the Duke of Belarus. This meant that she before them was the sole heir of the Belarus family.
The guests assumed Dmitri had adopted a daughter to continue the line—otherwise, how could a grown granddaughter suddenly appear?
Yet Dmitri continued, defying all expectations.
“Lea is the legitimate daughter of Ariel Belarus, my own daughter, and the sole direct descendant of our house.”
Oh my!
Those who heard were astonished. Ariel, now deceased, had a daughter?
Everyone knew how dearly the Duke of Belarus had loved his daughter.
After a brief pause, applause erupted from all sides.
Hiding their surprise, those clapping surely shared the same thought:
The young woman descending the stairs with the Duke would soon set the empire ablaze.
