The crime of treason is the gravest offense in the empire. Once the emperor’s approval was granted, everything proceeded smoothly. The Duke of Libertan was all dragged miserably by the palace knights. The moment he was imprisoned in the palace dungeon, everything was over, and the Duke of Libertan was desperately hanging on.
“There’s no way to suddenly take away high nobles like this!”
But since they had already committed crimes themselves, the situation did not change. John looked over the devastated Libertan estate and added the horrifying downfall of the Duchess of Blanchet. It all happened suddenly that day. The father who had gone to the palace in the morning did not return. At first, it was thought to be because he was busy, but as a day or two passed and ominous rumors began to spread, they could no longer stand quietly.
“I’m sorry. It seems my father is involved in something serious right now.”
The Duchess of Blanchet was an honorable family, but unfortunately, as a noble house, their influence was not very high. Even noble families that had initially maintained good relations with them began to turn away due to the strange rumors spreading secretly.
“Just a little more time, and I will return with your father. In the meantime, please take care of Lily.”
Eventually, my mother left for the imperial palace with the leader of the family’s knight order. But what returned were not my mother but the imperial knights. The imperial knights led by the Duke of Libertan completely trampled on the noble legacy of the Duke of Blanchet, massacred innocent people, and dragged the survivors into prison.
“Young master! Run away!”
The butler tried to get John to escape, but John, busy caring for his crying sister, could not run away. It would have been better if he had fled at that moment. If he had escaped then and planned for the future, perhaps the situation could have been resolved more easily. After all, as a young boy at the time, John being taken to prison along with others would not have changed anything. But John could not abandon his crying sister who couldn’t run away properly. He saw his parents, tortured and disfigured, as a result of his own inability to part with his sister. His father, who had left smiling, was already unable to speak, and his mother, in a terrible state, embraced him and tried to comfort him.
“It’s okay, John. Mom is okay.”
From then on, it was a hell that he dare not look at with his eyes open. Everyone John loved was tortured and, ultimately, burned at the stake by Libertan hands. The last person led to the pyre was his sister. She was the younger sibling, more immature and slower to learn than John, and always seemed more childish. With a face devoid of light, she shouted as if squeezing out her last strength.
“Don’t look at anything, don’t listen to anything. Pretend you don’t know anything. Just pretend you’re not here. Got it?”
At that moment, his sister was no longer the naive girl John once knew.
“Even if it’s hard, you have to do that. It’s a promise.”
Although John could have resented her for wishing him to stay sane alone, Lily, she tried to protect him. Perhaps it would have been better if John had also died with his family, even if it was unfair. But he couldn’t endure watching his family’s suffering helplessly while not a single finger was hurt on his part. Ironically, the law of that empire, which falsely accused the Duke of Blanchet, prevented them from killing the last lineage of the noble family or causing permanent harm. Instead, the Duke of Libertan exploited legal loopholes to make John witness all punishments.
“Hell begins now.”
“Let’s see how long you can pretend to be the noble Duke of Blanchet.”
His sister wished for John to forget everything and live on, but John could not. Instead of ignoring his family’s hell, he made sure to remember everything vividly, planting it in his eyes. Forcing himself to recall even the screams of pain from his family, he pushed himself to the limit. To never forget, so that he might somehow repay all this. The downfall of Libertan was the moment that the young John had eagerly awaited. But rather than feeling triumphant after completing his revenge, he was overwhelmed with emotion. The wounds he had long anticipated still felt fresh. Over his eyes, which stepped into the blood pool of Libertan, floated that innocent woman.
“Count.”
Everything was unfolding according to plan. Libertan was captured for treason, and now all that remained was to toy with that woman and do to her what his own family had endured. Yet, strangely, John found that he didn’t particularly enjoy seeing her suffering face.
“Why?”
Late at night, it was unplanned that John went to her room without any specific reason. Bringing a vibrant bouquet of flowers meant to mock her was also partly impulsive.
“What expression will she have?”
In fact, John didn’t usually prefer such outright mockery. He favored more elegant and cunning methods. But this time, he acted impulsively. It was quite strange. The woman holding the bouquet stared at him with navy-blue eyes, piercingly. As she carefully examined the flowers, she suddenly smiled brightly.
“Really pretty.”
At first, he thought he had misheard. In social circles, the symbol of a bouquet, especially one made of gemstone-studded flower pistils, is a high-class insult—meaning it’s fake. If it’s a red rose, it signifies a superficial, fake beauty.
“Does she not know what that means?”
Still, John had prepared various thoughts for what to do depending on whether she understood or not. If she didn’t know, it would be as planned—trying to seduce her. If she realized the meaning, he planned to pretend to be offering her a mistake and comfort her. But Estelle did not act as he expected.
“Yes, this is the first gift you gave me, isn’t it?”
However, it didn’t seem like she had no idea about the meaning. John noticed her hand, which was checking the pistils, had hesitated for a moment. Moreover, perhaps hoping she might not know, she even asked John to confirm.
“That’s a compliment, right?”
Despite the blatant insult, she smiled as if genuinely pleased.
“Then I’m glad too.”
The woman who had a red rose tucked behind her ear was dazzlingly beautiful.
“If I’ve fulfilled what you wanted, in any way.”
This innocent woman, perhaps unaware of what John truly intended—or pretending not to know—somehow made John feel sorry.
“This woman is a target for revenge.”
Feeling pity for the girl, the daughter of Libertan, was itself a betrayal of his family who had died unjustly. Estelle, rolling her shimmering navy-blue eyes, suddenly pulled out a bundle of cookies from the room and handed them to him. Surprised by the sudden gift, John was momentarily taken aback.
“It’s nothing special, but would you like some cookies?”
“Cookies?”
“You just finished a long-planned task.”
Estelle, clueless about what that was, congratulated him.
“Congratulations. I pray everything you do from now on goes well.”
Why was this woman so innocent? As if she would never doubt a stranger she was seeing for the first time. Why does she seem like a daughter who was raised with love but isn’t?
“Madam.”
John impulsively reached out and lightly touched Estelle’s cheek, which shone almost as if dusted with sugar. The soft sensation tickled his palm. Estelle, as if pleased with his touch, gently rubbed her cheek and smiled shyly.
“This…”
Whenever his sister did something wrong, she would do this to their family. As soon as he realized that fact, revulsion rose within him, but strangely, he felt no discomfort at all. The soft, tender cheek of the woman felt oddly pleasant, and that made him uncomfortable.
“Was I so weak?”
The more innocent Estelle seemed, the more perfect his plan would be. But the more John sensed her adorable charm, the more he felt a strange aversion to his revenge plan. It shouldn’t be like this. Smiling gently at Estelle, John pretended to eat the cookie, then said softly.
“Feed me one more.”
“H-Have another?”
“I’m never satisfied with just one.”
Estelle, innocently rolling her navy-blue eyes, looked tense like a rabbit facing an enemy.
“Maybe it’s because she’s shy?”
She always revealed her true feelings openly.
“Hurry.”
John patted his lips and begged. As the woman looked at his red lips, she blushed and carefully put another cookie into his mouth. John pretended to eat with Estelle’s fingertips and teased her.
“It’s delicious because you gave it to me.”
When Estelle’s finger touched his tongue as if a brush, she was flustered and quickly hid her hand. John, looking at her, smirked.
“Maybe it’s because your hand touched mine?”
“My hand isn’t for eating.”
“Why not?”
Seriously pondering, Estelle cautiously opened her mouth.
“Because it’s not okay to eat humans?”
“You’re mine. So, is it a problem that I’m eating my own?”
“Even so, according to social norms…”
Her innocence made John involuntarily smile vaguely and kiss her hair.
“Alright. I’ll stay obedient until you want me to.”
Whispering softly into her ear, Estelle reacted sensitively. Seeing her, John twisted his mouth.
“John Blanchet. Think of your dead family.”
This concern wasn’t caused by her. It was simply because, contrary to his initial plan, a suspicious part had arisen—aimed at making his revenge on his family more perfect.
“By the way, there’s a dinner at the Blanchet estate tomorrow evening with your guests.”
“That sounds like a very important occasion.”
Estelle nodded without understanding anything.
“I’ll do my best to show a good image as the lady of the estate.”
“No. The opposite.”
John gently opened his mouth as he looked at Estelle’s wavering navy-blue eyes.
“Don’t come to that event.”
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
Honestly, John’s words were somewhat shocking.
“Why shouldn’t I come?”
There was no particular reason why she had to attend that dinner. But that dinner was an event from the original story, unlike anything that had happened before.
“I shouldn’t miss it.”
After the fall of Libertan for treason, a vassal who had helped the Blanchet family was gathered and invited under the pretext of celebrating lightly, only to insult me. Due to the cold treatment from others, I became more dependent on John.
“Why?”
I widened my eyes in surprise at his words.
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t attend?”
“It’s because the lady who just arrived from Libertan hasn’t become stable enough to attend.”
John, with a cold gaze, smiled lazily.
“Of course, I also want to monopolize you alone.”
He slowly took my hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, then looked intently at me. But his gaze had an oddly suffocating pressure.
“Your husband only needs to see you.”
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
The next morning, Erich arrived at John’s study at his call. John was examining a jewelry box, inspecting the gems inside. His gaze was unconsciously drawn to jewelry likely to appeal to women.
‘Master has never been interested in women’s jewelry before?’
Of course, this didn’t mean John was ignorant about the gifts from women. Usually, John was well aware of items that suited his purpose. But conversely, it meant he didn’t look at things that weren’t necessary for his purpose.
‘Recently, I haven’t had a reason to look at women’s jewelry.’
In particular, John did not like women’s jewelry. Erich cautiously asked John.
“Are you planning to give a gift to that woman?”
“That woman?”
“…That fake one.”
John, after briefly glancing at the jewelry inside the box, closed it.
“No. I have no interest in the lady.”
His movements were clean and decisive, with no lingering attachment. However, Erich noticed a subtle change in John. Though he couldn’t explain precisely, it was clear John’s attitude had shifted. John, still looking at the jewelry box, slowly opened his mouth.
“The reason I called you today is because the lady will not attend the dinner.”
“…What?”
Erich looked back in disbelief.
“Are you saying she doesn’t want to attend? A woman who considers herself a duchess shouldn’t refuse…”
Attending dinners with vassals is an obligatory duty for the lady of the estate. To refuse that is absurd. Erich was stunned by her ignorance.
“No. I told you not to attend.”
“The master said so?”
“Yes. She’s still unstable, having just arrived from Libertan.”
John, who spoke bluntly, calmly continued with an unwavering face.
“If you meet hostile vassals, problems could arise.”
“…I see.”
Clearly, this was a command for a more perfect plan. Knowing John’s perfectionism, it was a reasonable instruction. But to Erich, it sounded like this:
‘He’s just trying to prevent her from meeting the vassals out of fear she might get hurt.’
Suddenly, Erich’s mind flashed with Estelle’s face from the study. That pure woman, seemingly about to melt away into the sunlight.
‘Could it be that Master is worried about her…?’
However, it was true that after Estelle’s arrival, a strange change began. At that moment, John’s study suddenly opened, and the head of the Blanchet knight order appeared.
“Master. We received a message from the imperial prison.”
“What’s going on?”
“The Duke of Libertan has decided to tell the truth. But he has set one condition.”
As soon as he heard that, Erich furrowed his brows.
‘How dare he set a condition?’
Watching the knight commander with interlocked hands, John leisurely lifted the corners of his mouth.
“What is that condition?”
“He requested to meet Estelle once, just one last time.”
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
