Miryu turned to look at Diana.
“Diana?”
Nervously, Miryu forced a casual smile and slipped the wedding ring inside her clothing. But Diana’s reaction was unusual.
Diana stared at Miryu with a vacant expression, standing still.
As if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
‘Could she have seen the scarless one?’
Fortunately, a quick glance at her neck revealed a hideous scar. Even if she had seen the brief moment when the scar formed, it would most likely be a misunderstanding.
Because Miryu knew that Diana was a simple person.
“Diana, what’s going on in my room?”
Miryu approached Diana with a worried look.
“Are you feeling better after your illness?”
“Oh, the illness. Yes, I’ve gotten better now.”
“Thank goodness.”
Since the incident at the salon, Diana hadn’t met Miryu often, citing her illness.
Even when Miryu brought a coffin to her doorstep, Diana refused, citing her fatigue.
‘No matter how close she is, Diana wouldn’t just overlook that.’
Honestly, Estelle’s attitude was unexpected for Miryu. Usually, Estelle was a fool who couldn’t do anything regardless of what happened.
‘She can’t stand to see me succeed.’
Harboring resentment toward Estelle in her heart, Miryu gently held Diana’s hands.
“Do you know how worried I was? I went to your room, but I couldn’t even see your face.”
“…That is.”
“It’s okay. Just the fact that Diana came to see me herself makes me happy enough.”
Miryu smiled sadly.
“I was so afraid I wouldn’t be able to see Diana’s pretty face again like this.”
Diana was vulnerable to Miryu’s fragile side.
Despite being a princess of Loyem, trained among fierce knights, she had a deep-seated instinct to protect the weak.
“Are we going to be close again? I think I can’t live without Diana now.”
“Of course. What kind of relationship do we have?”
Fortunately, Diana’s reaction was similar to usual.
When Miryu casually linked arms with Diana, Diana accepted it without resistance, just like before.
‘See, it’s easy.’
Hesen and Diana, both, were people who were difficult at first but became easy to handle over time.
“So, Diana, how about a walk in the garden to refresh ourselves after a long time?”
“More than that, new sister-in-law.”
Diana hesitated, seeming to waver.
“I heard that this time, the wedding went smoothly without delay.”
“Oh, yes.”
Miryu rolled her eyes and looked at Diana’s complexion.
‘Is she trying to find fault?’
Fortunately, Diana again defended her position as before.
“Mother is too much. For her to suggest delaying the wedding over this matter—she knows how much Brother and the new sister-in-law have been looking forward to it.”
“Oh, that’s all because of me.”
Miryu lowered her eyebrows with relief.
‘I don’t have to worry about Diana anymore.’
“Actually, I think it’s amazing how Mother understood even this incident. I’m so grateful for her heart that I’ve decided to try harder.”
Having received Diana’s escort, Miryu headed to the garden and enjoyed the hospitality Diana provided, relaxed.
Given how things usually were, Miryu didn’t notice anything unusual.
But from time to time, she noticed that Diana’s gaze, which was once full of warmth, was different.
‘Just now, a scar appeared where there was nothing before.’
Looking at the gold ring necklace, Diana subtly tested her with a quiet voice.
“But, new sister-in-law, you’re not hiding the scar with a ribbon anymore?”
“Oh, after showing it to people once, I gained some courage. Do you think it’s ugly?”
“No. It’s very beautiful.”
Diana happily wrapped her arm around Miryu’s shoulder, lifting the corners of her mouth.
“You see, all you need is a little courage, sister-in-law.”
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Meanwhile, the Marquis of Pelsis was silent.
But the underlying circumstances weren’t so peaceful.
The honor of the Pelsis family was tarnished because Liandro, a knight of the White Night, did not appear for the duel.
They had been a flawless family until now, so the disgrace was particularly severe.
“Good grief! What did you do to stop him? How could that White Night knight refuse the duel?!”
“It’s not Liandro’s fault.”
The Marquis’s wife struggled to calm her agitated husband.
“It’s all because of Duke Blanchet and his wife. If it weren’t for them, Liandro wouldn’t have been dragged into such a pointless duel. You know what kind of kid Liandro is.”
Liandro, whom the Marquess and his wife knew, was a perfect son.
He had never rebelled or done foolish things like other nobles; he had always been diligent and noble, fulfilling only his duties as a noble.
“Liandro must be having a hard time too. You probably are as well, but the one who will suffer most from the disgrace is still that kid.”
“Do you think a shame like that will be excused just because he bears the Pelsis name?”
The Marquis shouted sharply, but his voice softened slightly afterward. No matter how angry he was, he always loved and was proud of Liandro.
Eventually, the Marquis went to find Liandro, who was detained in the basement of the manor.
Liandro sat quietly on the bed in the dark basement wall, gazing at the shadowy wall. The Marquis, forgetting his anger at his son, cautiously spoke.
“Liandro, are you finally starting to come to your senses?”
“…Father.”
Liandro, defiant, held his head high and looked at his father.
“You haven’t given me any answer yet. I won’t move from this spot until I hear the whole truth.”
“Ugh, are you still not aware of what’s going on?”
The Marquis’s attempt to intimidate his son by simply imprisoning him in the basement was ineffective. He grimaced and shouted.
“I told you, I’ll explain everything when you inherit the marquisate!”
“This is more important than anything else to me now.”
But Liandro refused to yield to his father’s anger.
“What is the secret behind the Pelsis family? Did we really participate in Duke Blanchet’s false rebellion?”
“…”
“What was the ‘item’ they sent in cooperation with the Liberte family?”
“…”
“You said I’m the heir to lead the Pelsis family. Please tell me honestly what that truth is, which I’ve never known.”
The Marquis sat at the head of the bed and let out a faint sigh.
“You foolish boy. Do you really need to know that now?”
“My will remains unchanged. Even if that truth hurts me, I must know.”
Just as the Marquis was about to speak, he bowed his head.
“…”
“Father, don’t hide it. Tell me—what is the truth?”
Liandro met his father’s gaze directly, seeing his reflection.
Since childhood, he had grown up watching his father’s sturdy back. When he became a knight like his father and succeeded as the leader of his father’s knight order, he had been immensely proud.
‘But why?’
Perhaps overwhelmed by the great chaos, the man before him no longer looked like a proud knight or a noble with pride.
‘He looks rather pathetic…’
Liandro regretted himself for having such thoughts about his father. Meanwhile, the Marquis, as if making a decision, got up from the bed.
“All right, if that’s how you feel, I can’t help it. I don’t want to upset you further by dragging you out. Stay here until your mind is settled.”
“Father!”
In the end, the Marquis of Pelsis left without revealing any truth.
‘So… then, is Duke Blanchet’s story the truth?’
Liandro looked at the chains binding his hands with confused eyes. Honestly, no matter how strong he was as a Sword Master, he couldn’t be bound by such chains.
‘No, I can’t doubt my father until I see it with my own eyes.’
Clink—
Liandro broke the chains and stood up. There was a reason he had been deliberately kept imprisoned in the basement with chains.
This basement had been built since the founding of the Pelsis family.
It was used both to imprison spies or criminals who entered the family, torturing them, and to secretly store family secrets.
‘I believe someday my father will understand my true intentions.’
Resolutely, Liandro took a step toward the depths of the basement. His blue eyes flickered like a flame as he gazed into the darkness.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
John’s victory was clear and conclusive.
No matter what the truth was, people wanted to side with the winner. The evidence was the letters piled up before his eyes.
“I heard you suffered quite a lot this time. It’s so upsetting to be involved in such disgraceful matters—-”
“I wanted to hear Lady’s opinion on the duel, so I gathered everyone before the summer festival—”
‘Anyway, I don’t even trust them.’
Noble socialites valued appearances. They would rather not reverse the stories they had exaggerated when sharing tales.
Most nobles were excited by rumors that a commoner adopted by the lower-ranked baron family was actually a wicked woman.
The story that Miryu, from the noble but humble Jutti family, was the victim, especially suited their taste.
Even if the outcome of the duel was so, they would try to flaunt their closeness to me, secretly believing I was the real wicked woman.
‘Who would want to make an innocent person a wicked woman?’
I casually sorted the letters by importance and looked at John, who was waiting on the sofa.
“John. Were you just coming to talk to me?”
“Are we even that close to see each other now?”
John got up from his seat and approached me at my desk.
“It’s funny how you used to come to see me all the time, but now it’s the other way around.”
He sat lightly on the desk in front of me, smirking.
“Maybe… I feel a little excited?”
“You’re teasing again? I’m not falling for it anymore.”
Noticing his playful expression in his crimson eyes, I puffed out my cheeks. John nonchalantly shrugged.
“I wasn’t teasing. How do I prove this injustice?”
“Enough, you’re just going to play around again.”
I lightly slapped his shoulder with a letter and asked.
“If you’re so upset, why don’t you tell me now?”
“Tell you what?”
“Why did Marquis Pelsis not appear at the duel arena?”
On that day, Liandro, who suddenly disappeared from the waiting room, was whispered about as part of Duke Blanchet’s scheme or not.
But no one knew the details.
As a result of the duel, Liandro, who betrayed the honor of the knight, lost his position as the Grand Knight of the Imperial Palace, and after that, he never appeared again.
“John. You know, right?”
“More or less.”
John smiled brightly.
“I didn’t plan everything from the beginning. Honestly, I just wanted to shake things up a bit, but I overheard everything too well.”
What exactly did he do?
In times like this, it was clear that John was the true mastermind of the original story.
‘They said there’s a way to win without magic.’
John had completely prevented the opponent from showing up. Seeing my serious expression, John chuckled and tousled my hair.
“It’s nothing special. I just revealed a little secret about Marquis Pelsis, whom everyone thought was righteous.”
“The secret of Marquis Pelsis?”
“The ones pretending to be noble are often the most vulgar behind the scenes.”
John’s crimson eyes twitched with scorn.
‘The secret of Marquis Pelsis…’
That was a truth not even in the original story. I swallowed hard and asked.
“What’s that truth?”
“Well…”
“Can’t you tell me?”
“More like, I don’t know much myself. I’m still investigating.”
It might be a lie, but his words that he hadn’t uncovered everything felt genuine.
“You blackmailed me over something you didn’t even understand?”
“Be careful, Estelle.”
John grinned slyly, like a serpent tempting the forbidden fruit.
“There’s no one who isn’t blinded by their desires.”
“…”
“If you trigger that desire, even if you pretend not to, everyone will eventually move the way you want.”
His long finger lightly tapped my cheek. I suddenly felt my body stiffen. He then picked up a letter from the desk with a more serious look.
“So, what do you want to do with the Royem Kingdom?”
John playfully waved a letter stamped with the Royem royal seal.
“I’ll do as you wish and ruin it.”
I looked at his piercing red eyes and cautiously opened my mouth.
“Then I—”
John, hearing my words, smirked and folded his eyelids.
“Indeed, my wife. Go ahead and do as you please.”
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
It was late evening.
‘Why is he so late?’
Miryu paced in front of the mansion, waiting for Hesen, the Crown Prince of Hesen. Currently, Hesen was visiting the Duke Blanchet estate on behalf of the Royem Kingdom.
‘It’s been quite a while since he was supposed to return.’
Just then, Hesen, riding a horse, arrived. He dismounted, and with surprised eyes, he greeted Miryu.
“Why are you waiting outside without resting inside?”
“I just wanted to see you quickly.”
Miryu smiled sweetly and hugged Hesen tightly. Fortunately, she didn’t sense any noticeable change in Hesen.
“So, Hesen, how did things turn out?”
“Oh, you mean the meeting with Duke Blanchet?”
Miryu looked nervously at Hesen.
“They went well.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. As you said, Lady was very kind. I think I misunderstood her because I misinterpreted your words all along.”
Hesen smiled brightly.
“Contrary to my expectations, she was very understanding and seemed to care about you. She even shed tears saying she missed her time with you—it was heartbreaking to watch.”
“…”
“Duke Blanchet’s wife gladly accepted your mother’s invitation.”
A chill ran down Miryu’s spine.
‘She accepted an apology?’
A fleeting thought of all the lies she had spread before crossed her mind. The ground beneath her seemed to shake.
“…I’m glad your misunderstanding has been cleared.”
“Exactly? I should tell Mother this happy news!”
Hesen happily hugged Miryu as they entered the estate. Yet, despite her handsome husband’s gentle treatment, Miryu couldn’t quell her anxiety.
‘What’s his real motive?’
But Miryu’s hell was only just beginning.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
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!!
