Chapter 19
At Vanerinne’s words, one of the duke’s straight eyebrows arched slightly. His voice carried an intimidating weight as he asked,
“—And?”
“I’m disappointed,” she said, lowering her gaze in a show of gentle grievance. “In the process of arranging Sir Cerulean’s marriage, it seems I’ve been deliberately excluded. I understand if he can’t see me as his real mother, but please don’t deprive me of the right to be involved as the duchess of this household.”
Her tone was precise and clear, but the way she spoke—head bowed, voice tinged with sorrow—was enough to stir guilt in anyone watching. As expected, the onlookers’ eyes were filled with pity.
The duke, however, regarded her with an expressionless face.
“Cerulean is an adult. He has the right to decide his own marriage.”
“Even so, it is still a family affair. I only ask that you recognize it was rather cruel to hold this meeting today without even a word to me.”
Even knowing her true nature, I couldn’t help but hear her tone as pitiful. The duke’s gaze remained cold, yet his voice softened a little when he replied.
“…So, how exactly do you intend to be involved? Are you saying you want to officiate the ceremony yourself?”
I was quietly staring at my plate, listening, when Vanerinne suddenly shifted her tone and looked straight at me.
“If I had intervened as Sir Cerulean’s mother, this engagement contract would never have been signed in the first place.”
Then, she dropped her bomb.
“Do you even know that this woman once tried to murder my maid at the imperial palace a few years ago?”
The air left my lungs at once. The directness of her attack left me momentarily speechless.
Vanerinne’s voice echoed through the hall, and silence fell over the dining room.
Of all places, I hadn’t expected her to bring that up here.
‘I thought she’d avoid mentioning it—since it would taint her reputation too.’
Attempted murder? The person who framed me for that crime was none other than Vanerinne herself.
‘And now she says it openly? How shameless can she be?’
My hands trembled with fury. But I couldn’t lose my composure—not when that was exactly what she wanted. I swallowed my anger and said coolly,
“That was a false accusation.”
Vanerinne smiled sadly, as if pitying me.
“Of course you’d say that.”
“No, it truly was false. Even then, I wasn’t punished.”
“The evidence was insufficient, not nonexistent,” she countered smoothly.
I was speechless. If there wasn’t enough evidence, then it meant I wasn’t guilty—wasn’t that obvious?
But Vanerinne twisted it deftly, as if implying that I was the culprit who escaped conviction by luck.
Just as I opened my mouth to argue, she tapped her finger lightly against the table.
“Let’s talk while we eat. The soup is getting cold.”
The servants placed soup bowls and salad plates before us. I bit my lip. Food? Who could eat in a moment like this?
As I fumed in silence, Cerulean, sitting beside me, spoke in a cold voice.
“Why bring up something uncertain?”
Vanerinne gracefully lifted her spoon.
“Uncertain or not, His Grace deserves to know. Besides, you’re the first son of the Duke of Ruke. It’s only right that your future wife be thoroughly examined.”
Then she lowered her gaze again, feigning sorrow.
“You should be grateful that I brought this up now. If I didn’t truly think of you as my son, I’d have kept quiet. Imagine if this came out after the wedding—what a scandal that would be for you.”
“…”
Her reasoning was smooth and sound, leaving Cerulean speechless. Vanerinne then looked at me with a saintly smile.
“That goes for you as well, Lady Azian. Don’t take this personally. Once you enter society, you’ll hear such rumors anyway. Someone may already be preparing an article about it.”
It didn’t take much to guess who that “someone” was. Rage surged up inside me.
“This matter…”
The duke, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. His face remained stern as he said,
“There’s no point arguing. We’ll request the imperial palace to release the official records from that time.”
Vanerinne immediately clutched his arm.
“Please don’t, Your Grace. What if some decisive evidence turns up? Even if they part ways, we can’t let a scandal stain the family name.”
Her words sounded like concern, but they were a trap—subtly implying that I was guilty. My stomach twisted.
‘How can someone be so vile?’
She didn’t even seem human anymore.
As I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms, the duke’s navy eyes met mine.
“Are you truly uninvolved?”
His face was stern, but his question somehow steadied me. I nodded firmly.
“Yes. I was simply passing by that day and found the scene first. The palace guards failed to find the real culprit and framed me. I had a solid alibi—that’s why they couldn’t arrest me.”
For the first time, I said aloud what I’d wanted to say for years.
“I want this case reopened. I lost so much because of that false charge.”
“…”
The duke said nothing, but he looked straight into my eyes.
We stared at each other in silence for a long moment—until Cerulean’s voice broke through.
“I’ll take responsibility for this, Your Grace.”
To my surprise, there was a sharp edge in his tone—anger.
Even the duke raised an eyebrow.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you so eager.”
Then he shook his head.
“Still, it’s best not to stir up gossip. Stay out of it.”
“But, Your Grace…” Cerulean hesitated, then bowed his head.
“Then I’ll request a reinvestigation from the Imperial Guard myself. I believe in Edel.”
That went even further than the duke’s suggestion—and everyone knew it.
I stared at Cerulean in shock.
I wasn’t the only one surprised. Vanerinne’s face faltered, clearly alarmed that her plan was backfiring. She tried to sound concerned.
“Please think carefully, Lady Azian. A reinvestigation could lead to… irreversible consequences.”
So she did have something to hide.
But irreversible consequences? I had already lost my mother. There was nothing left for me to lose.
“I think that’s something I should be saying to you, Duchess.”
I lifted my head proudly and met her eyes.
“Do you really think you can hide the sky with your hand? The truth always comes out.”
And you know what?
No matter how long the tail, it always gets caught in the end.
There was no appetite left in the room, but I forced myself to eat anyway. I didn’t want people saying I’d run off without touching my food.
‘Ugh. I can’t even taste it.’
It was probably delicious, but under this suffocating tension, everything felt like sand in my mouth.
Then, across from me, I noticed the chubby little boy—young Charles.
While everyone else had a creamy soup before them, his place had only a green salad and cherry tomatoes.
‘Why is he only eating salad? He’ll never keep those plump cheeks on just that.’
Those cheeks clearly didn’t come from picking at vegetables—they came from good food and hearty meals.
‘Does he have a milk allergy or something?’
I was glancing curiously when Vanerinne stood up.
“Talking to strangers after so long has tired me. I’ll retire for the evening.”
“Ah—?”
Her timing was impeccable—just as a small steak was served to Charles. He looked from the plate to her with clear distress.
‘He still wants to eat! That face screams regret!’
And sure enough, he looked heartbroken. But in the end, he gave up the steak and followed her out of the room.
I wanted to get up too, but—
‘The duke hasn’t moved yet. I can’t just leave first.’
Only after forcing down the last few bites did I slip outside to the garden.
‘At least the cold air helps me breathe again.’
Calima had offered to come with me, but I told her to stay and finish her meal. I needed a moment alone.
‘Whoever the gardener is, they’re talented. The flowers are beautiful, and the color combinations are perfect.’
As I admired the scenery, a familiar calm voice came from behind me.
“Are you all right?”
“Oh—Cerulean.”
He walked over and sat beside me. I gave him a faint, awkward smile.
“That was quite the meal. Still, thanks to you stepping in, it settled down. If you hadn’t mentioned a reinvestigation, Vanerinne would’ve pushed for the engagement to be annulled and thrown me out.”
Now that I thought about it, I understood why she’d brought all that up during my first meeting with the duke.
She wanted to cancel the marriage entirely.
