Chapter 101
For a moment, even I thought, Ah.
Because I knew the novel, I didn’t realize what was strange about what the Marquis was saying.
No—if it hadn’t been the Grand Duke, perhaps no one would have thought it strange. They would have simply fixated on the point that she was the woman he had been searching for. But he wasn’t like that.
How on earth did he realize?
“If you had simply said she was the twins’ mother, I might have just accepted it and moved on….”
“Haha. I merely said what my daughter told me.”
“…So the Grand Duchess knew that my first love had given birth to children.”
The one who looked more flustered was actually the Marquis.
“That is….”
“Well then, since it has come to this, shall we talk again? This is quite interesting. The words you made up to threaten me no matter what… now they’re about to catch your own feet. Congratulations, Marquis. You’ve just created a reason not to be kicked out.”
“Haha… well….”
The Marquis, who had been trying to stay here no matter what just a moment ago, now seemed to feel the opposite.
“Hmm. Let’s discuss that later. I must be going now.”
“Where exactly do you think you’re going? It seems we still have things left to talk about.”
“What could possibly be left?”
Looking at the Marquis forcing an awkward smile, the Grand Duke rang the bell beside him.
A servant waiting outside quickly came in.
“You called for me?”
“Bring that woman here.”
“Are you referring to the Grand Duchess, Your Grace?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Now that even the Grand Duchess was about to be summoned, the Marquis awkwardly waved his hand.
“Why call my daughter too?”
“Shouldn’t we have a three-way confrontation? So, I’ll ask again. You say that you only recently learned that the woman the Grand Duchess asked you to keep was both the twins’ mother and my first love. And that everything was done by that woman.”
Trouble appeared on his face.
“You don’t have to answer. In the end, I can simply hear it directly from her.”
The Grand Duke shut his mouth firmly. What choice would the Marquis make?
In every matter where the Grand Duchess had acted in what I thought was at least a somewhat clever way, the Marquis had been involved. This incident was the same. No—perhaps the Grand Duchess had started it.
But not killing her and secretly sending her away… that was absolutely not the kind of idea that would come out of the Grand Duchess’s head.
“So what changes even if you learn that? The fact that the woman is on our side doesn’t change.”
The Grand Duke’s expression hardened. I couldn’t help letting out an ah myself.
People without even a shred of guilt.
“I see. Nothing changes.”
“That’s right. So stop having foolish thoughts—”
That was when it happened. The atmosphere suddenly changed. Just as the Marquis had said, I also thought that even if it were revealed now, nothing would change—but apparently not.
“None of the women who spent the night with me ever succeeded in becoming pregnant. After that, their whereabouts were completely unknown.”
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“A situation where there was only suspicion, but no evidence.”
Watching the Grand Duke calmly speak as if organizing his thoughts, the Marquis only tilted his head.
“It’s about their disappearance. They were women who had slept with me, of all people. Yet by the next day, they would vanish somewhere. Whenever I asked where they went, I was simply told through the Grand Duchess that they had failed to conceive. At the time, I wondered if the Grand Duchess and the Marquis had imprisoned them… but that suspicion has just become certainty. It’s not that nothing changes.”
“Haha. You’re saying strange things again. Grand Duke, that is—”
“Even if she’s the Grand Duchess, even if she holds absolute power, imprisoning other people is unthinkable. I thought there was no way she would do something so absurd, so even I didn’t bother to investigate….”
With his arms crossed, the Grand Duke quietly looked at the Marquis.
“But it seems you really were doing something that absurd?”
“W-what are you saying…?”
“From that day… from the day the women left this Grand Ducal House… it seems you kept them imprisoned, didn’t you? That’s why you even know that my first love became pregnant… Now that I think about it, everything was strange. Every suspicion gave the feeling that the Grand Duchess already knew about the twins’ existence… but to think… it was really true.”
“No. That’s not it.”
“What do you mean it’s not?”
Looking at the Marquis, who only kept denying it without explanation, the Grand Duke smiled leisurely.
“Well….”
His eyes were clearly spinning as he thought. It was obvious he was struggling to decide what to say, what excuse to make.
“Yes, yes. Go ahead and say it. Shouldn’t you speak before the Grand Duchess arrives? Once she gets here, she’ll surely push all the blame onto you, Marquis….”
From the way the Grand Duke trailed off, it was clear what he wanted—what he intended.
The one he wanted to completely destroy this time was the Grand Duchess. It seemed he even intended to make her abandon her own father, isolating her completely.
“Ahem. Do you think that just because I say something, I’ll make up a story that doesn’t exist?”
“You’d better choose wisely. Because what you’ve proven is not merely that you kept the woman who bore my children… but that you had been keeping all of them from the very beginning.”
“……”
The Grand Duchess still hadn’t arrived. But it had been quite a while since someone went to fetch her, so she would be here soon.
He must have realized he didn’t have much time left.
“Go ahead. Make whatever excuse you want.”
“The fact that she was your first love… yes, I learned that some time later. There’s no way I would have known from the beginning. Surely… that couldn’t be the case.”
“How did you know, when you had never even seen that woman?”
“Well, that is….”
“She was someone who didn’t want to cause me harm. Are you saying she herself told you that she was my first love, and asked you to protect her or something like that?”
The Marquis’s dry, cracked lips seemed to reveal just how flustered he was.
“Well… ahem. That is… well… my daughter told me. She said that woman was your first love.”
“So in the end, you’ve only proven that you had kept her from the very beginning—and that you imprisoned her even knowing she was pregnant.”
“……”
“I’ll grant it.”
That was when it happened. Suddenly, the Grand Duke let out a short laugh.
“Grant what?”
“I mean I’ll do as you wish and not drive the Grand Duchess out.”
“Why, all of a sudden?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted? I’m granting it. After all, you’ve gone so far as to sell out your own daughter—so I should give you what you want. Naturally.”
“Ah….”
“Still, it’s not a bad deal, is it? Even though all her limbs will be cut off, your daughter will still remain the Grand Duchess.”
The Marquis cleared his throat and slowly rubbed his cheek.
“Well… since the water’s already been spilled, think of it positively.”
“What will you do afterward?”
“Well. I’m someone who keeps my promises. I won’t drive the Grand Duchess out. But I will cut off her limbs. And I’ll keep a close watch on her.”
It was obvious what he intended.
If the Grand Duchess had imprisoned the twins’ mother, then naturally she would also be the one who imprisoned the twins. But since there was no evidence right now, he clearly planned to lock her up first and then dig up everything.
Perhaps I couldn’t see it when I was close, but watching the two of them from a step away, their intentions were painfully clear.
A fierce aura flashed in the Grand Duke’s eyes. Sensing it, the Marquis gave an awkward smile.
“I-I see.”
“I’m giving you exactly what you wanted… you’re not going to ask for more afterward, are you? Letting the Grand Duchess remain here instead of driving her out is already quite a big concession.”
“Yes, yes, of course. As long as my daughter remains the Grand Duchess, that’s enough for me.”
The Marquis was trying by any means to keep his daughter in the position of Grand Duchess. No matter what happened to her, he didn’t care—as long as she remained there, he could plan for the future. Even if he thought it might be dangerous to keep the Grand Duchess inside the Grand Ducal House, he clearly believed it was better than having her expelled.
Just then—
“Your Grace, the Grand Duchess has arrived.”
“Open the door.”
As soon as the door opened, the Grand Duchess rushed inside.
“I knew you would call for me. You’ve decided to trust me after all, haven’t you? Father, did everything go well?”
Looking as if she were showing what the phrase dressed to the nines truly meant, the Grand Duchess entered more dazzling than ever.
“It went very well.”
“Really? Truly? I knew you would believe me.”
“I’ve decided to let you remain as the Grand Duchess. I will not drive you out.”
“Really?”
Could someone’s head really be that full of flowers? Or had she been so shocked by the situation that she simply decided to abandon her senses altogether?
“That’s a relief. Thank you for trusting me. Yes… we’ve lived together for so long. Of course you should trust me.”
“You really seem insane.”
“…What… did you say?”
“Do you think this happened because I trusted you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Do you think I decided to let you remain Grand Duchess because I trust you? The reason I’m leaving you here is because I made a deal with your father—not for any other reason.”
“A deal?”
“He gave me some very valuable information. Well, you don’t need to know what it is. You will remain the Grand Duchess, but you will never step outside again. You will not contact your father, nor anyone else. Just as you wished, you will live as the Grand Duchess—and only that.”
This was what he wanted to tell her.
Your father sold your information.
You have no one on your side.
