~Chapter 138~
Before this news arrived, Ancia was spending peaceful but happy days.
“Bianca, isn’t our baby so adorable?”
“Yes, my lady. He’s so beautiful. He looks just like you — I never get tired of seeing him.”
Ancia kissed the baby’s soft cheek and gave her finger to his chubby hand to hold.
While she watched him fondly, Bianca spoke carefully.
“My lady, shouldn’t we start looking for a nanny soon?”
“You must be tired from helping with the baby.”
“Oh, no! I’m fine. But you wake up several times a night to feed him… you must be so exhausted. If we had a nanny, you could finally get a full night’s sleep.”
“I know. I want to find one soon too.”
But the problem was the crown prince — he still hadn’t made a move, and that was frustrating.
Ancia had already done everything she could — she had spread bait and waited for him to bite.
By keeping the baby’s identity secret and refusing to hire a nanny, she made everything look suspicious. It was rare for nobles not to use a nanny unless they were hiding something.
A few days ago, Julie had sent a reply to the crown prince, and Ancia expected results soon.
But there was still no news. She sighed, wanting this matter to end so she could finally name her baby properly.
Still, every time she looked at her smiling baby, all her worries melted away.
After playing with the baby for a long while, a knock came at the door — and with it, the long-awaited news.
“My lady, an invitation has arrived from the royal palace.”
At last! Ancia almost screamed with excitement.
It wasn’t just an ordinary letter — it was a formal invitation, sealed with the royal crest and wrapped in a luxurious envelope.
Richard rushed in after hearing the news and picked up the letter Ancia had already opened.
It was a formal and polite invitation — nothing strange on the surface. The royal family was inviting only a few high nobles to a small gathering.
Richard looked at Ancia with a hint of admiration.
“It’s exactly as you predicted.”
“Yes. I was starting to worry it was taking too long, but it seems they’re starting small.”
“Would you like to write the reply yourself?”
“No, please write it next week and politely decline. Until then, come to my room often — so it looks like we’re secretly discussing something to the spies.”
Richard sighed.
“To think that even after all the investigation, some spies still remain… even the head maid was one of them.”
“The crown prince is just petty. It’s creepy how obsessed he is with our family’s affairs.”
“Petty, you say?”
“Yes, petty. He doesn’t even pay the spies! That’s why they’re so hard to find — no one’s loyal when they’re unpaid.”
Ancia’s casual remark finally cracked Richard’s serious expression.
He chuckled despite himself.
“When a royal orders something, what can commoners do? Some might serve willingly, but most are forced. I was shocked about Rosa, though.”
“I’ll interrogate them all this time — until we find everyone.”
“Please don’t. You’ll only end up hurting the innocent.”
“What about the innocent woman who’s been trapped here for months?”
“It’s uncomfortable, yes… but it’s okay. If everything goes as planned, this will all be solved soon.”
Humming lightly, Ancia walked around the room, her mood bright. Richard came closer to her.
“Would you like to take a walk outside?”
“No. It’s better if I stay hidden. The crown prince will believe his plan is working.”
Richard looked at her with pity.
If things went as she planned, she would need to stay inside for several more months.
Whether it was called confinement or seclusion didn’t matter — as long as she remained unseen, the rumors would grow.
And the longer it went on, the more anxious the crown prince would become.
Eventually, he would want proof — enough to invite not just Richard but the duke’s entire family, including the child.
That was when Ancia’s plan would truly begin.
“Richard, don’t stay too long today. And remember — act angry after you leave.”
“Every moment I can’t see you, I’m already angry.”
“Just a little longer, my love.”
Hearing her gentle tone, Richard reluctantly nodded.
There were still parts of her plan that he couldn’t quite believe, but he had already decided to trust her completely.
He kissed Ancia softly, then kissed the baby’s forehead before leaving the room.
As Ancia expected, letters from the crown prince began to arrive every few weeks.
At first, they were polite invitations, pretending to be casual, hinting that he knew about their situation.
Each time, Richard replied that the duchess was unwell after childbirth and could not attend — only he would visit the palace.
The crown prince withdrew, saying he’d invite them again later.
But after months of waiting, the tone of the letters changed.
The invitations became more forceful — closer to threats than polite requests.
Small tea gatherings turned into larger events, until finally, a New Year’s Festival invitation arrived — in the middle of summer — with the emperor’s signature.
“The crown prince even dragged the emperor into this.”
He was determined to expose the duke’s family in front of the nobles — or force them to humiliate themselves privately before the emperor.
Richard frowned, but Ancia remained calm as she checked the letter Julie brought.
“He really hates us, doesn’t he?”
“What should I reply this time?”
“Send something similar. Say the duchess is very anxious — maybe even that you heard her crying.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The crown prince had ordered Julie to report back on how the dukes reacted.
By sending subtle replies full of tension, they made the prince more confident — and more reckless.
The New Year’s invitation was proof of that.
Only nobles favored by the royal family received such invitations — and the Duke of Gwinted hadn’t been invited in decades.
That the crown prince sent one now meant he was sure the duke and duchess wouldn’t dare show up.
Exactly as Ancia had hoped.
It would make it easier for her to meet the emperor — and it proved that the crown prince was manipulating him, weakening his will with flattery.
“Julie, wait a moment. I’ll write the reply myself — but don’t send it too quickly.”
Ancia took up her pen.
She had already prepared what to say long ago; the only hard part was making her handwriting tremble slightly, as if she were nervous.
Meanwhile, at Eve’s Dress Shop, the owner Eve prepared a carriage full of fabric samples and design books after receiving a request from the duke’s household.
Rumors about the duchess had spread through the estate for months, but Eve didn’t care.
She had missed her muse — the lovely duchess she hadn’t seen for nearly a year.
The Gwinted mansion looked grand and intimidating as ever.
After walking a long way through halls lined with guards, Eve arrived at a small annex — an odd tower where the duchess was said to live.
The sight of Ancia, still beautiful and graceful, filled her with emotion.
“My lady, would you like to hear some news from outside?”
Eve realized then that at least part of the rumors were true.
The duchess was indeed confined — hidden away.
The constant watchful eyes she’d felt on her way here, and the duchess’s eager welcome to a mere dressmaker, confirmed it.
Eve remembered the woman who once stood proudly before kneeling knights, who smiled brightly during festivals, who cared for children and dared to start new traditions.
“That such a free, shining woman is now locked away like this…”
Eve had to fight back tears.
“Yes, my lady, I’ll tell you everything. The estate is lively again — people are already preparing for the autumn festival.
Thanks to your public service projects, everyone’s excited.”
“The festival will continue as usual. What about the children — are they doing well?”
“Yes! The place you built for them has become a community center. The villagers praise you, saying it’s easier to work now that they have somewhere safe to leave their kids.”
Eve didn’t even touch the refreshments Bianca offered. She kept talking, sharing every bit of good news she could to comfort Ancia.
She also mentioned she had brought new fabrics and designs she wanted to gift her.
Ancia smiled and listened, but soon the baby’s cry came from the next room, and she excused herself.
When Eve heard the baby, a chill ran down her spine.
One of the rumors was true after all — the duchess had given birth.
When Ancia came back, holding the baby wrapped in cloth, Eve quickly lowered her head.
“My lady… would you like me to make clothes for the baby too?”
“You can? Then please do.”
“But… is it all right for me to see him?”
At Eve’s cautious question, Ancia smiled faintly, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
