TGDHC Chapter 70

Chapter 70 – An Eye for an Eye

“I don’t know exactly! They were wearing a hood, so I couldn’t see their face!”

At those words, the knights exchanged uneasy glances.

Did someone really order him to do it?

When Loic narrowed his eyes as if telling him to go on, the man hurriedly continued.

“I met them while drinking at the Wanton Tavern… maybe four days ago! I was grumbling about life over drinks when—”

The man hesitated, clearly trying to choose his words carefully in front of the duke.

“They suddenly sat next to me and said it was all because of the duchess— I mean, Her Grace. Then, when I agreed just a little because I was tipsy, they offered me a deal. They’d give me 200 coins to throw eggs at Her Grace. They said there’d be a big crowd, so it would be easy to get away.”

His face twisted in a pitiful expression as if pleading for sympathy.

“They even promised an advance payment… it’s more money than someone like me could earn in a lifetime. So I…”

“Did they tell you the place in advance?” Loic’s cold voice cut in.

“About an hour before, a messenger brought me a note saying Her Grace would be in front of the Delitar Café and to get ready.”

From there, Loic already knew the rest.

The man admitted that he only planned to throw one egg, but when he missed, he threw another to make sure he’d get paid, which is why he failed to run away in time.

“That’s all?” Loic’s tone dropped low.

Seeing that answer wasn’t making the duke happy, the man quickly added as if he’d just remembered something.

“There were others at the tavern who also got money!”

He explained that, like him, they’d been regulars who suddenly started spending freely, and he suspected they were the ones who caused trouble for the duchess at the scene.

“Arrest everyone hanging around that tavern,” Loic ordered Theo.

“I’ll get right on it.”

Relieved to finally have orders, Theo quickly passed instructions to the knights.

“What… what will happen to me?” the man asked nervously as Loic turned to leave the cell.

“I swear, I never intended to harm Her Grace! I truly regret my actions, so please—”

Loic looked at him coldly.

“You’d better beg hard. Whether your head stays on your neck depends entirely on the duchess’s mercy.”

***

The next morning, I woke up feeling surprisingly light.

Was it my imagination? Maybe the duke’s massage had worked, because I felt full of energy.

Turning my head, I saw the potted plants around the window sparkling in the morning light.

Things have changed a lot.

When I first came to the ducal estate, I was completely alone.

Now there were people who sent flowers to comfort me after a hard time outside.

A maid who got angry on my behalf.

A husband who stayed up massaging my hands so I could sleep.

For a moment, I remembered that my relationships here had an expiration date, but I quickly pushed that thought away.

So what if I left after a year? That wouldn’t erase the time I spent here. All I needed to do was give my best while I was here.

That way, I wouldn’t have regrets later.

Who knows if I’ll ever get to live as a duchess again? I should enjoy this while I can.

Good.

Since I was up early, why not go see my husband?

He’ll be happy to see I’m feeling better.

It was just before Cecilia came to work.

Without hesitation, I got out of bed and walked lightly to the duke’s room— only to be surprised by his pale, shadowed face.

“…Your Grace? Didn’t you sleep?”

Unlike my healthy complexion, his face was drained of color.

“No,” he said, touching his face awkwardly before leading me to the table.

“They say the culprit was hired?”

“You’re not surprised. You expected it?”

“I thought it was strange. Throwing eggs out of nowhere felt too random. At first, I suspected the trade guild leader, but making trouble at an event he invited me to wouldn’t benefit him.”

“I agree.”

The duke said the other troublemakers had been caught, but it might take time to uncover who was behind it.

“I’m sorry. I wanted this resolved by morning.”

“Wait… is that why you stayed up all night?”

I grabbed his face with both hands, startling him into gripping the armrest.

“D-Duchess?”

“Your face— look at it.”

“Is it that bad?”

Not bad, exactly… more like… different. His slightly dazed eyes gave him a strange charm.

And with his sleeves rolled up, the veins on his forearms stood out—

Gulp.

“…It’s a mess,” I said, swallowing my thoughts and glaring at him instead.

“So please sleep a bit before breakfast.”

“…Alright.”

“What are you smiling about when I just called your face a mess?”

When I scolded him for smiling, he coughed awkwardly.

“Have you decided what to do with the criminals?” he asked cautiously.

“The law for lords exists, but I’ll punish them however you want.”

“Of course, they should be taught a lesson.”

Whoever it was, it would be satisfying to spank them in public.

“What does the law say?” I asked.

“Assaulting royalty is at least punishable by death.”

“That’s too much!”

If death was the minimum, what on earth was the maximum?

“Are you trying to make me a villainess?” I glared.

“The law says that, but I’ll punish them however you decide.”

“I… don’t know,” I admitted.

Maybe it was because a day had passed, or because I now knew the culprit was just hired help, but I didn’t feel as strongly as yesterday.

There was noble law to consider, but I wasn’t sure what was fair.

“I don’t want to go too far.”

“You don’t need to feel sympathy for them.”

“It’s not that.”

When his brow creased, I explained, “I just don’t want restless dreams. I don’t want to waste energy thinking about them.”

Besides, an execution was exactly the kind of future I wanted to avoid.

I don’t want anyone saying I received what I sowed.

Would that sound irresponsible?

I glanced at him, but he only nodded reassuringly.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Then I smiled.

“And there’s no need to look for who ordered it.”

“Why?”

“Because I think I can handle that myself.”

“You have a suspect?” His brows rose.

“Don’t worry.”

When his eyes asked me to tell him, I gently shook my head.

“I’ll give them exactly the punishment they deserve— the one that will hurt the most.”

***

“Did you find anything?” I asked less than thirty minutes after sending Leta to investigate.

She returned looking confident.

“The head maid’s name wasn’t in the main gate records,” Leta said, pulling a folded paper from her pocket.

“Instead, I brought the records from the west gate supply entrance.”

“Supply entrance?”

“It’s mainly used for bringing in food.”

The roughly torn paper listed names and purposes of entry.

Leta explained that servants were supposed to use the central gate for going out, but sometimes they slipped out the supply gate for short trips or emergencies.

“Security’s less strict there because you still have to pass another checkpoint inside the castle.”

“But the head maid’s name isn’t here.”

Instead, Leta pointed to another name in the records.

“Bennet?”

She was one of the senior maids— the one whom I’d given the inn’s “couple’s night” ticket.

“The head maid uses other maids’ names when she goes out through the supply gate.”

It was a long-standing custom, and while the guards didn’t make a fuss, she probably didn’t want to leave evidence of breaking protocol.

“The timing matches,” I said.

When the duke had said it might take time to find the mastermind, I’d already had two strong suspects—

Marzella, and Meisel.

After all, the “egg-throwing” incident was too minor an accident for a true enemy but was elaborate for a mere prank.

Publicly insulting me and throwing eggs—

It was exactly the sort of petty attack a noblewoman or head maid could arrange without lifting a finger themselves.

And I suspected Marzella more.

The timing of her visit to Tiern was too suspicious.

“But is this enough proof?” Cecilia asked worriedly.

She meant, could I accuse Marzella just because she’d left the castle while I was meeting the guild leader?

“I don’t need proof,” I said, folding the paper and setting it on my desk.

“I just needed certainty.”