Chapter 8
It was a remark that clearly seemed to suspect Linthia, but she endured it willingly.
With trembling hands, she accepted the paper and pen.
She copied the sentences written in the letter onto the sheet.
Because her hands were shaking so much, her writing was messy, but the handwriting matched Linthia’s exactly.
The moment she realised that fact, a chilling truth struck her.
There was a spy from the Imperial Palace in the North.
Otherwise, there was no way a letter unknown to her could be written in her own handwriting.
Since when? Has Julius’s spy been watching my every move? Walking beside Harvich, laughing, talking, all of it?
The long-forgotten fear of death returned, cold and sharp.
Unconsciously, Linthia touched the area around her neck.
“The North has a traitor…”
She could not bring herself to finish the thought that there might be a traitor in the North, and closed her lips.
For the reason the stronghold of the North had cracked was surely none other than Linthia herself.
“I know nothing of this.”
Almost without thinking, Linthia hid the two sheets of paper behind her.
Harvich rose from his seat and strode toward her.
“Give them here.”
Even if I say I did not do this, will Harvich ever believe me?
Standing before her, Harvich wordlessly took both sheets from her hands.
His slow gaze passed over the writing.
Linthia stood there like a criminal awaiting judgment.
After what felt like an eternity, Harvich spoke.
“I know you are not bold enough to attempt such a thing. And I also know you would not do something so foolish as to get caught this easily.”
As if having realised something, Harvich crumpled the sheets.
Both were tossed into the fireplace like kindling.
Linthia was overjoyed that he recognised her innocence.
She believed their relationship would remain unchanged.
But that hope was shattered with his next words.
“Still, remaining suspicious is safer than believing in your innocence.”
“……”
“I ask for your understanding.”
At his detached voice, her fingertips stiffened.
She felt she should say something, but her lips would not part.
“You may leave now.”
He chose to suspect Linthia rather than seek out the true traitor within the Grand Duke’s castle.
There was no longer any reason for Harvich to wait for Linthia.
***
A servant opened the door to the dining room.
It had not been used for a year, yet nothing had changed.
The placement of the furniture, the glittering chandelier—
And the vassals who had always regarded Linthia with disapproval.
Linthia’s gaze fell on Harvich seated at the head of the table.
It had been a long time.
To face him in this way.
For a brief moment, their eyes met—his impassive crimson gaze locking with hers.
“You are late.”
The first to speak at Linthia’s arrival was Hugh Grentia.
He was Harvich’s closest aide and the man responsible for the Grand Duchy’s military.
Never one to hide his disapproval of Linthia, today he smiled at her with ease.
Even if Imperial envoys were present, he was not a man to show her kindness.
Sensing his unusual demeanour, Linthia realised that Hugh had been the one to summon her to this meal.
Not that knowing changed anything.
Yet she felt a strange relief.
Because she was certain now that it had not been Harvich who called her here.
“……I was weary and fell asleep. Did you wait for me?”
“I was just about to ask a maid whether you would attend.”
At the familiar playful tone, Linthia turned her eyes to the man seated across.
Tereo Khan.
The man who had once guarded her at the Imperial Palace.
Startled by the unexpected sight, Linthia flinched.
“It has been a while, Your Highness. Ah—no, I should call you Grand Duchess now.”
“……It has been a while, Sir Tereo.”
As Linthia barely managed to reply, Hugh regarded the two of them with interest.
“You know each other? Well, of course, Sir Tereo was in charge of supplies for the Cassius territory. Considering the distance, you must have visited quite often. It seems you hold special loyalty to Her Highness.”
Loyalty? That word does not suit Tereo at all. He is the man who once betrayed me.
“I have not met Sir Tereo here before. I did not even know he delivered supplies so often.”
Fearing suspicion, Linthia hurriedly added an explanation.
“I see.”
……Is this meal meant to accuse me of infidelity, to claim my pregnancy is the result of an affair?
Could Harvich’s influence be behind this?
If only it were Harvich himself who wished to remove me from the Grand Duchy, that would be better.
If I leave Cassius, Harvich will no longer face difficulties because of me. And I will still have his child.
Perhaps leaving now would be the happiest ending for everyone.
Linthia placed her hand upon her flat belly.
“Your Grace, you do not look well. In early pregnancy, even a small shock can be dangerous.”
Oberok spoke, implying that Linthia should return to her chambers.
But Hugh interrupted.
“Isn’t that precisely why the physician is here? To ensure nothing unfortunate occurs, he should always be nearby.”
The very man who most wished for misfortune to befall her now spoke as though concerned.
“The Imperial physician must care deeply for you, Your Grace. After all, he often speaks with you privately during his visits.”
“His Majesty worries greatly for his sister’s health. I speak only out of concern for the Grand Duchess.”
“And yet, with her husband at her side, what more is there to fear? Who but a father could care more for his child?”
“Enough. With an Imperial present, this is becoming too heated.”
At last, Harvich broke his silence.
“I only do this out of genuine concern for Your Grace. Even now, the lady says nothing while I voice my doubts openly.”
Hugh’s piercing gaze fell upon Linthia.
In it, she realised he truly suspected her of infidelity.
A child born of a couple at odds—such suspicion was only natural.
But the father was Harvich.
And regardless of the truth, Linthia had no intention of declaring him so.
That was exactly what Julius desired—to bind the Grand Duchy with a new leash.
Linthia was neither so emotional nor so foolish as to make such a claim in front of the Imperial envoys
.
Besides, if she named Harvich as the father, he would become nothing more than a ruler who destroyed his cause in a single moment of lust.
“Why not let the lady speak for herself?”
