DYBAR - Chapter 53 < The Crack That Cannot Be Bridged And The Desire To Reach Further >

DYBAR - Chapter 53 < The Crack That Cannot Be Bridged And The Desire To Reach Further >

Do Your Best And Regret

Thanks to the Grand Duke's extraordinary sense, he too became a watchman. Winster, who had to turn away from Vikander right before his eyes, swallowed a bitter smile inwardly. 

A few years ago, Winster jokingly said that His Highness had the instincts of an animal, which was completely canceled due to this incident. It wasn't anything like that. Edwin Lowell Vikander, his Lord, his senses were truly beastly. Otherwise, how could it be that as soon as he reached the castle walls, he ordered the Duke of Madeleine and the royal family to be banned from entering and that the vicinity of the territory be guarded? 

Jade Madeleine's proud face distorted. Winster did not let his guard down due to the sharp momentum.

"...What right does the Grand Duke have to prevent me from seeing my sister?"

It seemed like manners had been forgotten. Even as he listened to the shortened words, Winster's eyes widened as if he had heard something strange.

"... She's your sister. I didn't know that Lord Madeleine had a sister, other than Princess Ethella Madeleine."

The bright, amethyst-colored eyes widened as if caught off guard. It was funny to see him shaking his head as if he was denying reality.

"You crossed the line, Sir."

"..."

"From the moment he took Your Majesty's oath, the line has been crossed by Lord Madeleine to our lady."

"..."

"Now, you two don't have a relationship of any importance, do you?"

It was a sharp end to the relationship that seemed to pierce the heart. Jade gritted his teeth. Winster spoke leisurely while looking at that scene.

"... I wonder if she would like to see Lord Madeleine."

Funny enough, a vague expectation rose above the purple eyes. Winster knew how to shatter those expectations at once.

"Of course, that won't happen."

After answering, Winster leisurely left the bar. As if he had been waiting, a knight came to Winster's side and reported.

“The Princess is still Katanta.”

"What? Is that all you got? I heard she left just yesterday?"

Winster frowned. No matter how much Jade came without stopping, the Princess still only got as far as Viscount Katanta. It was only 4 hours away from the island.

"It is said that the Princess suffers from severe motion sickness."

Winster stiffened his mouth at the knight's serious answer. The Princess's carriage was of the highest quality, with almost no shaking. Even though she rode something like that, she barely got to Katanta and got seasick. 

The more he looked into it, the more different it was from the official actions of the Princess, who was known to be amazing. So then, who was the person who did those things instead of the Princess? 

Even though Winster tried not to overthink it, the candidates kept narrowing it down to just one person. Winster looked in the distance to where the Great Siege Castle was. 

*** 

At that time, Viscount Katanta was in the wake of a typhoon. Viscount Katanta, now middle-aged, looked restlessly in front of the best guest room. In the guest room, guarded by two knights of the imperial palace, there was an unexpected and precious guest.

"Honey, shouldn't you at least give a formal greeting to Her Royal Highness?"

Viscountess Katanta was also unable to adapt to this strange situation. Katanta Viscounty, located in an estate four hours away from the island, was an ordinary rural nobleman with no ties to the central nobility. Occasionally attending noble meetings was one of the pride of Viscount and Viscountess Katanta. But a Princess as noble as a saint came to Katanta...!

"Thank you for understanding my sudden visit, Viscount. I was passing by for a while, but I felt tired and was wishing I could stay for a day. I am on my way to carry out His Majesty's orders, so please keep my stay here a secret."

The Viscount shuddered as he recalled the Princess's words. No matter how much he thought about it, it was an opportunity that would never come again. What an opportunity for Katanta to form a relationship with the royal family! 

The Viscount showed great courage and walked forward to the guest room with great strides. He did not give in to the indifferent looks of the knights.

"...I think she needs to eat something. Please ask Her Highness the Princess."

"We will take care of the meal served to Her Highness the Princess. Thank you, Viscount."

The driver knight drew a line.

"No, still. When I saw her earlier, her face was so white. If there is a body somewhere..."

"We will also check that on our side."

The more he tried to do something, the more he felt like he was being pushed away, and in the end, the self-made Buddha glanced at him and was just about to move on.

"Ahh!"

The two people's eyes widened as they heard a sharp scream coming from inside the room. Obviously, there are only the Princess and her maids in this room...!

"Wait a minute! Your Highness!"

The Viscount and Viscountess rushed to the door at once. But it was in vain. The knights had already quickly stopped the two.

"What are you doing...!"

The Princess has a kind heart like that of a saint. Nothing could happen to His Highness's safety in his mansion. 

It was the moment when the Viscount was pushing the knights away and glaring at them. The Viscount hesitated, stepped back, and swallowed his words. The knights were looking at the Viscount with cold eyes. A breathtaking confrontation continued. Before long, the door opened and a lady with dark blue hair came out from inside and smiled softly.

"I heard a loud noise so I came out for a moment. What's going on?" 

"Ma'am, it's okay here. Are you okay Inside? I heard something like screaming."

"Ah, you heard me."

Baroness Rujas sighed as if she was in a bit of trouble.

"If I were to tell you this, trusting in the Viscount's reputation..."

Viscount Buddha swallowed his saliva at the low voice as if sharing a secret.

"One of our maids is sensitive and sometimes screams and throws fits. Her Highness the Princess is looking after us generously. She's such a terrible person when it comes to people like me."

Ah, hearing that story made the worry on the Viscount and Viscountess's faces disappear. At the same time, there was a small sense of anticipation. What would it be like if he became the person of the Princess who was so generous that she even embraced the convulsive maid?

"Fortunately. We were wondering if something had happened to Her Highness the Princess."

"Is that possible?"

Baroness Rujas smiled faintly as if she had heard a funny joke. The Viscount and Viscountess laughed along at her nonchalant appearance.

"But maybe..."

"Yes?"

"Is there a clear road that can lead to the Muwiken territory here?" 

In response to Baroness Rujas' question, the Viscount smiled brightly and shook his head.

"If you go there, the only place you can find is Grand Duke Vikander. Anyway, technicians with strong semicircular canals come and go, so I didn't need to spend money on maintenance, so I didn't do it. Instead, I am more confident in the summer garden below, so please tell Her Highness well."

Baroness Rujas endured a pounding headache while looking at the Viscount smiling proudly. It was obvious that the Princess would cause trouble once again...

"Ahh!"

"Your Highness, please fix it. Your neck is hurt."

In the colorful and ornate room, the Princess's eyes sparkled among the helpless maids.

"Why, in this great city of Franz, the roads are not even properly maintained! What a disgrace to the empire!"

The Princess who was screaming frowned. Her stomach, which had been churning from running on the dirt road, started churning again. It was a day so chaotic that she even had to drink water. 

As a Princess, she couldn't stay anywhere, so the place she managed to visit was this Viscounty territory. The Princess scanned her room with her disdainful eyes. This room is vulgar and colorful, unbecoming of an aristocrat. It was the unsophisticated room that the Princess hated the most.

"If the road had been properly maintained, we would have reached Vikander territory right away."

The Princess gritted her teeth as she remembered the roads she always took. From the southern resort area famous for its summer palace to the eastern part where the mother Empress's villa is located, with its beautiful autumn scenery, and to the western part, which is adjacent to other countries. The places the Princess went were all connected by cleanly maintained roads.

"Your Highness, don't lie down."

Baroness Rujas, who had come to briefly listen to the Viscount's story, returned to the room. Seeing her nanny's worried face, the Princess groaned again.

"Nanny, what do you think? Did you say there is a paved road?"

"...That is."

The glimmer of hope disappeared along with the nanny's dark face. The Princess is evil! She screamed and became angry. If she didn't do something like that, she would be so angry that she wouldn't be able to sit still.

"Your Highness, this is a self-made house that is not properly soundproofed. If you could calm down your anger just a little..." 

"Everything is the worst! How can I not even get angry at will!" 

"... I apologize, Your Highness."

The Princess glared fiercely at Baroness Rujas. The look on her face that said she had no other choice was the complete opposite of the confident attitude she had a few days ago when she said she would somehow find a way for her. She couldn't even get to Grand Duke Vikander, which she needed to get to as quickly as possible, and she was upset. 

She's anxious to visit that abandoned mine, and she doesn't even know what to say to that half-assed person yet. She can't get the magic seal back. All these problems mixed together gave her a headache. Her throat kept getting dry.

"...... Ha, really. That half. Just look at it and you won't leave it alone. Well, it seems like it went well on an unmaintained road, as it is a lowly thing."

To run away so far with something so precious. The maids all pretended not to hear the fierce words coming out of their teeth. Just like she always has.

"Oh."

But the maids at this place were different. At that moment, the maids who were cleaning up the room for the maids in the lower room blinked at each other and covered their mouths. I heard that Her Majesty the Princess, who is as kind as a Saintess, is staying in the upper room. A harsh atmosphere with vulgar words and actions that are different from what is known, and connotations of murder. It was completely opposite to the rumors they knew about Her Royal Highness, who was like a Saintess. 

The maids' mouths were itching as they looked at each other. Soon, interesting rumors began to circulate. The rumors about the Princess, who unhesitatingly called the Viscountess the worst, spread so much that it was impossible to contain them. 

***

The dining room of the Duke of Madeleine. After finishing his meal, Conrad wiped his mouth elegantly and spoke.

"...... It feels much better. Thank you, Ma'am."

Even the taste of food that was somewhat unpleasant came back.

"Nothing to say, Little Duke."

Viscountess Monique accepted the thanks with a polite expression on her face. It was all thanks to the vassals. The ledgers and payment of important bills were organized by Viscountess Baishan, and subtle changes such as the atmosphere and meals of the messy mansion were organized by Viscountess Monique. 

They, who had helped Olivia before taking charge of the domestic affairs, restored Madeleine to the duchy he had known to Conrad. Now the Duke of Madeleine is back on track. It was a time when he felt a faint sense of elation.

"I also mentioned the topic of managing meals and decorating the Duke's residence in the summer to Lady Ethella. She is very smart, so there won't be any major problems. If you give me permission, I will come and check on you often." 

However, Viscountess Monique paused for a moment. Then, as if she was deciding what to say for a moment, she lifted her teacup and took a sip of tea.

"... I didn't know Lady Ethella was interested in tea parties. She wasn't very interested in social events, so I thought I should tell Duke."

"What kind of..."

Conrad asked right away without realizing it. Viscountess Monique swallowed her inner thoughts that she knew it would happen and explained it as if it was no big deal.

"It won't be a big deal. My daughter was not interested in social circles at all, but she became interested ahead of her debutante."

Conrad smiled calmly and nodded at the strange words. But he couldn't be fooled. Ethella is interested in social circles. It was his first time hearing this story. 

With his heart pounding, Conrad unconsciously clenched his fists. Well, he guess he'll have to have some kind of conversation to find out. 

When was the last time he had a normal conversation with Ethella? 

Conrad thought deeply and swallowed his suffocating breath. At some point, Ethella changed. She didn't attend the dinner her father was attending, saying she felt sick, and she gradually began talking to Conrad less and less. A few days ago with Ethella, the only thing she talked to was Jade, who had been eating dinner.

"Esela, what's going on these days? It's hard to see your face. You even skipped dinner."

"I'm just feeling sick these days."

The kind and bright Ethella. His beloved youngest child was still affectionate, but she had learned to coolly cut off her conversation. As soon as the short conversation was over, Ethella went up to her room as if her business was over. 

Conrad just watched her. He couldn't ask what was uncomfortable. No, he actually didn't want to hear it. Those words from her beloved youngest sister, Ethella, seemed like they would instantly overthrow everything he had believed in. 

He definitely thought that with the help of Olivia's vassals, the Duke could get back on track. Evidence showing that his thoughts were wrong came from all over the place. 

The ending to a meal that had been satisfying until a moment ago felt strangely bitter. Conrad kept a barely smiling face. He only knew how bitter it was inside.

 *** 

Meanwhile, late at night in the Grand Siege of Vikander.

"Is there a separate vassal in charge of financial management in the grand duchy?"

It was a random question. Bethany, who had been fixing the Young Lady's bed until the very end, turned to the Young Lady and pointed to herself.

"There is no separate vassal in charge of managing the finances of the Grand Dukedom. I even take care of the magic seal, so you can say it's me."

The Young Lady smiled brightly at those words. The smiling face looked much more comfortable than when she first came to the Grand Siege. Bethany suppressed the longing that suddenly rose up as she met the brilliant, sparkling green eyes.

"Then Bethany. Can you do me a favor?"

"What fun things are you planning?"

Dean, who had been so hostile towards the Young Lady, eventually took her side. Bethany looked curiously as she recalled the recent events that shook the Great Siege. 

At those words, Olivia took out a document she had kept deep in her desk drawer and shook it.

"I heard that the Grand Duke and his wife's property is jointly owned. I'd like to give Edwin a surprise gift. Can you help me?"

Her cheeks turned red as she smiled mischievously. What a surprise gift. How much of a surprise are we going to try? 

Bethany's face, which was smiling, turned pale for an instant. As if she hadn't noticed, Olivia took her document out of her envelope and flipped through a few pages.

"It's my dowry. Of course, it's not worth much now, but it'll get better if I decorate it, right? I want to register it as joint property without Edwin's knowledge in advance."

The excited voice faded away. Bethany looked at the document in Olivia's hand, not even able to breathe properly.

It was a document she never forgot. The white Crystal Mine. She wanted it back so much. It was the Princess's last possession of Lowell's treasure.

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