IELNDMH - Chapter 43 < Worried About the Woman You Love >
I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband
"Your Highness Rain, we have successfully finished seeing off Duke Bold!"
Mina shouted confidently and entered the living room. Her face was as bright as usual, no matter how fierce she had been in front of Duke Bold. The other maids standing next to Mina also added their words.
"I said he was drunk and fell down the stairs, and I sent him with some ointment!"
"It's an ointment made from demon bison. The smell will be strong for a few days, right?"
"His memories have been completely erased, so you don't have to worry!"
The faces of the excited girls were shiny as if they had taken a hot spring bath for the first time in a long time.
"You did a good job until the end. Thank you, everyone."
They burst into laughter at my praise. Then they suddenly came in front of me and sat down with one knee gently folded.
"Why are you like this all of a sudden...?"
In response to my puzzled question, Mina slowly raised the corner of her mouth and exchanged glances with the other maids.
"Through this incident, we all knew for sure that you belong to the Twins family, Your Highness."
The other maid who was nodding her head next to Mina also added her words.
"I have been that way until now, but I will continue to be even more loyal to Her Highness."
"That's right, Your Highness! Now let us help, so just tell us anything!"
The maids' eyes twinkled at me at the same time. I looked at their faces in bewilderment and slowly removed my lips.
"There is one thing..."
"Yes, yes! Which one is it?"
The maids' eyes sparkled with anticipation. After thinking for a moment, I slowly parted my lips.
"I actually... I want to be forgiven by the mixed-race demons I have harmed so far."
The maids who heard me looked at each other in confusion.
"Yes? To the mixed-race demons... Forgiveness?"
"Huh. There are probably quite a few mixed-race demons who have suffered damage because of me so far."
"That's right, but why are you suddenly like that...?"
"I didn't suddenly do this, I've been thinking about it for a long time. It may be late, but I think it's natural to apologize now."
"......"
"I shouldn't give others memories that may be painful for the rest of their lives and then shamelessly pretend not to know."
If that happens, the day I leave this castle will be the day I die.
That moment when I was buried in all kinds of scary imaginations with my head down.
"Your Highness... "
"Huh?"
When I inadvertently raised my head, I saw the maids' crying faces.
"What... What is it, you guys?"
At my question, Mina looked up at me with her watery eyes shining brightly. It was the same for the other maids.
"I never knew that Her Highness was such a thoughtful person..."
"Me too. I am truly touched, Your Highness! Hmm..."
How did those girl-like children get that cruel expression from a moment ago?
It was a time when I was amazed at the enormous gap. The maids opened their mouths again with determination in their eyes.
"We will help you unconditionally!"
"Of course! And if they are a mixed-blood demon who received damage from Her Highness..."
Everyone was silent for a while, looking as if they were reminiscing. Meanwhile, Mina raised her voice as if she had a good idea.
"Ah! Gray Zone Village!"
The other maids also opened their eyes wide and nodded vigorously.
"Grey zone.... Village?"
When I asked again, Mina smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes, the workers that Her Highness dismissed did not return to the Demon World and created a village together. It's a mountain near the beach!"
Still, I was worried about how to find the mixed-race demons who had a grudge against Rebecca. It was good news to hear.
"This isn't just their problem, Your Highness!"
"Then?"
"Once they hear that those people's forgiveness has been obtained, perhaps the residents of the Mansion of Light will begin to open their hearts again?"
"And the people who use the Mansion of Light? Why?"
Then the maid next to Mina covered her mouth and spoke a whisper.
"Actually, most of the people In Gray Zone village were people who worked for a long time as employees of the Mansion of Light but were kicked out by Her Highness."
"Ah... okay?"
"Yes, the people who have used the Mansion of Light must have been very hurt to see their colleagues they had worked with for a long time and become fond of being kicked out."
I was already nervous because the people who used the Mansion of Light rarely opened their hearts to me. As long as the hearts of the people in the Gray Zone are relaxed, I can win the hearts of the people who use the Mansion of Light as a bonus.
As for me, who has to escape the ending of being killed by a fiery arrow from a half-blood demon...
'This is a golden opportunity that will never happen again.'
A smile suddenly spread across my lips. It was at that time that I decided to prepare to head to Gray Zone Village as soon as possible.
"Anything else? Is there anything else we can do for you?"
Mina's maid, who was standing next to me, asked again with her eyes sparkling.
"Anything else? Hmm, what could there be... Ah!"
There was still something I wanted to ask Mina and the other maids when they came back.
"What on earth is Lillian's heart?"
At that moment, the faces of the maids, who seemed ready to answer anything, gradually turned into awkward smiles,
"That... Because that's something we can't talk about casually..."
"If you ask His Majesty the Grand Duke... No.... Is it cold? Haha..."
Seeing their reactions made me even more suspicious.
'What is it about Lillian's heart that makes it do that? Why is Duke Bold acting so rampant again?'
I suddenly thought about asking Cedric as the maids said, but I quickly decided against it. If the maids who said they would help with anything were reluctant to even mention it, there must be a good reason.
'If I look at what wasn't mentioned in the original work, it means that Cedric kept it a secret from the female protagonist Lobelia...'
That probably means that the item is important to Cedric. Even though we were closer than before, there was no way Cedric would tell me such an important matter. There's no way he'd want to share a secret that he kept even from his lover with someone whose best interest is to remain friends.
Let's think about that.
Even at the moment of receiving Adrian's confession, I began to feel pathetic again as I remembered Cedric's face.
***
The last report document of the day was handed out in front of Cedric, who was spending time in his personal study.
"This is a report about something unusual that happened inside the castle that day."
Invisible eyes and ears were hidden throughout the Twins family castle. The aide to reported the information collected to Cedric every night. However, it was a night like everyday life without anything special.
It was a time when Cedric was casually flipping through documents as he always did. Cedric's eyes slowly opened wide.
"Duke Bold came and threatened Rebecca?"
The aide nodded his head lowly.
"Yes. They say he was very drunk and was acting out. He said give him something Her Highness promised."
The aide lowered his voice slightly with a doubtful expression on his face.
"That 'something' ...Maybe it's 'Lillian's Heart'?"
The Duke of Bold and Rebecca.
It was Cedric, who had suspected that the two were targeting Lillian's heart. The aide thought he must be interested in this news. Cedric's gaze became even harsher.
The moment when his aide, looking at him like that, thought that his prediction was not wrong.
"What about Rebecca?"
"...Yes?"
"Is Rebecca okay?"
An unexpected question came out. The aide could not easily continue speaking due to Cedric's unexpected reaction. In response, Cedric slammed the table as if urging him to do so.
"Is it true that the Duke of Bold pushed Rebecca against the wall and tried to strangle her?"
A faint look of death flashed in Cedric's eyes. He had rarely been this angry, or even if he had been, he had rarely revealed his emotions as clearly as he did now.
Seeing his unfamiliar appearance, the aide trailed off.
"Yes, it's all true, but..."
It was at that time that the aide was watching Cedric's thoughts.
"Duke Bold, it doesn't matter what that crazy person wants anymore."
".... Yes?"
"If what he really wanted was Lillian's heart, that might be why Rebecca has been threatened by her father all this time. Isn't that right?"
"Yes? Ah, yes. Considering the current situation between Her Highness and Duke Bold, that idea seems to make sense..."
The aide, who had been perplexed the whole time, suddenly tilted his head.
"Your Highness, perhaps Her Highness's real goal may not be Lillian's heart?"
He had a record of being ruined by Cedric for saying things like that.
"The Grand Duke's aide glared coldly at me for being too naive."
Cedric's eyes were as cold as frost. When that scene came to mind, the aide trembled involuntarily.
'You definitely did that back then, but why are you doing this now?'
This was completely different from before when he was always suspicious when it came to matters related to the Grand Duchess. To exaggerate a little, the current Cedric seemed not to believe Rebecca even if he said that she was aiming for Lillian's heart.
'People... How could it be so different?'
The aide, who was barely able to keep his wits about him, opened his mouth again.
"Are there any other problems?"
"What else?"
"The maids of the Dark Mansion went on a rampage and committed violence to protect Her Highness. Even though the Duke's memories were erased, if something goes wrong, problems could arise in the aristocratic society..."
Cedric immediately stood up from his seat.
"I need to reward those maids right now."
"..."
"If they had buried him in the Demon World Forest without even the mice or birds knowing, I would have given them a bigger reward. That's a little disappointing."
"... ?"
The aide was sure he was listening to His Highness the Grand Duke. Why can't he understand anything?
As the aide was thinking such thoughts, a very reasonable suspicion soon arose in his head.
'Could it be that Vincent is imitating His Highness the Grand Duke?'
Also... It was Vincent who often played pranks by disguising himself as Cedric. The aide carefully approached Cedric's side.
"Your Highness, please check for a moment...."
The aide took Cedric's hand and placed it on the Grand Duke's seal. There was a security spell on the Grand Duke's seal, so he couldn't make any moves, no matter how much he was Vincent.
'Vincent must be playing around again.'
The aide was sure, but the seal moved so easily that it seemed futile.
Sigh.
Cedric frowned as he looked at his aide who was using his hands like pincers.
".. What are you doing now? Have you finally come to your senses?"
However, the aide only blinked with a bewildered expression. Cedric, who was looking at him pitifully, opened his mouth again.
"Don't do anything useless, and immediately prepare a reward for the maids."
"Yes? Right now?" "
"Yes, I'm planning to go straight to the dark mansion, so hurry up."
After saying that, Cedric gritted his teeth as he looked through the documents again. His face looked like that of a man who truly cared about the woman he loved.
'His Highness the Grand Duke is truly worried about Her Highness, whom he dislikes so much?'
Oh, that can't be true.
It was a time when the aide was laughing at himself for having such a stupid idea.
"I think I can sleep comfortably only when I see with my own eyes that Rebecca is okay."
Cedric muttered as he hurriedly left his personal study. The aide just looked at his back in despair.
"Your Highness, the Grand Duke, what did you just say...?"
It was a moment when the aide himself began to doubt his own mental state.
'Am I out of my mind, as His Highness said?'
He slowly closed his eyes for a moment.
The aide hurriedly followed Cedric toward the dark mansion.
Comments
Post a Comment