IHMEB - Chapter 50 < Until The Heir Is Born >

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“Is there a secret to capturing a man’s heart?”

The moment she heard Claudel's words, all kinds of scenarios quickly ran through Madame Marcel's mind.

Her first thought was, ‘Does the Duchess, who only recently got married to Rowan, have another man?’

Otherwise, there's no way she would want to know the secret to winning a man's heart.

This was premised on the fact that Kaian, Duke of Temnes, Claudel's husband and Madame Marcel's employer, was infatuated with her.

There is no reason to try to capture the heart of a man who is already in her hand.

But in Madame Marcel's opinion, that was also nonsense.

The fame of Kaian, Duke of Temnes, was well known even in the capital, which was quite far from the Rowen domain.

First of all, the Duke himself went to war in the Five Years' War and has been managing his fiefdom ever since he returned from the battlefield, so he rarely steps into the capital or the capital's social circles. However, many noble daughters admired him.

Currently, the Kingdom of Oberon was experiencing a total shortage of male nobles of marriageable age.

There was no time to consider the appearance, personality, or tastes of a marriage partner. After all, if you were sure of your wealth, status, and identity, would you go to the extent of marrying off to a wealthy foreign nobleman?

As a result, the presence of a very attractive young Duke was like a hope for life for the young ladies in the capital who were getting married.

It was a great comfort to them to not go abroad as much as possible, to build up the prestige of their parents within Oberon's kingdom, and to have a happy life.

Because the King suddenly removed Kaian from the marriage market by royal order, the loyalty to Valquiterre among nobles with daughters in the capital city had decreased by about 30%.

The Duchess feels differently about such a husband!

'...There's no way she doesn't know, right?'

Madame Marcel barely answered in confusion.

"Ah. A man's heart? Someone...”

“What kind of person am I? Is there anyone else whose heart I want to win over?”

“So you’re saying you want to win the Lord’s heart?”

"Yes."

Madame Marcel, armed with a long career in society, was able to hold back her bewildered expression and almost burst out in laughter.

‘Today is the first day. Today is the first day. I can't be rude to my Lord's wife, whom I have to serve from day one.'

Madame Marcel repeats this to herself countless times.

“It’s a very sudden marriage. Neither she nor I were mentally ready, and Rowen and Valmonde were far away, so we were never able to see each other before the wedding.”

Claudel was serious.

“It hasn’t even been long since I came to Rowen.”

"Yes. I think so.”

“Moreover, Temnes and Vermont... You know, right?”

Madame Marcel felt the urge to reveal to Claudel the large sum of money she had been promised by Kaian.

'If it is possible to gauge how much her husband has put into his wife's decorations by the amount of money he spends, then it seems that not only his heart but his soul has been taken over, My Lord.'

On the one hand, Claudel looked so lovely that Madame Marcel had only felt for her appearance and aura a moment ago, grew in an instant.

Madame Marcel was very fascinated by Claudel.

She also understood why Kaian fell in love with Claudel.

If the bride who had married from Vermont to Temnes was an enemy and had been sharp and sensitive, she would have naturally developed a sense of resistance.

Although Claudel was extremely beautiful, she looked pure and humble. Her feminine beauty would be praised by all the men around her, so Madame Marcel couldn't help but realize that she had a high nose and that she had outstanding beauty.

However, Claudel did not appear arrogant or haughty at all and was serious about marrying her enemy.

'You want to win her husband's heart!'

There are a lot of bad people in the world who think that being just a little bit prettier makes them better and want to win someone else's husband's heart.

In fact, Madame Marcel had divorced her husband who had an affair, despite her considerable beauty, outstanding ability, and business reputation.

Her maid, who had just arrived from the outskirts and couldn't take off her clothes, was doing odd jobs in her dressing room with his husband.

It left a huge scar on Madame Marcel's heart and hurt her pride.

Then she heard Claudel's words and how beautiful they were.

She decided to grant the Madam's wish.

“If you get along well with My Lord, it will mean that the long-standing enemy families in the history of the Kingdom of Oberon will be reconciled. great. Just trust me.”

Madame Marcel said excitedly.

“I will do my best to help you secure his heart, My Lady.”

"Really? Would you please?”

"Sure. Ho ho ho.”

Madame Marcel, who was already convinced that Kaian's heart belonged to Claudel, excitedly issued an abundance of blank checks.

After saying goodbye, Madame Marcel left the room and grabbed Hannah as soon as the door closed.

"No. How could she not know?”

"Ha."

She can't believe Hannah let out a sigh all of a sudden.

As expected, the Lady's faithful maid seemed to be unaware of the fact that Kaian was infatuated with Claudel.

“This is all because of him, My Lord.”

"Why?"

“His actions and words do not match.”

“For example?”

“He spent a lot of money from the capital to bring Madame in as a new seamstress, and he said to his wife, ‘This means that you should pay attention to the Duchess’ dignity.’”

"Oh, really?"

Hannah was excited to have someone to share her frustrations with.

“One time he went to the Market Place and robbed the jewelry store.”

“He robbed a jewelry store?”

"Miss. No, I guess Madame packed her luggage wrong when she left from the North. The Lord said it was strange that she was carrying a lot of jewels but they weren't there. The Lord asked for all the jewelry in the store.”

“I want to take a look. Ah, not out of selfish interest, but because I want to make matching clothes. No, it's indeed selfish. I want to see it."

“But did he say, ‘I know how to throw Valmonde items into the moat if they catch my eye’?”

"I beg your pardon?"

“That’s what he said when he gave her a bunch of jewelry.”

“It’s a total mess.”

Hannah also did not understand Claudel’s position.

The Duke of Vermont accepted Claudel's request.

Don't let Hannah know she's going to die.

She only knew that Hannah had agreed to this marriage to provide relief to the people of the territory after Claudel had contracted Herzol from which she would not recover.

So, Claudel clearly has feelings for him, and Kaian asks, 'What if he falls in love with Irena?' It felt ridiculous to worry about this.

Meanwhile, the appearance of Madame Marcel, who sympathized with exactly what Hannah felt, made her feel like she had met a noble person, and she was very excited.

“Well, My Lord, his heart belongs to the Madam. She just needs to know.”

Hannah nodded her head at Madame Marcel's words.

“If I say something, she just says no. I have served her for a long time, so I think she will only say things that are pleasant to hear.”

“Hehe. I have one more job to do. Let’s do our best until a successor is born in our Temnes.”

Until a successor is born!

Hannah immediately liked Madame Marcel.

“And I will make you clothes in her spare time.”

"Thank you!"

Hannah also felt glad that Madame Marcel spoke kindly to her since coming to Rowen Castle she had no friends as when she had stayed at the old Castle Valmonde.

'They say capital women are pussies.'

Madame Marcel had a refreshing and generous personality.

“Let’s do well in the future.”

"Great."

The two women looked at each other and smiled.

***

Oberon Castle’s presence was even greater at night.

As Irena rode in the carriage up to the castle on the hill, she opened the window wide and looked out at the dazzling castle.

The castle, made of white stone and covered with gold leaf on the roof, was brightly lit in various places, and it seemed as if another moon had risen against the dark night sky.

It seemed as if a huge light source had landed on the ground as if she could reach it if she stretched out her hand.

“That castle will soon be yours, Irena.”

The Duke of Vermont also spoke in an excited tone, as if he was thrilled.

“Don’t talk like that. Today is just a meal.”

A day after she stayed in the capital, a person from the royal castle came.

He will give invitations to the royal ball to the Duke of Vermont and Irena, so he tells them to enter the palace in person to receive them.

In addition, an invitation to dinner with the King.

Since ancient times, how busy has it been to be a King?

Luncheons and dinners with the King were a family honor for nobles.

Many people worked as ministers their whole lives but did not get such an opportunity.

“This is all the reward for raising my daughter well. Ha ha ha."

The Duke of Vermont was always proud of Irena, calling her 'God's masterpiece', and thanks to her daughter, the King seemed to be pleased with the situation, sending telegrams, invitations, and messengers to the palace, and even inviting her to dinner.

“But don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

“You really shouldn’t back off too much. I'm not getting ahead of myself. By tomorrow, word will spread throughout the capital that the King has seen you.”

Who would interpret differently the fact that the unmarried King invited the famous Princess of Valmonde as if she had been waiting for her to visit the Rowen estate?

It was a big incident that caused widespread rumors among the nobles who secretly had sources within the royal castle.

“His Majesty the King is someone who has never once mentioned the topic of engagement. The very fact that he said he would see you in person is very meaningful.”

“He might see it differently if he sees it in person. Your Majesty must have his own tastes.”

Irena's thoughts went back and forth during the few days she spent in the capital.

The remarriage was expected.

Valmonde's successor was still vacant.

In this way, if something happened to Irena herself, she would be cut off from the compensation.

Vermont may or may not have collateral blood relatives like Temnes.

For she has now married many faraway foreign countries to maintain the diplomatic mélange, which Vermont has as their weapon.

It was an unwritten rule for the Vermont family to maintain its power.

Except for the eldest son, everyone else added their strength to the marriage for the family's honor.

Even though she understood for granted that she had to and would get married, the sight of Claudel and Kaian kept distracting Irena.

If she were like before, she wouldn't have thought that she would have feelings for the King as well as dislikes.

It's not like she didn't know that marriages between nobles were made under conditions and the name of the family.

Moreover, Irena had been in such a marriage once.

She never thought the heart was important.

As Irena's own heart agitated, so did the King's heart to see her.

The Vermont name alone might make this marriage possible, but what would happen if she put hers and the heart of a man she has yet to see on the balance beam?

However, contrary to Irena's anxiety, King smiled brightly and welcomed her when he saw her.

“I finally meet you.”

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