“Is it true that there is a mana stone mine in the Acacia Territory?”
“I am sure.”
“What is the Count’s condition?”
“It would not be strange if the Count died now. That is why this marriage is necessary.”
“It seems you’ve found the right person. A vassal who has his master’s woman as his bride... Isn’t that a provocative truth that would pique the interest of the other nobles attending the wedding? Did she come over? I’d like to see her face at least.”
“Shee said she loved me. I asked her to come to the capital to work anyway, so it doesn’t matter what she thinks.”
“You’re so cool.”
The cold voice of Noevian and the low laughter of the Crown Prince made Blie's heart shiver.
'You didn't give your heart to me?'
Indeed, she came here because she was promised wealth and honor if she worked in the capital. That is why Blie took care of the work of the Mana Stone office and the external office.
But apart from that, she thought that if she lived in Noevian's government and Adrienne died, she would eventually be able to have him all to herself.
She never thought it was a mistake.
Because to anyone who saw Noevian's gaze, it was the very image of a man's intense desire for a woman!
“You shouldn’t be so smart, you know. If a woman who uses the law of inheritance by her husband were to sell the mine after spreading rumors about it...”
“Don’t worry. She's just a stupid woman.”
Blie almost collapsed.
The light coming from the crack in the door stabbed Blie's eyes mercilessly, and large tears fell down from underneath.
'Noevian Trovica. This bastard! Are you trying to use me? But what is that strangely reminiscent and affectionate attitude you had when you said you loved me?'
Whatever the truth was in Noevian's mind, even the simple-minded and ignorant Blie could clearly see one thing.
They say that they created a law to inherit the mines from their wives and that when the Count dies, he plans to make her his government and slowly seize the mines.
It wasn't just to keep her around, the mine was the original purpose!
'Is this what I can do in the capital?'
He thought that Blie, who had lived as a commoner all her life, would not know the laws that applied to nobles, and that if she could take the place of the Grand Duchess, she would hand over the mine to him.
As darkness covers the sunset, darkness suddenly comes to Blie's heart.
No matter how stupid she was, she could picture a future in her mind since she had overheard everything like this.
Blie, trapped in a suffocating silence, took a step back as if her throat was being strangled.
But as Blie turned around, shocking words were heard one after another.
“That marriage. Isn’t it just like us?”
“...Please speak carefully wherever you are.”
“My uncle also has a wife who is his lord’s woman.”
Blie's whole body froze at the sound of the Crown Prince's voice whispering in an angelic, sweet, and affectionate voice.
'Isn't Adrienne... Noevian's wife?'
The voice of the Crown Prince, who was excited at the thought of owning a mana stone mine, enveloped Blie's entire body.
“Is it my uncle who must be careful not to be caught by Princess Piretta? Lately, it seems like you have been visiting the mansion often under the pretense of the Princess being sick. Could it be that the reason you returned to the capital this time is because of the news that the Princess has collapsed again?”
“...”
“I came to warn you. Don’t stay too long with the Princess. On days like today when Doris says something stupid, I sometimes wonder if things would have been different if Adrienne Piretta had been my wife instead of my mistress. Oh, well, she’s just like my wife.”
The Crown Prince, whose voice was sweet even in his warnings, threw Blie into chaos that day.
As the Crown Prince's gorgeous clothes rustled, Blie took a step back and left the building.
It rained.
Like the cold night when she first heard the secret of birth and ran away.
Blie ran through the rain to the house that Noevian had prepared for her.
“Noevian Trovica, Noevian Trovica!”
The anger and betrayal continued to torment her, not being washed away even by the rain.
[Noevian Trovica, I hate you.]
Chewing on the boiling sorrow between his teeth, Blie wrote that one line in his diary with wet hands.
Blie, who had been living in seclusion due to the sense of betrayal that was creeping in, finally left the house on the day of her wedding with Count Acacia.
For a long time, she struggled to sort out her feelings for Noevian.
But then something really strange happened.
The more she thought about Noevian, the more it tore at her heartstrings, not so much at the fact that she had not received his love, but at the sight of Adrienne's frail face through the crack in the door.
Even though she was wearing a white dress and had a somewhat formal wedding, Blie felt no emotion.
However, just seeing Noevian watching her from afar made her heart twist.
Blie snorted.
'You're just another thing that Adrienne threw away.'
The half-moon-like green gaze flickered toward Noevian, who was faintly smiling.
'I like new things.'
Blie was chewing on her teeth and thinking to herself.
Thinking about it that way, her heart was surprisingly at ease.
'I won't let you have your way.'
After the wedding, she had to go around greeting the guests and enjoying the entertainment, but Blie went straight to find Noevian's traces.
Because she finally heard that the Crown Prince was stopping by this small wedding.
On the way back, barely able to leave Count Acacia, who was hesitating whether he should go too, behind, the silhouettes of two men were stretched out in the space where carriages were parked.
“... It just hurts a lot.”
“Is it only a day or two since the Princess has been sick? Can’t I tell you how much longer she has?”
“That’s uncomfortable to say. It depends on how much effort you put into it.”
The Crown Prince, who always had an angelic face, threw back his neck and laughed. Blie looked at his face blankly from afar, like a corpse.
“I really appreciate you taking such great care of my woman, Uncle. But... is it really necessary to be so kind to a daughter who has even been abandoned by her father?”
“Don't talk like that.”
“Why? Just because that brother doesn’t know doesn’t mean it’s not true? The Duke of Piretta must be in a lot of pain right now. The thought that the daughter who should give birth to my son might die soon makes him very thirsty. The letters I receive these days are very polite.”
“...”
“Rather than learning the truth, it might be better for the Princess to die early and painlessly. Don’t try too hard, uncle.”
“...”
“And as I always say, Adrienne Piretta is mine even in death. Do you understand?”
What is that kid talking about now?
Even the most uneducated Blie knew from experience that those who always smile brightly have dark hearts.
'It's like he wants her to die.'
After the wedding, Blie eventually took refuge in the Count's mansion, pretending to be sick. She suffered from severe depression to the point where she wanted to bury her head on the floor.
'This is foul play, Adrien Piretta.'
She thought Adrienne was taking her place and being happy.
So she thought that, unlike her, who was suffering in a cold, dark, and lonely place, Adrienne was being cared for by all kinds of people even though she were sick.
The voice of the Crown Prince, who said, “A daughter abandoned by her father,” mercilessly tore at Blie’s heart.
'You were in a similar situation to me?'
Blie's chest felt so stuffy.
This is something she's been hoping for so long.
Whatever Noevian is planning, just close her eyes and pretend not to know.
She thought that when Adrienne died, who had monopolized what should have been shared with her, would be left with everything.
The anger she had directed at Adrienne, unable to be resolved, became a huge rock in Blie's mind and crushed her.
And strangely enough, that frail face she had seen through the hastily closing door kept coming back to her mind, tormenting her.
Noevian Trovica left the capital again.
'You're crazy, Blie.'
Naturally, she headed back to the Grand Palace without even realizing how scary her steps were.
Blie felt for the dagger hidden in her bosom.
Let's check in with Adrienne again.
The fragile face she saw back then could have been her own fault. It could have been the Crown Prince who only lives in the palace who made a slip of the tongue. Why would the Crown Prince want Adrienne to die?
“...The herbs came in last time, but again today?”
“Her Highness the Grand Duchess is in critical condition, so the Grand Duke is paying special attention to her.”
Luckily, it was the gatekeeper she had fooled last time.
'Where was it around here?'
The Grand Duchess' bedroom, which had been tightly shut that day, must have had a window visible from the garden.
Since the Grand Duke's residence had very few permanent employees compared to its size, Blie hid behind the garden trees here and there and safely arrived at the terrace.
And then I found Adrienne looking out the window as if she was lying.
"Ah..."
Adrienne hadn't found her yet, but Blie looked up at her as if possessed.
Lifeless eyes stared blankly at the entrance to the Grand Palace as if desperately waiting for someone.
Adrienne's gaze was directed to the entrance of the Grand Duke's mansion. Blie's gaze was directed to Adrienne.
Was it like that for a long time?
Adrienne's blurry gaze slowly descended and eventually found Blie.
When she met Adrienne's surprised eyes, Blie took a step back without realizing it.
“Wait a minute. Yes, wait a minute!”
'Ah, shit...'
What are you obsessed with?
It was the first time she had seen the faces of her blood sisters, twins who looked exactly the same, so closely, that she must have been possessed by something.
Blie punished her own stupidity by hitting her head and turning away with an awkward laugh.
“Oh, have you received any contact from the Grand Duke?”
Ah. I guess that's what I was waiting for - a call from that brat Noevian.
For some reason, that son of a bitch who offered his wife to the Crown Prince and then tried to comfort himself by bringing in a similar Blie as his government...
'Why are you so nonchalant?'
Blie was shaking from the feeling of betrayal towards Noevian and her heart ached because she felt like she couldn't achieve her love.
Wasn't that it? Why do I feel like I have no lingering attachment to Noevian?
Blie's confused gaze swept over Adrienne's pale, thin arm hanging from the windowsill.
'That girl is so haggard and pitiful.'
Just like she couldn't leave Jonah at the border, dying of cold and hunger. She just felt sorry for her.
Blie couldn't help but laugh out loud, but she held it in. She couldn't help but tilt her head back and laugh in front of Adrienne because she had once again cast a confusion spell on the face of one of the Grand Duchess's maids.
But Adrienne's eyes began to glow with a different light as if he thought that the self-deprecating laughter she was holding back was in pain.
“Uh... W, what’s wrong? Should I...help you?”
Who is helping whom? With faces that are all about to die.
Adrienne, who had been watching her for a while, stopped asking questions because she knew she didn't want help. But Blie hated seeing that even more.
“Um... If the Grand Duke contacts you, could you please... pass it on directly to me, without going through the butler?”
That was all Adrienne said as she fidgeted with her small, slender hands.
Only four or five maids are guarding the bedroom. A woman living such a miserable life that she has to ask such a 'request' to a maid whose name she can't even remember.
“Secret, I would appreciate it if you kept it a secret.”
Is the hoarseness of the voice due to lowered self-esteem, or is it due to the condition of the throat that is starting to cough?
Blie came to her senses with a cough and opened her eyes to the strong scent of herbs coming from inside the window.
“I am sure.”
“What is the Count’s condition?”
“It would not be strange if the Count died now. That is why this marriage is necessary.”
“It seems you’ve found the right person. A vassal who has his master’s woman as his bride... Isn’t that a provocative truth that would pique the interest of the other nobles attending the wedding? Did she come over? I’d like to see her face at least.”
“Shee said she loved me. I asked her to come to the capital to work anyway, so it doesn’t matter what she thinks.”
“You’re so cool.”
The cold voice of Noevian and the low laughter of the Crown Prince made Blie's heart shiver.
'You didn't give your heart to me?'
Indeed, she came here because she was promised wealth and honor if she worked in the capital. That is why Blie took care of the work of the Mana Stone office and the external office.
But apart from that, she thought that if she lived in Noevian's government and Adrienne died, she would eventually be able to have him all to herself.
She never thought it was a mistake.
Because to anyone who saw Noevian's gaze, it was the very image of a man's intense desire for a woman!
“You shouldn’t be so smart, you know. If a woman who uses the law of inheritance by her husband were to sell the mine after spreading rumors about it...”
“Don’t worry. She's just a stupid woman.”
Blie almost collapsed.
The light coming from the crack in the door stabbed Blie's eyes mercilessly, and large tears fell down from underneath.
'Noevian Trovica. This bastard! Are you trying to use me? But what is that strangely reminiscent and affectionate attitude you had when you said you loved me?'
Whatever the truth was in Noevian's mind, even the simple-minded and ignorant Blie could clearly see one thing.
They say that they created a law to inherit the mines from their wives and that when the Count dies, he plans to make her his government and slowly seize the mines.
It wasn't just to keep her around, the mine was the original purpose!
'Is this what I can do in the capital?'
He thought that Blie, who had lived as a commoner all her life, would not know the laws that applied to nobles, and that if she could take the place of the Grand Duchess, she would hand over the mine to him.
As darkness covers the sunset, darkness suddenly comes to Blie's heart.
No matter how stupid she was, she could picture a future in her mind since she had overheard everything like this.
Blie, trapped in a suffocating silence, took a step back as if her throat was being strangled.
But as Blie turned around, shocking words were heard one after another.
“That marriage. Isn’t it just like us?”
“...Please speak carefully wherever you are.”
“My uncle also has a wife who is his lord’s woman.”
Blie's whole body froze at the sound of the Crown Prince's voice whispering in an angelic, sweet, and affectionate voice.
'Isn't Adrienne... Noevian's wife?'
The voice of the Crown Prince, who was excited at the thought of owning a mana stone mine, enveloped Blie's entire body.
“Is it my uncle who must be careful not to be caught by Princess Piretta? Lately, it seems like you have been visiting the mansion often under the pretense of the Princess being sick. Could it be that the reason you returned to the capital this time is because of the news that the Princess has collapsed again?”
“...”
“I came to warn you. Don’t stay too long with the Princess. On days like today when Doris says something stupid, I sometimes wonder if things would have been different if Adrienne Piretta had been my wife instead of my mistress. Oh, well, she’s just like my wife.”
The Crown Prince, whose voice was sweet even in his warnings, threw Blie into chaos that day.
As the Crown Prince's gorgeous clothes rustled, Blie took a step back and left the building.
It rained.
Like the cold night when she first heard the secret of birth and ran away.
Blie ran through the rain to the house that Noevian had prepared for her.
“Noevian Trovica, Noevian Trovica!”
The anger and betrayal continued to torment her, not being washed away even by the rain.
[Noevian Trovica, I hate you.]
Chewing on the boiling sorrow between his teeth, Blie wrote that one line in his diary with wet hands.
***
Blie, who had been living in seclusion due to the sense of betrayal that was creeping in, finally left the house on the day of her wedding with Count Acacia.
For a long time, she struggled to sort out her feelings for Noevian.
But then something really strange happened.
The more she thought about Noevian, the more it tore at her heartstrings, not so much at the fact that she had not received his love, but at the sight of Adrienne's frail face through the crack in the door.
Even though she was wearing a white dress and had a somewhat formal wedding, Blie felt no emotion.
However, just seeing Noevian watching her from afar made her heart twist.
Blie snorted.
'You're just another thing that Adrienne threw away.'
The half-moon-like green gaze flickered toward Noevian, who was faintly smiling.
'I like new things.'
Blie was chewing on her teeth and thinking to herself.
Thinking about it that way, her heart was surprisingly at ease.
'I won't let you have your way.'
After the wedding, she had to go around greeting the guests and enjoying the entertainment, but Blie went straight to find Noevian's traces.
Because she finally heard that the Crown Prince was stopping by this small wedding.
On the way back, barely able to leave Count Acacia, who was hesitating whether he should go too, behind, the silhouettes of two men were stretched out in the space where carriages were parked.
“... It just hurts a lot.”
“Is it only a day or two since the Princess has been sick? Can’t I tell you how much longer she has?”
“That’s uncomfortable to say. It depends on how much effort you put into it.”
The Crown Prince, who always had an angelic face, threw back his neck and laughed. Blie looked at his face blankly from afar, like a corpse.
“I really appreciate you taking such great care of my woman, Uncle. But... is it really necessary to be so kind to a daughter who has even been abandoned by her father?”
“Don't talk like that.”
“Why? Just because that brother doesn’t know doesn’t mean it’s not true? The Duke of Piretta must be in a lot of pain right now. The thought that the daughter who should give birth to my son might die soon makes him very thirsty. The letters I receive these days are very polite.”
“...”
“Rather than learning the truth, it might be better for the Princess to die early and painlessly. Don’t try too hard, uncle.”
“...”
“And as I always say, Adrienne Piretta is mine even in death. Do you understand?”
What is that kid talking about now?
Even the most uneducated Blie knew from experience that those who always smile brightly have dark hearts.
But what that Crown Prince is saying to his weak aunt, or rather, his government, is like...
After the wedding, Blie eventually took refuge in the Count's mansion, pretending to be sick. She suffered from severe depression to the point where she wanted to bury her head on the floor.
'This is foul play, Adrien Piretta.'
She thought Adrienne was taking her place and being happy.
So she thought that, unlike her, who was suffering in a cold, dark, and lonely place, Adrienne was being cared for by all kinds of people even though she were sick.
The voice of the Crown Prince, who said, “A daughter abandoned by her father,” mercilessly tore at Blie’s heart.
'You were in a similar situation to me?'
Blie's chest felt so stuffy.
This is something she's been hoping for so long.
Whatever Noevian is planning, just close her eyes and pretend not to know.
She thought that when Adrienne died, who had monopolized what should have been shared with her, would be left with everything.
The anger she had directed at Adrienne, unable to be resolved, became a huge rock in Blie's mind and crushed her.
And strangely enough, that frail face she had seen through the hastily closing door kept coming back to her mind, tormenting her.
***
Noevian Trovica left the capital again.
'You're crazy, Blie.'
Naturally, she headed back to the Grand Palace without even realizing how scary her steps were.
Blie felt for the dagger hidden in her bosom.
Let's check in with Adrienne again.
The fragile face she saw back then could have been her own fault. It could have been the Crown Prince who only lives in the palace who made a slip of the tongue. Why would the Crown Prince want Adrienne to die?
“...The herbs came in last time, but again today?”
“Her Highness the Grand Duchess is in critical condition, so the Grand Duke is paying special attention to her.”
Luckily, it was the gatekeeper she had fooled last time.
'Where was it around here?'
The Grand Duchess' bedroom, which had been tightly shut that day, must have had a window visible from the garden.
Since the Grand Duke's residence had very few permanent employees compared to its size, Blie hid behind the garden trees here and there and safely arrived at the terrace.
And then I found Adrienne looking out the window as if she was lying.
"Ah..."
Adrienne hadn't found her yet, but Blie looked up at her as if possessed.
Lifeless eyes stared blankly at the entrance to the Grand Palace as if desperately waiting for someone.
Adrienne's gaze was directed to the entrance of the Grand Duke's mansion. Blie's gaze was directed to Adrienne.
Was it like that for a long time?
Adrienne's blurry gaze slowly descended and eventually found Blie.
When she met Adrienne's surprised eyes, Blie took a step back without realizing it.
“Wait a minute. Yes, wait a minute!”
'Ah, shit...'
What are you obsessed with?
It was the first time she had seen the faces of her blood sisters, twins who looked exactly the same, so closely, that she must have been possessed by something.
Blie punished her own stupidity by hitting her head and turning away with an awkward laugh.
“Oh, have you received any contact from the Grand Duke?”
Ah. I guess that's what I was waiting for - a call from that brat Noevian.
For some reason, that son of a bitch who offered his wife to the Crown Prince and then tried to comfort himself by bringing in a similar Blie as his government...
'Why are you so nonchalant?'
Blie was shaking from the feeling of betrayal towards Noevian and her heart ached because she felt like she couldn't achieve her love.
Wasn't that it? Why do I feel like I have no lingering attachment to Noevian?
Blie's confused gaze swept over Adrienne's pale, thin arm hanging from the windowsill.
'That girl is so haggard and pitiful.'
Just like she couldn't leave Jonah at the border, dying of cold and hunger. She just felt sorry for her.
Blie couldn't help but laugh out loud, but she held it in. She couldn't help but tilt her head back and laugh in front of Adrienne because she had once again cast a confusion spell on the face of one of the Grand Duchess's maids.
But Adrienne's eyes began to glow with a different light as if he thought that the self-deprecating laughter she was holding back was in pain.
“Uh... W, what’s wrong? Should I...help you?”
Who is helping whom? With faces that are all about to die.
Adrienne, who had been watching her for a while, stopped asking questions because she knew she didn't want help. But Blie hated seeing that even more.
“Um... If the Grand Duke contacts you, could you please... pass it on directly to me, without going through the butler?”
That was all Adrienne said as she fidgeted with her small, slender hands.
Only four or five maids are guarding the bedroom. A woman living such a miserable life that she has to ask such a 'request' to a maid whose name she can't even remember.
“Secret, I would appreciate it if you kept it a secret.”
Is the hoarseness of the voice due to lowered self-esteem, or is it due to the condition of the throat that is starting to cough?
Blie came to her senses with a cough and opened her eyes to the strong scent of herbs coming from inside the window.
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