But even that was no longer heard after her father's death.
Deborah always missed her mother.
What did my beautiful mother's voice sound like in the portrait, and what did it smell like to be held in her arms?
Because she didn't know anything.
That's why she was a little happy about the presence of the strange woman who was said to be her mother's friend.
She also began to anticipate that she might be able to hear stories about her mother's childhood that even her father didn't know about.
'More than that, who on earth is my mother's friend?'
There were so many ladies with light brown hair that it was impossible to tell who they were.
Suddenly, Deborah looked into the brightly lit room.
Although the door was locked, it was no different from any noblewoman's room in that she was locked in there.
The well-made bedding and luxurious tapestries show that the woman was treated quite well, even if she did not have freedom of mind and body.
Of course, the asymmetry of the long hair, which had no consideration for beauty at all, was noticeable.
Deborah, who was trying to guess the identity of the unidentified woman, asked timidly.
“Who are you...”
“My name is Hazel.”
“If it’s Hazel...”
Her mind raced at the name, which sounded familiar.
Then, she immediately remembered a name she had heard in the world.
Hazel Cretian.
She was the Duchess of Cretian, Bellona's adoptive mother and whose whereabouts were unknown.
“But why are you here...”
Deborah was momentarily surprised by the woman's identity.
She wondered why she was here.
And that, too, while locked up in the Duke Philosykos' mansion.
Duchess Cretian was the adoptive mother of the traitor Bellona, but she too was a victim.
In fact, Duke Cretian met a miserable end at their hands.
Hazel was the first to speak, perhaps noticing Deborah's confused state of mind.
“It is said that when the banquet was about to begin, I heard that there was a fire in the capital city, and I escaped the disaster by leaving the palace. However, my husband could not leave Elizabeth alone in the palace, so he returned to the palace. In the end, he never returned...”
Hazel's face darkened noticeably as she reflected on her husband's death.
“At that time, all I could do was ask Duke Philosykos for help. Of course... Somehow, I ended up trapped here.”
Deborah let out a short sigh as she watched Hazel continue speaking with a bitter smile.
'You don't know.'
That the mastermind behind this terrible rebellion was Bellona, who was pretending to be her daughter.
Deborah clenched her fists as she watched Hazel chant Elizabeth's name with her gaze downcast.
It was clear that she was trapped here, completely deprived of any news from the world.
As the thought reached that point, a sense of sympathy and an unknown sense of kinship emerged from a corner of Deborah's heart.
A painful betrayal from someone you trusted, and...
'The Duchess of Cretian said that her powers were not manifested...'
So she recalled the rumor that her daughter, Elizabeth, also failed to manifest her powers.
'Furthermore, it was said that because she had been weak since childhood, she took in a son-in-law to continue the ducal family line.'
She felt sorry for the woman who had lost everything after being deceived by a wicked woman like Bellona.
'I might as well be stuck here and not know anything.'
It seemed better for Hazel to know that her own daughter was a victim of treason.
The woman, who looked frail at first glance, had a fragility that made her seem like she could collapse if hit lightly.
If she found out that the daughter she had raised for over a decade was a traitor who had deceived her and eventually killed her husband, she might not be in her right mind.
It was clear that Hazel was still barely able to endure the misfortune that was right before her eyes.
It was at this point that Deborah came to a conclusion in her mind.
Hazel, who had been looking at Deborah for a long time as if she was curious, said.
“You really do look a lot like Charlotte.”
“Me?”
"Yes."
She raised her hand and covered her cheek when she heard that she resembled her dead mother.
That's what her father always said to her when he was alive.
At that time, she didn't believe her father's words.
Because the mother in the portrait was more beautiful than any woman in the world.
Deborah, her heart tickling, asked Hazel.
“Were you close with my mother?”
“Yes. The three of us were always together.”
'Three?'
So, does that mean there was another person close to her mother?
Hazel's eyes looked somehow sad as she reminisced about the past.
So Deborah couldn't bring herself to ask who that one person was.
There was a brief moment of silence. Hazel, who had been staring into space, spoke as if she remembered something.
“Oh... It’s almost time for the maid to come. I asked for tea. Can you come back later?”
“Can I come back later?”
“Of course. I think it would be fun if you came.”
She stroked Deborah's hair and smiled affectionately.
It was a soft and warm touch.
“But I guess you can’t ignore the love that was shown to you. You’ll readily agree to a deal.”
Graham recited the parchment handed to him by a messenger from the palace.
There was written the place and time of the transaction, along with a reply that they would exchange Riventia and the Duchess of Cretian.
“It’s a bit surprising. Was the rumor that Duke Cretian was burned to death false?”
There was no way they didn't know the power that Riventia possessed.
And yet, she readily agreed to the deal.
He remembered the death of Duke Cretian, which he had heard from Paulo.
In fact, he was half in doubt as to whether Bellona would agree to this deal.
That would be the case because contrary to the information that the Duke and Duchess were being evacuated, the Duke actually met his end at the hands of traitors.
If Bellona had really tried to save the two, Duke Cretian would not have died so vainly there.
When Graham narrowed his brows doubtfully, Paulo answered.
“I also don’t quite understand the Duke’s death, but, indeed, Bellona did not want the two of them to die. And in fact, the Duchess is still alive and well and is here now.”
Duke Cretian would also have certainly survived if he had not returned to the palace.
Paulo thought of Hazel coming to Gertz and asking for his help.
The woman who had always been elegant and graceful was now clinging to him in a very disheveled state.
Please rescue my husband, who is being held captive in the palace.
As Paulo reminisced about the past, a question that he had not been able to ask at the time suddenly flashed through his mind.
'But why didn't you ask me to save Elizabeth?'
The Duchess only asked for the Duke in the palace to be spared and did not ask for her daughter to be saved.
It was when Paulo tilted his head with an inexplicable feeling of unease.
He raised his head at the sound of Graham's voice ringing in his ears.
“Four days later, in Hamelon.”
Graham didn't seem to like the idea of them meeting in Hamelon.
“I guess it must have been burdensome to come to Gertz in person. It was all expected.”
But Paulo spoke in a calm tone as if it would not be a problem.
Hamelon was located midway between the capital and Gertz.
Unlike Gertz's terrain, it was flat and difficult for enemies to sneak in or set traps.
That must be the reason why Bellona chose Hamelon as the trading place. It was intended to use Hamelon's terrain to prevent the Emperor's dark schemes in advance.
“Is that okay? Then our plans might get a little messed up.”
Graham clicked his tongue as if annoyed that his plan had gone awry.
But a leisurely smile appeared on Paulo's lips.
“You can make it a condition that Bellona comes out alone. The place they are offering a deal is the plains owned by the Jamesburg family in Hamelon. The plains can be seen at a glance from the Jamesburg family’s spire, and Carsis will be watching the situation from the spire. The Jamesburg family was on the side of the traitors from the beginning, so there is no reason for them to betray.”
Hamelon was like an enemy camp to Graham. If they had chosen such a place as a place to trade, they would have expected such conditions. So, they must have deliberately chosen a place where they could see the spire.
“That alone is sufficient. If Carsis is not with her, there will be no major problems with my plans.”
He recalled the heavy rain that had fallen in the Hamelon region last summer. The sudden downpour had caused landslides and great damage to the Hamelon region.
A place he had happened to see while visiting Hamelon for research at the time flashed through Paulo's mind.
At the same time, he quickly calculated how to achieve the Emperor's wishes.
“So don’t worry.”
“I will only trust you, Paulo.”
Graham no longer asked Paulo what his plans were.
Because he had been his loyal subject for a long time, he could read Paulo's thoughts just by looking into his eyes.
And Paulo's eyes were telling the Emperor what he wanted.
That everything will happen according to his will.
Every day at 3pm.
Deborah's favorite time of day was after lunch, when the mansion was at its quietest.
She went to the second floor of the annex every day without fail since she first met Hazel.
During this time, there were several instances where the butler and maid almost caught her meeting the Duchess.
No, maybe they already know.
However, since the key under the flower pot did not disappear, it seemed that the meeting between the two was implicitly permitted.
'Well, there was no reason for the Emperor to forbid the two from meeting.'
Thanks to that, Deborah has been able to visit Hazel with peace of mind these days.
“Should I ask you to braid my hair today?”
The Duchess did for Deborah things that Charles might have done for her if he were alive.
They would read books together, drink tea, and sometimes tie Deborah's hair nicely.
“Or maybe I should finish listening to my mother’s story, which I couldn’t hear last time.”
Hazel, who understood the void left by Charles, also told her funny anecdotes from when Charles was a young child.
How wild the former Duke of Oroz was when she was young, and how she would go around saying that she would remain single until she got married.
Deborah was able to hear anecdotes about her mother that she had never heard from her father.
Every time, Deborah felt a sense of fulfillment, as if her dead mother was breathing beside her.
From loving words to warm touches that she hadn't felt since her father died.
Deborah always missed her mother.
What did my beautiful mother's voice sound like in the portrait, and what did it smell like to be held in her arms?
Because she didn't know anything.
That's why she was a little happy about the presence of the strange woman who was said to be her mother's friend.
She also began to anticipate that she might be able to hear stories about her mother's childhood that even her father didn't know about.
'More than that, who on earth is my mother's friend?'
There were so many ladies with light brown hair that it was impossible to tell who they were.
Suddenly, Deborah looked into the brightly lit room.
Although the door was locked, it was no different from any noblewoman's room in that she was locked in there.
The well-made bedding and luxurious tapestries show that the woman was treated quite well, even if she did not have freedom of mind and body.
Of course, the asymmetry of the long hair, which had no consideration for beauty at all, was noticeable.
Deborah, who was trying to guess the identity of the unidentified woman, asked timidly.
“Who are you...”
“My name is Hazel.”
“If it’s Hazel...”
Her mind raced at the name, which sounded familiar.
Then, she immediately remembered a name she had heard in the world.
Hazel Cretian.
She was the Duchess of Cretian, Bellona's adoptive mother and whose whereabouts were unknown.
“But why are you here...”
Deborah was momentarily surprised by the woman's identity.
She wondered why she was here.
And that, too, while locked up in the Duke Philosykos' mansion.
Duchess Cretian was the adoptive mother of the traitor Bellona, but she too was a victim.
In fact, Duke Cretian met a miserable end at their hands.
Hazel was the first to speak, perhaps noticing Deborah's confused state of mind.
“It is said that when the banquet was about to begin, I heard that there was a fire in the capital city, and I escaped the disaster by leaving the palace. However, my husband could not leave Elizabeth alone in the palace, so he returned to the palace. In the end, he never returned...”
Hazel's face darkened noticeably as she reflected on her husband's death.
“At that time, all I could do was ask Duke Philosykos for help. Of course... Somehow, I ended up trapped here.”
Deborah let out a short sigh as she watched Hazel continue speaking with a bitter smile.
'You don't know.'
That the mastermind behind this terrible rebellion was Bellona, who was pretending to be her daughter.
Deborah clenched her fists as she watched Hazel chant Elizabeth's name with her gaze downcast.
It was clear that she was trapped here, completely deprived of any news from the world.
As the thought reached that point, a sense of sympathy and an unknown sense of kinship emerged from a corner of Deborah's heart.
A painful betrayal from someone you trusted, and...
'The Duchess of Cretian said that her powers were not manifested...'
So she recalled the rumor that her daughter, Elizabeth, also failed to manifest her powers.
'Furthermore, it was said that because she had been weak since childhood, she took in a son-in-law to continue the ducal family line.'
She felt sorry for the woman who had lost everything after being deceived by a wicked woman like Bellona.
'I might as well be stuck here and not know anything.'
It seemed better for Hazel to know that her own daughter was a victim of treason.
The woman, who looked frail at first glance, had a fragility that made her seem like she could collapse if hit lightly.
If she found out that the daughter she had raised for over a decade was a traitor who had deceived her and eventually killed her husband, she might not be in her right mind.
It was clear that Hazel was still barely able to endure the misfortune that was right before her eyes.
It was at this point that Deborah came to a conclusion in her mind.
Hazel, who had been looking at Deborah for a long time as if she was curious, said.
“You really do look a lot like Charlotte.”
“Me?”
"Yes."
She raised her hand and covered her cheek when she heard that she resembled her dead mother.
That's what her father always said to her when he was alive.
At that time, she didn't believe her father's words.
Because the mother in the portrait was more beautiful than any woman in the world.
Deborah, her heart tickling, asked Hazel.
“Were you close with my mother?”
“Yes. The three of us were always together.”
'Three?'
So, does that mean there was another person close to her mother?
Hazel's eyes looked somehow sad as she reminisced about the past.
So Deborah couldn't bring herself to ask who that one person was.
There was a brief moment of silence. Hazel, who had been staring into space, spoke as if she remembered something.
“Oh... It’s almost time for the maid to come. I asked for tea. Can you come back later?”
“Can I come back later?”
“Of course. I think it would be fun if you came.”
She stroked Deborah's hair and smiled affectionately.
It was a soft and warm touch.
***
“But I guess you can’t ignore the love that was shown to you. You’ll readily agree to a deal.”
Graham recited the parchment handed to him by a messenger from the palace.
There was written the place and time of the transaction, along with a reply that they would exchange Riventia and the Duchess of Cretian.
“It’s a bit surprising. Was the rumor that Duke Cretian was burned to death false?”
There was no way they didn't know the power that Riventia possessed.
And yet, she readily agreed to the deal.
He remembered the death of Duke Cretian, which he had heard from Paulo.
In fact, he was half in doubt as to whether Bellona would agree to this deal.
That would be the case because contrary to the information that the Duke and Duchess were being evacuated, the Duke actually met his end at the hands of traitors.
If Bellona had really tried to save the two, Duke Cretian would not have died so vainly there.
When Graham narrowed his brows doubtfully, Paulo answered.
“I also don’t quite understand the Duke’s death, but, indeed, Bellona did not want the two of them to die. And in fact, the Duchess is still alive and well and is here now.”
Duke Cretian would also have certainly survived if he had not returned to the palace.
Paulo thought of Hazel coming to Gertz and asking for his help.
The woman who had always been elegant and graceful was now clinging to him in a very disheveled state.
Please rescue my husband, who is being held captive in the palace.
As Paulo reminisced about the past, a question that he had not been able to ask at the time suddenly flashed through his mind.
'But why didn't you ask me to save Elizabeth?'
The Duchess only asked for the Duke in the palace to be spared and did not ask for her daughter to be saved.
It was when Paulo tilted his head with an inexplicable feeling of unease.
He raised his head at the sound of Graham's voice ringing in his ears.
“Four days later, in Hamelon.”
Graham didn't seem to like the idea of them meeting in Hamelon.
“I guess it must have been burdensome to come to Gertz in person. It was all expected.”
But Paulo spoke in a calm tone as if it would not be a problem.
Hamelon was located midway between the capital and Gertz.
Unlike Gertz's terrain, it was flat and difficult for enemies to sneak in or set traps.
That must be the reason why Bellona chose Hamelon as the trading place. It was intended to use Hamelon's terrain to prevent the Emperor's dark schemes in advance.
“Is that okay? Then our plans might get a little messed up.”
Graham clicked his tongue as if annoyed that his plan had gone awry.
But a leisurely smile appeared on Paulo's lips.
“You can make it a condition that Bellona comes out alone. The place they are offering a deal is the plains owned by the Jamesburg family in Hamelon. The plains can be seen at a glance from the Jamesburg family’s spire, and Carsis will be watching the situation from the spire. The Jamesburg family was on the side of the traitors from the beginning, so there is no reason for them to betray.”
Hamelon was like an enemy camp to Graham. If they had chosen such a place as a place to trade, they would have expected such conditions. So, they must have deliberately chosen a place where they could see the spire.
“That alone is sufficient. If Carsis is not with her, there will be no major problems with my plans.”
He recalled the heavy rain that had fallen in the Hamelon region last summer. The sudden downpour had caused landslides and great damage to the Hamelon region.
A place he had happened to see while visiting Hamelon for research at the time flashed through Paulo's mind.
At the same time, he quickly calculated how to achieve the Emperor's wishes.
“So don’t worry.”
“I will only trust you, Paulo.”
Graham no longer asked Paulo what his plans were.
Because he had been his loyal subject for a long time, he could read Paulo's thoughts just by looking into his eyes.
And Paulo's eyes were telling the Emperor what he wanted.
That everything will happen according to his will.
***
Every day at 3pm.
Deborah's favorite time of day was after lunch, when the mansion was at its quietest.
She went to the second floor of the annex every day without fail since she first met Hazel.
During this time, there were several instances where the butler and maid almost caught her meeting the Duchess.
No, maybe they already know.
However, since the key under the flower pot did not disappear, it seemed that the meeting between the two was implicitly permitted.
'Well, there was no reason for the Emperor to forbid the two from meeting.'
Thanks to that, Deborah has been able to visit Hazel with peace of mind these days.
“Should I ask you to braid my hair today?”
The Duchess did for Deborah things that Charles might have done for her if he were alive.
They would read books together, drink tea, and sometimes tie Deborah's hair nicely.
“Or maybe I should finish listening to my mother’s story, which I couldn’t hear last time.”
Hazel, who understood the void left by Charles, also told her funny anecdotes from when Charles was a young child.
How wild the former Duke of Oroz was when she was young, and how she would go around saying that she would remain single until she got married.
Deborah was able to hear anecdotes about her mother that she had never heard from her father.
Every time, Deborah felt a sense of fulfillment, as if her dead mother was breathing beside her.
From loving words to warm touches that she hadn't felt since her father died.
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