"No one will tell me this for fear that you will be surprised. At least in the mansion. But you know who the lady is. Of course, I didn't expect to make a big deal out of the mansion."
Shortly after I came to this world, I remembered what Madam Marie had said. There are many fierce beasts aiming for 'Lady Edita'. The threat that I didn't feel much when I was in the villa was now realized. The shock was as great as it was insensitive.
"But no matter how important the struggle for power in the imperial family is, what can I do to do this? I was a Princess and didn't even receive a title, and now I am married to Duke Albrenovic and have come out of the palace. I live quietly."
Betty seemed to give me a glare for some reason, so I was disappointed.
"Of course, a lot of things have happened lately, but at least it used to be quiet."
"The most dangerous part is that you haven't received the Princess's title yet."
Betty said as if I didn't know anything.
"Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess's consort died while giving birth to Her Royal Highness Princess Lena."
"That's right."
I heard that the Empress also gave birth to Prince Fabio and died of puerperal fever. However, even the Crown Prince's wife died while giving birth to a child. I was saddened by the tragic fate of the royal family.
"Besides, the Crown Prince, who has not forgotten his wife, has no intention of marrying."
So what will happen to the succession? According to Madame Marie, according to Ludenbach tradition, a woman could not become an Emperor. I couldn't let Betty know that I didn't have any memories of Edita in the past, so I suppressed my curiosity and waited for her next words.
"That's why your position is dangerous. If the lady receives the official title as a Princess and gives birth to a son, the right to succeed to the throne will be shaken."
My head was pounding. I thought I was simply the daughter of the Emperor who was confined to a villa, and I was confused by the fact that if I did well, I could become the Emperor's mother. Only then did I understand that Edita had lived in a villa with her breath held dead. She did not simply endure the Insult because of her mother's humble origin. She did it to survive.
"Now that you are the Duchess of Albrenovic, everyone will light up their eyes and keep an eye on you."
The Emperor and Madame Marie also welcomed me to enter into a betrothal to the Duchess of Albrenovic. It was a double-edged sword. Either I gain more strength in the shadow of the Albrenovic family, or I am more threatened by it.
"It's not that you didn't consider this fact either, did you?"
Betty asked, a little incomprehensibly. I nodded roughly and pretended to agree with her. However, I only now know this tremendous fact. A terrifyingly heavy question weighed on my head. Why did Madame Marie hide such a huge fact from me? Even though she warned me to be careful and that fierce beasts were targeting me, she simply ignored the key danger factor by saying that the power struggle within the imperial family was not that simple.
Of course, there were some parts where the Emperor rushed in and couldn't finish speaking, but even after that, he had time to tell me as much as he wanted. Madame Marie had clearly deliberately not informed me of this.
"I don't want to doubt Madame Marie."
If she had been by my side, I could have asked what had happened... I was upset rather than angry. That she didn't tell me anything important, and that I couldn't even ask her about it. Above all, I was upset that Madam Marie was not by my side now.
Of course, it wasn't just questions left. However, one clue was solved. I realized why Prince Fabio and Princess Lena tried to restrain me so much.
'Don't leave me alone.'
Even now, I was under such checks, but I was worried about what would happen if the Emperor reprimanded me as a Princess. I even married Duke Albrenovic, the best family in the empire. It was fortunate that only the chandelier fell from above my head.
'Shouldn't you arrange a matchmaking with Prince Fabio? However, there is no guarantee that a Prince will be born right away.'
The reason why the men in this family were romantics was genetic. Thanks to that, I was the only one who suffered. The dizziness that had disappeared made my eyes dizzy again. I asked Betty with my eyebrows narrowed.
"I want to be alone for a while."
"I will be waiting for you at the door. If you need anything, please call me."
Betty, who had promised to take care of me, seemed to understand my feelings this time and went straight outside. When the room became quiet, I lowered my head and let out a deep sigh. It was a hot breath as if it had been lifted from the depths.
I stood in front of a large mirror and wiped my hair with a dry towel. It was to concentrate on one thing, but instead of calming my mind, many thoughts were entangled and tormented me.
I put down the towel and looked at Edita in the mirror. Until now, I had only thought, 'Why did Edita do that?', but now I feel like I understand why Edita has lived the way she did. If I were in the middle of such a frozen relationship, I would not have been able to live a normal life.
'If I get to know her, she may not have been a quiet woman.'
If she had handled snakes well, she would definitely not have been an ordinary woman. I nodded and faced the blue pupil in the mirror.
Even if Edita is like this.
'...She's beautiful.'
It was a raw admiration, but it was true. The eyes, nose, and mouth, which were densely arranged on the unkempt face, were each well-trimmed as if they were born from the hands of meticulous craftsmen.
'Because you're so beautiful, your relationship with a man must have been complicated.'
It was a mirror that I looked at for self-reflection, but I fell into narcissism.
Narcissism didn't seem to be a bad thing. My worries faded at the beautiful appearance like a copy flower.
I was drunk by my appearance in the mirror and looked around like a dancer. The pure white chemistry fluttered, revealing the silhouette of the body. I saw an unexpected bend in my slender body.
As I looked around one more time, a black shadow quickly shone and disappeared by the door of the room.
'What is it?'
I tried to stop, but my body turned about half a circle because of the speed. The moment I raised my head, someone hugged me to crush me.
"Hmm!"
I suffocated and screamed.
"I was worried."
However, the next moment, the voice tapping in my ears reflexively strengthened his hand, and my pulse relaxed. There was a gap in his arms as he hugged me, and his hot hands caressed my cheeks. Only then could I see Brandt's face mentioned above. On his sweaty forehead, his always neat black hair was tangled in a mess.
"Why... suddenly"
After hesitating, my lips were swallowed up by Brandt. He sucked my lips and tongue like a very hungry beast. It was a violent kiss that burned all my thoughts and feelings.
Something squeezed and twisted my chest beyond my adult consciousness.
'I don't like it...'
It was a sense of rejection. I was pretending it was nothing, but the remnants of what he had done to me were still in my heart. But it wasn't just that.
My chest tightened more and more, squeezing out another emotion.
'...And I like it.'
My eyebrows narrowed. I felt like I was going crazy. I hated it, but I didn't push it. It was too complicated a feeling to simply define. What should I do? My Instinct to not find an answer closed my eyes.
I suddenly thought that Brandt's feelings for me would be no different. He resented Edita for betraying him, but he was going crazy because he wanted her...
After a moment of thought, Brandt's lips fell off. I gasped like a person who had been drowned and lifted up. He was about to lift his back, and then he looked down at me in my underwear. I felt ashamed when I saw his eyes blurring with a strange color.
However, Brandt quickly returned to his original expression.
"Did you suddenly want to ask why I came?"
"Yes."
I replied somehow.
"If your wife is hurt, it's only natural for her husband to come and see her."
He said, 'Why are you asking such an obvious thing?' Listening to that voice, which seemed a little uncomfortable, my tightened heart was relieved.
"I wasn't hurt. I'm fine."
However, before I could finish speaking, dizziness struck me again. The corners of Brandt's eyes were seriously distorted as he grabbed me as I staggered.
"Are you okay? Is this okay?"
His gaze was furious at me, who had no answer.
"I heard that when the chandelier fell, you threw yourself to save the maid. Is that true?"
"That... She didn't do anything wrong."
"That's not important right now."
Brandt, who was about to raise his voice, glanced at my face and managed to swallow his breath. Even if I didn't look at it, I could guess how bad my complexion must have become.
He took a deep breath and caressed my shoulder with a pranking hand.
"From now on, protect your body. You..."
He closed his lips once and continued.
"...You're Duchess Albrenovic."
"The Duchess is fine."
I didn't like something, so my voice popped out without realizing it.
"I don't think my wife is okay."
However, when I felt the affection emanating from the low voice, my cheeks, which had been cold, quickly became hot.
"I... Why did the chandelier fall?"
Brandt was upset by the story that I brought up to change the topic. Even as I spoke, I felt my heart sink belatedly. It was too heavy a topic to change the topic lightly.
"That won't happen in the future. Don't worry. I'll make it gone."
"..."
"I brought you here, so I can promise you that."
Brandt said once again that I didn't think he was angry. There was something I wanted to ask more, but when I saw his stiff and refined expression, I just wanted to trust him.
Above all, I was too tired to continue leading this story I wanted to avoid. As he said, I was not fine. I pretended to be fine, but there was no way I could be okay after going through such a thing.
When I finally admitted my condition in front of him, I wanted to be foolish for some reason.
"I'm tired. I want to lie in bed."
Before I could finish speaking, Brandt immediately hugged me. Even though it was my husband who guided me, I was embarrassed when I was held in his arms and lay on the bed.
'I just have to go to bed with my feet. Why did you say that?'
I was becoming more and more unable to understand him.
"Look, it's not okay."
Brandt said as he covered the blanket up to my neck. That touch reminded me of the dawn on the eve of the wedding. Brandt had opened me up so warmly even then.
"But what were you doing in front of the mirror earlier? Were you dancing?"
Brandt asked cautiously. He had been curious about it for a while, but it was clear that he had endured it. The answer came out naturally.
"I was just looking in the mirror. Because it's beautiful."
"Who?"
"It's me."
Brandt's eyes widened. I asked with a tilt of my head.
"Am I pretty?"
Brandt bowed his head and nodded a few times. I didn't know what he meant, so I brought his face closer, and he suddenly raised his head. My face became close as if my lips were touching. Brandt looked at me with a strange expression and said, enchantedly.
"That's right. You're beautiful."
As if he was worried that I would break, he gently hugged me and immediately let go.
"You always exceed my expectations."
Shaking his head, Brandt shrugged and left the room. Without realizing it, I snorted and said, 'Wow.' It was because I seemed to see a smile on his lips.
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