“W-what do you mean, a mad grand duke?”
Iana tilted her head, not understanding what he meant.
“I told Her Majesty the Empress to spread the rumor as a reply. After I return from the palace…”
“…”
“I said I was shocked and changed in a strange way.”
Iana looked at the wound hidden beneath his high-collared blouse.
“What if someone uses that behavior as an excuse to attack His Highness the Grand Duke?”
“There shouldn’t be a problem. That’s what my brother wants…”
Charles spoke calmly, but there was sadness in his eyes.
“I was the only one who liked you. I liked you while I stayed at the White Castle, and you can say you rejected me until the end.”
“But will Karion believe that?”
“Of course, he won’t. So we have to make him believe it.”
He took a letter from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
“This is a confession letter I wrote to you.”
“A-a confession letter?”
“Count Dietrian will surely try to find evidence of our affair by any means. There’s no clearer evidence than a letter, is there?”
Iana was startled by the mention of a confession letter and dropped it. As she bent down to pick it up, the embarrassing words of the letter unfolded before her eyes.
[To my noble lady, Iana.]
“…!”
Iana picked up the letter and read it with a flushed face.
[I haven’t been able to sleep for days thinking of you. Whether I close my eyes or open them, every moment I breathe is filled with thoughts of you.]
‘What is this?’
Then, one sentence made her breath catch.
[My cruel ruler of life.]
The cringe-worthy expression sent shivers down her spine, and she quickly put the letter back into the envelope.
But Charles continued speaking calmly.
“What I mean is, when you came to Ervin before your divorce, you came to hear my words and to heal your illness, and at that time, you clearly expressed your rejection.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“Then, from my side, it will be an affair, but for you, it won’t be.”
Iana quietly looked at Charles.
It was a scheme born from the fear of being branded as an adulteress.
“Please write a rejection letter to me. Then I will keep your rejection letter and my letter in the drawer of my office desk.”
“…”
“After that, we can lead him to search my drawer.”
* * *
In the capital townhouse of the Dietrian family.
Riel sat in front of the vanity, slowly brushing her hair with a pensive expression.
She recalled what Madame Marie had said when she briefly visited the dressmaker.
“It seems they are contacting women to remarry the Count from the Dietrian family.”
It was something she had expected.
No matter how deeply a man fell for a woman, he wouldn’t place a maid in the position of Countess.
“But I should at least make my haircut worthwhile.”
Riel looked at her short hair reflected in the vanity mirror.
The problem was that there was no time.
The Dietrian family was hastily pushing for a remarriage to erase Karion’s divorce history.
The only time she could completely capture Karion’s heart was while he stayed in Ervin.
But it was unheard of to bring a mistress to an official duty.
‘I must go to Ervin.’
Riel stood up and walked to the window.
‘That way, I can take the position of Countess and uncover why Iana went there.’
No matter how much she thought about it, she felt frustrated.
She couldn’t stand the fact that the foolish Iana had deceived her.
Clatter-.
A splendid carriage stopped in front of the mansion, and a familiar nobleman got out of the carriage.
“Then I, Jura.”
It was Franz Havel, a friend of Karion, who had roughly grabbed her wrist while drunk.
An indiscreet man.
He was someone who prioritized his desires above all else, lacking any restraint.
Though he was lacking, his family’s prestige made it so that even Karion couldn’t treat him carelessly.
A brilliant idea flashed through her mind.
‘Let’s use Count Dietrian’s fear.’
As their eyes met, Riel narrowed her eyes and greeted him with the prettiest face she knew.
In that moment, a damp smile spread across Franz’s face.
As if he had forgotten that she was a friend’s mistress.
* * *
Once again, a drinking party was held in the main hall.
Of course, it was a celebration for the acceptance of Karion’s proposal and for the Emperor’s solo official duties.
Riel sat quietly next to Karion, serving him. Then she offered a drink to Franz, who was glancing at her.
“Please give me a drink too. You were rude to me before.”
A man who had been ignored would easily fall for a little kindness.
“The rudeness was committed by that bastard Karion. He said he would give you to me, but then he changed his mind.”
Franz glared at Karion, but Karion just drank as if watching.
At that moment, Franz pretended to hand over his drink and grabbed Riel’s hand.
“…!”
The noblemen were surprised and instinctively looked at Karion. But Karion remained silent.
As the atmosphere grew awkward, a brown-haired man changed the subject.
“About that mistress, Alisa, whom the Emperor favors. I heard she’s from a high-class brothel in the Germa port, is that true?”
‘A brothel girl became the Emperor’s mistress?’
Riel’s eyes sharpened.
“Didn’t they say she was the daughter of a viscount family?”
Karion asked.
“The Emperor disguised her identity to bring her into the palace. My father did that disguise.”
Franz spoke with a slurred tongue, boasting.
The brown-haired man asked with a curious expression.
“I heard she’s a great beauty, and it seems the Emperor is deeply in love with her. But who knows how long that will last.”
Franz looked at Riel with glazed eyes.
“I’ve seen that mistress, and honestly, Riel is much prettier. She has a fuller chest too.”
“…!”
The atmosphere turned cold at Franz’s crossing of the line.
“What did you say?”
Karion glared at him as if he would kill him.
A nobleman next to Franz cautiously intervened.
“Franz has had too much to drink. When did he drink this much?”
At that moment, Franz popped a grape into his mouth and spat the skin onto Karion’s face. A deep humiliation spread across Karion’s face.
“Karion, open your eyes. I just praised your mistress.”
“Franz, what’s wrong with you today? Stop it.”
Other noblemen tried to intervene, but Franz didn’t care.
He grinned and this time threw a grape at Karion.
“Open your eyes, you bastard Count!”
It was at that moment.
Thud-.
Karion stood up and threw a punch at Franz.
Bang!
Franz fell out of the sofa, his lip bursting and blood flowing.
“Oh my, blood…”
Riel pretended to be surprised and reached for a small towel on the table, but Karion grabbed her wrist as if to snatch it away.
“Just leave it!”
“But he’s bleeding.”
Riel looked at Franz with a worried expression. Unable to hold back his anger any longer, Karion dragged Riel away.
“Come with me.”
“Damn it! Karion, you’re dead today.”
Franz staggered to his feet and charged at Karion.
Thud-.
Karion kicked Franz, sending him crashing into the table.
Crash-.
Franz fell, colliding with the table.
“Franz!”
Two noblemen rushed to Franz.
“Come quickly.”
Karion roughly pulled Riel’s arm. Riel pretended to be dragged against her will and smiled faintly.
* * *
Bang-.
The bedroom door on the second floor swung open violently.
Furiously angry, Karion entered the room and shoved Riel onto the bed as if to throw her away.
Karion roughly swept his disheveled hair back and shouted.
“Where do you think you’re acting like a harlot?”
Riel straightened her clothes and asked quietly.
“I didn’t bring you there for that, did I?”
“What?”
Karion frowned deeply.
Riel stood up from the bed and fiercely questioned him.
“You know better than anyone about your friends. Why are you getting angry now after letting them say all sorts of lewd things and look at me with dirty eyes?”
“If I…”
“If I were a proper wife and not a mistress, you wouldn’t have brought me to such a place. So I was just fulfilling the role you implicitly assigned to me.”
“What role did I implicitly assign?”
“To be a mistress who entertains men at night.”
Riel stepped closer, lifted her head, and moved her red lips.
Karion looked at Riel, who was provocatively questioning him, and chuckled. He then slowly caressed her cheek.
“I still like that you know your place.”
“…”
“But remember that your duty should only be to me, your master.”
Riel pushed Karion’s hand away and scoffed.
“Who is my master? My master is clearly Marquis Retchels.”
“What?”
Flames ignited in Karion’s eyes.
“The reason Marquis Retchels can’t come to get me now is solely because of Iana’s affair, preventing him from coming to the Dietrian family.”
“So you belong to me. You are under my protection.”
“Is that really the case?”
Riel took a step back.
“I will leave.”
“What?”
“On the day you go to Ervin.”