And when we met after time had passed, she...
On the day he went to the palace instead of his brother, he met the princess and gave her a handkerchief.
He thought it was okay if she didn't remember him, like he did when he gave her flowers.
However, the words of his brother, who had just returned from a banquet, were not what he expected.
As he listened to his brother's words, he smiled bitterly.
He looked at her for a long time, but what she remembered was not the beggar boy she saw every year at the founding celebration, but rather Eric Lennon Brant whom she had only seen once.
Since that day, his brother has been visiting the princess relentlessly.
Unlike him, who always brought her ordinary wildflowers, his brother came bearing luxurious greenhouse-grown flowers and precious gifts.
His brother's efforts were crowned with success.
He smiled and congratulated his cheerful brother, and thought to himself.
That's why he didn't consider her his wife, and that's why he was cold to her when she approached him.
He believed that having her in his heart was a sin, just as his brother was in his heart.
So he did his best to find his brother and put things back together.
But all this effort was in vain...
One mistake, and everything is in vain.
Was it really a mistake?
While he was thinking, he briefly recalled Cornelia's previous actions.
For a moment, Eric's eyes closed.
Even though he was not really her husband, he had the responsibility and duty to protect her until his brother returned.
But she, for whom he was responsible, was trying to escape from him.
Eric looked at the jade gemstone on his desk and clenched his fist tightly.
“Do you hate me so much that you are willing to give up the man you love?”
Finally, he called out to Zenon, who was supervising the staff instead of the butler.
“Tomorrow, deliver the finest jade stone to the Duchess.”
“Not manufactured jade...but raw stone?”
"Yes."
This means that she will make and wear the jewelry you want.
“If you reject her or get rid of her, do whatever you want and leave her.”
After that, Zenon took the jade gemstone and bowed his head.
“Yes, I understand”
“You can leave now.
I need some rest.”
After that, Zeno left the duke's office.
In the empty hallway, Zeno looked at the jade gemstone and sneered at it.
“Huh, giving her a cheap stone as a gift; the Duke clearly doesn’t care about that woman.”
As he muttered to himself, Zenon frowned.
By the way, I'm sure the mouse saw something and wanted to inform the lady...
After a moment, Zenon thought of the most suspicious person.
“I think it was the Duchess’s dog.”
But that idea was fleeting.
“Well, it's a poisoned rat anyway.”
Zeno was convinced.
Zenon was confident that it was only a matter of time before the culprit was found inside the palace.
In fact, the Duke gave me an excuse to leave, I will have a look tomorrow while the Duchess is visiting.
Zenon moved briskly.
The next day, I woke up after the sun had reached its peak.
I looked to my side absent-mindedly and smiled sarcastically.
Habits can be really annoying.
I'm sure Eric won't come into this room anymore...
After a moment of thought, I remembered my instructions to Sardine yesterday.
Was asking this a wise decision?
After I washed and changed my clothes, I called Sardin.
“How did things go with what I asked of you?”
Although I decided to leave Eric, I did not intend to leave things as they were before my return.
So I asked Sardin to spy on Zenon, who tried to kill me himself.
And the results...
“As my lady expected, Zenon showed suspicious behavior.”
This is exactly what I needed.
“Suspicious behavior?”
As I clenched my fist nervously and asked, Sardin nodded and recounted what he had seen.
“As soon as the duke left, Zeno secretly snuck out of the palace and went to meet someone.
Then he knelt down as if addressing a master and said something.”
“What did he say?”
“I didn't hear much because I was walking away, but it sounded like it was related to internal palace affairs.
He also handed over some documents.”
Documents – Their contents were difficult to guess, but one thing was certain: someone was leaking information about the estate's internal affairs.
“Do you know who he is?”
Sardine shook his head.
“I apologize, but I had to leave because Zenon noticed my presence.”
Oh my God, he's smart.
The problem is that now that he has been arrested, he will become more cautious and vigilant in identifying the culprit.
How can I hack this guard and find out who he is?
After deep thought, hunger got the better of me, and I sighed.
At least I got to have a late breakfast now.
I looked at Sardin and asked him: “Have you had your meal?”
“Not yet”
At his answer, I shook my head and almost called a maid.
But before I could, I heard a knock on the door, followed by a voice.
"I'm Zeno.
Do you mind if I come in for a moment?"
Isn't it said that even the tiger will come if you talk about it?
I furrowed my eyebrows at the sight of this unexpected visitor.
Why did he come to see me suddenly?
After a moment, I opened my mouth,
“Come in”
Zeno opened the door with my permission and entered.
Unfortunately, he nodded respectfully and stood directly in front of me.
I raised my eyebrows before speaking, “What brings you to me so early, Zenon?”
Then he replied with an expression that seemed hesitant: “The Duke requested that I bring this to you.”
As soon as I laid eyes on the huge, puppy-sized stone, my eyes widened.
Oh, it's really top notch, he claimed.
I swallowed hard, unable to control myself.
“The lady seems to be getting along well with the slaves.”
Sardin's facial expression turned yellow, so I motioned for him to step back.
Don't interfere.
I quickly opened my mouth and said, “Sure, Sardine is my only bodyguard.”
Zenon smiled sarcastically and said, “Then I wonder why you were out yesterday without him.”
I laughed and said to myself: ‘This cunning man doubts me.’
After a moment, I continued: “You're not as smart as I thought.”
“What is this...?”
“If you talked to the knights, you would know.
Those who were guarding me in the palace almost got into a fight with one of them.”
At the mention of Franz, Zeno shuddered.
It was understandable, because he probably somewhat sympathized with the reason behind this.
I swallowed a laugh and continued talking.
“It's your duty to check on the knights, so there's no way you haven't heard about it.
To blab like that; you must not be smart.”
In a sarcastic tone, he shuddered and then smiled shyly.
“The lady seems really interested in me.
I will make sure to reciprocate her enthusiasm more in the future.”
I smiled sarcastically.
His words were a warning that he would closely monitor my actions from now on.
“Well, I'm a busy guy, so I'll leave.”
Why did he have so much audacity to act so arrogantly?
But one thing became clear: he definitely had animosity toward me.
I stared at him as he walked out the door.
“It appears from the expression on your face that you are not satisfied with His Excellency’s gift.
Well, if you wish to get rid of it, you are free.”
I raised my middle finger as he walked out the door with those words.
Am I crazy?
How do I throw away something so valuable?
After a moment of cursing, I caressed the jewel he had left behind.
What can I do with this?
After a moment of contemplation,
I'm hungry.
I decided to finish what I had not done before because of Zenon's intervention.
“Ma’am, did you call me?”
“I want to eat”
When she told her maid, she smiled and answered politely.
“Okay, then I will go to the kitchen and ask the chef to prepare lunch, and if there is anything you want to eat, let me know.”
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't get used to this more proactive and polite attitude than before.
Since I am an approved duchess from their master, they want to look good.
I smiled bitterly.
I wish it were that easy.
I tried to get angry with them, warn them, and be a good duchess.
However, no matter how rudely I behaved, their attitude toward me remained constant.
However, this time, while I remained the same, the staff's attitude became polite just because of his attitude.
Honestly, it was ridiculous.