Calen Castle
–
However, she was confident that he would not be on her clientele's list.
Therefore, after his wife's death ten years ago, he had just raised a daughter and confined himself completely at home without any rumors, so she was surprised by the Duke's words when he suddenly visited her.
“I'm sorry, but may I ask what you are looking for?
As you know, blondes and green eyes are hard to find.
Furthermore, in order not to miss anyone, I must know what is going on, so I can find the right person.”
At Maribel's careful question, Duke Kiellini had a frown for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“I know your mouth is sealed.”
However, when he closed his mouth as if he had no intention of telling her why, Maribel asked again, "Your Excellency, I was able to survive here for decades because I immediately forgot what I hear."
He knew that.
That's why he visited her.
He had been looking for a suitable girl since last year to accomplish what he had been thinking about for years, but she was not easy to find.
Most people in Austern had brown hair and eyes, although about one percent of the population had bright hair and eyes, just like the neighboring country of Vicern.
When he found a suitable child, he was shallow or his figure was very ugly, and could not be considered blonde or green-eyed.
Duke Kiellini, with his hands clasped together, calmed his thoughts and opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“I need a surrogate daughter.”
Maribel lost the calm face she used when dealing with aristocrats, and her eyes went wide.
“You must know that my daughter went to the Kiellini Territory and grew up there after my wife died.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.
I also know that this is Princess Kiellini's debut year in society.
I heard that everyone is looking forward to seeing your daughter's social debut this year because she is confined to the territory without any interaction with other young people.”
At Maribel's words, Duke Kiellini's expression became serious.
“Iris is very weak.
Most of the time, she is reading books or looking out the window in bed.
She can’t handle going for a walk for a while once a day.”
"And then?"
“This year, Iris will have her coming of age celebration and will have to make an official announcement as the successor to Duke Kiellini’s family.”
The Ducal Families of Kiellini and Dudley, who received their titles from the first Emperor of Austern, passed the title with priority of direct descendant, regardless of sex.
In particular, Duke Kiellini's family, which produced the Empress, was a family with many female duchesses, as their descendants had been rare for generations.
However, if there was no direct lineage, or if the person was disabled or ill, a collateral line could inherit the title.
At the moment, the Kiellini family had no direct line other than Iris, so if she was unsuccessful in the title, the title would be handed over to a collateral line that had been divided several generations ago.
It didn't matter as long as Duke Kiellini was alive, but after he died, Iris's life would be dominated by the new duke, who didn't know her.
He wouldn't worry if the heir to the title was a decent man, but since the man didn't have a good character, it made the duke worried.
Duke Kiellini was unable to entrust Iris with an uncertain future.
The noble bloodline of the Duke's family, which had been falling for generations, was of no importance before his daughter's future.
He just wanted her to live in a safe and warm place, where she had lived all her life until now.
“It’s not enough to have blonde hair and green eyes to replace the princess.”
Maribel nodded as if she understood the situation.
“That’s why I came to visit you.”
Maribel thought about Juliet.
She had never seen Princess Kielini, but she knew she was just like the late Duchess.
The duchess was the younger sister of Marquis Anais.
In other words, the princess and Juliet were cousins.
‘Is this Juliet’s fate?’
Maribel had to promise when sending Stella's dead body to Marquise Anais: the Marquis must never know about Juliet.
The condition was lenient with Maribel, who gave Stella and Juliet a place to sleep.From then on, Maribel changed Juliet's appearance and sent her out of her quarters, completely hiding her identity, so that she could stay like other members of the theater's apprentices.
When Juliet became an adult, she felt sorry for the child who had hidden in the corner of the theater disguised for the rest of her life.
Thus, she decided that it would be better for her to live a luxurious life as a concubine of the nobility, like other actresses, so she tried to present her to Duke Michael for the price she had proposed.
Of course, Juliet's resistance had collapsed the plan.
Maribel wanted to praise herself for listening to Juliet's bold demand that day.
With a moment of sympathy and loss, she had a greater chance.
It wasn't a bad thing for Juliet either.
Instead of suffering as a servant for the rest of her life, she would be considered a replacement, but she would be a princess of Kiellini.
“I will erase what I faced with you soon after this is over, and so will everyone involved in this matter.”
When asked if he would guarantee security after work, the Duke immediately accepted.
“Of course.
What can I do with someone who has never faced me?”
Now that she had heard this, it was difficult for her to take her foot off.
Juliet was the illegitimate daughter of Marquis Anais.
It was thought that if the Duke knew the truth about the Marquis's family, if he knew how much the Marquis cared about Juliet, he would not harm the child and turn against the Marquis.
Maribel finally decided and opened her mouth.
“There is a perfect girl now.
I saw the duchess from a distance and heard that the princess looked a lot like the duchess.”
“That's right.
That's why I'm looking for a blonde girl with green eyes.
It is a registered trademark of Anais' family.
I haven’t seen him for a long time, but I also heard that Pierre, the Marquis’ son, is blond and has green eyes.”
Maribel smiled brightly and agreed enthusiastically, “Yes.
I've seen him before, when he came to the theater.
It wasn't pink or light blonde, but her eyes were actually bright green, like an emerald without any impurities.
The child I know has that kind of eyes.
She is also blonde and pink.”
“It’s a rare color.
Where did you meet a child like that?”
Maribel smiled even more when Duke Kiellini asked in wonder, "I'll tell you what I've been hiding for ten years now, ever since you told me about some really important secrets."
As Maribel stopped speaking for dramatic effect, Duke Kiellini looked at her as if saying something.
“You know that Marquis Anais had an illegitimate daughter, right?”
“I thought she died with her mother.”
It had been more than ten years.
Duke Kiellini could not have paid attention to the case, since his wife was dead and his daughter was sick, in a life or death situation.
He later learned that the lover and daughter expelled by Marquise Anais had died, but that was it.
“I was responsible for the daughter.
By order of Marquise Anais, I have hidden your identity completely.”
At Maribel's words, Duke Kiellini straightened up.
as if he was going to get up from his seat.
“Where is the daughter?”
“The marquise expected that an annoying bastard would stay at the theater all her life, and that's what she knows now... but the girl left me a while ago.
She is working as a maid at the Bertino mansion on Harrods Street.”
“A maid?
If she works at Bertino's mansion, many people will recognize her, even if she is a replacement.”
Sa-chan
Sa-chan
Thanks for reading.
^-^