Chapter 6 (Part 6)

At first, his wife’s suspicious behavior and words had sparked curiosity and doubt. But no matter how thoroughly he investigated, there was no evidence that Therese was a spy sent by someone.  

‘Not a spy, but…….’  

Rather, he happened to read a journal where she confessed that she had liked him since childhood. At that moment, his heart soared, but it also sank at the same time.  

It became harder to suspect her as a spy.  

Doubt had been like a stabilizing weight that kept Jeremy from falling completely for Therese without restraint.  

A small crack had formed in his dam, and Jeremy could no longer suppress his desires.  

The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to know about Therese.  

Who taught her swordsmanship, when she started climbing walls, why she looked so natural in men’s clothing, and why she smiled so comfortably at street cafes.  

He didn’t know the reasons, but he was curious about Therese.  

There was still so much he didn’t know.  

The time he spent with Therese after injuring his arm was meaningful to Jeremy. It was the first time he could forget all the burdens of being the head of the family, which he hadn’t been able to put down since his father’s death.  

‘I’ll take responsibility until you recover, Your Grace.’  

He was overjoyed when Therese said she would take care of him. He kept talking to her, even though she didn’t seem interested, and he intentionally kept unwrapping his bandages.  

That way, he could get just a little more of Therese’s attention.  

‘I want to keep her in front of me.’  

When she wasn’t in sight, his heart felt endlessly uneasy. He feared that if he let go of her hand, she would disappear.  

No, it felt as if he would lose his way.  

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out the root of this anxiety.  

And now, with his two most trusted and cherished subordinates playing around with duels, he couldn’t help but feel irritated.  

“Y-Your Grace!”  

Georges’ hurried voice brought Jeremy out of his thoughts.  

“What is it? Didn’t I tell you to run laps around the training grounds with Thomas?”  

“I swear, I was planning to run them all. Your Grace, an urgent message arrived, and I came to deliver it…….”  

Panting, Georges handed over the letter, which was directly from the Emperor.  

[To the esteemed Duke Richard, I always send my gratitude for your hard work.’  

Your Emperor, Felipe Morciani.]  

The letter, written in elegant handwriting on a gold-embossed envelope, looked impressive but, as always, contained nothing of real substance.  

The Emperor often sent such letters, as if to remind Jeremy that he held his leash.  

“Do you have any orders for me?”  

“……No.”  

As Duke Richard folded the letter and put it in his pocket, Georges hesitated awkwardly.  

“By the way, Your Grace, did you enjoy your vacation?”  

To Georges’ knowledge, this was the first time Jeremy had ever taken a vacation. The Duke, known for his extreme workaholism, didn’t know how to rest.  

Jeremy responded curtly to Georges’ question.  

“I was injured, so what’s there to enjoy?”  

“It’s just that you’ve never taken such a long break before, so I was curious.”  

Even after his wedding, the Duke hadn’t hesitated to rush to the borderlands. But this time, he had taken a whole month off for health reasons, which seemed strange.  

“I heard you injured your arm.”  

“……Yes, well.”  

Jeremy awkwardly waved his nearly healed right arm and made an embarrassed face. The wound had mostly healed a while ago, but he had exaggerated his pain in front of Therese.  

‘I keep lying, which is unlike me.’  

But he had no choice but to keep pretending to be in pain. Otherwise, he couldn’t stop his wife’s attention from being stolen by that slave.  

As the Duke turned to leave, Georges, ever curious, asked again.  

“But, Your Grace, since you’re ambidextrous, why did you take sick leave?”  

“…….”  

Duke Richard was a man so strong that even if an arrow pierced his shoulder, he would return to the training grounds after just a day or two of rest. There was no way he would take such a long break unless his arm had been severed.  

“Surely, it wasn’t because you wanted to enjoy your newlywed life and faked being sick, was it?”  

When Georges jokingly teased, the Duke’s shoulders visibly stiffened.  

“……Y-Your Grace.”  

It had just been light-hearted banter, but after a long silence, the Duke suddenly threw his cloak to the ground.  

“Georges, go pick up your sword.”  

“No, Your Grace, right now? But I still have to run laps with Thomas!”  

The Duke was infamous for leaving his sparring partners utterly defeated. This was true even for Georges, whose swordsmanship was exceptional. Georges hadn’t sparred with the Duke since his reckless youth.  

As Georges grumbled and followed him, Jeremy Richard’s face was a mess.  

‘Newlywed life? What nonsense!’  

He had said something similar to Count Volez, but hearing it himself made him feel strange.  

The scent of the stew they had made together in the forest retreat lingered in his nose, and the image of Therese resting her round head against his shoulder, her silver eyelashes lowered delicately, flashed before his eyes.  

‘Why am I like this?’  

He couldn’t stop worrying about Therese. And the slave by her side irritated him to the point of madness.  

‘Ambidextrous…….’  

As Georges had said, Jeremy could do everything with his left hand—eating, bathing, even swordsmanship.  

But this was a secret he had to take to his grave.  

As he brushed his hand over the scarred area on his right arm, a faint smile appeared on his face. 

* * *  

The Imperial Ball was just a day away. The Grand Madame seemed tense, her nerves sharp all day.  

“Make sure my dress is perfectly pressed. If you burn it while ironing, like last time, I won’t let anyone off.”  

“Take out the jewels and polish each one. If they don’t sparkle, they’re meaningless.”  

From her attire to the decorations on the carriage she would ride, she repeated her instructions three or four times.  

For Maria Richard, the ball wasn’t just a social gathering. It was an opportunity to show off everything she had.  

The best mother who raised an outstanding son without a husband, a noblewoman of a prestigious family who retained her beauty even in middle age.  

“That is who I am.”  

Standing in front of a full-length mirror, checking her body for any excess fat, Maria smiled in satisfaction. She had been eating only one meal a day for over a month in preparation for the ball. She was already thin, but now her ribs were almost visible.  

“Madam, you’ll surely be the most stunning tomorrow.”  

Maria’s maid flattered her skillfully.  

“Yes. What is that woman doing now?”

“I heard she’s having tea with the accountant.”  

Her daughter-in-law showed great interest in managing the Richard estate and got along quite well with those overseeing its operations.  

“She can’t hide her vulgar nature.”  

To Maria, the virtues of a noblewoman were cultivating beauty, socializing with other families, and bearing heirs to elevate the family’s honor.  

“She’s so desperate to flaunt her merchant blood.”  

Maria Richard had no intention of acknowledging Therese’s father, who had bought his barony with money.  

“So, did you bury it?”  

“As you instructed, Madam.”  

The maid with the hooked nose smiled ominously and glanced out at the garden through the window.  

“You’ve done well.”  

The plan to secretly poison Therese had been ruined when she collapsed, coughing up blood.  

The Duke, already highly sensitive to poison, began inspecting food ingredients, checking the belongings of those entering the kitchen, and even conducting physical inspections.  

It was fortunate that she had prepared both poison and a curse.  

After meeting with a sorcerer, Maria discreetly buried three dead rats and a talisman in the garden.  

‘There’s nothing more effective for a curse than that.’  

The target written on the talisman would waste away without knowing why and die a miserable death. That was exactly the scenario Maria desired.  

She could kill the troublesome fly without dirtying her hands or tarnishing her family’s name.  

The cost was exorbitant, but if it meant getting rid of Therese Demori, she was willing to pay any price.  

However, one thing weighed on her mind—something someone had once said.  

‘A curse is such a vile thing that it inevitably eats away at the soul of the one who casts it.’  

Maria had heard this warning when she first considered visiting a sorcerer after struggling to conceive before having Jeremy. But with the sorcerer’s help, she miraculously became pregnant, and she had never suffered any consequences.  

“Yes. It’s all nonsense.”  

The woman who had given her such unnecessary advice had long since been dismissed.  

“Who would dare curse me?”  

Even if someone did, Maria had endured all the storms of the world to reach her position.  

“I am someone who can overcome even a curse.”  

Admiring her own beauty, Maria whispered to herself like a song in front of the mirror.