I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 5.5 - Banquet

Iona was getting a headache from a dispute that seemed endless even as one side stepped back.

At a wave of Carvain’s hand, all of the Grand duke’s maids backed away.

“Hic, sob…!”

“Your Highness……!”

The Grand Duke’s maids left in tears as if they were tearing off their own flesh.

“Well then, Your Highness, we’ll see you later.”

“Yes…….”

That is if I make it out of here alive.

Iona’s red eyes lingered on the gaunt woman as if branding her, then fell.

When Carvain led the maids of the Grand Ducal House away and left, the maids of the Hardin family surrounded Iona.

“My goodness, miss! What on earth happened?!”

“How did you end up causing such trouble?!”

“Well, that’s…”

“You didn’t knock down His Highness, did you?!”

“We know you’re now Her Highness… But to us, you’ll always be our eternal miss… Sob, sob.”

“Oh, look how much you’ve suffered, these dark circles under your eyes… Quickly, bring out some toner!”

“Did they really not let you sleep and made you dress up?! I can’t believe this!”

“That’s on you guys too…..”

“This dress is definitely of the highest quality… Tch. It’s infuriating.”

“We can’t lose! Comb. Where’s the comb?! Our young lady must be the prettiest at the party today!”

“Yes!!”

“……please save me.”

Iona muttered quietly without realizing it.

Johanna sat on the sofa, silently watching Iona, whose soul seemed to be getting brushed away.

“…….”

Johanna recalled her conversation with the Second Empress a few days ago.

– Duke. Are you going to leave it as it is?

The Second Empress, while inviting for tea, suddenly started speaking in riddles.

– I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I don’t understand what you’re saying.

– Not enough. There is no one else who understands words as well as you do. Do you pretend you don’t know your sister, Your Grace, Duke of Hardin.

– …….

– I’ll be brief. It’s not too late to get her out.

– Get her out, Your Majesty?

– It’s a consideration, thinking of the faith between us. You know well that I’m not someone who makes such suggestions lightly. It’ll be too late once it’s made public. Now, before she has officially become the Grand Duke’s wife, you can still take her out.

– …….

– Are you going to get her involved in a fight for the throne for nothing? It’s not too late yet.

“…….”

Indeed, the Second Empress’s words had a point.

She might be able to get her out of the way if she struck now when she wasn’t yet the Grand Duchess.

The contract might be a hindrance, but it could be resolved somehow.

Compared to Iona’s life, resolving the contract was a trivial issue.

It was true that the Grand Duke’s power had grown too strong to ignore, but he had too many enemies.

She didn’t want her sister, her blood, to be torn apart for nothing.

“…….”

Johanna rolled the brooch of House Hardin’s crest in her hand between her fingertips.

“Ow, that hurts!”

“Stay still, Miss! It’s almost done!”

“You’ve been saying that since earlier?!”

‘…Today.’

Today, I have to take Iona out.

Johanna’s eyes, firmly resolved, were deeply set.

***

“Her Highness seems to be running late.”

“So, it seems.”

Carvain was waiting for Iona in front of the carriage.

When the Grand Duchess hadn’t appeared, well past the appointed time, Meyer sneaked a look at Carvain’s mood.

How long had this suffocating silence lasted?

One of the Hardin family maids, judging by her attire, approached. She spoke with a polite tone and a slightly bowed posture.

“I greet Your Highness.”

The Hardin family’s maid, with a respectful bow, began to speak.

“Her Highness the Grand Duchess is taking longer to get ready. She sends word for you to go ahead.”

Traditionally, it was an unwritten rule for a married noble couple to enter the party venue together.

But to go ahead, what kind of nonsense was that?

“Then, how about sending other maids to help Her Highness get ready?”

“Attending to such a distinguished person meticulously is a task. Having more hands does not necessarily make it easier.”

Even in the face of Meyer’s words, the maid remained unyielding.

An unseen blade seemed to move between them. The tension was pulled taut like a tightly stretched thread.

“Then let’s get going.”

It was Carvain who broke the suffocating silence.

“…Your Highness.”

Meyer opened his mouth to dissuade Carvain.

“I appreciate your consideration, Your Highness. I will inform Her Highness that you have shown understanding and kindness.”

The maid from Hardin seemed to understand the situation and bowed before leaving.

“Your Highness, are you planning to enter separately from Her Highness? If you depart first, it is likely that Her Highness will do so as well.”

Meyer spoke with a concerned tone.

The party hall usually admitted guests in the order of their arrival.

“Isn’t it already late anyway?”

For someone of Carvain’s high nobility, arriving fashionably late to the party was the custom.

Thus, waiting any longer for Iona would indeed mean arriving quite late.

“But for a couple to enter separately is unheard of.”

Meyer raised his voice in worry.

“…….”

However, Carvain just twisted his lips without saying anything.

Today’s party was not only to celebrate the Grand Duke’s ascension but also to introduce the Grand Duchess for the first time.

Moreover, to enter separately at a party that had already been postponed once.

How could this make any sense?

It was certain that his master would end up looking ridiculous.

Carvain, with Meyer’s deeply furrowed brows behind him, climbed into the carriage.

“Let’s depart.”

Carvain’s red eyes were deeply sunken.

“…….”

Meyer closely observed Carvain’s expression.

Eventually, the carriage started moving vigorously, leaving the mansion behind.

“You should have dissuaded him more strongly. What do we do about this situation? Ah……”

Valery, who had been seeing off Carvain with Meyer, let out a deep sigh.

“No. He wasn’t going to stop anyway.”

“Still! What becomes of Her Highness? No matter how late, he should have gone with her……!”

Valerie pounded her chest with a determined look.

Meyer glanced at Valerie for a moment and then turned his gaze to the carriage moving away.

“He looked like he had some scheme in mind.”

And so, sometime after Carvain had left.

Finally, the Grand Duchess made her appearance.

The servants, who had been slightly annoyed at the Grand Duchess for being late, instantly forgot those thoughts at the sight of her descending the stairs.

’……Is she an elf?’

’No. She’s a statue. It’s clear.’

’……A goddess?’

’I’m converting to a new religion today.’

The Grand Duchess was wearing a silver dress densely studded with diamonds.

The light was refracted into countless tiny fragments every time she moved.

Moreover, her already beautiful face seemed to shine even more with the makeup.

Her appearance was truly that of a goddess.