Chapter 19

As I passed through the hall, where a refreshing breeze was blowing, and stepped outside, I saw Princess Abigail, whose hair was disheveled from avoiding the dog. She still looked beautiful but also quite amusing. I suppressed my laughter and called out to the dog.

“Hey, pup! Come here!”

The big, white bundle of fur stopped barking at Princess Abigail and looked at me. Somehow, it knew I was calling it and came running towards me with its tongue hanging out. The maids nearby screamed, thinking the dog was attacking me.

But the dog was far from aggressive. It loved people to the point of bursting with joy. I opened my arms towards the dog, and it thrust its face between them, stopping just before bumping into me. It was an intelligent dog that knew how to control its strength.

Having raised many dogs, I knew that intelligent dogs could manage their strength well, and I believed this dog was no different. Otherwise, what could happen? I’d just roll around on the lawn.

“Haha, you’re so cute.”

I laughed as I rubbed my cheek against the dog’s long snout. Its fluffy, white fur was so lovable. After hugging the big dog for a while, I remembered Princess Abigail was still in front of me and cleared my throat. I stood up from my crouched position and bowed towards Princess Abigail.

“Your Highness, did you rest well last night?”

Trying to act demure suddenly made me feel a bit embarrassed. Princess Abigail looked at me and the dog with a horrified expression, and then she sharply shook her skirt.

“The Grand Duchess of Zan is truly frivolous.”

Even if she disliked me, her greeting me with a harsh remark in the morning was rather arrogant. Thinking that the brother and sister were quite alike, I smiled.

“Julian also told me I was lively.”

At that, Princess Abigail’s face hardened. Seeing her usually disdainful expression turn into one of defeat made me feel quite pleased.

“Why were you in that room? Did you enter Julian’s room without permission?”

“Without permission? I simply entered my husband’s room.”

“Don’t forget that your marriage was arranged!”

Her spiteful tone was full of jealousy and possessiveness towards Julian.

Knowing someone else appreciated Julian’s good qualities didn’t make me feel great. Maybe Princess Abigail and I weren’t so different after all.

“How dare you bring a dog into the grand duke’s residence? Do you think you’re really the mistress of this Duchy?”

Her sharp voice made the dog wary, which was understandable given how gentle it appeared.

I softly stroked the dog’s neck and smiled. Unlike yesterday, I was overflowing with confidence. Whether I stayed quiet or acted out, Princess Abigail would dislike me.

“The new family member barks when seeing strangers. Please forgive the rudeness.”

Princess Abigail probably had more than me in terms of the time spent with the dog. Our encounter was brief. But dogs also have feelings and can sense who cares for them. I briefly bowed my head and then lifted it, saying,

“You’re returning to the palace today, right? I’ll ensure you’re not lacking in preparation.”

As I turned away, Princess Abigail spoke to my back.

“Lady Winsley, I’ve never missed something I wanted.”

Her chilling voice made me turn around involuntarily, but Princess Abigail was already walking away with her back to me.

* * *

After Princess Abigail left, peace returned to the Duchy. Although I still couldn’t dine with Julian, we occasionally played chess.

I remembered him making bold moves when playing with my family, but he seemed to hesitate sometimes with me. When I got upset and told him not to go easy on me, Julian awkwardly explained,

“I’m not going easy on you. It’s just that your moves are as unpredictable as you are.”

I thought he was teasing me for placing my pieces haphazardly, but seeing his genuinely perplexed expression, I decided to let it slide. Besides, I enjoyed watching Julian ponder his next move, holding the chess piece mid-air.

Over the next few days, I grew pretty close to Marian. She was a good friend as long as no men were involved. She was charming and had a way with words that captivated people. I even thought that the Second Prince might not disregard her.

Then, the two long-awaited letters arrived.

One was an invitation to a party from the Marchioness of Eriant, and the other was a letter from Lethe.

As before, the Marchioness of Eriant invited me to grace the event with my presence. She must have been curious about the news after I brought Marian, Kazak’s secret mistress. I also had something to show them, so I quickly wrote a letter of acceptance.

Next, I opened the letter from Lethe.

“To my dear friend Laila,

Laila, I told my mother about your friend.

Since you said it was a secret, I made her promise to keep it.

But it seems she mentioned your friend during tea time with her friends.

I’m sorry. I’ll apologize appropriately at the next party.”

Reading the letter, I burst into laughter. Shuan was a mischievous one indeed.

In my previous letter to Lethe, I had asked her to spread a rumor about Marian.

The rumor I had asked Shuan to spread about Marian was this:

‘Marian, who was Kazak’s secret mistress, is a stunning beauty whom Lady Winsley would be jealous of. She is even more beautiful than Ari Eriant, known for her exceptional looks, which is why Kazak kept her hidden from the Second Prince.’

Shuan had spread the rumor properly, and now she was secretly reporting it to me. It felt like we were exchanging coded messages, which was quite fun.

However, as I read further down, my face stiffened.” Did you know your friend’s ex-boyfriend is friends with my second brother?

They say friends, but he seems more like a lackey.”

Shuan was the eldest of the Eriant Marquisate. There was no second brother, not even a first brother. And the only man referred to as the second brother between us was one person.

The Second Prince. And Marian’s ex-boyfriend must be referring to Kazak. Shuan implied that Kazak was under the Second Prince. Since when? No, that detail was not necessary.

What mattered was that before my regression, I was preparing to marry Kazak at this point in time. And years later, I begged at Kazak’s feet to send me to my family. At that time, Kazak neither mourned nor showed any grief over my family’s deaths; he looked at me as if I were a useless insect.

Then, a thunderous realization struck me.

Kazak had indeed said this to me:

‘You’re alive thanks to marrying me, so you better be grateful.’

At that time, I thought he was overly confident about his status. No, I didn’t have the time to consider more than that. But Kazak was arrogant, not foolish. He had said everything as if he knew it well.

Because he had contributed to the deaths of my family.

At first, I resented Kazak, and gradually, that resentment turned into anger. I also desperately wanted to avenge him. However, I never thought Kazak would be such a direct enemy.

The fact that I had shared a bed with Kazak and bore his child now felt disgusting and revolting.

I tore the letter to pieces. Still unsatisfied, I swept everything off the desk with my arm, making a mess. I grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at the mirror, both shattering loudly.

Yet, not a word came out of my mouth. Nor did any tears.

“Your Grace, Your Grace, what’s wrong? Please?”

Anna hurriedly ran in and tried to stop me. I pushed her away. Without even seeing Anna stumble, I began pacing around the room.

“Kazak, Kazak…”

What came out of my mouth sounded like the cry of a miserable beast. It was far from the voice of a graceful Grand Duchess. Anna looked at me in fear and then rushed out of the room.

“My Lady, I’ll bring His Grace. Alright?“

“Ah… Kazak…”

I groaned, covering my face with both hands. How long had I been kneeling on the floor? My head felt dizzy, as if I were floating in the air.

Someone firmly yet gently grasped my shoulders. I lifted my head, following the touch. Red eyes were looking directly at me.

“Julian…“

“Laila.”

We called each other’s names. It felt like we could communicate with just that.

It was laughable, but that was enough to comfort me.

Tears finally streamed down from my dry and suffocatingly blocked eyes. Julian’s large hand cupped my cheek, and my tears flowed down his knuckles.

“Julian, Kazak betrayed me.“

“…I know.”

No, he didn’t know. Julian couldn’t possibly understand what I had gone through before my regression. Yet, it felt as though he knew everything, which was comforting.

I found myself clinging to his neck. His arms supported my waist and back, enclosing me in his embrace. His prominent, dark figure seemed to hide me from the world.

With my head buried in his shoulder, I muttered.

“I want to kill him. I want to make him miserable until his dying breath.“

“…Do as you wish.“

“I’ll tear his limbs apart and throw them to the beasts. I’ll ensure what’s left rots in the basement for the rest of his life.“

“I’ll help you.”

I pulled away from his embrace slightly to look at him. Julian still had an inscrutable expression. With tear-stained eyes, I asked.

“Really?”

Julian nodded. He looked just like he had at some point in the past. I buried myself back in his arms.

“You truly are my savior.”