The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 90

#90

“I heard everything.”

Leticia’s all-knowing, meaningful words almost made me spit out the tea I was drinking. I pretended to be calm and put down my teacup.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you pretending not to know, even with me?”

Leticia was looking at me with narrowed eyes, and she gave an ominous smile that was unlike her. I felt uneasy as her expression resembled someone else’s. As she continued speaking, I inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

“I heard that you’ve been taking in Duke Wheaton’s arms at the rear garden. It’s a hot topic among the ladies now.”

Oh no, not again.

Because we spent the night in the palace instead of our own home, rumors had started to spread like wildfire.

“Can’t you tell me what happened?”

I couldn’t explain in detail what had happened last night, so I tried to pass it off as feeling dizzy and fainting. Leticia, who had been interested until then, suddenly looked worried.

“Do you still have aftereffects? Oh my, now that I think about it, your face looks like it lost some weight.”

What does that even mean? I could only laugh awkwardly at Leticia’s sigh.

“From the first time I saw her, I felt that she was a dangerous person, but I never imagined she would do such a thing.”

Even though there was no subject, there was no doubt in my mind who Leticia was talking about. If Leticia, who never made hasty judgments about people, spoke like this, it seemed that Adelia’s mask was not so strong. It was Leticia who had avoided talking about Adelia with a nervous expression when asked about her at the imperial party.

“My father even told me not to associate with her.”

It seemed that Jarvis, who I thought had fallen for Adelia that day, was actually watching her with concern.

“Anyway, it’s good that it was resolved. Adelia will soon be transferred to a remote region.”

“To a remote region?”

I thought she would be imprisoned in an underground dungeon, but it was unexpected.

“They say she caused a disturbance during her trial, so an additional charge of disturbing the peace was added. The prisons in remote regions are much worse than underground dungeons, so it won’t be easy for her to live there.”

Considering what she did, which was kidnapping and attempting to kill the empire’s crown prince, the punishment was still mild. Anyway, she avoided the death penalty. I nodded my head with a bitter smile, thinking that it was an unusual and bitter ending for the female lead in the original work. Leticia’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Besides that, I guess the rumors that are going around aren’t completely false.”

“What rumor?”

“It was a very hot topic in society for a while. Do you want to hear about it?”

I hadn’t been out in society for a while and didn’t know anyone, so I hadn’t heard anything. Usually, rumors about me are predictable, but seeing Leticia’s expression as though she were holding back laughter made me curious, so I nodded my head. Even though there were only two of us in the room, Leticia looked around and whispered in a low voice.

“Well…they say Duke Wheaton has gone completely insane.”

“…What?”

I thought I had misheard for a moment. There’s a rumor that Diart has gone insane?

When I sent her a gaze, urging her to speak quickly, Leticia hesitated for a while before finally speaking.

“They say he has completely lost his mind because of his wife.”

While Leticia laughed cheerfully, I could only blink. It wasn’t a joking matter. Well, it’s true that Diart likes me, but I don’t understand how such a rumor came about. Leticia, who was looking at me with an amused expression, spoke.

“When Roeni was kidnapped, Duke Wheaton searched every camp thoroughly that very night, even the imperial palace.”

The expression of the member of the imperial family who was involved in the search was so bright.

“There were rumors before that Duke Wheaton’s behavior towards Roeni had changed, but I didn’t expect it to go this far. He had always shown loyalty to the imperial family.”

“I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

“Oh, no, Roeni. I didn’t bring it up to hear you say that. It’s not your fault, nor is it your doing.”

Leticia’s clapping hands showed sincerity. Of course, I knew she didn’t mean it that way, but I felt sorry. Right now, she was speaking so casually, but at that time, she must have gone through a lot of mental anguish.

“Just because I wanted to file a complaint.”

“What? You wanted to complain?”

“How annoying it was for Duke Wheaton to be ignoring the lovely Roeni all this time.”

Leticia is undeniably more cunning than I am. While I felt embarrassed for no reason and bit my lips, she spoke without hesitation.

“Of course, I know that Duke Wheaton did the right thing for Roeni later on, but there was still resentment left. It’s like the relief you feel when a tooth falls out.”

Leticia laughed out loud.

“And you must have made an impression on the nobles too, right? Letting Duke Wheaton know what kind of person Roeni is. Now that I think about it, I remember the looks on the ladies’ faces at the hunting grounds. Hehehe.”

Her expression was so wicked that I wondered if I had misunderstood Leticia all along. But since I was also feeling vindicated, we laughed quietly like villains who had succeeded in doing something bad.

“The expression on Duke Wheaton’s face, as he held Roeni in the rear garden seemed serious. Everyone thinks you two had a big fight. But I know you well enough to know that it was quite the opposite. To think when Roeni collapsed, Duke Wheaton’s expression was so serious, it’s incredibly romantic, isn’t it?”

Actually, it had been nothing more than a crime thriller at that point… Watching Leticia giggle like a girl in love made me feel a little guilty.

“Anyway, thanks to that, I’m really looking forward to the ball tonight.”

Leticia smiled and lifted her teacup. Come to think of it, today was the ball where the original story begins… With the disappearance of the original heroine, I couldn’t predict how the ball would go.

* * *

Leticia’s expectations became a reality. As Diart and I entered the banquet hall, all the noble’s attention was focused on us. They all had expressions of doubt and amazement, as if they knew about what happened in the rear garden yesterday.

Enjoying their attention and interest, I lifted my head as I walked alone. Then, Diart’s eyes met mine.

Diart’s touch was more affectionate than ever as he escorted me from the annex. What’s more, his face was plastered with a smile the entire time, which seemed to take everyone by surprise. After all, he was a man who always had a poker face or a sneer. Earlier, Milto and Lambert, along with the other knights, had even taken a step back, frightened.

I glanced at him, who seemed to be adding to the rumor that he was completely crazy about me. Understanding my intention, Diart tilted his head and leaned closer to my ear. I whispered softly in his ear.

“Stop smiling.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t you heard the rumors?”

“Rumors?”

Diart, who had been subtly tilting his head as if asking what rumors I was talking about, soon met my gaze. It was a fierce expression that made me forget when he had been smiling.

“Are there more absurd rumors circulating about you again?”

If so, he wasn’t going to let it go. I looked at him pitifully, as if unable to understand his stubbornness.

“Not about me, about you.”

“Me?”

“They say you’re completely crazy about me.”

I lightly nudged his side with my elbow, as if telling him to stop being stubborn. Diart smirked in response.

“It’s not entirely untrue.”

Unlike my flustered self, Diart had a confident expression. It seemed that he had no intention of maintaining appearances, as he exerted force in the hand he was holding.

Why is this man like this? Despite feeling only a slight embarrassment, my cheeks flushed, but I didn’t feel bad. Unconsciously, I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face as I crossed the hall. At that moment, a familiar voice cut through the silent air.

“Who is this?”

The person was Jarvis, who’s approaching with a playful tone. Diart’s grip tightened even more.

“Isn’t this the couple who’s more talked about than me on my birthday?”

Diart silently stared down at Jarvis’ amused laughter. I could feel the gaze of the nobles watching us. They were all mentally calculating how the situation would unfold.

The tense silence permeated the hall, so quiet that even the sound of a falling needle would echo loudly. Then, Diart slowly raised a courteous greeting.

“May the light be with you, Your Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Jarvis.”

Jarvis extended his hand to Diart. As Diart took his hand, a satisfied smile appeared on Jarvis’ face.

“It’s good to see both of my friends being so affectionate.”

I could see the nobles quietly sighing in relief at Jarvis’ words. It was a statement that instantly dispelled the unpleasant rumors surrounding me, Diart, and Jarvis’ relationship.