Chapter 14: Decided to Disappear (Part 6)

A few days later.

“This is absurd! Kerman Hill? How can they conscript the heir of a family to such a dangerous place?”

Abigail gasped as she clutched the telegram. After James Parker’s conscription was confirmed, she had asked her maid to find out where he was being sent. The location turned out to be the frontlines of the war with the Melkan Tribe—Kerman Hill.

She couldn’t believe it. Even though the Parker family was a newly risen noble house, it was still one of the more influential families of late. Sending the only heir of such a family to the frontlines was akin to a death sentence. It was also a clear message to annihilate the Parker family.

“This can’t be happening.”

Abigail, pale with shock, found herself unable to sit still. Unless the war ended, discharge was impossible. And the war was raging at its peak. The only futures awaiting James were either returning as a disabled veteran or dying honorably for the country.

“My Lady…”

The maid, noticing Abigail’s visible distress, spoke in a pitiful tone. Knowing that Abigail had been intimately involved with James, the maid kept her words to herself.

‘How could they be so heartless?’

All the families who had been close to the Parkers had turned their backs on them. Riding this momentum, the Valère family had pressured the Parkers into this outcome. Asking Austin for help would only arouse suspicion. Normally, Abigail would have stopped Austin from intervening herself.

But Abigail couldn’t just stand by and watch James be sent to his death. After a moment of deliberation, Abigail spoke with a determined expression.

“I must go to the Duke.”

***

After finishing a meeting at the Line Hotel, Kiern noticed Abigail waiting by the door of the conference room. He looked at her indifferently.

“What brings you here?”

“I need to speak with you.”

Abigail, unusually tense, suggested they move to a different location. After dismissing the executives, Kiern led her to a quiet suite. Once they were alone, Abigail spoke.

“Please change James Parker’s conscription location.”

“So now you’re openly asking me to help your lover? It’s rather refreshing to see you, who once called Elizabeth filthy, stoop to such a request, Lady Prairie.”

Kiern sipped the coffee brought by an attendant, exuding an air of composure as if he held the upper hand in the negotiation.

“Mock me all you want. After all, you and I are in the same boat, Duke, and we’re the only ones who can make such dirty requests of each other.”

Abigail straightened her back, as if demanding the return of something entrusted to him, and asked for James’s matter to be resolved. Kiern crossed his legs and tapped his foot, deliberately taking his time.

To think she would come to him herself, asking for help with James.

In truth, Kiern had been somewhat surprised to hear that James was being sent to Kerman Hill. The public outrage and the Valère family’s swift actions had played a role, but Kiern could have mediated the situation if he wanted.

“So, if I move James Parker’s conscription to a safer location, what will you offer me in return, Lady Prairie?”

“At my upcoming birthday banquet, I plan to officially announce Miss Elizabeth as your mistress.”

“Are you trying to use the announcement you were forced to make because of Anna Trisha as a bargaining chip now?”

Kiern chuckled, leaning forward with his elbow resting on his thigh. His blue eyes gleamed as if urging her to reveal her next card. Abigail swallowed nervously and presented her real offer.

“Of course not. If you help James, I will support formally taking her as a second wife when I become Duchess in the future.”

For Abigail, this was a proposal that required swallowing her pride. A mistress and a second wife were entirely different positions. A mistress couldn’t even be listed in the family registry, and her children couldn’t inherit titles or the family estate.

On the other hand, a second wife held a legally protected status. Both she and her children were listed in the family registry, and her children had rights to inheritance. In some cases, they even surpassed the legitimate wife’s children to become heirs.

Aside from being the second wife, there was no difference between her and the legitimate wife. For this reason, most nobles avoided taking second wives. Ironically, both the legitimate wife and the head of the family opposed it. It was a result of the twisted desire to sow seeds recklessly while keeping titles within pure bloodlines.

As a result, illegitimate children were rampant among the nobility. Mistresses and their children, who couldn’t be listed in the family registry, were not only scorned but also excluded from inheritance.

This was the misfortune Elizabeth would face if she had a child. Abigail was offering to eliminate that predetermined misfortune herself. From Abigail’s perspective, it was a significant concession.

“However, the heir must be my child. If you guarantee that, I will no longer treat Miss Elizabeth as a subordinate.”

“That’s an intriguing proposal.”

Kiern straightened his posture and smiled elegantly. His black hair caught the light, reflecting a bluish hue. It looked like a well-honed blade with a cold edge.

The chill made Abigail swallow nervously. Kiern thought Abigail was an impressive negotiator. She had presented the most tempting condition to secure what she wanted.

“The council meeting is coming up soon. I’ll resolve James Parker’s conscription issue there.”

Abigail’s eyes sparkled at the agreeable response. At the same time, a bitter feeling welled up within her. It felt as if she had done the same foolish things as the love-stricken people she had always mocked—and to think it was no one else but herself.

Of course, Abigail did not love James. Their relationship was nothing more than that of a pet that provided comfort through the night. It wasn’t deep enough to warrant such emotions, and she felt that by saving his life, she had fulfilled her duty as his master.

Perhaps James Parker would never know of her efforts. After all, she would not meet him again.

It was a time when public attention was focused on them, and in a negative way. Visiting James in such circumstances, or seeing him off at his deployment ceremony, would have been reckless and foolish.

Abigail believed she hadn’t fallen so low as to do such things. Letting go of her lingering guilt at this point seemed like the most efficient course of action.

“Then I’ll take it that you’ve accepted my proposal and prepare accordingly.”

“Do as you wish.”

Kiern’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he secured a favorable hand. At the same time, he thought of Elizabeth, who would be waiting in Agaphel Castle. Now that his thirst for revenge had subsided, his feelings toward her became clearer.

She was Stella’s daughter, but she was not Stella. The ones who had sinned were Stella and the late Duke Agaphel. That undeniable fact had been obscured by his vengeful rage, causing him to nearly make a grave mistake.

Though the first step had already gone awry, Kiern was certain. He believed that he was the only one who could make Elizabeth bloom again. She was the kind of woman who lit up as if she had the world when he smiled at her even slightly. Surely, she would also be delighted with what he had prepared this time.

Kiern decided to deliver this joyful news to her later. Yet, that very evening, as if mocking his thoughts, Kiern received shocking news and rushed to the castle.

Elizabeth had attempted to end her life by drinking jasmine flower tea with sleeping pills.

***

Obtaining jasmine flowers was an easy task for Elizabeth. Agaphel Castle not only had a vast garden but also a separate greenhouse for cultivating various herbs and medicinal plants. Since jasmine flower tea had been a favorite of the late Duke, there was a substantial amount of the flower being cultivated.

The servants, unaware that the Duke had died because of the jasmine flowers, would look at them and reminisce about him. Their faces never betrayed the slightest suspicion that Elizabeth’s mother had been the one to kill him.

Elizabeth returned to her bedroom with an armful of flowers. She began steeping tea using the flowers, which still bore their natural poison.

Jasmine flowers were unique in that they could be steeped without being dried. The fresher they were, the more fragrant the aroma they released. The Duke had liked the flower tea so much that he had cultivated the flowers himself.

As soon as the flowers touched the water, it began to turn red. Elizabeth stared blankly at the sight.

Would mother know? That I would die in the same manner as the late Duke?

Probably not. Her mother would likely never know, nor would she care. If she had, she wouldn’t have abandoned her only daughter to this hell. Elizabeth felt sorrow for her life, which had never received unconditional love, not even from her mother.

After the tea had turned completely red, Elizabeth poured it into her favorite teacup. Then she opened a drawer and took out the sleeping pills. She had been prescribed these pills a few days ago for insomnia and had kept them aside.

‘Once I take this, I’ll finally be free.’

What a strange thing. After deciding to die, everything seemed to flow naturally and smoothly. Elizabeth poured the sleeping pills into the teacup. The white powder began to dissolve like sugar. She stirred it well with a spoon and brought it to her lips in one swift motion.

That was when Eddie entered with a knock. Eddie tilted his head at the scent of jasmine flowers wafting through the room. Then, noticing the extra sleeping pills and jasmine flowers on the table where Elizabeth sat, he turned pale and rushed over.

“Miss Elizabeth, surely you’re not…!”

Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. She feared he might try to force her to vomit before the pills took effect. And just as she expected, Eddie began pressing against her abdomen relentlessly. Though she struggled, she couldn’t overcome the strength of an adult man.

“Ugh!”

In the end, she vomited everything she had consumed before it could even begin to digest. Still not reassured, Eddie hastily called for a physician. In her now-blurred vision, Elizabeth felt despair. The moment of death, which she thought would flow naturally, seemed so far away now.