Translator: Nox

Chapter 85

#085. About the Irreversible

"Father..."

The voice that escaped him without his knowing trembled terribly.

He thought that if his father saw the diary, everything would change. He believed that the terrible emotions he felt would also come to his father.

But in his father's voice just now, he couldn't find any emotion at all.

No, his ears must be wrong. His father wasn't like that.

A cold but fair and warm person.

That was how Conrad saw his father, Duke Giovanni Madeleine.

Conrad knew better than anyone how much love his father had given to Esella and Jade, and to him.

How warmly he smiled when he looked at his children with a seemingly cold face.

Conrad hurriedly turned his head to look at his father.

He hoped to see some agitation on his father's face. Guilt, or regret, or pity, or even sympathy.

But the moment he met his father's face, Conrad couldn't breathe for a moment.

His father put down the diary with a face that was eerily indifferent. The sound of the diary falling, thud, was repeated in Conrad's ears.

His hands trembled slightly. As the firm belief in his father began to crack, the sporadic voices faded in and out.

"I heard that the Heferti Delegation will be participating in the banquet from tomorrow. His Highness the Crown Prince also said that he would show himself with Olivia when there are foreign delegations. So, early in the morning,"

"Father... you saw the diary."

Conrad interrupted his father's words with a trembling voice. The Duke, for the first time, rebuked his son with fierce eyes.

But what was important now was not that gaze. Something caught in his throat like a thorn, but Conrad had to say something.

"It wasn't Olivia's fault. It's all a misunderstanding. Just like I did, Father should also..."

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"

"So..."

Conrad's mouth slowly closed as he was about to answer the question that came back as if asking again. The inside of his throat felt gritty as if he had swallowed sand, and then a sharp pain keenly scratched Conrad.

It wasn't a misunderstanding.

The reason he hated Olivia, that girl, was clear.

His kind parents became worse than strangers, and his beloved mother died. It was all because Olivia came into the house.

But really, was it because Olivia came in?

Conrad staggered for a moment. The floor that his two legs were supporting began to tilt little by little.

"F-Father."

It was a desperate call.

Please, he wanted his father to take his hand now.

But the Duke looked at his son with indifferent eyes. The eldest son, whom he thought was quite mature, was still soft-hearted.

"What do you want to say?"

Conrad bit the inside of his mouth tightly. Even though he couldn't feel the pain, his father's voice was cruelly clear.

"I, too, have changed my mind a little after hearing Esella's story. I was trying to forgive her a little. But, that child was smiling at the banquet today."

Ha. The Duke sighed as if he was dumbfounded.

An immeasurable sadness flashed across his face. It was the same face he had when he was crying after the Duchess died in Conrad's childhood.

So Conrad was always on his father's side. He wanted to be a little bit of strength to his pillar-like father.

"That can't be."

But.

"...Why did Hazel die?"

That couldn't be the reason to blame Olivia. Even while his vision was fading, the blurry shape became clearer and clearer.

The one who stubbornly called him "Brother" while looking at him, the one who came to his side and smiled no matter how much he insulted her.

And finally.

Olivia, who passed him by as if looking at a stranger.

The image of her looking briefly at Conrad with green eyes at the end of resignation and then turning away came to his mind.

As if his lungs had been stabbed, Conrad couldn't even breathe, and the indifferent amethyst eyes stared at Conrad.

"...Don't you know either?"

"Didn't you really know?"

Suddenly, the day Jade came to him came to mind. The words he said to Jade, who was talking about Olivia with a dazed face.

Only then did Conrad understand why Jade was standing there like only the collapsed ruins were left.

Conrad realized only at the moment when he knew that his eyes at that time contained only complete hatred like his father's eyes now.

The person he had to hate was not Olivia.

The one who had to be constantly cut in the knife-like sharp social circle was not Olivia.

"...Rest. Don't forget to visit the Grand Duke's Residence tomorrow."

As if he had quickly sorted out his emotions, his father left Olivia's room. As if nothing had happened.

But Conrad couldn't take a single step. The eyes that had finally realized the truth shook aimlessly.

The cowardly origin of these stale wounds that he couldn't hate.

It was all his father. A father who was neither fair nor strong.

Ah...

He found out too late. No, he had turned a blind eye until this late.

Conrad covered his face with his palm in unbearable misery.

* * *

Imperial Princess Palace reception room.

Beyond the glass window, a garden with deep blue darkness was visible. In the garden, lanterns twinkling like stars enhanced the splendid atmosphere of the banquet.

It was a beautiful landscape that captivated the eyes of the beholder, but the Empress did not give a single glance to the garden and looked at the Princess sitting across from her.

Could she have misheard?

The Empress tried to deny the story she had heard a little while ago. But the beautifully decorated Princess could not even lift her head and made excuses.

"I didn't know it was that important. If I had, I would never have given it to that commoner, Olivia. That cheeky thing, she happened to have evidence that she had been doing what His Majesty the Emperor had ordered, and she blackmailed me..."

Even the Princess's voice could not be heard properly. Instead, the story she had shared with the Emperor before came to her mind vividly.

So, it was a story from a few months ago when the Emperor was heavily drunk. The Emperor, who was in a good mood at the story that the Grand Duke had been attacked on the battlefield, readily told the story.

"...The Empress probably doesn't know how great a treasure I have given to the Princess this time."

He had nothing to bestow on the world, so he bestowed an Abandoned Mine, and called it a treasure. But the Empress calmed her anger at the Emperor's following words.

"There was a time when Lowell's princess took away the mine that she cherished so much. If he's a filial dog..."

The Emperor's words stopped there as drowsiness came over him. But the Empress perfectly understood the next words.

As long as the Princess owned that Abandoned Mine, the Grand Duke would inevitably faithfully serve as the imperial family's dog.

But, she gave that Abandoned Mine to Olivia. The Empress was stunned.

It was fortunate that the Emperor went to bed early today, or she would have almost heard these words in front of the Emperor.

In the meantime, the Princess approached the Empress and begged, as if trying to make room to stretch her legs.

"Your Majesty, Mother. Please save me. Really, if His Majesty the Emperor finds out..."

The Princess was genuinely horrified. The wrath of the supreme Emperor would not end with a thunderous roar.

All these things that she was enjoying thanks to the trust she had received. It was clear that they would shatter in an instant.

Tears dripped down the Princess's beautiful face.

"...Princess. Ha, don't cry. You have to act like a Princess. Crying in this situation won't solve anything."

Seeing her sobbing daughter, the dizziness that had been stirring in her head disappeared.

Controlling the anxiety that made her lips feel dry, the Empress asked the most important question now.

"...Does Olivia know the value of the mine?"

"Probably... I don't think she knows."

"Princess. You must answer clearly."

The Empress's voice was sharp. The Princess, who was terrified, shook her head and denied it without realizing it.

"Absolutely, she will never know. It's a secret that only the imperial family can know, how would that commoner know. If she already knew, she would have revealed everything today."

Ha. The Empress sighed briefly.

The Princess's words made sense. But there was still a long way to go until the end of the banquet. If she knew the value, she could reveal it at any time.

If the fact that the ownership of the Abandoned Mine was transferred was revealed, it was obvious that it would be known that Olivia, that half-breed, had received the mine as compensation for doing the Princess's work. The Emperor must never know.

No matter what, she had to make Olivia return quietly to the Crown Prince's side at the banquet tomorrow.

The Crown Prince also said that he would keep Olivia by his side as much as possible when the Heferti Delegation was there, so there was no need to worry about that. Today, she refused the nickname as if she was sulking, but she was the child who had been by the Crown Prince's side while enduring countless insults.

Everything was being sorted out in her head. While the Empress was taking a breather, the words that her brother Duke Elkin had said flashed through her mind.

"...What do you think about raising Lady Etel to the position of Crown Princess Consort? Your Majesty."

"It seems like an interesting card. If she shows results, I might be inclined to do so."

Duke Elkin smiled deeply at her answer at that time and told her to look forward to the last day of the banquet.

The last day of the banquet. She didn't know what he was going to do, but Maria Etel had become a useless card. The Empress quickly pulled the reins. Soon, the Head Maid who was outside came in.

"...Tell Duke Elkin to enter the palace right now."

If it was her brother who answered her call day and night, he would enter the palace right away. But the Head Maid, who had always moved faithfully, had a troubled look for a moment.

"Ah, Duke Elkin. I know that he is currently staying overnight at the outer palace due to the delegation reception today."

Of all times.

The Empress frowned at the urgent feeling. Come to think of it, she remembered hearing it briefly at the banquet earlier. As the representative who was treating the delegation, it would not be easy to leave his seat.

The Princess's expression became even more tearful at the sight of her mother, who could not hide her anxiety.

The Empress tried to smile brightly to calm her daughter. After sending the Head Maid out, the Empress said kindly.

"It's alright, Princess. Don't worry. Maintain your composure."

"But, Mother."

"I already felt that the Grand Duke's intentions in taking Olivia were sinister, so I've already sent people to the Territory of Vikander."

"In that case..."

"Even if she runs wild under the Grand Duke's protection now, do you think she won't come crawling back to the Crown Prince?"

The Empress spoke clearly. Only then did the Princess blink, seemingly relieved.

Watching her, the Empress smiled brightly. After all, judging from her brother's words, Maria Etel's actions would surely occur on the last day of the banquet.

So, the immediate priority was to understand the Grand Duke's intentions and return Olivia to the Crown Prince's side.

The Empress relaxed her brow again. The corners of her alluring lips lifted smoothly.

The Princess also smiled brightly with a face resembling the Empress.

* * *

And the morning of the second day of the banquet.

The dress room of the Marquis Etel's residence.

With the bright morning sky visible through the window, Maria Etel stared at one place as if possessed.

"...I could have done this so well, Madam. You gave me too much time."

Madam Pluto bit her lip tightly, barely managing to stand.

Last night, the Etel family's servants, who had loudly knocked on the boutique's door, almost kidnapped her and the seamstresses, bringing them to the Marquis Etel's residence and threatening them.

They were told that if they didn't complete Lady Etel's dress at the fastest speed, they wouldn't be left alone. Madam and the seamstresses poured all their efforts into finishing three days' worth of work overnight.

But Maria, not caring about Madam's gaze, was swept away by a blissful feeling.

A white dress that was incomparably more brilliant and beautiful than the engagement dress Olivia Madelaine had worn.

This dress, lavishly sprinkled with pearls and diamond dust, was made for her with Duke Elkin and her father's money. Not to mention the platinum tiara and the voluminous veil that sparkled in the sunlight.

She could imagine how beautiful she would look wearing that dress and holding an engagement ceremony in front of all the nobles and delegations.

It was clear that Leopold's eyes, looking at her, would return to how they used to be.

"So, there will be no more bothering my busy and respected lady with letters. Isn't that right, Your Highness?"

Maria's blue eyes shook violently at the sudden memory.

Letters. There was no way Leopold would send letters to that half-breed.

Maria shook her head roughly. The Grand Duke's words that flooded her mind must be lies. How could someone who would soon be the Crown Princess Consort be so shaken by such trivial things?

If she just wore that dress and got engaged...!

As she shook off her distractions and focused on imagining the engagement ceremony, her heart fluttered.

Everything was perfect.

As if responding to her swelling expectations, her nanny shouted in an excited voice.

"Today, my lady will be the most beautiful fiancée in the world. It might even be called the engagement of the century."

The engagement of the century.

Maria rolled the words around in her mouth. Her heart pounded with excitement.

Indeed. It was extremely rare for foreign delegations to attend an engagement ceremony, let alone a wedding. So, the entire continent, beyond the empire, might praise her engagement ceremony.

"And soon, you will ascend to the noble position of Crown Princess Consort."

Crown Princess Consort. A dreamlike event unfolded dazzlingly before Maria. Maria only had to step lightly onto the carpet leading to that path.