206 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Act 5
Fifth Fragment
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 206
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Chapter 1: Omen
Roena's disappearance was a great shock to everyone. The demands to find her immediately and the accusations against me for not paying more attention to Roena's safety were mixed together, making it quite chaotic.
I tried to have a rational conversation, but all I got were shrill voices calling me cold-blooded and pointing fingers.
Just as they believed Roena was behind Margo's incident, some people thought I had instigated this reckless act to eliminate a rival.
The level of criticism against me was rising, and I could see public opinion questioning my current position.
The problem was that she had disappeared so cleanly, without any signs of resistance. The neatly erased carriage tracks made it seem as if it had been planned in advance, raising suspicions.
It was particularly suspicious that the Empress, who should have risen up like a swarm of bees to attack me, was instead expressing her regret and quietly watching the situation unfold. It was other people who were making a fuss.
Was that why? Because the social world's attention was focused on the situation, I put aside all other matters and devoted all my efforts to finding Roena, but somehow, I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
"It's definitely a pre-planned event. Otherwise, there's no way they could have kidnapped the countess's daughter so easily. They must have known the day Roena was leaving the mansion and had the kidnappers waiting in advance. Who on earth committed such a terrible act?"
In times like these, there was no better advisor than Lady Roshan. She comforted me with a sincere voice and pondered various questions with me.
"Could it be someone who would benefit from Sis being in trouble?"
"There are many."
"Then let's think about the person who would benefit the most."
The answer to the question was surprisingly close. It was quite suspicious that Lord Schilfise had readily complied with the kidnappers' demands.
Certainly, Roena was confined under the pretext of self-reflection, and all the maids who could have been her hands and feet had been dismissed, so there was no way for her to contact the outside world.
The only one who could have was Lord Schilfise, who had willingly said he would follow Roena. Who would pay attention to every move of a knight and suspect him?
It also didn't make sense that a knight who had gone through thick and thin had been dragged away without doing anything. Lord Schilfise would have been able to leave clues without the kidnappers knowing.
No, even if we conceded that Roena had been captured by them, and therefore he couldn't move recklessly, there was no way they could have easily captured her while deceiving his knightly senses.
If we were to deduce who could have made them go along willingly, the Empress or Madame de Lavalier would come to mind.
Of course, Madame couldn't have erased the traces so cleanly, so that left only the Empress. But there were several unsettling aspects that made it difficult to make a definite conclusion. It was suspicious how calmly she was acting, as if telling me to predict that she was the culprit.
Did this mean she wasn't involved in this matter, or did it mean she didn't care if I predicted it was her?
It was certainly strange that people who couldn't possibly know the complicated circumstances surrounding the Grand Duke and the Empress were already pointing fingers at me and wagging their tongues, but she wasn't joining in.
Could it be that the Empress didn't realize I knew about the rebellion and was showing this attitude? Was she simply trying to put all-around pressure on me by showing an everyday reaction? It was also more convenient for her to work behind the scenes for the sake of her reputation.
The Grand Duke had also given me fragmentary pieces of information each time he met me, so he probably didn't expect me to know about him.
Unless he knew about the conversation between the Emperor and me, like the Crown Prince, he would see me as nothing more than prey with the delicious Halberd card. So, he could appear in front of me so nonchalantly now.
It was the Grand Duke who approached me first, as I was putting up flyers with Roena's portrait and commissioning informants to track down her whereabouts.
He wore a light and gentle smile, as if he knew everything, which reminded me of a con artist reassuring their target before scamming them.
"I have many excellent friends. They boast the highest level of expertise, especially in the field of finding people. So, what do you say? I can alleviate the Lady's difficulties."
From his confident attitude, I realized that this man was involved in Roena's kidnapping. Otherwise, he wouldn't have acted as if the matter would be resolved immediately.
But pretending to know nothing, I played the innocent young lady who believed that the Grand Duke's attitude stemmed from confidence, and I held back tears.
I subtly revealed my inner thoughts, saying that I was very distressed because Roena's maternal family refused to join hands with me to find her and vehemently criticized me.
"Of course, it will take some time. I heard that she disappeared so perfectly, as if she had evaporated into thin air, so it will be difficult to even find traces. But if the Lady waits patiently, I believe I can live up to that trust."
"Thank you for your kind words. But why are you trying to help me like this? It may sound rude, but all I can give the Young Master is the reward I offered to find Roena. Anything else is beyond my capabilities."
"Oh, I've told you repeatedly before. I have a deep interest in the Lady. Everything I said about being able to help you by mentioning the Bishvarts Family was also for the Lady's sake. But you didn't believe me."
"It was something I couldn't dare to hope for."
I conspicuously drooped my shoulders and let out a small sigh. And feigning a gloomy gaze, I turned my head to the side.
Before, I had shown the image of a woman who was on guard and tried not to get involved with him, but now I tried to emphasize that I was a desperate person with many vulnerabilities to exploit due to Roena's situation.
As if I would fall for him immediately if he seduced me even a little. So, I acted as if I would do anything to find Roena.
"If the Young Master could resolve my distress, I would be very happy. We might become even closer."
"That sounds like we could become special friends."
"Special friends?"
I blushed and looked up at him. And as if a naive girl had sweet fantasies about the relationship between a man and a woman, I shyly said, "I have Sir Ayres."
"Oh, it seems my explanation was a bit lacking. By special friends, I mean a relationship where we rely on each other and help each other whenever we're in trouble. Just like I'm trying to solve the Lady's worries now. I've always wanted to have that kind of relationship with the Lady."
"Is that why you've been talking to me steadily since before?"
"Yes."
As before, the Grand Duke's appearance was so excellent that he could create a refreshing smile of a handsome man just by slightly pulling up the corners of his lips. It was very refreshing, as if telling me to trust him.
Therefore, if I didn't know anything about the Grand Duke, I would have been grateful for the offer and believed it.
"I'm worried about whether I can be a helpful friend to the Young Master."
"Just give me a little help when I need it."
"A little help? What does that mean?"
At my question, the Grand Duke gave a strange smile and said that I would find out later. And as if he was worried that I would be wary of him because of his vague remarks earlier, he added, "There will absolutely be no harm to the Lady."
But I didn't believe his words. The Empress, who hated me, was his partner, so would she really just stand by and watch as he pleased?
Above all, if the Grand Duke had Roena in his hands and approached me again in this way, I needed to think more about the meaning of "it will take time" that he had said.
What they wanted was Sir Halberd, that is, to use him as a rival to Sir Ayres, but everything had gone wrong since I took over the family on behalf of Roena. Besides, Sir Halberd had rejected the Empress's proposal according to my words.
But in this situation, the fact that they kidnapped Roena, who was known as another successor, could only be thought of as a way to pressure me and make me step down from my position. For Roena to reappear later.
It was clear from the outcries of the relatives that various disturbances had occurred since I took care of the family with the guardian, and from the petitions sent to the imperial family by Roena's maternal family.
But I couldn't just be helplessly defeated like this. I decided to lay some groundwork in advance. Leaving aside the criticism I was receiving because of Roena, this was a position I had obtained, so there was no way I could give it back so easily.
"I feel much more relieved after hearing the Young Master's words. But I can't just sit back and do nothing, so I will continue to try to find Roena's whereabouts. It's not because I don't trust the Young Master, but because I'm afraid of other people's gazes. They don't know how I feel about Roena. So, they're just blindly criticizing and trying to tear me apart. If they saw how I can't sleep even once, they wouldn't be able to say such things so carelessly..."
"They are foolish. They sell their honor without a second thought for gossip and pleasure. So, please don't worry. I don't doubt the Lady's sincerity. It's a situation that is understandable enough."
"Only the Young Master brings a smile to my face. Ah, I don't know how to express my gratitude."
"You're welcome. Sir Ayres will be much more comforting to the Lady than I am."
As soon as he finished speaking, I deliberately gave a faint smile as if I was in trouble and shook my head.
"If you saw the situation I'm in, you wouldn't say that. Receiving affection covered in suspicion is not a pleasant thing. Who would like the name of a woman who divides deep friendships?"
"It's a tragedy that happens because you covet what belongs to others."
"How wonderful would it be if we were only satisfied with what we have?"
It wasn't something I should say, but there was no better story to examine the Grand Duke's intentions. This was true not only for the Crown Prince but also for him.
"But sometimes there are times when you have to be greedy."
"Even if you have to bet everything for it?"
"Yes. If it's worth it, wouldn't it be worthwhile to fight hard and get it? To His Highness the Crown Prince, the Lady is probably that kind of meaning."
"...Is the Young Master also fighting such a battle now?"
At my question, he paused for a moment and pressed his lips tightly. And he looked at me, but the slowly pouring gaze was merely an act to explore whether I knew something rather than to make eye contact.
The Grand Duke seemed unable to gauge whether my bringing up these words was a coincidence or intentional.
After a while, he smiled as if nothing had happened and answered in a soft voice. But his eyes weren't smiling, as if he wouldn't let anything suspicious go unnoticed.
"Yes. She's so charming that I can't give up at all."
"She must be a really beautiful person."
"Yes?"
"How beautiful is she that the Young Master desires her so desperately that he can't give up? I hope you can introduce her to me later. Gentlemen sometimes mistakenly believe that women are jealous of other beautiful women, but that's not true. I also like to see beautiful women. Because they are lovely and reverent."
"I hope so too."
The Grand Duke said in a polite manner. Ah, now his eyes are bending flexibly. It seems that his suspicion has finally been relieved by my actions of connecting it to something completely different.
It was inevitable that the conversation would flow naturally from the fact that I had expressed my anxiety by mentioning the deteriorating relationship between the Crown Prince and Sir Ayres.
So, he led the friendly atmosphere as if he had never sent a searching gaze and promised to be a kind friend to me.
"By the way, is the note I sent you helpful to the Lady?"
"Well, even if I find out, there's nothing I can do, so I don't know how to use it at all. If not, all I do is go out for tea time and chat, so what more can I do than this?"
"But isn't it better than not knowing at all?"
"To be honest, it's a little scary. I wonder if I need to know that much. I was more comfortable when I didn't know anything."
Then the Grand Duke whispered softly and revealed his inner thoughts slightly.
"I can tell you how to use it... Actually, I wanted to do that since before, but there was nothing I could do because the Lady was so wary of me."
"No, stop if you're going to use my fears. I'm satisfied enough as it is now. A girl who used to run around in the back alleys has become a noble lady, wearing beautiful dresses, eating delicious food, and sleeping in a fluffy bed, so what more could I want?"
"If Lady Roena makes her debut in society, you can't even guarantee that, can you?"
"Roena is not that kind of child. She's a kind and gentle girl who's called an angel."
The Grand Duke flatly denied my words.
"Angels are also people. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't covet what is theirs?"
It was like the devil was tempting me. The voice that added kindly flowed down sweetly like honey.
"The Lady's beautiful sister will also be like that. Isn't it because the Lady is occupying what she originally thought was hers? Think about it slowly. Then things that you couldn't see will gradually come into view."
The Grand Duke seemed confident that I would fall for his words. As if he knew me so well. So, I wasn't even taken aback. His attitude of smiling with an arrogant face was also disgusting.
