Chapter 125: [Chapter 125] An Insult to My Advisor?
"Where have you been, Catherine?"
As Catherine returned from the western palace, she encountered the Marquis in front of her room.
'Loitering around without a care, huh.'
Well, why would someone born into a vast estate like him have to work as hard as she did? Catherine felt a fresh surge of annoyance.
All he had done was be born a high noble and leisurely produce offspring, yet by sheer luck, those around him gave him the privilege of using women destined to become Grand Duchesses however he pleased. First, it was the late Grand Duchess, and now it was Catherine... hiding behind capable women and pretending to be something special.
Catherine smirked and sneered.
"Must be nice to live so comfortably."
"What?"
The Marquis' eyes widened in shock. Catherine found his immediate reaction amusing, and it gave her a sense of satisfaction.
"I was just having tea with that Trude woman at the western palace, but what about you, Marquis? You've been wandering around sulking because you think people here aren't treating you properly, right?"
Her voice wasn't too loud, but it was clear enough for those nearby to hear. The Marquis panicked, quickly glancing around, and then forcibly dragged Catherine into her room.
Bang. The door shut. The Marquis seethed with rage.
"What do you think you're doing? Have you lost your mind? Cledwyn will be back tomorrow, and you're going to ruin everything we've worked for in one fell swoop?"
Wasn't this the moment when Catherine was supposed to focus and finally achieve their goal?
The Marquis found it odd that she didn't seem to understand the critical timing of the situation. Suspicion crept into his mind.
'She says she went to the western palace… could it be?'
The Marquis could only think of one possibility. It wasn't that Nerys Trude had coaxed Catherine to betray him. If Nerys had wanted to hold onto the Grand Duchess position, she would have made that clear from the start. So, the only answer was…
'Catherine's trying to gain the upper hand.'
How dare she? Who did she think brought her this far?
Furious, the Marquis sneered coldly.
"Lost your confidence, have you? So, you're afraid because you realize you're no match for Nerys Trude? Is that why you're thinking of switching sides?"
To Catherine, the Marquis' attitude felt like proof of what Nerys had said earlier. Look how quickly he turned on her after just a few words! Who had brought her all the way to this freezing place anyway?
With a look sharpened by betrayal, Catherine's glare confirmed the Marquis' suspicions. And as the Marquis' face twisted in anger, Catherine became certain of her own.
"If you have nothing better to do, go inside and take a nap. I'm busy doing good work for you, after all!"
Catherine spoke coldly and opened the door. Outside, a few servants who worked nearby had gathered.
She snapped at them too.
"What are you standing around for? Get lost!"
The servants scurried away. The Marquis, red-faced, stormed out of Catherine's room, shouting. How dare that lowborn woman act as if she was already the Grand Duchess!
"Let's see how well things go for you acting like that!"
Catherine slammed the door shut in his face. She sneered and muttered to herself.
"Of course things will go well. If you act like this, I'm not going to be foolish enough to just be used and die alone."
She realized she needed to push her plans forward more quickly.
❖ ❖ ❖
The clear sound of trumpets echoed through the snow-covered castle.
"His Highness has returned!"
In the cold of Mainthland's winter, where even water froze before tea could steep, the people didn't mind the chill as they excitedly welcomed their lord. It had only been a few days since he had left, but their joy was palpable.
Nerys had lined up the people in the castle's front yard to welcome the returning knights and Cledwyn. The arrangement was almost identical to when Nerys first arrived at the castle. The only difference was that Nerys now stood at the head of the officials, and Catherine Haricot, visibly nervous, stood among the castle servants and officials.
As Cledwyn finally appeared, rounding the corner of the village below the castle, Catherine's face lit up. She was the very picture of a young lady, eager to see him, proudly standing outside despite knowing she wasn't welcome by those around her.
Once inside the inner courtyard, Cledwyn nimbly dismounted his horse. He smiled and gave a slight nod toward Nerys.
"I'm back."
"Your Highness."
Nerys, as the representative of the officials, greeted him with a respectful bow. The atmosphere between them seemed even more awkward than it had been a few days ago, causing the officials to exchange glances. Did anyone know what was going on? No? What was this about?
Naturally, Catherine didn't miss this interaction. She smiled with satisfaction. As Cledwyn greeted Ellen and Madam Trude, Catherine made sure to position herself as visibly as possible.
"Ah."
Her effort wasn't in vain; Cledwyn acknowledged her presence.
"You're still here."
While this wasn't a typical greeting a sensible man would give, Catherine interpreted it as a positive sign. After all, he singled her out... surely even the advisor was convinced by now.
'Once the distance between hearts grows, it's impossible to go back.'
That applied to the man she had sunk her claws into as well. Glancing around, Catherine took a few quick steps toward Cledwyn and let out a dainty sneeze.
"A-choo! Your Highness, did you have a pleasant trip?"
"Yes. You seem cold—what are you doing out here?"
"I came out to make sure you noticed me, of course. I'm going to be your wife, after all."
The courtyard, filled with the clatter of returning horses, snorting from the animals, and the buzz of the excited castle staff, fell silent. So quiet that it seemed even the birds had stopped singing.
Aidan, who had been following behind Cledwyn, widened his eyes, and the stablehand Talprin gaped in shock. What?
'Wait, what?'
Whether she noticed the stunned stares directed at her or not, Catherine boldly continued.
"If it's alright, I'd love to have tea with you later. Nerys Trude can join too. It'd be great for everyone in the castle to see. The more, the merrier. You'll get to watch that self-important woman suffer a huge embarrassment."
From the second sentence on, every gaze fixed on Catherine turned as cold as ice.
Among the lords who had come to welcome Cledwyn, Hilbrin clenched his fists, stepping forward, and even Talprin narrowed his eyes disdainfully.
"Humiliation, you say? My advisor?"
Cledwyn smiled, clearly intrigued, and Catherine gazed at him, her heart fluttering.
"If you have the ability to do so, I'd certainly like to see it. Very well, let everyone in the castle gather in the grand hall in an hour."
"I'm thrilled! Thank you, Your Highness. I'll show you something entertaining."
"I look forward to seeing this 'entertainment.'"
Catherine was so overjoyed that she didn't notice the brief glance exchanged between Cledwyn and Nerys. Nor did she see the Marquis standing in the hallway, looking down at her coldly while stroking the emerald ring on his finger.
Of course, she missed all of this.
❖ ❖ ❖
"Prepare to leave."
At the Marquis's command, his knight looked troubled.
"Your Lordship, there's still a lot of snow outside. The path back includes mountain roads. If we leave now, it could be dangerous."
"Don't argue—just do as I say. But make sure it's done discreetly. I want to be ready to leave at any moment."
"Understood, sir."
The knight knew that reasoning with the Marquis was futile. Giving up, he left the room.
Now alone, the Marquis sat down at the table, fiddling with the emerald ring. He manipulated the hidden mechanism within the ring, and with a soft click, the emerald swung open.
Beneath the emerald, a secret compartment was revealed, containing a viscous liquid. The design allowed for a drop of the liquid to be dispensed at the push of a button.
"One hour from now, is it?"
The Marquis had no intention of lowering himself to go out in the cold to greet his grandson. He didn't care for any of the people in this castle and had no desire to face them. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't keeping an eye on the situation.
From the window on the second floor of the main castle, he watched Cledwyn's return. It was as crude and rustic as he'd expect from these northern people. His grandson riding around like a bear on horseback instead of using a perfectly good carriage, with his subordinates following behind, heads held high as if they were proud of their savagery. The whole scene disgusted him.
But it was worth watching, as it confirmed that Catherine was up to something.
"That fox wouldn't reveal her true intentions so carelessly without reason."
Humiliate Nerys Trude? Since she'd declared it so openly, it was unlikely that Nerys was the real target. The Marquis concluded that Catherine was intentionally making awkward remarks to set up something bigger.
Moreover, lines like "I came to make sure His Highness noticed me" and "I'm going to be his wife"? Who in their right mind would say such things when they weren't even engaged? She must have been trying to make everyone feel uneasy.
"She's laying the groundwork, afraid I might expose her. She wants to give the impression that I lured her here with sweet talk."
Just like she had done all along. Then, she'd probably play the victim and ask for help.
That in itself was what the Marquis wanted, but it seemed clear that Catherine had no intention of following his orders now that she had grown closer to Cledwyn. Her attitude from before and the boldness of her current actions made that obvious.
In this moment, the alliance between the Marquis of Tipion and the vixen of the Savenya Theatre was completely destroyed in his heart. He closed the ring and stood up.
"We'll see who ends up humiliated..."
"We'll see soon enough."
If she were to mysteriously disappear without a trace, and from the afterlife witness the very woman she had envied taking the position of Grand Duchess, that would be enough satisfaction.
But for now, the vixen was still alive, and the Marquis intended to enjoy the play she had prepared. It would be a shame if no one witnessed the final performance of such an excellent actress.
As her final employer, adding a bit of amusement to her finale didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Hey!"
The Marquis shouted toward the door as if it were his own home. Having made his decision, he had regained the confidence he had upon first arriving in Maindeland.
He drummed his fingers on the table as he waited, and soon heard footsteps approaching. When the door opened, he grinned slyly at the person who entered.
It was Ellen, who asked coldly, "Do you need something, Your Lordship?"
"You insolent thing. I'm the one who appointed you as my daughter's lady-in-waiting, even though you were nothing but the distant niece of the head of my household staff. You've lived well here, yet not once have you shown gratitude."
"You drove my aunt away after I managed to survive here for years. Were you afraid that my family might expose your weaknesses?"
"Ha! As if something like that could be a weakness."
"Now you've brought in another 'niece,' I see. A fake daughter and now a fake niece... Your precious bloodline isn't all that impressive if you can swap it out so easily for power."
"You fool. Value is what people create, and I simply gave them what they wanted. Anyway, enough of this. You've been here long enough with these barbarians, so I'll generously forgive your rudeness."
The Marquis was satisfied with the cold look in Ellen's eyes when she mentioned Catherine.
Stupid vixen. Ellen had survived life-or-death situations alongside the late Grand Duchess for years. She was fiercely attached to the child and would never be fooled by that impostor. If anything, she probably wanted to tear her apart.
"You must have hated seeing Catherine latch onto my grandson, knowing how much you care about his favorite woman. I'll give you a gift. Go to my knights—they'll give you a servant."
Ellen frowned, her expression stiff. But the thought of what was about to happen made the Marquis feel so triumphant that he couldn't help but chuckle.
"He was Catherine's first lover. A popular actor from the Savenya Theatre whose life was ruined when she started dating the troupe leader. He's foolish enough, so when the grand party begins in an hour, put on whatever show you like with him."
Who would care if a disgraced vixen quietly disappeared from the castle with her old lover? No one would wonder where she'd gone.
Let Nerys Trude become the Grand Duchess. Now that things had turned this way, the Marquis was more than willing to cooperate.
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