Kapitel 199: [Chapter 199] The Movement of Three Women
"Today, the doctor came. Your complexion doesn't look good. What happened outside?"
Claudwin, who came in for dinner after finishing work outside, asked with concern as he entered the restaurant where Neris was.
Neris, who had been holed up in her room alone like someone who didn't know how to control her body during the day, had regained her usual appearance. She remained calm.
"I heard some interesting news. It was surprisingly shocking. I was so preoccupied with how to use it that I sent a doctor because Joan misunderstood."
Gilbert would have suspected and reported the fact that the visitor today was not just a simple messenger but a doctor. If he was a promising talent like that man, he would have investigated separately, and above all, an ordinary messenger wouldn't spend so much time in the Duke's room.
Claudwin greeted Neris and sat next to her. It was customary for couples to sit at both ends of the long dining table, but no one in this mansion cared about such facts.
"What's the news?"
In response to his question, Neris looked sharply at him.
"I told you last time that Megara Lycanderos is not the daughter of the marchioness, right? There are many bold people in this generation's court besides the marquis. They say he recklessly sprinkled a drug that made someone else's precious daughter infertile like feeding chickens."
Claudwin raised his eyebrows. Of course, Dorah and even Talfrin were not reporting to Claudwin about what Neris was ordering separately, so it was unclear who their real master was.
"Who was affected?"
"The women who were approaching Abelus."
"Saying that means the culprit is likely to be Grunehalz, right."
- "Yes. I came to confirm with the marchioness."
A twisted smile appeared on Neris's face. Claudwin, who saw it, narrowed his eyes.
"It seems like my wife is planning something interesting again."
"It will be very interesting."
The words she was considering whether to say today or not disappeared couragelessly from her confident mouth.
What should I say? Can I have a child?
So should I have one right now?
In her previous life, she had agonized and suffered for a long time over the issue of having a child. And she had finally accepted the impossibility.
Just because she heard that it was all a kind of misunderstanding and a thing of the past, she couldn't suddenly dream hopeful dreams.
However, her mind danced with its own imagination.
The imagination of a child resembling him and herself.
❖ ❖ ❖
The famous rose garden of Grunehalz Manor was now sprouting new shoots. But just by the geometrically trimmed bushes and vast grounds, one could imagine how beautiful it would be when the flowers bloomed.
Natasha, who was leisurely walking through the garden, heard 'that news' through her younger brother.
"Sister."
Yustas Grunehalz was a young man with considerable beauty, not as much as his sister. His usually stoic face, almost never perturbed unless it was related to his beloved sister, was now excited.
"Why are you running here so urgently, Yustas?"
Natasha asked in a puzzled manner. Lately, she really lacked energy.
Megara Lycanderos. Indeed, she should have paid more attention to that child.
Natasha wasn't completely off guard. Back when that child had just entered the academy, now the Duchess Neris Trude, she had already been warned by her.
But that didn't mean she could treat the lowly minor nobles who didn't hesitate to become someone else's government the same as Megara. What could she do? Should she unconditionally drive Megara away from where Abelus might go? Would she become the wife of Duke Ganiel if she did well?
Moreover, Megara had always been a quick-witted child since she was young. As children of high nobility, they often gathered as families even before going to the academy, and Megara had always adhered to the submissive and obedient attitude that Natasha liked.
But now she had changed her attitude and become an enemy. On the side of Duke Ganiel, they were probably trying to quickly conclude the private consultation rather than dragging it out, and Abelus's intentions were also unclear. Natasha made it easy for him to understand. She found his actions annoying. While he used to pretend to listen appropriately, this time he showed his annoying attitude.
Della Yusbely, Rayner Kote, and Kyarat Spanner. Those were better off. Abelus wouldn't really care about them, and even if he did, they were never qualified to aim for Natasha's position as the prince's wife from the beginning.
But the cherished daughter of Marquis Lycanderos, the innocent and clever Megara?
That child was a real threat.
She had to act quickly. If possible, she had to crush her so she couldn't rise again. But if she poisoned the daughter of the Marquis, even if she did, it would lead to an all-out war between the families. That would be difficult.
Lost in such thoughts, Natasha often lost her concentration these days. Yustas gestured to her.
"May I borrow your ear for a moment?"
"Sure."
Natasha waited somewhat eagerly for her brother to bring his lips to her ear.
But after hearing a few words, a look of astonishment crossed her face.
"...What?"
"The maid heard from a hometown friend. Isn't it a well-known fact that the marchioness gave birth to her first child at the recuperation site 20 years ago? However, the person who attended the marchioness at that time was not a noble-born maid but a common woman from the village, and she didn't know who she served. But at least it's certain that the woman she served did not give birth to a child."
Megara Lycanderos is not the daughter of the marchioness. Then where did they pick her up from?
Natasha was taken aback. But shortly after, a smile full of anger spread across her face.
"...Where did this mongrel come from, strutting around proudly in front of me all this time?"
"This could be a serious matter that could bring blame to the Lycanderos family itself. Didn't the marchioness couple adhere to the principles of the nobility?"
Adopting a child is possible. But deceiving with false noble bloodlines is not acceptable. Isn't that natural? If one were to bring a child from anywhere and make them the legitimate heir, what would the other nobles with rights to a piece of land say?
What about the 'real' nobles with much purer blood?
Natasha understood her brother's words. Her eyes sparkled sharply.
"Well, how did you suddenly find out about this? If it's not true, I would be the only fool."
"A hometown friend of the maid I mentioned earlier came to visit, and this friend, along with the woman who attended the marchioness at that time, revealed that they are aunt and niece. The butler overheard the maid gossiping loudly about the former noblewoman she served and investigated to inform us."
"Was the investigation done properly?"
"The maid's identity is confirmed, and we were asked to send someone to inquire in that region. However, the problem lies in gathering evidence. Upon questioning, the pieces seem to fit well."
"Why did the marchioness insist on calling her daughter then? She used to praise her beauty and dote on her when she was young."
Looking back now, there weren't many similarities between the marchioness and Megara. However, the way the marchioness had publicly praised and cherished that child during her lifetime, no one could imagine there was no blood relation between them.
"There were rumors of divorce in that household long ago, and I heard your father mention that the child was taken in after being born. Perhaps..."
Yustas's words were vague, but Natasha could understand even the unspoken parts. As astute as she was in social circles, it was obvious to her.
"It's quite a mess. So, did they bring in a relative's child and deceive the husband? Or did the couple agree on it..."
As Natasha pondered, she suddenly thought of someone.
Though she had never directly linked them, the striking resemblance between Megara and Rebecca Shirley in terms of sociability, beauty, and the relationship with Marquis Lycanderos.
Why would the marquis cherish a child not born by his wife?
Rebecca Shirley.
A cruel smile crossed Natasha's lips.
"...Yustas, there's no need to waste time sending someone. What evidence would remain to prove that the girl was not born to the marchioness? It's a matter from 20 years ago."
"But, sister..."
Was he daring to suggest leaving such an impudent matter to her, the sister? Such a thing did not exist in Yustas's world. He tried to protest.
However, Natasha shook her head.
"Don't waste time looking for evidence in the countryside. If it's proven that Megara is not the child of the marchioness, it will naturally prove that the child is not the marchioness's. Investigate the marquis's household. What did that woman do 20 years ago? Are there any relatives who resemble Megara?"
Yustas also realized at that moment.
He was thrilled by his sister's wisdom. She was always smart.
When their parents were in discord with each other, and eventually the marchioness, the mother of the siblings, was pushed aside due to the common concubine, she was the only one who protected him.
If it was for his sister's happiness, he would never do it carelessly, even if it meant plunging a household into ruin. If that was the path his sister desired, he was willing to go.
"Understood, sister. If you wish, Megara Lycanderos..."
Excitement bubbled in Natasha's eyes.
"If she's not the marquis's daughter, there's no need to hesitate. She will be given a potion. That way, with her vulgar behavior so similar to her mother's, she won't dare to eye other men!"
❖ ❖ ❖
Megara swiftly turned her head away from the face she encountered in the first-floor hall.
Since her refined mother's death, she had always disliked the audacious woman who shamelessly lived with them as if she were the marchioness. From her elegant face to her large eyes, thick eyelashes, and everything that was praised as beautiful by societal standards, all seemed like evidence of vulgarity.
"Miss Megara."
Knowing full well that this person disliked her, she still found the persistence of approaching and calling her name annoying. Megara reluctantly looked at Rebecca, putting on a smile as if wearing a mask.
"Miss Rebecca. Do you have something to say to me?"
In the elegant hall of Marquis Lycanderos, two women stood facing each other. The servants passing by held their breath.
After exchanging words in this manner, the usually angelic Miss Megara became strangely nervous. When the older sister showed signs of agitation, the younger brother, Master Sohujak, also became uneasy.
The servants couldn't understand. Why did that common woman, knowing that the young lady disliked her, keep insisting on speaking? Was she pretending to be the marchioness and acting affectionately with the marquis to the extent of thinking she was the young lady's mother?
"It's a secret, miss. I have something important to tell you."
The trembling voice was unlike Rebecca, but no one was surprised.
While Rebecca usually handled visitors in social circles with skill, in front of Megara, she occasionally appeared timid. Perhaps she knew very well, even with her audacious demeanor, that she had to play the role of the esteemed lady of the real marquis now.
Megara slightly revealed this and nodded.
"Go ahead."
Rebecca glanced around, confirmed that people had retreated on their own, and whispered softly. Megara's expression sank at her anxious gaze.
"Be careful of the ladies of the Grunehalz family. Miss Yusbely, Miss Kote, Miss Spanner... The ladies who were close to His Highness the prince have been unwell lately. They say they can't have children. They are unmarried ladies..."
A moment of shock flickered in Megara's eyes.
"What did Natasha do to those women?"
"There's no concrete evidence. But in case something happens to Miss Megara... I..."
What does it matter to her whether something happens or not? That's what Megara thought, but soon she focused on something more important.
Great noble families were supposed to have their own secrets that other families didn't know about. If the Grunehalz family had that kind of... magic or poison.
Certainly, caution was needed.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein