Chapter 63 Switch
“Estelle. Are you going to tell the Duke of Winchester about this?”
Michael asked. Will you reveal that Melody’s eyes are not pink but gray?
“Will his attitude toward Melody change if you tell him?”
“Because it’s no different from deceiving him. The woman who intentionally changed the color of her eyes to approach him won’t be safe either.”
“…Then, I won’t tell him right now.”
Michael sighed deeply at Estelle’s decision.
“Estelle, if you sympathize….”
“There’s no way I could sympathize. Even now, what she said to me is vivid. Even though I don’t want to remember it, it comes to mind from time to time and entangles me, so how can I sympathize? I’m not that kind of a person.”
Estelle quickly denied it. Michael was openly relieved when she said she wasn’t sympathizing.
“Can you tell me why?”
And he wondered. Why are you hiding the weakness that will destroy Melody instead of revealing it?
“I want to be excommunicated. I want to see the moment when that child is no longer a ‘Winchester.’ I want to get back what was taken from me.”
“…Estelle.”
Michael’s eyes were filled with pity.
“If I tell the Duke this now, Melody will be in trouble. At first, she’ll make excuses like she couldn’t do anything because her mother told her to, and after that, she’ll cry that she had no choice but to lie because she was afraid of losing her family.”
To the Duke of Winchester, Melody was a precious daughter.
‘Even when I drank poison and died, he only worried about Melody.He really thought of Melody as his child. To the point where he completely ignored me, his own daughter.’
The reason he adopted her was because of her pink eyes, but he had raised her with love and affection for a long time as a parent.
Now, he wouldn’t abandon Melody just because she didn’t have pink eyes.
He’d feel sorry for Melody, and eventually, he’d forgive her.
‘It’s something I shouldn’t have revealed if I said it.’
Rather, he would feel sorry for Melody who had no choice but to do that and blame Estelle for putting her younger sister in a corner.
There was also a high possibility that she would keep it a secret and continue to maintain the fact that she didn’t have pink eyes.
‘There’s no one who doesn’t know that Duke adopted her because she had pink eyes, but if they found out that he had been fooled all this time, his status would fall.’
Whether it was for Melody or for the honor of the Winchester Dukes.
It was a weakness that was hard to obtain.
She had to carefully examine it and wait for the right moment to completely destroy it.
“Estelle. I have a good idea.”
“Good idea? What is it?”
“It’s a way that might slightly damage Winchester’s honor, is it okay if I tell you?”
“Well, I’ll listen and decide. In fact, I don’t really care if Winchester’s honor is damaged or not.”
Michael’s mouth curved sharply.
“We’re going to swap the drugs in a crowded place.”
She thought she knew why he had suggested swapping the drugs in the place with the most people.
“Are you trying to get as many people to see Melody’s eyes as possible?”
“If you go for the potion regularly, it means it won’t last long. Melody Winchester, who doesn’t know that the potion has been switched, will be in trouble.”
That’s why he mentioned Winchester’s honor.
‘Surely, if we do this, everyone will know without me having to say anything. They won’t even know who switched the potion.’
The truth will be mentioned in all the newspapers the next day, and it will soon hit Winchester hard.
“Michael. You really seem like a villain. How can you think that?”
“So what if you’re a villain? I’d do worse for you.”
… He was strong. That’s why he was dangerous.
“Well, my coming-of-age ceremony would be good. If you look at the invitation list, there are quite a few people coming.”
Estelle hurriedly changed the subject.
Michael’s expression was bad. He looked shaky.
“Estelle. It’s your day. I want you to be fully celebrated.”
Estelle didn’t think of her coming-of-age ceremony as anything special.
It was an event she had already celebrated, and she wasn’t particularly happy about it after getting slapped in the face by the Duke of Winchester.
That was why she had proposed the coming-of-age ceremony.
It was the day Melody had really taken her father away, and she wanted to give him back, even if only for a little while.
‘But, if you say it like this…’
There was no reason to be more stubborn in front of him who wanted to receive a full congratulations.
“I understand. It’s a bit early for the coming of age ceremony.”
“How about the New Year’s party?”
“At the New Year’s party…?”
The New Year’s party held at the palace was an event that all nobles had to attend regardless of their status.
“The nobles gathered for the New Year’s party will immediately see the color of her eyes change. They tend to become active when they are bored and stimulated.”
“You’re saying that we should make it something that even the Duke of Winchester can’t stop.”
“That’s right. Even Winchester can’t control his anger. If Winchester’s honor is tarnished and feels betrayed by his daughter at the same time….”
“My feelings of pity for Melody will become shallow and I’ll be too busy solving the problem.”
I imagined Melody, who was embarrassed because her secret was revealed, and the Duke of Winchester, who was filled with anger.
It was fun.
“But, how did you switch the drug…”
“Rael’s specialty is erasing signs. He’s so good at it that even among the shadows, no one knows that Rael exists except me.”
“Shadows?”
Oh, by the way, since he officially said he was a trainee knight of the Third Order, does that mean he actually belongs to the group called ‘Shadows’ that Michael mentioned?
“They are the ones who escort me by order of the Emperor. Marquis Aslan named them so that we should follow behind without being discovered.”
Michael couldn’t hide his embarrassment as he explained the ‘Shadows’ in detail.
“I got used to it. I didn’t like it at first, but after Marquis Aslan called me so many times…”
“Thank goodness.”
Michael nodded his head in puzzlement.
Shadows. There is someone who protects Michael from behind, always and everywhere.
“I feel relieved that there are people who protect you. Even if you look at the young Rael, his skills are outstanding, so the others must be outstanding as well.”
At least, it meant that there were very few instances where he would be exposed to danger. It was really fortunate that there were people who would protect him even if his life was threatened by the Empress or Leonov.
“Even if they don’t protect me, I can take good care of my body.”
“Even so. I don’t know. If it’s okay, could you introduce me to him?”
“No.”
Michael’s face turned pale and he immediately replied with a refusal.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I had no other intentions, I just wanted to see the faces of those who were protecting His Majesty. Don’t take it to heart.”
I was embarrassed, thinking that it was too much of a request.
“Estelle. They’re all men.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t send you out when I was talking to Rael… because he’s young.”
So, it wasn’t that he drew a line with Estelle….
“Even if we do meet, don’t say hello. You can’t even talk to him briefly.”
He was jealous. To the point where he said he couldn’t even say hello or talk to him.
“Hmm, why? I wonder.”
Michael’s reaction, when he became serious on his own and threatened her, was cute. Estelle pretended not to know because she wanted to tease him more.
‘If not now, then when? I should grab the opportunity when it comes.’
Michael’s eyes were filled with anxiety.
“Estelle. Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
It was funny how he couldn’t bring himself to get angry and tried to control his anger.
“Yes, I don’t know. It’s not like we’re trying to be friends… We’re just getting to know each other. It wouldn’t hurt for me to know.”
Michael leaned back on the sofa and let out a laugh. It seemed like he realized that Estelle was teasing him.
“Yeah, well, it wouldn’t hurt. Should I gouge out my eyes so I can’t see you…?”
It was clearly a joke, and he knew that she wouldn’t really gouge out her eyes….
Why did it sound so serious?
‘Just don’t let me greet you… .’
It felt ominous for some reason. Estelle, who was secretly anxious, looked for a suitable time to stop.
“I thought about it and thought it would be better if we didn’t meet. I’m very shy, and I felt awkward earlier.”
“Good idea, Estelle.”
Michael acted gentle again as if nothing had happened.
For the first time, Estelle saw that he had two personalities.
