Chapter 38: The Villainous Companion
For the next four days, I stayed in my room to recover.
Honestly, I felt fine as soon as I woke up, but my doctor, Hosen, kept fussing over me multiple times a day, so I had no choice but to act weak.
If the Grand Duke hadn’t visited me every morning and evening to keep me company, I would have died of boredom.
I felt a little guilty seeing him so worried, but I liked how much effort he was putting in to take care of me, so I pretended not to notice.
‘Still, it’s nice to finally be outside.’
After several days of being cooped up, I finally stepped into the Grand Castle’s garden, enjoying the fresh air.
There had been some minor setbacks, but overall, everything was going according to the plan I made at the Marquis’ house.
Unlike the original story, I managed to build a decent relationship with the Grand Duke and was slowly getting closer to the knights.
Now, all I had to do was settle into Blenheim and prepare for the future.
I was silently praising myself when I passed through an arched passage and heard voices from behind a pillar.
“But if she come here like this, I…”
“She even greeted the knights!”
A hushed but agitated voice whispered.
“Does that mean that woman is planning to stay here forever?”
“I’m not sure yet…!”
Curious, I took a step closer.
The two people speaking turned toward me immediately, looking surprised.
One was Marzella, looking flustered. Beside her stood a young noblewoman with flushed cheeks and brown hair.
Marzella quickly regained her composure and bowed.
“Your Grace.”
The noblewoman also bowed.
Since she was of lower status, she couldn’t speak to me first.
I could have ignored them and walked away, but I decided to satisfy my curiosity.
“Who are you?”
As if waiting for the chance, the noblewoman smiled.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace. My name is Avoir Meisel.”
Avoir Meisel.
Her lemon-yellow eyes, described in the novel, met mine directly.
“Ah, the daughter of Count Avoir.”
At the mention of her family, a flicker of emotion crossed Meisel’s eyes.
“I didn’t expect Your Grace to know my family.”
“It’s my duty as Grand Duchess.”
In reality, the only northern noble family I knew was the Avoir family, and that was only because of Meisel herself.
She was a minor villain in the original story, much like me.
“What brings you to the castle?”
I glanced at Marzella.
Aside from the maids, I was the only woman allowed to move freely in the Grand Castle.
Despite the hint of warning in my gaze, Meisel simply smiled.
“I was running an errand for my father but got lost. Fortunately, I ran into the head maid, who helped me.”
Her response was smooth, as if rehearsed.
“It’s been a long time since I visited the castle, so I made a foolish mistake. I apologize, Your Grace.”
“It’s not that foolish.”
Her overly humble attitude felt oddly provoking, but since she approached with a submissive stance, I responded more casually than I originally intended.
In the original story, Meisel was portrayed as a foolish noblewoman who had an unrequited love for the Grand Duke.
‘She appears later in the novel and tries to bully the heroine, Kathren, but ends up being kicked out of Blenheim.’
Meisel and Annette had a lot in common.
Both were minor villains meant to make things difficult for the main heroine, and both eventually faced ruin, serving as satisfying moments for readers.
‘And both of them had romantic interests in the Grand Duke.’
The difference was that Annette appeared early in the story, while Meisel appeared much later.
In a way, Meisel was like Annette’s replacement.
‘Would it really be necessary to become enemies with her?’
There was no point in two insignificant villains fighting and creating unnecessary tension.
In the original novel, Annette and Meisel never met.
So, maybe, just like with the Grand Duke, I could build a friendly relationship with her.
Sensing that I wasn’t rejecting her, Meisel tilted her head slightly and spoke again.
“Are you doing well, Your Grace?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard that you don’t have a lady-in-waiting.”
She glanced behind me, as if emphasizing that I was alone.
“It must be lonely and inconvenient to stay in the Grand Castle without any attendants.”
“I’m fine. It’s not that different from the capital.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me. I know how different the capital and the north are.”
Meisel furrowed her brows in what looked like concern.
“The Grand Duke is too much. How could he leave you alone like this?”
‘What? No way. He takes great care of me.’
Just last night, the Grand Duke had come to my room and handed me a document.
– “What’s this?”
– “It’s a list of potential ladies-in-waiting. I thought you might need one.”
I had been surprised by his thoughtfulness. I had occasionally thought about having a lady-in-waiting, but I never expected him to bring it up first.
‘He’s more considerate than I thought.’
– “I focused on young ladies from noble families, but if you have any specific requirements, I can look for more options. Of course, you can bring someone from the capital if you prefer.”
If there was anyone willing to come all the way to Blenheim, that is. He looked a bit awkward as he said it.
I hadn’t looked through the document in detail, but I did remember seeing Meisel’s name at the top of the list.
‘Maybe I should take Meisel as my lady-in-waiting.’
If she found out I was selecting one, she would definitely want the position.
As a lady-in-waiting, she would have the freedom to enter and leave the castle, making it easier for her to get close to the Grand Duke.
For someone whose ultimate goal was to become the Grand Duchess, this would be a golden opportunity.
In the original story, she only managed to get into the castle after Kathren arrived in the north, using the excuse of serving her.
‘I don’t think I’ll let things play out that way this time.’
I shook my head slightly, making up my mind.
‘I don’t want to meet a tragic end by being poisoned by an ambitious junior.’
Still, would it be better to keep my enemy close?
I was deep in thought when—
“I’m so glad I got the chance to meet Your Highness,” Meisel said with a bright smile.
“It’s amazing to see you in person. I’ve heard so much about you since I was young.”
Since she was young? Her voice was cheerful and innocent, but I knew exactly what she meant by that.
Keeping her close? Forget it.
“What kind of reputation are you talking about?” I asked.
“Pardon?”
“Are you referring to my fame as a fake saintess?”
At my deliberate provocation, my pulse quickened slightly.
“…Of course not,” she replied.
Even though I made it clear that I was displeased, Meisel just smiled wider, as if she was completely unaffected.
A noble lady from a vassal family shouldn’t be acting this disrespectfully toward the Grand Duchess. And yet, instead of being afraid, she looked oddly excited—almost as if she was waiting for me to react.
Like she wanted me to lose my temper…
Oh, is that what she’s after?
Suddenly, I felt calm.
I shifted my gaze toward Marzella, who had been standing quietly by my side.
“Escort the lady outside. Even if she got lost, we can’t allow outsiders to roam freely inside the castle.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I didn’t spare Meisel another glance as I walked past her, ignoring her completely.
It was the perfect way to dismiss her.
“Your Highness?”
Her voice rose slightly behind me, but I didn’t stop walking.
Even without looking, I could imagine her trembling with frustration and humiliation.
‘Did you really think I’d fall for a fake smile and a sharp insult?’
A fake saintess.
She must have thought it was the perfect way to provoke me.
If I had reacted angrily, she could have played innocent, claiming I had misunderstood her kind words and overreacted.
Then, rumors would have spread—about how the infamous villainess from the capital was living up to her reputation.
‘Is that the best she could come up with?’
She never expected me to ignore her completely.
That’s because this topic is a critical weakness for Annette.
‘But honestly, it doesn’t bother me at all.’
In fact, Annette had been famous from the moment she was born.
The year she was born, a divine prophecy had been revealed about a saintess appearing after decades.
“On the night when the last moon sets, the third star, born with a noble fate, will bring divine light to save the world from darkness.”
At the time, Marchioness Freis was pregnant with her third child, and her due date was the last day of the year.
The Marquis of Freis was convinced that his child would be the prophesied saintess. He donated enormous offerings to the temple and even gave up part of his land to show his devotion.
And on the final night of the year, the Marchioness gave birth to a daughter.
That daughter was Annette Freis.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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