Episode 111
Serena was slightly surprised by Ophelia’s reaction.
‘I thought she would naturally join in the gossip…’
In high society, having a common enemy was often a useful tool for maintaining relationships.
For Ophelia, who was so deeply entrenched in social circles that she was called the “flower of high society,” to find such an interesting target troublesome was unexpected.
Moreover, while Ophelia and Serena weren’t as publicly hostile as Lydia and Serena, they were still known to have a poor relationship.
So it was strange that Ophelia didn’t encourage Lydia’s words. At that moment, Lydia began speaking passionately.
“It just makes me angrier the more I think about it. Aren’t you mad, Ophelia? That day, Serena had the audacity to wear the April Diamond so proudly.”
“I didn’t find it particularly upsetting.”
When Ophelia responded indifferently, Lydia let out a deep sigh.
“You’re too kind, Ophelia. If it were me, I would have snatched that tiara away immediately.”
“That wouldn’t be the right thing to do, Lydia. Besides, it wasn’t even mine to begin with.”
“Have you ever seen an outsider so easily replace someone firmly established?”
“Perhaps that outsider was more suited for that position.”
As Ophelia refused to engage, Lydia muttered in frustration.
“Still, I don’t see why she acts so arrogant just because she has His Majesty’s favor.”
“Watch your words, Lydia. This isn’t Greenwood Castle.”
Ophelia widened her eyes in warning, and Lydia lowered her head.
“Yes, yes. Anyway, I was so upset that day I wanted to cry my eyes out. How could she show up at the wedding looking like that?”
“Then why did you invite her if you dislike her so much?”
Ophelia subtly chided her, and Lydia refuted.
“Do you think I wanted to? The Duke insisted that I invite her, so I had no choice.”
“Father…?”
Ophelia’s voice wavered slightly. Lydia continued her grievances.
“The Duke only ever pays attention when I talk about Serena. If that’s the case, he should have just made her your lady-in-waiting instead of me.”
Serena perked up at the mention of the Duke taking an interest in her. She felt she should listen carefully.
Ophelia softly called Lydia’s name, warning her about speaking ill of the Duke.
“Lydia.”
“Hah, I know. Still, since the Duke is like that, I have no choice but to hold back and report things about Serena one by one.”
“I find it fascinating how much you have to say about Lady Serena.”
“Actually… there are things I haven’t even mentioned yet. …But I will never say them.”
At Lydia’s firm resolve, Ophelia sighed and said,
“We’ll see. I have a feeling you’ll confess sooner or later.”
“No, I won’t. If the Duke finds out, he’ll be even more interested in Serena. Why would I do something that benefits her?”
“Whatever it is, I hope it’s something grand, Lydia.”
“You don’t trust me?”
As Lydia grumbled, Serena’s expression turned serious.
‘What could she possibly mean by a secret about me that the Duke must not know?’
Given how confident Lydia sounded, it didn’t seem like she was bluffing. Serena was deep in thought when Levin, having devoured three plates of cake, spoke up.
“Aren’t you going to eat, Lady Serena?”
“Ah…!”
Serena, startled, gestured for Levin to be quiet, but she suddenly felt a piercing gaze on her back.
“What the— Serena, why are you here?”
Lydia turned around and stared at Serena in disbelief. Ophelia, sitting across from her, also looked slightly surprised.
Caught off guard, Serena felt a cold sweat trickle down her back but maintained her composure.
“Sorry, but I was here first, Lydia.”
“So you were eavesdropping on everything?!”
Lydia flared up, drawing glances from those around them. Ophelia shot her a look, prompting Lydia to lower her voice.
“You still haven’t lost your habit of lurking under staircases.”
“And you still can’t open your mouth without badmouthing me, Lydia.”
“That’s because you keep making me mad!”
“Did it ever occur to you that you make me mad too?”
“Ugh!”
Unable to win the argument, Lydia ground her teeth in frustration. Since she was already caught, Serena decided to press her further.
“So, I hear you’ve been talking to the Duke about me.”
“And what of it? Am I not allowed to talk about my own sister?”
“I was just curious. Someone who loves talking about me is suddenly keeping a secret from the Duke… now I’m really intrigued.”
“T-that’s…”
Seeing Lydia visibly flustered, Serena adjusted her posture and continued.
“Instead of bothering those present, why not just tell me, Lydia?”
“Why should I tell you…?”
“Or should I just go to the Duke myself and let him know you’re keeping secrets about me? Maybe he’ll tell me once he finds out.”
“Y-you…!”
“You do know that with the founding festival coming up, the Duke will be visiting the palace frequently, right? I’ll have plenty of chances to meet him. What do you think, Lydia?”
Serena smiled as she applied pressure. Lydia clasped her hands together, unable to say anything. Even Levin looked flustered at the tense atmosphere.
Just then, the packaged cake was brought out, and Serena rose from her seat.
She hadn’t expected an actual answer from Lydia. It was merely a warning.
Whatever Lydia was hiding, it probably wasn’t anything significant.
“Regardless, could you stop talking about me to the Duke? It’s extremely unpleasant.”
Lydia, looking dazed, was unable to respond. She seemed at a loss for words, knowing full well she had been gossiping.
Ophelia merely watched them with interest, making no effort to intervene. As Serena turned to leave with Levin, she suddenly paused and added,
“Oh, by the way, do you know what Tyler has been up to lately?”
“Why should I care what that man is doing?”
Lydia frowned, as if Serena had just said something ridiculous. Seeing her reaction, Serena gave a brief warning.
“You should start caring.”
Your brother is on the verge of causing trouble.
***
“What do you mean, Leonard? Lady Greenwood has that pet with her?”
Lily asked in a slightly shaken voice, and Leonard barely managed to respond.
“I saw it from a distance, so I’m not completely sure, but the figure looked like Pie.”
“Then, does that mean Lady Greenwood is also working with the Duke?”
Jack reacted sharply, his voice filled with resistance. Leonard shook his head.
“Absolutely not.”
“Leonard. Can you take responsibility for your words?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I kept watch just in case, but I didn’t see any suspicious behavior.”
“What if she acted that way on purpose because she knew she was being watched?”
At Azaid’s keen question, Leonard fell into a brief silence. Even he didn’t understand why he kept wanting to defend Lady Greenwood. He continued his report.
“Rather, James’s movements seemed more suspicious. From what I observed, it looked like the Duke was deliberately allowing James Greenwood to run rampant.”
“That would be a serious problem. The young duke is desperate to kill Nocturne, so the Duke might reveal Nocturne’s location at the right moment.”
Lily added her thoughts, and Jack chimed in.
“Then why don’t we just take care of him now? He looks too weak to put up a fight anyway.”
“Is fighting the only thing in your head? No matter what, he’s still the young duke. We can’t just deal with him recklessly.”
“Hah. These nobles never move an inch without the proper justification.”
Lily’s rebuke made Jack scoff as he opened his mouth in exaggerated disbelief.
Since Lily and Jack bickered every time they met, Azaid separated the two and spoke.
“Calm down, everyone. First, we need to confirm that Nocturne is safe. And don’t forget that we must also track down the awakened individual the Duke is hiding.”
“Your Majesty, it’s possible that Nocturne has been cursed as well. Even if we find his location, we must be cautious in our rescue efforts.”
“You’re right, Lily. So first, let’s pinpoint his location. Knowing Nocturne, he would have left some sort of clue for you to find him.”
“Understood. I’ll begin the search immediately.”
“Good.”
Azaid smiled in satisfaction before turning to Leonard.
“You go and confirm whether the cat Lady Greenwood has is really Pie.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. If it is Pie, bring him back immediately.”
“Understood.”
As Leonard left to carry out his orders, Jack spoke up.
“He’s acting weird. Doesn’t he seem a bit dazed?”
“Why don’t you worry about fixing your own face first?”
“That’s character assassination, Lily. I’m plenty good-looking.”
“Losing an eye must have ruined your judgment too.”
Lily shook her head as if she couldn’t be bothered, while Jack scowled in frustration.
The two were completely incompatible, and whenever they were together, they couldn’t help but quarrel.
“Your friend lost an eye, and that’s all you have to say?”
“I’m worried about you, obviously. But why are you so weak that you keep getting hurt? It’s troublesome for everyone else.”
“I’M the one who got hurt! Why are YOU the one who’s bothered?!”
“Your Majesty, I’ll begin the search right away.”
“Alright. Do your best.”
“Hey! I was still talking to you!”
Jack shouted, but Lily ignored him entirely and walked out of the room. Furious, Jack yelled something before stomping off after her.
Azade watched the two with a look of exasperation before his gaze landed on the note Nocturne had left behind.
‘Nothing better have happened.’
The missing signal from Nocturne left an unsettling feeling in Azaid’s chest, and he found himself fiddling with the note repeatedly.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
