Around that time, a letter of excommunication was delivered to the Ducal house.
As you said, I will leave the family. I am no longer a daughter of the Babeloa family. Please submit the letter of excommunication to His Majesty.
It was disgusting to be with you, (this sentence was crossed out several times.) No, it was pleasant, and let’s never meet again.
-Meldenik
The content of the excommunication request was very clean.
No, it was somewhat ambiguous to call it clean. Anyone could tell the letter was hastily written, with strikethroughs still visible.
Meldenik showed no effort to correct the errors or to use a new sheet of paper.
The duchess held a fan thoughtfully in her hand.
Every time she gently waved her fan, her ruby-red hair fluttered dazzlingly.
“Why does she request excommunication so confidently? Does she have something to rely on?”
The Duke of Babeloa burst out, looking at his wife’s enchanting face.
“…Her pride must have been hurt! It seems she’s determined to shame us. Oh, Duha.”
The Duke of Babeloa acted as if he lacked any awareness of being a father.
He had no thoughts about his action of practically telling Meldenik to leave first.
Because he was someone who quickly forgets his own faults but remembers and exaggerates the faults of others.
They were such people.
Those who would ostracize anything not beneficial to them.
Even if it was family.
“Meldenik will probably hesitate and come back. Isn’t that right, my lady?”
Hildegard’s brown eyes twinkled.
“She will surely bow her head, Your Grace.”
She nodded in agreement with the Duke of Babeloa’s words. However, her intuition was telling her something else. She had a feeling that Meldenik had changed.
But Hildegarde merely smiled and closed her fan, lowering it.
“The spies also said. Meldenik is doing nothing.”
The spies she had hired reported that Meldenik was just rolling around in the dust in that ruined house.
Sometimes, they observed her shedding tears.
Living the life of a loser like that, she was bound to fail.
Hildegard had never lost a confrontation with Meldenik. It would be the same this time.
About when her lips twisted the most, Duke Babeloa slammed the table so hard it seemed it might split in two.
Duke Babeloa, seething, looked like he could have high blood pressure issues any day now.
“It would be best to accept the excommunication as she wants for now.”
Duke Babeloa’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you talking about, madam? Even so, excommunication seems a bit much.”
Maybe it’s because she’s his own daughter. Or maybe he dislikes causing disturbances in the family.
Although Duke Babeloa used to scold and curse at Meldenik, actually going through with the excommunication seemed to be something he was hesitant about.
“It’s not about actually excommunicating her. It’s just to scare her a bit.”
“Scare, you say?”
Duke Babeloa’s thin ears began to flutter.
“Yes, after all, if we’re going to excommunicate, we need a 4-week conciliation period. And after that, the Emperor’s judgment is needed too.”
“Ahem, conciliation period. Yes, that’s true.”
It’s rare for nobles to be excommunicated. Even if it happens, most excommunications are canceled within the 4-week conciliation period.
It was virtually unheard of for it to go as far as obtaining the Emperor’s approval and leading to a trial.
“After the adjustment period, if it goes to trial, he’ll become the first high-ranking noble to be scandalized.”
Hildegard covered her mouth with one hand, trying to hold back her laughter.
The current emperor is a puppet without power, but nonetheless, he was a political rival restraining the aggressive forces of the Babeloa ducal family.
He wouldn’t refuse to process the scandalization of Lady Meldenik of Babeloa, the disgrace of the Babeloa ducal family.
Scandalizing Meldenik, the daughter of the Babeloa family, would be seen as a way to damage the ducal family.
Once Meldenik is scandalized, eliminating her would be all the easier.
“After all the effort to ruin her business and bring shame upon her to scandalize Meldenik, it’s finally coming to fruition.”
Hildegard twisted her graceful lips, hiding her vile true intentions.
The day when everything of Meldenik would belong to her daughter wasn’t far away.
“I’ll handle the receipt of the scandalization papers.”
“Right, we need to teach this wild thing a lesson, don’t we?”
Hildegard, looking disdainfully at the grumbling Duke of Babeloa, thought of her daughter Sheria.
Her beloved daughter must be enjoying the leisurely afternoon sunlight.
Maybe frolicking joyfully at a beautiful resort with the priests of the holy nation.
Shouldn’t she pave the way for herself until Sheria returns home?
A deep smile spread across Hildegard’s lips.
“Indeed, we must show them a lesson.”
Seeing the Duke of Babeloa frown, Hildegard picked up the teacup on the table and brought it to her lips.
Meldenik’s every move was already within Hildegard’s grasp.
She smiled, looking down.
If things continue this way, Meldenik will be expelled without the Duke having time to intervene, becoming a commoner.
In the empire, marriage between commoners and nobles is impossible by law. Naturally, the position of Duchess Hesman would go to Sheria.
‘I wonder why Duke Hesman hasn’t broken off the engagement with Meldenik yet.’
Hildegard’s brows furrowed briefly and then relaxed.
‘…Probably because it’s bothersome and hurts his pride.’
If that’s not the issue, why would Lennox Hesman, who has everything, cling to the foolish Meldenik Babeloa?
Duke Hesman has no reason to do so.
“Why such an uneasy expression? You weren’t close with Meldenik.”
“Still, it’s just too pitiful, seeing him fail in business every time.”
She bit her lip and looked back at Duke Babeloa.
“When I think about what he’s done, it really infuriates me.”
Duke Babeloa’s face turned red with anger.
Hildegard, regaining her composure, looked straight at him and smiled softly. This man also chose her, not his first wife or Meldenik’s mother. So, there is no reason to worry.
“I’ll submit the expulsion document for Meldenik to His Majesty the Emperor, sir. Secretly, of course.”
Everything is going well.
She caressed the jawline of Duke Babeloa and smiled mysteriously.
It would be good to cause a small disturbance before expelling Meldenik to ensure she can’t recover.
‘To make her understand her place, as always.’
“I’ll also send a message to Meldenik that the expulsion document will be submitted.”
Hildegard’s cheeks were deeply indented. The expression spread across her face was one of distinct and cruel pleasure.
That very day, ‘The Excommunication of Meldenik Babeloa’ was delivered to the royal palace in secret.
***
Four days later, at dawn.
Meldenik’s stationery shop was in the midst of remodeling.
Meldenik’s eyes widened at the sight of the postman coming from afar. The long-awaited news had finally arrived.
“The excommunication decree is here!”
The postman delivered a letter that read, ‘You have secretly received the excommunication decree. After a four-week adjustment period, prepare for the Emperor’s excommunication trial.’
It was Hildegard’s handwriting.
After reading the letter, I was so excited that I was jumping around from the early dawn until morning.
‘One step to excommunication! Two steps to breaking off the engagement!’
I could soon sever ties with the Babeloa ducal family!
However, unlike me, Dominic still had a worried look on his face.
“Why hasn’t the Duke of Hesman replied to the breakup decree? You really wanted to break it off.”
I responded indifferently.
“Him? Looks like he doesn’t want to break up, whatever. I’m not interested anymore.”
Given his reluctance to break up, it seemed like there must be something about Meldenik that was of use to him.
It was clear, seeing Lennox not only dragging his feet on the breakup but also subtly probing if we did not want to break up, he definitely did not love Meldenik.
But now, neither Lennox’s opinion nor the Hesman family’s thoughts mattered at all.
“But now, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t want to break up.”
“Why?”
“If I am excommunicated, I become a commoner, and naturally, the engagement arranged before birth becomes invalid. By imperial law, nobles cannot marry commoners.”
I had strongly demanded a breakup, fearing that I might not be excommunicated from Babeloa.
But now I don’t need to grind my teeth and demand a breakup from Lennox. Because we can naturally break up.
“It really feels like a thorn has been pulled out.”
Lennox and Hildegard are in a cooperative relationship.
However, their interests were clearly different.
Duke Hesman wants to marry me for some unknown reason, and Mrs. Hildegard wants to break Lennox and me up and match him with Sheria.
In other words, I managed to clear my nose without lifting a finger by leveraging their different interests.
‘The Divide and Rule strategy was a great success, Mrs. Hildegard. You must be thrilled thinking you’ve outsmarted me.’
But I am just thankful that she acted according to her wishes. I even want to give her cheeks a peck, they are so pure white.
Humming a tune, I lightly rubbed the window of the stationery shop.
Looking at the spotless window made me think that my future would be just as clean.
Thank you so much for the chapter!❤️🔥