Chapter 50
‘Hmm. I’ll just stay for a bit and then leave.’
Since Harold’s maternal family was the Russell family, I was trying to build a good relationship with them.
That way, if Harold ever passed away, I would have a stronger position to take control of Baisen.
‘Although Harold is never going to die from illness.’
And I will make sure of it.
Just as I was about to leave after finishing my preparations, an unexpected guest arrived.
“Oh my, Duchess.”
“Madam Russell, what brings you here in person?”
“Why else? I wanted to escort my special friend, the Duchess, and chat privately while walking together.”
Madam Russell winked playfully.
Since I had to attend her gathering anyway, I simply agreed.
As we walked outside, she linked arms with me in a friendly manner and started chatting.
“Seeing you two in person today, you really do seem as passionate as the rumors say.”
Her cheeks flushed like ripe apricots.
Since she hadn’t been invited to the wedding, this was likely her first time seeing Harold and me together.
“It’s a little embarrassing. We were trying to be reserved.”
“Oh, love isn’t something that can be hidden easily.”
“That’s true.”
She laughed like a satisfied cat and leaned in closer.
Then, with a curious expression, she asked,
“By the way, is there any good news?”
“What kind of good news?”
“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know. A baby, of course. Seeing how passionate His Grace was earlier, things must be just as heated in the bedroom too, right?”
“…!”
At the mention of heated in the bedroom, my mind immediately recalled my healing sessions with Harold.
‘W-why am I thinking about that now?’
Barely managing to keep my expression neutral, I called out to Madam Russell.
“Madam, this isn’t exactly a conversation for public places.”
“Oh my, my apologies! But really, is there no good news yet? I thought it would happen soon.”
She spoke loudly, her eyes openly glancing at my flat stomach with anticipation.
“There’s no baby yet.”
“Oh… I see.”
She sighed, clearly disappointed.
“Sigh, if only a baby came soon, then unwanted pests wouldn’t hover around the Baisen family.”
“Pfft—!”
At that moment, I heard a stifled laugh from the side and turned my head.
Ella was covering her mouth, struggling to hold back her laughter.
“Lady Ella, are you laughing at me right now?”
Madam Russell tapped her fan lightly against her lips, showing her discontent.
Her face frowned in displeasure, but through the gap in her fan, I could see the slight curve of her lips.
To her, this was a sweet opportunity to build a close relationship with me.
Ella’s golden eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh? Me? Laughing? At what?”
“Are you pretending you didn’t? I clearly heard you laughing while listening to our conversation.”
“Madam Russell, I really don’t know what you’re talking about… I was just passing by…”
Ella’s voice trembled, and tears welled up in her golden eyes.
As a reader, I had seen Ella the most. I could easily predict what would happen next.
Madam Russell was emotional, and Ella was good at acting innocent.
She knew exactly how to make herself look like the victim in any situation.
‘Especially with someone like Madam Russell, Ella always twists things in her favor.’
If things continued like this, Ella would soon turn the situation to her advantage.
And if that happened, not only would Madam Russell be affected, but I could be dragged into it as well.
After all, I was the villainess who once tried to poison Ella. It wouldn’t take much to cause trouble for me.
“Madam Russell, I’m fine. Let’s just drop this. The others must be waiting for us.”
Before Ella could fully take control of the situation, I stepped in between them.
It was always best to prevent problems before they started.
“Duchess… Alright, if you insist.”
Madam Russell frowned as if she didn’t understand why I was stopping her.
But she had no intention of going against me, so she backed down quietly.
‘Now, only Ella remains.’
Ella flinched and shrank back as our eyes met.
“I’m innocent. I really didn’t hear your conversation.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
I gently patted the area under her eyes with a handkerchief.
In high society, appearances mattered the most, so I smiled as if there was no problem between us.
“……!”
Ella’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected me to react this way.
Her pink lips opened slightly as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
I spoke softly.
“I don’t know what you heard or why you laughed. But I don’t want to continue this conversation.”
“……”
“You were on your way somewhere, weren’t you?”
“Yes…”
“Then go ahead.”
I placed the handkerchief in her hand.
Ella stared at the light pink fabric for a moment before walking past us.
‘Phew!’
I still didn’t know why Ella laughed at our conversation, but at least the situation had been resolved.
Even though I probably didn’t show it, my heart was pounding, worried that I might have handled it the wrong way.
I wanted to collapse from the tension.
But we were still outside, and people were watching.
I turned to Madam Russell.
“Madam, let’s go as well.”
She followed me quietly.
But once we were away from the crowd, she spoke in a slightly annoyed voice.
“Duchess, why did you just let Lady Ella go?”
“……”
“She laughed at the news that you haven’t conceived yet. And she has caused you so much trouble in the past! Wasn’t this the perfect chance to put her in her place?”
Madam Russell clearly didn’t understand why I had let the matter go.
“If we had pushed her, we would’ve been the ones to suffer.”
“Huh?”
She frowned.
“That young lady—no, I mean…”
She quickly fixed her expression, but she couldn’t find the right words.
I understood her reaction.
Only “Diana” and me as a reader, knew Ella’s true nature.
To high society, Ella was seen as a quiet and kind noble lady.
From their perspective, this situation seemed like the perfect opportunity to humiliate me.
“I was just joking. I simply wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble, Madam Russell.”
“Oh, you just didn’t want any trouble.”
She finally seemed to understand and laughed softly.
‘I’m glad I handled it quickly.’
I repeated the thought in my head as I watched her reaction.
Then, I suddenly thought of Harold.
If Harold had been here, he would’ve believed me right away…
‘Three hours really feels long.’
Since I had been spending most of my time with Harold lately, his absence felt strangely noticeable.
I glanced toward the forest before entering to the Russell family’s tent.
The ladies attending Madam Russell’s tea party were all closely connected to her family.
They flattered me excessively as if they had planned it beforehand.
At the same time, they kept mentioning how much Madam Russell supported me.
“Madam Russell strongly denied all the negative rumors about you, Duchess.”
“Thanks to her, we all realized that Duchess Diana is actually a wonderful person.”
“Oh my, you don’t need to mention such things.”
Madam Russell chuckled, pretending to be modest.
For the first 30 minutes, it was tolerable, but after an hour, it felt like my ears were about to fall off.
‘I expected this, but this is too much.’
By now, I had already stayed for the minimum required time, so I told them I would be leaving.
“You’re leaving already?”
“I barely got any sleep last night.”
Sadly, that wasn’t a lie. I had stayed up all night treating Harold,
“Oh—if that’s the case, I understand. By the way, Duchess, I have something for you.”
Madam Russell smiled slyly and gestured to her maid.
“I prepared some herbs and jewels that can help with pregnancy. Just a small token of appreciation for your presence today, Duchess.”
“Thank you for the gift, Countess Russell.”
“I sincerely hope you conceive an heir soon—before the Duke’s health becomes worsens any further.”
I sent the gift to the Baisen tent through a servant.
“Anna, are there any other servants planning for pregnancy?”
Harold and I didn’t need it, but the herbs were precious and beneficial.
I remembered the head chef who had recently come to thank me after successfully conceiving. That thought made me smile.
“There’s a maid who’s about to get married. She’s planning to have a child right away. But, My Lady, you’re not going to take it again?”
“No.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense~ You and His Grace have been stuck together every day lately.”
Anna gave me a knowing smirk, and I felt goosebumps.
It was an unavoidable misunderstanding, but I would never get used to that look.
“I don’t feel like going back just yet, so I’ll take a walk…!”
I quickly turned and started walking without looking back.
“Ah! My Lady, wait for me!”
I quickened my pace, but Anna, running after me, quickly caught up.
Ignoring her, I kept walking aimlessly.
“My Lady, aren’t your legs tired?”
When I finally looked back, Anna’s face was covered in sweat.
‘Come to think of it, I did walk a lot.’
Because of my divine power, I never felt sore, so I didn’t even realize it.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yes!”
Anna’s face lit up at my words, and I gave a guilty smile.
“Anna, if you start feeling sore, let me know.”
“Huh?”
“Hmm, never mind.”
‘I’ll just sneak into her room while she was sleeping and secretly heal her with divine power.’
As I plotted my sneaky plan, I looked around.
The open space was vast enough to accommodate most of the capital’s nobles. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily lose track of where I had been.
‘I should ask a servant for directions.’
The royal servants stationed here were supposed to know the layout of the entire area.
I decided to stop looking for my way back and find a servant instead. I told Anna about my plan.
“My Lady, I see some servants to the left! But…”
As soon as she said “servants,” I turned my head eagerly.
“…It looks like they’re searching for something.”
