Chapter 67
The tip of Countess Russell’s fan trembled slightly. She waved it vigorously and denied everything.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Duchess. What do you mean I heard something from Lady Ella?”
“You heard that I am infertile.”
Diana’s blue eyes remained calm. Seeing that unwavering gaze, Countess Russell felt flustered.
‘Where did this leak from? And why is she so confident?’
Not only was Diana completely unshaken, but she even had a faint, irritating smile on her lips.
No matter how many times she looked, she couldn’t shake the thought—Diana’s smile resembled Harold’s. In fact, with each passing day, she was becoming more and more like him.
“What? This is the first time I’ve ever heard such a thing, Duchess! My goodness! Are you saying Lady Ella has been spreading such nonsense?”
Countess Russell feigned shock and ignorance, hoping to reassure Diana so she could expose everything at the party.
“Oh, don’t worry. I trust you, Duchess.”
“Countess, I already know you plan to create a scene at the party.”
“…….”
‘She even knows that?’
Countess Russell pressed her lips tightly together.
At this point, pretending not to know would be useless. So she dropped the act, her expression turning cold.
“So what now? Have you come to silence me? Or threaten me?”
“I’m here to clear up any misunderstandings.”
“A misunderstanding? Ha! What a dull joke. Oh, does the Duke know about this?”
“Yes. Harold always believes in me.”
‘The Duke supports her?’ That was obviously a lie.
Countess Russell scoffed and folded her fan.
“If you have nothing to hide, then you can prove it, can’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Good, then.”
She gestured to her personal maid, who quickly retrieved something she had purchased last week.
A small oval object with a hollowed-out center, adorned with tiny gemstones, was placed on the table.
“This, Duchess, do you know what it is? It’s a tool that can determine whether a woman is infertile. You drop a bit of blood here and wait three minutes. If the color changes, it means infertility.”
She waited eagerly, expecting Diana’s face to twist in fear.
But instead, Diana calmly pulled the object toward her as if she were simply about to eat a meal.
Without hesitation, she removed her left glove, picked up a knife meant for cutting bread, and made a small cut on her finger.
A drop of blood fell into the hollowed-out space. Diana then wrapped her healed finger with a handkerchief and placed her pocket watch next to the test device.
“Now we wait, correct?”
“…….”
Her calm blue eyes watched the passing time without a hint of concern.
Meanwhile, Countess Russell’s forehead creased deeply.
Even if she was lying, dropping her own blood so confidently? That expressionless face? That steady voice?
Suddenly, unease crept into her mind.
‘No, that can’t be possible.’
But the weight of her own actions made her uneasy. She clenched her jaw tightly.
Desperate to push away the ominous feeling, she raised her voice.
“You should confess now and at least preserve some of your noble dignity.”
“I’m already preserving my dignity quite well.”
“You’re so shameless in this situation! Fine, do as you please!”
She lifted her chin defiantly, but her palms were sweaty, and her mouth was dry.
Time continued to pass.
Only 10 seconds left.
8… 7…
…3, 2, 1.
Three minutes had passed.
The blood in the test device…
‘It’s still red. …Why? Did Ella lie to me?’
Her heart pounded as realization set in.
Ella had tricked her.
‘That wretched girl…’
Anger surged through her veins. She clenched her fists, itching to slap Ella for deceiving her.
“I’m glad we cleared up this misunderstanding.”
“……!”
At Diana’s soft voice, Countess Russell snapped her head up.
She swallowed dryly as she met Diana’s gaze.
‘What have I done?’
The air around her felt unfamiliar. The fan in her hand, the fabric of her dress—everything suddenly felt foreign.
It was as if she had walked into a terrible nightmare.
Only now did she realize—she had shattered her own bright future.
“Duchess Diana…”
She placed her trembling hands on her lap. Her fingers shook slightly from the overwhelming regret.
“Lady Ella spoke so convincingly… I was foolish enough to believe her lies.”
Instead of apologizing, she began rambling, trying to explain herself.
“I’m… I’m so sorry, Duchess.”
Her voice wavered as if she were grasping at a rope while falling off a cliff.
Diana slowly opened her mouth to speak.
“I understand. Ella has always been good at lying. Everyone always believed her.”
Diana let out a small, bitter laugh. Countess Russell quickly nodded in agreement.
“It’s true! You have no idea how she deceived me! She even involved her family’s physician and forged a letter in your handwriting! Duchess, I—”
She pulled out a handkerchief, dabbing her eyes.
“I don’t know how I can ever make this right…”
Her body trembled as she sobbed, hoping for some miracle to save her.
“Please don’t cry too much. It pains me to see you like this.”
“Hic! But…!”
Countess Russell sobbed even louder.
Diana let out a deep sigh.
Then, as if offering her a lifeline, she reached out and took her hand.
“I’ll forget about this incident. But in return…”
“…….”
“May I ask for two favors?”
“Of course! Please tell me anything!”
No matter what it was, it would be a small price to pay compared to missing the chance to take over the Baisen Ducal family.
Countess Russell’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed Diana’s hands tightly, as if holding onto a lifeline.
Diana smiled sweetly and explained what she wanted to ask.
After their conversation ended, Countess Russell laughed cheerfully.
“Hoho! If that’s what you need, I’d do it a hundred times, even a thousand times for you, Duchess!”
“I’m glad to hear that. Then, I’ll see you at the party, Countess.”
After exchanging farewells, Diana left the Russell estate and got into her carriage.
As the carriage picked up speed, moving down the road, Diana slumped down like a deflated bun once the estate was out of sight.
“My lady?”
Startled, Anna quickly called out to her. Diana shook her head, assuring her it was nothing.
“I’m fine. I just lost all my strength now that the tension is gone.”
‘When will I ever get used to this…’ Diana muttered to herself, leaning her head against the carriage window.
‘Finally, the time has come.’
Time passed quickly, and the day of the grand party hosted by the Baisen Ducal family arrived.
Ella woke up early in the morning and began preparing herself.
“Make me look like I’m the bride today. If I like your work, I’ll take you with me when I get married.”
“Yes, my lady!”
The maids’ eyes sparkled at the sweet promise Ella handed them like a carrot on a stick.
Of course, she had no intention of actually taking any of them with her.
Ella felt no guilt about her little lie.
‘My beauty and kindness must stand out the most today.’
Everyone would be reminded that Diana was nothing but a villain. And Diana’s downfall had always been Ella’s time to shine the brightest.
Once again, Ella planned to use Diana’s ruin as a stage for her own glory.
Everything was already set. It would be easy to destroy Diana, who didn’t even know she was infertile.
‘The only regret is that Kaiden won’t be here to see for himself what a fraud Diana is.’
Kaiden had no choice but to leave for his territory because Harold had dumped a lot of work on him.
Ella had written to ask if he could attend the party, but his reply said he was too busy.
‘It’s a shame, but it’s fine. Even if he’s not at the party, he’ll hear about it soon enough.’
Once Kaiden learned that Diana was infertile, he wouldn’t waver anymore.
“My lady, Young Master Kaiden has arrived.”
Just as Ella was about to leave her room, she heard the announcement and widened her eyes in surprise.
When the maid opened the door, Kaiden was standing next to the butler.
“Oh my, Kaiden! Didn’t you say you couldn’t come?”
“I did, but my brother ordered me to attend the party no matter what.”
Ella pouted.
“How mean. He dumped all the work on you and still forced you to come to the party?”
Even the one thing that had been bothering her was now solved perfectly.
‘After all the misfortune I’ve had, I deserve some good luck today.’
With everything falling into place, Ella beamed, truly excited for the party.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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