Chapter 32
Dedrick and I didn’t hear about Somerset until evening when Jenkinson relayed the news.
“So, Somerset is currently…”
“He’s under house arrest in his room.”
“…”
“The leader of the White Hawks has been dismissed as of today.”
I muttered in surprise.
“So, it was the wooden sword with the iron blade that caused his injury.”
I gritted my teeth in anger upon hearing the truth from Jenkinson.
“That bastard! Is that enough punishment?! Just house arrest?!”
I knew I couldn’t hit him back since he was still a minor, but the thought made me feel helpless.
“Ugh! Once he’s an adult, I’ll beat him to death without feeling guilty!”
It made no sense to me that after hurting Dedrick so badly, he would only get house arrest.
Jenkinson, who couldn’t hear my furious rant, kept worrying about Dedrick.
“Is your head alright?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Dedrick had seen a doctor that morning and received another thorough checkup.
“There won’t be any more incidents like this under the pretense of a duel. I’m truly sorry for what happened,” Jenkinson said, bowing deeply.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“Please, don’t hate the Duke too much.”
I glared at Jenkinson in disbelief.
“How can he not hate him after he ignored the evidence? Let that bastard do whatever he wants!”
Jenkinson quietly withdrew. I looked at Dedrick and repeated myself.
“Do whatever you want to him! If you want to hate him, hate him as much as you want. Got it?”
He stared at me for a moment before breaking into a warm smile, looking pleased.
“…You’re really on my side.”
“Of course!”
I smiled brightly, shaking his hand.
“It’s just that you’re such a good person, Dedrick. Good people like you always end up surrounded by good people.”
The swordsmanship teacher even stepped forward to speak up for you, so he must care about you in some way, right?
“One month of house arrest is too little, but at least for now, you won’t be troubled by anything else. Right?”
“…Yeah. I think I can relax for a bit.”
Looking at Dedrick’s calm face, I gently stroked his cheek.
I hoped this peace would last longer.
‘But it probably won’t.’
Once the house arrest was over, he would probably make trouble again.
‘Oh well, it’s still nice.’
Delani’s reputation had taken a huge hit, and she lost control over the White Hawks. No knight would follow her orders now.
They might protect her, but they wouldn’t do anything else.
That was a huge dishonor for the Duchess. She would likely be in shock and bedridden for a while.
It was refreshing to see.
When Somerset’s house arrest ended, Delani began working hard to restore her lost honor.
“My lady, here’s the list of attendees for the party.”
Delani took the list from Gemma. She smiled as she reviewed the long list of noble families.
Most of the families on the list were friendly toward Somerset. She had invited neutral families as well, and now she needed to pull them firmly to Somerset’s side.
‘And after all this, some of the retainers turned their backs on us.’
She needed to bring them back to Somerset’s side.
Delani’s first goal was to move her retainers and give Somerset support.
“I’ve excluded the First Prince from the list. However…”
Gemma hesitated, and Delani’s eyes stopped at the name ‘Joanna Primrose.’
“Is this about Joanna?”
“Yes, my lady. What should we do?”
Joanna had escaped from the Duke’s castle, and the first thing Delani did was spread rumors about her.
She intentionally spread the gossip that Somerset was not happy about his engagement to Joanna. She mixed lies, making it seem like Joanna was at fault. As a result, the Primrose family became a laughingstock in society.
Afterward, Delani sent a letter to the Duke of Primrose saying that the engagement between Somerset and Joanna was off.
She ignored all the letters that were sent from the Primrose family.
“Exclude the Primrose family. It’s only right to show this immature child the consequences of turning their back on me and my son.”
“Understood, my lady. Should we prevent the youngest son from attending the party as well?”
“Hmm…”
Delani hesitated, then shook her head.
“Let him attend. We can’t miss this opportunity.”
With that decision made, Delani’s lips curved into a graceful smile as she savored the tea.
Once everything was settled, Gemma lingered, hesitating before speaking.
“My lady, I have something urgent to tell you.”
Gemma leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“…He has arrived.”
Crash!
The cup Delani was holding fell to the floor. She asked in a trembling voice,
“…Who’s arrived?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand; she just wanted to hear Gemma’s confirmation.
Gemma cautiously asked,
“What should we do?”
Delani’s hand trembled as she gripped the armrest of the sofa.
“What’s the reason for his visit?”
“He wants to start working again as a knight.”
Delani couldn’t believe it.
He came to the Duke’s castle for such a trivial reason?
Unable to contain her growing rage, Delani shouted,
“Then just put him somewhere out of the way!”
“…He wants to join the Black Hawks of Blackwood.”
“Ha!”
Delani ground her red lips together.
After losing control of the White Hawks, he wanted to join the Black Hawks? Was he mocking her?
“How shameless!”
“Should we dispose of him? It might be dangerous to leave him alive.”
Gemma suggested it, but Delani pressed her furrowed brow together tightly.
As much as she wanted to get rid of him, but she couldn’t.
“The evidence is in his hands.”
If he dies, all the evidence will be exposed. That couldn’t happen.
“Tell him to stay quiet until I contact him. It won’t take long.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Delani gritted her teeth, trembling with rage.
Later…
I had been stealing blueberries when the door suddenly creaked open, making me stop.
“Come here.”
At Gemma’s quiet voice, I quickly grabbed the rest of the blueberries and peeked my head out.
A man entered, and Gemma, looking around, quickly shut the door to the fruit storage.
‘What’s going on? This seems suspicious.’
Had someone visited the Duke’s castle today?
And why lead him here? He doesn’t seem to be of low status, considering Gemma is being so polite.
Had Dedrick been left alone for too long, and now someone was moving behind the scenes?
‘What is he plotting!’
Was this not her guest, then?
‘Could it be Gemma’s weakness?’
Maybe this was a good opportunity to get rid of Gemma, who was practically the Duchess’s right hand.
I didn’t take my eyes off the two of them.
In the dark fruit storage, Gemma, holding a lamp, pressed against a wall stacked with apple crates.
Creeeek…
The bricks shifted on their own, revealing a hidden passage.
“Was that here all along?”
“Follow me.”
I was startled and hurried to follow Gemma. The bag of blueberries I was holding was dark, so in this dim light, no one would see what I had. Still, I wrapped it as quietly as I could, not wanting to make any noise.
Only after I entered did the brick door close behind me. In the pitch-black space, the light from Gemma’s lamp was the only source of illumination.
‘Gemma’s personally leading him, so he must be a guest of the Duchess.’
But why take him through a secret passage like this?
I wanted to get a look at the man, but he was completely covered in a hood, so I couldn’t see much.
Even trying to peek at his face was difficult since the passage was narrow, and I couldn’t get in front of him. As I tried to, I accidentally brushed against him.
‘He’s carrying a sword. If he’s a knight, his senses are likely sharp. He might not think it’s just a ghost.’
So, I decided to quietly follow and listen to their conversation instead.
“The Duchess asks that you wait a little longer.”
“I’ve waited over ten years, and now I’m supposed to wait more?”
I could hear the exasperated voice of a man. Although I couldn’t see him, I heard Gemma’s frustrated sigh.
“Lord Arnold, do you think it’s easy to bring you here?”
Arnold? That was a name I hadn’t heard before…
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall anyone named Arnold.
‘And now she’s bringing this man to the Duke’s castle?’
Just then, I heard Arnold’s mocking voice.
“It seems Delani still hasn’t settled into her position. I heard she was scolded severely by the Duke recently. Heh heh.”
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