Chapter 82
Before anyone could process the situation further, Somerset’s voice cut in harshly.
“Mother, that bastard has lost his mind!”
“……”
“He’s calling out some strange name, ‘Mary,’ and just look at him! He’s acting like he’s holding someone in his arms when there’s no one there!”
Marilyn finally realized something.
‘They can’t see me.’
Maybe because the wardrobe was too damaged, her existence was fading. Even though Dedrick was holding her, the others couldn’t see her.
Despair washed over her.
If they could see her, she could explain everything. But with her invisible, it only made Dedrick look insane.
Tears slipped down her face in helplessness.
“Wait, young master. Isn’t there blood floating in the air? I-It must be a monster!”
Gemma let out an exaggerated scream, pretending to be terrified. The servants and knights who had entered with the Lord of Aulus hesitated, their eyes widening in fear.
“A monster! He’s been keeping a monster in the castle!”
The situation was spiraling out of control.
“Look, there’s blood in the air!”
“A-A monster! It’s an invisible monster!”
“Ahhh!”
Several terrified servants ran out of the room. The Lord of Aulus roared in fury.
“Keeping a monster in the Grand Duke’s castle? This is treasonous!”
Somerset took his chance to add fuel to the fire.
“Lord Aulus! Not only that, but that monster attacked Mother! All this blood is hers! That lunatic is dangerous!”
Jacob clenched his fists and protested.
“Lunatic? That’s absurd! The young master would never—”
“Silence! The Black Hawk Knights have no say in household matters! How dare you speak out of turn?”
Jacob gritted his teeth and shot back.
“Then what about the vassals? They shouldn’t interfere in internal affairs without the Grand Duke’s permission either!”
“This isn’t just about succession! Should we just stand by and watch this disaster unfold?”
“Are you seriously trusting Somerset? Look at all this blood! It’s obviously not from the Grand Duchess!”
Delani, faking tears, turned to Jacob.
“Sir, just because you dislike me, you accuse me like this? Then whose blood is this? The monster’s?”
“That’s—”
Before he could answer, another voice cut in.
“What if His Grace already knows?”
Dedrick, his eyes bloodshot, glared at Delani.
“His Grace knows everything. That means there’s no problem!”
“That’s not the issue here!”
The Lord of Aulus scanned the room with narrowed eyes.
“Even if we ignore the monster, harming the Grand Duchess cannot be overlooked!”
“That woman tried to take what was mine—”
“Hah! Calling a monster your own? Ridiculous!”
The Lord of Aulus let out a short laugh before ordering,
“This won’t be ignored! Bring the Grand Duchess out of here at once!”
Gemma quickly whispered to him,
“The Grand Duchess discovered a dangerous monster that could harm His Grace. That wardrobe is the core. Since Dedrick might be lying about His Grace’s approval, we must remove it until we confirm the truth.”
“Take that wardrobe out immediately!”
At those words, Dedrick stood up, gripping his sword once more.
“Touch it, and I’ll kill every last one of you.”
“Y-You…!”
“Get out of my room. Don’t touch anything, just leave!”
“He’s lost his mind! Restrain him, now!”
“No! No, Didi!”
Marilyn tried to stop him, but with her body too weak, she was pulled back into the wardrobe.
Seeing her disappear, Dedrick became even more aggressive in blocking their way.
“Move the wardrobe!”
“I said don’t touch it!”
“Restrain that lunatic!”
The White Hawks knights rushed toward Dedrick.
Jacob immediately stepped in front of him.
“Leave the wardrobe alone! His Grace knows about it!”
“That’s just Dedrick’s claim! We need to confirm it, so we’re taking it!”
The Lord of Aulus signaled his men to proceed, but Jacob held firm, his voice hard.
“Lord Aulus, this is a Blackwood family matter. No matter how high your position, you have no right to order Dedrick’s capture or command the knights!”
“Then I’ll do it myself.”
The Grand Duchess narrowed her eyes at Jacob.
“With His Grace absent, I am the mistress of this castle. I will not overlook an attack on me.”
“Grand Duchess!”
“What are you all doing? Arrest Dedrick immediately! That cursed wardrobe is dangerous too—get rid of it at once!”
“Wait…”
“You saw him threaten me, Lord! Do not interfere carelessly!”
Delani shouted sharply at the hesitant knights.
“Even if I have lost my authority over the White Hawk Order, disobeying my command in this situation would disgrace the family. Capture him now!”
In the end, the White Hawk knights approached the wardrobe. Dedrick blocked them with his sword.
“Stay back.”
His voice was cold and threatening. But since they had received the order, they had no choice but to act.
Several knights lunged at him, and without hesitation, Dedrick swung his sword.
His blade cut through the arms and torsos of the charging knights.
“Ugh!”
Some knights collapsed to the ground, wounded. The others hesitated, but Delani screamed furiously.
“Dedrick has finally lost his mind! Seize him, now!”
More knights rushed in. Despite his fierce resistance, Dedrick was eventually overpowered and restrained.
“Let me go!”
His sheer strength pushed the knights back, but they held on even tighter.
At Delani’s signal, waiting servants rushed in and began carrying away the wardrobe.
Dedrick struggled violently.
“Damn it, stop this right now—!”
“Dedrick, enough! The wardrobe will be returned after His Grace comes back and confirms everything.”
Of course, Delani had no intention of returning it. She planned to replace it with a fake and give that instead.
Dedric knew exactly what she was thinking.
As the wardrobe was carried out, it rattled, and Marilyn fell from it.
Realizing this was her last chance, she crawled towards Dedrick.
The bloodstains in the air moved, causing the terrified servants to scream. The knights raised their swords at Marilyn.
“T-The monster is moving!”
“Damn it! Everyone—”
“Lower your swords!”
Dedrick shouted, trying to stop them. At that moment, Marilyn collapsed into his arms.
His fierce resistance came to a sudden halt.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Didi… Just think about yourself now. Don’t throw everything away because of me. Please…”
“Mary.”
Marilyn cried but smiled like a fool.
“I’ll take care of myself. We’ll see each other soon. Until then, don’t get hurt, okay?”
“No, I won’t let you go.”
Dedrick tried to hold onto her, but his arms were restrained, leaving him unable to even wipe her tears.
Marilyn stood on her toes and kissed his chin.
He froze.
“Didi, you’re too tall.”
Her form gradually became blurry.
“Please, Mary… don’t go.”
Smiling through her bloodied face, Marilyn disappeared.
Delani wanted to finish everything before the Grand Duke returned. She subtly pressured the head of House Aulus, and the next day, a council meeting was held.
Almost all the key figures attended, except for a few heads of noble houses.
Gemma calmly explained what had happened.
“The Grand Duchess deeply regrets the incident with Young Master Axel and was truly heartbroken. She waited in Dedrick’s room to sincerely apologize and noticed that the wardrobe was damaged. She merely tried to fix it, but Young Master Dedrick misunderstood and suddenly lost control.”
The Grand Duchess’s cheek was swollen, and her neck was wrapped in thick bandages.
The head of House Aulus shouted angrily.
“I saw it with my own eyes—he pointed a sword at the Grand Duchess!”
Then, as if he couldn’t believe it himself, he added,
“That boy has lost his mind! He was talking to thin air, calling out names, as if he were speaking to someone who wasn’t there!”
“What…?”
“He’s gone mad?”
“This is serious. It’s not just a succession issue anymore. The name of Blackwood…”
The council members murmured in concern.
But Delani knew this wouldn’t be enough to get rid of Dedrick.
Only the Grand Duke could decide the punishment for a direct family member. And she knew he would never sentence Dedrick to death.
So, before the Grand Duke could return and protect Dedrick, she needed to drive him out of the Grand Duchy and have him killed.
She had planned this for a long time, and now it was time to act.
“…Dedrick is a pitiful child.”
At her words, the murmurs stopped.
Everyone in the council turned to look at her.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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Ugh, I hate her so much!!!!