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Chapter 49
Before Ian could step forward, the cold voice of Duke Sharte was heard first.
“Felix Sharte. Stop this disgraceful behavior.”
It was a relief that Duke Sharte had at least some sense of discretion.
He was the quintessential calculating noble.
Even if disagreements or conflicts arose in public, he surely wouldn’t want to openly make an enemy of “Ian Deivan” over something like this.
Whether it was a lie or not, if it was something difficult for Ian to achieve, the reasons or circumstances would hardly matter.
It seemed clear that he didn’t want to give Ian any excuse to pick a fight with the Sharte household.
“It seems I cannot escort you. Take care. Please convey my regards to Her Majesty the Empress and to Marchioness Prowell as well.”
Duke Sharte concluded the matter right there.
Then, sending Felix a glance as if to ask why he wasn’t following, he turned sharply and left the room.
Felix ground his teeth on his way out, choosing to throw a few more words as he went.
“Your Highness, I don’t think this is over.”
“Do you really think someone like you can threaten me?”
The Grand Duke’s dry response to Felix’s outburst caused Felix’s face to flush bright red.
After a moment, with the room empty except for the Grand Duke, Betty finally had a chance to process what had just happened.
“If His Highness hadn’t been here…”
Could she have stood there safely on her own?
Still gripped by a faint unease, Betty rubbed her arms to regain some sense of reality and stability.
“Are you cold?”
The question came suddenly. Betty shook her head quietly.
It seemed the Grand Duke was checking if she was truly cold, as he briefly examined her face.
Then, suddenly, he strode to the center of the room and picked something up from the floor.
“This is yours.”
Betty instinctively opened her palm at the unexpected gesture. The emerald necklace placed in her hand gleamed brilliantly.
Only a step behind, Betty finally understood what the Grand Duke had said.
As she reached out to receive the necklace carefully and looked up, her eyes met his—eyes brimming with an indescribable emotion.
The certainty that the necklace belonged to her. The natural ease with which he seemed to understand exactly what it was. And the definite assertion that it was hers.
With that single word from the Grand Duke, Betty slowly realized.
Ah, he knows.
She didn’t know since when, but he clearly knew everything.
Betty’s hands shook uncontrollably. How could he know? Since when did he know? How much did he suspect and discover?
Even that she was the one who wrote the letters to him—did he know everything?
If so, why hadn’t he said anything until now?
Countless thoughts tangled together, unable to form words, and scattered again. Betty found it difficult to piece her thoughts together properly.
“I…”
Before she could even start speaking, the door swung open, and this time, the familiar figure with orange hair entered.
“Your Highness. What on earth… Lady?”
“I’m returning to the Grand Duke’s residence.”
Ian stepped forward first, then glanced back when he noticed Betty hesitating.
“Kane, you go ahead and have the carriage ready.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Once Kane left, a quiet atmosphere settled between the two of them.
Betty expected the Grand Duke to start questioning her immediately. Naturally, she thought he should.
“You’re coming with me, Betty.”
But Ian didn’t act forcefully. He simply came closer, placed a hand gently on her back, and guided her steps toward the door.
“So, does that mean I won’t be going to Marchioness Prowell’s residence?”
The Grand Duke glanced down at her and spoke briefly.
“That was just something said to get through the moment.”
“…So Her Majesty the Empress didn’t say anything about me?”
“I’ll inform Her Majesty myself. Whatever happens, I will protect you, so there’s no need to worry.”
His tone suggested that notifying the Empress in advance was not particularly difficult for him.
Honestly, Betty found it hard to focus on his words.
Did he even want to take her along in this situation? With evidence that she had deceived the Grand Duke, why would he still want to protect her?
Betty couldn’t grasp what he was thinking, even as they arrived at the black carriage bearing the Grand Duke’s emblem. She didn’t know what to say.
Then, she remembered an important person she must never forget but had somehow overlooked.
My goodness, how could that be?
“And Lady Sharte?”
“It was Lady Sharte who asked me to take you.”
“Lady Sharte? Why… but…”
“She wants you to be safe.”
“But isn’t she herself not safe?”
“Vivian Sharte chose her own path.”
With Kane gone, perhaps to fetch something, only Betty and the Grand Duke stood by the carriage.
As Betty opened the carriage door, she quietly looked up at the Grand Duke extending his hand.
Ian exhaled a long sigh.
“Lady Sharte decided to stay in the Sharte household to find a way to bring it down. She told me that. That’s what she most wants. If the Emperor’s intention lies in Sharte’s downfall, she will cooperate.”
So, her choice must be respected.
And the desire to protect Betty, who might be unintentionally caught up in this, was also her intention.
Betty understood Vivian’s message through Ian.
‘Then perhaps I can’t really help…’
She might only get in the way of Vivian’s carefully considered decision.
“…Lady Sharte will be fine, right?”
“She’s stronger than she seems. At least, stronger than you think, Betty.”
Whatever conversation they had, the Grand Duke’s judgment was clear, and Betty accepted that.
Only then did she understand Vivian’s recent actions. She had clearly acted with firm resolve.
Therefore, the best thing Betty could do was to hope that Vivian could navigate her own life safely and find happiness at the end.
Then, the most crucial matter remained—an unavoidable topic.
Gathering all her courage, Betty finally spoke first.
“Your Highness. About the necklace…”
“It doesn’t seem like the right place to discuss that.”
The Grand Duke interrupted her, speaking with a firmness that seemed almost harsh. Was he angry? Or at least displeased?
But in his calm expression, no emotion could be read.
He spoke in a completely neutral tone.
“Let’s go to the residence and talk there.”
To Betty, it sounded almost like a final decree. She even thought it might be better if he questioned her about the necklace or the letters right there.
“…Yes.”
But she wasn’t ready to ask more.
She didn’t have the courage to inquire in detail about how he had become certain that she was the owner of the emerald necklace.
Only when the carriage door clicked shut did she realize that the Grand Duke had deliberately chosen not to accompany her inside.
She marveled at how naturally he acted, yet the thought of such audacity crossed her mind.
Though she felt she shouldn’t get used to it, she wanted to cling to the warmth of his silent care.
Putting aside the complex thoughts and worries beyond this, she simply…
Betty gazed at the faint moonlight filtering through the small window, then slowly leaned back and closed her eyes.
She needed time to organize her thoughts.
More precisely, she needed to gather the courage to accept the revealed truth and the consequences that would follow.
