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Chapter : 30
“Brother Verde… thank you….”
“Between us, what thanks? I told you not to say that.”
“Brother Karin….”
Seeing her eyes reddened and swollen, Karin clicked his tongue and patted her head. Feeling his gentler-than-usual touch, Astella smiled faintly.
“I like it… your hands are warm, brother.”
“Only now you smile. Kid, if you cry any more, I’ll scold you.”
“Yes….”
As she nodded, Karin grinned. Verde, who had tucked the handkerchief into his pocket, stood up and asked Astella,
“Did Lady Valche, the marquis’s daughter, tell you anything about the engagement with Duke Betelheim?”
“…No. I haven’t heard anything.”
Lowering her gaze, she continued in a dark voice.
“Big sister Frea supported the Duke and me, and even helped us become lovers… I don’t know how something like this could happen.”
“Isn’t it obvious? That duke and that woman must have planned it together and tricked an innocent kid like you.”
“What? No! There’s no way big sister Frea and the Duke would do that!”
“In this situation, you’re still saying that? Duke Betelheim is your lover! But he sent an engagement letter to that woman. He must’ve been deceiving you from the start and fooling around with her.”
At Karin’s angry words, Astella’s eyes widened in shock. Her hands trembled.
“That can’t be… Surely the Duke wouldn’t….”
Seeing her green eyes waver pitifully, Verde frowned and said to Karin,
“What reason would the Duke have to deceive Astella?”
“Who knows? Looks like he needed a lover for show. He’s under a lot of pressure to marry, right? But that woman doesn’t match the status of the ducal house, so he put the kid forward as a substitute.”
“So because our family is of equal standing with the ducal house, he set Astella up as his lover in public while secretly maintaining a relationship with Lady Valche…?”
“And sending the engagement letter this time—wasn’t it because he finally persuaded that old fox on his side?”
“Hm… So he used Astella as bait to buy time to persuade the duchess.”
Verde’s expression darkened further. What a cunning and vicious man. Using another woman for the sake of a hidden lover—especially his own younger sister.
This was not something to overlook. If left as is, not only Astella’s dignity but the honor of the family would be damaged.
“To dare make my daughter… into bait.”
“…!”
Duke Binok, who had been silently listening, finally spoke. Dark crimson magic slowly began to rise from around his feet.
Feeling the ominous aura, Astella approached him worriedly and grabbed his sleeve.
At that moment, something like black smoke flew from her fingertips toward Duke Binok.
“Dad….”
Seeing the black smoke seep into him, Astella’s expression grew even more sorrowful. Duke Binok gently held her hand and said,
“Don’t worry, Astella. Your father will take care of everything.”
“But, Dad… Duke Betelheim… I can’t believe he would do that. And big sister Frea too… she’s not someone who would lie to me.”
“Astella.”
“Big sister kept helping me. She even arranged ‘chance’ meetings so I could see the Duke, picked out dresses for our dates, and gave me advice.”
Clutching the Duke’s arm tightly, Astella defended Frea. Her determined expression showed how much she wanted to believe in her.
“Of course, since big sister and the Duke were busy working together, we never had a proper date even once… but still, she helped me so much and supported me….”
As Astella lowered her gaze, shadows gradually fell over her face. Seeing that, Karin brushed back his hair and let out a deep sigh.
“Haah… kid. That wasn’t helping. That woman knew everything and was getting in your way.”
“What…?”
“Since she couldn’t come forward as the Duke’s lover, she pretended to care about you—the one put up as a front—and toyed with you.”
Tsk, as Karin clicked his tongue, Verde glanced at Duke Binok and said,
“Even while holding onto the Duke, she didn’t like Astella getting involved with him.”
“She agreed to using you as a front because of her situation with him, but do you think that came from a good heart? She was using you, yet hated seeing you by his side.”
“Disgusting jealousy.”
Unable to have Duke Betelheim entirely, she twisted her heart and played with Astella?
Lady Valche… I thought she was clever and, unlike other noble ladies, passionate about her work. To think she was that kind of person.
So this is why they say you only know a woman’s true face after experiencing it. Realizing his judgment had been wrong, Verde felt both regret and disgust.
“The two of them really played the kid in the palm of their hands. Birds of a feather.”
“T-That can’t be… sob….”
At last, tears flowed again from Astella’s eyes. As she covered her face and cried bitterly, Beren shot Karin a sharp look.
“Karin, watch what you say in front of Astella.”
“Ah—kid, don’t cry! Big brother’s sorry. Huh? I’m sorry!”
Karin tried to soothe her in panic, but Astella’s tears wouldn’t stop. Seeing her trembling as she cried so pitifully, Duke Binok approached.
“Astella.”
“Sob, hic… D-Dad….”
Hearing his voice, Astella lowered her hands and looked at him. The area around her eyes, which had barely calmed, was again red and swollen from the continuing tears.
With a grimly twisted face, he pulled Astella into a tight embrace.
“I won’t let those who made you cry go unpunished.”
“Dad….”
Holding her tightly with his large hands, he promised in a firm voice: no matter what, he would make them pay for making his daughter cry.
The black smoke mixed with Duke Binok’s magic writhed and moved. Splitting and spreading up and down from his arms, it soon enveloped his entire body.
“……”
With her face buried in his chest, a smile formed at the corner of Astella’s lips.
Clatter!
“…I’ve got a bad feeling.”
Frea frowned as she looked at the white teacup that had fallen from her desk and shattered. What a way to start the morning.
She had finished reporting to the crown prince yesterday, but there was still plenty of work left, so she came early to her office to go through documents. Before that, she’d planned to have a cup of tea—but the cup had broken.
It was my favorite cup.
Sighing at the sight of the shattered pieces, Frea felt regret. It was a limited edition from a brand she liked, especially beautiful in design.
She’d kept it in the palace office to use often, but being so busy, she’d never really gotten to use it. Today, she finally had a bit of time before starting work, so she tried to use it—but this happened.
Had it been a mistake to place it at the edge of the desk? On her way to get the teapot, she accidentally knocked it with her elbow.
“What a waste. It feels too precious to just throw away like this….”
Carefully gathering the broken pieces in her palm, Frea wondered if there was any way to restore it. As she knelt there for a while, her legs began to ache.
Just as she was about to stand, the closed office door burst open.
“Lady Valche, daughter of the Marquis.”
“…Duke Binok?”
The person who suddenly entered was Duke Binok. Verde and Karin followed behind him.
“And the two young masters as well… what brings you here?”
Startled, Frea straightened herself and looked at the three with a stiff expression. Meeting her eyes, Duke Binok spoke,
“Do you truly not know why we’ve come?”
“Pardon?”
His cold eyes glared sharply at her. From behind, Verde and Karin twitched their brows and said,
“Don’t play dumb. We came knowing everything.”
“You didn’t think we wouldn’t know it was all your doing, did you?”
The overwhelming presence of the three threatened to swallow her whole.
