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Chapter : 56
Why that man? Verde sent a letter himself?
Just two days ago, no one had defended Astella more fiercely than he had—what could he possibly want to say now?
Feeling uneasy, Prea opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
To Lady Prea Balche,
I imagine this sudden letter must have surprised you.
I wish to apologize for my discourtesy toward you during the recent banquet hosted by Her Highness the Princess.
I ought to do so in person, but due to circumstances, I ask your understanding for offering it in a letter instead.
Astella is deeply reflecting on her behavior as well. I convey this to you in her stead.
You have taken such good care of my sister all this time, yet I failed to even express my gratitude properly.
Thank you for serving her so diligently. My father also acknowledges your efforts.
Congratulations on your engagement with the Duke of Betelheim. I wish both of you happiness in the future.
I heard the engagement ceremony will be held in the Bellona Garden of the ducal estate. I would be glad to celebrate with you—would you be willing to send me an invitation?
Though unsavory matters occurred, I believe there’s no reason for our bond to be severed because of a single mistake.
I await your good news.
Verde Vinoc
“…Hah.”
After finishing the not-so-long letter, a short sigh escaped Prea’s lips. She couldn’t believe such a ridiculous thing could exist.
Shamelessness had its limits—but apparently he had none. How could he send something like this?
“Why that face, my lady? Did Miss Astella finally send a letter? Saying she regrets everything now?”
“No. It wasn’t Astella. It’s from Lord Verde Vinoc.”
“What? From him?”
“Yes. A letter of apology, disguised as a threat.”
“A threat?!”
Greta’s face hardened. Prea set the letter down on the table and clicked her tongue.
“He apologizes for what happened during the banquet. Says Astella is reflecting.”
“That’s a lie! Miss Astella has never once apologized properly for anything—she’d never reflect, not in a million years!”
“He says thank you for looking after her all this time, and congratulates me on the engagement. Wishes me happiness.”
“The most generic, empty words imaginable. Not a shred of sincerity.”
“…Then he asks me to send him an invitation so he can attend the ceremony.”
“Oh, unbelievable! Truly amazing, Lord Vinoc—shameless beyond worldly limits.”
Greta let out a sigh that mirrored Prea’s perfectly. To think he actually wanted an invitation.
After humiliating himself like that at the banquet, he wants to meet again?
Was it courage? No—arrogance.
He had been ready to bare his teeth, aggressively protecting Astella, and now he apologized this quickly?
The letter itself was insulting, but what bothered Prea more was the utter lack of sincerity.
There’s no true remorse or effort in this.
Polished language wrapped neatly around empty content—every real point conveniently absent.
No admission of what they did wrong, or how they meant to make amends.
Circumstances prevent a meeting so accept a letter?
To whom did he think he was talking? Was this how a person apologized?
“Conveying Astella’s feelings” … There’s no way Verde wrote this alone. The Duke’s influence is all over it.
Astella’s reputation had not just tanked—it was digging through the bedrock. News of the banquet fiasco spread like wildfire, but the real disaster was her final act:
Destroying a royal artifact—a magical projector—right before the Princess and Crown Prince.
Then fleeing, ignoring Princess Helena calling after her.
Everyone had been stunned.
And now the case had gone to trial—no wonder the Duke was desperately moving.
Relations with the imperial family weren’t bad, but the worst possible person to offend had been involved: Helena—and Jeyros.
Princess Helena especially was publicly criticizing Astella.
No matter how powerful Duke Vinoc was, Helena’s influence in both the aristocracy and royal sphere was impossible to ignore.
If things go wrong, Astella might never step foot in society again.
Even if the Duke pushed for the lightest sentence possible, her reputation would not recover easily.
And Helena’s stance meant returning to society would be an uphill battle, perhaps an impossible one.
The Vinoc family name couldn’t shield them from public outrage this time.
There were rules, invisible boundaries—Astella had forgotten the most crucial thing:
She was no longer a commoner, but a noble lady.
Society’s women were harsher than she realized.
They didn’t endlessly grant leniency to newcomers, nor did background protect someone forever.
They were sensitive to shifting alliances, calculating where to stand to survive—always attuned to the wind.
The Duke knows this. That’s why he sent Verde to me.
They needed a countermeasure against Helena, but ultimately, the root problem had to be addressed.
Everything had begun with Prea and Astella’s relationship—so restoring what cracked would fix the narrative.
No matter how respectable Prea’s new position as the Duke of Betelheim’s fiancée was, to Duke Vinoc, she was still merely a niece—a marriagable Marchioness-to-be.
If they could reel her back in, it could flip disaster into opportunity.
Blood had always been the easier justification than outsiders.
Ridiculous. They treated me like a stranger until Astella returned, and now they invoke family?
Now they claimed ties of blood? Prea couldn’t stop the cynical smile curling her lips.
Verde may have written it, but the Duke’s intentions bled through every word.
Especially the line: “There’s no reason our bond should be severed over a single mistake.”
Reducing Astella’s wrongdoing to “one mistake”
and referring to “our bond”
—implicitly waving the family banner.
In plain words:
“What’s the big deal? She’s your cousin. You can’t be cold to your own blood.”
If they truly wanted to apologize, Astella herself should have written.
But she clearly didn’t intend to.
She smashed the projector to hide her wrongdoing.
Useless, of course.
She was no doubt holed up in her room, refusing to budge, and couldn’t be forced to write anything.
So they had the eldest son write in her stead.
“They don’t even understand the premise they’re starting from.”
“My lady? What do you mean?”
“I was just thinking—how terrifying a daughter-blind father can be.”
“Pardon?”
Greta stared in confusion. Prea smiled thinly and continued.
“But I didn’t expect House Vinoc to want to attend the engagement.”
“Why not?”
“House Vinoc is on bad terms with House Betelheim. Practically enemies. And they can’t maintain the same relationship with our family now either.”
With the Balche marquessate forming a future in-law tie with Betelheim, House Vinoc now stood opposite them.
Her father was already working to sever relations with the Duke—yet they insisted on attending the engagement?
There must be something more.
Could Betelheim possess some rare item or information valuable enough for the Duke to swallow his pride?
…Bellona Garden. Don’t tell me—it’s the Bellona flowers.
The only reason to cling to “family” to attend the ceremony.
The only thing unique to Betelheim’s Bellona Garden—those flowers.
They had to be valuable enough to visit even an enemy estate for them.
“It really must be for the Bellona flowers, right?”
“That’s the most likely reason.”
“So, what will you do, my lady? Will you send the invitation?”
“Well…”
Prea frowned at Greta’s question.
