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Chapter 7 – You’re My Wife
2021.12.24.
Treason was the gravest crime in the Empire. Once the Emperor had given his approval, everything proceeded smoothly. The entire Duke of Libertan’s household was dragged away in disgrace by the imperial knights. The Duke himself, realizing the moment he was thrown into the imperial prison that everything was over, clung to them pathetically.
“There’s no precedent for dragging away a high noble like this without warning!”
But the crimes they had already committed changed nothing.
Johann recalled the bloody fall of the Duchy of Blanchet as he looked down on the chaos that had befallen the Libertans.
That day had come without warning. His father had gone to the palace in the morning and never returned. At first Johann thought it was just because he was busy with work, but as days passed and grim rumors began to circulate, they could no longer sit idly by.
I’m sorry. I think your father’s gotten caught up in something serious.
The Duchy of Blanchet was an honorable house, but unfortunately, its political power as a duchy was not particularly strong. Nobles who had once socialized freely with them began to avoid them as strange rumors spread in secret.
Just wait a little while, and I’ll come back with your father. Please look after Lily until then.
In the end, his mother left for the imperial palace with the captain of the family’s knights. But the ones who returned were not his parents — they were imperial knights. Led by the Duke of Libertan, the imperial knights trampled on the noble legacy of the Blanchets, slaughtered the innocent, and dragged the rest off to prison.
Young master! You must run!
The butler had tried to get Johann to flee, but Johann could not bring himself to leave his crying little sister. He should have run then. If he had escaped and prepared for the future, things might have gone more smoothly. After all, the young boy Johann had been would have changed nothing even if he’d been imprisoned with them. But he couldn’t abandon his sister, who was crying and unable to run away.
Because he couldn’t turn his back on her, Johann had to witness his parents, broken from torture. His father, who had left with a smile, could no longer even speak, and his mother, in a horrific state, tried to comfort him as she held the young boy in her arms.
It’s okay, Johann. Mommy’s okay.
After that came a hell too unbearable to watch. Everyone Johann loved was tortured at Libertan’s hands, and in the end, burned at the stake. The last to be taken to the pyre was his sister — a girl younger, slower to learn, and always childish in his eyes.
With a lifeless expression, she used the last of her strength to shout:
Don’t look at anything. Don’t listen to anything. Pretend you don’t know. Just think you’re not here, okay?
In that moment, she wasn’t the naive girl he’d always known.
Even if it’s hard, promise me you’ll do that.
She could have resented him for being the only one unharmed, but instead Lily tried to protect him. Perhaps it would have been better if he had died with them, even unjustly, than to stand there unharmed, forced to watch their suffering.
But ironically, the same imperial law that had unjustly condemned the Duke of Blanchet stated that even the gravest crime could not justify killing or permanently harming the last blood of a ducal family. So instead, the Duke of Libertan exploited a loophole in the law to make Johann witness every punishment.
Hell starts now.
Let’s see how long you can keep playing the dignified Duke of Blanchet.
Lily had wanted him to forget everything and live on, but Johann couldn’t. Instead of turning away from his family’s hell, he burned it into his eyes so he could never forget. He forced himself to remember even their screams, so he could one day repay it all.
The fall of Libertan was the moment that boy had waited for all his life. But when the revenge was finally complete, there was no sense of satisfaction. For all the years he’d anticipated it, Johann’s wounds were still raw. As he stepped in Libertan’s blood, the image of that naïve woman came to mind.
Your Grace.
Everything had gone according to plan — Libertan was arrested for treason. Now all that remained was to toy with that woman, to make her suffer just as his family had. But strangely, Johann didn’t think he would enjoy seeing her in pain.
Why?
That late at night, going to her room hadn’t been part of the plan. Even bringing the extravagant bouquet of artificial flowers — meant to mock her — had been half on impulse.
What kind of expression will she make?
He usually preferred more elegant, subtle forms of mockery. But this time, he’d acted on impulse. The woman with the bouquet in her arms looked at him with deep blue eyes, examined the flowers, and smiled brightly.
“They’re truly beautiful.”
At first, he thought he’d misheard. In high society, artificial flowers — especially with jeweled stamens — were a refined insult. Fake. And if they were red roses, it meant a showy fake, beautiful only on the outside.
Could it be she doesn’t know the meaning?
Still, Johann had prepared for either possibility. If she didn’t know, he would proceed with the original plan and seduce her. If she knew, he would pretend it was a mistake and comfort her.
But Estelle didn’t react the way he expected.
“Yes, it’s the first gift you’ve ever given me.”
From the slight pause of her hand as she examined the jeweled stamens, he could tell she wasn’t entirely ignorant of the meaning. She even asked him to confirm:
“That’s a compliment, right?”
Even to a blatant insult, she smiled as if genuinely pleased.
“Then I’m happy too.”
With a red rose tucked behind her ear, she looked dazzlingly beautiful.
“If, in any way, I gave you what you wanted.”
A woman who knew nothing — or perhaps could only pretend not to know — suddenly struck Johann as pitiable.
She’s my target for revenge.
Thinking the daughter of Libertan pitiable was a betrayal to his unjustly slain family.
Estelle rolled her sparkling blue eyes and suddenly handed him a bundle of cookies.
“It’s nothing special, but would you like some cookies?”
“Cookies?”
“You said you’d finished something you’d planned for a long time.”
She congratulated him without the faintest idea what it was about.
“Congratulations. I’ll pray everything you do from now on goes well.”
Why was she so trusting? Why did she not seem like a daughter who had grown up loved?
“Wife.”
On impulse, Johann reached out and touched her sugar-soft cheek. She leaned into his palm with a smile, as if she liked the touch.
This is…
It was a habit his sister used to have when she’d done something wrong — snuggling against a family member’s hand. The moment he realized that, disgust should have risen in him, but oddly, it didn’t. The fact that he found her soft cheeks pleasant was what truly irritated him.
Have I grown this weak?
The more naïve she was, the more perfect his plan should be. But the more he felt her charm, the more he felt a strange reluctance toward his revenge.
Johann smiled softly at her.
“Feed me another one.”
“A-another?”
“I’m never satisfied with just one.”
She rolled her deep blue eyes, clutching the cookie bag nervously like a rabbit facing a predator.
Probably just shy.
Her feelings were always written plainly on her face.
“Go on.”
He tapped his lips, and she blushed, placing another cookie in his mouth. Johann pretended to nibble at her fingertips.
“It’s delicious because you gave it to me.”
When her fingers brushed his tongue, she jerked back in surprise, hiding her hand. He grinned, staring at her hidden hand with red eyes.
“Maybe it’s because your hand touched it?”
“My hand isn’t for eating.”
“Why not?”
She hesitated, then spoke cautiously.
“Because you can’t eat humans?”
“You’re my wife. Is it a problem to eat what’s mine?”
“Even so… socially…”
Her innocent gaze made him smile unconsciously, and he kissed her hair.
“Alright. I’ll behave until you want it.”
He whispered in her ear, and she reacted sensitively. Watching her, he smirked.
Johann Blanchet. Think of your dead family.
This hesitation wasn’t because of her. It was only because certain doubts had arisen, and he wanted to perfect his revenge.
“Tomorrow night, there’s a banquet with the retainers at the Blanchet estate.”
“That sounds important.”
Estelle nodded, unaware of anything.
“I’ll make sure to show myself well as the Duchess.”
“No. Quite the opposite.”
Looking into her wavering blue eyes, he said gently:
“Don’t come.”
Estelle was honestly shocked.
Why would he tell me not to come?
It wasn’t that she had some compelling reason to attend. But unlike everything else so far, this banquet was an event from the original story.
If I’m absent, that can’t happen.
After Libertan’s downfall, the retainers who had aided Blanchet would gather under the pretext of celebrating — but really, to humiliate her. Their coldness would drive her to rely more on Johann.
“Why?”
She widened her eyes in feigned surprise.
“Is there a reason I can’t attend?”
“You’ve only just come from Libertan. It might be too much for you.”
He smiled lazily, eyes cold.
“Of course, I also just want to have you to myself.”
He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, his gaze pressing down on her like a weight.
“It’s fine if you only look at me.”
The next morning, Erich came to Johann’s office at his summons. Johann was inspecting a jewelry box, his eyes lingering — unconsciously — on pieces that women might like.
My lord has never had an interest in women’s jewelry before.
It wasn’t that Johann didn’t know how to choose gifts; he always knew what was appropriate for his goal. But that meant he never looked at things unrelated to his plans.
And lately, he’s had no reason to look at women’s jewelry.
Especially since he didn’t like it much. Erich asked cautiously:
“Are you thinking of gifting it to… that woman?”
“That woman?”
“…the fake one.”
Johann glanced at the jewelry, then closed the box.
“No. I have no interest in my wife.”
His movements were clean, without a hint of regret. But Erich sensed a subtle change in him. Johann spoke evenly:
“I called you because my wife won’t be attending the banquet.”
“…Pardon?”
“Did she say she didn’t want to attend? Even though she calls herself the Duchess?”
For the mistress of the house, attending such a banquet was a duty. To refuse was unthinkable.
“No. I told her not to.”
“You, my lord?”
“Yes. She’s still unstable, having just come from Libertan.”
Calmly, without wavering, he continued:
“If she met the hostile retainers, there could be trouble.”
“I see.”
It was clearly an order to perfect his plan. But to Erich, it sounded like:
He doesn’t want her to be hurt by them, so he’s keeping her away.
Unbidden, the memory of Estelle in the library came to him — a delicate woman, as if sunlight might dissolve her.
Surely not… because of her…
Still, it was true something had subtly shifted since her arrival.
Just then, the office door burst open and the Blanchet knight commander strode in.
“My lord. A message from the imperial prison.”
“What is it?”
“The Duke of Libertan says he will tell the truth — but on one condition.”
Erich frowned instantly.
How dare he set conditions?
Johann’s lips curved lazily.
“What condition?”
“He wants to see Lady Estelle… one last time.”
