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Chapter : 37
“Good heavens. You’re leaving together with the Duke.”
“Hah, this is unbelievable.”
Catherine ground her teeth as she stared out the window.
It really looked like Duke Rekaten and Diehl were heading to the courthouse together.
He’s never done that for me even once.
Every social season, Catherine stayed at the Rekaten ducal estate in the capital.
But not once had the duke accompanied her anywhere.
She had always assumed it was because he was simply indifferent.
“What’s with that scarf? He normally hates cumbersome accessories.”
Catherine’s voice sharpened. The duke rarely bothered with an overcoat—yet today he wore a scarf.
“Um, I-I heard from the butler that Her Highness Princess Diehl Ekaterina made it herself.”
“What? Ha! Anyone would think they were a doting father and daughter.”
Maid Susan replied timidly. Catherine thought the whole situation was beyond absurd.
“I agree, honestly. When you’re with His Grace and Young Master Evan, you always kind of fade into the background, Miss. But Princess Diehl? She really stands out even next to them. Maybe because she’s just that beautiful?”
That was Lilly, chiming in.
“Lilly!”
Susan poked her sharply in the ribs.
“She really is stunning though. Even more beautiful today. Whoa, I’m sorry, Miss.”
Even as she spoke her mind, tears welled in Lilly’s eyes—like the words slipped out against her will.
“If everything finishes today, her guardianship process will wrap up. Then once she enters society, you and Princess Lucia are finished, Miss.”
Lilly bowed and rubbed her hands together apologetically.
“Why not ditch Princess Lucia now and switch over to Princess Diehl? Hu-huuh, I’m sorry, Miss.”
Lilly had been strange lately.
Instead of thinking before she spoke, her thoughts simply burst out of her mouth.
“So that’s your true feeling, huh? Good to know.”
Catherine shot her a vicious glare.
She can’t even do a simple task right, and because of her, I got drenched by Diehl.
She wanted to throw Lilly out instantly, but this was the Duke’s house.
She couldn’t go too far.
“Once you return to your family home, we’ll settle this. Get out!”
Lilly burst into tears and ran out.
But Catherine’s anger didn’t subside.
“Don’t give her water. Don’t give her food.”
It infuriated her more that Lilly wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Why has she changed so much?”
Catherine recalled Diehl’s old self.
She was fun to bully.
The smallest provocation made Diehl bare her teeth and lash out.
Watching her was like seeing a tiny animal bristling its fur to hide its fear.
Well, she’s royalty too, after all.
Crushing Diehl underfoot had given Catherine a sick thrill.
On days her pride was wounded, following Lucia around, she always visited Diehl.
For Catherine, Diehl was a stress doll to stomp on.
When did it start?
Then, one day—Diehl changed. Overnight. Catherine still couldn’t believe it.
“It really is like she changed overnight.”
Even Susan muttered, unable to take her eyes off Diehl.
It wasn’t just Catherine—everyone could feel it.
How much does she know?
Catherine chewed a fingernail, remembering their last conversation.
Recently, Emma, maid to Queen Mary herself, had been dismissed.
If even Emma—who had served Mary for a lifetime—was thrown out, what would become of herself? The answer was obvious.
“What do I do, what am I supposed to do?”
But she couldn’t betray Princess Lucia first.
Lucia was the Emperor and Queen Mary’s daughter, and cousin to Risis Locke—the man Catherine secretly adored.
“This won’t do.”
Catherine spun around.
“Susan. Do we still have any of Princess Lucia’s cards left?”
“Yes. I think there’s one remaining.”
“Bring it.”
She hesitated for a moment.
Is this really okay?
Up until now, she had only sent those cards on Lucia’s behalf. She had never dared send one herself.
“But Miss, we don’t have permission—”
Susan’s anxious whisper set Catherine off.
“Shut up and bring it! How dare you talk back to me?”
Why shouldn’t she?
She was the duke’s blood niece.
Nothing like Diehl Ekaterina, who shared not one drop of their blood.
“I spent the whole day resting in my room. That’s what you remember. Now get out too.”
Once Susan left, Catherine sat at her desk.
[That girl knows the guild’s secret. And what I’ve been doing until now.]
Her hand trembled as she wrote on the small card.
It looked unremarkable on the surface.
[This will harm the guild as well. Ensure no more information leaks.]
Catherine knew the card would not reach the Master.
Even Lucia herself had never seen this mysterious figure.
But that didn’t matter.
The card belonged to that guild. And those cards never failed.
All that matters is that she disappears.
Catherine lifted the card into the air.
The letters shimmered blue—
Diehl Ekaterina. You should’ve known your place.
—then dissolved into sparkling dust.
The duke, myself, and the duke’s aide—Anaph—all rode together in the carriage.
The trip went smoothly until we reached the central plaza.
“What’s going on?”
The trouble started at the courthouse.
“The guardianship ruling has been temporarily suspended? All of a sudden?”
Duke Rekaten’s face hardened.
Today was the day the court officially ruled on the duke’s guardianship petition.
“A-a decree was issued just now from the Imperial Palace. We don’t know exactly what—”
The court secretary looked like he wished he could disappear.
“We’ve already submitted every document. Only the interview and ruling remain. We’re not applying anew—this is the final step.”
Aide Anaph pressed.
“And there’s still time left today. Even with His Majesty’s order, it wouldn’t take effect until midnight.”
He was right.
A decree issued today wouldn’t legally apply until midnight tomorrow.
“Yes, but the judges… they feel pressured by a personal imperial edict…”
“So the judges are too scared of His Majesty to do their job.”
The duke’s voice was icy. The poor secretary shrank into himself.
“Ha… what is His Majesty even thinking…”
Duke Rekaten let out a hollow laugh.
He truly looked fed up.
Something stinks.
I tried to piece together what was happening.
Elvenard was a monarchy.
It wasn’t unusual for laws to be overturned by the emperor’s word.
This policy never had problems before.
But for the emperor to suddenly interfere—it was suspicious.
As if someone was deliberately sabotaging us.
The judge overseeing this case is Antonio.
My suspicion hardened when I glanced at the schedule posted on the wall.
Judge Antonio had only one appointment today:
Me.
Meaning, this sudden order harmed no one but myself and the duke.
“Your Grace, there’s nothing we can do. The ruling judge won’t move under imperial pressure.”
“Just say it plainly. His Majesty refuses to approve this ruling.”
The duke clicked his tongue.
He was a military man—disciplined, orderly.
The emperor was impulsive and whimsical; naturally, the two clashed.
“Let’s go, Diehl.”
The duke turned away.
He clearly had no intention of dealing further with the courthouse.
“One moment, Your Grace.”
Honestly, this guardianship wasn’t that important to me.
It was symbolic at best.
But if this was really the emperor’s ploy…
First he steals my Alian fruit, and now this?
Someone was getting far too comfortable interfering with my life.
Which made me very unwilling to play along.
“We do still have an appointment to meet the judge, right?”
“Meeting him would be a waste. With the decree in place, they won’t handle anything related to the ruling.”
Maybe not—but I intended to find out.
Iraq, what’s Judge Antonio’s grade?
I asked silently.
[Judge Antonio is Grade D.]
D-grade.
Perfect.
If I could see him, I could control him.
“The decree halts the ruling itself—not the meeting. Correct?”
After receiving Iraq’s answer, I was sure.
“And I have something I’d like to say to the judge directly.”
This was the perfect chance to smack the emperor right across the back of his head.
