IGBD 09

Chapter 9

Serret turned at the sound of Yuan’s voice. After bumping into Lidia, now running into Yuan as well left her feeling deeply drained.

“It’s a surprise to see you here, Your Grace.”

“Indeed, this is quite the unexpected place for us to meet.”

Yuan took the parasol Serret was holding and handed it to a store clerk. The clerk immediately began wrapping it up.

“I just wanted to browse the department store—and I needed a parasol.”

“If you’d said so, I could’ve gotten you a much better one.”

Yuan said as he pulled out his wallet.

“This one’s already excellent. It’s from a department store run by House Frectuster, after all.”

Serret responded as she accepted the wrapped parasol the clerk handed her.

“Have you had lunch?”

Yuan asked, having completed the payment.

“No, not yet.”

“Then let’s eat together.”

“I’ll have to decline. We already had breakfast together.”

Serret turned him down breezily. Yuan’s secretary and aides looked stunned, while Eve and Hanna nervously glanced in Yuan’s direction.

“As you wish.”

Yuan didn’t look offended at all. Instead, he politely stepped aside to let her pass.

Serret offered a polite nod and walked past him briskly.

She really had no desire to have lunch with Yuan, not today.

Meeting Lidia by chance was already exhausting—having lunch with Yuan on the same day would be nothing short of self-inflicted torture.

All Serret wanted was to remove herself from their lives as soon as possible.

“My lady, why did you refuse him? You could’ve had lunch together.”

Hanna caught up to Serret, her tone laced with concern.

“I’m just tired.”

“His Grace must’ve felt awkward. Especially with his aides watching…”

“Not my problem.”

Serret shrugged. She didn’t care one bit if Yuan was put out.

“But, my lady…”

Hanna’s face was filled with genuine concern.

Smashing her fiancé in the head, calling off the engagement, rejecting meal invitations—Hanna was starting to wonder if her lady might be mentally unwell.

“Eve, I’d like to grab a light lunch at a café.”

“I know just the place.”

Eve replied with a warm smile.

Instead of dining with Yuan, Serret chose the peace of a quiet lunch with Eve—and she considered that an excellent decision.

That is, until Yuan invited her to dinner.

✦✦✦

Serret quietly stared at Yuan as he sliced his steak.

The way he held his knife and fork, the silent elegance with which he cut into his steak—there was nothing to criticize.

That was who Yuan Frectuster was. The man who embodied the title of Duke better than anyone else.

House Frectuster had a long and prestigious history, even said to rival the Imperial Family. Some joked that if the Empire fell, House Frectuster would still remain standing.

And of all the dukes in that glorious lineage, Yuan was the brightest star.

His looks were beyond description, and his intellect? He graduated university at the age of eighteen.

Not only was he smart, he had a sharp business mind. Within a few years of becoming duke, he had doubled the family’s business empire.

Even as a child, his hunting prowess was so remarkable that he often humiliated Serret’s older brother Jeremy by catching multiple foxes with ease.

He wasn’t just talented—he was too perfect.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

Noticing Serret hadn’t touched her food, Yuan finally asked.

“It’s delicious. I’d expect nothing less from the kitchen of House Frectuster.”

“And yet, you haven’t taken a single bite.”

“I’m just tired. I had a long day.”

Serret shrugged.

Trying to stop herself from spitting in Lidia’s face had been exhausting. Lost in her thoughts, her eyes drifted to the scar on Yuan’s forehead.

Compared to the pain she had suffered in her previous life, it was nothing—but at least it left a mark on his otherwise flawless face.

She didn’t intend to take revenge on either of them.

Wasting her precious life on vengeance for a past life felt foolish. Let them burn or blossom together for all she cared.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

If Yuan and Lidia ended up together, they would never have children. Lidia couldn’t conceive.

And if they did marry, the line of House Frectuster would end with Yuan.

Their bloodline was so rare that Yuan was the only one left bearing the Frectuster name.

Most of the collateral branches had died out too. If Lidia bore no children, the great House Frectuster would die with Yuan.

What would his face look like when he realized the line would end with him?

Knowing his cold nature, he probably wouldn’t even consider taking a mistress.

“What amusing thoughts are running through your mind?”

Yuan asked, noticing Serret’s smile.

“I just thought of something funny.”

Serret smiled warmly.

She briefly considered—what if she brought Yuan and Lidia together? If she stepped aside and united them, wouldn’t that be a form of revenge too?

Lidia’s infertility had become widely known only after her marriage.

She had been unable to bear a child with her husband, Robby Bronk. The issue wasn’t him—it was her.

As a child, Lidia had suffered from a skin disease and taken a remedy created by her mother for an extended period.

Her maternal grandmother was of Held descent—a nomadic people known for their advanced medicinal knowledge.

The remedy her mother made, although effective for skin ailments, had the side effect of inducing infertility.

Lidia had tried to hide this fact, but secrets didn’t last long in high society.

Though people pretended not to know, everyone did. Even Serret—who had few friends—was aware of it.

“What thought could amuse you so, Lady Innoheter?”

Yuan dabbed his mouth with a napkin. Even that irritating gesture was annoyingly elegant.

“You wouldn’t find it very amusing, Your Grace.”

“I won’t press further. Have you decided on a dress?”

“Yes. I really like it. I forgot to thank you—thank you, Your Grace.”

Serret replied with a courteous smile. Yuan took a sip of wine and set down his glass.

“I ordered every dress Madame Barne showed you.”

Serret, momentarily distracted by his graceful movement, blinked in surprise.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She looked at him in disbelief.

One dress was more than enough for a royal ball.

“I judged they would be necessary. Your wardrobe…”

Yuan paused as if choosing his words carefully.

Serret could guess what he was thinking and helped him along.

“You mean it’s tacky?”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

Yuan frowned slightly. Direct speech was frowned upon in noble society, so his reaction made sense. Serret smirked.

“I think it’s tacky too. I’ve been wearing altered versions of my mother’s dresses—it’s unavoidable.”

“In that case, I’ll speak plainly. Your wardrobe doesn’t suit the Frectuster name.”

“Then allow me to be even more direct: Serret Innoheter doesn’t suit House Frectuster at all.”

Seizing the moment, Serret struck back. In her past life, she would’ve swallowed his words. But not anymore. There was no reason to.

“You have a tendency to twist my words. That’s not what I meant—but if I offended you, I apologize.”

“I’m not offended. Not by something like that.”

Compared to what she suffered after marrying him in her past life, his words were nothing. Still, emotions surged unexpectedly.

Yuan tilted his head slightly as he looked at her.

“I’m glad.”

“Since we’re on the subject, may I ask you something?”

Yuan nodded.

“Why me?”

Serret looked him straight in the eye.

“I beg your pardon?”

Yuan blinked, visibly confused by her question.

She studied his face carefully before repeating herself.

“Why did you propose to me?”

“I thought I explained when I proposed.”

He sounded tired as he replied.

Serret gave a bitter smile, recalling the past.

Every winter, House Frectuster held a hunting competition.

It was during one such winter hunt, right after Yuan had inherited his title, that he proposed.

It had come out of nowhere. A man who had always seemed indifferent suddenly proposing left Serret bewildered and wary.

So she asked him why.

His answer: to repay a debt from his father’s time.

Serret’s father had once saved his father’s life. Marrying her was his way of repaying that favor.

To Serret, that made little sense as a reason for marriage. So she pressed further.

“Are you really okay marrying someone you don’t love?”

To that, Yuan scoffed.

“I don’t believe love is necessary for marriage.”

That response had pierced her like a dagger.

A blunt, unequivocal rejection of love. But Serret had loved him. Since childhood.

Every winter, she had accompanied her father to the Frectuster estate for the hunt.

Each time, she saw the young lord Yuan and felt her heart race.

She’d never spoken much to him, but her crush had grown with every passing year.

One day, she hoped they’d talk—maybe even dance. That hope blossomed into love.

And when she had finally received his proposal, it felt like a dream come true.

To Serret, marriage meant marrying someone you loved. So her answer had been clear:

“All right. I’ll accept your proposal, Your Grace.”

She had accepted, believing her love would be enough to bridge the gap.

“Do you want me to explain again?”

Yuan asked, lifting his glass without emotion.

“I don’t think that was the only reason.”

Was it simply to defy the Emperor, who opposed the match? But why would the Emperor oppose him? Yuan was the ideal groom.

Could it be that he opposed Yuan’s cold personality? Or was there something else?

A thought suddenly struck her.

“Your Grace, isn’t it your duty to continue and preserve your family line?”

“It is.”

“And bearing an heir is part of that duty, yes?”

“Of course.”

Yuan didn’t break eye contact.

“So then… is that why…?”

Serret murmured.

Yuan had known.

Long before the rumors spread.

He knew Lidia couldn’t have children.

House Frectuster owned both hospitals and medical research facilities. It was those very facilities that had discovered the side effects of the medicine Lidia once took.

They had started researching it for commercial use after seeing how effective it was—only to uncover the infertility it caused.

So, naturally, Yuan would’ve known.

He had known all along that Lidia couldn’t bear children.

“Bearing the heir to House Frectuster is also your duty, Lady Innoheter.”

Yuan touched his slightly reddened ear and cleared his throat.

“I suppose it was.”

Everything fell into place.

She’d always wondered why the Emperor opposed a man as perfect as Yuan for his daughter’s match.

It hadn’t been out of spite—it was because Lidia couldn’t bear children.

Yuan, knowing this, chose another suitable woman. One who could continue his bloodline.

He picked Serret, daughter of a vassal family, under the guise of repaying a debt. Married her without love.

Used her body every night like an animal until she bore a child.

And then poisoned her.

Because Serret Innoheter had fulfilled her purpose.

In her past life, she died giving birth to that child.