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Chapter 31
Ian slightly furrowed his brows as he answered Betty’s question.
“Half true, half not.”
Since this incident occurred within the Saltwell Marquisate, it was impossible to prevent news of the Marquess of Prowell surviving from spreading everywhere.
Prince Sharte, realizing things had gone awry, acted first.
The gambler who had attacked the Marquess was later found dead in a deserted house on the outskirts of the capital.
“Really… how can someone be so cruel…”
Betty covered her mouth with trembling hands. Ian carefully held her shoulder and spoke firmly.
“So you must be careful with your words and actions when you return to the Ducal House. Officially, the perpetrator acted alone in attacking the Marquess. The Sharte family has no involvement.”
“Do you mean that, in reality, it was the prince or the duke… who intended to harm Prowell? Really?”
“Yes. But since there’s no evidence, the only option was to lower Sharte’s guard and make him careless.”
The emperor, furious that Sharte dared commit such acts in the capital, wanted undeniable evidence to firmly ensnare the Ducal House and bring it down.
So, for now, Sharte had to be allowed to overreach, not knowing his proper place. Yet, that wouldn’t be easy.
Even Ian Deivan, right in front of Sharte, had been a step too slow to immediately grasp the prince’s schemes.
“Remember, even when you return to the Ducal House, don’t let your guard down.”
Ian wasn’t particularly keen on letting Betty return to the Sharte Ducal House.
“Since today’s attempt failed, they’ll probably avoid causing trouble for a while. But there’s always a chance they could try to use you.”
“I will never do anything that harms the Prowell Marquisate. You can be assured of that.”
Ian wasn’t trying to coerce her into the “right choice,” yet Betty seemed to take his words as encouragement, showing firm resolve.
“That’s not what I meant. I meant you could be in danger.”
Even the empress had acknowledged this risk and subtly voiced her opinion.
‘Since my grandmother has grown quite weak, why not use that as an excuse to have Betty stay at the Marquisate? I can’t bear the thought of Betty simply returning to the Sharte Ducal House.’
Ian knew that, given Betty’s personality, she wouldn’t immediately agree to rely on the Prowell Marquisate. Yet he couldn’t help bringing it up.
“It’s better for you to go. Prowell will welcome you, so it’s probably best. You’ve visited the Marquisate often enough that it might even seem natural.”
“…I worry that the Princess will feel helpless alone. If I go just for my own sake, it might trouble her.”
After all, Vivian had been someone who had genuinely helped Betty. She had leaned on her.
So quitting outright didn’t seem like the right choice.
“You make frustrating decisions.”
Because of Betty’s nature, Prowell was alive, yet Ian felt a bit exasperated.
He found himself wishing Betty would be just a little more selfish and prioritize herself.
“That choice also saved the Marquess of Prowell.”
Betty’s transparent brown eyes seemed to read his thoughts as she replied.
Speculation about the letter that had continued to trouble him often tilted toward Betty in moments like this. The precise uprightness shown in the letters was rare and precious.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to impulsively ask Betty if she was, in fact, the letter’s author. She had shown an unusually fragile side today.
So Ian didn’t voice that question and instead changed the subject.
“…If anything happens, report it to me immediately.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Though Betty replied calmly, Ian couldn’t completely relax.
Because of today’s sloppy handling, Felix Sharte would surely be reprimanded by the duke.
The Sharte family as a whole would take stock of the situation, so it was likely to remain quiet for a while.
If not for this deduction, he wouldn’t have let Betty go so easily.
“You must have many important matters, yet you took the time to care for me. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“You’re important to me too.”
Betty slightly nodded, assuming this was just a polite reply.
“Thank you for saying that. Then I’ll head back to the Ducal House before it gets any later.”
Ian silently made way for her to leave the corridor.
Walking her to the mansion’s exit, he stood by the carriage and said finally:
“Important changes may soon occur within the Ducal House. You should prepare yourself mentally.”
He personally held her hand as she safely boarded the carriage and even closed the door for her.
Betty would soon understand the precise meaning of his warning.
“Broken engagement?”
“Yes. My father said so. You spoke with His Majesty, and that settled it.”
Betty immediately recalled Ian’s words about the imminent important changes. This must be the broken engagement.
Now she understood why Sharte had attacked the Prowell family at this moment, knowing Ian was close to them.
Though she didn’t know the exact discussions of the nobles, a sudden broken engagement could not happen overnight—there must have been signs.
“But you know, Betty, it’s natural for my father to be disappointed.”
After her private meeting with the duke, Vivian returned pale and sat, fanning herself absentmindedly.
“He said I failed to firmly seize the Grand Duke’s heart. That now I’m completely useless. The plans to make me Empress were meaningless.”
“You mean the Duke said that?”
What kind of father would openly say such things to his child? Even if it was Prince Sharte, he might withhold affection, but he had never made such cruel remarks.
Tears were already welling in Vivian’s eyes.
“He always insisted that the position of Empress should belong to me. I had the courage to speak up, saying how could I possibly replace that role, given their closeness.”
Recalling the offhand remark Prince Sharte had made to Betty, it seemed he had been bitter about Prowell taking the Empress position.
“But now, wasting time on meaningless hypotheticals, he just told me to leave. Even if the Emperor and Empress’s relationship turns bad, I have no hope of the Empress title.”
“Princess…”
Since the Grand Duke and the princess were to be broken off, it seemed Sharte intended to attack Prowell to weaken the current Empress’s power.
Yet now, suddenly, it seemed all that was meaningless.
Betty felt an unsettling premonition. There was clearly something about how the Duke and Prince treated Vivian.
“So I just left.”
But comforting Vivian, who slumped her shoulders clutching her fan, was the priority.
“Am I really useless now? Betty… still, I’m a Sharte princess. And it was just a broken engagement. The Grand Duke didn’t even reprimand or drive me away. So why does it feel like this?”
“…I don’t know. But he probably said it in anger. He wouldn’t mean you’re useless or dislike you.”
Even to Betty, these words felt hollow. Yet she had to speak them, as Vivian looked so fragile.
“That’s it, right? He said it just out of anger?”
“Yes, of course.”
Even knowing it wasn’t true, lying a little was the only way to give Vivian some comfort in her current reality.
