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Chapter 35
[The Eldest Son of the Rebel Luthern]
[The Second Son of the Rebel Luthern]
Her heart dropped to the floor.
“Our princess is resting well.”
The last image of him smiling and pressing a kiss to her cheek replayed in her mind—only now it returned as a scene of utter devastation.
The brothers who had always smiled brightly and stroked her hair—the ones whose handsome faces made many young ladies’ hearts flutter—were gone. In their place were horrific, decayed bodies being eaten by scavenging birds.
Arlen’s knuckles, clutching the window frame, had turned stark white. Her face grew pale as her bitten lower lip bled. Her entire body shook violently, yet she was frozen, unable to move.
The carriage continued moving away from the square. Through the narrow window crack, neither the fountain nor the figures were visible anymore, yet she remained rooted in place, as if nailed down.
Then, through that tiny crack, the second-tier castle walls came into view, and the stench grew stronger.
Bodies dressed in what had once been lavish, luxurious banquet attire dangled from the walls, dripping decayed fluids, covered in dark stains, being eaten by crows.
The friend who had once laughed happily, counting down to childbirth, now hung next to her husband in a grotesque state, barely recognizable without a nameplate.
The carriage, carrying a terrified Arlen who could hardly breathe, slowed as it approached the gate, eventually stopping.
Right next to the gate—where the most people could see—her mother and father, the ones she loved and longed for most in the world, came into view through the carriage window.
“Mother, your beautiful dress… it’ll get wrinkled.”
The familiar dress had become a tattered, stained rag, flapping in the wind.
“Rest well. I’ll return as soon as I can.”
From the rotting corpses hanging by ropes, there seemed to be the sound of creaking. Or perhaps, it was her soul itself decaying with them.
A piercing, high-pitched ringing stabbed her ears. It almost sounded like someone screaming. Something shattered into pieces.
Arlen fainted on the spot.
Among the servants of the Requies Duke Mansion, rumors circulated quietly, without the knowledge of their superiors.
Their master, who had returned from pacifying the northern lands as a celebrated hero, had now achieved the highest merit in quelling rebellion and was promoted to Duke, becoming a top-ranking noble.
Honestly, no one believed in the legitimacy of the succession, and the cruelty of the process terrified everyone. The once-celebrated hero was now nicknamed the Blood Duke.
Many recalled the curse supposedly received at the birth of a duke but dared not speak of it in such a dangerous political climate.
What mattered most was that their master had become a man of immense power. No matter how many people died, the servants could safely benefit from the scraps of power, as long as they did not offend him.
The king and queen had become mere puppets, half-imprisoned, while the first prince faction was nearly exterminated. The second prince, Juhed, was now effectively the crown prince, wielding power, and everyone knew that the only person Juhed respected—or feared—was the Duke of Requies.
That their master abandoned everything to chase a woman all night on horseback was naturally noticed by everyone.
And that woman was the daughter of a family executed for treason.
Those who had held their tongues to avoid talking about pursuing a traitor could no longer remain silent when their master personally carried her from the luxurious carriage to the room prepared for the Duchess and summoned the best doctors. Rumors began to spread.
“They say that carriage was specially modified. She could lie down comfortably. I saw it myself—they removed the chairs and layered soft, luxurious blankets to make a moving bed.”
Experienced servants stayed quiet, but young maids spoke freely.
“The room, too… it was the Duchess’s room. Who would have thought he’d place her there immediately? When they were preparing the room, it seemed as if the owner mattered… and indeed, the room was better than even the master’s. Melly prepared it. Every detail had to be top-quality—furniture, view, even decorations.”
“So they decorated it lavishly and waited for her? It’s like a storybook… so enviable.”
“But… she’s from the Luthern family, right? Is that really allowed? The entire family was massacred… The first to hang by the gate is Luthern. Even passing by that area is terrifying.”
“In Ashneran, if the master wants something, nothing is impossible. Thanks to him, that girl’s life was saved.”
“And ever since the master came to the capital, many girls have shown interest, but he never looked at any of them. So he already had a lover. That’s why. A few months ago, he visited the Luthern estate—people wondered why he went to the enemy family. He went to see her! A forbidden love between rival families. But now, with things spiraling out of control, he rode all night to save the woman he loved…!”
The young maids gushed over the unfolding romance, imagining it as a dramatic love story.
“But… even so, he killed her entire family. Is it really okay?”
“Shh, be quiet. You might lose your head too.”
The servants hushed themselves. Those who had spoken quickly covered their mouths.
“Anyway, thanks to the master, she survived. Normally, she would be imprisoned or executed. But here, she’s treated like royalty.”
“Right. She would have died with the Luthern family. But the master saved her and now cherishes her. I hear he stays by her side all day. Soon, she might become the Duchess.”
“Can the daughter of a rebel really become a Duchess? Maybe as a consort, but…”
“Didn’t you just say nothing is impossible in Ashneran if the master wants it? If the master declares to the crown prince that he wishes to marry her, it’s done. He wouldn’t give up that room if he didn’t intend to make her the Duchess.”
“Anyway, she’s lucky to be loved by someone like him. Who else in all of Ashneran has his position, power, strength, looks, and body? And he’s offering her pure devotion!”
The maids sighed with envy.
“But that’s only if she wakes up. She’s been unconscious for days. The doctors whisper that she might die if she doesn’t wake. They’re worried—they’d be in trouble too if anything happened.”
“Be careful. Don’t speak carelessly. The master is extremely sharp right now. It’s better for us if she wakes safely.”
“What should we call her? Is it okay to keep calling her ‘milady’? She’s from a destroyed rebel family. Originally a princess, but now her status…”
No one knew the answer. She had been a noble princess, but now she was a rebel’s child, yet cherished by the Duke. They didn’t want to offend him, nor elevate a rebel’s child incorrectly.
“For now, the doctors all refer to her as ‘milady.’”
“If they call her that in front of the master, it must be correct.”
“Here in the mansion, the master’s will is the law.”
The maids shrugged and continued their work, gossiping quietly.
In the deepest, most secure part of the Requies Duke Mansion, in the heavily guarded Duchess’s chamber, she lay, eyes closed, for a long time.
