The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 52
“As the head of the Ajauntice family, I bear great guilt for mishandling the affairs of the younger generation,” Selice replied with a perplexing statement, causing both men to furrow their brows.
It was Iliya who first interjected, saying, “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand, Aunt.”
Lady Lusa, the Countess, chimed in, her gaze shifting to Evelyn, who sat quietly beside Iliya like a doll.
“It’s the scandal that even reached the Duke’s ears, something too shameful to speak of…”
Evelyn felt her entire body tense up. The man who desired his sister – he wasn’t someone she expected to hear such foul rumors about. He had been nothing but kind to their family. Her heart raced with a mixture of guilt and longing.
“Why do you keep babbling on about this?” Iliya grumbled roughly as if throwing a teacup. Lady Lusa, taken aback, only blinked in surprise.
“Oh, it wasn’t meant for you, my Lady. Please, forgive me,” Iliya offered a tremulous apology to Lady Lusa in a soft voice.
Evelyn was astounded. “Is it really acceptable to speak so coarsely to a lady of such noble lineage?”
Lady Lusa accepted the apology with an expression as if she had just chewed on a bug.
“Well, considering that if your wife were as wicked as to tempt her brother… she wouldn’t be here receiving such hospitality.”
Iliya, with an air of arrogance, directed his gaze towards Selice. “Isn’t that right, Aunt?”
“Rumors are just rumors; don’t let them weigh on your heart, Your Grace.”
Evelyn heard quietly as tears welled up within her. She had listened silently, and while their words had been harsh, she was relieved they believed in her.
“I imagine the Duke is quite upset over these unfortunate rumors, Lord Lauren,” Iliya inquired of Nikolas, who responded with a fresh smile.
“Upset would be an understatement. He’s been pacing around like a caged lion, threatening to strip the skin off someone,” Nikolas chuckled.
“At his age, he should try to contain himself,” Iliya quipped coldly, causing Nikolas to burst into laughter. Turning his attention to the silent Selice, Nikolas addressed her,
“Madam, I will ensure that your niece’s portrait is delivered to the Duke as soon as possible.”
“By now… the portrait should be nearly complete,” An uncomfortable silence settled in.
That’s when a maid approached Selice, whispering something in her ear.
“Listen carefully.”
Two servants entered, carrying a large portrait on their shoulders.
“Pay close attention. The Duke, Lord Lauren, and the young lady… should have a clear view.” The servants raised the massive portrait to chest height.
A man with silver hair and emerald eyes gazed softly ahead in the painting, as if he were smiling at the spring breeze that seemed to blow through it.
Evelyn turned her eyes to the real-life man with the same face as the portrait.
His beautiful visage contorted like a demon.
At the sight of the stranger’s face, Evelyn shuddered.
****
Evelyn sat in the drawing room of the mansion. In front of her lay a letter sent by Selice.
[ Mother’s Day is approaching, and it seems I think of her quite often. Tonight, come to the Duchess’s chamber to ease this longing. ]
Tonight, when Evelyn met with Selice, she had planned to discuss the portrait. She wanted to create an illusion in Duke Nasir’s eyes, one that would bring tears of blood.
“Madam, are you really going to do that?” René, who sat across from her, looked at Evelyn with a worried expression.
“You were at the tea party that day, and you saw how furious he was. He threatened to tear that portrait to shreds. It was quite a scene,” René recalled the night two days ago, furrowing her brow.
Evelyn couldn’t help but recall that night as well. Inside the carriage on the way back to the annex, he had glared at her with menacing eyes.
“What I wanted to tear to shreds wasn’t just Nasir’s portrait… it was those disgraceful words he uttered.”
[ From today onwards, the wandering illusionist Epheria no longer exists. She’ll disappear completely. Then, you won’t have to do anything.]
Indeed, Pia had always been a person who never existed in this world. She was an orphan, a wanderer, free to stay or leave.
No matter how hard Selice searched, she wouldn’t find someone who never truly existed, as Iliya had rightly pointed out. It was the cleanest solution, but Evelyn couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.
Evelyn refocused her attention on the letter before her. “René, what does Lady Glen, the Countess, gain from such an act?”
She had asked the same question of Iliya, but he hadn’t uttered a word until they reached the annex.
René hesitated for a moment before answering, “Your Grace, this is a clever plan to replace His Grace with the late Grand Duke’s image.”
The late Grand Duke, which meant Ilya’s father, was a man who had abandoned everything for love.
“Are they planning to use Duke Nasir and my rumors to accomplish this?”
“Yes, it’s a scheme that would benefit Her Highness in any way you look at it. After all, how can you defeat a dead man?”
A light, almost breathless laugh escaped from Evelyn’s lips. She was tired of trying to explain herself, not knowing where these rumors had originated. Nasir was a kind person, but he was the ruler of Ajauntice Castle. Meeting him wasn’t something Evelyn could do freely.
“Besides, he…”
As Rene leaned in closer, she looked directly into Evelyn’s eyes.
“And, Your Grace, are they planning to frame you for Nasir’s murder?”
At the mention of those words, a chill ran down Evelyn’s spine. She recalled the white cloth stained with blood she had seen not long ago.
“There’s no need to go that far, Your Grace,” Rene continued, her tone cutting. “It would only delay Nasir’s inevitable fate by a few months, maybe a year at most.”
Evelyn stared at Rene with a face that looked ready to burst into tears. “So, there’s no need for His Grace to resort to such a horrifying act. After all, he’s the Duke in waiting.”
And Nasir had left this world while Iliya was returning to the ducal seat after concluding the Tartar War. Iliya had no clear reason or method to kill Nasir. Of course, there were plenty of ways to do it, but no clear motive.
With a sudden thud, Rene smacked her own forehead with her palm, startling Evelyn. René then chuckled brightly.
“Do you know that what we’ve been worrying about is utterly unnecessary?”
“What do you mean?”
Rene spoke confidently, “If Madam refuses, Selice will simply bring another illusionist from the capital. Making tears is not that difficult.”
Evelyn sighed deeply. “Well, in the end, I suppose I have to do it.”
****
As night fell, Evelyn transformed into Pia and made her way to the main residence.
“Hey, you’re here. Why are you so late?” A maid was waiting at the entrance of the main house.
As the maid led the way, Evelyn followed her inside. They soon arrived at the entrance to the Duchess’s chamber. Evelyn stood by the door, took a deep breath, and felt her heart settle a bit.
The maid cautiously opened the door. Evelyn had noticed it during the day as well, but all the maids who served Selice wore fearful expressions, despite their training in courtly manners.
“No matter how rough you’ve been on the battlefield, to think you’d use such vulgar language!” Selice seethed as she dwelled on what Iliya had said to Lady Lusa at the tea party.
Suddenly, a glass cup flew across the room as they entered, shattering into pieces against Evelyn’s chest. Thanks to her thick robe, she wasn’t hurt, but her pulse quickened. “I’m not afraid of anything,” Evelyn thought.
Evelyn pushed down her fear and continued forward.
“Young lady! Your voice is too loud. Please keep it down,” a maid next to Selice whispered, trying to calm her.
Seeing the maid trying to restrain Selice, Evelyn couldn’t help but smirk.
“Young lady… So, when they were alone, they called her ‘young lady,’ just like with Sophie.”
Evelyn’s footsteps made the bottles clink, and she raised an eyebrow as she saw the rolling bottles around the room.
And then… a dreamlike scent enveloped the room. She hadn’t noticed this smell during the day.
What was it? Some kind of perfume? Evelyn sniffed curiously.
Following her nose, she rolled her eyes around to find the source of the scent. She soon found it on a small porcelain piece on the nightstand next to Selice’s bed. The delicate ceramic emitted a mysterious, bluish hue that matched the scent perfectly.
This scent… It feels like I’ve smelled it somewhere before, but… What is it?
Evelyn’s head spun with the elusive clue that felt just out of reach.
“What are you doing standing there? Come over here,” Selice called out, her voice dripping with authority.
As Evelyn approached the bed slowly, Selice, who had been lying down, rose from her position.
“Do you remember what I asked you before?” Selice inquired.
“You asked me to make tears of blood flow from the eyes of the person in the portrait,” Evelyn replied.
Her response seemed to satisfy Selice, whose lips curled upward.
“I didn’t mention whose portrait it was,” Selice continued.
“No, you didn’t,” Evelyn confirmed.
Selice’s voice cut through the darkness like a blade. “A man who looks exactly like your concerns.”
“What do you mean?”
“A man you’ve never heard of? I’m talking about the Duke of Ajauntice.”
Selice rose from the bed and walked slowly to the window, gazing outside for a moment before turning back.
“Go to the Eternal Tournament tomorrow at sunrise. There, you’ll find the portrait of the former Duke.”
Evelyn flattened herself on the floor, knees bent and forehead pressed to the ground, as she shouted, “As you wish, my lady.”
“Good. You’re quite cooperative,” Selice said with a chill in her voice. “Now, get up.”
The coldness in Selice’s voice stabbed at Evelyn’s forehead.
“If you handle this task well, there will be another job for you.”
“Another job?” Evelyn raised her head slightly.
“Yes, something related to the Duke of Ajauntice.”
At the mention of Iliya, Evelyn’s heart sank.
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