Chapter 38

 "Yes."

“Yes... it won’t be easy for her to come to the capital if she go further away.”

Iona was unlikely to leave the capital, but Richard remained silent.

It took some trickery to get the empress to condone this marriage.

“Didn’t I tell you the whole time? It's your fault for keeping such a child too close. She's a woman and she's young. It’s an environment where rumors can’t be stopped from spreading.”

“Didn’t I tell you that it wasn’t like that? That's why I want her to marry.”

Richard, out of habit, denied it.

He knew how his mother usually dealt with an intrusive person.

'It is about the position of Duchess, I can't be reckless.'

Thinking so, Richard calmly took a sip of the tea.

So far, the Duke's family influence was slowing down due to the incident of the past, but it would soon regain its former prestige in a few years.

In particular, one duchy had become a very difficult opponent for the imperial family after the incident seven years ago.

If the marriage went well, even the empress would not be able to touch Iona easily.

Naturally, the empress did not like this situation.

She replied in a cold tone.

“You gave her a marriage that didn’t fit the subject.”

“Isn't it impossible to find a more perfect young lady than her, who will be of help to the duke's family?”

“I didn’t mean to accuse you of being wrong. It's just my mood.”

Feeling the need of calming herself down, she drank tea in silence for a while.

The glass quickly became empty.

While the lady-in-waiting poured tea again, the empress asked in a calmer voice.

"What is the Duke's reaction, will he accept it?"

“I will make it acceptable.”

Richard had something that could shake Leroy in a good way.

'Viviana Schmidt.'

A woman who lost both her family and identity due to an unfair false accusation.

She was the last remaining hand of the Schmidt family and the former fiancée of the Duke.

After learning of Viviana's whereabouts, Richard kept her under his control. Because he hoped it would come in handy someday.

It was a natural decision, and his premonition soon became a reality.

If the duke refused to marry, he intended to threaten him and change his mind for her safety.

'Well, I hope that doesn't happen.'

It would be difficult to use that precious plaque for just this much work.

He had the intention of arranging a touching reunion for Viviana and Leroy someday, but that was for later.

“Yes, I believe you will take care of it on your own.”

The empress' voice softened at her son's trustworthy attitude.

"If everything is good, I'll go now."

“It’s fair. But don’t you have time to have a cup of tea with your mother?”

"I have already drunk enough."

“You didn’t even touch the dessert I prepared for you.”

Saying that the empress pushed the plate of refreshments with her dry fingertips.

“Now, these are biscuits made with figs. Even you, who didn’t like sweets at all, have been eating without covering them ever since you were little.”

“You remember.”

“Yes, so every time I go see you and Tess, I do… … .”

Recalling the past with a gentle smile, she paused for a moment.

Richard was not even taken aback by the familiar situation.

The empress slowly raised her hand and groped her face under the veil, then groaned as she scratched the bumpy skin with her fingernails.

“Get out.”

It sounded like the voice of an old woman who had been strangled.

Richard, who stood up from his seat, put his hand on her shoulder as if to dissuade her.

"Mother."

“I told you to get out.”

"Calm down. There is no need to be more anxious.”

"Just leave!"

The empress shouted and pushed her son away.

However, the woman's body, which had not been allowed to go outside for a long time, had become so weak that such resistance was meaningless.

Richard easily grabbed her wrist.

At this close range, he could see through the veil.

Richard whispered softly, making eye contact with the empress.

“Why are you so agitated? What about a woman who has already died?”

“...”

“Didn’t you make these sweet yourself with your own hands?”

Her eyes slowly opened wide.

Richard let go of the hand that was holding her.

She let out a strange sound like a beast crying and soon began to scream like crazy.

“No, no, no! Go away! Leave me alone, everyone get out!”

The plates that decorated the tea table fell to the floor one by one and were broken.

The fig biscuits the empress had handed out to her son had already been trampled on by her shoes.

Richard went outside, leaving her as she wished.

As soon as he closed the door, all the noise inside was blocked out and it became quiet.

His lady-in-waiting, Louisa, who had been waiting outside, approached as if she had been waiting and held out a handkerchief.

Richard muttered in a tired voice as he wiped the tear from his face.

"It's not like the imperial palace, it's like a sanctuary for mentally ill people."

His grandfather, Sunhwang, also suffered from a mental illness and retired, waiting for the day to die.

Since he inherited the blood of a madman equally from both his mother and father, it may be that he, too, was about to go mad.

'Maybe it's already happened without knowing.'

Richard, who glanced at Louisa's face, asked impulsively.

“Is Iona still recovering?”

“Yes...”

“I have something to tell her about her face, so if you see her, tell her.”

“Today is off work so she won’t be there.”

By that point, Richard had gradually come to his senses.

“...”

“Should I tell her that His Highness is looking for her as soon as I leave for work?”

“No, it’s okay. Pretend I didn't say anything just now."

Richard, who took care of the situation casually, started to move straight to the prince's palace.

It bothered him that Iona was going out on her own without his knowledge, but that didn't mean that she could be confined to the palace.

Even the self-righteous man always needed restraint when it came to Iona.

'Father and mother, even Nils Modrov... …At least three have to die to see any hope.'

After completing the terrifying calculations, Richard let out a chuckle.

There was a high possibility that it would be a long wait as he had no intention of reaching out to her parents, but time was on his side anyway.

He was still able to put off the slack. 

***

When Iona woke up, she had become the best VIP in the capital during the night. These were not empty words.

“Dame, how about this? This is a draped skirt made with generous use of Argenta silk. The texture of the skirt that sways every time you walk gives it a very elegant feel. If this isn't your thing... … .”

Iona watched blankly as the woman sitting in front took out another piece of cloth.

To be honest, it was hard to understand half of what the other person was saying.

Iona was definitely not the type to sleep in the morning, but she had never enjoyed shopping in earnest as soon as the sun came up.

Iona felt dizziness creeping in and hurriedly restrained the person in front.

“Wait, that’s okay. I got it roughly. Order one from what you just show.”

“Oh, thank you. Dame. Then, I will explain the next product as well.”

The receptionist answered in a sonorous voice. In the meantime, she did not forget to take out the cloth she was looking for and spread it out in front of Iona.

Iona's lips were weak.

“… … I want to order just one.”

“Oh, that is not right. Dame! The orderer said that at least 20 dresses should be matched just for this season. Now, shall we try our best together a little longer?”

'Twenty?'

Iona's complexion turned pale.

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