Abandoned and Forsaken
At the news of the duke's awakening, Agafel's castle was in an uproar. Joy and sadness were mixed at the news of the rebirth of the duke, who had only thought that he would die.
When Kiern, who heard the news belatedly, arrived at the castle, it was after Stella had left. Two days before the promised deadline, the duke woke up. Should I say that this is lucky?
Kiern looked at the duke, who had been given a tranquilizer, and fell asleep. The doctor who saw this left an opinion.
“We have overcome a great obstacle. If little by little you recover your energy, you will be able to continue with your daily life.”
"It is."
"Yes. You can leave your worries now."
"Thank you for your work. You can go now."
The doctor left after ignoring Kiern's bland response. Only the duke and Kiern, who had been weakened for several days, remained in the quiet room.
The duke, who only looked clean, looked old, sick, and pale. His bony limbs clearly showed that he had been in the hospital for a long time.
I thought I would die like this, but the name line was too long.
I must be quite nervous.
I never thought the duke would happen at this point.
Apparently heaven was on my side, not Stella.
Judging by his haste, he must have gone to see Vona Mana Miller. I did something so outrageous, but there's no way I wouldn't trip.
Kiern smiled as she remembered the Miller she'd known before coming here.
The will is false.
'What do you mean? It is real.'
It is better not to try to hide it. It's because I confirmed that the lyrics were tampered with nonsense.
It was by chance that I discovered that the will was false. In case Stella leaves Elizabeth, he and Eddie are preparing a lawsuit to invalidate the will behind the scenes.
Taking apart and analyzing the will in this way, I found a curious point in the will.
The clue was that the words the duke habitually used were expressed in a different way. The nobles had their own customs.
Frequent and avoided words. Specifically, since the Agafel family is a prestigious family that has maintained its existence for a long time, there is something like a style that has been acquired on a regular basis.
One of them was an expression that referred to himself. Agafel, who had been the sword and shield of the Yerchen kingdom for generations, used to compare herself to a 'sword'.
However, there was no such expression in the will. That was the result of the investigation that served as a clue.
As if there was no way out, Miller confessed and tried to cut off his tail.
'sorry. This was all done by Stella Lua.'
It just can't be. Did he say he'd give you a piece?
'that is… … .'
He was an erratic man. It was already a broken trust relationship in the sense that he had a party with her anyway.
In the first place, he had no intention of leaving Miller alone. However, since he was holding Stella's leash, he decided to use it more effectively.
'For now, you'll have to keep the meeting with me a secret from Stella. That would be the way to receive less punishment.
After deferring the arrangement, he heard the news from the duke on his way back. If the duke recovers as he is, it was only a matter of time before he found out about the will.
Kiern's thoughts were also complicated. Although the duke, out of respect for the face, did not want to give Stella the title of duchess, she was his favorite mistress nonetheless.
A lover who cares enough to hide her from prying eyes and the public eye. Perhaps, knowing the will, he would be angry, but he would not kick him out.
It was my house, of course. Stella must have been anxious because she might get tired and throw it away.
Kierne wanted Stella's destruction. To be precise, it was the undoing of Stella and the duke. I didn't want a way to fail.
Kiern expected the two of them to completely break down. Wasn't that why you didn't take advantage of Elizabeth?
Of course, Kierne had long ago erased the guilt that Elizabeth was her daughter.
She was a woman who said she loved me anyway. I was only drunk because I was trying to get into myself. Nothing more and nothing less. there shouldn't be
"It would have been easier to deal with him if he hadn't woken up."
Kierne let out a voice filled with regret. I felt that I was safe now. The news of the duke's revival was sad news for Kiern.
He hated the fact that his obnoxious father's lifeline was longer than he thought. As I left the bedroom, Eddie caught up with me and announced in a low voice.
"Stella seems to have gone to see Miller."
"It will burn you."
"Are you going to leave it like that?"
"Good."
I don't know what the two of them were conspiring with, but Miller wouldn't rush to side with Stella if he got caught. It would be great if you could act as a spy like that.
"For now, let's wait for Miller's call."
"Are you going to the villa today?"
At the word villa, Kierne rose to her feet. I tried to nod habitually, but frowned. It was because it felt so natural.
“It seems you go too often. If Stella finds out your place of residence like this, that will be difficult too.
Eddie looked at me and voiced my opinion. In a word, it meant that it would be better not to go to the villa before the funeral.
Even Kierne thought that was correct. It wasn't a very useful move to go there and bring Elizabeth back.
By the way. Even so, as I kept going back there, my laughter was mixed with self-deprecation, thinking that I was the mother's daughter.
It was clear that he was crazy. I was going to wear it and end it, but strangely, my eyes and feet go away and my heart starts to wear.
It was funny how it became natural for him to hug Elizabeth before he knew it. I even surprised myself. I didn't know I could behave like a bitch in heat like that.
“… …No. You'd better not go today.
Kiern answered a step later. It was just after the duke woke up. It was unwise to visit Elizabeth when she didn't know how Stella would behave.
Anyway, the finale he prepared was the engagement ceremony. Kierne was very curious as to what kind of expression Stella would make when she found out too late that her daughter had become a lover.
Eddie added, adjusting his glasses.
"Good idea. You'd better not go to the villa for a while. Isn't there a betrothal ceremony soon?"
"This is the face you want to turn around and say I'm trash."
"Am… … ."
“As for Ellie, I'll take care of it. Eddie, just do what he tells you to do.
At Kiern's cool response, Eddie swallowed and swallowed. When it came to Elizabeth's affairs, he was the master who hated being interfered with by others.
To Eddie, who had served him for a long time, he seemed very impulsive and dangerous these days. Elizabeth, who stayed in the villa without knowing anything, was equally worried.
"It's going to be a great four months like this."
There was a mountain of worries, but Eddie took a step back. First of all, the key is to clear the schedule right in front of you.
“… …Yes. So, what about the betrothal ceremony? Since the duke is in a recovery period, it must be too soon to do so.
“We will proceed as scheduled. It's not good for the Prairie family to take any longer."
“Yes. Then we will proceed as planned.”
Also keep an eye on Miller and Stella. If you try to escape, it will be difficult.
"Alright."
As Eddy disappeared, Kierne let out a deep breath and wiped her face. My heart was strangely complicated when everything was going my way.
