How To Get Revenge On My Sister Who Stole My Husband - Chapter 46

“That’s right. Who wouldn’t envy ‘the luckiest man in the empire with a beautiful fiancée’.”

At those words, Leonard’s expression hardened. He responded with an awkward smile.

“…I see. This is unexpected. I didn’t think you’d admit it so honestly.”

“Unlike some, I don’t know how to hide my true feelings or speak indirectly. Nor do I need to.”

The Duke approached me as he said that. Then he briefly kissed the back of my hand and said:

“You’re dazzlingly beautiful, Lady Christine Yusten. Before you, even the pouring sunlight and colorful flowers lose their light and beauty, hiding in darkness.”

As the Duke uttered such embarrassing words with a stern face, the surrounding nobles quietly gasped in surprise. The Duke seemed completely unconcerned by their reaction, maintaining a calm expression. He turned my palm over, placed his hand on it, and continued:

“But your beauty isn’t just in your appearance. Your fox-like wisdom and boldness rivaling a skilled knight have tripped me up several times. Every time I fell into difficulty due to your schemes, I felt both angry and impressed.”

“…You flatter me.”

“It’s not flattery, but sincere. However, I’d appreciate if you could go easier on me from now on. While dealing with you is enjoyable, it’s also quite painful.”

Then the Duke kissed his own palm before gently rubbing my cheek with that hand. I felt my ear tips burning hot as I raised both hands to my cheeks. The Duke was merely acting as if he had a crush on me, as we had agreed beforehand. Even knowing this, my heart fluttered at his actions.

The Duke looked at me with an indifferent expression and said:

“I apologize for touching your face without permission, Lady Yusten.”

“…It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I just can’t stand seeing something dirty on something beautiful.”

The Duke said this as he turned his gaze. He quietly laughed mockingly as he looked at Leonard’s face, which was alternating between red and blue. Afterwards, the Duke wiped the mockery from his face and politely said to me:

“Well then, I hope you enjoy the banquet to the fullest, Lady. I’ll take my leave now.”

With those final words, the Duke went to where the nobles under his command were gathered. I stared blankly at his retreating back while trying to cool my flushed face.

Then Leonard roughly pulled me into his arms with one arm and said harshly:

“What the hell was that guy doing!”

I snapped out of my daze at his words and actions. I hurriedly led Leonard to a corner of the banquet hall. Then I said to Leonard in a low voice:

“…Shh. Lower your voice. This is the banquet hall. You know well that if you utter profanities against Duke Haven, the empress’s son, you could be punished for insulting the royal family.”

“But Duke Haven was blatantly flirting with you! What was that behavior just now! He kissed your palm right in front of me, then caressed your cheek with that hand! And on the very cheek I had kissed! You must know what that means!”

Leonard raised his voice, unable to contain his anger despite my warning. His amber eyes burned with undisguised jealousy as he spoke to me accusingly.

In the empire, a kiss on the palm meant jealousy, or an explicit seduction saying “I want you.”

From Leonard’s perspective, it was quite a justified anger. To calm Leonard down, I lightly patted his arm and said:

“I know. But there’s no way he could truly have feelings for me, right? It was probably just a meaningless action. Or he might have done it deliberately to provoke you.”

“Hah… Right, hearing you say that, it could have been with that intention. But we mustn’t let our guard down, Christine. That bastard, his words, looks, and actions towards you lately have been quite suspicious. Don’t fall for his actions and get involved in a scandal, understand?”

Leonard asked me with a grim expression. I swallowed the rising mockery inside and gave an answer I didn’t mean:

“…Yes. I’ll be careful.”

“Damn it! That bastard! How dare he look at someone above his station. You’re my fiancée. My woman.”

Leonard shouted as he pulled me into a tight embrace. I buried my face in his shoulder. It was to hide the cold sneer that appeared on my face.

‘Who says I’m yours, Leonard Klein. I’m not your woman, nor your trophy.’

If it were me from my past life, I might have been happy at those words from Leonard. I might have foolishly felt my heart flutter, thinking he still loved me passionately.

But not the current me. Because I realized that Leonard didn’t love me. Now I was just disgusted by his base obsession and possessiveness.

‘Keep it up, Leonard. The more you try to bind me with your obsession and possessiveness, the easier it will be to uncover the ugly secrets you’ve been hiding from me.’

Until I uncover that filthy, stinking secret that drove my father and Duke’s mother Princess Liz to their deaths, so that I can make them pay for their crimes.

I needed Leonard, as well as Danae and Duke Yusten.

So I had to endure this level of disgust. I pretended to hug Leonard’s shoulders while tightly gripping the hem of his formal attire.

The nobles who had been watching Duke Haven, Christine, and Leonard all put their heads together and whispered:

“It seems the rumors are true.”

“Indeed… To think that the lady Duke Haven is supposedly in love with is Lady Yusten!”

“Ah, a young duke in love with a woman from a politically opposing family! To think something I’ve only seen in puppet shows would happen in reality!”

“He never even glanced at other ladies until now! It seems he prefers such strong-willed and intelligent ladies. My, what unique tastes!”

“The social circles will be noisy for a while. Hoho.”

The nobles gossiped about the Duke, Christine, and the rumors surrounding them without any hesitation.

“…How can this be.”

There were those watching them. Duke Yusten and Danae, who had returned from conversing with Duke Albert and his son, the young duke. Duke Yusten muttered softly with a blank expression of surprise:

“…To think the person he spoke of to me then was Christine.”

“I know. I couldn’t have imagined it either.”

Danae responded to his words sharply, with a fierce frown. Her sharp gaze passed over Duke Haven and Leonard before landing on Christine. Danae glared at Christine, who was tightly embraced in Leonard’s arms, with a fiery gaze.

‘What’s so good about that gloomy, fox-like girl? I just don’t understand!’

Danae irritably grabbed a nearby glass and downed the wine in it in one gulp. After cooling her jealousy and anger somewhat with the cold wine, she put down the glass as if throwing it and leaned against the wall.

‘This is strange. If it’s about beautiful looks and charm, I’m better than that girl, aren’t I? The same goes for position and wealth. No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason to like that girl over me. Just what did that girl do to make the Duke fall for her? How did she do it, to change the Duke who was so desperate to get rid of her until recently?’

Danae thought anxiously, biting the soft flesh at her fingertips. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that something unknown had happened and would continue to happen beneath the surface. At the same time, her suspicion towards Christine grew.

‘There’s no way that meticulous Duke would fall for such a girl and court her without rhyme or reason. …There must be something. Something I’ve seen but missed. Damn it, if only Father had believed me then!’

Danae clenched her fist so tightly that her well-manicured nails dug into her palm. She deeply regretted not having clung onto that girl somehow and uncovered her suspicious points back then. The long-standing feelings of inferiority and jealousy towards Christine had long since transformed into malice determined to destroy her. Danae thought with a grim frown, grinding her teeth:

‘Everyone’s being fooled by that girl’s masked face. If that’s the case, I have no choice but to unmask her myself.’

She would secretly investigate Christine’s background. She would uncover the suspicious things she was plotting behind everyone’s backs and the reasons for them.

For that, it would be quicker to instigate Leonard, who loved her, rather than her father Duke Yusten, who trusted Christine implicitly.

‘I need to tell Lenny and ask for his help. Even that sister who seems like she wouldn’t bleed a drop if pricked with a needle has shown her weak points in front of Lenny, hasn’t she? I need to make him completely my ally and investigate my sister’s background.’

Although Leonard had been cold towards her recently, he would surely fall for it if she seduced and coaxed him with sweet words.

Because Leonard Klein was that kind of man.

Danae smiled slyly as she thought this.

Before long, the sun had set, and the moon goddess covered the sky with her night-blue dress.

After enjoying conversation and the banquet during the day, and even taking naps in the bedrooms and salons of the villa provided by the emperor, the nobles gathered one by one in the ballroom where the party was being held as night fell. I too, who had been reading in the salon since leaving the banquet hall, was led there by Leonard who came to fetch me.

The ballroom, decorated with colorful flowers and sparkling magic stones for tonight’s ball, was as beautiful and bright as a field that had just welcomed spring. I looked around, quietly exclaiming in admiration.

At that moment, the imperial musicians began to play a waltz. The nobles in the ballroom each took the hand of their spouse, fiancé, or lover and walked out to the central dance floor to dance.

“Christine, won’t you dance one song with me?”

Leonard asked, extending his hand towards me. I hesitated as I answered: