How To Get Revenge On My Sister Who Stole My Husband - Chapter 73

“That’s how it was.”

“Father, that! There’s a reason for everything!”

Danae cried out urgently. The duke slammed his office desk threateningly and scolded.

“I don’t want to hear it! What were you thinking, provoking that old man and making things come to this! What if that cunning Princess Ella uses him to start digging into the death of her elder sister to bring us down? Don’t you still realize that everything will be over then?”

“Oh, father! That can’t possibly happen! How could that old man possibly uncover the secrets surrounding something that happened so long ago? Even if he finds out about the secret, it would be useless if he can’t figure out who the culprit was!”

“So are you saying you did well now? A precious witch is about to die because of you? Ha! Why do you always act so rashly and ruin things like this! If it was your elder sister, this plan would have definitely succeeded!”

At the duke’s words, Danae contorted her pretty face hideously. She gnashed her teeth resentfully and lashed out at her father.

“Elder sister, elder sister, elder sister! Can’t you go a moment without comparing me to her? You don’t know why things turned sour between me and that old man, or how important of a task I’m carrying out for our family and the Klein dukedom right now!”

“Danae!”

“Just watch and see! In three months, you’ll regret saying these words to me! Even if you shower me with praise then, it will probably be of no use!”

Afterwards, Danae opened the office door and left. The duke glared at the closed door with a murderous gaze, then started hurling nearby objects and spewing vulgar curses. The butler hurriedly left the office, lest he be on the receiving end of the duke’s wrath.

And watching all of this from the window was Emlyn, transformed into an ivory dove.

He cooed and laughed as if it was amusing, then flapped his wings and flew up into the sky.

* * *

A few minutes later.

Something fell with a thud on top of my head as I was reading a book in my bedroom. It was a letter sent by Emlyn.

I unfolded it as if I had been waiting.

[It’s just as you predicted, young lady. It was quite a sight, watching the two ladies fighting and tearing into each other as if they wanted to devour one another.

But that young lady really had that terrifying herb planted in the ground? Oh my. Even though I strongly advised against it.

Don’t worry about them succeeding in cultivating that herb. Pouring fertilizer on that kind of land will just be a waste of money, and there won’t be any mages willing to assist with that task. Witches inherently lack the ability to grow anything in the first place.

P.S.
Noah has awakened. It’s thanks to you, young lady.]

After reading the entire letter, I burst into silent laughter. As soon as I was done disposing of the letter, there was a knock at the door and I heard Annie’s voice calling for me from outside.

“Young lady!”

“Come in, Annie!”

She entered and handed me a letter.

“A letter has arrived for you, young lady.”

“Thank you, Annie.”

This letter was sent by the duke.

[You’ve probably already heard from Emlyn about what transpired at the imperial palace. It’s all thanks to you.

Ah, I mentioned to Her Highness the princess about ways to utilize the fallow lands. She said she wants to meet you in person to express her gratitude for this matter and hear a detailed explanation. So let me know when you have time. I’ll send my carriage right away.

She also asked me to inform her about what you like and what you want to have. So take this opportunity to tell her whatever you desire. …]

I furrowed my brows at the abruptly cut off letter.

If he had written something and erased it, there would have been traces left behind, like two lines crossed out or black ink painted over. But there were no such traces at all, just a margin of about one line’s worth of space remaining.

Narrowing my eyes, I examined the margin and saw faint pen marks. I spoke to Annie.

“…Annie, could you bring me some pastel? There’s something I want to check.”

“Yes, young lady.”

I grasped the pink pastel Annie brought and rubbed it on the lower part of the letter where the pen marks remained.

The pastel seeped into the deeply indented parchment where the pen had passed, revealing letters that were not clearly visible before.

[I also want to know what you like.]

The moment I saw those words, I felt my cheeks flush hotly. My heart pounded and I grew short of breath without realizing it. I quietly looked down at the letter and thought.

‘Can I be honest?’

That I’ve come to like you so much.

However, I soon shook my head.

‘Get ahold of yourself, this isn’t the time for that.’

That’s right, this isn’t the time.

I haven’t completed my revenge yet, so I can’t leave Leonard either. Conveying feelings for someone else without resolving things with my fiancé would be no different than what Leonard did to me.

Also, he doesn’t like me the same way I like him. He only pretends to like me in front of others.

When it’s just the two of us, any kindness he shows me is ultimately because I’m useful to him.

With those thoughts, I tore up the duke’s letter without hesitation and threw it into the fire.

Afterwards, I took out some letter paper and wrote a short reply.

[I’ll come to the duke’s residence tomorrow night. See you then.

…There’s nothing in particular that I like. Please tell Her Highness that I will gratefully accept whatever she gives me.]

I folded the letter into a small square and handed it to Annie.

* * *

That night.

In a dark underground prison where not a single ray of moonlight entered.

Belladonna was bound to a rusted iron chair, her arms and legs shackled with magic-sealing cuffs. She repeatedly struggled, screaming silently through her gag, then suddenly went limp. This was because whenever she tried to use her witch powers to escape or dozed off from hunger and thirst, the magic on the shackles inflicted unbearable agony on her.

‘That serpentine old man! That cursed mage! The moment I get out of here, I’ll take your life first.’

She gritted her teeth and vowed revenge. She absolutely would not die like this. After all, surely ‘that person’ would come save her.

Belladonna endured the pain over and over with that conviction.

Then, the sound of someone’s footsteps could be heard. Belladonna turned her head toward the sound with a look of delighted surprise. The footsteps drew closer.

Soon, a small-statured woman in a white robe stopped in front of the prison cell where she was confined. Recognizing her, Belladonna cried out while mumbling.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

“Be quiet. We’ll get caught at this rate.”

The woman calmly cautioned her. Belladonna immediately shut her mouth. Once it was silent, the woman spoke again.

“You look to be in a lot of pain.”

“Mmph, mmph!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll set you free now.”

Belladonna looked at her with moved eyes and nodded her head vigorously. She had believed. She had waited. Now the woman before her eyes would save her. The woman reached out a hand toward her.

“Urk!”

In that moment, Belladonna’s body went limp. Bloody tears flowed from her bulging eyes, and a white, foamy liquid dripped from her gagged mouth. She had breathed her last.

The woman muttered while looking at Belladonna’s limp, unmoving body.

“That’s good. You won’t be in pain anymore.”

The dead cannot feel agony, after all.

The woman smiled coldly. Then, a guard holding a short spear approached the woman and bowed, saying,

“It’s time for you to return. Your Highness, Crown Princess Merydith.”

“Understood.”

Crown Princess Merydith leisurely left the prison.

* * *

The night after receiving the duke’s letter.

I secretly left the Yusten ducal residence and went to the Haven ducal residence. Entering the parlor with Oliver’s now familiar escort, I was greeted by the princess and the duke.

Despite the late hour, the princess smiled brightly with a lively face.

“Welcome, Lady Christine Sapiel Yusten. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Lady Christine Sapiel greets Your Highness Princess Ella. I apologize for the discourtesy of always making Your Highness wait.”

“What are you saying? I came out even earlier than our agreed time because I wanted to see you soon. Come, sit here.”

As always, she pointed to the chair on her left. I headed to that seat and greeted the duke sitting across from me. The duke nodded his head once brusquely in lieu of a greeting. The princess continued in a bubbly voice.

“You must already know, Lady Yusten? About what happened yesterday.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I heard it was done by one of the crown princess’s maids.”

“…To dare commit such an atrocious act against my nephew. She must have grown quite desperate.”

“Indeed. His Majesty, who was firm about the succession issue, is wavering due to Your Highness’s achievements. The crown princess must have noticed His Majesty’s state of mind.”

“Haha. What have I done? This is all thanks to my nephew and you, Lady Christine Sapiel Yusten.”

I smiled bashfully. The princess looked at me with an affectionate gaze and said,

“By the way, my nephew told me something very interesting. That Lady Yusten knows an effective way to utilize the fallow lands. Is it true that planting clover can restore the damaged soil fertility?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Answering her, I carefully explained the advantages of that method. The princess expressed great surprise and admiration.