How To Get Revenge On My Sister Who Stole My Husband - Chapter 74

“Indeed, that makes sense. If we do that, we can drastically increase the wheat harvest! I must send a letter to my estate’s administrators first thing tomorrow!”

“Please do so, Your Highness. Now is the perfect time for sowing, after all.”

As I responded with a smile, the princess clasped my hands in hers and spoke to me with an excited face.

“You are a genius! Ah, to have you on the side of the duke and I! These days, just thinking of Lady Yusten makes me smile uncontrollably! If I were a man, I would have immediately challenged Viscount Leonard Klein to a duel! Or perhaps I would have secretly sent someone to get rid of him.”

“…Are you going on about that again? Moreover, talking about duels and getting rid of people is embarrassing to hear, so please stop, Your Highness.”

When the duke spoke curtly, looking displeased, the princess was busy giggling.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop. If I go on, our nephew’s heart that we barely managed to fix might stop again out of jealousy.”

At those words, the duke clicked his tongue and swiftly turned his head. I lowered my gaze, feeling my ears instantly grow hot. The princess, who had been alternately observing the duke and me with mirth in her eyes, suddenly let out a short exclamation.

“Ah, I didn’t call Lady Yusten here at this late hour for this. Conversing with you is so entertaining that I keep forgetting my purpose each time. Anne, bring that over here.”

The princess then gestured to her lady-in-waiting. The princess’s lady-in-waiting handed me a box about the size of a letter parchment before stepping back. The princess spoke to me as I looked puzzled.

“Since you said you don’t particularly like anything, I pondered over it and chose this. Open it. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“You don’t have to give me gifts like this every time…”

I opened the box, feeling awkward. Inside were a deed rolled up and tied with a purple ribbon, and a silver ring with a large pearl set in it. As I alternately looked at the princess and the box with surprised eyes, the princess pointed to each item in turn with her index finger and said,

“That deed is a document proving ownership of a three-story mansion located in the Riverton area on the outskirts of the capital, and that ring is the signet ring worn by Princess Lys before her marriage.”

“What? Isn’t the Riverton area where the royal family’s summer villas are located? And a signet ring worn by the princess…! Both seem far too much for someone like me who isn’t even royalty to accept, Your Highness!”

“Too much, you say. You can use that villa when you need to have a private conversation with someone but can’t use our nephew’s mansion, and you can use the signet ring when you need the authority of royalty while carrying out your plans. What do you think, doesn’t it seem like the perfect gift for you?”

“…Your Highness.”

I gazed at her with moved eyes. The princess grinned like a mischievous boy and said,

“To be honest, I didn’t prepare either of them. Our nephew suggested gifting you the mansion, and he also provided that signet ring.”

The duke added bluntly, still with his head turned.

“…Your Highness always says ‘what women truly want are a mansion and power that they own.’ I merely came up with the idea based on those words.”

“Haha, to be exact, I said ‘money and power’!”

The princess burst into giggles once more. I blushed, overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.

The duke and princess were a stark contrast to Duke Yusten, who had said ‘a lady only needs to receive money from her husband and cultivate her beauty in a mansion,’ and tried to freely use my inheritance that I couldn’t access before marriage according to imperial law. Hugging the box tightly, I said to the duke and princess,

“…Thank you. Your Highness, Your Grace. I’m truly happy.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The duke responded curtly. The princess silently observed the duke and me with a contented gaze.

“Your Highness!”

Just then, the closed parlor door swung open and the princess’s attendant rushed in. The princess frowned at him and said,

“How can you act so flighty?”

“I apologize! An urgent message arrived from the palace, so I made the mistake of being rude…!”

“A message? About what?”

When the princess asked, the attendant covered his mouth with his hand and whispered in her ear in a small voice. The princess then spoke with a coldly stiffened expression.

“…Oh no. I must go at once.”

“Has something happened to His Majesty?”

The duke asked her with an equally stiff expression. The princess shook her head and stood up.

“No, but something just as serious has occurred.”

“…What do you mean by that? Something serious?”

“I will tell you the details after I return to the palace and assess the situation, Duke Haven.”

The princess cut off the duke’s question like that, then gazed at me.

“See you next time, Lady Yusten. Please return safely.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I don’t know what happened, but you be careful on your way back as well.”

The princess responded to my words with a benevolent smile before leading her ladies-in-waiting and attendants out of the parlor. I spoke to the duke in a worried tone,

“What could she be upset about? I’m concerned.”

“She said she will inform us after assessing the situation, so we’ll find out if we wait. So don’t worry and go back to get some good rest. I will escort you to the front of your mansion tonight.”

The duke said that while extending his arm to me. I nodded stiffly and grasped his arm.

* * *

That night.

I had a dream again where I was trapped in pitch-black darkness. I gave up resisting the strong feeling of helplessness that made it difficult to move even a finger and stood in place.

Then, I heard the voice of a stranger. It was the same voice as in the dream I had last time.

[To corner my enemies like this in such a short time, as expected of the human I chose.]

The voice kept snickering as it spoke. I tried to ask what its identity was, but the darkness holding me captive didn’t allow even that. Then the voice let out a quiet sigh and continued.

[Haa, but it’s no fun when one side is being cornered so one-sidedly. A fight is only entertaining to watch when the sides are somewhat equal.]

I tried to shout ‘what the hell have you been talking about.’

But my mouth was still blocked, so those words didn’t reach the voice. Then the voice spoke meaningfully.

[I should look for some other prey.]

“What do you…”

I shouted loudly. At the same time, a strong force pressed down on my neck again. I couldn’t breathe and my vision blurred. I struggled desperately.

[…stin!]

Then, I heard another voice. That voice faintly penetrated my ears like an echo coming from a distant mountain. I focused on that somewhat familiar voice, and soon realized who it belonged to.

* * *

“Father!”

I woke up from sleep with a gasp. My whole body was drenched in cold sweat. It seemed I had another nightmare. I sighed quietly and got out of bed. I was tired but didn’t want to sleep more. It was a truly unpleasant morning.

“Young lady, are you awake?”

“…Yes. Come in.”

She entered with a bright expression at my permission, but gasped when she saw my face dripping with cold sweat.

“Oh my, look at this cold sweat! Are you ill somewhere, young lady?”

“…No. I just had a bit of a nightmare.”

I asked her to prepare bath water. After bathing in the prepared warm water, I leaned against the dressing table chair and asked her to do my hair. Annie prettily styled my hair up, then left the rest of my dressing to the other maids before going out.

A while later, as I was having a simple breakfast after finishing my morning preparations, Annie returned with a bundle of letters.

“Young lady, here are letters addressed to you.”

“Thank you for bringing them, Annie.”

I sent Annie out and checked the letters one by one. I first picked up the letter with a luxurious exterior and no name written on it. It was from the princess to me.

[The maid who tried to poison our nephew was found dead in prison last night.

According to the inspector, she seems to have died the night she was imprisoned. Her heart and lungs ruptured simultaneously due to some external force, but no one could provide a proper explanation for why that happened.

His Majesty was greatly angered upon hearing that and immediately ordered Commander Tott to find the one who killed that maid. He said the mastermind behind the maid must have committed this terrible act to avoid having their identity exposed.

And just now, Commander Tott finished his investigation and announced the results.

He said the maid died like that because the curse she had been under all this time backfired on her.

His Majesty seemed relieved at those words. He had been secretly afraid the maid might point to elder brother Louis or elder sister Merredith as the one who ordered her. Commander Tott alleviated that anxiety.

But it’s strange. I can’t accept it.

I can’t shake the feeling that the one who ordered the maid eliminated her to silence her. And this is certainly not the end of it all.

So it would be best to be cautious for the time being, Lady Yusten.

If the mastermind behind this is your uncle and elder brother’s close associates as we suspect, they will never let you live after you helped us.]

I bit my lower lip hard as I read and reread the princess’s letter. I couldn’t believe something like this happened in just one night. I tore the princess’s letter into small pieces and threw it into the fireplace, then shouted towards the door.