Padre took a sip of his tea and looked at her squarely.
“What exactly happened?”
“Everything I know is as I wrote in the letter. There’s nothing added or omitted, only the facts I witnessed.”
“My goodness. Then it’s true that Duke Ansgar rose from the dead? Not just recovered from a fatal wound?”
Adel barely nodded. Her pure face was pale as a lily, her eyes trembling with sensitivity as she revisited the past. She managed to continue.
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either. The dead coming back to life. It’s a cruel joke, and a bizarre rumor.”
“…”
“But, Father Padre. You must know about the commotion in Denburg when the Duke’s death was announced.”
“Indeed, it was unprecedented. Even the Crown Prince paid his respects for his cousin’s death.”
“I accompanied the coffin from the moment the Duke was led north. Since the coffin wasn’t nailed shut, anyone would have noticed if there was a living person inside.”
“Are you sure? Was the coffin opened to properly check the body?”
“The last time it was checked, there were no signs of life.”
She raised a trembling hand to her forehead.
“The night the Duke came back to life. Everyone in the audience room acted as if they had forgotten all about that night. They happily celebrated the Duke’s return, raising toasts, laughing, chatting.”
“…”
“The more they act like that, the more afraid I become. I keep doubting myself. Wondering if I’m sane, or if such an event even happened…”
“…”
“The coldness of his grip on my wrist that night is so vivid. And now, it seems like I’m the only one who remembers it.”
“…”
“The scariest and most dreadful thing is that sometimes, even I forget that fear when I see the Duke. I instinctively feel happy. Despite having no bond to justify such a fickle affection, it’s my first time feeling this way and I revel in it.”
“…”
“How dare I, out of my depth.”
“Adelheit, please calm down.”
Her hands on her knees trembled uncontrollably. Emotions she had suppressed, unable to share with anyone, erupted chaotically once an outlet was found. Adel herself hadn’t realized how much the fear fed by doubt had grown.
The silence was long. Padre seemed deep in thought, then finally spoke.
“The Battle of Nortrhoven, where the Duke fell, was a definitive end to a long war. The Emperor openly cherished his nephew and the war’s supreme commander, Duke Ansgar.”
“I’ve heard such rumors in the capital.”
“You must know, he often jokingly said he could even give the position of Crown Prince.”
The sudden change of topic felt out of place, but Padre was not one to act frivolously. Adel nodded in agreement.
“That’s why there were so many rumors about the Duke’s death.”
“Exactly. Especially because he died in the last battle. There were rumors he was killed by his own men, or faked his death to avoid offending someone important.”
“I’ve heard all of them.”
By referring to “someone important” indirectly, even the politically naive Adel could guess who he meant.
‘The Crown Prince was wary of my husband.’
Just thinking of the Crown Prince sent chills down her spine. The ambitious Count of Riehenau often invited the Crown Prince to his estate for Charlotte, and Adel had to serve tea on such occasions.
Charlotte may have made that choice out of a desire to tear apart Adel’s dignity, but when Adel thought back to those times, her blood ran cold for a completely different reason. The Crown Prince’s well-groomed face hid crawling ambitions, which were shamelessly blatant.
His gaze measured her from head to toe, sticky and persistent, even when ignored.
As if looking at something fascinating, or desiring something irresistibly tempting…
In comparison, Oscar seemed less vile because, at least, he had no fiancée.
“So.”
Pulled from her thoughts by Father Padre’s words, Adel snapped back to attention. His face was now as serious as Adel’s.
“When I heard the tale of the Duke’s resurrection, I thought he had miraculously recovered from a fatal wound. I took it lightly, thinking it was an exaggerated tale to impress the empire.”
“…”
“Adelheit. If what you wrote in your letter is all true, then it’s no ordinary matter. Such an event has never occurred in the empire’s centuries-long history.”
There was genuine concern in Padre’s gentle eyes. Adel, lowering her voice, opened up.
“I fear that some terribly wicked force might be involved in this incident…”
“Are you referring to a demon?”
“It’s likely because the North often faces such invasions. But there’s a high chance I’m just being overly sensitive.”
“I need to see the Duke in person to give you an answer. Could you arrange a meeting within a few days?”
“There’s someone else I’d like you to meet before that.”
“Who?”
“You’ll know.”
Adel stood up and opened a door at a corner of the reception room. Padre craned his neck to see who was entering, then froze in shock.
“Greta?”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
