There’s no way these noble young ladies would ever have a chance to see the deposed prince.

Instead of the truth about the deposed prince’s stunningly beautiful half-face, Regina began excitedly spinning fantastical imaginings about his hidden half.

She exaggerated that every few hours, strange pus would build up, so he always had to prop something under his chin, and if you looked closely, there was sticky, dark sewage-colored pus.

Of course it smelled terrible, and her poor cousin had to endure that stench by his side and even had to change the container holding the pus occasionally, she embellished.

Adding imaginative details to the symptoms of the noble patients visiting Peliesse immediately captured people’s attention.

The more grotesquely Regina described the deposed prince, the more explosive reactions she calmly observed.

These young ladies’ interest wasn’t in how hideous the deposed prince was.

“How could my poor cousin have done such harsh work? In this beautiful mansion, embroidering handkerchiefs for my father was her hardest daily task.”

“Surely she’s not nursing him there? What are the maids doing?”

“The Black Mansion is so large. Besides, even ignorant commoners would find it difficult to work there carelessly. The servants’ attire was terrible and few in number. I wonder if there’s anyone suitable to take care of him. Who could handle such a notoriously rough person?”

“But you know.”

Just as Princess Seletina looked ready to die of pity imagining the terrible nursing, a young lady fond of gossip carefully broached the subject.

“From what I heard from my father, there’s a rumor that the two of them get along very well? This is the first time the deposed prince provided proof of consummation, and at their wedding anniversary party attended only by his close associates, the two of them…”

Regina simultaneously twisted her eyebrows and lips, plastering feigned sympathy all over her face that she didn’t feel in her heart.

“Ah, how pitiful. Is it really a good thing that they get along well?”

Deep disgust settled on the faces of several young ladies. Regina scrunched up her eyebrows hatefully and smiled as if in sympathy.

The gloomy Yuan Peliesse with not a shred of luck.

In contrast, the radiant Regina Peliesse, the only legitimate daughter of the current Count Peliesse, receiving all the attention of Prince Bolonico I.

It was obvious which one these young ladies, who would lead high society in the future, would sympathize with and feel superior to, and which one they would want to draw into their circles, given this stark contrast.

Even though Yuan Peliesse would never come out into society.

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“Why keep spouting such useless nonsense?”

“Regina’s handling it well on her own, so don’t interfere unnecessarily.”

“Would it hurt to just say one verse? Speaking like that, what becomes of our reputation? It’s as if Yuan was sold off.”

“She was sold off, wasn’t she? Sent off to a place with no real benefit as proof of loyalty to the imperial family, right?”

Sold off, my ass.

The Count, who had sent off two nieces, assets of the family, to the Black Mansion without receiving a single coin in dowry, did not agree with his wife’s words at all.

Priscilla, ignoring her husband’s reaction, peeked through the crack of the reception room door at the chattering girls with a pleased smile.

“Stop looking for that Yuan girl. Now watch our daughter, who will be the foundation of this household. Just look at that. Not losing her confidence at all even among those daughters from such prestigious families. And she’s the prettiest of them all.”

“You need to watch your mouth too. What kind of talk is that for a Countess? If you use that kind of speech in front of others, they’ll say again that you’re a merchant’s daughter…”

“You should do better yourself. This time, I’m going to try to mend things with my family somehow. What’s the use of being nobility if you have no money? Hmph. If Regina does well, we won’t have to worry about the family business anymore, right?”

Leaving Priscilla behind as she marveled at Regina skillfully conversing with girls who were born nobles, Count Peliesse caught the eye of his confidant standing at a distance.

The confidant quietly shook his head.

The Count had just planted someone in the northwest where the Black Mansion was located.

Now that they had temporarily extinguished the urgent fire with Prince Bolonico I’s name value. They were people who were using up all their emergency funds.

‘I can’t give up on Yuan.’

Though he was using Regina to fend off the current crisis, he didn’t think for a moment that Regina could capture Bolonico, who even the Grand Duchess Ariesta couldn’t capture.

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Now the harmonious relationship of the deposed prince’s couple in the Black Mansion wasn’t even gossip material anymore.

Yuan, who had mixed with the procession going out to fetch water since morning, desperately needed a private space to pour out her pain, having forcibly taken on Clard’s suffering.

The chapel cemetery was perfect.

Even the maids who took turns staying by her side would return to the well to help with the work when she said she was praying in the chapel.

It was also the only time she could be alone.

Lancelot, who had come to work at the Black Mansion early, spoke to Clard who was watching Yuan and the servants’ procession through the window.

“I always feel this, but your wife mingles with the servants quite informally. What noble lady in the world would follow along on a water-fetching trip riding on a cart like that?”

“That’s not right.”

Though it was said half-jokingly, Clard answered quite coldly. It was clear from his expression that he had been quite displeased about it for a long time.

Lancelot playfully slapped Clard’s arm to lighten the mood.

Irritation filled Clard’s eyes as he leaned against the window, gazing at the departing procession.

“You were like that once too, Clard. When we came here, we used to fight and bicker like commoners. Those were fun times.”

“Did you come just to reminisce?”

“You’re so sensitive. Why are you like this? Did you have a fight?”

Clard chuckled at the question about fighting.

There needs to be something to fight about to fight.

Every time he hears rumors about how well the couple gets along, he feels like such a miserable bastard, but his wife just says it’s fine as long as she’s happy, not knowing how he feels, making him lose even the will to fight.

But now, because of the comfortable nights he’s become too accustomed to, how contemptible and disappointing he finds himself for no longer questioning…

Clard irritably shook out his hair.

“Fight, huh.”

“You did fight. I knew you wouldn’t listen no matter how much I begged you to treat her well. Isn’t Eddie enough for paranoia? There’s no need to watch her going to the chapel so vigilantly. She’s just going to look after her family grave.”

The room fell into a distant silence after Lancelot’s reproachful words.

“What?”

Seeing Clard’s expression as if he’d been slapped across the face, Lancelot realized he had misspoken.

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“Your Highness, you called?”

“Where is Louise Peliesse?”

“!”

“Shall I tell you precisely? My eighth wife whom I never got to see before she died.”

Clard examined Gustav’s face reflected in the closed window.

The pale-faced butler was staring blankly at his back.

“I’m not sure if I’m really your master. Should I let this slide too?”

“Th-That’s…”

‘I thought you knew since I heard you’ve started doing some work lately.’
‘While working in your place, I often visited the chapel as I roamed this barren neighborhood, and there were two new graves there.’
‘One was Louise Peliesse, your eighth wife and current wife’s elder sister.’
‘Next to her was Oliver. They were buried side by side.’

The more flustered Gustav became, the more Clard’s mood sank.

“How could you hide something like this?”

‘You didn’t know.’

When Clard first heard those words, he wasn’t angry, but very bewildered.

‘It must have been hard for you to tell me.’
‘Everyone must know that you don’t want to associate anything related to death with this mansion.’

What feelings did that woman have as she hid the truth from him and went to see her sister?

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The next day.

Yuan, who had gone out with the procession as usual, was shocked by the incredible news.

“What did you say?”

“I was surprised too. Yesterday, only two trainee priests were off duty, so they stayed at the chapel to pray, when some noble people came and said they would move her to a better place.”

“How could they…”

Last night.

Someone had dug up Louise’s grave and moved it elsewhere.

Yuan was so shocked she nearly fainted, staring blankly at Louise’s memorial tablet left alone among the others.

“When that priest comes out, I’ll ask again. This is… Still, if family members came to take her, it’s fortunate since you brought and cared for an unidentified body, madam.”

When she entrusted her sister to this chapel and held a simple funeral with Gustav’s consideration.

Yuan lied that she had found a corpse that died on the way when she first came to the mansion as a bride, when asked who the deceased was.

She feared that if she said Louise was her sister in a place that clearly knew her identity, someday Count Kompani would come and burn it.

The head priest, unaware of Yuan’s circumstances, smiled kindly.

“Who, or rather, which direction did they say they went?”

“They said it was to the north, but…”

“Please let me know when that trainee priest wakes up.”

“Madam, what’s wrong?”

Yuan told Monica, who came to fetch her, to go back first as she wanted to pray more.

She insisted she would call a hired carriage from the nearby village if it got late.

Yuan then began searching for her sister following the testimony of the trainee priest who came out late.

She was half out of her mind.

[This is the timeline separator]

The madam had not returned to the mansion.

The ripple effect of that one statement was very large.

When Yuan still hadn’t returned to the mansion until just before sunset, the servants began to anxiously pace, looking for the butler Gustav.

“Would the madam have even tried to call a hired carriage in that neighborhood?”

“She’s never even gone down to the village yet!”

“The priests must be busy too, and the madam isn’t the type to make such requests easily.”

More and more servants gathered at the entrance.

The worried faces were all filled with anxiety.

Soon it would be completely dark around here.

Unlike other mansions with colorful brick walls, even the most skilled coachman would have trouble finding this mansion without lighting up the surroundings.

“Look, look, Mr. Mazarin is coming!”

“That guy is just so slow!”

Finally unable to bear the anxiety, the chef Ralph ran out to the gate.

As it would soon be completely dark, everyone without exception had to go to their rooms according to the mansion’s rules, so only a few servants nervously followed behind Ralph.

The expression of Mr. Mazarin, who had gone out driving the carriage himself, was gloomy.

“The madam hired a carriage.”

“Did she get lost? Shouldn’t we all go out with torches to search for her?”

Chef Ralph looked around, rambling incoherently.

He seemed ready to snatch even the torches from the guards outside.

“The carriage didn’t head towards the mansion.”

At Mr. Mazarin’s words, the faces of the servants huddled together froze stiffly.