This Marriage Must End in Tragedy - Chapter 44

Damion judged this to be the best course of action.

Ansi de Orphe was not a woman who would refrain from doing what she wanted just because he tried to stop her. In fact, this was evident from her visiting the Duchess without saying a word.

If he couldn’t prevent her from meeting the people of Orphe anyway, it was right for Damion to accompany her in finding them.

However, Kardian was an exception. He didn’t want Ansi to encounter him in any way.

Damion left the Orphe mansion with a lighter heart.

It would be a long farce, but he could do this much for Ansi.

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I hope you create a good world.

The content was simple. There was no need to write unnecessary details or reveal the sender’s name. What mattered was this seal.

Ansi took out the informal seal of Orphe and pressed it on the bottom of the paper. The red Orphe pattern was clearly imprinted.

After waiting for it to dry, Ansi folded the paper.

The well-folded paper went into a brown envelope.

Inside the already thick envelope was a bundle of cash.

Ansi sealed the envelope tightly and double-checked the address where the package would arrive.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

Then, holding the heavy envelope, she quietly looked around her room.

It was a comfortable space, but it wasn’t her home.

Ansi put aside her hesitation and stood up.

There was nothing wrong with the package. So there was nothing wrong with everything she would do for revenge.

This package will now be delivered to the revolutionaries through the post office. Then the revolutionaries will start paying attention to Orphe.

The sword had already been drawn.

It was irreversible.

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It didn’t take as long as expected to get to Chelsa in the north where Sobelvio was located.

They took an early morning train to an area close to Chelsa, then moved by carriage from there. That’s how they arrived at Sobelvio by evening.

A beautiful garden spread out in front of the fast-moving carriage. At the end of passing through the well-maintained green gardens, the majestic stone building shone red in the orange sunset.

“We’ve arrived.”

Damion and Ansi got out of the carriage together. Ansi tightened the cloak worn over her clothes. Despite it being June, the evening here was still chilly like spring due to the lower temperature than the capital.

The Orphe emblem was engraved on the large door. It reminded her of the emblem stamped inside the package she had sent to the revolutionaries not long ago. To hide her memory, Ansi deliberately smiled.

“It’s a splendid mansion.”

“Let’s go in.”

The two entered the mansion. As soon as they entered the large lobby, someone greeted them cheerfully from the second floor.

“Ansi, Damion! Welcome.”

It was Marianne. Wearing a light silk robe over an indoor dress, she came down the stairs with graceful steps.

She smiled brightly and held both of Ansi’s hands. Surprised by the warmer than expected welcome, Ansi greeted her somewhat awkwardly.

“Thank you for… inviting us, Mother.”

“It’s nothing. Think of it as coming to your own home, Ansi. You must be tired from the journey, so have dinner comfortably with Damion today. We’ll have a meal together tomorrow.”

It seemed like she was being considerate of Ansi, but Marianne’s gaze briefly turned to Damion. It meant the act would start tomorrow.

“We’ll do that, Mother.”

Damion smiled slightly.

“Then rest well.”

Marianne went back upstairs without lingering. Soon, the two were also guided to their room by the butler.

“Ah…”

There was only one room. Ansi was flustered as she had naturally assumed they would have separate rooms, but she tried her best not to show it as she entered.

While Damion was talking with the butler at the doorway, Ansi unpacked the luggage bag brought up by the servant. Somehow, it felt awkward and embarrassing to just wait quietly for her husband in this room, so she felt like she had to do something.

Hanging clothes, taking out and organizing items. While doing so, she calmed her mind.

“We’ll have dinner in 20 minutes, and the servants will unpack in the meantime…”

Damion, who had entered the room, trailed off. In front of the already neatly organized luggage, Ansi asked awkwardly.

“Ah, usually one doesn’t unpack themselves…?”

Unpacking was a habit from the days when she worked as a servant, so she had done it naturally.

Seeing Ansi’s now empty luggage bag, Damion opened his own bag. Ansi stopped him.

“Let the servants unpack for Damion. You’re probably not as used to it as I am…”

“I’m probably more used to it than Ansi.”

Why? It’s not like Damion had worked as a servant.

Receiving her puzzled look, Damion chuckled and took out clothes from his bag to hang them.

“In the military, we usually unpacked ourselves.”

Ah. Ansi let out a soft exclamation.

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The atmosphere at the early lunch table was lively. Under the magnificent ceiling painting on the high dining room ceiling, delicious foods were laid out.

Not wanting to be accused of being picky or nibbling, Ansi ate more enthusiastically than usual. Somehow, she felt like she might get indigestion eating like this.

“Now that we’re family, is it alright if we speak more casually?”

Basilov asked politely, maintaining etiquette.

“Of course.”

“Well then, does the food suit your taste?”

“Yes. It’s soft and delicious.”

Ansi smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Whether it was really due to travel fatigue or not, Ansi had slept soundly last night, contrary to her nervousness. Forgetting that this was Orphe’s country house, and that Damion de Orphe was beside her.

But from today on, such a carefree attitude wouldn’t do. Ansi exerted her maximum sociability to respond to and converse with the Duke and Duchess of Orphe.

The fact that Damion was less talkative than expected was an unforeseen obstacle, but his mere presence in this place was enough to fulfill his role.

After all, the goal was to firmly establish Ansi’s existence within Orphe, and it was Ansi who had to make efforts in the created environment.

“By the way, do you like polo?”

As the meal was wrapping up, Marianne, who had gracefully put down her fork, asked warmly. To this expected question, Ansi nodded.

“Of course. I was so excited coming to Chelsa. The match between the northern teams Bolbi and Peña that I saw as a child was really impressive.”

“That’s wonderful. As it happens, there’s a grand polo viewing ceremony today.”

“Really?”

“In Chelsa’s summer, there’s a grand polo viewing ceremony twice a week. Smaller matches are held almost daily.”

Basilov, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Ansi leaned forward slightly and spoke in an excited voice.

Damion examined Ansi’s face. He couldn’t tell if she was lying to match the atmosphere or if she really liked polo.

There was no mention of polo in the investigation data from when she was Ansi de Rubelsai. Even when he had mentioned that the people of Orphe liked polo, she hadn’t talked about teams like Bolbi or Peña.

Well, they weren’t as close then as they are now, so maybe she just didn’t bother mentioning it given her personality.

Even so, she didn’t seem to really like it. Because he knew what her expression looked like when she truly liked something.

“Go change into your outing clothes and come back.”

Led by Basilov, they rose from their seats. When they came out after changing clothes, a carriage was already prepared outside.

The carriage drawn by four horses was much more splendid than usual. It was the type of carriage often seen on days with large events like polo matches.

For Ansi, who didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention, it was a splendor that made her hesitate, but the others got into the carriage without any fuss.

“Be careful as you get in.”

Damion held out his hand. With his help, Ansi also boarded the carriage, and it set off for the polo field.

The streets visible to the side were very busy. They say that on grand viewing ceremony days, people come to Chelsa not only from the north but also from the capital and other regions, and that statement was not an exaggeration.

Judging by the speed of the carriages, it seemed there would be quite a few people entering after the game had already started.

However, their carriage moved forward quickly without any obstructions. This was because they were traveling on a road exclusively for the Orphe ducal family.

“It’s quite close. We built the polo field near Sobelvio on purpose.”

Marianne, wearing a large hat, said proudly. Ansi nodded.

“Yes, the young duke mentioned it too. He said he often enjoys polo matches because the field is so close.”

Damion’s eyes narrowed. The young duke said that? It seemed she had heard it while dancing with Kardian on the day of the wedding reception.

“Then Damion must have watched many polo matches together too.”

“That’s right.”

To Ansi’s question, Damion hid his expression and smiled kindly.

In fact, he had rarely gone to watch polo matches with his family. Except for the occasional few times when they brought Damion along to prevent bad rumors about the second son of Orphe from spreading.

However, it was better not to mention things that were best kept hidden. Especially now, when they were creating a harmonious family solely for Ansi de Orphe, even going so far as to transfer stocks.