I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

"okay…  The Grand Duke does not stay on his estate, right?”

 At that time, the emperor was still following Fernan's whereabouts and current circumstances.

 In the meantime, what he learned was that Fernan was currently leaving the Empire and traveling to various countries.

"Have you found out what he’s doing?"

 “Yes, Your Majesty.  It is difficult to pinpoint the exact whereabouts, but he seems to be looking for someone.”

 The emperor, who had narrowed his eyes and assessed the situation, gave the order.

 “Keep chasing.  What is he looking for, and where does the movement lead?”

 “Yes, Your Majesty!”

 Doubt crept on the emperor's face.  Since he was an emperor who had to get his hands on Fernan's current status in the past, he could predict that something serious was involved in this recent situation.

 It was said he (Fernan) had an agent taking care of the Grand Duchy, and he was going to be away for a long time.

 ‘Strange. He even killed the marquis, and now he is looking for people?’

The Emperor's question began with the death of the Marquis.

 Fernan, of course, did not like the Marquis from the beginning.  But he wasn't an extreme enough man to do the slaughter on his own.

 ‘He’d rather expose the evidence that he was spying on the Marquis to the world. He felt the need to kill him, leaving behind the seeds of doubt.’

 Of course, like a thorough man, he handled the matter without leaving a single piece of evidence.  So no one was sure he killed the Marquis.

 But at least the Emperor was convinced that Fernan was the culprit.

 ‘After all, the Marquis has lost influence for a long time, so there is nothing I can do about it……  ’

 Hmmm, the emperor, who coughed in vain, gently brushed his beard.  It seemed like something was going on, but it was frustrating because he couldn't know for sure.

 But, at least, this was the first time Fernan had ever looked disheveled.  It was rare for him to be stepped on so easily.

If he understood exactly what Fernan was away for… There may be some excuse to take advantage of this opportunity to overpower the Grand Duke.

 ***

 Meanwhile, the Marchioness, who had not appeared in social circles for a while, attended a party for the first time in more than two months.

 Upon finding her in a small banquet room, the ladies began to whisper all kinds of words.

 “It is really sad. To lose her daughter and then her husband…”

 "I know, right.  It seems like just yesterday that she had all sorts of prestige because her family produced a Grand Duchess.  That’s why I think glory is only a moment.”

 The sneers and gossips of the ladies, who pretended to pity the Marchioness, were clearly embedded in her.

Suppress her boiling anger, the Marchioness headed to her table.

 There was still hope for her. It was her eldest son, Grayson.

 Grayson, who decided to inherit the title earlier than expected due to the death of the Marquis, would surely be able to raise a family soon.

 The reason why the Marchioness came to the party today was to find a mate for Grayson.

 Even if it wasn't a woman from a huge family, if she had either wealth or fame, it would be good for now.

 While the Marchioness, who had a casual expression on her face, moved from one table to another, the topic of the people’s conversation continued to change.

 “Oh, come to think of it, the Grand Duke Caesar has been hiding a woman. Is she still in the dark?”

The ladies started talking about the new topic.

 "Yes. The Grand Duke doesn't even set foot in the capital unless it's an official event, so everything is unknown.”

 Like a party where you can enjoy other people's stories, various words surrounding the Grand Duke were pouring out.

“By the way, didn't Young Lady Blair once say she had a special relationship with His Highness? She also said the relationship between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess wasn’t good.”

As someone ventured out, there was a moment of silence on the table.

 Like the hyenas that found their prey, the ladies' eyes gleamed.

 “Do you want to say that the Grand Duke’s hidden lover is Lady Blair?  But , she was engaged not long ago.”

 “Oh my gosh, that’s why the Grand Duke is hiding more!  Because his lover has another opponent!”

 The Marchioness, who listened to the pouring words one by one, could not hide her discomfort.  But the ladies, already in their excitement, did not notice her displeasure.  Then, someone else spoke.

“It’s not Lady Blair.”

 The eyes of the ladies suddenly focused on one place.

 There sat a young woman who looked unfamiliar.

 “Actually, I think I saw the Grand Duke not long ago. He was holding a woman..…  ”

 “Oh my,….  Is that a true story?”

 The ladies inquired as if they were talking a child, and smirked.

 It was because they thought that young lady just spoke whatever 

because she wanted to be involved in the conversation.

 “Yes.  Although he was wearing a robe, he was obviously similar to the Grand Duke….”

 “Didn’t you just debut in the social world?  But how did you immediately recognize the Grand Duke's face?  The Grand Duke does not often attend official banquets.”

 In response to the words thrown at her, the young lady stuttered and blushed.

 "That…  I know by looking at portraits while studying the royal genealogy..…  ”

 “Oh my, is that so?  Really, everyone.  Rather, I bought new pottery a while ago… ”

 They thought it was not worth listening to anymore, so the discussion of the ladies quickly shifted elsewhere.  As the young lady lowered her head and disappeared to another place, the Marchioness’ gaze became somewhat subtle.

 After a while when the party finished, the Marchioness approached the young lady.

 “Can you tell me the details of the story you told earlier?”

When asked suddenly, the young lady blushed with embarrassment.

 "Yes Yes?  The story earlier….oh do you mean the Grand Duke?”

As the young lady stuttered, the Marchioness nodded as if frustrated.

 “Tell me more.  When and where did you see the Grand Duke?”

 “That was, maybe two months ago…  I followed my mother to the Temple of Ilion and got lost… ”

 "Lost?"

 “I happened to see the Grand Duke rushing through the corridor.”

"Do you remember the appearance of the woman he was holding?"

 “…  uh.”

The young lady, who raised her gaze upward as if searching her memories, shook her head.

 “No, they both wore big robes…  I didn't look closely at her appearance.”

 “Then do you know for sure that the man is the Grand Duke?”

 "Yes? Yes, definitely….”

The Young lady, who was intimidated by the interrogating voice and blurred the end of his speech, added in a quiet voice.

"I'm sure it's right. It's a very memorable face. I couldn't forget his face from the day I saw the portrait.…..”

 Looking at the young lady p, who blushed while talking, the Marchioness felt suspicious.

Perhaps that young lady was delusional and didn’t know what she saw.

But…

 As she turned back and exited the party, the Marchioness thought for a while longer.  For some reason, she kept feeling unsettled.

 Of course, even if what the young lady saw was true, it had nothing to do with her family anymore.

 As she thought so and tried to get rid of her thoughts, a plan suddenly appeared in her mind.

 ‘perhaps…  ’

 If it was really true that the Grand Duke took someone to the temple, she had a gut feeling that she could make good use of this information.

She knew from her husband, the dead Marquis, that the Emperor wanted to find fault in the Grand Duke in every way.

 He also wanted to get his hands on every move of the Grand Duke.

 So, on behalf of her deceased husband, if she gets this useful information to the emperor, she might be able to get her family back into the emperor's eyes.

 “Anyone out there?”

 The Marchioness summoned her servants.  And she gave her orders with eyes gleaming with scheming.

 “Go to Temple of IIion right now.”

 Of course, the temple would not be obedient to tell her the  information, but if possible, she would have to buy a priest.