# 65
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Lady Cornwall quietly organized the Duke's documents herself and stepped outside. As she walked through the sunlit marble corridor, a maidservant, who was like an extension of her own body, came running from a distance.
“Maid of the Housemaid!”
The maid, who had instantly drawn close, reported what had happened outside the castle. As she relayed the message, she clenched and unclenched her fists as if in anger, but Lady Cornwall did not even change the sound of her breathing.
“I will take care of the attendants. Also, given the large amount of wheat burned this time and the heavy volume being sent out, there will be many starving households. Relief supplies will arrive tonight, so tell them to prepare to receive them.”
Yes. And a sparrowhawk came from Saxony.
Mrs. Cornwall went to a secret place and carefully tore open the letter that the maid had secretly taken. She heated a very sharp knife in the fire and gently pushed it into the bottom of the wax sealing the letter, and the seal popped off.
A sneer played on Lady Cornwall's lips as she quickly checked the contents. She sealed the letter discreetly and headed straight for the Duchess of Taylor. Rosette was in the Duchess's room, just as she had been lately. Rosette clung to her mother, regardless of whether Lady Cornwall was there or not.
"Mother, we don't have enough dresses."
"I bought it."
“That’s made of silk and it’s light green. It’s almost winter; why would I wear a light green dress? Besides, how can I wear something I’ve already worn?”
The Duchess, fed up with Rosette's whining, got angry as if she were sick and tired.
“How could you be like this, huh?! Don’t you know your mother had her entire jewelry box taken by the Countess of Saxony? A few measly diamond necklaces are all she has. And what about the dress? This dress you are wearing—this is the third time I’ve worn it!”
An uncomfortable and solemn silence fell between mother and daughter. Like the Duke of Taylor, both were frustrated by why such a situation had occurred. Ultimately, they turned the blame for the crisis toward Grace.
The Duchess grumbled fiercely while tearing at the innocent sofa.
“Grace, you ungrateful fool. If only the debt to Saxony had been paid off, none of this would have happened!”
“It’s true. It’s all her fault. She doesn’t even appreciate the kindness Mom and Dad showed her in raising her. But who on earth did she fall for and run away with?”
As if suddenly curious, Rosette turned to Mrs. Cornwall and asked.
“You’re looking for that bitch, aren’t you?”
Mrs. Cornwall smiled with a somewhat cold expression. She gazed alternately at the mother and daughter and nodded slightly.
I couldn't tell you because I don't have complete information yet, but it seems he is at the Duke of Richmond's castle.
At the unexpected information, Rosette turned her body completely toward her, and the Duchess also stopped tearing apart the sofa.
“Duke of Richmond’s Castle?”
“Yes. Her appearance is quite distinctive, isn't it? For now, we have received information that a similar woman was sighted at the Duke of Richmond’s castle.”
“Why is Grace at the Duke of Richmond’s castle?”
“I am currently verifying the information, but it looks it will take some time. I plan to report this to His Excellency as well, but it appears Richmond has been in disarray recently. I hear that the Duke of Richmond has returned.”
“The Duke of Richmond? You mean the Duke who went to the Wall of Death?”
"yes."
As the mother and daughter blinked blankly, Mrs. Cornwall placed the letter she had brought between them. Both of their gazes turned to the letter at the same time.
This is a letter from the House of Saxony.
The Duchess snatched the letter and broke the seal. Rosette also held her breath and watched her mother.
The Duchess's eyes darted back and forth, moving downward. Then, at a certain point, they stopped as if nailed to the spot and stared at her daughter beyond the letter.
“…….”
“……?”
The mother looked at her daughter with bewildered eyes, and the daughter looked at her mother with questioning eyes.
“What’s wrong? Is it… um… is Her Majesty the Empress angry, too? Did she threaten to inflict some kind of disadvantage on our family?”
“…….”
"mother?"
The Duchess read the letter again. Even after reading it twice, the content was the same.
You must endure it even if your husband brings home an illegitimate child, and endure it even if he sometimes hits you. You may find yourself living a life where you feel like you have hit rock bottom, but what can you do?
The words she herself had said to Grace lingered in her ears.
The faces of the Count and Countess of Saxony, who looked fierce and cruel, and the image of Jack Saxony with deep blue bruises also came to mind one after another.
The Duchess looked up again and met her daughter's gaze.
but…….
The Duchess unconsciously moistened her lips with her tongue and slowly opened her mouth.
“From the House of the Counts of Saxony…….”
"yes?"
"They say they want you and Jack Saxen to get married."
* * *
Rosette was literally turned upside down.
She knew better than anyone what kind of person Jack Sachsen was. This was because she had relentlessly investigated his past actions from the moment he was mentioned as a potential groom for Grace.
His actions were like a well-prepared buffet of evil deeds.
Gambling, violence, lust, illegitimate children… … .
Even his flashy appearance and the title of the Empress's nephew became meaningless in the face of all sorts of evil deeds.
The moment Grace and his marriage were confirmed, it was incredibly thrilling. Her misfortune seemed within reach.
But what is going on?
“Oh, what a relief! What a relief! I was so angry that day that I just walked away like that, but looking back, I realized I liked you, Rosette, more than someone like Grace.”
Duke Taylor reread the letter from the Count of Saxony several times with a flushed face. He seemed to pay no attention to his daughter's miserable expression.
“Butler! Look at this. You’re saying that if I get married, you’ll return the money and goods you took in debt this time in full, aren’t you?”
“Hmm… yes, it seems so.”
“He says let’s discuss it first! Butler! Get ready to go to the capital!”
It is difficult for me right now until this week as I have various commitments. It looks like I might be able to leave around the middle of next week, so shall we arrange for that?
“Yeah, so…”
"no, I do not want!!!"
As Duke Taylor turned to look at his daughter, Rosette screamed.
“Absolutely not!!!”
"what?!"
“I will never, ever marry Jack Saxon, and I can’t!!”
“Rosette!!”
“Father, don’t you know what a total scoundrel that fellow is? They say he has six illegitimate children. Not one or two, but six!! They say he goes gambling every single day, hits people, and harasses the maids. Are you telling me to become the wife of someone like that?!”
Duke Taylor let out a deep sigh as he watched Rosette having a seizure.
That's only temporary.
"yes?"
“That’s only temporary, Rosie. What do you think noble marriages are all about? Illegitimate children? In this land of Decan, illegitimate children cannot inherit anything. Gambling? Leave it alone. Forget that, look at the status, the status!”
“…….”
“If you think about it that way, he’s not a bad husband material, is he? No, on the contrary, he’s excellent! You’re going to become the Empress’s niece-in-law.”
At those words, Rosette felt as if the ground beneath her feet was crumbling. She shuddered involuntarily at a chilling coldness that felt as if all the blood was draining from her body.
Your prospective husband is excellent. Starting tomorrow, you will be the Empress's niece-in-law, won't you? How lucky you are, Grace.
Father returned to Grace the words he had hurled at her with malice. That day, Grace smiled and thanked him, but Rosette simply could not bring herself to do so.
“Excellent?? What’s excellent about it, huh?!! How could you do this to me, Father!!”
Duke Taylor was already in a bad mood, and as his daughter threw a tantrum, his face began to turn red. However, deciding to let it slide just this once, he grabbed her shoulder tightly and spoke.
“Take a long-term view. I may be the Duke of Taylor, but the House of Saxony is the trend these days. In about twenty years, a house like that will be yours, Lodge.”
Rosette shoved her father's hand away.
“Don’t sugarcoat it!! You just want to sell me out for money, ugh!!”
Eventually, Duke Taylor, exploding with rage, roughly grabbed his daughter's shoulder. Rosette looked at her father with tearful eyes, but Duke Taylor's expression remained cold.
I have fed and raised you all this time. So now you have to do your part, don't you?
"Then you get married. Isn't it right that you, not me, should pay the price for giving birth to me and raising me?"
As the soft voice of that damn Grace echoed like a hallucination, Rosette finally let out a sob filled with rage.
Duke Taylor let go of his daughter's shoulder as if brushing her off, then gave an order to the butler.
“Butler! Send a hawk to Saxony to let them know we are leaving for the capital next week!”
Rosette's sorrowful cry echoed hollowly.