I Reincarnated As An Evil Duchess - Chapter 116
Translator: Nabi
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Chapter 116
It was unclear how he managed to rush to the capital. Even at the Persen castle, the priests cast a blessing spell on the horses’ legs to aid their speed, Seth and his knights wasted no time and immediately headed straight to the palace to seek an audience with the Emperor.
To their astonishment, the Emperor agreed to meet Seth, but under the condition that only he could enter the palace while leaving his armed knights outside.
Upon hearing the condition, Gawin spoke with a worried tone to his captain, who immediately sheathed his sword and held a small box filled with letters close to his chest.
“Are you sure about this? What if things don’t go well…?”
“Sir Gawin. You haven’t forgotten what I said a while ago, have you?”
“Oh, the message you wanted me to deliver to Commander Oliver of the royal guard? Of course not… Ah! But that’s not important now, Captain! Your order to enter the palace unarmed is concerning. If something goes wrong…!”
“Don’t worry, Gawin. Do you think he’d try anything within the palace walls? If the Emperor intended to harm me, he would have summoned me to the Empire’s Tower.”
“Captain!”
“…If anything goes wrong, I’ll entrust Noah with you all.”
“….!”
With those words, Seth turned without any regrets and entered the palace.
Walking alongside the palace attendants, he thought of Noah in his mind. After Min-ha was taken to the Capital, they arranged a separate mansion for his brother instead of his usual residence in the eastern annex. Despite keeping everything that was happening a secret, his younger brother would occasionally wear an anxious expression while searching for Min-ha.
“Where is sister-in-law now?”
“…Ah, she went on a trip.”
“She’s coming back, right?”
“Of course.”
“How many nights will she be gone?”
“Well… I’m not quite sure about that.”
As he gazed into the eyes of the child, cradling the doll Min-ha had made for him, he realized that the words he could offer were nothing but uncertain lies.
He berated himself for leaving Noah at the mansion without reassuring him until the end. Every consequence that had unfolded was now his responsibility—Min-ha’s situation, as well as Noah’s, all rested on his shoulders. His failure to protect her had left his younger brother anxious and had frightened the two most important people in his life.
He regretted not stopping Min-ha from stepping forward and causing an incident that revealed her true identity before things spiraled out of control… no, he should have taken action against Rupert before it reached this point.
‘No, it’s not too late yet… there’s still time to make things right.’
Still, he also knew that dwelling on such thoughts wouldn’t help now.
Taking deep breaths to calm his anxiety, Seth walked through the long corridors of the Imperial Palace. Finally, they reached the door of the audience chamber, and he turned to the attendant who had guided him.
“Please inform His Majesty.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The attendant nodded and entered the audience chamber. After a brief exchange, the attendant returned and opened the door for him, bowing respectfully.
As he stepped into the room, he saw the Emperor seated on the highest throne at the innermost part of the audience chamber. The Emperor noticed him and made a slight gesture. With fast steps, Seth walked the long path to the throne, kneeling before the Emperor and offering his deepest respects.
“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“You must already know why I summoned you to the palace at this hour, Duke Persen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The witch escaped from the underground prison? Was it your doing?”
In response to the Emperor’s direct inquiry, Seth smiled weakly and replied.
“No, it wasn’t. If I had planned to rescue that person in such a way, I would not have asked for Your Majesty’s time.”
“Can you swear on everything you hold dear that what you say is true?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. You know very well that I have never told a lie to you.”
“Normally, I would have believed those words, but I know all too well how someone in love can act foolishly. Especially you, who would give up even more than your own life for your loved ones. That’s why I can’t help but have doubts.”
“It’s not unreasonable for Your Majesty to think that way. However, my conscience knows nothing about this matter. Rather, I want to know who has orchestrated all this. Who would falsely accuse my innocent wife of being a witch, imprison her in the underground dungeon, persecute my knights, and tarnish my honor? They even kidnapped her from the prison… I want to find those culprits as soon as possible.”
At Seth’s attitude of trying to carry out his argument with a firm expression, the Emperor snorted.
“Ha… are you still saying that? The woman imprisoned in the underground dungeon is a witch from this world. Isn’t it even clearer now after this incident?”
“No, Your Majesty. That person isn’t a witch, and I can prove it with my life.”
“What basis do you have to be so sure? Without clear evidence or witnesses, you can’t convince me with such vague assurance.”
“It’s not a vague assurance. I’ve already found evidence and witnesses proving that she’s innocent.”
“…Is that true? If so, can you show that evidence to me?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In response to the question, Seth stepped forward with an air of readiness, offering the box he had been holding. The box resembled a book. As the Emperor took it, inspecting it from different angles, his brows furrowed in confusion as if not understanding.
“…Duke Persen, what is this exactly?”
“That’s the evidence.”
“What? What’s this…”
“Could you please open the book?”
At his words, the Emperor opened the book with a skeptical expression.
Much to his surprise, the book-shaped ‘box’ split in half with a resonating thud, revealing several bundles of letters stacked inside. His brow furrowed slightly as he carefully examined the envelopes of the letters.
“…Aren’t these letters exchanged between the Duchess of Persen and Viscount Guinivis?”
“Your Majesty, would you please read the letter at the top of those letters first?”
“Alright.”
Following Seth’s request, the Emperor obediently took out the letter at the top and slowly skimmed through its contents.
[ To my beloved Mina,
― …The plan is going very well. I’ve found a woman who perfectly suits the Emperor’s tastes. She gives off an innocent and pure impression, yet she’s proud and has strong dignity, all while having a low social status.
According to my investigations, her parents were taken as prisoners of war by the enemy and lived as slaves until they passed away.
…Mina, can you imagine how I felt the moment I saw her? It was like an angel descended right before my eyes. The God who had ruined my life has finally given me a smile!
Mina, with this woman by my side, I can accomplish one of the things I’ve desired for so long! ]
[ To my beloved Mina,
― …I have brought that woman to the capital. And, I presented her as your hidden daughter. As a result, ‘Mary Therese,’ who was barely scraping by as a street peddler until a few days ago, has become ‘Louise Resitia.’
…Perhaps due to her background, she’s quite different from you in many ways. She struggles with both dancing and speech, causing me great trouble teaching her.
Still, she’s not completely useless. Whether she’s fallen for me or simply enchanted by the lavish meals and beautiful dresses I provide, I’m not sure. Nevertheless, she’s desperately trying to impress me, and I’m going to take advantage of that. ]
[ To my beloved Mina,
― …I finally introduced Louise to the Emperor. You should have seen the spark in his fickle and clouded eyes when he saw her! Yes, Mina! He fell for the ‘masterpiece’ I laboriously crafted for months!
Now, all we need to do is let Louise capture the Emperor’s heart and bear his child! Of course, I’ll be the child’s guardian.
…Ah, just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. To witness the ‘royal blood’ that the former Emperor cherished so dearly being tainted by his own enemy and that lowly woman and child becoming part of my plan! Moreover, I’ll be the child’s guardian!
Oh, how satisfying it’s to imagine the former Emperor, who obsessed over his own bloodline and status, having his life ruined by his enemy while I raise the child and have him eventually crowned as the Crown Prince! He must be shedding tears of blood in hell right about now? ]
“…Thi, this… what the hell is this, Duke Pesen?”
As the Emperor continued to read the letter, his facial expressions shifted rapidly. His complexion turned from pale white to crimson red, and then his face seemed to darken as if all life had drained from it.
Observing his visage, which was experiencing such intense emotions, Seth couldn’t help but release a bitter smile. He felt he could understand, to some extent, the turmoil in the Emperor’s heart upon discovering the betrayal of someone he had loved enough to sacrifice everything for.
With a sense of empathy, Seth responded to the trembling Emperor, who was torn between feelings of betrayal and anger, not knowing whether to be furious or heartbroken.
“It’s exactly as written in the letter, Your Majesty.”
“Nonsense… Have you verified the authenticity of this letter? Is it possible that you fabricated this letter with false intentions to tarnish the reputation of the Duke and intentionally deceive to rescue your imprisoned wife?”
“As I mentioned before, Your Majesty, I’ve never lied to you even once. It may be difficult to believe, though Grand Duchess Blaine, whom Your Majesty holds dear and beloved, is nothing more than an illusion created by Viscount Rupert Guinivis.”
“…Louise… that—”
As Seth’s words acted like a wedge, the Emperor leaned against the throne, his face a mix of shock and disbelief.
He continued to observe the Emperor, who was still struggling to come to terms with the situation. Although time was pressing, he couldn’t rush him in his confusion.
Until now, nobody had ever suspected the remarkably close relationship between Rupert Guinivis and Grand Duchess Blaine. Being blood relatives, it seemed inconceivable that such unspeakable deeds could occur between them. As a result, nobody had ever doubted or questioned their bond.
Not even Seth, who held a strong antagonism towards the Emperor, had ever considered such a possibility.
However, the shocking truth was that they weren’t blood relatives.
The Emperor must be grappling with the very existence of Louise Resitia, the woman he had known, trusted, and loved all this time. It was natural for him to feel confused and overwhelmed. In the end, Seth chose to remain silent, allowing the Emperor the space to process his emotions and speak when he was ready.
__
Translator’s Note: Hello, it’s Nabi! I’m the translator of this novel ପ( ๑•ᴗ•๑ )ଓ♡ If you like the novel and would like to support me, please feel free to click the button below to go to my kofi~! Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Rate the novel on Novel Updates.
Join our discord to receive the latest update as soon as possible!
Comments for chapter "Chapter 116"
MANGA DISCUSSION
What Are Pilot Novels?
Pilot novels are novels that will only have a few chapters released from our group. We hope that someone else can continue these novels for the enjoyment of everyone!