“I witnessed something quite astonishing yesterday. Do you know what it was?”
“I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?”
“You know that opera that’s been causing quite a stir with its exciting but controversial content? I saw the director of that troupe… and the Duchess’s administrator having a secret meeting, just the two of them.”
Daniela stifled a laugh. She had already been informed of this by Gray the night before. Unaware of Daniela’s inner thoughts, Helena continued.
“The moment I saw that scene, I knew. The true patron and backer of that troupe is none other than the Duchess herself.”
“And so? What are you getting at, Miss Helena?”
Helena moistened her dry lips. “Please reconsider the proposal you rejected a few days ago. If you don’t, I will reveal this to my brother, High Priest Richard Strand, and the temple.”
“…”
“You must already know that the temple has been looking for a reason to crack down on that troupe for its immoral content, correct? My brother said they planned to hold a religious trial as soon as they confirmed the backer’s identity. In other words, as soon as it’s revealed that the Duchess is the backer, the trial will begin.”
“…”
“And if that happens, the Crown Prince’s inner circle won’t stand by either. It’s a well-known fact that those who have seen this opera are reminded of the Grand Duke as they watch the protagonist who was unjustly robbed and exiled by his parents. The Crown Prince’s retainers will be furious, claiming that the Duchess is using this scandalous opera to propagandize and incite the public. That would put both the Grand Duke and the Duchess in a difficult position. So—!”
“Do as you wish.”
Daniela’s resolute words cut Helena off. Helena’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected reaction. “Pardon? What did you just say?”
“I said do as you wish. I am not the backer of that troupe, nor do I have any connection to them.”
“What on earth…!”
“The fact that Gray met with the troupe’s director is news to me, and frankly, I’m quite surprised. …Gray, is what Miss Helena says true?”
Daniela asked, looking at Gray with a stone-cold expression. Gray immediately knelt before Daniela. “I’m sorry, my lady.”
“Why did you do such a thing? Without a single word to me?”
“…I apologize. I’m afraid I cannot tell you.”
As Daniela’s voice grew colder with her reprimand, Gray lowered her head like a criminal. This was all a pre-arranged act. Daniela desperately suppressed a laugh and stared at Gray with a chilling gaze.
“Until my anger subsides, you are not to leave your office. Understand?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Gray replied, feigning a mournful look.
Helena was so dumbfounded by their charade that she let out a scoff. It was a pathetic attempt to feign ignorance, and she couldn’t believe they were resorting to such a shallow trick to cut ties.
The problem was, if Daniela acted this way, it would be difficult to implicate her in the religious trial. In other words, Helena’s plan to blackmail Daniela had failed. She shouted in a fit of rage.
“Are you really going to cowardly push it all onto your administrator and sneak away? Aren’t you ashamed or sorry?”
“And aren’t you ashamed, Miss Helena, for eavesdropping on others and using it to blackmail them?”
“…Ugh!”
“I wondered what you had to say that was so urgent you begged for a meeting… Go home immediately. I hope we never have a reason to see each other again.”
Daniela said, glaring at Helena with a cold expression.
Helena’s cheeks flushed with humiliation and shame as she rose to her feet. Without a proper farewell, she opened the reception room door and stormed out.
As soon as Helena’s footsteps faded, Daniela walked over to Gray, who was still kneeling, and extended a hand. “Are you okay, Gray? Your clothes didn’t get dirty, did they?”
“Yes, I’m fine, my lady,” Gray replied gently, taking her hand and rising to her feet. Daniela looked at the seat Helena had just occupied with a meaningful gaze.
“…She came here and made a threat like this. She won’t let it go quietly, will she? She’s definitely going to try something else.”
“I think so too. She’ll likely use the religious trial to humiliate me, Lycander, and you all at once. She might also try to frame the Grand Duke as an agitator or seize the income from the troupe.”
“We can’t let that happen. …Gray, go after Helena Strand immediately. Keep an eye on her for a while. We need to know who she’s meeting and what she’s planning so we can prepare.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Gray answered loyally, taking Daniela’s orders. She then quietly left the reception room.
Helena rushed out of the Grand Duke’s mansion and got into her carriage. She slammed the door shut and let out a loud shriek as if to vent her anger.
Damn Daniela! Just because she’s a Duchess now, she thinks someone like me is a joke?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She was disappointed with Daniela, her longtime friend, for not granting such a “small” request, especially since she had married the wealthiest man in the empire, the Grand Duke. And that disappointment turned into rage.
‘I’ll make her regret this.’
Helena gritted her teeth, vowing to get revenge for this incident.
At the same time, she had to come up with a way to recover from the loss caused by Daniela’s rejection. Her mind became a noisy mess of worries.
Given the situation, there’s only one way. …I have to join hands with the Crown Prince’s retainers.
To get revenge on Daniela, she first had to bring down Ashid, the Grand Duke, who was protecting her. To do that, she had no choice but to ask for help from the Grand Duke’s political opponents in the Crown Prince’s faction.
Having made her decision, Helena shouted to the coachman, “To the mansion immediately!” She had to send a letter to the Duke of Rodian and the Marquis of Cadogan, two of the Crown Prince’s key allies.
Late that night, under a high moon, the Duke of Rodian and the Marquis of Cadogan sat in the latter’s reception room, waiting for a guest. The guest was the Marchioness Helena Strand, who had sent them a letter that morning. The Duke rubbed the edge of his teacup with his fingertips and spoke to the Marquis.
“The Marchioness of House Strand used to be quite close with the Duchess, wasn’t she? The fact that she has something to tell us suggests their relationship has soured.”
“It seems so. She used to be a tightrope walker, acting like an opportunist between us and the Grand Duke… It appears she’s finally decided to take a firm stance.”
The Marquis agreed with a nod.
At that moment, a brief knock sounded, and the head butler led Helena Strand into the reception room. After Helena bowed respectfully to the Duke, he asked in a gruff voice, “I’m interested to hear what you have to say. Tell us everything, Marchioness.”
“Yes.”
Helena replied shortly and sat down next to the Marquis of Cadogan. She then meticulously explained everything that had happened, telling the story entirely from her perspective. The Duke of Rodian and the Marquis of Cadogan listened with intrigued expressions. When Helena mentioned that she had seen the director Lycander and Gray having a private meeting, the two men subtly exchanged a knowing glance.
Helena continued, her face flushed with emotion.
“…I even threatened to start a religious trial with what I witnessed, but the Duchess didn’t even pretend to listen. No, she acted as if she was challenging me to go ahead and try.”
“How terrible. You must have felt very wronged. …So, are you truly planning to start a religious trial?”
“Yes. As you know, my brother has many connections in the temple, so if we start a trial, we can get a guilty verdict for the Duchess’s administrator without any trouble. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to implicate the Duchess and tarnish the Grand Duke’s reputation.”
“…I see. But why are you telling us this? You and your house have enough power to do this on your own, don’t you?”
When the Duke of Rodian asked, Helena nodded and replied, “As you know, Duke, it’s essential to bribe the priests to ensure a win in a trial. And for that, you need money.”
“So you’re asking me to pay for it?”
“Yes. As I mentioned, the Duchess’s rejection of my proposal caused us a great financial loss. I’d like you to help with that as well. …If you do, I will ensure this plan succeeds and cut off the Duchess’s limbs.”
