A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 20

“An invitation has arrived from the palace.”

 

Sitting tranquilly in the reception room, Briella gazed outside.

 

She was feeling increasingly restless, as she had nothing to do at the Viterpan Manor and was simply passing the time.

 

“From the palace?”

 

Vinter extended a silver tray. The shimmering golden invitation was familiar to her.

 

“So the Emperor himself sent it.”

 

“‥‥‥.”

 

Briella, lost in thought, stared at the seal imprinted on the red wax. Vinter seemed to have already confirmed it, as he didn’t say anything in particular.

 

“Where is Lucas?”

 

“He is in the second-floor study.”

 

As Vinter finished speaking, Briella abruptly stood up from her seat.

 

Her dress, adorned with deep green lace matching the color of her eyes, swayed lightly with her movement.

 

Vinter quickly opened the door.

 

“Oh! Would it be impolite to go now?”

 

Briella hesitated, questioning Vinter as they stood on the stairs leading to the second floor. Lucas, whom she knew during her time at the mansion, was always busy.

 

He had to deal with an enormous pile of documents and train in the early hours, sacrificing sleep.

 

“Did he not say that the lady’s visit is always welcome? Do not worry.”

 

Encouraged by Vinter’s words, Briella resumed her halted steps.

 

However, as she approached the study, her pace slowed.

 

Vinter, sensing her hesitation, stepped forward.

 

Instead of the hesitant Briella, he knocked on the study door without hesitation.

 

“Yes!”

 

Vinter swung the door wide open in response to Baron’s voice from inside.

 

Unlike the somewhat dim corridor, the study was bathed in the afternoon sun streaming through the windows.

 

“What is it?”

 

Briella, who was about to step into the room, halted her steps at the sharp voice coming from inside.

 

“The lady has arrived.”

 

Vinter hastily replied. From inside, there came a noise of shuffling.

 

“Please come in, my lady.”

 

Urged by Vinter, Briella entered the study, taking a deep breath. The sight before her was not much different from what she had seen a few days ago.

 

The desk was still piled high with stacks of documents, and the exhausted secretaries huddled around the conference table like ghosts.

 

“Thanks to the lady, I can take a moment to rest.”

 

Count Delevingne raised his hand as if he knew what was going on. Instead of replying, Briella showed him the invitation she held in her hand.

 

“What should we do? It seems that there’s more work to be done.”

 

The expressions of those who saw the golden invitation darkened. The staff guarding the study gathered around the conference table.

 

“Please have a seat.”

 

Lucas, who had approached unnoticed, escorted Briella to her chair.

 

As Briella sat down, momentarily feeling awkward, Lucas glanced at the invitation in her hand.

 

Sensing his gaze, Briella handed him the invitation.

 

“Is it for me?”

 

If it was an invitation for Lucas, then it would have been handed to him directly without hesitation.

 

However, the invitation was given to Briella, not Lucas.

 

She replied, tilting her head gently.

 

“No, that’s not it.”

 

“Then why don’t you open it?”

 

Lucas looked at Briella, resting his chin on his hand. The others did the same.

 

Baron, Vinter, and Count Delevingne all gazed at Briella’s hand.

 

“It’s an invitation with the Emperor’s seal. Unlike the tea party invitation we received last time, this one bears the Emperor’s seal,” explained Briella calmly while holding the invitation in a serious but unnecessary manner.

 

Lucas covered his smile with his hand, finding her adorable.

 

Count Delevingne was no different from Lucas.

 

He couldn’t hide his smile, as he thought of his daughter left behind in his estate.

“Well then, let’s open it.”

 

Having finished explaining about the seal, Briella slowly opened the invitation.

 

“What does it say?”

 

Lucas asked cautiously, observing Briella’s stiffened face. Instead of answering, she extended the invitation she was holding to Lucas.

 

“What is my cousin up to?” added Lucas.

 

“What is it!?”

Baron demanded impatiently. He kept his eyes locked on the two of them, not daring to touch the invitation without permission.

“Emperor Gusto has invited Briella to join him. On that day.”

 

“What?!”

 

Lucas’s words made everyone furrow their brows as if they were waiting for his response.

“On that day?”

 

Although everyone sitting around the conference table knew, Briella looked at Lucas with an expression of unknowingness.

 

“The day of the invitation. The day you will leave for the palace is the exact day I depart from the capital to execute traitors.”

 

“What?”

 

“That too, was by the Emperor’s command, how coincidental,” Lucas said sarcastically.

 

Lucas clutched his jaw. His face remained stiff, showing his discontent.

 

The faces of the others were no different from Lucas’s.

 

“Count Delevingne will guard the manor, so there should be no problem here. The problem lies with you.”

 

Lucas’s black eyes gazed at Briella. His dark gaze swept over her as if devouring her.

 

“…I see.”

 

“I can’t devise a plan without knowing why he’s summoning you in the first place.”

 

“Haah…”

 

Count Delevingne ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. He was supposed to be at the capital.

 

He planned to gather with the nobles when the time came for the festival of the Goddess, when all the nobles would gather in the capital, arriving from the outskirts.

 

In the meantime, he had been hiding in the Viterpan Manor, handling the tasks Lucas handed over to him.

 

“What should we do?”

 

As Briella looked at Count Delevingne, who let out a deep sigh, and Baron, who wore a troubled expression, her heart became restless.

 

She felt inadequate and diminished, unable to perform her duties properly.

 

“What’s the worry?”

 

Lucas pulled the chair closer and rested his chin on his hands, smiling softly at Briella.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“There’s no need to be disheartened just because the Count scolded you. A lady should focus on her own responsibilities.”

 

“It might be a situation where an important decision needs to be made,” replied Briella.

 

“Then you should make the best choice as the Duchess Viterpan. It is your duty.”

 

She met Lucas’s upright gaze.

 

“Oh!”

 

Unaware, Briella let out a yelp at the gentle touch on her leg.

 

Meow-

 

Briella stood up abruptly at the sound of a cry coming from under the table. A small, white bundle was looking up at her from beneath the skirt.

 

Its deep green eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

 

“When did this little one appear?”

 

While Briella was staring blankly at the cat, Lucas nonchalantly reached out his hand.

 

But the cat deftly evaded Lucas’s hand, slipping into the folds of Briella’s dress.

 

Its long, white tail stuck out from the edge of the dress.

 

“Oh my!”

 

Briella startled and took a step back.

 

“Be careful.”

 

Lucas, who had wrapped his arms around Briella’s waist to prevent her from falling, spoke casually.

 

Briella’s face blushed at the sight of Lucas’s face, which was right in front of her.

 

His situation was no different from hers.

 

He embraced her as she was about to fall. Seeing her startled expression, he wanted to tease her.

 

However, it was Lucas who was taken aback when he felt Briella’s delicate body in his arms.

 

Both of them quickly separated, their eyes meeting in mid-air.

 

Meow-

 

Only the cat, having seemingly lost its hiding place in a daze, let out a pitiful cry.

 

“If you show such behavior elsewhere, people will notice and talk.”

 

Baron’s comment cooled down the flushed faces of Briella and Lucas, who were looking in different directions.

 

“That’s true. It seems you should be cautious until you achieve your goal.”

 

Vinter, who always had a poker face, also chimed in.

 

“Perhaps you should practice more often. After all, there are many eyes watching you in the manor.”

 

Baron and Vinter took turns admonishing them, causing their faces to grow even redder.

The Count Delevingne observed the scene with disapproval, casting alternating glances at Briella and Lucas.

 

Meow-

 

The white cat continued to circle around Briella’s feet, rubbing against her, as if pretending not to notice her presence.

 

“He pretends not to know when I feed and care for him, but he shows affection to my wife.”

 

It was the cat that had been cautiously observing from a basket lined with plush blankets, not daring to take a single step.

 

The sight of the sassy cat flopping down in front of Briella and exposing its belly surprised everyone.

 

Briella cautiously extended her hand as she gazed down at the cat.

 

Meow-

 

The soft sensation of the white bundle of fur, which had eagerly lifted its head under her hand, brought a smile to her face.

 

“It seems we have found an owner.”

 

Lucas spoke up, observing their interaction.

 

“What?”

 

“She seems to suit your liking, doesn’t she?”

 

Briella looked at Baron in response to Lucas’s words. She had been rescued by Lucas, but it was Baron who caught her attention. However, unexpectedly, it was Briella who was chosen by the cat.

 

“It’s female?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Lucas and Baron exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

 

“It’s an inevitable instinctual choice.”

 

“That’s right! It’s not because I dislike it, it’s simply a natural attraction!”

 

It was a perfect triumph of the mind.

 

Regardless, the white cat, unsatisfied with Briella’s hand, suddenly lifted its forepaw and stood up on its hind legs.

 

Without realizing it, Briella instinctively lowered her body and cradled the cat in her arms. The white bundle of fur nestled in her embrace, closing its eyes and purring contentedly.

 

“He has never shown this to me before.”

 

Baron, focusing his gaze, muttered softly as he observed the cat nestled in her arms.

 

“……”

 

Meow.

 

The low meow indicated the cat’s discontent as Briella’s gaze shifted elsewhere, away from him. She looked back at the cat nestled in her arms.

 

Its emerald green eyes were fixed on her.

 

“Hello.”

 

Unconsciously, she greeted him.

 

Meow–

 

In response to Briella’s greeting, the cat let out a long meow.

 

Briella, without realizing it, began stroking the cat. Its velvety fur entwined around her fingers.

 

“Let’s give her a name. She doesn’t have one yet.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Now that you’re its owner.”

 

Lucas’s words made the weight of the cat in her arms settle heavily on her chest. It was a second chance at an unpredictable second life.

 

Even now, every time she fell asleep, she pondered it. Would the original owner of this body ever return? It was daunting to entrust oneself to a new life amidst such unease.

 

“That gal has been gloomy all along. Not crying, just curling up in a ball all day long.”

 

Baron’s words were met with nods from everyone. From the maids working in the manor to Lucas, they all tried various ways to attract the attention of the white bundle of fur, but none succeeded in captivating its gaze.

 

That haughty cat came out of the basket on its own and nestled against Briella.

 

“Cats are not owners but masters, not slaves but supervisors. Congratulations, my lady. You have become the cat’s servant.”

 

Baron tried to hide his disappointment and smiled. Briella returned the smile, feeling no aversion to the touch of the cat’s fur and the warmth it conveyed.

 

“May I hold her?”

 

“Even if you don’t, it seems like she would follow you.”

 

Lucas chuckled as he watched the white cat lazily observing the humans, resting its face on Briella’s arm. “A beautiful one has an even more beautiful companion.” Lucas’s gaze shifted from the cat to Briella.

 

“By the way, what did you mean by the practice you mentioned earlier?”

 

“Practice? Ah! I mean the two of you. If you act so awkwardly, even with a little bit of skinship, people will suspect something. At first, you seemed to handle it well without any problem. Tsk, tsk.”

 

Baron clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

 

“Ahem, ahem.”

 

At Lucas’s quiet cough, Briella fanned her blushing face with her hand.

 

“You two have been unnecessarily affectionate in the corridors, preventing the maids from doing their work. You both are still newlyweds; please pay attention. As a gesture of that, how about leaving work early today?”

 

Due to Gusto’s sudden command to vacate the premises, the pile of documents that needed to be dealt with increased. Those who hadn’t had a proper rest for a few days looked only at Lucas when Baron spoke.

 

In earnest gazes filled with longing, Lucas nodded slowly.

 

“Hurrah!”

 

Baron shouted with joy and sprung up from his seat. Seeing everyone leaving one by one as if they had been waiting, Lucas gestured with his head.

 

Finally, they were alone in the empty office.

 

“Shall we go out too?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Let’s stop practicing and engage in the real thing.”

 

Lucas extended his hand, and Briella looked down at it with an anxious gaze.