A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 24

The Vacant Spot of the Lady.

 

It was Gusto who broke the silence.

 

He, who had been observing the intriguing duel between the two women, finally spoke.

 

“The reason I summoned the Duchess here today is because of the upcoming festival of the goddess.”

 

At Gusto’s words, Briella looked up.

 

She was momentarily dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events.

 

Outside, the rain continued to pour relentlessly.

 

Except for the noisy sound of raindrops hitting the window, the parlor was quiet as if devoid of anyone.

 

Eve, with venomous eyes, was glaring at Briella.

 

But Briella’s gaze was not directed at Eve, but at Gusto.

 

Gusto, too, had not taken his eyes off Briella.

 

“I heard that this year’s festival will be more abundant than any other year, as it seems to be a year of great harvest.”

 

“That’s right. The goddess has once again bestowed upon us a bountiful year.”

 

“‥‥‥.”

 

“But as you know, there’s been an unfortunate incident in the royal court. The empress’s infidelity, they say. Tsk, tsk.”

 

Gusto clicked his tongue, resting his chin on the back of his hand.

 

Annoyance was evident on his slanted face as he looked at Briella.

 In response, Briella smiled.

 

She raised the corners of her lips on both sides and narrowed her eyes.

 

Not only did Gusto bring Eve Ferena into the palace and grant her the Rose Palace, but now he was criticizing Olivia, the empress, for an unfounded affair.

 

Such behavior seemed absurd to Briella.

 

But he was the emperor, and she was a duchess.

 

Thus, she had no right to criticize him.

However, the rising sense of physiological aversion was inevitable.

Briella quietly glanced at Gusto. Strangely, she felt no trace of anger in his words.

 

Instead, her heart grew cold, and her mind became even more calm.

“Your Majesty must have been greatly concerned.”

“I placed my trust in her and for her to stab me in the back…well, it’s causing quite a headache.”

Gusto pressed his temple firmly.

 

Briella was astounded by Gusto’s audacious behavior.

His natural acting skills were confusing even to Briella, who knew the entire truth.

 

Unaware of Briella’s thoughts, Gusto continued clumsily.

 

“So, I intend to pay more attention to the palace during this festival than at any other time.”

Gusto, who hadn’t touched a teacup until now, lifted his cup.

 

It didn’t take long for the half-empty cup to be placed back on the table.

“I see.”

 

“So, how about you assist the palace?”

Instead of answering, Briella looked at Eve.

She sighed at the sight of Eve, with her arms crossed, mischievously plotting.

‘Is he trying to put such a incapable person in the empress’s seat?’

 

“I, be of assistance?”

Briella took a step back.

 

Being here, Briella had no choice but to fulfill Gusto’s request, regardless of her own will.

That must have been the reason why Gusto called for Briella.

 

However, Briella had to refuse the position he proposed, no matter what it took.

The festival of the goddess.

If everything went according to plan, Lucas and Briella would not be in the capital during the festival.

 

 They were planning to enjoy the festival in Borteaux to meet Princess Serena.

 

“Eve alone is still inadequate to prepare for the festival.”

 

“Your Majesty!”

Eve raised her voice in response to Gusto’s words.

It seemed displeasing to Eve that she was being undermined in front of Briella.

 

But Gusto was more resolute than ever.

 

Raising one hand, Gusto silenced Eve.

Eve turned her head abruptly, displaying an immature behavior that revealed her frustration.

However, Briella knew better.

 

She knew the true nature of Eve Ferena.

 

Eve was merely acting to assert her opinion.

 

Briella ignored Eve and focused on Gusto.

 

“I, too, am new to the festival of the goddess in the capital. Though I have received lessons from a good teacher, it is merely a pale imitation.”

 

Briella declined Gusto’s request to assist with the festival, as she was not being asked to host it.

 

Gusto had appointed Briella as a shield to protect Eve Ferena.

 

Realizing Gusto’s true intentions, Briella had no intention of easily following his lead.

 

Above all, she couldn’t give up on the plan to meet Princess Serena.

It had been Lucas’s long-standing wish, and it could be the first opportunity to prove Briella’s worth.

 

“For such a matter, you seem excessively relaxed in front of your emperor.”

“I simply don’t know the fear of Your Majesty yet, as I am a clueless wanderer.”

“Haha. Fear, you say. I have no desire to become someone terrifying to the Duchess just yet. Not yet.”

Roar! Bang!

The thunderclap came at just the right moment.

 

Briella let out a soft sigh, observing Gusto sitting against the backdrop of lightning and storm.

 

She felt concerned for Lucas who set out on the road at dawn. However, she couldn’t reveal such anxiety in front of Gusto.

 

“Your Majesty, I am capable of handling this task alone. Lady Lawrence and others will also come forward to assist me. What exactly is troubling you?”

 

Eve clung to Gusto’s arm once again, whining.

 

Gusto lifted her chin and met her gaze, finding her tantrums endearing.

 

“Are you throwing a tantrum like a child?”

Her face was small enough to fit in Gusto’s hand, and Eve clung to his arm with a smile that could melt anyone’s heart. In response, Gusto smiled back at her.

 

“Your Majesty.” Eve’s behavior pushed Gusto’s limits, and she intensified her efforts.

 

With every movement she made, her red hair entwined around Gusto like a rose vine. The sight of Eve, holding onto one arm of the towering man and whining, was undeniably charming.

 

“It’s not time yet, Eve.”

 

“I’m not saying I’ll be managing the festival alone. I will receive help from others.”

 

However, every time Eve opened and closed her red lips, Gusto’s face grew colder.

 

“Your Majesty…”

 

“Look at that, Eve.”

 

After hanging onto Gusto’s arm for a while, Eve turned her gaze along his outstretched hand.

 

“Oh my! Duchess, what kind of appearance is this? Is this how you go to meet the Majesty?”

 

Eve’s large golden eyes widened. She covered her open mouth with her hand, looking at Briella in astonishment. Briella sighed as she observed Eve’s surprised face. It was not the first time she had sighed since meeting Gusto and Eve.

 

“I don’t understand what the problem is.”

 

Eve shook her head in distress. Gusto pulled her closer, pressing his lips to her forehead. In Gusto’s eyes, every action of Eve seemed beautiful.

 

“It seems that the Duchess’s appearance, which Your Majesty praised so much, deviates greatly from the royal etiquette.” Gusto laughed and embraced her again. Her petite body fit snugly against Gusto’s.

 

“No, it’s not the Duchess’s fault. It’s yours,” answered Gusto.

 

“Mine?”

 

Gusto gently stroked her hair, which smelled like roses, and explained to Eve in a low voice.

 

“You complained and asked for responsibility in managing the royal tea party. But you didn’t do your job properly, and now I can’t face the Duchess as I should have because of you, Eve.”

 

“Your, Your Majesty.”

 

Eve’s shoulders shrank in response to Gusto’s wintry words, and her anxious golden eyes trembled.

 

“I gave you a chance, but you disappointed me. Are you going to embarrass me in front of the nobles even during the Festival of the Goddess?”

 

If she had yelled, it would have been less frightening than Gusto, who caressed his hair against the backdrop of thunder and lightning while speaking softly.

 

“No, Your Majesty. That’s not what I meant…” Eve’s voice trembled. Gusto continued to gaze down at her with a smiling face. Briella looked at Eve and Gusto with an expressionless face.

 

The night came to mind when Gusto, in a menacing manner, handed me a cup of poisoned tea.

 

Come to think of it, it was raining that night as well.

 

Gusto’s cruel demeanor made my knees tremble involuntarily.

 

Unable to speak any further, Eve lowered her head, and Gusto embraced her as if praising her.

 

And then his gaze shifted towards Briella.

 

“What do you think, Lady Briella? Do you still need more time to think?” he asked, his tone full of condescension.

 

“It seems that this is not a decision I can make alone, Your Majesty,” Briella replied, avoiding Gusto’s gaze, and bowing her head.

 

My thoughts were as tangled as a snarled thread. I had thought I knew Gusto better than anyone else.

 

But the moment I saw how Gusto deceived me, I realized that everything I believed was a delusion.

 

Moreover, the thunder and lightning that had started a while ago showed no signs of abating.

 

The rain pouring down so intensely that it could hardly be considered autumn rain was enough to evoke memories of that night.

 

The night when the rain fell.

 

The poisoned tea.

 

The vivid memory of my lifeless baby, robbed of its light.

 

Once the memory surfaced, it grew uncontrollably.

 

“Hey, Lady Briella,” Gusto perceptively noticed Briella’s change and called out to her.

 

“I apologize. I’m not feeling well.”

 

“You don’t seem to be feeling well at all,” Gusto said, and Briella lowered her head.

 

Her trembling body and labored breath, like a blade about to pierce Gusto’s throat, reminded her of the moment she pleaded for her baby’s life, lying on the floor.

 

It was a memory she wanted to forget but couldn’t.

 

“Lady Briella!”

 

As the floor turned red with her blood, Briella or rather Olivia lost consciousness, leaving behind an eerie specter.

 

* * *

 

Roaring thunder preceded the wild thrashing of the horse.

 

The rain that began when we ventured outside the capital showed no signs of relenting.

 

Instead of subsiding, it seemed to embrace malevolence, clinging to Lucas’s ankles.

 

“Alas!”

Baron, who was following Lucas, let out a scream.

 

Screams erupted here and there on the slippery mud path due to the rain.

 

“Let us rest for a moment.”

 

Upon Lucas’s words, his followers found their place amid a densely wooded forest path.

 

Lucas, soaked in rain, did not even consider taking off his heavy cloak as he gazed at the sky.

 

As if there were holes in the sky, his lips curled slightly upwards in response to the pouring rain.

 

It would have been perfect for burial, as Briella had suggested before. A landslide occurring at any moment wouldn’t be unnatural. 

 

Lucas glanced at the tumultuous knights who were setting up the camp and then looked back at the path he had taken.

 

Apart from the knights, the path was devoid of any civilians.

 

 

If they hurried along this path, they would reach the capital in no time.

 

“Gusto must be meeting with her by now.”

 

It had been only a few hours since they left the capital.

 

He had never felt concerned about leaving the capital before.

 

Usually, leaving the capital provided him with more peace of mind and material comfort, allowing him to escape Gusto’s gaze.

 

But this time, the steps to leave the capital were heavy.

 

By now, Briella would have arrived at the palace. Lucas pondered throughout the journey what could be the reason Gusto summoned her.

 

But no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t come up with a convincing answer.

 

Only a faint glimmer of her eyes, as she dressed him in the cloak, came to mind.

 

Roaring thunder echoed, causing Lucas’s brow to furrow involuntarily.

 

“These fools are crazy, courting disaster.”

 

Hessel approached Lucas. Upon Hessel’s words, Lucas looked at the knights divided into two groups.

 

Some were setting up camp in the part of the forest where the rain was less intense, while others were outside the forest, enduring the pouring rain.

 

The knights setting up camp in the forest were mostly those sent by Gusto.

 

“Were they not even given basic training?”

 

“It seems so.”

 

Hessel clicked his tongue in disdain.

 

It seemed more likely that they’d die being struck by lightning rather than perish in a landslide. Lucas left them alone.

 

Their lives were meant to be extinguished from the beginning.

 

A precarious existence that could only be lived by killing.

 

“Are preparations going well?”

 

“Of course. With the rain pouring like this, there couldn’t be a better opportunity.”

 

Hessel looked up at the sky.

 

It was harvest time. Under normal circumstances, this rain would be disgustingly miserable. But now, it was different.

 

The rain would soften the ground, perfectly aligning with their plan.

 

Lucas balled up the clinging mud with the tip of his boot.

 

Despite everything going according to plan, a corner of his heart remained uneasy.

 

“Your Highness, please go inside and rest.”

 

Hessel pointed to the newly completed tent. But Lucas shook his head.

 

He took off the heavy cloak and wrung out the water.

 

Then, as if natural, he draped the cloak over his body again.

 

He would soon be drenched in rain and look disheveled, but he didn’t want to take it off for some reason.

 

He didn’t want to let go of the warmth and gaze of Briella, who had wrapped the cloak around him in the morning.

 

“I’ll take a moment to survey the surroundings and return.”

 

 “We shall accompany one another.”

 

“Enough.”

 

Lucas waved his hand to deter Hessel and disappeared into the rain.

 

The rain relentlessly struck Lucas’ body, seeping in and bouncing off, repeatedly plunging into the earth.