Chapter 49 - CHAPTER 47. ARE WE STRANGERS?

He was a tall man with brown hair and auburn eyes, and his physique was quite strong and wide. While Petronilla stood blankly, the man opened his mouth first.

“Sorry, Lady. It seems that our coach made a mistake.”

“No, Lord. I am fine.”

She didn’t know who this was, but she thought that he was from a noble family because of how he was dressed or the state of the carriage. Petronilla asked him with a display of manners.

“Perhaps, you were hurt somewhere.”

“I am fine. Is the Lady okay?”

“Yes, I also…”

When it was confirmed that both of them were fine, Petronilla finally told him with a reassured look.

“That is a relief. Then I will be going. Please go safely.”

“Wa- wait a minute, Lady.”

The man on the opposite side tried to catch Petronilla, but she hadn’t heard it, and she had already gone into the carriage. Soon the carriage with Petronilla inside departed, and the man remained there for a while with a dazed look, and finally went back into the carriage at the urge of the driver who expressed they might be late.

Lucio was busy on that day focusing on affairs once again. He quickly filled the gaps, as he showed that some of the gaps created by his unconscious state were meaningless. He was admiring Patrizia’s thoughtful work and was looking at the budget documents from the Empress Palace.

“YourMajesty, Lady Rosemond is here.”

“Rosemond?”

He hesitated for a moment but soon nodded to allow her in. Rosemond approached him, dressed up in a gorgeous dress, as usual. Of course, the beautiful smile on her lips was a bonus. She called to him with a seductive voice, “Your Majesty.”

“You came, Rose?”

“You are busy. These days, you haven’t even been stepping into the Vain Palace.”

“As you know, I had been lying in the bed unconscious all this time. Sorry. I will go later.”

“You promised.”

She sat on his knees, smiling like a child. Rosemond kissed his lips slightly while holding onto his shoulders, and told him the reason for the visit.

“I actually have something to tell you, Lucio.”

“Something to tell me? What is it?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just going to go down a bit to my estate for a while.”

At the word “estate,” he frowned slightly as if trying to come up with something. He soon realized what she was saying and then frowned further.

“Are you going to go to Baron Darrow?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Why?”

“I have something I would like to request from him.”

“To him?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She smiled and explained it to him.

“I need a contract waiving his parental right.”

“A waiver of parental rights? What do you mean by this suddenly?”

“That’s what I said. I’m not going to be the daughter of Baron Darrow anymore.”

“Then?”

“The Duke of Efreni will take me in as an adopted daughter. Then I’ll be an Efreni Lady. And not the daughter of a mere Baron.”

“…”

Lucio had a thoughtful expression when he heard her words, and of course, Rosemond had expected him to welcome her idea, but then asked him with a slightly perplexed expression.

“Ah… Perhaps, do you hate it? That I am going to abandon the Darrow name and take Efreni’s instead?”

“It is your choice, so how can that be. It is just that you were fine until now, and I am a little puzzled why you are doing this all of a sudden.”

“Ah. Not until now.”

She smiled brightly and corrected his words.

“I was shocked after this recent event, Your Majesty. I went through such a controversy just because I was the daughter of a Baron. I have to stand next to Your Majesty as a love that lacks a title.”

“…”

“I am afraid of Her Majesty who was trying to condemn me by asking for sins that I had not committed, and I am sick of the other nobles. Thankfully, during this time Your Majesty, the Duke of Efreni saved me.”

“… Sure.”

“He said he wanted to take in a daughter like me. I gladly accepted his request.”

“…”

“It’s a good thing, right?”

“… Sure.”

He replied with difficulty. He knew that she had done nothing wrong this time. He was feeling a bit terrible, but didn’t express it, and accepted Rosemond’s approaching kiss with a smile.

He could not abandon her for reasons of hypocrisy, at least not yet. The act itself was hypocritical of him in the first place.

Duchess of Efreni seemed quite surprised that Petronilla had visited her home. She invited Petronilla inside and led her into the drawing room. The Duchess of Efreni served tea and strawberry tarts before proceeding to ask.

“I did not expect Lady Petronilla to come here. That is surprising.”

“Is there a reason for that? You are in charge of affairs in the Inner Palace, and I am the sister of Her Majesty, the owner of the whole palace.”

Petronilla, who responded casually, pulled a letter out and extended it to her. The Duchess asked with a puzzled look.

“What is this?”

“It is a letter from Her Majesty to you, Duchess. She expressed great regret for what has happened to the Duchy of Efreni.”

“Oh my goodness…”

Instead of reading the letter, the Duchess of Efreni began to cry. Petronilla was embarrassed by her sudden reaction, but soon calmly began to soothe her.

“Your Majesty is very concerned, Duchess. If you need anything, please say it.”

“SOB… Thank you, Lady Petronilla. Really…”

Petronilla, to be honest, could not adjust to this. In her memory, the Duchess of Efreni was always a tight person. A person who was not tolerant of mistakes, and strict.

When such a person shed tears like this due to her son’s illness, she forgot that she was also a person. Petronilla continued to comfort her casually, trying to shake off the sense of how strange it felt.

“No, Duchess. I hope your son will recover as soon as possible.”

“I cannot face Her Majesty. At this point, at a time for such a serious task, I gave Her Majesty such trouble…”

In response to Duchess of Efreni’s words, Petronilla seized the opportunity and asked.

“More than that… In the meantime, who will take over the work of the Efreni household, is that not more of a problem?”

“…”

With those words, Duchess Efreni’s face, that had only looked depressed before, suddenly turned wretched. Petronilla intuitively noticed that she had certainly touched a nerve with the Duchess of Efreni.

“Oh, and the Duke had a concubine. Was she 13 years younger than the Duke? She was ten years younger than the Duchess. The concubine’s son had just celebrated his first birthday the previous year.”

Petronilla struggled to hide her awkward expression and waited for her reply, and the Duchess of Efreni was worked up with a rather disgusted expression.

“I am worried about it too. Anyways, I have to leave the house, but I have no siblings and no acquaintances. I wish I had a daughter…”

The Duchess of Efreni looked at Petronilla with a sad face.

“How nice it would be to have a daughter like this. What was the point of having a grown son? When he was dying of illness abroad…”

The face of Duchess Efreni was momentarily choked up, slightly distorting her face. It seemed that all the complex emotions had come all at once. Petronilla comforted her and spoke warm words.

“It is okay, Duchess. You do not have to put up that front with me. Are we strangers?”

Of course, they were strangers. However, in such a situation, these words were a perfect catalyst for breaking down the other’s vigilance.

“SOB…”

Her expectations were just right. The Duchess of Efreni began to cry. It was an unimaginable thing, when she looked at her with a strong expression and authoritative appearance, but not impossible. There was no one in the world who had no flaws. Moreover, if the flaw was due to the jealousy of the beloved son and concubine. Petronilla comforted her with a sad expression.

“It is alright. You are alright, Duchess…”

“SOB… Lady, what should I do. Will my son be alright? Without him, I…”

“Yes, Duchess. Do not worry. I am sure he will recover.”

“But even if you say so, I am worried. What sort of mess will that vulgar thing do while I am away from this house…”

The Duchess of Efreni was so worked up that she even mentioned the mistress, which she would never normally speak about. Petronilla did not miss this chance and told her.

“I know that the Duke has a mistress.”

“…”

There was no way she couldn’t know. It was true that even an illegitimate child must be known in society. To be honest, it was more strange if the Duke of Efreni had no mistress in his position, but the insult she felt was probably beyond imagination, as the Duchess of Efreni was also a daughter of a deeply-rooted Marquis.

Petronilla took advantage of that. A proud woman like the Duchess of Efreni would never have been sensitive to this subject.

“You must be worried. Originally, one loach can dirty up all the water.”

“…”

“It is even worse since you do not have anybody you can trust.”

“Lady Petronilla.”

The Duchess of Efreni called out to Petronilla in an unpleasant voice. Petronilla did not change her expression.

“What is it that you want to say?”

“There is no such thing, Duchess. I was just concerned. My younger sister, Her Majesty is also feeling rotten about something similar…”

This time Petronilla was the one to sniffle with tears, and the expression of Duchess of Efreni changed her expression. Petronilla continued to sniffle and watched the Duchess.

“Ah, it seemed to be done.”

“Lady Grochester.”

Duchess Efreni called out to Petronilla. Petronilla made a smile internally, while staring at her with tearful eyes, and responded, “Yes, Duchess?”

“If it is not rude of me…”

She asked Petronilla with a serious look.

“Could you take care of my house while I am away?”

“… Yes?”

Petronilla asked back with a blank expression, and the Duchess of Efreni asked her again with a serious look.

“I would like to ask you, Lady Petronilla. I have to go see my son. That child is my whole life. But while I am away, I do not know what kind of trick that woman will use and threaten my position.”

The Duchess of Efreni spoke in a choked-up voice.

“So please, Lady. Please help me for a bit, Lady. I will do anything as thanks.”