CH 35

In fact, the Marquis decided to support him on the condition that the Prince do not touch Celia, but Phil didn’t think much about it.

“Is that man really obsessed with Duchess Celia?”

He had no idea who the Prince was referring to when he said ‘that man’. The servant, on the other hand, nodded slowly.

“That’s right.”

“Then… I have to teach them that marriage is not the end.”

The Duke of Cardian was his opponent. It didn’t matter when Celia was a young unmarried lady, but now Leonis is Celia’s husband, so he had no absolute justification.

Furthermore, Phil had a wife. She became pregnant for the third time after two miscarriages and was recuperating at a nearby villa. Phil, who was living with his mistress even before the princess became pregnant, didn’t seem to be thinking and caring about her.

The servant was aware of these facts, but he did not dare say anything. In any case, the Prince was free to do as he pleased because it was his privilege.

“Even Celia must be uncomfortable acting as the monster’s wife. I’ll have to make room for her…”

In the past, when she was younger, Phil was always on the lookout. It was because he was always the hot subject of unpleasant rumors that spread. Although all three princes were rumored to be terrible, the First Prince, Michael, was said to have a better affinity for women than the others.

Although the Prince himself sent an invitation to Celia, the Marquis of Montague refused to do so. However, Marquis Montague no longer had control over Celia.

There’s the Duke of Cardian, but….. He wondered if Celia would be able to deter herself even if she drew power from that monster. Phil’s arrogance led him to believe he could defeat Leonis, a cursed monster.

“If you can’t be a good husband, you have to convince the wife.”

Phil had the servant bring him a letter card and sing the phrase. He gave a sly grin, as if he was already holding Celia in his arms.

✦ ✦ ✦

He had sent letters under Lily’s name eight times. Nevertheless, Fabian became nervous because he hadn’t received any reply from Celia. He only received the news that she had already paid a visit to the Marquis of Montague.

‘Didn’t she get the letter?’

Even if the letter was intercepted, she would have known Fabian would keep sending it. Even if it hadn’t been, he thought she would have sent someone to check on him.

If she’s the Celia he knew. 

‘It seems she’s free to go in and out…’

Not only did she pay a visit to the Marquis of Montague, but he also heard that she visited the shop or café she frequented before her marriage, though the frequency was uncertain. He was relieved that the Duke of Cardian probably did not lock Celia inside the mansion, as he had feared.

But why…

‘Why aren’t you contacting me?’

She could send someone, write a letter, or even come to visit. Nevertheless, Celia did not do anything.

‘I can’t go visit the Duke of Cardian on my own.’

There were eyes around him, and if the Emperor was aware of it, it was clear that he would consider it as inappropriate behavior. The marriage between the Duke of Cardian and the Marquis of Montague’s daughter was known to have been arranged by the Emperor.

Fabian had also become engaged to a new family. Although the family was not from the Marquis family, she was the daughter of a Viscount with a fairly large wealth. It was unpleasant that she dared to press him with money, but he tolerated it because she was useful. She also started a new business in her family.

‘She’s no match for the lovely Celia.’ 

Needless to say, he thought Celia would give him the title of Duke of Cardian later. Fabian didn’t think Celia would never want to see him again. Even if Celia did reject him, he believed it was due to a brief outburst of rage or resentment.

Fabian, who was worried, reconsidered sending a letter in Lily’s name for the ninth time. If the Duke of Cardian had not yet interrogated Celia and she was holding out, he needed to use another method.

✦ ✦ ✦

‘His rudeness has grown even more.’

Leonis had asked Celia if he could take care of the same letter again. Celia said it would be good, and with her permission, the servants burned down the letter from Fabian.

But the letter wasn’t the only thing that arrived today.

It was a flower bouquet with a card and an invitation from the side of the Second Prince. The bouquet was in the name of her ex fiancée, Fabian, and the second prince was sending it to Celia, not to Leonis this time.

“What should we do with this?”

They had to decide whether they should report to the Duchess first or bring it to her directly. It was a bouquet from her ex-fiancé, and they believe that the Duchess will dispose of it lightly….The second one was the problem.

Phil, the Second Prince, was known to have a bad reputation. They wondered if there are rumors floating around that it would be better if he died young so that Phil’s child could be born safely.

The Emperor had three sons, but none of them became the crown prince. Michael, who was said to behave normally, did not inherit the Imperial Family’s power, and the two were a difficult pair to deal with.

Because Michael was the cleverest of the three princes, they speculated that he might become Emperor, but who knows. It was because he didn’t have the mysterious power of the Imperial Family.

“…..Butler. Now that this has happened, what should I do?”

The butler, Evan, pondered for a moment before making a decision because he was perplexed by the bouquet and invitation letter.

“Don’t tell them right away, but let both of them know. Her Ladyship probably won’t be angry if you do that.”

On the other hand, if Leonis was not informed, they would almost certainly be reprimanded.

If it had been for the person Celia was waiting for, he would have been furious, but it appeared that she didn’t care how they disposed of the gifts. Then the servants moved hurriedly and thanked the butler. 

✦ ✦ ✦

“….Throw away the bouquet and burn the letters. Whatever gifts that have come from him in the future, just send it back to him without needing to tell me.”

The reason Leonis didn’t order the servants to burn the bouquet was because it would produce a lot of smoke if they did. Those flowers didn’t dry out quickly either. She doesn’t want anything to do with Fabian because it was no longer her problem, but the second prince came and caused her problems.

‘He’s doing exactly what he did in the original story.’

In the original novel, the second prince used the same trick on Lily. Then Lily stated that she did not want Leonis’ help and support, so she went alone, putting herself in danger.

‘The Second Prince is a haughty knucklehead who knows nothing. He’s a character with whom I don’t have to be friendly, but the plot would be different if I just ignored him…’

Celia discovered that Lily had already fled. Marquis Montague appeared to be still looking for Lily and has spent a lot of money to find her, but to no avail. The plot of the original story seemed to revolve around Celia as the main character rather than Lily.

If it goes according to what she remembers of the original novel’s story, it would only lead to her ruin, but to some extent the plot still has to flow as the original’s. Only in this way will she be able to turn the situation around when she is in deep trouble.

‘But perhaps things have already changed. Also, Leon has changed.’

Celia pondered about it again.

The invitation letter had not yet reached her hand because she hadn’t asked the servant to bring it.

“The Duke is coming!”

Celia was ecstatic when Leonis came to see her, who returned earlier than expected. However, when she saw Leonis’ face, he appeared angry, but when he saw Celia’s face, his expression changed instantly and he appeared relieved.

“Leon, are you finished with your work already?”

“I was able to complete my work more quickly. Instead…. Did you get an invitation?”

Celia said that Leonis must have been informed by the servant. The invitation came from none other than the Second Prince.

The Third Prince was a ruthless man, while the Second Prince was despised by all noblewomen.

“You heard the news. I haven’t read it yet.”

She turned to the maid, who returned with a silver tray and an envelope. Leonis viewed the envelope with suspicion, as if it contained something unpleasant.

“I’m going to handle this on my own. I’ll make sure the prince never bothers my wife again,”

“Since you are one of the imperial family, shouldn’t you send him a reply?”

“That’s… I’ll take care of it. You will never meet him.”

Because of this, Celia was concerned that Leonis would take on the Second Prince and side with Michael. Celia assumed Leonis shouldn’t have established power with anyone, based on the plot of the original story.

It was unnecessary to step on the visible poop.

“I have something to tell you.”

Leonis looked nervous as Celia grabbed his arm. He realized she was attempting to tell him something important.

✦ ✦ ✦

After both of them had dispatched all of the maids and servants, Celia and Leonis entered the Duchess’ room. The odd thing about the previous Duchess of Cardian was that it was difficult to enter and exit the room. 

In order to enter the Duchess’ room, she has to pass through the Duke’s room. Other than the intersecting door that connects to the Duke’s room, a separate door was removed.

That was a remnant of the previous Duke of Cardian’s obsession. Celia left it alone because she was still sharing the room with Leonis. 

Celia sat Leonis on the sofa and took the magic pouch she had received from him. She spread her arms wide open and placed the magic pocket on the table. When Leonis saw the books in front of him, his expression hardened.

“These are….”

“These books were in our family’s secret library. I brought it here secretly because I thought this book might help find the clue about the curse.”

Except for the fact that it was used to transfer the curse to another person, the existence of this book was kept hidden. They had only provided a location for the curse to be transferred where no one would notice.

Leonis showed interest in the sorcerer’s notebook sandwiched between the books. He once tracked down a sorcerer who might be able to help him break the curse. At first, the sorcerer hid in the Montagues’ local estates, but he eventually disappeared.

Leonis picked up the notebook and looked at Celia.

“I, can I…. read it?”

“Yes. Please read it at your leisure.”

He thanked Celia and opened the notebook. He must have been hungry for new information after tracking the curse for so long.

Celia believed that the plot of the original story would not have gone that way if Leonis had the right clue to break the curse. Because he was a capable man.