CH 185

Chapter 185 – Igor and Leticia

Translator – Yue

Ignoring the echo of the voice behind him, Igor bit his lips and walked away, his fist tightly clenched.

There was no need to worry about his mother. The plan to kicked her out of power was advancing smoothly, anyways. Perhaps she felt confident now, but soon, she’d lose all she’d protected up to now.

However…

“I’ll invite my sister to the next ball”.

When Igor reunited with his wife after not speaKing to each other for a while, those were the words she’d said.

“Perhaps… could you also dance with her that day? It’s hard to find an appropriate dance partner and…”. She lowered her gaze and folded her hands.

When those words left her tender lips, Igor felt a deep sense of disenchantment. His beating heart kept doing summersaults sporadically.

“Have you spoken about this with your family?”

Rihannan nodded in a low voice and said “yes… my father… straight up asked me… about my sister…”

His own wife was speaKing in the same tune as his mother, and he couldn’t help but think that the people around him were secretly speaKing behind his back as well, while he remained oblivious in the shadows. Maybe Rihannan did accept his mother’s suggestion since she wanted to keep her position as Queen.

Igor looked at her with loath, and when their eyes met, her blue pupils quickly shook with fear.

In the end, Igor thought both his mother and wife treated him the same way. They only sought to keep their positions, and did not look at Igor as though he was a human being.

…even dogs raised by the family were treated better.

Igor let out a bitter smile. “If that’s what you want, I’ll dance with her”.

And then, the day of the ball arrived.

As scheduled, Rihannan’s step-sister, Leticia, made her debut into noble society after being granted an invitation by her sister, the Queen. The objective was for Leticia to make her first appearance at the Palace and into politics, so she could find a stable position within the nobility with ease.

If the King was to leave the Palace frequently, rumors would spread. On the contrary, Leticia was Rihannan’s sister, so it was a normal for her to frequently visit her sister, the Queen. And what better method for Igor to produce and heir than with his wife’s sister? That way, he’d avoid rumors.

Igor felt awful, as though his guts were all tangled up. Normally, he’d have opposed his wife’s and mother’s plan. He wouldn’t let himself be driven by their selfish wishes, nor would he allow them to manipulate him as a marionette doll.

But… he’d use this chance for vengeance. Revenge for how they’ve treated him.

That day, Igor broke all etiquette rules and danced with Leticia all day.

The nobility’s whispers got louder and louder, and the longer the dance went on, the paler his wife’s face got. When Rihannan couldn’t stand it any longer, she left the ball. Only then did he stop dancing with Leticia.

He should have felt satisfied with that, but he only felt filthy. Why… why did things turn out his way?

“Your Majesty, I’ve admired you since a long time ago”.

Afterwards, Rihannan’s sister confessed the deep love she’d felt for him since the first moment they’ve met. Igor was dumbstruck. Even though they both had different biological mothers, she should have felt some guilt for trying to steal her sister’s husband, but her face showed not even an ounce of shame.

She had a malicious grin.

At that moment, Igor knew something was wrong. He then found out about the cold relationship between his wife and her family.

Igor didn’t know anything about his wife’s past, nor her family, nor what happened after her mother’s dead. He only knew the Count had brought over another daughter he’d sired with another family.

“To begin with, my elder sister was not destined to become Queen. This is how things are meant to be, Your Majesty”.

Igor immediately became aware of Leticia’s evil nature. Even though she was beautiful and seductive, like an allusive painting, her guts were full of a toxic vanity.

However, he didn’t pay that any mind. He’d make use of this moment to spread and intensify rumors till the Palace became nothing but a web of lies. He’d use her to his advantage. Women like Leticia would make up lies even if he didn’t do anything at all.

If that happened, his mother would have no choice but to back off from her plan.

As time went by, rumors of Igor’s illicit affair spread far and wide, just like he’d predicted, and his mother was burning up with fury. She didn’t care if he had an affair or kept a lover, but she would not allow rumors when that woman was supposed to give birth to an heir in secret.

The scandal would only harm the child born from Leticia for the rest of his life, threatening his right to the throne.

And then, just when his mother had given up, it became known to the public that Rihannan was pregnant.

Igor celebrated with glee. He run to her, smiling broadly as he hugged her. It’s been too long since he last felt her warmth. Igor was ready to forget all that’d happened and only look ahead.

He let down his guard when he was with Rihannan. He’d do anything to fix whatever needed mending… he was ready to do that.

But he still had lots to do in regards of his mother….

He decided he’d tell Rihannan the truth after his plan was set in motion, but this small mistake cost him everything.

ThinKing back on this, he realized that was a stupid decision. If he’d informed her about all his plans, revealing everything, perhaps that tragic ending would have never taken place…

“Your Majesty”.

A voice brought Igor back to reality.

Mrs. Cessly looked at Igor, who was alone in the middle of a dark room, and heavily sighed.

“I knew you’d be like this. You should at least turn on the lights. How’s your injury?”.

Igor touched the bandage he had on his forehead. “It’s alright. How’s Rihannan?”.

“I came here after she’d fallen asleep. Don’t worry. She’s unstable, but the doctor said she’ll be alright”. Mrs. Cessly smiled with enthusiasm. There was a hint of sadness in the depths of her eyes. “And I’d like to sincerely congratulate you. The news took me by surprise, Your Majesty”.

“The doctor confirmed her pregnancy?” asked Igor.

Mrs. Cessly nodded. “Yes. It’s been a month since she’s conceived. I made sure to get everyone out before the medical checkup, just like you ordered”.

“That’s good”.

Even after hearing confirmation of the existence of his child, Igor’s visage remained somber. Anyone who looked at him would think he was going through depression. It was the first time Mrs. Cessly saw him with such a look of defeat in his eyes.

Mrs. Cessly thought she was going crazy. For a moment she’d seen a flash of love in his eyes, but that changed quickly…

“I’m not sure what’s happened, but once Her Majesty’s belly grows and widens, her wrath will also diminish. After all, all parents are weak towards their children”. Mrs. Cessly said.

“Maybe she was like that before, but now… I’m not sure”.

In her past life, when Rihannan conceived a child in her womb, everything was happiness. She never asked about Leticia, nor any past suffering. She was willing to leave everything behind for the sake of her child.

But not this time.

This time, she’d leave her baby in his hands and go back to Chrichton on her own.

Igor was worried. Knowing her, she didn’t say those words without previous thought. What was he supposed to do if she left? If he forced her to stay… their relationship would further rip apart. He couldn’t make her change her mind, either.

“Your Majesty… in my opinion, if you caused any harm on the Queen’s body, or said any an y offensive words… the Queen will forgive you, considering her personality…”

Igor tightened his fist. His face darkened.

Mrs. Cessly quickly closed her mouth when she noticed his sudden change. It was hard to believe, but she knew something had happened between the two of them.