So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 26

“Hmm. Not from Karl?”

A flicker of interest passed through the old woman’s blue eyes.
But as if it meant nothing, Diana spoke in an indifferent tone.

“I already nearly clutched my neck and collapsed just to avoid seeing that brat of a grandson. What makes him think I’d be happy to receive a letter?”

Her words were cold, yet her hand never stopped stirring the teacup, the spoon clinking softly as she kept adding sugar—again and again.

The butler, noticing his mistress’s agitation, smiled gently.

“And yet, you’ve always been curious about the Grand Duke’s affairs, haven’t you?”

“Well, that’s because—”

No matter how stubborn he was, no matter how infuriating, a grandmother’s heart couldn’t help but worry about her grandson.
The butler, fully aware of this, offered what he knew would soften her mood.

“It seems the Blanche girl is not as wicked as you feared. In fact, Lord Karl spoke rather favorably of her.”

“Karl did?”

Diana’s eyes widened.

Karl had always been devoted to House Celeste—almost as much as Diana herself.
She, more than anyone, knew how sharp his judgment of character was.

The butler continued calmly.

“And perhaps because of that, His Grace appears to be quite close with the Grand Duchess. Rumor has it they attended the Spring Festival together.”

At that, Diana’s mind drifted to her late husband—the former Grand Duke.

Their marriage had been little more than a contract, a political arrangement.
And yet… he had loved her sincerely.

Their first outing together had also been a Spring Festival.

“……”

Diana’s emotions tangled quietly beneath her composed exterior.

Then, with a sharp scoff masking her concern, she muttered,

“Ridiculous. Completely bewitched.”

The words were cutting, but the worry beneath them was unmistakable.

“I’ll leave the letter here,” the butler said. “Please enjoy the rest of your tea. I’ll handle it later.”

As he withdrew, a warm southern breeze brushed against Diana’s hair.

But it did nothing to ease her thoughts.

“…Hmph. As if I’m curious.”

She turned her face away from the envelope.

She had never intended to keep her grandson tied to her side forever.
Xavier had always been independent—never affectionate, and after losing his parents, he’d grown colder still, obsessed only with power.

It was only right that they live their own lives.

And yet…

“Ugh!”

She froze mid-sip.

The tea was unbearably sweet.

At some point, she had added far too much sugar.

“…Oh dear.”

Staring at the ruined tea, Diana fell silent.

The surface of the dark liquid reflected her grandson’s face.

A few days earlier, my secret trip to the library—behind Betty’s back—had ended in complete disaster.

As if the sudden confrontation between the Grand Duke and that peacock-like maid hadn’t been exhausting enough…

“MAAAADAAAM!”

I was caught red-handed by Betty herself, standing at the cottage door with her arms crossed.

“How can you be this troublesome?! Even a seven-year-old boy behaves better than you!”

“Eek…”

That bad?!

At the time, Betty had been a full-fledged Cerberus guarding the gates.
Intimidated beyond reason, I bowed my head and swore never to wander off alone again.

Honestly, I didn’t even want to anymore.

Since then, I hadn’t gone anywhere near the main estate.
Instead, the maids—pitying me—brought stacks of books to the cottage.

Spring had arrived at last, and tomorrow we were finally going to plant the garden I’d been dreaming about.

Everything should have been perfect.

And yet…

Why was nothing fun anymore?

Books didn’t hold my attention.
Food tasted bland.
Sleep refused to come.

I tossed in bed, staring at the dark sky through the curtains.

Then, unbidden, a memory surfaced—

“You think I don’t know you’re cheating? I should be the Grand Duchess, not you, you vulgar woman!”

The fury in those blue eyes still burned vividly in my mind.

If Xavier hadn’t intervened, things could have turned truly ugly.

I’d never had someone hate me that openly before.

Even in my past life.

It left a strange aftertaste.

Was I… oblivious again?

“…That peacock maid… what was her name?”

She clearly hated me.

That realization stung more than I expected.

I liked peacocks.
They were pretty.
I’d wanted to be friends.

And the more I thought about it, the more this felt like Xavier’s fault.

She called him by his first name.
They must have been close.

Unrequited love, maybe?

“Why, Peacock, why? What do you see in that man?!”

If she’d been my friend, I’d have shaken her senseless.

And somehow, the most unfortunate part of all was that I was the one married to him.

Unable to sleep, I finally threw off the covers.

“I need to move. Burn off energy. That’s the only way I’ll sleep.”

I threw on a cloak and stepped into the courtyard.

The night air was cool but no longer bitter.
A full moon hung bright above.

I inhaled deeply.

“All right. One hundred jumping jacks. No breaks.”

I spread my arms—

Crunch. Crunch.

“…?!”

Footsteps.

At this hour?

I spun around.

“KYAAAA!”

There he was.

Xavier.

Standing there like a grim reaper.

“What—what are you doing here?!”

No answer.

That’s when I noticed—something was very wrong.

His clothes were loose, his chest exposed, his posture slack.

He looked… undone.

“…Why is his shirt open like that—”

And my heart dropped.

Something was seriously wrong.