So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 69

Chapter 69

“This banquet will be held as a masquerade ball.”

Lady Diana said it as if it were nothing, but—

Whaaaat?!

I was already excited just hearing the words imperial banquet.
But a masquerade ball on top of that?

This is insane. This is seriously like a romance-fantasy novel.

So I really am inside a romance-fantasy world!

No matter how many times I reminded myself, I still couldn’t get used to it.
But one thing was certain—this was going to be a huge event.

But then—

“Hah. What a pathetic little trick.”

The Grand Duke—who had looked completely uninterested in the birthday banquet until now—reacted unexpectedly harshly to the news of a masquerade.

“It really is strange.”

It was Katharina who said that. Noticing my confusion, she explained.

“Usually, if a banquet has a concept like this, it’s standard etiquette to mention it in the invitation in advance.”

“Then they changed the plan suddenly?”

“Yes. It seems they prepared something after hearing House Celeste would attend.”

Lady Diana answered in Katharina’s place, elegantly taking a bite of steak.

But why?

This banquet isn’t even for the Empress’s Second Prince—it’s for the Crown Prince’s birthday.

House Celeste is firmly on the Crown Prince’s side, isn’t it?
So what exactly is this “pathetic trick”?

As I sat there only tilting my head, Xavier wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood.

“The Empress hosts all imperial banquets and internal functions. The Crown Prince’s wishes likely weren’t reflected much here.”

“Ah…”

“Grandmother, I will go meet the Crown Prince in advance. Please forgive me for leaving the table early.”

“Of course. There are still a few days, so discuss it thoroughly.”

“Yes.”

After a brief bow, the Grand Duke rose without hesitation.

Our eyes met for a moment, naturally—

“!”

He flinched like a startled cat with its tail puffing out, then hurried out.

What was that?

“Pfft.”

Ternox let out a snicker, gave a small wink, and followed him out of the dining hall.

The meal was mostly finished anyway, so I greeted Lady Diana and was about to head to my room when—

“My dear child, stay a moment.”

“Huh? O-okay.”

Even Katharina—looking quietly disappointed—left as well.

Lady Diana dismissed all the servants except Phil, then asked with a composed face:

“So. Has your research with that dragon made any progress?”

“!”

S-She knew he was a dragon?!

I just blinked in shock, and Lady Diana chuckled softly as she continued.

“That grandson of mine—who never wrote a single letter in his life—contacted me himself. He asked what I knew about the dragon’s oath. Of course, the message was exceptionally rude.”

Lady Diana lightly cradled the teacup Phil handed her.
On her left hand was a rather large ring.

Come to think of it, she always wore that ring… but I’d never really paid attention to it.

Noticing my gaze, Lady Diana smiled.

“This will make things faster. Come closer.”

She held out her left hand as she explained.

The ring was engraved with the crest of House Celeste.

“A dragon and a fortress wall—this symbolizes Celeste.”

“Grandmother… do you know about the oath too?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know the exact details either. It’s a secret passed down only to the heads of the house. When he heard that, Xavier was terribly disappointed…”

“I see…”

“But that adjutant, Ternox, lit up and asked all sorts of questions. So at least I learned that he is the ‘main figure’ within that emblem.”

As expected—an experienced Grand Duchess really did notice everything.

That’s the level you need to be a Grand Duchess.

And yet a clueless idiot like me is sitting in that seat.

“Ugh…”

Honestly, I’d oppose it too…

I was feeling a bit deflated when—

“As you know, Xavier isn’t good at expressing himself. In time, he’ll surely tell you properly, but as his grandmother I couldn’t help worrying. I called you here because I thought you might know something.”

As she spoke, Lady Diana gently stroked my hand.

A fierce internal battle erupted in me.

How much do I tell her… and where do I stop?

Perhaps reading my hesitation, Lady Diana spoke again.

“If it’s hard to talk about, I can wait. That’s something I’m very good at.”

There was a kind of resignation in her aged blue eyes, and it made it impossible to pretend I didn’t know.

“Well… actually…”

Stumbling over my words, I told her only what I could—within my limits.

The oath etched into the head of the household’s heart, passed down through generations.
That oath had been damaged.

The timing was likely during the previous Grand Duke’s era.

Because the madness had probably manifested as a side effect of that damage.

We didn’t know the cause, but it was certain that an outside force had interfered.

As proof, the monster the founding Grand Duke had sealed was beginning to appear around the outskirts of the North.

When I relayed the general situation, Lady Diana’s eyes widened.

“A monster?”

“They say it vanished without a trace after we arrived. But when I read the remaining energy at the site…”

This was likely tied to the temple—no, even the High Priest.

And the High Priest was the Empress’s greatest backing.

“The Empress… so she finally—!”

Lady Diana clenched her fist, her voice thick with fury.

“That’s why we came to the capital. It was a convenient pretext, too.”

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Lady Diana smiled softly again, then fell into deep thought.

I sat before her, wrestling with my own thoughts.

Should I tell her… that I’m living on borrowed time too?

Even if I tried to deny it, it was obvious I was tangled up in Celeste’s oath somehow.
Maybe because I’m a transmigrator—though I can’t say that part.

Still, with how things are unfolding… even I can piece this much together.

At this point, wouldn’t even an idiot realize?

I was the only one who had soothed the Celeste family’s madness—something nobody else could handle.

The implication was simple.

If the damaged oath of House Celeste is restored, I live too.

The original story had already been twisted beyond recognition.
Unknown settings and people who never existed before were popping up everywhere.

This world was real.
And I, too, was living inside it.

Maybe my “short-lived” fate has changed… or maybe it hasn’t.
I can’t be sure.

I wasn’t in pain right now, but this body was fragile.

If the story has already changed, then I’ll step in myself and carve out my future.

I don’t know how long I have left.
Maybe it wouldn’t even be strange if I dropped dead tomorrow.

But I have no intention of accepting fate quietly.
Not even a little.

“My dear.”

After finishing her long thoughts, Lady Diana spoke.

“How are you?”

“…Pardon?”

“You… are you truly alright?”

Her face held emotions I couldn’t easily name—
sadness, pity, and strangely… hope.

Among all of them—

“…I’m alright.”

The one thing I could read clearly was her worry for me.
And because of that, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“I really am okay, Lady Diana! For now, we need to focus on restoring the Grand Duke’s damaged oath.”

So please don’t worry about me.

I’m cheerful—
and strong.

“Good. If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”

Seeing the relief wash over her face, I smiled even brighter.

I couldn’t let her worry any more.

Then—

“By the way, why is Xavier so angry?”

“…Huh?”

“I mean at dinner earlier. He looked thoroughly upset.”

Just as I was steeped in emotion, Lady Diana’s question shattered it completely.

Ah—come on.

I was just delivering some wistful heroine-like lines.

This is so embarrassing!