So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 82

Chapter 82

— — —

Meanwhile—

“Damn it, damn it! Who the hell does she think she is, sticking her nose in like that?!”

The man stormed down the corridor, spewing curses he couldn’t swallow along with his humiliation.

He was the ice-cream maniac forcibly driven out of the banquet hall—
no, not a maniac.

He was Felix Rembrandt, the Second Prince of the Rembrandt Empire.

Despite changing both his outfit and mask to avoid being recognized, his night at the banquet ended far earlier than anyone else’s.

“I’ll crush her nose flat the next time I see her!”

Seething with rage, Felix stomped toward his chambers.

At that moment, he still didn’t know—

that the small, infuriating woman who had dared to step in and humiliate him,
Renée Celeste,
would soon cross paths with him again in a most unexpected place.

It had only been a few hours since I arrived.

And yet—not a single moment of real peace?

Still… surely nothing else will happen now. Damn it, let me enjoy the banquet in peace for once!

I just wanted to exist like one of the paintings on the wall—quietly observing how other people behaved.

Ugh. Let’s rest for a bit.

I was just about to look for Lady Diana and Katharina to recharge my energy when—

“You were incredibly brave!”

A woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hurried toward me.

She wasn’t someone I’d seen near the ice cream area—her attire was unfamiliar.

In one hand, she held a glass of deep red wine.

Beneath her half-mask, her cherry-colored lips curved into an impossibly gentle smile.

It should have felt friendly, yet a chill crept up my spine.

“Where did you find the courage to do that?”

As the woman approached with light, quick steps, I forced an awkward smile back and subtly tried to move away.

But perhaps she’d rushed over too quickly—

“Ah!”

She caught her foot and lost her balance.

The dark red wine in her small hand spilled straight toward me.

“!”

What—?! This is a brand-new dress!

I braced myself for an unavoidable wine baptism—

…Huh?

Somehow, I had already stepped back two full strides.

I stood there blankly, watching as the woman dropped the wine glass in slow motion.

Confused, I glanced around.

[You don’t need to thank me.]

Wink.

My eyes met Ternox’s, who was grinning shamelessly, and his words echoed in my head.

Looks like I’d narrowly avoided a wine assault thanks to Ternox’s magic.

Crash!

Time snapped back into place.

In front of me lay the fallen woman, shattered glass, and wine splattered across the floor.

As luck would have it, the music had just changed, so the sound of breaking glass rang loudly through the grand hall.

Ah…

I’d barely managed to fade into the crowd—

and now everyone was looking again!

At this point, pretending nothing happened wasn’t an option.

The fallen woman was clearly shaken; her shoulders trembled as she kept her head bowed.

Poor thing… she must’ve been terrified.

Without thinking, I bent down.

“Are you all right?”

As I leaned closer—

I locked eyes with a pair of unmistakably familiar eyes.

“Hello, sister.”

“!”

How could I forget?

Those vividly blue eyes.

Bianca.

Bianca Blanche’s eyes gleamed wildly as she spread a dazzling smile.

Before I could even process the danger—

Thud!

I was shoved backward.

And worse—

Bianca ripped off my mask.

“Ah!”

So the trembling shoulders had been her holding in laughter.

She sprang to her feet, no trace of frailty left, and shouted loudly enough for the entire hall to hear.

“My goodness! Now that I look closely—she’s not even a noble, but a filthy bastard!
You know—the cursed red-eyed illegitimate child!”

I lay sprawled on the floor, staring up at Bianca in a daze.

The difference in height between us felt like a cruel reminder of my place.

The memories of Renée’s past—ones I’d lived through in dreams—came crashing down on me.

My body froze. I couldn’t move.

As my uncovered crimson eyes were revealed, the nobles began whispering.

Yes.

I was the infamous red-eyed bastard.

A color forbidden among nobles—
and I’d dared to slip in among them.

My… my thoughts—

Damn it. Renée’s emotions were bleeding into mine again.

The Blanche family’s persecution had been the heroine’s greatest trauma.

Fear and self-loathing were carved deep into this body.

And after that vivid dream just days ago, the terror felt even more real.

“So that’s her—the Blanche family’s daughter, born of a maid.”

Faces that had praised me earlier were now filled with disgust.

The sudden shift was almost laughable.

“Looks decent enough for someone born of a commoner who seduced a marquis.”

“They say if you stare into those eyes too long, you’ll be cursed.”

“I heard she became the lady of House Celeste not long ago.”

“But the Duke of the North has terrible rumors about him too.”

“Right—no blood, no tears, they say.”

“I heard he enjoys slaughter.”

“They say he sealed off the North and indulges in secret massacres!”

“Of course—like husband, like wife!”

“My goodness… what sin did House Blanche commit to produce that…”

Ah…

Through my blurring vision—

Words like blades rained down.

About me.
About Xavier.
About the North.

They knew nothing—yet spoke so easily.

Each careless word sliced thinly into my heart.

I… can’t breathe.

As I clawed at my chest, forgetting how to breathe—

“Enough.”

A massive presence filled my fading vision.

“!”

The first thing I saw—

eyes the color of hydrangeas, glowing blue-violet.

Xavier.

He had appeared before me without warning and calmly lifted me into his arms.

Something about his unwavering gaze made me feel safe.

“Breathe, Renée.”

“H-haa…”

The fear ebbed.

The crushing pressure vanished.

Only then did my mind snap back.

Wait—am I being carried princess-style?!
Right in the middle of everyone watching?!

Ahhh! This is mortifying!

This was nothing like the ice cream fiasco—
everyone here was staring!

My heart began pounding for a completely different reason.

“P-Put me down!”

I whispered so only Xavier could hear.

And for once, he listened.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, relief washed over me—

only for Xavier to seize my hand tightly.

And then—

“W-What?!”

In the frozen silence—

Xavier removed his mask.

Gasps rippled through the hall.

In a room where everyone wore masks, only Xavier and I stood bare-faced.

Before anyone could stop him, Xavier spoke coldly to Bianca, whose face had gone pale.

“If the Duchess of Celeste is a cursed bastard, then does that mean House Celeste itself is cursed?
That is a grave insult to House Celeste.”

“Th-That’s—”

“Can you bear the consequences of those words?”

Bianca faltered—clearly she hadn’t anticipated this.

Her gaze flicked to figures I recognized instantly.

Marquis Blanche… and the Marchioness.

They were unmistakably the same people from the wedding.

“Oh—ah—Your Grace!”

The Marquis Blanche hurried forward, bowing repeatedly.

“Please forgive the foolish words of a child who knows no better.
Our eldest daughter—now the Duchess—is precious to us as well!
Her marriage is a great fortune to our house, and surely a great benefit to Your Grace—”

“Husband!”

The Marchioness grabbed his sleeve in embarrassment.

Even now, she clearly hated calling me their daughter.

Xavier remained ice-cold.

With a single dismissive gesture, he silenced the marquis, then turned to the crowd encircling us and growled a warning.

“If I hear one more disrespectful word about the Duchess—”

Gulp.

The silence was so complete that even the sound of someone swallowing was audible.

The nobles who had been gossiping moments ago shut their mouths instantly.

“I will take it as a challenge against House Celeste—
and I will gladly respond in kind.”

His cavern-deep voice echoed through the grand hall.