Today's Goal is a Safe Divorce!

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

When she saw it, she felt like Damon killed people even though they were people he couldn’t kill. Elysia did not yet know about the Grand Ducal family. All she knew was that their life was short, but, this fact was known to all citizens of Caesar’s empire.

Why did Grand Ducal Raphael’s life be so short when they had more power than anyone else? They did not die of an incurable disease.

Even so, they had the wealth and power to treat any disease. The Grand Duchy was a place that even the Imperial Family could not touch. It was strange that in such a Grand Ducal family, no one suspected that people were dying one after another.

What was the point?

“So, no details like that remain.”

Even if the Grand Duchesses die from complications of childbirth, why did the healthy Grand Dukes suddenly die, too?

Everything was suspicious.

Just looking at Damon, he looked very healthy. Compared to the sickly Edward, he was even more so. Because of that, that was why no one would have predicted that Damon would die before her brother, who got sick today and tomorrow.

“…Anyway, it’s okay if Your Grace doesn’t have to attend.”

Nonetheless, the Emperor addressed it to her.`

It didn’t matter if he didn’t attend though it was mean enough to poke her only intentionally. Even if it were Damon, he wouldn’t be able to refuse. Even though she hadn’t seen the Emperor before, it was the first time she had ever hated people like this.

Elysia’s eyes were furrowed at the clear intention.

Since Damon was untouchable, the weakness was to touch her instead. Elysia was the bait since she wasn’t what they actually wanted… rather, they were waiting for Damon to come.

“They would want that.”

“What?”

“It would be nice for me to attend the party for the wife, but they would prefer you to be there alone.”

…Did they want her to attend alone?

Elysia couldn’t understand what he was saying. Weren’t they using her to bring in Damon?

“Anyway, I’ll be happy no matter what you choose.”

If she attended alone, she wondered if there was anything the Imperial Family could benefit from. However, nothing came to mind at all. Even though she was the Grand Duchess, Elysia was just entering the social world. She had nothing to gain from.

“If I go with you, the Imperial Family will benefit from the Grand Duchy attending the founding festival for the first time, but that’s all.”

“…Isn’t that what the Imperial Family wants?”

“No, the Imperial Family wants you, Elysia, to attend alone. To drag you down and gossip.”

Even if they tried to pull her down, she couldn’t understand what the Imperial Family could gain.

“At least, the Grand Duke has never attended the founding festival. If the wife attends, she will be the first to.”

Elysia was surprised to see Damon approaching her. She didn’t even notice him coming as he came so silently and so quickly that there was no time to prepare her mind.

“I, Your Highness…?”

“I’m sure they’re sharpening their tongues to bite your wife.”

Sharpening their tongues?

“The Imperial Family is the one who will insult people somehow to suit their taste.”

“Still… wouldn’t it be fine if I attended?”

“No matter what the wife does, I will have the Grand Duchy behind you.”

Ah, it seemed that they were using her to dishonor the Grand Duchy. If that was the case, it was dangerous for her to attend alone. Even if she had Estelle, compared to the Imperial Family, she was only a marquis, so in the end, she would not be enough to stop everything.

“Don’t trust the Imperial Family. They are never just people to show favor to.”

As she expected, Damon had animosity towards the Imperial Family. That was a lot, too. It didn’t seem like it was just a common power struggle. This was an emotion that could not come out unless there was a grudge relationship.

“I have no intention of sending the wife to a place like that alone.”

* * *

Damon spoke as if the Imperial Family were a great villain. Judging from his usual attitude, he didn’t seem to be afraid of them… though why did he hate them so much?

“It’s weird, but it’s too weird…”

In the first place, he usually acted as if the Imperial Family was nothing, so Elysia thought Damon treated even the Emperor as the same human being, too.

“Madam.”

“Oh, Sebastian.”

As soon as she stepped out of the office, Sebastian was waiting. It seemed that he had come to meet her, perhaps fearing that she would lose her way. Could it be that he was waiting until their conversation ended?

“Let’s go back to the main building.”

She couldn’t hear more details from Damon. After all, she had to leave the office, and he probably wouldn’t answer even if she asked. Even though it hadn’t even been a few days, the Grand Ducal family was full of mysteries.

Death of unknown cause…

This was what she was most curious about. Looking at Damon now, he never looked like he was going to die any time soon. Of course, in the original novel, his death ended with suicide. However, it was nonsense that all the Grand Dukes committed suicide.

“…Suicide?”

“Yes? what did you say?”

“No, nothing.”

Without realizing it, those words slipped out of Elysia’s mouth. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts.

The hypothesis that all of them committed suicide sounded incorrect.

First of all, she had to remember why Damon committed suicide. Although she was the one who reinvented the character, the original creator was her friend. In addition, it was a long time ago so the settings did not come to mind clearly.

“You don’t know how surprised I was to hear that the Madam went to the outer castle.”

“Isn’t it okay to come to the outer castle?”

Elysia tilted her head at Sebastian’s gesture of sighing and sweeping his chest. His reaction was as if she had gone to a place she shouldn’t have come.

“Normally, people from the Grand Ducal family do not go to the outer castle.”

“Why?”

“On the outside, there are usually only the Grand Duke and Sir Hubert.”

Well, the road to the outer castle was eerie, so it seemed that no one would want to come because she only thought she was being taken to the dungeon or torture chamber along the way. It was strange that Damon had an office in a place like this.

“Because the Master hates anyone entering the outer castle.”

Then, why did he ask her to come to the office?

“The road is very difficult…”

“Sebastian knows it, too?”

Even he seemed very used to the outside world. It didn’t seem like he had been here once or twice as he was able to come here and pick her up. Was it different because Sabastian was the butler?

“Ah… I think I’ve come.”

Elysia’s eyes narrowed at his obvious deflection. There seemed to be something on the outside. It was suspicious.

“Julia!”

“Your Grace, are you okay?”

“What?”

Not only Sebastian but also Julia had the same reaction. Her face turned white like she was quite surprised. She wondered what kind of place the outer castle was where everyone had this attitude, but Elysia was not a fool enough to risk her life for curiosity.

“I was surprised to hear that you had suddenly gone to the outer castle.”

“I went to His Grace’s office for a while.”

It was clear that this was no ordinary office. They didn’t usually put their office in such a terrifying place. Even though Elysia was able to get away with it this time, the next time, she didn’t know.

“I see.”

“Suddenly, Hubert came to visit…”

Julia pretended not to, but she looked around to see if Elysia was all right. Except for a little surprise, she was fine.

Elysia still couldn’t understand why Damon had called her. She was distraught like she had lost her soul. Although he seemed to have overheard her conversation with Estelle, he didn’t interrogate further.

At first, she thought he was calling her out of anger.

“I’m glad you were unharmed. Shall we prepare a meal?”

“No.”

When Estelle came, she had a snack so she wasn’t very hungry. More than anything, she was not in good condition as she skipped meals. The newfound knowledge made her head spin, and Elysia felt like her head would burst with worry.

“You should at least have a simple juice.”

“I ate a snack earlier.”

“Still, Your Grace… You must eat regular meals. If you skip meals, you will be in a bad condition.”

To be honest, even if she starved for a day, her body wouldn’t go back to the way it used to be. Even so, her body was severely lacking in durability, so it was fine to skip a meal. She had already eaten snacks, too, anyway.

“I will grind the fruit and send it to you.”

“Yes.”

Elysia eventually nodded her head at Julia’s hardline attitude, which did not seem to want to back down. In this state, she didn’t think anything she ate would go down her throat…

“Okay.”

“Your Grace, we’ll hold you.”

The moment she was about to climb the stairs, Chloe and Rachel approached her. It was to support her as she tried to climb her stairs. The only time Elysia nearly fell down the steps was when she was with Damon, but since then, she had never been up and down the stairs alone.

“It’s okay, I can go up alone.”

While she had only nearly fallen once, each time, they were so overprotective that she felt ashamed to death.

…She was not even a child who couldn’t walk.

“We sometimes make mistakes on the stairs as well.”

“Should we change the stairs first, after all?”

What was the person who designed these stairs thinking to make such a dangerous staircase? They must have wanted someone to die…

“Then, I’ll rest.”

Eventually, Elysia had no choice but to hold Rachel’s hand and climb the stairs. There was not just that, in case she fell, Chloe followed her. Nonetheless, she wasn’t even a child so this treatment was very uncomfortable.

“Shall I read Edward’s letter?”

Earlier, she couldn’t read the letter because of Hubert who suddenly came.

Regardless, she had no intention of reading Edward’s letter with Damon. As she thought so, Elysia looked through the blanket where she hid the letter, but Edward’s letter was nowhere to be seen.