It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 87

Even a fool could understand that becoming entangled with a traitor is dangerous. As Policia seemed cornered, she glared at Charlize with all her might.

“Please, don’t divert the issue! Unlike me, Your Highness, the Princess, has the power to save Viscount Bianchi, so why aren’t you doing anything?”

Charlize remained calm, not reacting to her rude words. Even though she was angry, there were times when her heart grew colder, and this was one of those moments.

“Because he committed treason. He attempted to slaughter an entire village, tried to kill all the employees in my estate, and betrayed His Majesty.”

The nobles, hearing these words directly from the princess, were shocked. Policia turned around, her face filled with panic as she looked around.

“Did the Viscount really do that?”

“He’s insane. So, it was him who tried to assassinate His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince…?”

The murmurs spread, with everyone beginning to suspect Viscount Bianchi. Policia, in tears, shouted out, her face filled with frustration.

“It’s all slander! The Viscount would never do such a thing! Why doesn’t anyone understand?”

Joanne, hearing her cry, felt a chill down her spine. Although she had wondered if there might be a plot behind it, hearing it directly from the person involved made her feel differently.

The Viscount’s beauty, talent, and noble lineage could not excuse everything.

‘Slaughter an entire village? That’s horrifying.’

The princess wouldn’t speak such things without a solid reason. Even if the Viscount had been the subject of rumors for a long time, the princess’s dignity as royalty would remain intact.

Even if Viscount Bianchi’s followers tried to downplay the situation.

‘Could it really be true that the Viscount did such a thing? I hope not…’

Joanne nervously looked at Charlize, whose cold expression made her seem even more like a true princess. It had been a while since she had seen her, and today she appeared more regal than ever.

“I think we should have that young lady removed. She’s gone too far with her delusions and is now denying reality. It would be best to hand her over to her guardian.”

As soon as the princess finished speaking, the Duchess of Gianni called for the servants with a stern look. It seemed she didn’t call for them immediately because Policia still had some status.

Policia frantically searched for her family, but they were too afraid to intervene and avoided her gaze. Meanwhile, the servants approached. The ones called were particularly strong, so they quickly overpowered Policia and dragged her away.

“L-let go! Your Highness!”

“Silence her.”

The maid who had come with the servants quickly commanded, and Policia’s mouth was covered by a firm hand. Joanne felt a chill in her heart as she watched Policia being dragged away in such a miserable state.

Joanne, too, had wanted to step forward and ask why the Viscount wasn’t being helped. The thought that she might end up in that situation made her face go pale.

‘I can’t live with such humiliation. I’ll never let that happen to me.’

As the atmosphere grew colder, the nobles watched the princess nervously. The young ladies, who had gone to change their clothes, were now returning. As they wore riding outfits that highlighted their slender figures, the men cast their gazes at them, only for their partners to nudge them in the ribs.

From the direction of the mansion, the servants were bringing the horses the young ladies were to ride. There hadn’t been any specific instructions to bring their own horses, so they planned to ride the ones lent by the Duke’s house.

“Which young lady will Your Highness be supporting?”

The Duchess of Gianni spoke to lighten the mood. Charlize already knew which young lady had earned the Empress’s favor and was receiving attention this season.

Charlize, with a confident face, glanced at the Duchess, her eyes sparkling. The other young ladies, too, looked at Charlize with hopeful expectations.

“I think it will be Lady Eretas.”

“I will definitely live up to Your Highness’s expectations!”

Lady Eretas, the daughter of Count Eretas, spoke with a glowing, confident face. As the nobles continued to voice their support for different young ladies, Achilles approached Charlize.

“You should not have left her side.”

“It’s nothing.”

Charlize knew that Achilles had been watching her with a stern expression. The fact that he hadn’t stepped forward was likely due to his consideration for her dignity.

Even so, Charlize had already developed a reputation as the weak princess who hid behind the Empress or her friends. After all, she had nearly died as a child and had been dragged around by Viscount Bianchi, which only reinforced this image.

‘The Emperor probably has a few of his closest aides at this picnic… I’ll never see that young lady’s face again.’

Most likely, the Emperor would use her as an example. Whether her family would protect her or let her fall, it was uncertain, but from their current reactions, it seemed they would choose the latter.

“Now, please take your positions at the starting line!”

The young ladies, each mounted on their horses, lined up at a slight distance from one another, as instructed by the Duchess of Gianni’s cheerful voice. Charlize, alongside Achilles, also turned to face the starting line, preparing to support Lady Eretas.

“Start!”
With the Duchess’s bright voice, the attendant raised the red flag to signal the start. The young ladies, who had been getting ready, immediately spurred their horses into motion.

Meanwhile…

‘Another maid’s room? Where on earth is the lady-in-waiting’s room?’
Susanna was searching the Duke’s mansion to find the lady-in-waiting’s room. In any mansion, the servant quarters were typically in a similar location, so she thought it would be easy to find. However, the problem was that she needed to dress as a ‘maid’ to carry out her plan.

The servant quarters on the first floor were all for the men. Susanna searched through the closets, opened doors, and wandered to other rooms. Eventually, she found a maid’s room in a deeper section of the house but had to leave immediately.

‘I’m going to pick up the princess! Even if I’m just a noblewoman, I’m not going to send a maid to summon the princess!’
Susanna’s plan was simple. She intended to use the Duke’s mother, the Duchess, who was in poor health and confined to the mansion, to her advantage.

By disguising herself as one of the Duchess’s maids, she would lure the princess under the pretense of needing to speak with her urgently. No noble would be able to recognize the face of a servant, so Susanna believed her plan would work.

‘Of course, I’ll have to avoid the Duke and other servants’ eyes, but still…’
She’d guide the princess to a secluded room under the guise of showing her the way, then claim that the Duchess was ill and no attendants could enter. The princess would undoubtedly go alone into the room.

And then—
‘I’ll slash her face with this dagger and push her out of the window!’
Susanna had already chosen the room. She had found it while sneaking around the mansion, looking for the maid’s room.

She took the paper knife she had hidden in her pocket, caressing it as she smiled secretly. Her thirst for revenge burned within her, but this was the extent of what she could do.

‘This will delay the wedding for sure… And it’ll buy us time to save the Viscount!’
She desperately wanted to save Viscount Bianchi, but she had to consider the reality of the situation. The Imperial Palace was far too vast, and it was impossible for a noblewoman like her to locate the dungeon on her own.

She had thought about sneaking into the palace each night to find the dungeon, but the limitation of her magical tools was a fatal flaw.
No matter how hard Susanna tried, she could only move 100 meters at a time. While she could enter any closed space, the distance didn’t extend beyond that.

‘That magician still hasn’t provided me with better tools…’
After leaving the maid’s room, Susanna walked down the hallway, only to be startled by an unexpected voice.

“Susanna! What are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you!”
From far down the hallway, Joanne recognized her and hurried up the stairs. Susanna quickly looked around, realizing she was passing by a large hall with an open view of the staircase. The hall had three levels and a high ceiling.

She hadn’t seen Joanne earlier when she looked down, but now Joanne appeared from the hallway.

“You were looking for me?”
“Yeah! Do you know what happened earlier? Policia is completely determined! Guess what….”
Joanne caught up with Susanna and grabbed her arm as she started talking. Despite the ongoing event, Susanna’s heart raced as time was running out.

She needed to approach the princess during the event when people’s attention was diverted. To do that, she had to hurry, but Joanne still held onto her arm, not letting go.

“Are you listening? Policia was dragged out by the servants! It was so pathetic. You should have seen it…”
Despite the word “pathetic,” there was excitement in Joanne’s voice. She sounded thrilled as if the scene had delighted her immensely.

Had it been in the past, Susanna would have agreed with Joanne. She would have pretended to pity Policia while secretly wishing to have witnessed the scene of her being dragged away.

But not now.
Susanna was preparing to harm Princess Charlize, and she could end up in the same position as Policia at any moment. Joanne’s behavior now felt unbearable. Normally, she could have just scowled and ignored it, but today, it felt infuriating.

“You really seem excited?”
Joanne immediately caught the sarcasm in Susanna’s sharp retort. Joanne’s eyes turned fierce, no longer tolerating the criticism.

“Excited? What are you talking about? I said Policia was pitiful.”
“Just saying ‘pitiful’ doesn’t hide the fact that you enjoyed it. You were thrilled to watch the spectacle. How can you be so cruel when Policia is in the same situation as us? Do you really care about Viscount Bianchi?”
Susanna’s words struck a nerve, and Joanne’s face darkened with anger. Deep down, Susanna felt a sense of satisfaction at seeing Joanne’s expression.

This was the same thing she had always wanted to say to Joanne.

But the words that came from Joanne next made Susanna’s expression twist in distaste.

“You’re only interested in the Viscount’s handsome face. Why are you so invested in it? Do you think that traitor will even acknowledge you, no matter how much you whine? That’s why people call you foolish and immature.”
For a moment, Susanna’s mind went blank. By the time she regained her senses, she could hear a long, piercing scream from below.

“Lady, what are you doing?!”
Susanna looked down at the bottom of the stairs in alarm. She had reflexively pushed Joanne, who now lay at the foot of the stairs, trembling.

Pale and shocked, Susanna quickly used her magical tools to escape the scene.

Support