The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 88

“Hoo, hoo.”

Midienna returned to her room and breathed heavily.

Earlier, she had run into Lydian and casually hid the letter behind her back, but her heart felt like it was about to burst.

In the empty room without Yehara, she quickly poured water from the kettle and gulped it down, her throat dry from panting. Then she hastily scanned her surroundings.

Midienna quickly sank into the sofa and tore it open. Were they really the kind of people who would help her?

“Ah, this.”

In the meantime, she properly took out the letter that had been tucked away, unfolded it and let out a sigh at the somewhat disappointing contents written inside.

Midienna’s room was primarily white with lots of purple decorations, but recently, an additional partition had appeared in one corner.

Only Yehara, who was organizing things, knew what she was doing inside there.

Midienna started to walk in there but plopped down on the bed instead.

This envelope was a reply to a letter she had sent directly to Geranel’s headquarters, which she had someone investigate.

Without even thinking about who gathered there or who the leader was, she had immediately tried to confirm with that mysterious man whether such a thing was possible. She had been that impatient.

In her letter to them, she hadn’t specified anything clear. Things like a woman named Sasha having some subtle connection with monsters, or Lydian seeming to have some scheme involving the mountain range.

In fact, these matters weren’t strictly necessary if her goal was ultimately to elevate her own position. Geranel was an organization located on the frontier to monitor monster movements and control them according to their own interests. Initially established for public welfare, it now had nothing to do with that and instead harmed the empire by exploiting monsters.

So, from her perspective, it was right to reject them.

“Hasn’t the situation become a bit dangerous now? I should have just come back from there, why did I have to be holding the envelope just then?”

It seemed she had been caught by Lydian, whom she met earlier between the imperial palace and the empress’s palace.

How could he be so elusive? It was truly baffling.

She didn’t know how her heart had plummeted when he called her.

Ldian, being the emperor, was busy, yet such encounters happened quite frequently. Even when walking far away, if he spotted her, he would always greet her briefly before passing by.

Sometimes it was to the point where she wondered if he had recognized her from afar.

Just now, she had been so startled it felt like her heart might drop out, but because of him, she could lead a palace life that wasn’t lonely.

It was the same earlier. He couldn’t resist speaking to her, wandering alone without even Yehara, so he had approached her.

Anyway, even after narrowly sending Lydian off and returning, she thought that if it weren’t for the envelope, she could have conversed with him more naturally. But, feeling regret did that mean she regretted meeting him like that for a brief chat? Did she want to talk more?

In any case, in the letter sent to Geranel, she hadn’t revealed too much from the start.

It was also meant to gauge their response based on what she knew about the origins of monsters. And she had heard what kind of group Geranel was. That people ostracized by the empire were using Geranel to shake the empire and prepare for their own uprising.

She also asked if there had been anyone there who had communicated with monsters so far. Strangely, their conversation had sounded oddly suggestive, so Midienna had asked Lydian for more details.

About the story of Kyler and Sasha who went to the Uhalin Forest.

She had asked about monsters in many places and had even subtly inquired with him personally. And there, she had discovered something that didn’t sit right.

When the second monster appeared, it was said that the monster didn’t attack that woman right away. And it was said that Sasha also said something while looking at it.

After that, there was no further mention. It seemed that part had also been relayed from Kyler’s mouth, but after that, Kyler never mentioned that part again.

So, it couldn’t help but bother her. That’s why she ended up trying to borrow information from the group called Geranel.

But the letter from Geranel said the same thing. In Geranel’s history spanning hundreds of years, there had not been a single person who conversed with monsters, and they hadn’t even heard of an example where any degree of communication, short of conversation, had occurred.

“Then what on earth, is it?”

But no matter how firmly everything was denied, once suspicion had taken root in Midienna’s mind, it wouldn’t leave.

Was it just something that sounded that way from hearsay? But couldn’t that be a hint leading to something bigger?

Since it was connected to the eldest daughter of Ivern, she couldn’t let it go even more.

“First, it would be good to keep connected with this group. It might come in handy.”

Midienna had no intention of calming her burning eyes. It seemed she would have to keep pursuing this matter until the fire burning in her chest was extinguished.

“Your Majesty, may I enter?”

“Yes.”

A knock was heard from outside and Yehara entered. Her appearance always brought relief.

“So, where have you been?”

“Yes, His Majesty the Emperor subtly summoned me earlier and instructed me to send a gift along with a letter to the Medilan Ducal Residence.”

“His Majesty had you run an errand?”

“Yes. He instructed that the gift be silk and that it be sent as if from Her Majesty the Empress.”

Even in such things Lydian’s consideration was felt. If Yehara went and handled the matter personally, it would be treated as something handled by the empress’s palace.

This time, it was sent to her father, but usually, he left it as if she had handled it, making it seem like she managed the important affairs of the imperial palace.

“I see, you’ve worked hard, again this time.”

“Not at all. It’s fine.”

Saying that, Yehara began to look around the spacious room, leaving Midienna holding the letter.

Perhaps she wanted to give Midienna space to write her letter. His consideration was endless.

“That seems like a good idea, too. But would His Majesty allow it?”

Midienna took out a sheet of letter paper and picked up a black pen.

“His Majesty the Emperor always asks that. Whether there is anything Her Majesty the Empress finds difficult or uncomfortable.”

Midienna, who was just dipping her pen in ink, flinched at that. Lydian was always like that.

“Since he is always that kind of person, he doesn’t get flustered and waits. Right?”

Midienna could only nod at that. He always seemed like someone who was intensely attentive for her sake.

“In the early days there were often people here and there who spoke ill of Her Majesty’s feelings, but if His Majesty the Emperor found out, it was practically a near-death experience. They would be taken away without a trace, thoroughly beaten, and then released or fined heavily.”

Midienna glanced up. She was hearing this story for the first time. What Yehara referred to as ‘early days’ or ‘those feelings’ were precisely Midienna’s deepest wounds.

“His Majesty went that far?”

When she first entered the imperial palace, she was just a woman who had newly arrived, at a time when Medilan’s influence didn’t fully reach.

And at that time, she had ended up harboring feelings for someone she shouldn’t have.

The situation had escalated so severely that even within the imperial palace, there were many who insulted her. But Midienna, as if in defiance, hadn’t been able to hide it properly, and that was when the confrontations occurred.

“Did I just think it had naturally died down, but it wasn’t natural after all?”

To protect me, he became immersed in that emotion.

And such discourtesy within the imperial palace had completely disappeared within a few months. So, I just thought, that’s how it is. That even if people here insulted me like that at first, they would eventually forget.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t I be forgotten too? Then wouldn’t I be able to do many things as I pleased?

Holding on like that, when Lydian forcibly stepped in and proceeded with Kyler’s marriage, Midienna had shut herself in her room and refused to see anyone.

“So, when he heard news that a petition was being drafted behind the scenes, he hurriedly arranged Duke Kyler’s marriage to prevent it. We were so fortunate that Duke Ignote quickly found a match. If it had been even a little later, the petition would have been completed.”

The story of the petition to depose the empress was quite a shock to her.

“That, there was such talk back then?”

The inked pen lost its way and stopped on the letter paper. Drip, plop without even noticing the ink falling and spreading on the paper, Midienna was staring at Yehara.

Yehara wasn’t the type to bring up such stories carelessly. Her firmly closed lips trembled slightly, as if she had decided she must tell this to Midienna, who had been unaware.

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress. That too was all part of His Majesty the Emperor’s plan, moved for Your Majesty’s sake.”

Support