Celebrity Lady - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Chapter 40
* * *
After finishing my sunbathing, I returned to my room and stepped out onto the terrace.
Wisht approached my side and asked carefully.
“Are you just going to stand by and watch them clomping around this house like they own it?”
From the terrace of my second-floor room, the Garden spread out below in full view. There were people there, passing a happy moment together.
Molga laughing like an angel, the Twins darting here and there, and Biego sitting at one end of the table, watching over them all.
“Of course not. I was actually thinking of making a move soon, but unfortunately my plans have changed a bit.”
“What do you mean?”
Wisht rested his arms on the terrace railing, propped his chin on his hand, and turned to look at me.
With his red hair and youthful face, he looked so much like a younger brother that I reached over and stroked his head a couple of times.
“What is it…….”
“You look much better like this than you did as Crown Prince. Keep it this way.”
I laughed softly, then my eyes narrowed sharply as I fixed my gaze on Molga below.
“Do you know what happened to Father in the last life?”
At my sudden question, Wisht’s eyes narrowed as he searched his memory.
“Didn’t he waste away from drink, his body growing weak? And then I think he just died suddenly?”
“That’s what I thought too. But it turns out, our family physician—someone Molga had probably bought off—kept prescribing Father poison. Harmless on its own, but lethal when mixed with alcohol.”
Wisht’s face went rigid.
“You’re saying he was deliberately murdered?”
“Four people in this household have died since Molga arrived.”
I held up four fingers to show him, then folded them down one by one as I spoke.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, and Father.”
……
“Of course, the causes of death were all different. Grandfather died of old age. Grandmother’s health deteriorated rapidly from worry and heartbreak, they said. Mother fell ill after giving birth to me and never recovered. Father, as you know, drank and smoked.”
I took a breath, then looked down at Molga again as I continued.
“Taken individually, each death seems perfectly reasonable. None of them are particularly suspicious. But…….”
……
“……when you put them all together, doesn’t something seem strange? A family with no curse, yet everyone dies so easily?”
“Are you saying that woman had a hand in it?”
“It could be a leap in logic, but I have my suspicions.”
I laid it out piece by piece.
“After Grandmother died, Molga managed to secure the title of Duke’s wife. A woman who should have lived her entire life as a mistress.”
……
“And that will Grandfather left before he died—wasn’t it rather extraordinary? He had the Twins registered as legitimate heirs, and ordered that after his death, Molga be allowed to remain in the Duke’s House and treated with respect as the Dowager Duchess.”
“That’s right. The Twins aren’t from the legitimate wife, so at first he didn’t want to register them, but I heard he changed his mind before he died.”
“Exactly. If not for that will, after Father inherited the Duke’s title, Molga would have had to leave and live separately. The Twins would naturally have been independent with their mother as well.”
“So your point is.”
Wisht added, his voice tinged with anger.
“Molga benefited from their deaths.”
“Yes. And perhaps, from Mother’s death as well.”
……
“After Father inherited the Duke’s title, Mother became the new mistress of the household. In that situation, Molga would have been severely restricted in what she could do.”
“She would have been.”
“Things like household accounts and managing the staff—the privileges of the mistress that an aging woman in the back rooms couldn’t touch. She must have resented that.”
“Surely……you’re not saying……”
“After Mother passed, most of those powers fell into Molga’s hands, didn’t they?”
When I turned back with sharp eyes, Wisht met my gaze with a tense expression.
“The only one who wouldn’t move according to Molga’s wishes was Father, but even that would have ended three years later. Once Biego became Duke, it would have been entirely Molga’s world.”
“To Biego, that woman is no different than a mother.”
“Right. I don’t think all these deaths in our family are mere coincidence.”
“I see.”
“If my suspicions are true, I can’t just drive Molga out for my own peace of mind and call it done.”
Still watching Molga below with my chin resting loosely, I spun around and left the room.
‘How far back does her rot go?’
I descended the stairs quickly and headed for the Garden.
‘If tormenting Rubet wasn’t all of it. If she’s committed far worse crimes.’
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me at my sudden appearance.
“Rubet?”
I rushed toward Molga with a bright smile.
‘You won’t escape me gently.’
As I threw myself into her arms, Molga caught me in surprise.
“Rubet?”
“Connasse!”
“Hmm?”
When I spouted French that no one else would understand, quite elegantly at that, Molga pulled me back and asked with angelic tenderness in her eyes.
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve been studying foreign languages lately. It’s from somewhere across the sea, and it means ‘I love you,’ apparently.”
At my words, Molga’s eyes glistened with emotion as she covered her mouth and turned to Biego.
I pouted my lips and spoke.
“I’m sorry for whining at you lately, Grandmother.”
“No, Rubet. I’m the one who’s been sorry for not giving you more attention. Riki was teasing you with harsh words, I hear?”
Molga stroked my hair as she continued.
“I’ve already scolded them thoroughly, so don’t worry about it.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Biego, who had been staring blankly at me, looked away awkwardly when our eyes met. There was both a touch of guilt and relief in his expression—relief that I had finally let go of my anger.
I hugged Molga tightly around the waist again. She stiffened, but on the surface stroked my back with tenderness.
She must be thinking plenty. What scheme am I up to now, she’d be wondering.
I laughed and said once more.
Connasse!
“Connasse!(You bitch!)”
* * *
Four days later, the first weekend in August.
The day a Social Gathering was to be held.
I sent word to Lizbeth asking if she’d like to go to the party together, and she replied enthusiastically that she would.
When I arrived at the Garden of Asto Palace, where the Crown Princesses resided, I spotted Lizbeth.
And Lark too, disheveled as if he’d just come from the Training Grounds.
“Hello.”
“My, Your Highness? I didn’t expect to see you today. It’s been so long.”
“Indeed. But…….”
Lark smiled and greeted me as I stepped down from the carriage, then asked with a worried expression.
“Are you unwell, Gongnyeo?”
“Pardon?”
At his abrupt question, I looked puzzled, but Lizbeth suddenly butted in.
“How come you’ve lost so much weight?”
“Oh.”
Since I checked my body every day, I hadn’t really noticed, but…….
‘I’ve lost over ten kilos. Of course there’s going to be a difference.’
I laughed toward Lizbeth and shrugged my shoulders.
“I suppose it’s because I’ve been exercising lately.”
“What, what kind of exercise made you lose this much weight? In just a month? You were rolling around just last month!”
Lizbeth seemed displeased that I, who should have looked at least slightly plumper standing next to her, had lost weight so dramatically.
“Just running. And I cut back on snacking a bit.”
“And what’s with this dress?”
Lizbeth’s eyes scanned me up and down.
A deep violet empire-waist dress characterized by an elegant neckline.
With the shoulder pads removed and the bust area cinched, it didn’t look heavy, and without a corset, the loose waistline was perfect for concealing a fuller figure.
“A new boutique opened in Ruenthen. It’s called Blanc de Ruby. It’s this season’s new collection, and the design is quite nice, so I had one made.”
I shamelessly advertised my shop to Lizbeth.
“I haven’t really lost that much weight. It’s just that the dress design makes it look slimmer.”
“Well, I suppose…….”
Lizbeth’s eyes wavered as she looked down at her own dress with its burdensome padded shoulders and glittering ribbons plastered all over it.
Not only did it make her fuller figure appear even heavier, the design was so garishly childish it made you wince.
Today’s Lizbeth’s fashion was nothing short of a disaster, but it wasn’t really a matter of her lacking taste.
‘It’s just the style that’s in fashion right now, after all.’
Every single noble girl in the kingdom wore dresses like this these days.
‘Of course, once Sara Vigo wears my dress for the first time today, the fashion will flip on its head right away!’
I forced down the smile that was trying to bloom on my face.
“Look at this!”
Just then, Lizbeth, who had been stealing glances at me, displayed the top of her head proudly, unwilling to lose face.
“My brother bought it for me yesterday!”
A Hair Band studded densely with pink diamonds.
“Wow! It’s really beautiful. I’m so jealous.”
“Ahem.”
Jeweled hair bands were currently a fashionable accessory among noble girls of this age.
‘I should design hair bands and hair pins too.’
As I played along with Lizbeth’s boasting, I was mentally sketching new business ideas, when Lark suddenly thrust something toward me.
“……?”
In his hand was a Hair Band with a single transparent diamond set as an accent.
It was a simple design, but it looked extraordinarily expensive.
“A gift.”
“Pardon? For me?”
I was flustered, and Lizbeth’s mouth fell open as she looked up at Lark.
“Brother? You bought this for Rubet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I want to give it to her. Do I need another reason?”
Lark brushed off the question nonchalantly and waved his hand for me to take it, and I accepted his gift with an awkward feeling.
“Thank you.”
“Will you be exercising today?”
“Well, I always do. I’ll probably leave the party around eight, so I’ll be out a bit late today.”
“That’s concerning—it’s dangerous at such a late hour. But I’m glad. I was planning to go out tonight too.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll see you then.”
“Good.”
As we chatted away, I felt eyes on me. Lizbeth was glaring at me with displeasure written all over her face.
“Rubet, you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You don’t happen to have designs on my brother, do you?”
“Pardon?”
For a moment, Lark and I exchanged glances.
“You don’t, right?”
Lizbeth puffed out her cheeks and asked persistently, her eyes narrowed in warning.
I laughed and shook my head.
“It’s nothing like that.”
“That’s what I thought. If you had any conscience, you wouldn’t dare fancy my brother.”
‘Geez, this pint-sized thing.’
Her words were annoying, but she was so young I had no will to argue with her. I simply laughed it off.
“Of course. I know myself quite well, after all. How could I ever presume to set my sights on the Crown Prince?”
“Good, good.”
Lizbeth nodded in satisfaction.
When I glanced sideways, Lark was standing with his arms crossed, eyeing his silly little sister meaningfully.
I quickly climbed into the prepared carriage and hurried Lizbeth along.
“We’re late, so let’s go.”
“Right! Brother, I’ll be back!”
As Lizbeth nimbly climbed into the seat beside me, Lark motioned the coachman forward and took hold of the carriage door himself.
“Liz.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry, but the one with designs here isn’t the Gongnyeo—it’s your brother.”
“……?”
Lizbeth, who had been happily kicking her feet, froze in alarm and turned to Lark.
“What did you say?”
“Anyway, go have fun.”
With a bright smile, Lark shut the carriage door before Lizbeth could say anything more.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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