I Made a Mistake in my Confession. Can I Cancel it? - Chapter 25
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 25
“Don’t you think it would be interesting?”
“It’s not even worth listening to anymore.”
There was nothing good about keeping the unpredictable Arian next to Lillian. Moreover, being exposed to such questioning could potentially bring up uncomfortable truths.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, I understand. The Sun Festival event will proceed as planned, so please calm your anger.”
When Arian grabbed him, he couldn’t bring himself to shake him off and sat back down. Then Arian spoke with gleaming eyes.
“Instead, I’ll definitely invite Lady Bella, so please don’t stop that.”
At the mention of that name, Kartan’s expression turned cold.
“Must you really invite that woman?”
“Yes. Otherwise, I’ll have to invite Lady Lillian to soothe my lonely and desolate heart. No, actually, I think it would be better to have her travel the entire nation to create a botanical encyclopedia.”
“You’ve really got my weakness figured out.”
His head ached, so he held his forehead. But Arian, lost in his thoughts, didn’t even pretend to listen to him.
“Uncle! Lady Bella is so enchantingly beautiful. She’s probably the most suitable beauty for the Empress position in the Empire. Whether it’s family background or beauty, she lacks nothing, doesn’t she?”
Bella Ariana was an extremely tiresome woman. As the only daughter of a ducal house, she carried the title of the Empire’s finest bride candidate, but she brought issues wherever she went.
Watching Arian’s gleaming eyes and happiness, Kartan sighed. It was obvious that the capital would be in an uproar again.
4. Bella Ariana
“Miss, this is an invitation from the Imperial Palace.”
Bella had come down to the provincial territory following her father, Duke Ariana. Local noble young ladies who had heard the news had come to visit and were having tea time together.
Bella lightly brushed her ruby-like gleaming red hair with her hand.
“Read it.”
She drank black tea while listening to the maid’s recitation. The content was nothing special. It simply stated that she was invited to the Sun Festival banquet. Yet the young ladies listening beside her made a big fuss.
“Oh my! Is this perhaps His Majesty the Emperor’s personal handwriting?”
“It really is! I know well because my father once won a bid for His Majesty the Emperor’s personal handwriting at an auction!”
“Wow, I’m so envious! My dream is to visit the capital just once.”
Bella simply smiled, lifting the corners of her mouth as if it were nothing special.
“Even your smiling face is truly beautiful, Miss.”
“That’s right, it’s truly dazzling! You truly deserve to be called the continent’s greatest beauty. At this rate, you might even receive a marriage proposal from His Majesty the Emperor!”
In response, Bella spoke benevolently.
“You should all come visit the capital sometime. I’ll invite you.”
“Oh my! Really?”
“Of course.”
Bella lifted her teacup while watching the young ladies jumping around excitedly at her words.
‘As expected, provincial girls are vulgar.’
In the capital, she was always surrounded by people and enjoyed parties every other day, but there was nothing fun here. All there was were vast lands and smelly commoners!
‘If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have pestered Father.’
She was entertaining them out of boredom, but their low standards made it bothersome to continue like this.
That said, she didn’t particularly want to return to the capital either. The endless parties that continued day after day had become nauseating.
“Tell them I can’t go.”
“Yes, Miss.”
As soon as the maid left, the young ladies all began chattering with disappointed faces. But now even that was annoying.
“I’m a bit tired and would like to rest.”
She subtly hinted for them to leave, but these vulgar provincial girls seemed unable to understand unless told outright.
She was about to tell them to leave when one of the young ladies clapped her hands.
“Ah! Speaking of which, have you all heard that story? His Grace Archduke Kartan has gotten a lover, can you believe it!”
Bella instantly raised one eyebrow.
“What do you mean by that, Count’s Daughter?”
“Oh, well…”
When the answer was delayed, Bella’s nerves sharpened. Unable to wait, she asked again.
“Surely you’re referring to that His Grace Archduke Kartan Kairos that I know?”
“Yes, that’s what I heard.”
“Which family’s Count’s Daughter is she?”
Sensing that Bella’s reaction was unusual, the young ladies began glancing at each other nervously.
“Well, I heard she’s the illegitimate daughter of a recently fallen baronial house. She’s working as some kind of gardener at the Imperial Palace, and her name was… I can’t remember…”
Bang.
Having heard that much, Bella unconsciously slammed the table.
“Such…!”
She was so angry she couldn’t bear it. She stormed out of her seat and ordered a maid.
“Tell Father that I’m going to the capital city right now.”
“What? Suddenly, what do you mean…?”
Slap.
The questioning maid’s cheek turned away. Only then did Bella take a deep breath and speak.
“Don’t talk back to me.”
“Sob… Yes.”
Even her sniveling appearance was hard to tolerate. Not provoking their master’s mood was their most important role.
Soon Bella called the head butler.
“Get that thing out of my sight. How exactly did you educate her?”
“I apologize.”
“I’m going to the capital city right now, so prepare. I need to attend the Sun Festival banquet.”
She couldn’t let the Archduke be stolen by some worthless nobody. Kartan was the only man she had marked as her spouse.
He was on a different level from that immature puppet Emperor. He was strong and the Empire’s true emperor. Moreover, she was the only woman who could help him accomplish ‘that thing he couldn’t bring himself to do.’ So probably even looking across the entire continent, there was no match better suited for him than herself!
‘But the Archduke chose a mere gardener? Over me?’
No matter how beautiful she might be, she was a pathetic woman incomparable to herself. Her pride wouldn’t allow the Archduke to be stolen by such a woman.
“Something must be wrong about this! I need to see for myself with my own eyes. What are you all standing around for instead of packing quickly?”
Bella, who had been gritting her teeth and pressuring the servants, suddenly hesitated.
‘But what if the rumor is true…?’
As her thoughts reached that point, her fingertips began trembling. Soon she clenched her fists and made a resolution.
‘What’s wrong must be corrected! I can’t just stand here in a daze and let my things be taken away!’
5. Sun Festival Banquet
Finally, the Sun Festival had begun. The streets were filled with musicians and people shared their year’s harvest with each other, celebrating the birth of the First Founding Emperor.
“Your Grace the Archduke, am I really allowed to go too?”
Lillian kept repeating the same question over and over even while riding in the carriage. Eventually, Kartan answered in a tired voice.
“It’s written right there. Can’t you see it?”
“I just can’t believe it! I thought only high-ranking nobles from the capital were invited to things like this.”
She was so excited about attending a banquet for the first time in her life that she couldn’t sleep a wink the night before.
“By any chance, do people dance and things like that?”
“You seem to be mistaking it for some kind of ball, but it’s just a boring event where you listen to speeches. So don’t get your hopes up too much.”
“Yes…”
But she still couldn’t take her eyes off the invitation. For him, it might just be an event he attended regularly, but for Lillian, it was a historic day.
Suddenly, Kartan chuckled softly.
“Are you that happy?”
At this, Lillian felt embarrassed.
‘Oh, was I being too excited? If I’m too happy about this kind of thing, I’ll look unsophisticated.’
Lillian deliberately cleared her throat and feigned indifference.
“No, it’s an event to listen to speeches, so I should approach it seriously too.”
“…”
Suddenly, he frowned as if something displeased him, then ran his hand through his hair.
“What I mean is… No, never mind.”
Then he sighed and stared out the window. Lillian looked at him in bewilderment.
‘What? Did I make a mistake?’
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong.
“Your Grace the Archduke.”
Lillian’s voice was drowned out by the coachman’s shout announcing that they had arrived at the banquet hall.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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