I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 42

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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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Chapter 42
“Commander!!!”
The knights seated around the room sprang to their feet in unison, their voices overlapping.
Leon stepped back slightly, caught off guard by the overwhelming display.
Though even as he retreated, he kept me close.
“Yes, it’s been a while, all of you.”
“We’re relieved to see you looking well. Though, of course, you’d naturally be in good health.”
“We heard about your engagement. Congratulations!”
“I’m sorry I didn’t give you advance notice. The situation developed rather more quickly than expected.”
I pricked up my ears, listening carefully as I pieced together their conversation.
From what they were saying, he had apparently left the Temple on the very day of the incident to spend a pre-planned vacation on the Island.
So everyone naturally assumed he was simply on leave.
But then—well, far more time passed than it should have, and the Commander never returned. What came instead were rumors of his engagement and his dishonorable dismissal.
Goodness. Him, of all people—that paragon of integrity.
The one with that handsome face and impressive pedigree who somehow never quite put it to proper use, earning the nickname “false merchandise.”
He’d gone on vacation and somehow lost something far greater in the bargain.
The Knights Order itself had been thrown into chaos and uproar in the aftermath.
‘No wonder they’re confused. They thought he was on leave, and he’s turned out to be permanently removed.’
I found myself understanding their distress rather well.
“But we’ve also heard that Serbando refuses to accept your resignation.”
“Yes, and that’s precisely why I’m here—to resolve that matter.”
Leon answered with a somewhat heavy expression.
So it came to this: he’d been told it won’t work out after all.
“So what does the Chief Priest say? Does he still refuse to approve the engagement?”
“He’s rejected my resignation outright, even after his reelection. I thought it was a matter for the Constellation Council, but apparently it isn’t.”
Leon said this bitterly, explaining how Serbando had firmly refused to accept his resignation despite being re-elected.
So he wasn’t going to relinquish this golden thread after all, was he?
In that case…
“Then there’s no helping it. There’s truly no alternative if things have come to this…”
“We’ll have to remove him.”
“What?”
I gazed at Leon with a look that said there was simply no other choice, and his eyes widened noticeably.
Then a smile played across his face.
Meanwhile, the aide standing beside him had clapped his hands over his mouth and was hiccupping in shock.
What? Why did they look so startled?
“How? How should we remove him? Tell me, Erna.”
What’s this? Why does he look so pleased all of a sudden?
And why does everyone else look so shaken?
Had I said something strange?
“How? Well, obviously…
“It would be best to remove him outright, wouldn’t it?”
“Pardon?”
“It would be simpler and cleaner that way.”
What was I saying?
“Of course—we should determine his wrongdoings and legitimately strip him of his position. Think about it: Serbando has far too many grounds for disqualification.”
“Exactly!”
Vincent suddenly roared out, his voice cracking with emotion.
In an instant, the mood had reversed.
Leon was still smiling, though beneath it lay a glimmer of displeasure, while Vincent—who had just been reeling from shock—now stood with his hands clasped together, his face alight with gratitude.
What was wrong with them? Truly.
“…Yes, Erna. I’ve been thinking the same thing, truth be told.”
“Is that so? Thank goodness. The problem is finding a method. Unfortunately, we don’t have evidence.”
There were testimonies, certainly, but they would likely carry no weight.
Even if they were testimonies, they came from the holy knights.
Those bound to the Temple could never openly come forward and denounce the Chief Priest’s corruption.
And the nobility had all used the services Serbando provided; they would never allow their own shameful secrets to be laid bare before the world.
“I have materials. I’ve been collecting them over the past few years, just in case.”
“Really?”
My goodness.
At the mention of materials, my eyes seemed to shine.
A person with good preparedness was invariably attractive.
Perhaps that feeling of mine had gotten through to him.
He who had looked subtly dissatisfied flinched, and the stern line of his mouth soon softened.
“The problem is the method of transmitting that material. If we release it openly from our side, they’ll definitely counter by questioning the document’s authenticity.”
“I see. Then we need to find another approach……. Wait!”
Something occurred to me, and I snapped my fingers.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me at my reaction.
“Come to think of it, hasn’t high society been rather quiet these past few days?”
There had been incident after incident, each day bursting with fresh drama and scandal.
“It’s about time for some new gossip to surface.”
I smiled wickedly.
* * *
“Pardon? The press?”
“Yes. The press.”
“……Weren’t you opposed to that?”
Jang asked carefully, anxiety written across his face.
How could he not be shocked? Barely back from the Temple, suddenly summoned here—and now I was saying we needed to use the press. Of course he was alarmed.
“I have some information on our side that’s worth releasing. Since I’m planning to stir up some controversy, I needed a list of prominent journalists.”
“Then perhaps we should select those who are sympathetic to Zacherete…….”
“No. I want B-tier newspapers and below—the kind that deal in tabloid filth. And their journalists, specifically.”
“Pardon?”
Jang’s eyes flickered with unease as he clearly wondered what I intended to do with such journalists, but I ignored it.
“A list of journalists from B-tier newspapers and below, as well as those who publish low-grade tabloids. I’ve excluded any established names or credible outlets, as you instructed.”
My remarkably competent administrator returned within half a day with a list of journalists meeting exactly my specifications.
“You’ve thoroughly vetted all of them?”
“Yes. Though I did apply some basic filters on my end……. You’re really going through with this?”
“I’ve had it done to me enough.”
At my words, Jang—who had been sending anxious glances the whole time—finally seemed to accept it and nodded.
‘Let’s see. Who would be the best choice?’
As I ran through the list, a familiar name caught my eye.
Ah, that’s right—they existed too.
“. I want Reka Valeksi as the journalist.”
“Pardon? Evening Bell?! And who did you say? Wait—you’re not planning to do an interview with that journalist, are you?”
Lora, expressing similar concerns nearby, practically leaped up in protest.
Why would I not? Reka Valeksi of Evening Bell.
That journalist was the kind of trash who wrote nothing but vulgar drivel—the type that made you swear just hearing her name.
Especially since she had some inexplicable grudge against Zacherete and was always fabricating stories about us, she was all the more perfect for this.
“Let’s go with her.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Dead serious. Jang, make contact with this journalist—carefully, mind you. Don’t use my name, naturally. Hire an intermediary and leak the story. Here, I’ve outlined the content.”
Muttering something about what kind of tabloid garbage I was spreading, Jang took the note I offered and went absolutely rigid.
Lora came closer, scanning the paper sideways—and her mouth fell open in shock before she cried out.
“Are you in your right mind, Duchess?! You’re actually going to release this as a story?!”
Yes. Sorry, but I was in complete possession of my faculties.
And the very next day.
The spiritless Orden high society was thrown into chaos once more.
At the center of the scandal, naturally, was the Duchess of Zacherete.
* * *
[EXCLUSIVE] A Scandalous Affair at the Temple—Was the Duchess of Zacherete a Loyal Customer?
[SHOCKING] Love Purchased with Money? Can Money Buy Everything? Even Securing Marriage to the Grand Duke Bernstein?
[BREAKING] The Temple’s VVIP Service? If You Want Prayers from a Handsome Priest, Bring Your Wallet!
The Capital’s high society erupted in uproar.
The scandalsheet infamous throughout the Capital——was churning out one damning exposé after another.
Nearly every page of that gossip rag was plastered with my photographs, each headline sensational enough to be devastating.
And there, reproduced from who-knows-where: portions of a Donation Certificate.
Reka Valeksi, the chief journalist of Evening Bell, presented a certificate bearing an astonishing sum—nearly half the Temple’s annual charitable donations in a single year—and declared that only by donating such an amount did one qualify to marry “Leon Obsidian,” effectively smearing me across her pages.
“Heh.”
“You’re laughing? You’re being subjected to this humiliation, Duchess!”
An incensed Lora practically snatched the newspaper away, fuming.
One way or another, I had no intention of stopping my laughter.
“Of course I’m laughing. Everything’s unfolding just as I planned.”
Things are flowing exactly the way I envisioned them.

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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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