I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 53

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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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Episode 53
Good heavens. What on earth is happening?
“I’ve never received a confession from another woman before.”
“……So you have from men, then?”
Inside the rattling carriage.
At the complaint-laden voice from the seat across from me, I lifted my head, both cheeks cupped in my palms, and there sat Leon with a sullen expression.
After dropping Isabel off at the Duke Residence, we were on our way back to the Marquis Residence together.
“Well, I wouldn’t say there have been none.”
It wasn’t boasting—it was genuinely true.
Regardless of whether one is exceptionally beautiful or not, as an unmarried, unmarried woman who’d inherited the marquess title and a young heir at that, of course people’s eyes would be drawn.
Valentine Youngsik was no exception, for instance.
“Isn’t that a bit too honest in front of your fiancé?”
“Even so, it’s nothing compared to you. You must receive confessions almost every day.”
“…….”
Leon fell silent at that remark.
He’d realized, I suppose, that anything he said would only work against him.
“Besides, didn’t we agree not to speak with each other from now on?”
At my point that it hadn’t even been three days, he let out a quiet sigh.
“Three days was my limit, it seems.”
“…….”
“I’m sorry. For reacting like a child. Let me apologize.”
He offered a feeble excuse that he’d held out quite well under the circumstances.
‘Well, truthfully, I was the one who misunderstood first anyway.’
“Never mind. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry. I misunderstood you. I heard some strange rumors somewhere and came with all sorts of ideas…….”
“Strange rumors?”
“Something along the lines of Isabel being your dear first love?”
“……What is that?”
Leon’s brow furrowed deeply.
Seeing this, I let out a laugh.
Now I understood what sort of reaction this was.
Both Isabel and Leon—it was the kind of reaction you’d have if someone mistook blood siblings for lovers.
“Who on earth spread such nonsense? Come on, Erna. Tell me.”
“For some reason, my instinct is telling me not to reveal who it was.”
For the sake of social peace.
I smiled softly to myself, thinking I ought to bury the identity of whoever had told me the rumor deep within my heart.
Suddenly, my final conversation with Isabel came to mind.
“Ah, no—that’s not what I meant by ‘like’! Well, I suppose it is in a way, but anyway, it’s not like that!”
“I see.”
“Even among all those grown adults, the way you carve out your own path without losing confidence was truly impressive! Ever since the Creban Warr Incident!”
“Ah. That incident…….”
“Yes! That’s when I became your fan. And with the thought of finally meeting you, I’ve been thinking of you every day……!”
“That’s enough, Isabel. What would the future Empress be thinking, carrying on like this? Besides, you’re making Erna uncomfortable. Don’t be a nuisance.”
Let’s stop dwelling on this.
In the end, this whole mess stemmed entirely from my misunderstanding, with untraced malicious rumors lying beneath it all.
“Why did such rumors even circulate?”
“Because she stuck out. That’s how those rumors always start.”
“Are you saying someone deliberately spread rumors about Isabel because they disliked her? Do you know, Leon—who started the rumor in the first place?”
“Well, it would be Bianca Blanch. Or Lowell, as she’s called now. The nasty rumors about Isabel really started spreading after she was chosen as the Emperor’s betrothed.”
Leon continued matter-of-factly.
“It couldn’t be helped. Everyone knew Bianca Blanch had been the Emperor’s betrothed before, and it’s true the betrothal changed. To those who didn’t know the circumstances, what they could see was all that mattered. And after all that, Bianca Blanch openly played the victim.”
In contrast, Isabel, though she’d done nothing wrong, felt inexplicable guilt and deferred to her.
As a result, high society had settled on the fact that she’d usurped the Emperor’s betrothal position.
“Since then, Isabel became reluctant to appear in public. Even now, there are no shortage of nobles pointing this out.”
The future Empress of the Empire living in seclusion—it was unthinkable.
Some stuffy old nobles, saying this state of affairs was intolerable, were now eagerly eyeing the position at the Emperor’s side.
“The betrothal changed through no fault of Isabel’s. And besides, the In-Womb Betrothal was only a verbal agreement to begin with. It was the Blanch Duchy who spread it around.”
“So it wasn’t a formal betrothal, then?”
“Exactly. He probably acted preemptively to eliminate a rival early. It actually worked to some extent.”
But.
“As the Emperor grew up, his heart was stolen by Isabel, with whom he’d been raised. So he told the imperial elders, and they accepted it.”
After all, we were dealing with the Duchy.
The Imperial Palace didn’t care who it was, so they granted permission hoping the Crown Prince would end up with someone he loved—someone who loved him back.
“So in fact, everyone involved knows the truth. Isabel and my brother bear no fault. They’re simply closing their eyes and pretending not to see.”
All to undermine Isabel, the future Empress, as much as possible.
“Because of the adults’ circumstances, Isabel gradually became more timid. My brother tried to shield her however he could, but there were limits to what he could do.”
There was no helping it.
Even an Emperor couldn’t intervene in high society wholesale.
“Isabel realized her brother was burdened because of her, so she decided to go down to her territory for a while—that’s why she was in the Merciel Territory. But after she left, far more time passed than anyone expected. What was meant to restore her peace of mind only gave the rumors more fuel, so she couldn’t come back to Jedo. Until now, when she’s returned completely. Thanks to you, Erna.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to hold the wedding as soon as possible?”
Leon drew a sharp breath. “I thought the same thing. The problem is that after Isabel went down to her territory, too much time passed—more than we anticipated. She went for her mental health, but the rumors never died down, so she found herself unable to return to Jedo. And now she has, finally. Because of you, Erna.”
Leon clicked his tongue softly, gesturing to me as he brought us back to the crux of it all—how I’d become tangled up in this mess.
“Of course, I refused.”
“Why did you refuse?”
“I didn’t want to steal your time for nothing. You’re already in short supply as it is, and I didn’t want some other nuisance added on top of that. Besides, he likes you too.”
Leon paused to collect himself, then continued.
“I just… when you finally have a spare moment, I want to spend it with me.”
His voice had grown melancholy.
“Now that I know everything, my heart feels lighter.”
He looked at me, as if confused by my saying I felt satisfied despite being overwhelmed.
His expression asked what I meant.
“I didn’t realize it myself, but I suppose it was weighing on my mind. When I met with Isabel, I knew she was a good person, but there was always this heaviness in my chest.”
At those words, Leon’s eyes widened as he propped his chin in his hand, his expression growing peculiar.
“That’s… not bad, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“What you just said means you were anxious about whether I might turn my attention to someone else, doesn’t it?”
He leaned forward.
I could see the corners of his mouth curling upward as he drew closer.
“Not anxious exactly. Just… uncomfortable, I suppose?”
“That amounts to the same thing.”
Was it…?
I fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“Yes. I think that’s what it was.”
The moment the words left my lips, he broke into a radiant smile.
Like someone who had just received the answer he’d been longing to hear.
“To be honest, I was hoping you’d feel a little jealous.”
“Wait—you did that on purpose?”
“No.”
Leon shook his head.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you deliberately. It’s just that you spoke so matter-of-factly about everything that I felt a bit slighted. I like knowing you’re conscious of me. I enjoy the feeling that you’re thinking about me.”
He smiled with genuine warmth as he spoke.
From his perspective, I realized, such a misunderstanding might have been genuinely unpleasant—and I felt a brief pang of regret.
“Well. I’m certain now that Isabel isn’t your first love.”
“Yes. Thank you for finally understanding.”
“But that doesn’t mean all my questions have been answered.”
Regret was one thing.
Yet I still had something I needed to confirm.
Leon tilted his head slightly at my words.
His eyes betrayed curiosity about what I might say next.
“If it’s not Isabel, then who is this person you were pining for?”
……
“Is it someone I know?”
At the follow-up question, Leon hesitated.
Only then did the vague shadow of suspicion that had always hung at the edge of my mind sharpen into something more distinct.
But I couldn’t confirm it yet, so I could only proceed with caution.
The identity seemed decided in my mind already, but the circumstances surrounding it—the reason itself—remained utterly unpredictable.
So I asked.
“I could tell you, but I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you don’t remember it yourself, I might actually cry from disappointment. It was an incredibly meaningful moment for me, and finding out it was nothing special to you… that would devastate me.”
……
“So think about it carefully. Who knows? Maybe if you keep trying, even the memories you’ve forgotten will come back.”
Before he’d finished speaking, the carriage lurched to a halt. They’d arrived at the Marquis Residence.
Leon turned his upper body, offering a faint smile as he ended with those cryptic, riddling words.
Memories. Forgotten memories…….
It seemed to be referring to the conversation they’d had on graduation day.
But no matter how hard I try, I can’t recall it. Trying harder won’t make something appear out of nowhere…….
Wait a moment!
“Not everything comes easily just because you work at it. That’s why you’re so impressive, senior.”
“When you say things like that, I feel embarrassed somehow.”
That conversation!

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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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