I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 60

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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 60
The Emperor—Kaiel—had appeared without warning, and now looked down at Isabel and me sitting on the carpet chatting, his expression one of bemused curiosity.
Oh no.
‘Surely he’s not going to scold me for letting his fiancée sit on the floor?’
But the Emperor’s voice, when it came, was so light it dissolved my worries entirely.
“Forgive the intrusion—you both seem to be having a wonderful time. May I join you?”
“Your Majesty?”
Before I could even voice my shock, the Emperor had settled himself beside Isabel. He then unbuttoned his collar to the throat and loosened his cravat.
Just then the curtain stirred again, and this time Leon stepped through.
He paused for a moment as he assessed the scene, then approached and sat down beside me as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
The Emperor and the Grand Duke, huddled together on the floor. And their fiancées alongside them.
The attendant grew ashen, suddenly frenetic with activity.
His movements to shield the curtains that cut off the outside world were almost frantic.
‘I feel rather guilty, actually.’
He’s working so hard to preserve the dignity of four people who’ve just thrown it to the floor.
“Leon, where have you been? You disappeared halfway through.”
“There was a procedural matter to discuss. But it seems something quite entertaining happened in my absence?”
Ah, entertaining?
Well. Very entertaining, actually.
“It’s nothing much—I had a row with the Duke Blanch.”
“You fought?”
“Apparently so.”
“Hmm. You did?”
“You both should have seen it! Erna even got an apology out of him!”
Isabel, absolutely gleeful, launched into an account of what had happened in the Banquet Hall, like an eager young hero recounting her own feats of valor.
The Emperor listened with evident pleasure.
At the parts that particularly delighted Isabel, he reacted with surprise; where she showed hesitation or discomfort, he offered sympathy and even a flash of indignation.
If there were a contest for best listener to stories about one’s fiancée, he’d have taken first place hands down.
“It was only thanks to Isabel’s brave testimony. Without her, the matter would have ended right there.”
“No, I only told the truth as it was!”
“But you saw it yourself earlier—the other noblewoman gave false testimony under pressure. Speaking the truth isn’t something that comes easily.”
My words made Isabel flustered; she reddened and shook her head.
Watching her mutter something like ‘But that’s not…’ struck me as so endearing that I laughed aloud.
The Emperor gazed at Isabel and me with a satisfied expression.
“Still, shouldn’t we be making our exit soon?”
“Why? I’m enjoying this.”
“True enough. They’ll manage perfectly well without us.”
Even the Emperor chimed in, encouraging us to stay as though it mattered little.
So we passed the time in easy conversation, listening to the music and murmur of voices beyond the curtain.
Unaware of the extraordinary storm about to break.
* * *
“Phew… I’m dead on my feet. I keep telling you, long journeys aren’t made for someone like me. Every bone in my body aches.”
Nadia exhaled deeply and pressed one hand to her forehead.
The outer reaches of the quiet palace grounds.
Unlike the building where the banquet was in full swing, outside was utterly still.
Here and there she spotted couples enjoying secret rendezvous in the Garden, but such things seemed harmless enough.
The true pleasure of these affairs, after all, was transgression and a delicious thrill.
“Blast. If it weren’t for official business, I’d have indulged myself however I pleased.”
Nadia sighed with regret and shifted her feet—when voices stopped her cold.
“You fool! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve humiliated me in front of that barely-fledged boy!”
“I didn’t want this! Father was the one who said I should cultivate a connection with Zaherette… you told me to!”
The voices were somehow familiar.
Eyes gleaming, Nadia softened her footsteps and moved toward the sound.
As expected. The loathsome Blanch father and daughter were arguing beyond a thicket.
“I told you to be friendly, not to clumsily blackmail him into clawing at you! And to peddle the name of the Roman royal house, no less—when you know perfectly well they’re just waiting to seize any weakness you show!”
The Duke struck his own chest as he thundered at her.
“And on top of everything, I’ve been going mad over recent rumors that Zaherette is suited to Merciel. For that worthless wretch of a princess to succeed where you’ve failed… it’s maddening.”
“Are you comparing me to Isabel now? Father! How can you even mention her in the same breath as me—that simpering idiot!”
Bianca’s face flushed crimson as she shouted.
But that was all.
She knew full well that despite her grievance, she had no comeback—not even if she’d had ten mouths to speak from.
“I’ve already hated watching Bernstein strut about with the Duke backing him. If Merciel gets added to that equation, it’s over. A whole new faction will emerge! Our Blanch will be shoved into the shadows before we know it!”
So by any means necessary, she had to interfere. The Duke’s warning cut through the air, sharp as a blade.
“Damn it. Lost his nerve.”
Meanwhile, Nadia, who had been watching the whole affair from hiding, emerged from the brush with a deepened frown.
Her face betrayed open disgust.
Not a single thing about this father and daughter appealed to her.
She sighed—better not to get entangled—and moved on.
She was just climbing into the carriage waiting nearby, about to slip smoothly out of the palace, when—
“Look, I told you—I can’t get in! How many times do I have to say it?!”
……What was this commotion about?
Nadia, never one to ignore a disturbance, halted the carriage and turned her head.
Two burly guards stood blocking the main gate of the palace—the very one she’d just passed through.
Before them knelt a woman in shabby but tidy dress, hands clasped in supplication.
“Please. I’m begging you. It will only take a moment—please, just let me through!”
“Are you out of your mind? Do you think anyone can just waltz in here? Absolutely not!”
“Miss, if you want an audience with His Majesty, you have to follow proper procedure. Public audiences are only held on Tuesdays—how many times do I have to tell you?”
“But I’m not just anyone! I can prove it. If you don’t believe me, then come inside with me! There’s someone I absolutely have to see!”
A woman who looked utterly disconnected from the imperial household clung to the much larger soldiers, growing increasingly desperate.
Finally, one of the guards shoved her hard. She tumbled to the ground, her chestnut hair fluttering.
“Get out of here before we call the security force! Stars, the strange people who show up these days—honestly!”
“Leave while you still can, Miss. If you keep this up, we’ll have no choice but to arrest you according to protocol.”
The guards spoke with finality.
Watching their argument, Nadia clicked her tongue softly to herself.
Indeed, the imperial soldiers were different. In a nation blessed with over a century of peace, they’d all grown soft.
In Roman, she’d have been tossed in a cell on the spot.
“I have to see Leon Obsidian, no matter what…….”
Hmm?
Wait. Did she just say Leon Obsidian?
Nadia’s eyes narrowed at the familiar name.
“Interesting…….”
Her lips slowly curved upward.
A commoner woman in shabby dress. A newspaper clutched in her hand.
And today—today was the day of the reception celebrating the Duke’s engagement.
Add to that the meaningful cry she’d just overheard…….
‘Mmm. Yes. The scent of a love triangle wafts sweetly.’
But that was as far as it went.
Though she enjoyed gossip, she knew where to draw the line.
‘A man who cast off his High Priest’s robes for one woman doesn’t take a lover—that makes no sense.’
Ridiculous.
Nadia shook her head and turned her gaze back toward the main gate…….
Wait.
“Where did she go? She was just there.”
She was certain she’d been there.
The woman who’d been causing a scene at the gates had vanished without a trace.
She’d resigned herself to the woman having given up and left, deciding it was time to go as well, when she was about to order the coachman to depart—
Rustle.
At one section of the high wall encircling the entire palace—
A soft rustling sound came from where ivy hung thick and heavy.
Looking closely, unlike other spots bristling with sharp iron spikes, this corner had none.
How had that woman found the weak point so quickly?
The question lasted only a moment. Beneath the dense foliage, she caught a glimpse of what looked like a gray skirt hem, and then it rose swiftly upward.
Followed by the sound of something thudding against the wall and tumbling over to the other side.
Nadia stared silently at the spot for a moment, then turned her head away with indifference.
Well. Who cares.
“What could possibly happen?”
It’s not even my country.
The carriage, which had paused briefly, moved forward once 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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