The Contract Marriage for Attilenta's Revenge - Chapter 78

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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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Atilenta’s Revenge: A Contract Marriage — Chapter 78
I never stepped into the foreground.
I simply spent my time outdoors as usual, taking walks with a knight and a lady’s maid, or sipping tea in the garden.
It was to observe the movements of ordinary servants and attendants who moved about the estate.
I watched carefully which groups they moved in.
I also made sure not to forget my daily check with Poznan about the rumors circulating outside.
The worry about the Forbidden Medicine, just as I hoped, spread from servant to servant, from maid to maid.
“The maids of the Iasha Family are anxious as well. You see, the reputation of the young lady I serve affects my prospects immediately.”
When Poznan relayed such words to me just four days later, I could not hide a subtle smile.
Rumors in High Society did not flow only from the members of prominent families.
And such rumors inevitably spread differently depending on the person.
“Have you spoken with the maids of other families?”
“The lady’s maid of the Biels Family took it quite seriously. She said that since the master must not be left in the dark, she would report it at once.”
I deliberately had the story conveyed in the form of worry and sympathy. Through that process, it seemed that anxiety about “Am I the only one who doesn’t know?” had begun to spread.
To the Iasha Family and the Biels Family, who were close to Tatra.
“A reasonable concern. After all, it could be a disguise.”
“Yes, and… given how intimate their bond is, if rumors spread that they handled such a medicine together, that would be a terrible disgrace indeed.”
It was exactly as Henrik and I had thought.
Once the words ‘even those close to her could be suspected alongside her’ were added, regardless of how intimate these young ladies were with one another, that bond would flip in an instant and feel like a very heavy burden.
No one would publicly denounce Tatra.
I was no different.
That was how the rumor spread widely.
In mere days.
It was also thanks to Henrik’s hand in the matter.
The core of that rumor, which spread in various forms carrying different concerns and interests, was this:
The daughter so cherished by the head of the Biauby Family—that unmarried, beautiful daughter—held a keen interest in a medicine that should not be handled.
Which man was she planning to use it on?
Surely not on Prince Henrik?
But he already has a wife.
It was a day when autumn rain fell coolly.
The Biauby Family Estate was as grand and magnificent as its lofty name.
Our couple entered the gathering held by the head of the Biauby Family amid a grand welcome.
“Prince Henrik and Her Highness the Princess enter!”
In an instant, the nobles gathered in the hall rushed toward us.
“It has been so long, Your Highness!”
“Our respects to Her Highness the Princess.”
While facing respectful greetings and delighted expressions, I caught sight of Barsha standing to one side and greeted her with a pleased smile.
I was indeed very curious about what had happened with Krakup, but now was not the time to ask.
The atmosphere of the gathering was very pleasant. Beautiful music contrasting with the sound of rain, elegant decorations, and the meal was quite excellent.
“…Young lady, have you heard that news?”
“…Surely you don’t mean that person?”
The moment I heard that subtle voice from a nearby table, mingled with concern yet tinged with curiosity.
I struggled to suppress a laugh threatening to escape.
Tatra, who could be called the true protagonist of this gathering, appeared composed on the surface, but I did not trust that composure.
“Prince Henrik, and Your Highness the Princess, the daughter of the Biauby Family offers her respects. I am truly grateful that you have come.”
The voice in which she offered her polite greeting like everyone else, and the tips of her fingers, trembled slightly.
Yes, you must feel wronged.
You never touched that medicine.
You merely stood by and allowed that interesting fact to happen.
Even if you had truly touched it in secret, there is still no proof.
But what does it matter?
That friend who laughed alongside you while provoking me at the tea party held in Barsha’s Greenhouse, she is shunning you now.
I glanced casually around me.
Even the daughter of the Iasha Family was unable to approach Tatra easily this time.
And that suspicious maid was nowhere to be seen.
“You hid her very carefully indeed.”
I leaned against Henrik as if to nestle into him and whispered softly.
“I would do the same.”
He pulled me closer, shielding me against the ambient noise of the gathering with his broad shoulders.
The gathering continued long into the evening. By the time the sunset illuminated the estate, Tatra’s face as she approached our table had taken on a slight flush.
She looked as though she had just stepped out of a cold wind.
“Your Highness. Might I trouble you for a moment of your time? There is something I wished to discuss.”
Rather than respond with elegance, I deliberately widened my eyes.
“Tatra, what is this about?”
Tatra glanced between Henrik and me, then caught her lower lip between her teeth.
“There is a private room within. I would prefer to speak with you there.”
“Say it here.”
Henrik’s voice carried a brittle edge.
Just as he had at our first wedding banquet together, he remained composed yet utterly cold toward her.
“The banquet itself is perfectly splendid. I confess I have no idea what you could possibly wish to tell me.”
I tilted my head as though genuinely puzzled, resting my fingertips against my chin.
I projected innocent naïveté—the very posture my opponent had once adopted.
Mindful of the eyes around us, her composure did not crack outright.
Tatra squeezed her eyes shut, then clasped her hands respectfully.
“I merely wished to seek counsel from the wise Your Highness. I beseech you most earnestly—would you not help me?”
I rose reluctantly, and Henrik followed without hesitation.
The moment we crossed into the private room Tatra had led us to, Henrik’s voice turned glacial.
“Tatra. There are many waiting for us outside.”
It was a command that granted her not even a moment’s hesitation.
“It concerns my honor, Your Highness. I truly wished to speak with you about it.”
At last Tatra voiced her concern obliquely, her face flushed darker than before.
“And why would you bring such a matter to my wife?”
“Because it arose from a tea party held in the princess’s greenhouse some time ago.”
“Did it? I wasn’t aware.”
Tatra looked directly at me.
As though she might tear away my carefully crafted mask of innocence on the spot.
Though she remained demure in Henrik’s presence, her jealous edge was unmistakably visible.
“It is something the young lady of the Krakup Family—she who serves His Highness—would also know of.”
I made a light gesture, sweeping my hair back as though merely grooming myself.
She clearly suspected me of spreading the rumor.
And why shouldn’t she?
You, who had so often provoked me by leveraging your deep affection for Henrik and that trivial memory of a single dance.
“And the daughter of the Iasha Family, with whom you are close?”
……
Tatra’s gaze grew sharp as a blade.
I had been considering whether to mention that suspicious maid. But rather than hear it from me directly—
“Speak only truth before my wife, Tatra.”
Henrik stepped in himself.
“We have learned facts through a servant of the Iasha Family.”
Tatra’s eyes widened.
“That cannot be. She would never—”
“There will be consequences.”
Tatra fell silent at once, though she could not entirely hide her distress. It seemed an instinctive objection had slipped out.
“If you have spoken falsely, or if you have dared to handle unpermitted medicines, such actions accord neither with the honor nor the standing of your house.”
Henrik wore an expression cold enough to suggest he might draw the royal sword at any moment.
“Your Highness, why would you accuse me thus? I swear I know nothing of such medicines, and have never even seen them.”
Tatra protested, desperation creeping into her pleas.
“Believe me, I beg you. Your Highness—I would go to the Temple this instant and swear before Bwendia herself.”
“Neglect is itself a crime, regardless of whether you acted directly.”
Faced with Henrik’s unequivocal response, she spoke with despondent despair.
“Your Highness Henrik……”
Henrik spoke as though great disaster had befallen the Biauby Family, though in truth we had not yet reached that stage. Whatever Tatra made of this conversation.
In fact, having Henrik’s knights comb through that black market meticulously to gather evidence would be a simple matter.
I had been intending to visit the market myself, in any case.
But a direct confrontation with the Biauby Family remained premature. For now, I simply meant to break her spirit.
As Tatra stood worrying her lip, she suddenly turned her arrow toward me.
“Your Highness. Perhaps the gift I gave you was insufficient?”
In that instant, I flicked my fan open, shielding my face behind it.
I did not wish for her to see my expression.

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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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