The Military Doctor Excels at Being a Contracted Duchess - Chapter 90

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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 90】

In an instant, explosive light burst forth from Ebel’s entire body.

She didn’t know what was happening, but she instinctively felt she had to stop the scene flowing in reverse.

‘This isn’t me turning back time.’

When you mix all colors of paint together, it becomes black. Just like that, the time she had experienced up until now was clumping together and turning pitch black.

From present to past, in order, it crumbles. It crumbles. It crumbles.

It crumbles.

An unidentifiable voice buzzed with noise.

The air thrashed wildly, and the forest’s colors instantly faded.

Feeling all these scenes transform like a single old photograph, Ebel stamped her feet.

“Stop. I don’t want this.”

Was someone forcibly making her regress?

As if they had been waiting for Victor to leave?

When she regressed, it felt like dazzling light was running wild. But this current situation gave her a premonition that being swept up in it would be disastrous.

‘I smell gunpowder.’

The strange force was venomous and persistent, as if groping for Ebel’s source.

At the very moment she was forcibly enduring it—

A sound like something burning rang in her ears.

‘The hourglass!’

A golden hourglass that had appeared before her eyes was spinning rapidly.

The more it spun, the more it pushed away the dark energy that had been trying to burrow into her.

The condensed light brilliantly illuminated the surroundings like the sun, burning away the evil force.

‘Ah, I can finally read the inscription on the hourglass.’

Ebel narrowed her eyes and fumblingly interpreted the text. It was thanks to Guevre that she could read it.

‘The only thing that truly belongs to us is time…?’

It was one of the famous sayings of the ancient philosopher Seneca.

The moment she finished interpreting the sentence, the curse-like sound that had been ringing in her ears disappeared.

What filled that space instead was a death cry.

Kyaaaaaaak!

It wailed as if the caster of this sorcery had suffered a backlash. Then, slowly. Very slowly, the surroundings returned to normal.

“Your Grace. Your Grace…?”

“!”

“Are you alright? You look pale.”

Taking a shaky breath and coming to her senses, she saw a group of young ladies.

‘What just happened?’

Thump, thump, thump!

Her heart was beating rapidly. Everything else had returned to normal, but only the smell of gunpowder remained in her nostrils, causing unpleasant feelings.

Blinking slowly, Ebel forced a smile.

Gentle and mild enough to be appropriate for others to see.

Because that was the best mask she could use in the current situation.

“I am Adelheid Ksifon. I came to see if you would like to have tea together.”

Ah, this must be the youngest daughter of Countess Ksifon whom she had met recently.

Having somewhat composed herself, Ebel slowly nodded.

“Gladly.”

Normally, she should have given a longer response. Cutting it short like this would look arrogant.

However, Ebel couldn’t afford to worry about such things right now.

‘Something… it was a force of opposing nature. Like when I saw the statue the Queen sent before, it made me nauseous.’

As her shock subsided, anger slowly began to rise.

Though she was suppressing her true nature out of consideration for Victor and Bayern’s reputation, Ebel wasn’t particularly kind.

If she was hit once for no reason, she needed to hit back ten times to feel satisfied.

‘Why do they keep picking fights when I’m just staying quiet?’

Do they want to fight that badly?

The Queen was already drinking tea under another tent. Checking the people beside her, she could feel they were different in character from Adelheid’s group.

‘Matthias had also recommended that I become friendly with Lady Adelheid if possible.’

Watching the Queen glancing at her made her feel spiteful.

She wasn’t particularly interested in others, but it had been a long time since she disliked someone this much.

‘But that man…’

Ebel’s eyes widened as she belatedly noticed the man standing beside the Queen like an attendant.

Black curly hair that showed purple tints in sunlight, and black eyes.

A cheerful impression reminiscent of ripe grapes and tanned skin.

It was definitely him.

But he gave off a different impression from when he wore ordinary shirts and pants. At first glance, you might not think he was the same person—he had a strong atmosphere of a commoner who had risen in status.

Though he didn’t have the nobility’s inherent dignity ingrained in his body, he was adorned with expensive things, and they even suited him well.

‘Why is he here? He’s a spy of Frantz!’

Does the Queen know?

Or doesn’t she know?

Intuitively, Ebel realized that he, Gaspard Lorraine, was the core reason war had broken out.

‘He must have been beside the Queen in the past too. Things I haven’t interfered with are generally flowing as they were.’

Honestly, it’s a bit much to say this, but the King and Queen of Richter were not in their right minds.

She was at the point where she’d consider stabbing them once even if she were the King of Frantz.

Ebel pretended not to know and sat down with Adelheid for now.

But she could feel sticky gazes clinging to her back.

It was the beginning of a war without swords.

* * *

‘How heartless.’

Meanwhile, Gaspard was barely holding back his desire to laugh loudly the moment Ebel discovered him.

‘She seemed to recognize me but just turned away. I shouldn’t be forgettable with my looks.’

Nevertheless, Ebel looked at him as if he were less than a stone rolling on the road.

Even though he had looked at her sadly like an abandoned dog!

Usually, people would be flustered and eager to solve his problems, but Ebel was indeed different.

‘It means I’ll have to bow first to the Grand Duchess and wag my tail. Otherwise, I won’t receive even a fragment of her attention.’

Standing beside the Queen, Gaspard followed Ebel only with his eyes.

Still, would he be a pervert if he found it good to see Ebel’s shocked expression upon seeing him?

‘Well, so what. I came all the way here from Frantz in such a hurry to match the timing of the Hunting Festival.’

Honestly, if it were up to him, he’d want to run over quickly and act cute.

To say he had made an effort to meet her again. To ask her to acknowledge it.

“Leo, what are you looking at so intently?”

“Nothing at all. The weather is just so nice.”

After facing Ebel, the area where he’d been shot began to throb.

Or not?

Is it throbbing below that?

Anyway.

Wetting his lips with his tongue, he prepared to slip away while gently appeasing the Queen.

One day wouldn’t be enough to grasp the geography of this forest and draw a rough map as the King had specifically ordered.

He had to move as quickly as possible.

‘Ah, but I don’t want to enter the forest?’

I haven’t even gotten to talk to the Grand Duchess yet. Haven’t even gotten to tease her!

When do you live life if you just work?

Rubbing his temples and grumbling, he came up with a good idea.

He would enter the forest, but go in shallow and then get badly hurt!

It would take at least three hours for Victor von Bayern to return, so couldn’t he cause an accident before then and receive treatment from Ebel?

If he threw a tantrum, she’d do it just to avoid the hassle.

Gaspard, who had been grinning while imagining this, suddenly stopped laughing.

For some reason, he didn’t feel particularly pleased.

‘Hmm, is it because of that damn dream?’

After barely escaping the Mansion of the Duke of Bayern, Gaspard suffered from high fever throughout his journey back to France.

Having crossed the threshold of death several times, he began seeing what might have been hallucinations or dreams from some point on.

The pungent smell of horse dung and the metallic scent of iron. The weight of armor. Himself wearing leather bracers and swinging his sword in the same motion over and over again.

And… the Princess whom the knights revered.

Past the corridor with worn carpets lay a certain door he had to stand guard over.

The green door embossed with lily of the valley and lilies was a sanctuary he dared not cross, and it was also his pride.

In the dream, Gaspard was a guard knight protecting the Princess.

‘He was also a complete fool who harbored feelings for a Princess he could never reach. Mad with pure love.’

Ah, so is that why I’m so broken in this life?

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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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