You Said I Was a Persecuted, Terminally Ill Grand Duchess? - Chapter 41

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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 41

 

It was a situation where curses I don’t usually use came out naturally.

 

‘This is ridiculous. I thought I just possessed some weak supporting duchess.’

 

I’m the tragic heroine? And I’m terminally ill?!

 

There haven’t been any signs of that until now!

 

“Cough, kugh, cough!”

 

As I was in denial about this unbelievable fact, a cough burst out as if it had been waiting.

 

To make matters worse, it wasn’t just a cough that came out.

 

Splatter.

 

Red blood poured onto the pure white nightgown I was wearing.

 

It all came from my mouth.

 

“Ahhhhh!”

 

I couldn’t help but scream at the front of my gown that had become soaked with blood.

 

Coughing up blood right after finding out I’m terminally ill?

 

‘What’s with this timing. Are you kidding me right now?!’

 

I clutched my head as if screaming.

 

My vision became cloudy in an instant and everything spun before my eyes.

 

Crash!

 

“My lady!”

 

Through the door that opened again in an instant, with Betty’s shocked face being the last thing I saw, I lost consciousness once more.

 

* * *

 

A few days earlier, after the argument with Rene.

 

Jenos, who had stormed out, was riding alone toward the dock.

 

He felt he had gone too far and wanted to apologize first.

 

He also didn’t want to act childishly in front of Rene anymore.

 

But what awaited him was an unexpected scene of chaos.

 

“Oh my! Our lady fell into the water! Please help!”

 

The maid who had previously reported Rene’s every move to Jenos was stamping her feet frantically.

 

Everyone was in a panic, not knowing what to do.

 

Jenos, who had rushed straight down to the riverside, jumped off his horse without hesitation.

 

“Rene!”

 

And immediately threw himself into the river.

 

Splash!

 

His position as duke, the political conflict with House of Blanche.

 

Even the sting of the ice-cold river water.

 

At this moment, nothing could stop his movement.

 

Only the instinct that he must save Rene dominated his entire body.

 

Jenos, who had gone below the surface, was able to find Rene immediately.

 

Under the rowboat, he could see Rene with her eyes closed and a pale complexion.

 

Around her slender ankles, water plants were tangled in all directions.

 

‘Damn!’

 

Jenos tore away the tangled water plants in one go and headed for the surface.

 

“Puha!”

 

When he brought his cheek to the woman’s cheek above the surface, he could feel faint breathing.

 

‘She’s alive.’

 

How relieving that was.

 

Even though they were a married couple without an ounce of affection, they were still married after all.

 

Jenos swallowed his untimely self-deprecation and looked around.

 

Then, he grabbed onto the rowboat and even embraced the unconscious Katarina.

 

He carried her with his remaining arm as he got out of the river.

 

Though he had both women on his shoulders, this wasn’t particularly difficult for him.

 

“Your Grace!”

 

As he laid the two women down on the grass one by one, the startled maids came running.

 

Jenos raised his hand to keep them back for a moment and put his ear to Rene’s chest.

 

‘Her heartbeat is too slow. And weak.’

 

Above all, her body was too cold.

 

At this rate, she might freeze to death on this spring day.

 

“Wrap the duchess in blankets, if there’s no cloth then with anything. Hurry!”

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

“Sob, my lady!”

 

Rene’s maids quickly wrapped their aprons and such around their mistress’s body.

 

Rene’s already pale skin was not just white but had turned blue.

 

Her usually smooth, cherry-like lips had also turned purple, indicating her serious condition.

 

“Your Grace!”

 

Just then, Cal and several servants could be seen approaching from behind with shocked faces.

 

This was thanks to the quick thinking of Garnet, the maid who had immediately run to the castle to report the incident.

 

“Our lady, what should we do…”

 

“She’ll be fine. She’s strong. Let’s quickly take our lady to the Duke’s Castle first.”

 

“Sob sob. My lady…”

 

“Don’t cry! This isn’t the time for us to be like this. We need to hurry back to the castle and show her to Lord Jim, the ducal family’s physician!”

 

“Sniff. Yes, you’re right!”

 

‘This side will be fine.’

 

Watching Rene’s maids who were discussing what to do next despite their tears, Jenos took reluctant steps.

 

Something felt off.

 

It was strangely bothering him to dismiss this as just a minor accident.

 

Jenos’s sharp intuition flashed keenly.

 

‘There’s something.’

 

And where that intuition was pointing was clear.

 

Jenos’s gaze turned to the opposite side.

 

There was.

 

“What should we do? Is she breathing?”

 

Unlike Rene’s maids who had become a sea of tears, there were Katarina’s maids who had just turned pale and didn’t know what to do.

 

Katarina was still in the same position he had placed her on the lawn earlier.

 

No one dared to touch her body.

 

“We’re in big trouble now…”

 

“What if we get scolded for why we all just stood there? But I can’t swim…”

 

No, it would be more accurate to say they weren’t touching her.

 

They were all hesitating, worried about their own situations rather than their mistress.

 

“Hah…”

 

Jenos let out a deep sigh and pushed past them toward Katarina.

 

Her reasonably flushed complexion indicated that her condition wasn’t particularly critical.

 

The duke immediately ordered the maids.

 

“Move Katarina Hugo to the Duke’s Castle. She seems to have just fainted from shock, so she should wake up soon.”

 

“…Yes, yes!”

 

But still, none of them stepped forward willingly.

 

“Your Grace, I’ll carry her.”

 

Eventually, one of the Duke’s Castle servants carried Katarina on his back.

 

Even seeing this, Jenos coldly replied to the maids who were still in confusion.

 

“Are the people here all the witnesses?”

 

“Pardon? By witnesses, you mean…”

 

“When the boat capsized. What circumstances led to it capsizing?”

 

The maids, flustered by the sudden interrogation, exchanged glances with each other.

 

“Th-that is…”

 

And once again, they all hesitated and only watched each other’s reactions.

 

Just what kind of behavior had Katarina usually displayed for the maids to be so uniformly intimidated like this?

 

It was when I was feeling quite frustrated by the continuing repetition.

 

“Your Highness!”

 

At that moment, Cal’s call reached us from the distance.

 

Behind the middle-aged nobleman, young ladies with youthful faces were approaching hesitantly with pale, frightened expressions.

 

“These are the young ladies who were enjoying a tea party nearby. I brought them here thinking they might have witnessed something.”

 

“Well done.”

 

“We-we greet His Grace the Grand Duke…”

 

Had they instinctively realized that something major had occurred?

 

The young ladies, with their heads bowed low, trembled as they barely managed to offer polite greetings.

 

But the fact that they were frightened beyond necessity…

 

‘This is definitely strange.’

 

Finding this even more suspicious, Jenos narrowed his eyes.

 

“Do you truly have nothing to report to me?”

 

That wasn’t a question.

 

It was essentially pressure.

 

Everyone was so overwhelmed by his presence that they couldn’t move a muscle.

 

“Y-Your Highness. Actually, there’s something urgent I must tell you!”

 

One maid who had been hesitating all along suddenly made a shocking statement.

 

“Lady Katarina pushed Her Grace the Duchess…! I saw it clearly!”

 

“!”

 

“Good heavens!”

 

At that statement, everyone couldn’t help but be shocked.

 

Jenos’s gaze grew heavily somber.

 

“…Is that true?”

 

He turned around and asked the three young ladies with utmost coldness.

 

“Pardon? Why are you asking… us that…?”

 

“Aren’t you young ladies witnesses as well?”

 

His rough, unsteady voice revealed his current state of mind.

 

Indeed, Jenos felt anxiety rising in his chest.

 

If he could follow his heart, he would immediately mount a horse and rush to take Rene directly to the physician.

 

But he was the one ultimately responsible for the Celeste Estate.

 

Therefore, it was also his duty to handle this situation.

 

‘I should have trained at least one decent aide. Of all times…’

 

He had never regretted not having a subordinate who could serve as his right hand, but this time was different.

 

With his nerves on edge, it was perhaps natural that these unfamiliar faces were extremely irritating to him.

 

“No, Your Grace! We weren’t even at that scene. We were simply having a tea party and were about to return to our estate…”

 

“Why were you young ladies in the Celeste Estate in the first place?”

 

“That’s-”

 

As excuses came pouring out one after another, his mood grew increasingly uncomfortable.

 

“Excuse me, Your Grace.”

 

Behind him, a gentle voice interjected.

 

“I am Lilian Sieern, the second daughter of Count Sieern, whose estate is adjacent to the Celeste Estate. I have something to say about today’s incident.”

 

Her eyes trembled greatly as if she were extremely nervous.

 

A crooked sneer appeared at the corner of the Grand Duke’s mouth.

 

Indeed, this wasn’t a simple accident.

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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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