You Said I Was a Persecuted, Terminally Ill Grand Duchess? - Chapter 56

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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 56

 

“Ahahaha… Hehe…”

 

Did I… do something wrong?

 

Did I laugh at something strange without reading the room?!

 

Diana still had that unreadable, expressionless face.

 

When I tilted my head in confusion, she seemed to finally come to her senses.

 

“Ha!”

 

Diana sharply turned her head away, and the tips of her ears were red.

 

“Fine, fine! An old woman butting into where young people are having fun, is that it?”

 

“What? Not at all…!”

 

Is she very angry?!

 

‘The unpredictable heart of an elderly woman!’

 

While I was at a loss for what to do, regardless of my confusion.

 

Diana had already turned around and walked quite far away.

 

My, she walks fast too…

 

“Should I clear up the misunderstanding?”

 

I was seriously staring at Diana’s retreating figure.

 

“Pfft!”

 

But my worries didn’t seem that serious to others.

 

Katarina just laughed and shook her head.

 

“No, Rene. There doesn’t seem to be any need for that? Diana just needs some time too!”

 

“I hope that’s the case…”

 

“For now, let’s just enjoy this time to the fullest. It’s been so long since we had tea time. Stop reading books all the time and show your face more often.”

 

Katarina popped a piece of cookie into my mouth with a carefree expression.

 

“I suppose…”

 

I chewed the cookie and tried my best to shake off my distracting thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile.

 

Diana entered the Duke’s Castle with a flushed face, huffing angrily.

 

A noble among nobles, born with noble blood from birth.

 

Diana, who had followed the elite path and became the Duchess, could pride herself on having experienced all sorts of trials.

 

‘But…’

 

Why was it?

 

She kept feeling like she was being led around by that tiny little girl.

 

‘Is this how she seduced Jenos?’

 

Rene’s pale, giggling face floated around in Diana’s mind.

 

Well, men are naturally weak to visual stimulation, so her grandson must have been even more easily swayed than she was.

 

The fact that her grandson was so emotionally numb he could beat a block of wood in a competition had completely flown out of her mind.

 

‘Ha, with that innocent face, who knows what schemes she might be plotting!’

 

Diana calmed her fluttering heart and strode forward with determination.

 

Her destination was the Duchess’s room.

 

As a dignified adult of a noble house, sneaking into someone else’s room like a little mouse was quite distasteful, but.

 

“…Ahem. This is part of reconnaissance.”

 

All of this was for Celeste, so it couldn’t be helped.

 

Above all, wasn’t she a daughter of House of Blanche?

 

Moreover, she was someone followed by ominous rumors of being illegitimate and cursed.

 

‘When I actually met her, she was different from what I had imagined though.’

 

In any case, looking at that silver-like mint-colored hair, there was no doubt she carried that family’s bloodline.

 

‘That family’s blood itself is indulgent and sinister beyond measure, so who knows what she might be plotting behind the scenes. She might even be tattling about everything in letters.’

 

Having finished her self-rationalization, Diana spoke in a small voice.

 

“Cal, don’t let anyone come near.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Cal, who had been quietly following Diana the whole time, answered properly.

 

Diana opened the door and entered the room without hesitation.

 

Click-

 

The door closed.

 

Looking around the room, there was nothing particularly special.

 

Since this had once been her own room, the interior structure wasn’t unfamiliar.

 

‘She doesn’t seem particularly interested in luxury.’

 

There wasn’t much difference from when she had decorated the room for a future granddaughter-in-law.

 

Even when she opened the wardrobe.

 

‘No new clothes? What is Katarina doing? She should take her along when buying her own clothes.’

 

There were only the dresses she had prepared, altered to fit the smaller frame.

 

There were no unfamiliar clothes or accessories.

 

‘Should I call it frugal, or not knowing how to keep up appearances?’

 

In any case, the girl had a talent for making people feel uncertain.

 

“Hmph.”

 

Still, there was no way she’d come up completely clean if thoroughly searched.

 

Diana naturally headed toward the large desk.

 

It was neatly organized with nothing particularly noteworthy to see.

 

‘To see the real stuff, it would have to be the drawers.’

 

As she tried to open the drawer.

 

“Hmm?”

 

It seemed caught on something and wouldn’t open easily.

 

‘Ha! I knew it. There’s something there!’

 

Even though her prediction was right, why did she feel somewhat unsettled?

 

If there really was something in there, she felt like she would be greatly disappointed somehow…

 

‘No? What am I thinking! If there’s something terrible like evidence of betrayal, I should naturally punish severely and banish her.’

 

Soft feelings wouldn’t help Celeste one bit!

 

With that resolve, Diana steeled herself and carefully opened the drawer again.

 

But…

 

“?!”

 

Why was it?

 

A diary that was all too familiar popped out, unable to withstand the recoil of the drawer clicking open.

 

Diana’s eyes also widened as if they might pop out.

 

“H-how is this here?!”

 

It was none other than Rene’s new treasure number one, with the initials ‘D. S.’ written on it.

 

It was the romance novel review journal.

 

Moreover, beneath the diary…

 

“The Marchioness’s Dizzying Temptation” was giving Diana a cheeky wink as if happy to see her after a long time.

 

“Kyaaah!”

 

Why is this here?!

 

Faced with her dark history so suddenly, Diana screamed involuntarily.

 

“Diana! What’s wrong?”

 

Startled Cal urgently called out from outside the door.

 

Even more shocked, Diana shouted back.

 

Even if it was Cal, she’d rather bite her tongue and die than let him see this scene.

 

“N-nothing at all! I’m fine, so don’t come in, absolutely not!”

 

Diana, who had earnestly pleaded again, caught her breath for a moment and slumped into the chair.

 

But in the open drawer, several romance novels and her diary still remained in place.

 

‘Why is this in the Duchess’s room!’

 

The past years of living while obsessively maintaining dignity and noble etiquette.

 

Even Diana, who had been the perfect model of nobility, had a secret.

 

Namely… she was a popular novel maniac!

 

‘I once dreamed of such fatal love too…’

 

After marrying into Celeste according to her family’s wishes.

 

Thanks to her husband being more affectionate than expected, popular novels shifted from maniac level to occasional entertainment.

 

‘But how can I quit this?!’

 

The taste of dopamine once experienced was not easily forgotten.

 

But they say there are no eternal secrets in this world.

 

She nearly faced humiliation when her husband discovered it.

 

“An interesting book. If you’re embarrassed about it, I’ll have a separate library built.”

 

Thanks to his consideration, she could enjoy her hobby life while maintaining her position as the perfect Duchess publicly.

 

However, this was all in the past.

 

She had completely forgotten about it since locking the library door over ten years ago!

 

“Ahem.”

 

Diana hid the diary and book between the voluminous sleeves of her dress and slipped out of the room.

 

From the outside, there wasn’t even a trace that someone had been there.

 

“Did your reconnaissance yield any results?”

 

Diana nodded roughly at Cal’s sly question and said.

 

“Don’t follow me from here on and go about your business.”

 

Cal readily nodded and disappeared beyond the corridor.

 

Only after watching him to the end did Diana hurry toward the library in the Duke’s Castle.

 

That place, neglected and forgotten by everyone, was now completely different and extremely comfortable.

 

It showed signs of good maintenance, as if someone visited regularly.

 

‘I had completely forgotten about this place too. How did she find it again!’

 

Diana headed straight to the Secret Library without delay.

 

Rumble-

 

The way the bookshelf slid smoothly suggested that someone’s hands had definitely touched this place too.

 

“Sigh. I must burn this with my own hands.”

 

Diana muttered like making a vow after placing the books back in the Secret Library.

 

But now that she was actually in the Secret Library filled with memories, strange feelings arose.

 

“…It has been a while. What did I write?”

 

Hmm, though no one was watching, Diana cleared her throat unnecessarily and stealthily opened the diary.

 

As she turned one page, then two pages.

 

“!”

 

Diana’s eyes widened at something written in the diary.

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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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