You Said I Was a Persecuted, Terminally Ill Grand Duchess? - Chapter 57

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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 57

 

After the rather lengthy tea time with Katarina came to an end.

 

‘I need to hurry back!’

 

I quickened my pace as much as my anxious heart was racing.

 

The trashy… oh, no. The popular novel I’m currently reading.

 

『The Duke’s Bastard Maid’s Sister Was Actually the Lost Precious Imperial Princess』 was approaching its highlight.

 

‘Honestly, I’ve been dying of curiosity since earlier.’

 

Soon, the female protagonist would punish her step-sister, who was the villainess and the root of all evil.

 

‘The metaphors and descriptions about the full moon in the earlier part were absolutely amazing.’

 

Ah, the painful fate under the moonlight…!

 

I’ll devour it right away!

 

Of course, the time spent with Katarina was also extremely enjoyable, but anyway, there are different kinds of enjoyment, aren’t there?

 

Slam!

 

As I urgently threw open my room door, Marigona, whom I encountered in the corridor, asked with surprised eyes.

 

“Oh my, my lady. Why are you coming in such a hurry?”

 

“Mm, I have something to do.”

 

“Oh my~ Are you perhaps writing a letter to His Grace the Duke?”

 

“…”

 

Not feeling the latter comment was worth answering, I firmly closed the door and headed straight to my desk.

 

Just before the door closed, Marigona’s face was flushed without any awareness of being ignored, looking like a proper ‘romantic fool.’

 

Well, actually, I’m also over-immersed in other people’s love stories, so I can’t say I don’t understand that feeling?

 

Anyway, from now on, it’s my personal time.

 

I need to properly witness the scene where the returned imperial princess female lead confirms her love with the knight guard male lead and achieves her revenge!

 

It was the moment I opened the drawer while thinking that.

 

But…

 

“Huh?”

 

It’s not there.

 

“Huh, where did it go?”

 

The book has disappeared!

 

Moreover, even my recent treasure number one, the review collection, has vanished without a trace!

 

“Kyaaaah!”

 

No way!

 

Honestly, since it was a bit embarrassing to proudly recommend to others or openly say I was enjoying reading it, I had been hiding the popular novels quite well while reading them.

 

But all the books I had brought over have completely disappeared!

 

Not only that, but the most shocking thing was that even my precious review notebook, which had similar tastes and was quite enjoyable to read, had disappeared.

 

‘I even wrote my own comments underneath!’

 

Even if it’s just the books, someone discovering that is just too embarrassing to bear no matter how I think about it!

 

“Everyone!!!”

 

I panicked, opened the door, and hurriedly called the maids together.

 

“I knew it! My lady, you needed letter paper, didn’t you? I brought plenty here! Please write a love letter!”

 

Among them, Marigona, who returned the fastest, held out a bundle of pink letter paper with an excited face.

 

“No! That’s not what’s important right now.”

 

“Huh? Then what is?”

 

“Marigona. D-did you happen to clean the first drawer of my desk?”

 

“No? You earnestly asked us not to, so I didn’t open it separately.”

 

“What about the other girls?”

 

“Everyone’s probably the same? What’s wrong that you’re asking this?”

 

I asked the same question to the Gana-da Maid Team girls who arrived afterward, but the answers weren’t much different.

 

“Did you perhaps lose something precious?”

 

“Please tell us what item it is! I’ll search the entire Duke’s Castle, no, the entire Empire and definitely find it!”

 

Betty answered while sniffing.

 

Really like she had become Cerberus, with Garnet and Lia on either side of her…

 

It was truly a fierce momentum that would go to the ends of the universe to find it.

 

‘Those loyal eyes…’

 

Right, our girls couldn’t have done it.

 

Above all, the maid team girls had witnessed me reading books several times, but they didn’t show particular interest in what I was reading.

 

They had asked in passing if it was that interesting.

 

‘When I showed a bit of awkwardness, they didn’t ask anymore. They really are good kids.’

 

I roughly made excuses to dismiss the maid team and then fell into deep thought.

 

It’s not like books have feet, so disappearing without a trace. Isn’t that absurd?

 

The only ones who freely come and go from the Duchess’s Chamber are me as the owner, the Duke, and the Gana-da Maid Team.

 

But the Duke was away, and it wasn’t the maid team girls either.

 

‘Katarina does visit frequently though.’

 

But it couldn’t be Katarina either. She was with me until just now, and above all…

 

‘That girl falls asleep whenever she sees books!’

 

Didn’t I witness this myself a few days ago when we went to the library together?

 

As I eliminated suspects one by one through the process of elimination, a chilling assumption suddenly flashed through my mind.

 

‘Then could it be… Lady Diana?’

 

But that suspicion was momentary.

 

“No way. What impious thoughts am I having?! That person is absolutely not it!”

 

Even today, she was the one who scolded me with a more dignified appearance than anyone else.

 

Such an assumption would be disrespectful to her, even if it’s just imagination.

 

‘I must have left it somewhere else…’

 

Though I had only read both the books and the review collection in my room ever since bringing them from the library!

 

Or the books really must have grown feet and run away.

 

Well, there are dragons, magic, and magical beasts.

 

The assumption that books grew feet and ran away didn’t seem entirely impossible either.

 

“Ah, I’m screwed!”

 

Of course, my mood issue is quite significant, but…

 

While I was holding my head and writhing in sorrow.

 

Knock knock.

 

“Your Grace, it’s Cal. You should come for dinner now.”

 

“Ah. Yeah… I’ll be there soon…”

 

Had it already become that time?

 

Honestly, I had no appetite.

 

I didn’t really want to eat, but the faces of the servants who pay great attention to my health came to mind one by one.

 

Moreover, if I skipped even one meal, a report would obviously go straight to the Duke.

 

As if I could hear the Duke’s annoying nagging in my ears, I got up and trudged into the dining hall.

 

Tonight’s main dish was ribs marinated in sweet and sour sauce.

 

But I just picked at the lettuce salad beside it.

 

‘Why did my books have to grow feet and… run away just before the highlight…’

 

While I continued eating with dead fish eyes while thinking such thoughts, that appearance seemed quite worrying to Katarina.

 

“Lady Rene, do you have some kind of worry? You were in such a good mood until earlier.”

 

“Ah, yeah. I was.”

 

“Gasp, don’t tell me you’re sick somewhere?!”

 

Suddenly, the flow of the atmosphere changed.

 

Even someone as oblivious as me could read this much.

 

Everyone was watching only my behavior with terrifying eyes!

 

Even Cal, the experienced butler who usually shows no emotional fluctuation.

 

“Shall I send a messenger bird to His Grace the Duke?!”

 

…making a big fuss about it.

 

“N-no!”

 

Embarrassed, I defiantly tore into the pork ribs with gusto.

 

Only then did Cal seem relieved as he patted his chest.

 

“Phew! There’s no problem with your eating.”

 

“Of course! I wasn’t sick anywhere to begin with.”

 

‘Cal is getting excessive too at this point… Why do the people around me gradually become like the Gana-da Maid Team as time passes?’

 

Really incomprehensible…

 

Just then, Cal’s innocent question flew my way.

 

“Then why did you lose interest in your meal? Perhaps the menu doesn’t suit your taste?”

 

“No way! These pork ribs are really delicious. It’s just… I didn’t have much appetite today…”

 

“Is there a reason you lost your appetite?”

 

“Th-that’s…”

 

I subtly avoided the eyes of the innocent old butler and looked down.

 

I couldn’t possibly tell this pure, untainted muggle that I had lost my appetite and was languishing because the trashy novel I enjoyed reading had disappeared—though I never actually languished without eating, but in Cal’s eyes it probably seemed almost that serious!

 

Moreover, Cal was Jenos’s direct subordinate.

 

If Cal found out, it would only be a matter of time before the Duke knew.

 

“She likes… this kind of thing?”

 

I could already picture Jenos’s bewildered face when he saw the novels I read!

 

No, anything but that! I absolutely can’t stand it!

 

I shook my head vigorously.

 

“It’s just… something personally sad happened…”

 

And then I continued eating with exaggerated crunching sounds.

 

Cal, look carefully! I’m eating really well, aren’t I?

 

So absolutely don’t report anything whatsoever to the Duke!

 

That was the sentiment I put into my gestures.

 

“There can be days without appetite. Why are you all making such a fuss? Just eat your meal.”

 

Just then, a sharp rebuke came from Diana, who had elegantly set down her knife.

 

She seemed to have finished her meal and was wiping her mouth with a napkin.

 

‘A-amazing.’

 

I was briefly moved by her incredible skill in cleanly deboning the pork ribs using only a fork and knife.

 

‘Huh?’

 

Before I knew it, Diana had approached right in front of me and was staring at me intently!

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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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