Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Victor's Scolding
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When I stepped outside, I ran into an unexpected face I thought I’d miss.
“Rubettriaaa!”
It was Victor.
“O-Oppa…….”
“You idiot! You’re supposed to lose weight through exercise!”
“Eek.”
The ear-splitting yell made me wince and clap my hands to my ears, but someone beat me to it, gently covering them for me.
I looked up to see Lark. Our eyes met, and he gave me an apologetic smile.
“You said you’d exercise, but you gave up and tried some shortcut again! There’s no such thing as a magic weight-loss pill!”
“Sir Victor, that’s enough.”
Lark pulled me behind him and reined Victor in.
Two weeks in confinement. Viego had monopolized my one daily visitor slot for outsiders, so I hadn’t seen Victor’s face at all during that time.
He’d only heard about the incident secondhand and had been stomping around in frustration.
‘He must’ve been really worried.’
With his immature little sister causing such a huge mess just to get slimming pills……
I could understand why my brother was laying into me the moment we reunited.
“Your Highness, step aside. She really needs a good scolding.”
“No way. I’ve already gotten chewed out plenty by Dad and Viego-oppa.”
Not really, but still.
I huddled right behind Lark like a shield and shook my head vigorously.
“You’re getting scolded by me too!”
“Nooo!”
“Sir Victor, enough. She’s been locked up for two weeks, and right after the trial, she’s being shipped off for isolation. She must be exhausted.”
Lark soothed him gently, and Victor’s expression softened.
His tightly pressed lips pursed in a pout as he exhaled sharply, trying to calm his anger.
“How were you planning to survive a whole year alone out there…… Argh!”
Worry outweighed anger on Victor’s face as he ruffled his hair in frustration.
Not knowing the full story, Victor’s heartache made him a little pitiful.
I peeked out hesitantly from behind Lark and tugged timidly at Victor’s sleeve.
“I’ll write you, Oppa…….”
“Ugh…….”
His lips twitched as he glared down at me, then suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.
“……Don’t starve yourself like an idiot to lose weight. Bingeing when you’re hungry will just backfire.”
“Okay.”
“……And no crying……. A year will fly by…….”
“Okay.”
“……The investigation team says I can visit once a month, so I’ll come.”
“Okay.”
“What about your attendants?”
“Rebecca’s there. She’s already at the Lubon villa. Plus, Viego-oppa said to bring his secretary too.”
“Guards?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince assigned plenty, so no worries.”
“Ugh, mosquitoes at night—make sure to close the windows…….”
“Summer’s basically over……. But I’ll lock up tight.”
“Good. Dad and your brothers might be too busy to reply, so if anything happens, write to me first.”
“Ugh, got it.”
“Sigh……. You really…….”
Victor pried me out of his arms, then swiftly pinched both my cheeks before I could dodge.
“Ow!”
“You deserve it! You deserve it! There!”
“Ahh! It hurts!”
“Enough now.”
Thankfully, Lark intervened before my cheeks got torn off.
Even after that, I hurriedly climbed into the carriage, leaving Victor’s chatter behind.
Lark took the seat beside me—he was in charge of escorting me all the way to Lubon—and the carriage slowly set off.
As I waved goodbye to Victor through the window, I suddenly felt eyes on me and looked up. Dad was peering out from a third-floor window.
“Dad!”
“…….”
His sullen mood was palpable even from afar, but at least Dad didn’t ignore my final wave.
“I’ll be back!”
His hand gave a slight wave in return to my vigorous one.
* * *
“Viego! Even if it’s the imperial family, this is too much!”
The moment Rubette left for Lubon, Molga stormed to Viego and vented.
Viego, sifting through a mountain of documents, glanced up at her.
“Which part?”
“You know Rubette well enough. She didn’t know a thing. In fact, wasn’t it out of worry for the 5th Princess that she went to the investigation team herself to turn herself in?”
“That’s right.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince knows full well the 5th Princess barely escaped confinement thanks to Rubette, yet instead of gratitude, he’s putting our ducal house under surveillance for a whole year?”
“…….”
“Why did you agree to this? Even if His Grace cooperated, shouldn’t you have talked him out of it?”
“Grandmother.”
Viego murmured in a low voice. Molga flinched at the subtly changed atmosphere.
For all the gravity in his opening, Viego paused, staring at her without continuing right away.
In his mind flashed the brief exchange he’d had with Lark.
“I’m truly grateful for your cooperation. If there were anything to hide, you wouldn’t have let the investigation team into the ducal residence so easily.”
“What are you implying? Hide? Are you suspecting Rubette?”
“Hmm, no. Why would I suspect the Duchess? No one’s earned my trust faster than she has.”
“Then why say it like…….”
“Just thinking aloud. It’s not that there’s an issue with the Duchess herself, but there could be family matters you’d rather keep private. Everyone has their dirty little secrets.”
“No need to worry. As acting family head, I pride myself on managing the house transparently above all.”
“Good, good. I trust you, Young Duke. Just your willingness to cooperate proves it……. Only someone truly shady would object.”
“…….”
“……And the Grand Duchess Molga? No need to get her permission first?”
Why bring up Molga there? Lark’s out-of-left-field question clearly had teeth.
“It’s to prove Rubette’s innocence—why would Grandmother object? She’d welcome it more than anyone. Don’t worry.”
“I see. Shall we find out?”
But……
“It’s an unjust decision. Appeal to His Highness the Crown Prince again. Putting a whole house under imperial watch like this…… The outside world will mock us.”
“I’m sorry, but that won’t happen.”
“……What?”
“It’s not unjust at all. It’s a matter we should cooperate on. Wasn’t the incident tied to imperial blood?”
“Rubette did nothing wrong……!”
“Yes. We’re family, so we trust her, but others don’t. To definitively prove her innocence, we must cooperate with the investigation team.”
Viego added firmly.
“Grandmother wouldn’t want Rubette under suspicion forever either. I thought you’d nod along more readily than anyone.”
“No, that’s…….”
“Or is there some other reason the investigation team bothers you?”
“O-Other reason?”
Viego’s eyes quickly caught the flicker of panic on Molga’s face.
He soon said,
“If that’s not it, then please drop the matter. You should go now.”
“…….”
Molga bit her lip, hesitating as if to press further, but ultimately swallowed a sigh and retreated.
Once Molga left, Viego’s gaze lingered on the closed office door.
“Oppa, you know…….”
“Grandmother doesn’t seem to like you much.”
He recalled Rubette’s hesitant confession from some time ago……
“Could it be because Grandmother was a concubine? Is that why you’re drawing a line between you, her, and the twins?”
Yes, he’d dismissed it as mere whining from his still-young sister.
“Sigh…….”
Viego pressed his forehead lightly, tilting back his heavy head with a sigh. His shaken eyes held uncharacteristic turmoil.
* * *
Thud, thud, thud.
Molga stormed out of Viego’s office in a fury, but the sight of investigation team members camped in front of her room finally calmed her.
She forced a sweet smile as she entered, but her expression flipped the moment the door closed.
‘That damn brat!’
She’d been played.
Stationing imperial investigators in the residence wasn’t to prove Rubette’s innocence—it was clearly to watch her.
‘The Crown Prince has been thoroughly bought by that Rubette wench. Good thing I switched sides fast. But still, it doesn’t add up?’
Molga ground her teeth.
The Crown Prince Lark—probably tattled on by Rubette about the abuse—had protected her, but Molga couldn’t quite pin down why.
‘Out of some misplaced sense of justice over nothing to do with him? No, more likely he wants to marry her and seize the Diorus house.’
Molga shook her head at the thought.
‘The Crown Prince isn’t an idiot. He has my daughter too. I may be a concubine, but Lilia’s still better than some spiritless non-contractor…….’
Which meant the completely changed Rubette must have worked some scheme to seduce the Crown Prince.
Otherwise, there’d be no reason for him to choose her……
‘I don’t know how she reeled him in……. What a girl. Like she died and came back changed? Ridiculous.’
Molga recalled Rubette’s last smirk as she’d peeked in slyly.
Fuming, Molga slammed the table.
“……!”
On the shaking table sat a single letter, sealed with a familiar wax stamp.
Spotting it now, Molga snatched it up in alarm and glanced around.
“Damn it all…….”
With investigators everywhere, even letters had to be handled with kid gloves.
She tore open the envelope. One line inside:
[Why haven’t you sent this month’s money?]
Molga’s face twisted viciously.
The sender: Count Bert—her blood father, like a wart.
‘That old hag won’t die.’
Gritting her teeth, Molga unfolded a sheet and began scrawling a reply.
Things got complicated. Under imperial surveillance, no letters for a while.
And that idiot 2nd Prince—why didn’t he handle things properly—
Molga sighed deeply, shaking her head as she scratched out the rest.
‘Can’t risk them tracing it.’
She lit a candle and burned the half-written letter, then prepared to head out.