CH 12.2

As she thought about the idea of Cherryl marrying the Grand Duke, Natasha couldn’t sleep in her narrow bed in the guest room.

To her, Cherryl’s confession sounded like a bluff.

She put up with it a little bit last night but it still killed her to believe it.

Natasha couldn’t stand it anymore and began to vent her anger on anyone and anything she came across with.

“Yesterday, you left the house without telling me anything, and now you’re stealing food in this household? Are you a thief?”

Cherryl, who was dumbfounded by how ridiculous and absurd Natasha was being, snorted.

How come she didn’t say a single word to the maid who stole the beef jerky?

“This is my house. Does it make any sense for me to steal the food? Why can’t you say the same to your mother’s maid, the beef jerky thief?”

“What? What? What? You’re calling this your house? Ha! You said that so well.”

As her voice rose even more, the servants came out of the woodwork one by one to snoop.

They watched the mistress of the house and the girl quarrel with each other with curious eyes.

“Listen. Now that you’re getting married, this mansion is no longer yours.”

Cherryl took a breath at the meaningful words.

“Are you lying about your engagement with the Duke, then? If you are, know that we’ll decide to marry you to someone else soon. Count Maxon would be a perfect candidate as your future husband. He’s a gentleman you’ve met before.”

Cherryl clenched her fist, crushing the urge to tell another lie.

“Be careful what you say, mother. There’s no way I’ll marry such a lustful man! Sooner or later, you’ll have to call me ‘The Great Duchess’.

“Don’t make me laugh! The Grand Duke had never cared about you from the start!”

Natasha violently jabbed a finger at her with a hand that was adorned with fifteen rings.

“Don’t you think your father should have married you off long ago? You’re way older than you think!”

She knew that Cade’s party had secretly visited the Mansion during the village festival.

Some kind of transaction must have been exchanged during that day.

What did she mean, marriage proposal?

She was already aware that the Marquis was trying to sell her along with the building at Hindel as a buy one take one offer.

Not long ago, Cherryl was shaking in fear at the idea of being sold into marriage, but now her story was completely different.

Natasha assumed she was bluffing because she couldn’t believe anything she said.

She had no idea that Cade had expressed his willingness to marry her without hesitation.

In any case, the Marquis couldn’t have read any emotion from the cynical, poker-faced man who seemed detached from everything and everyone.

Suddenly, Cherryl glanced down at Natasha’s rings tightly fitted in all of her fingers.

She had worn a luxurious ring with a jewel the size of a jujube egg.

Above that, various bracelets, diamond necklaces, and earrings stood out from her wrist.

They were the only jewels of her stepmother that weren’t lost in the fire.

She must have preserved all these accessories safely and cherished them enough to wear them in her sleep.

When a sudden idea flashed into her mind, a cloud of war broke out in Cherryl’s blue eyes.

When Natasha furrowed her brows as if to summon her inner evil spirit again, Cherryl quickly held her hands and spun her around.

“What do you mean, a lie? Mother really doesn’t know a thing! You only like to talk with your mouth without thinking it through. Such an aristocratic thing to do!”

“We’ll see!”

“Of course you wouldn’t know about us! His Grace and I fell in love at first sight!”

Cherryl pretended to be happy imagining the future of their marriage while glancing up at the moonlit window.

“When will the Duke come back? I miss him so much. A few days of separation is already too long for me. Is this what love is?” Fully drunk in her own play, she murmured dreamily. “Yes, this must be love. It’s unfortunate that my poor mother didn’t know what love is! You didn’t even notice the love I felt for the Grand Duke. I don’t want to ever be separated from him.”

“Lady Cherryl–”

She ignored the butler’s hesitant call with defiance as she fluttered around like a butterfly.

“I want to leave the North as soon as possible with the Grand Duke. I really can’t wait to become one with him.”

At this point, she was playing a woman in love with her wedding dress.

A long crowd of people had gathered in front of the door of the large mansion.

“Is that true?”

A soft low voice caught everyone’s attention.

Cherryl, who was busy pretending to be a happy bride dancing gracefully in the hallway, moved to a halt.

When she turned her head, Cade stood there, looking puzzled.

Cherryl blinked, unable to drop her hands to her sides.

When their eyes met, the tall man filled the high doorway and entered the mansion.

Behind them, seven men watched Cherryl with interest.

Lecter grinned widely at her, showing all of his teeth.

Lucy had followed Cade’s group home after delivering food to Lecter, and she also witnessed the embarrassing tableau she might as well die.

The maid, who was the only person who knew why she was doing this, closed her eyes tightly.

They must have looked at her in pity because it felt like that.