Reincarnated As My Husband's Mistress-Chapter 72: [] A worthless, despicable creature

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"Brother!"

The color drained from the Crown Prince's face. Roardnes, firmly holding up Bartedenaldo who was on the verge of collapsing, read the letter. His heart raced at the sight of the word "Pireta." It was clear that the urgent message Adrienne had sent with a desperate look the day before had worked. Noebian had become an unplayable card. Knowing this was why Bartedenaldo was reacting this way. Roardnes helped his brother sit up straight and supported him to a seat. The Crown Prince completely buried his back in the one-person sofa and covered his face with both hands.

"Brother."

"Roan, Roan, how can I... how can I..."

The decision had been made. It was just that the Crown Prince couldn't bring himself to say that he would let go of his uncle.

"You don't have to say anything, brother."

"...Roan?"

The Crown Prince looked up at Roardnes, who was still standing there with a pale face. Roardnes, with his hand on the hilt of his sword and his eyes dark, looked down at him.

"Don't you already know a way to keep the east and west supporting you?"

"..."

"Send the Royal First Knights to capture him yourself."

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"Roan..."

Startled by the drastic suggestion, Bartedenaldo paled, trembled, and finally collapsed back onto the sofa. Roardnes knelt down in front of his brother. With his lowered gaze, he could see the Crown Prince's trembling eyes more clearly.

"That way, you won't get hurt and you can become the perfect emperor. Don't you know that?"

"Roan, Roan, I..."

"If you just give the order, I will personally lead the knights in your place. I will explain everything to the King. You just have to say that you're abandoning that bastard, Noebian Trovica."

With his face contorted as if he were about to burst into tears, the Crown Prince, who had never interfered in politics, finally nodded at his younger brother's strong request. His chin trembled as he nodded, and tears stained his dark blue pants. Roardnes silently wrapped his arms around the Crown Prince's head.

"You've made the right decision, Your Highness."

If Your Highness hadn't made this decision, I would have killed my uncle myself. His voice was low to the ground, and the Crown Prince's hand, which had been gripping his wet knees, trembled along with his head. Roardnes grabbed his hand tightly. It was time to clear away the filth of Noebian from the path of the perfect Bartedenaldo.

****

Adrienne's funeral was imminent. Overwhelmed by the events unfolding at the Grand Duke's residence, where Adrienne's body lay, Noebian had retreated to a private club for nobles. It had been a long time since he'd felt so keenly the superficiality of his position. Countless people envied his place beside the Grand Duke, a man who could neither ascend to the position of a sovereign ruler of an entire nation nor fully engage in politics. He slipped into a VIP room, evading the eager glances of those waiting for their chance. In the quiet, empty space, the letters he unfolded were crumpled in his hands the moment he recognized the sender's names. From the damned Castagna to Raileon, who seemed to appear every other day, and even the Winston Viscount, the dead Empress Retinia's family, who had somehow heard about the situation and was demanding an explanation. They were all in the same boat, but each one was as irritating as the last.

"An explanation?"

What explanation was needed? He'd brought Blie to the Grand Duke's residence under the pretext of Castagna's request, but even he couldn't understand why he continued to take such risks without even bothering to explain. And then there was that crazy Roardnes, who had set up a temporary tent in front of the Grand Duke's residence. Noebian saw Roardnes's actions as a challenge to him and a way to appeal to Blie, a secret signal for her to come to him. With a crash, he threw his drink to the floor, shattering the glass. He was sick of it all. Blie was supposed to be a mere substitute. No matter how similar she was to Adrienne, had he ever desired someone so desperately?

'Try to find a shred of happiness with a substitute.'

'Live a new life with Blie Acacia.'

'Forget about me, whom you couldn't have, and find your happiness with someone new.'

He'd taken drugs, drunk, hallucinated, and heard voices. Even though he knew it was madness, he couldn't stop himself because he thought it might allow him to connect with a piece of Adrienne's soul. In his half-mad state, he'd felt a sense of liberation he'd never experienced anywhere else. She was supposed to be his, but given his past actions, he knew she wouldn't be controlled unless he locked her up. He could force himself on her, but what would be the point? This might be the only way he could truly possess her. His hands trembled, perhaps from the drugs or the alcohol he'd been consuming. He thought that if he could just get through this crisis, he might be able to have that insignificant happiness, as Adrienne had suggested. The Crown Prince couldn't abandon him. Hadn't he gained the hearts of the east because of the Crown Prince's marriage to a woman from the west? Balance and inclusivity. All the elements that made the Crown Prince Bartedenaldo a wise ruler came from him. Considering the precedents where the Crown Prince had changed with every change of Empress, Prince Bartedenaldo was quite free in his competition for succession with the Ninth Prince. It was because Noebian Trovica was firmly supporting him. The Crown Prince could never abandon him. Noebian was sure he would win this battle, but he gritted his teeth, thinking of Blie, who didn't always act like she belonged to him. The funeral was almost over, and he had no intention of backing down.

****

The Trovica family cemetery was crowded with more people than ever before. It was the 100th day since the funeral of the young Duchess Adrienne Trovica. Not only were the High Priest and other temple members present, but so were important officials from the royal family. Despite the hymns dedicated to the gods, a cold stillness hung over the place. It wasn't because of the cold winter weather. People were exchanging glances, all because of a group that had arrived late in the funeral. Even from their clothing, one could tell they were not from the capital. They were people from the eastern Pireta, the homeland of Duchess Adrienne. Led by the young Duke Gregory, the people of eastern Pireta had a look not of sorrow but of a desire to kill someone. They had gathered together throughout the funeral.

After the first part of the funeral ended and most of the guests had left, only those sent by the royal family, the temple people, and the immediate family, the Grand Duke Noebian, remained at the cemetery. It was around the time when the coffin containing Duchess Adrienne's body was lowered deep into the ground, covered by a black cloth, that the young duke and his wife approached Noebian. The Grand Duke, who had been scattering dirt on the grave as a mourner, paused for a moment, unable to contain his emotions.

"What a jerk. A fucking bastard."

A clear but somewhat rough female voice echoed through the solemn funeral. The startled High Priest signaled to the other priests to sing the hymn louder, but they couldn't drown out the woman's voice.

"A dirty, shameless bastard. How dare you, you thief who stole the daughter of Pireta, secretly have another woman on the side?"

The gentle organ music stopped abruptly. The people sent by the royal family stared at Noebian, their eyes wide. Noebian, who had been staring at the coffin for a long time, turned his gaze. Bianca Pireta, the young Duchess, wearing a black veil, stepped forward and stood in front of him. Her bloodshot eyes, even though she didn't utter another word, conveyed what she wanted to say.

"You dare betray Adrienne?"

"Madam, I don't know what you're talking about, but if you continue like this here..."

"Ask your master. Why I'm doing this."

Jimsker, who had been trying to calm her down, glanced at Noebian. Jimsker understood the situation perfectly. No one but Noebian and Jimsker knew who Bianca Pireta was and why she was so angry.

"You're always so smooth-talking, but now? Why don't you tell me?"

"How dare you."

That was all he said. Noebian's cold gaze turned to Bianca, whose eyes widened in disbelief, and to Gregory who looked like he was about to bolt. For a brief moment, Noebian's eyebrows twitched as he saw a glimpse of Adrienne in Gregory's face.

"Jimsker. Tell the soldiers to escort the mourners from the east to the Grand Duke's residence."

"Yes, yes...! Madam, madam, you can't do this."

There was a commotion among the group from the east. Gregory, who was about to shout, had his mouth covered by someone and stood there with a face that looked like he had been slapped. Bianca, who had also been about to run, was practically dragged onto a carriage by Jimsker and the other knights. "That shameless, crazy bastard. The ungrateful scum of the earth." Those muffled words seemed to echo in Noebian's ears.

"Continue, Your Grace."

"Oh, yes, yes."

The High Priest, whose face was as pale as a sheet, as if he were looking at a bomb about to explode, gestured for the organ to play again. But Noebian was as if deaf, scooping dirt with a shovel and filling the pit where Adrienne's coffin had been lowered. The sound of the organ, the hymns of the priests, the prayers of the High Priest, the ceremonial weeping of the remaining royal family members—it was all meaningless noise. As he scooped dirt into the pit, Noebian felt as if he were burying the last remnants of his humanity along with her. The agonizing funeral was finally over. How he wished he could bury his yearning for Adrienne, the one he could never have, and his obsession with her, which he would never have. As he watched Adrienne being lowered into the cold earth, a part of his sanity seemed to snap. He had imagined and prepared for this moment countless times, but seeing it with his own eyes and covering her with his own hands was a completely different experience.

"In the name of the Lord, I declare that Duchess Adrienne Trovica of northern Trovica has been laid to rest in Avadelia!"

With the High Priest's proclamation, Adrienne Trovica's name was finally engraved on the white stone given by the Emperor. 'Adrienne Swann Trovica, mistress of northern Trovica and daughter of eastern Pireta, rests here.'

Noebian truly believed that it was not Adrienne but his own heart that was being buried.

'A dirty, shameless bastard. How dare you, you thief who stole the daughter of Pireta, secretly have another woman on the side?'

'You dare betray Adrienne?'

Now, there was truly no turning back.

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