The Fake Madam Disappeared-Chapter 43Vol. 1 -

Daphne’s gaze instinctively shifted to her still-flat stomach.

[“I cannot accept this. That someone from the Bled family should occupy the position of Duchess….”]

It felt like magic. With just one word, everything around her, the people and the circumstances, seemed to change, though she remained the same.

Suddenly, the food that had looked so appetizing now felt foreign and repulsive. A wave of nausea came over her in an instant.

“Urgh!”

“Madam!”

As she clamped a hand over her mouth, Olga moved quickly.

“Did you eat something wrong? Shall I fetch the doctor? Oh, Your Excellency, you’re back already.”

Olga straightened up as Edmund entered the dining room. Daphne turned toward Edmund, who stood at the entrance. Their eyes met directly.

[“You’ll regret this.”]

His gaze, as if knowing everything, suffocated her. That look of inevitable entrapment—it was suffocating.

“...Enough,” Daphne said, lowering the hand she had raised to her mouth and rising from her seat. She walked past Edmund.

“Is it because of me?" he asked just as she passed by.

“No,” Daphne replied, clenching her fists tightly.

Don’t shake. Don’t be nervous.

She calmed herself with meaningless words and resumed walking, her steps confident, as if to prove she wasn’t running away. Then, with a deliberate air, she turned back.

‘Red eyes?’

For a brief moment, under the sunlight streaming in through the window, Olga’s brown eyes seemed to turn red, but they quickly returned to normal.

That wasn’t the important part, though.

Although her gaze was directed at Olga, her attention was entirely on Edmund, who was standing right beside her. Edmund was watching her. Daphne fought the instinct to look back at him, keeping her gaze fixed on Olga.

“Among the servants who arrived at the estate earlier, there should be a girl named Anna. Send her to me. She’s the only one I trust.”

“Yes, Madam.”“And Olga, about the child…”“...”“Don’t bring it up in front of me.”

Daphne turned to look at Edmund.

“Because it’s a child I never wanted.”

“...”

Without looking back, Daphne left the dining room.

* * *

“I’ve decided to be the Imperial Princess’s partner.”

“What?”

Benjamin, who was in the middle of uncorking a bottle, lifted his head in surprise. None of what Edmund said was ever without shock.

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“Was it an order from His Majesty?”

“It was an order disguised as a request.”

Edmund recalled the way Edward had pushed the Imperial Princess on him, attaching some flimsy excuse.

“And the Madam?”

“She’ll partner with Damian.”

Benjamin’s hand dropped as he momentarily forgot his task.

A married man, who is still very much in a relationship with his wife, was now to become the partner of an unmarried woman who had once fervently pursued him. The implications were glaringly obvious.

“They’re practically shoving you and the Imperial Princess together.”

“They’ve become much more blatant.”

Not that the Emperor hadn’t done such things before. He had forced them to dance openly at banquets and orchestrated many other such incidents, but never with such boldness.

“May I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”“Why didn’t you refuse?”

In the past, the Emperor’s actions were subtle enough that Edmund had a reasonable excuse to decline. But now, with such open moves, he had every reason to reject them.

Yet Edmund hadn’t.

“He offered to send a few priests to the north, so I agreed.”

“...What?”

Benjamin’s face went blank.

So, Edmund had accepted in exchange for that condition – to be the Imperial Princess’s partner.

Benjamin blinked in confusion, unsure of what to say, before resuming his task of uncorking the bottle. He bent down to inspect the scar on Edmund’s right shoulder, the very spot where he’d only recently healed from a previous wound. It was a strangely unsettling coincidence.

The wound, a mere scratch compared to others Edmund had endured, now writhed with dark magic. If it had been anyone else, the magic would have already spread across their entire back, but in Edmund’s case, it hadn’t even covered a palm-sized area.

Dark creatures carried this malevolent magic. Once it touched the body, it turned everything black and eventually dried out the blood. Only divine power could purge it.

This was why magic stones infused with divine power were always needed, though they were hard to come by. They had left in such a hurry that they hadn’t brought any, but Edmund had already contacted Nick. They would use the stones to heal the wound before the magic could consume him further.

The relationship between the northern Winter Duchy and the temple had always been strained, and the temple would never assist the North without demanding a steep price.

Yes, in the grand scheme of things, it was a reasonable condition. Just because he partnered with the Imperial Princess once didn’t mean His Excellency would divorce the Madam and marry the Imperial Princess. One partnership in exchange for priests being sent? Fair enough.

Benjamin steadied himself, reminding himself that Edmund had reasons for his choices. He hadn’t changed his mind; everything was calculated. Benjamin believed that and wanted to continue believing it.

[“I’ve heard strange rumors that the Winter Duchy and the imperial family don’t get along. So, during this hunting tournament, the Imperial Princess Elizabeth will partner with the Duke, while the Crown Prince Carlito will partner with the Duchess…”]

‘Carlito D’Gathe.’

Meanwhile, Edmund was lost in thought about the empire’s Crown Prince.

Carlito was the only surviving son of the late Empress and the deceased Princess of the western continent. He was nothing like a proper Crown Prince, but through his bloodline alone, he had claimed the title. To make matters worse, he resembled his father in every way, from his appearance to his mannerisms. He was, in short, the most notorious scoundrel in the capital.

The idea of Carlito becoming Daphne’s partner was enough to stir an unbidden reaction in Edmund.

[“I’ll just change my partner. Damian is enough for my wife.”]

“Sigh…”

“Shall I bring you a cigar?”

Benjamin asked, mistaking Edmund’s sigh for an expression of pain.

“No—wait, yes.”

Edmund took the cigarette Benjamin handed him on his way out and brought it to his lips.

Before long, Edmund massaged his throbbing temples and stood up. The chair scraped against the floor with a squeal as Edmund headed toward the terrace, cigarette still in hand.

When he opened the terrace door, the cool breeze hit him, one he never seemed to get used to. The bone-chilling wind was more familiar to him.

Looking up, Edmund gazed at the starry night sky. As he exhaled, the cigarette smoke drifted away, carried by the wind.

When it came to anything involving Daphne, he always ended up making the wrong choices without hesitation. Like accepting that absurd marriage, breaking Nick out of prison, and preventing Daphne from getting frostbite—all of it.

He found this side of himself unfamiliar and unbearable.

Edmund preferred the things he knew well.

[“I never wanted this child.”]

“Cough, cough!”

At that moment, a sudden cough caught Edmund’s attention, making him whip his head around.

Szzzt.

Despite the burning cigarette shortening in his hand, Edmund couldn’t take his eyes off her. There she was, Daphne, on the terrace right next to him.

It was the night before the hunting tournament.

* * *

Morning came.

The estate was already bustling early, preparing the Masters of the house for the hunting tournament.

The tournament had already begun a week earlier. To be precise, the week started with a grand ball to kick off the event, followed by three days of hunting, and ended with another week of festivities to conclude the tournament.

Today was the final day of the week-long ball, the day before the hunting began.

“Madam! How do you like this accessory?”

“No, maybe we should go with this one instead? I think it might suit you better, Madam.”

“Oh wow, I didn’t know we had this kind of jewelry! Let’s use this one!”

Anna, helping Daphne with her attire for the first time, was brimming with excitement. Daphne softly called out to the girl who was frantically moving about.

“Anna.”

Startled, Anna froze in place before realizing how she’d been acting, and let out an awkward laugh.

“Hehe, I’m sorry. It’s just that this is my first time using so many different accessories…”

Watching the overly excited Anna, Daphne smiled faintly, but she felt a bit overwhelmed. She hadn’t intended to wear much makeup or any accessories today, but she’d missed her chance to stop Anna’s enthusiasm from the start.

“Hm? What’s this jewelry box? I’ve never seen it before.”

Anna, grabbing things at random, reached for a crude wooden box. Recognizing what it was, Daphne quickly extended her hand to stop her.

“Out of everything you’ve brought, this one is my favorite. Let’s go with just this.”

“Isn’t it a bit too plain?”“It’s more than enough.”

When Daphne spoke firmly, Anna, who knew little about society, simply nodded and obediently pinned the accessory to Daphne’s hair.

‘Why is this here…’

While Anna was distracted, Daphne quietly tucked the wooden box deep into a random pile of belongings.

“It’s done.”

With the accessory in place, Daphne’s preparations were finished, and she headed outside.

Time was running short, so she quickly boarded the carriage, locking eyes with Damian, who was already seated upright. It was an awkward moment, but soon enough, the carriage began to move. Not having settled in her seat yet, Daphne stumbled.

“Careful…”

Instinctively, Damian reached out his hand.

But Daphne was quicker, steadying herself against the wall before sitting down. Damian, realizing what had happened, quickly withdrew his outstretched hand before she noticed.

Barely avoiding any trouble for Damian, Daphne managed to sit down. Glancing at him, she saw that he had already turned his head away from her.

“Are you disappointed that it’s me and not Father?”

T/N: Wait, so Olga is also controlled by Sergei…? Her eyes reddened just like Miranda before she died… Wow, that is really crazy…

I think Daphne is vomiting because of stress? I heard that people who are very stressed would have trouble sleeping and eating, even making them vomit what they’ve just eaten…