I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke – Chapter 102

Author: Dakku-san

Evelyn’s attention to the crown prince’s behavior at the banquet was prompted by his bizarre behavior at the Tabernacle.

His limbs were twisted in strange ways, he had little strength in his legs, and he shuddered intermittently as he was attacked by the curtain.

She was relieved to see that his condition seemed to improve over time.

Her suspicions were confirmed by the behavior of the High Priest, who had the same symptoms as the Crown Prince.

“I, too, am tired from the long journey, and my holy prowess has suffered a slight setback.”

As he said this, he casually tucked his hands into his long sleeves. But he couldn’t hide the intermittent fluttering of his cuffs.

Evelyn, noticing even the outward similarities between them, radiated healing energy toward them, even if only slightly, just in case.

“By nature, healing energy is drawn to the vulnerable parts of the opponent, and the crown prince and the high priest follow the same trajectory.”

“Couldn’t it be that they both felt pain in the same area?”

“Yes, but heart disease is a common genetic condition that coincides with abnormal muscle contractions.”

“…what?”

Charlotte’s brow furrowed slightly as if she was pondering Evelyn’s words.

The crown prince bore no resemblance to the emperor from birth.

But no one had ever doubted his birth, for he was born with the brilliant blond hair and luminous eyes of the imperial family.

Then the same genetic disorder was discovered in both the crown prince and the high priest.

“So maybe the crown prince’s real father is…”

Charlotte opened her mouth in disbelief, but she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

If this was true, it was too shocking.

Evelyn sipped her tea and took a deep breath.

“We can’t be sure of anything yet, but it’s a muscular disease, so if it’s true, it will become apparent sooner or later. We need to find out if it runs in the family.”

Evelyn’s eyes grew cold as she remembered the High Priest looking anxiously at the Crown Prince.

* * *

“Thank you, my lord. For you to graciously offer the prayer room, which has been empty for so long, I sincerely hope that Adin-sama’s full favor will always be with you.”

“It is only right that we offer the prayer hall to the clergy. I only wonder if he might catch a cold from the lack of heating.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“You’re welcome.”

Benedict led Julius into the prayer room of the east wing and lit the candelabra on the wall.

A dusky glow illuminated the normally dark space, and a holy atmosphere filled the room as Julius, neatly dressed in a purple robe, knelt and recited a prayer.

“And so I say farewell.”

With those words, Benedict signed off and left the room. Long after the door had closed behind him, Julius slowly pushed himself to his feet and sat down in the prayer chair.

As if in anticipation, the door to the prayer room cautiously opened. A figure approached breathlessly and sat down beside Julius.

“Huh, there’s nothing in the west wing. I’ve searched from the basement to the third floor, down to the bottom.”

“Aren’t you tired? You don’t look well, Dia.”

It was the Empress, pulling on her black hood and falling into his arms.

“Don’t worry about me. What really happened earlier, anyway? Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly coughed up blood?”

Claudia patted her chest in alarm and examined Julius’s complexion.

Frail since childhood, his health had deteriorated rapidly as he passed fifty. It was a genetic disorder that ran in his mother’s family for generations.

“It’s not me, it’s Cedric. He was fine the other day, but today he seems to be fidgeting a lot.”

Claudia pressed both hands to her forehead as if in pain and sighed deeply.

“It’s the damned booze, and if it weren’t for that, I’d have Theo call a prohibition and ask him to run out the Empire’s liquor.”

“So, what did he say?”

“What would he say? It’s all Cedric’s fault for his weakness. He even threatened to make me roll on the training grounds all day while I’m still a member of the Imperial Knights.”

“Hush!”

Claudia’s voice rose, and Julius raised his index finger to cover her lips.

“This is the grand duke’s office, and we don’t know who or where is listening.”

Suddenly remembering the grand duke’s notoriety, Claudia clung to Julius’s hand and rolled her eyes.

After a long moment, both of them realizing they had nothing to show for it, they took a deep breath in unison.

* * *

Claudia was twelve years old. She had followed her mother, who was in the midst of a socializing spree, to the Imperial Palace ballroom.

It was fate that she met a faithful boy in the palace gardens during the Empress’s jubilee banquet.

The boy, with his dazzling blond hair, fair skin, and purity of spirit, broke down in tears as he explained that he was unable to attend the banquet due to circumstances.

Struck by his holiness, she watched him for a long, long time, secretly.

It was not until five years later that she realized the meaning of those tears.

It was after Theodoric, the second-born emperor, had killed both the empress and her resurrector and was crowned emperor.

When they met again, Julius had become a priest in the temple, but they grew close regardless.

She shared secrets she could tell no one, and did every intimate act she could with him.

It was her first love.

But they could not be together.

Claudia urged him to give up his priesthood, but Julius refused, saying he would be killed by the emperor the moment he stepped out of the temple.

“Think about it, Dia,” Julius said, “if I want to be equal to the emperor, I have no choice but to stay in the temple. Instead… of me, there is a way for us to reach the highest office.”

Claudia wanted to save Julius; she pitied him for being trapped in the shadow of the Emperor’s resurrection his whole life, unable to see the light.

“What is it?”

“Dia, will you listen to everything I say, no matter what it is?”

“Of course I can. If you ask me to kill the emperor, I will.”

Julius’s plan was elaborate.

Claudia had been in Parminion since before her debutante tournament and had won Charlotte’s favor.

She also secretly flirted with Theodore.

As a result, her employers in the north were convinced that she admired the emperor.

The opportunity came naturally.

Using the power of witchcraft, she disguised herself as Charlotte and slipped into Theodore’s drunken bedchamber, leaving Julius to clean up the mess.

By then, Claudia was already pregnant with Julius’ child.

And no one doubted that the son of Julius, with the same hair and eye color as Theodoric, could not be of imperial blood.

But there were others.

Charlotte, who should have been banished to a monastery, had married her brother and given birth to the Protector.

* * *

Claudia gritted her teeth.

“I should have gotten rid of Charlotte then!”

“Then you should have thought of whom the arrow of suspicion might have fallen on. Calm down, Dia.”

“How am I supposed to be calm? Charlotte’s alive and well! She must have been healed by that wench who should have been taken away. If she’s cursed and about to die, why is she so well?”

That was Julius’ question, too.

A purifier born to be a vessel of sacrifice for humans, a sacrifice, could not heal itself.

It made no sense to him that she should be running around with a body poisoned by a curse.

“Dia, if we can destroy the holy relic and steal the last vessel, everything will be fine. It’s not that hard, so just be patient, okay?”

“Then we’ll just have to destroy the necklace in the temple. Isn’t that impossible?”

“There’s a protective magic circle around it that no one can break, and if you touch it, you’ll be cursed and killed instantly.”

“I’m bleeding to death every day. Why don’t we just assassinate Theodore?”

After thirty years of walking on thin ice, Claudia wanted some kind of resolution.

She was tired of sharing a bed with the man she loved, tired of his silence, and tired of his whining.

As if he understood her feelings, Julius embraced her deeply and patted her on the back.

“As long as the grand duke maintains his current reputation, that’s impossible. There’s no need to make a fuss about it. Still, it’s for the best that he’s given us an excuse to come north. The Sun God must be looking out for us.”

“That’s true, but…”

Claudia nervously picked at her thumb nail.

“So we only have to destroy one holy object, and you’re sure the earring is in the Grand Duchy?”

“He said so, so it’s certain. The question is where it is…”

Julius was able to detect the relic with the special powers he possessed, or more precisely, that he had inherited from “Him”.

But if he used it improperly and the grand duke found out, he’d be in trouble. Julius chewed his lip nervously.

Then, finally, he squeezed Claudia’s shoulder with determination.

“I’m sure the grand duke hasn’t returned from his outing yet, so I’ll use my powers, and you stay hidden, just in case.”

Claudia sighed. But she had a son to protect. She had to make up her mind if she wanted to accomplish her goal before his illness got worse.

She nodded that she was ready, and Julius began to chant a prayer.

“Please drive out the light within me and lead my soul into deep darkness.”

It was at this point that she looked up, looking for a place to hide.