I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 103

About an hour before now.

 

As Evelyn exited the parlor after her conversation with Charlotte, she was confronted by a panting Benedict.

 

“Why, what’s the matter, is something urgent?

 

“The High Priest has requested access to the prayer chamber. He says the veil has weakened his powers and he must pray, and…”

 

Deciding that this was not a conversation for the hallway, they rejoined Charlotte in her parlor, where they learned that the Empress had dismissed all the hired help from the western wing.

 

“She must be looking for something.”

 

Evelyn quickly sneaked into the prayer closet while Benedict went to fetch the vicar.

 

It could be a mere coincidence, but she had a feeling that the high priest hadn’t requested access to the room to pray.

 

Maybe not.

 

A snap.

 

Long after Benedict had left, someone entered the prayer chamber. “Julius,” it was the Empress’s voice, calling fondly to the high priest.

 

“My God!”

 

Even though she had a vague idea of their relationship, hearing the intimate conversation in person gave her goosebumps and made her heart beat hard and fast.

 

‘Calm, calm.’

 

Evelyn closed her eyes.

 

She breathed in and out slowly through her nose, concentrating on their words as Kalian had taught her once before.

 

It wasn’t exactly what he’d told her to do, of course, but it was effective in calming her mind and body.

 

Evelyn’s ears pricked up as she lay back on the small crate.

 

‘They’re lovers, and they care about Cedric’s health together.’

 

But the high priest hadn’t mentioned the genetic disorder, and the empress seemed to think the crown prince’s illness was caused by alcohol.

 

There was no hard evidence in the conversation that the crown prince was their child, but it was enough to make her heart sink.

 

Evelyn held her breath, trying to organize her thoughts. There was a rustling sound, and the High Priest spoke.

 

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

 

‘An ability? What ability is he talking about?’

 

Just as she was preparing to burst into light with a burst of offensive magic and flee, the High Priest began to chant a prayer.

 

It went something like this

 

“Sanans lumen.”

 

The words on the silver ring on her finger flashed, emitting an intense light.

 

She’d seen it ripple before, but never like this.

 

It’s unlikely that they felt the light, as it was some distance away from the chairs in the prayer room.

 

But for some reason, she felt like her heart was about to burst from the tension.

 

Dulk-dulk-dulk!

 

A sound came from somewhere at the same time. Evelyn clamped both hands over her mouth in embarrassment.

 

“Who is it!”

 

Could it be the storage box she was lying in, or the glow from the ring? No, she doesn’t think so.

 

Even as she frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation.

 

Ding!

 

“Kaaaah!”

 

The sound of a compartment opening, the scurrying of rats, and the Empress’s screams all hit Evelyn’s ears at once.

 

Evelyn was so startled that she squeezed her eyes shut. At the same time, she panicked at the heavy weight that was crushing her.

 

‘What is this?’

 

The light was too weak to make out what was happening, but she could tell that it was Kalian who was holding her tightly against him.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

‘No, how did you get in here?’

 

She asked in surprise, but she doubted he understood. But the sight of his hazel eyes in the darkness was reassuring.

 

“Easy.”

 

His voice was low and reassuring, and Evelyn’s eyelashes fluttered.

 

Relief that nothing would happen now.

 

That even if they did find us, Kalian would protect her.

 

Her face flushed with a swirl of colorful emotions.

 

She blushed as a colorful array of emotions swirled through her.

 

It’s hard not to feel nervous when you’re forced to breathe in each other’s breath and make eye contact.

 

In the meantime, having gotten nowhere, the High Priest urged the astonished Empress to return to the outbuildings.

 

The sound of their departure was heard, and an eerie silence descended upon the empty prayer hall.

 

“…….”

 

The two stepped out of the box only after the pretense was completely gone. Once they were out in the open, they could breathe again.

 

“Wow, when did you get here? I mean, where did you hear about it?”

 

Evelyn was surprised that such a large body could fit in such a small box, but she had to organize her thoughts first.

 

“I heard about it from the beginning. We’ve been searching in earnest for some time now, because I think they’re after my father’s ‘relics’.”

 

‘You knew they were after the relics, so you pretended something happened to the estate?’

 

“Did you even know it was a holy relic?”

 

He shakes his head.

 

“I know now, because none of Helene’s traces made any mention of the relic.”

 

His dark eyebrows moved faintly as if he were pondering something.

 

“Let’s move on.”

 

With a snap, they were engulfed in shadows and moved to the bedroom.

 

He stretched his senses, checking for signs of life, and pushed logs into the fireplace.

 

Evelyn exhaled slowly.

 

As the warm air hit her skin, the tension that had enveloped her seemed to melt away.

 

“Come here.”

 

Evelyn slowly eased her body away from his touch and pressed against the couch.

 

With a tug, he motioned for Lucy, who came running over, to bring her tea.

 

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts over the wafting steam before he spoke.

 

“Why were you there?”

 

With her lips pursed, Evelyn filled him in on what she’d seen at the dinner party.

 

Kalian nodded, as if it was natural to wonder about their relationship.

 

“But whoever Cedric’s father is, that’s not the point.”

 

Evelyn furrowed her brow, questioning her ear.

 

He was a man who rarely showed emotion, no matter the occasion.

 

Even so, she couldn’t believe he could hear something so devastating and still premiere it.

 

He stared at her face, then slowly moved his gaze downward.

 

“More than that, what I want to know now is…”

 

His gaze landed on her ring, and Evelyn curled her fingers around it warily.

 

Sure enough, the ring glowed as the High Priest chanted an unintelligible prayer.

 

‘Could he be suspicious of me?’

 

“It’s just a memento from my mother, I swear, I have nothing to do with them, not even a little bit, I swear.”

 

Evelyn flinched reflexively and narrowed her eyes.

 

“And why are you saying the crown prince’s birth doesn’t matter? Because if His Majesty finds out about it…”

 

“He already knows.”

 

“It was true that you couldn’t say anything if you were too flustered,” Kalian interjected, as if he’d expected her reaction.

 

“Of course he didn’t know at first, but over the years, he must have questioned it.”

 

The emperor had had a woman in his bed every day since he was a young man.

 

Greed for the perfect heir was the ostensible reason, but it was no secret that he didn’t like the empress.

 

Strangely, however, none of the women he had ever taken bore him children.

 

At first, he suspected the empress had had a hand in it, but that wasn’t the case either.

 

“And he finally admitted that there was something wrong with him.”

 

“My God…”

 

“Not being able to see his consort is a serious flaw for an emperor who rules a continent.”

 

So, in the end, he decided that keeping Cedric as crown prince was the right thing to do to strengthen the imperial power and stabilize the people.

 

“If the emperor does not have a legitimate heir, the heir must be taken from the court.”

 

It’s better to have a half-brother than an imperial blood relative.

 

Her heart raced at the unbelievable story.

 

But as he calmly explained, she gradually calmed down.

 

“So, in the end, it means that the crown prince’s birth is not a good thing.”

 

‘I guess people in high places have different ideas about succession.’

 

Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment to catch her breath, then her eyes widened at the sudden realization.

 

“But I thought you said earlier that they were going to assassinate the Emperor…!”

 

But his leisurely, cross-legged face showed no sign of surprise.

 

“You already knew that?”

 

He nodded, reaching out with his index finger to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen over Evelyn’s cheek behind her ear.

 

“You may not be familiar with it, but the heir to the Imperial House or the Grand Duchy develops a tolerance to poison from an early age.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“Also, as far as assassination threats go, he’s had enough of them. If he hadn’t, the current Emperor’s reign would have come to an end sooner or later.”

 

‘Should they leave them alone with such a risk?’

 

Kalian was quick to answer.

 

“It’s not that we won’t punish them, it’s just not the time yet. They have their uses.”

 

Evelyn remembered Viscount Fairfield, who had murdered several wives and still walked around unharmed.

 

“Did I mention he was a distant relative of the Emperor…?”

 

No wonder it was hard to punish royalty without hard evidence.

 

“Now, let’s talk about the ring.”

 

Kalian wordlessly took Evelyn’s hand in his own, still in shock, and squeezed it firmly.

 

Evelyn caught her breath, feeling the warmth of his touch.

 

Then she spoke, her brow furrowing as if she were contemplating a fact she’d longed to ignore.

 

“I think… I think this ring is Helene’s holy relic.”