I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 81

The Godmother has summoned Evelyn to the catacombs after receiving a trade proposal from the Parminions.

 

While this was an encouraging outcome, as it meant that she was finally face-to-face with the elusive woman, Evelyn’s face was less than cheerful as she followed Benedict to the outbuilding.

 

She couldn’t read her godmother’s intentions in calling her.

 

‘Even in the catacombs they have never allowed anyone to enter other than them before…’

 

In her past life, Evelyn had only seen Charlotte once.

 

From a distance.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The castle itself was enormous, and neither of them had ever ventured outside.

 

The occasion was the anniversary of the last Grand Duke.

 

The atmosphere inside the castle was as tranquil as usual, but the hallway just upstairs from Evelyn’s bedroom was in a state of disarray.

 

After dinner, Evelyn went out for a short walk and happened to catch a glimpse of it.

 

A mate!

 

The sound of a slap followed by a desperate woman’s wail stopped Evelyn in her tracks.

 

“You’re a monster! I shouldn’t have had you!”

 

At first glance, the cause of the disturbance was this.

 

In the past, the Godmother had strictly controlled access to the catacombs where the bodies of her ancestors rested, just as she does now.

 

However, Kalian’s behavior of entering the catacombs to pay his respects to his father without permission seemed to have angered her.

 

“No matter how you slice it…!”

 

Evelyn couldn’t understand her godmother at the time.

 

No matter how great her own grief, the Grand Duke was Kalian’s father.

 

‘Was a son mourning his father’s death worthy of being told she should never have had him?’

 

“I just wanted to make sure,” Evelyn said, and remembered Kalian’s face as he turned away.

 

It must have hurt him more than the long scratch on his cheek from his mother’s slap, but he didn’t flinch.

 

And it was that steadfastness that made Evelyn’s heart ache for a long time.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Don’t be so nervous. Just don’t make eye contact with your godmother and be careful not to overlap your words.”

 

Benedict’s admonition jolted her awake. Snapping out of her thoughts, Evelyn’s voice broke.

 

“She’s a wary woman, so I’ll do my best not to offend her, won’t I?”

 

“You’re very clever.”

 

Buoyed by the compliment, they reached the underground entrance.

 

The sound of the stone door creaking open made Evelyn’s shoulders slump.

 

“You’ll have to go down alone from here.”

 

Benedict handed her a lamp. His voice was full of concern, as if he were treating a child at the water’s edge.

 

“Hold on to the hem of your skirt so you don’t slip. The bottom of the lamp is hot, so don’t touch it.”

 

“Okay, don’t worry.”

 

“Well, then, please be careful.”

 

Evelyn nodded, took the lamp and started for the stairs.

 

“Ugh…”

 

She was honestly scared.

 

She put on a nonchalant face, not wanting to worry the old butler, but her nervousness was evident as she descended the dark, deep staircase.

 

Another step, another step.

 

Finally reaching her destination, Evelyn took the lamp and looked around.

 

The room was clean and grand.

 

Soaring ceilings, marble floors underneath, tapestries on every wall, and intricately carved statues.

 

If it weren’t for the three glass coffins on the center podium, she would never have guessed it was a cemetery.

 

‘Three…? Aren’t only the past grand dukes buried here?’

 

She wondered, but it was dark and she couldn’t see anything.

 

Moreover, there was no one there to wait for her.

 

“…His Highness the Grand Duchess?”

 

The dank, chilly air of the underground creeps up the nape of her neck. Her steps felt heavy, like they were weighed down by rocks, and she shivered as if she had a chill.

 

As her heart naturally beats uneasily, she see a figure sitting in a chair.

 

It was so black she thought it was a shadow, but when she looked closer, she realized it was a human figure.

 

Without bothering to look at the person, Evelyn immediately set the lamp on the floor and bowed her head.

 

“Greetings to Your Highness, the Grand Duchess. My name is Evelyn. I was hoping to speak with the godmother at…”

 

“Yes, you begged so much to speak with me alone.”

 

The voice that came out of the other end of the veil was plain enough, but the lack of emotion in it made it seem eerie.

 

But that was probably because she was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Evelyn blurted out her answer, trying to sound as natural as possible.

 

“As the oldest member of the castle, I thought it only right that I should be the first to greet you.”

 

“You must have thought it was a shame that such an elderly woman would not accept your greeting.”

 

“How could I have thought that…”

 

“My notoriety is sure to spread throughout the Empire, so what was your intention in meeting with me?”

 

Intentions.

 

While she was stunned by the unexpected sarcasm, the Godmother’s low voice echoed eerily in the damp basement.

 

“Do you mean to laugh at me, a mere backroom maid, or has my father asked you to do him a favor, to observe my behavior and report back to him?”

 

Evelyn finally let go of her biting lip and raised her head. Her loneliness was evident in her defensive posture and aggressive tone.

 

Charlotte suspected that her behavior would be laughed at. And that they’re trying to spy on her every move.

 

‘You know best that that’s not true…’

 

When Evelyn remains silent, Charlotte, who interprets it differently, smiles bitterly.

 

“It’s a ridiculous assumption, but if you’re thinking of using my patronage to gain a foothold, forget it. I have no influence here.”

 

Evelyn’s heart sank as her opponent erected an impregnable wall. Evelyn felt her heartbeat slow, and she hung the lamp she had set down on the wall.

 

The glow from the circle of light spread out, illuminating Charlotte in the chair.

 

She was dressed in a shadowy black dress, her platinum hair as bright as spring, hanging long under a black veil.

 

She looked very lonely.

 

And so it was.

 

Evelyn felt compelled to tell her story.

 

“Despite what you may know, I am a bastard child of House Lawrence. An ugly remnant of a paladin who was supposed to be more faithful than anyone else, I was less than a stranger.”

 

Evelyn knew from experience that in order to know someone’s sincerity, you have to be vulnerable yourself.

 

“No, maybe it was better to be a stranger,” she said, “because at least they wouldn’t treat me as less than human.”

 

Charlotte was surprisingly quiet, expecting to be cut off.

 

Suddenly grateful that her voice didn’t sound so unpleasant, Evelyn continued calmly.

 

A blood purification ritual.

 

The abuse was so horrific it made her sick to her stomach just to think about it.

 

The separation from her mother during the process.

 

The pain she’d suffered throughout her life.

 

“Having lived such a life, I’m still afraid to deal with nobles, and the thought of them spying on me and laughing at me, perhaps in a dream… or in the next life?”

 

Evelyn’s limbs stiffened a little as she spoke. Her back was stiff and a little sore from standing for so long.

 

“In that sense, … I beg your mercy to allow me to sit in the chair. Your Highness.”

 

Charlotte let out a light chuckle at Evelyn’s somewhat outlandish request.

 

“It is not necessary. It’s going to be a long story, so I’ll come with you.”

 

Stepping closer, Charlotte gestured slightly toward Evelyn.

 

“Follow me.”

 

She followed Charlotte up the steps to the dais. The three glass coffins were empty.

 

But as Charlotte inserted her key into the lever at the bottom of one of them and pulled it down, she heard the sound of something moving.

 

At the same time, the empty section opened up and the bottom section underneath began to rise.

 

“Oh my God…”

 

There was something inside the glass tube.

 

Seeing it, Evelyn covered her mouth in anger and let out a terminal exclamation.

 

“This… thing!”

 

She was so flustered that she couldn’t speak, and Charlotte spoke up with a gentle smile that didn’t match the mood.

 

“At first. I was thrilled that I had given birth to a Protector, until innocent people started dying.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Charlotte doesn’t answer, just laughs in a low voice about what makes her feel so good.

 

Evelyn’s spine tingles as she watches her.

 

After a while of laughing to herself, Charlotte spoke again.

 

“Sometimes what you think is a good thing turns out to be a bad thing, and sometimes what you think is a bad thing turns out to be a good thing, but you can only find out after the fact, you know, in time.”

 

Evelyn’s words fell on deaf ears, however, as her attention was focused on the glass coffin.

 

Next to the body of the supposed Grand Duke of Sacaman lay two newborn babies wrapped in steel bundles.