If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 246

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

The Imperial Palace was always abuzz with rumors, and Cain Vernat and the newly appointed Duke Kristin, Agatha, were frequent subjects of gossip. Christian remembered countless stories swirling about them.

The most recent rumor he’d heard was that the two were no longer on good terms and were even living apart. He’d seen evidence of this himself when he visited the Vernat estate to discuss the late Grand Duke Kristin’s death with Cain.

Rather than staying in the main house where Agatha resided, Cain had taken up quarters in a separate annex.

But today, the Agatha he’d seen was unmistakably a woman on the brink of giving birth. Perhaps the rumors of their estrangement were nothing but baseless talk—or maybe even those stories had been spread deliberately by Cain himself.

Christian was confused, but did his best to appear calm as he explained to Agatha the reason for his visit. Whether she chose to believe him was her business; it didn’t matter much to him. His only goal was to stick close to Cain Vernat and carry out the Emperor’s command.

He drew back the curtain to look outside. Just as he suspected, the rider racing toward the house was Cain. Cain dismounted in a rush, his face pale and drawn.

Christian had intended to go out and greet him, but instead found himself simply watching through the window as Cain strode purposefully past, clearly in no mood for conversation.

Christian might not have known Cain well, but he understood enough to realize you didn’t approach a man wearing that kind of expression.

“…Looks like something urgent has happened.”

He was still exhausted from the long journey, so Christian decided to rest until Cain was ready to talk. After all, there was no way Cain would leave Agatha behind now.

Drawing the curtains closed again, Christian lay down on his cot, closing his eyes to recover.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

It was a dreary day. Perhaps it was the gloomy weather, but the Grand Duke’s back ached more than usual. All he could do was wait for the day he’d finally be able to stand tall again, and his frustration was written all over his face.

Even with his finest cavalrymen leading the way, he couldn’t understand why the journey was taking so long. He complained constantly from the back of his carriage.

“How much farther?”

“We’ll arrive in two days, Your Grace.”

“Hurry it up. If I stay in this cursed carriage any longer, I’ll never be able to straighten my back again.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

How many days had it been since they left the capital? In his impatience, the Grand Duke glared out the carriage window, only to spot the coach carrying Esther. For the first time since leaving, the scowl left his face—if only for a moment.

The Grand Duke’s sudden journey south had yielded unexpected gains: the tiresome Count Schuck had conveniently died, and now, against all odds, the Grand Duke had a deadly secret weapon to use against Vernat.

In truth, it was more than he could have hoped for.

“Vernat… no, a name like that is wasted on him, don’t you think?”

“Quite right, Your Grace.”

Barnes replied. He was once of the First Imperial Guard—now disgraced and demoted for consorting with the Grand Duke.

“When I take the throne, the first thing I’ll do is erase that name. ‘Marquis Vernat’? Ridiculous.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Actually, better yet—I should just have his head.”

The Grand Duke spoke of murder with the same casual air as if he was telling a joke.

It was better for his attendants when he was in a good mood, even if that meant enduring his outlandish humor. When the Grand Duke was irritable, only his closest servants suffered for it.

The capital was almost within reach. After slaughtering all the Amasril refugees hiding in Arta, and dragging off the so-called Marquis’s sister by the hair, the Grand Duke allowed himself to believe that the Empire itself was almost in his grasp.

Simply eliminating Cain Vernat would hardly guarantee him the throne—none of those around him bothered to point that out.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Soft candlelight filled the room.

When Agatha’s water suddenly broke, Charlotte instantly realized that the day she’d been dreading—and preparing for—had finally come. She dimmed the lights to keep the atmosphere calm, and quickly arranged hot water and clean linens.

Fortunately, she had also sent word for a doctor as soon as they arrived in Arta, just in case.

Charlotte had been present as a maid when the late Duchess Kristin gave birth. Now she was helping the daughter, with little time to reflect on the bittersweet honor of it all.

She was simply too busy, and there was no one else here with her experience.

The burly soldiers, skilled only with swords, were useless in such matters, and even young Liana had never witnessed a birth. The responsibility weighed even heavier on Charlotte’s shoulders.