If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 278

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“What do you think of the rudeness the Grand Duchess is showing me right now?”

“Pardon?”

The Grand Duchess’s eyes widened in shock. She had assumed the Empress’s anger was simply because of the disruption at her grandson’s party, and was completely unprepared to have the blame redirected at her.

“Every time you set foot in the palace, you seem to cause some kind of disturbance. Today’s event is meant to celebrate His Majesty’s second grandchild. Raising your voice here is a clear show of disrespect toward the prince.”

“N-no, Your Majesty…”

“And it’s also an affront to me, who went to great lengths to prepare this event for the prince…”

It was only then that the Grand Duchess seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation. She fumbled to defend herself, but it was pointless—the Empress had no intention of listening.

“Are you ignoring the prince and insulting me simply out of foolishness, or is it that the Grand Duke himself dares to look down on us?”

“N-never, Your Majesty!”

Things had taken a dangerous turn. Only then did the Grand Duchess realize the Empress’s true intent, and she immediately fell to her knees.

All she’d wanted was to punish an insolent noble, but now her actions threatened to disgrace her own husband. The Grand Duchess felt as though her heart had dropped.

This wasn’t what she’d come for. She hadn’t meant for things to turn out like this when she approached Agatha of Kristin.

“So this is how you and the Grand Duke view me and His Majesty. What I thought was just a baseless rumor turns out to be true. I have no desire to see you any longer. Leave. At once.”

The Empress turned away without a second thought. This incident would give her an excuse to pick a fight with the Grand Duke two or three times in the future.

Who would have thought the Grand Duchess’s outburst at a noble she disliked could become a weapon to use against the Grand Duke? It was now clear that everything—the lavish celebration for the prince, the unusually large number of guests, and bringing the head of the Kristin family over to her side—had all been carefully planned by the Empress.

The Grand Duchess’s excuses meant nothing. The whole incident had been orchestrated in advance, and the naïve Grand Duchess had unwittingly played her part on the stage the Empress had set.

The Empress ignored the Grand Duchess as she grovelled for forgiveness and calmly returned to her seat to start the party—looking more pleased than angry. This one incident might not be enough to bring down the Grand Duke, but such things would add up over time, eventually providing justification for a decisive move.

Only then did a white handkerchief appear in front of Agatha. The one offering it was Marchioness Vega—one of the Empress’s people, who had not spoken a single word to Agatha since the toilette room.

Realizing she’d left the blood on her face all this time, Agatha took the cloth and pressed it to her cheek.

She was referring to how Agatha had responded to the Grand Duchess’s attempt to belittle her. Agatha simply wiped the blood in silence.

Unable to bear being ignored, the Grand Duchess quietly got up and left. In a party where everyone except her seemed to be enjoying themselves, the attention-seeking Grand Duchess could not stand to remain any longer.

With the unwanted guest gone, the party became even more splendid. Surrounded by rare delicacies and rich food, Agatha could only think of her child waiting at home.

“My goodness, what happened to your face?”

After the endless banquet finally ended and Agatha returned home, the first thing she encountered was Charlotte’s shocked reaction. It was because the Grand Duchess had struck her cheek while wearing a large gemstone ring.

According to what Liana told her right after they left the palace, the Grand Duchess had even turned the ring inward just before striking Agatha’s cheek—clearly intending to scratch her on purpose.

Agatha had already told her people not to mention this once they were home—not because she wanted to defend the Grand Duchess, but because Charlotte would undoubtedly make a scene if she learned the Grand Duchess had intentionally twisted her ring to cause a wound.

It had not been an enjoyable party. Merely enduring it had been exhausting. Agatha, feeling utterly drained, had no energy left to deal with Charlotte’s outrage.

“Who did this? Was it the Grand Duchess herself?”

Agatha motioned for her to stop talking, but it was too late. Liana, noticing Agatha’s fatigue, quickly answered Charlotte in her stead.

“I’m tired, so please don’t make a fuss. Liana, fetch some hot water and stop gossiping.”

Sending her chatty maid away, Agatha slumped into her seat.

“And the baby?”

“The young master just fell asleep.”

“I see.”

“Should I prepare dinner?”

Finally noticing how worn out Agatha looked, Charlotte asked gently. At her signal, two or three maids hurried over and began removing the heavy jewelry that had tormented Agatha all day.

Since the Empress herself had sent the invitation, Agatha had spared no effort to appear as proper and formal as possible.