Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 23.2

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Chapter 23.2

‘She’s truly terrible at lying.’

My family was emotional, selfish, and consumed by vanity and luxury, but their inability to lie was almost comical. That probably explained how Count Hazel had gambled away his fortune.

When they first met with Vivian, they likely unleashed their fury on her. But in the end, they would have succumbed to the money and her tempting words. They hadn’t intended to keep me engaged to Hector anyway, and the engagement would have dissolved on its own eventually.

‘I should have asked them to wait a little while.’

No, I didn’t need to make things easier for them. Still, the thought of the impending trouble brought a wave of pointless regret. I just wanted to be left alone.

“Sister, you’re going too far!” Rettie blurted out, after a moment of stunned silence. “Even if we were annoyed about your broken engagement, how could we possibly collaborate with Vivian? If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have broken up with the Duke in the first place!”

“Is that so? Then I must be mistaken.”

“Of course!”

Rettie, feigning disappointment, nodded at my question. Her movements were jerky, like a broken wind-up doll.

I tilted my head, taking a sip of tea, then set the cup down with a clatter. I’d misjudged the placement, and the cup wobbled precariously. I stared down at my hand, a slight tingling in my fingertips.

“What’s wrong, Sister?”

I offered a weak smile.

“It’s nothing.”

My hand felt heavy, my eyelids, too. A languid sensation spread through me.

‘Ah, so that’s why Rettie came to see me.’

“I think I was mistaken. I’m sorry, Rettie.”

“It’s alright. It happens.”

“About the invitation from the Kishan princes… I might be able to take you after all.”

“Really? It’ll be better than going alone, Sister. You always hated that.”

“That’s true.”

My sluggish responses drew Rettie’s persistent gaze.

“I could even attend in your place, if you’d like. What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

“Sister? Are you tired?”

Slowly, I blinked, then lowered my head, my eyes drifting closed.

‘It seems Rettie added a sleeping draught to the tea… or perhaps everything I ate.’

***

Amelia sat silently, her head bowed, her breathing even and undisturbed. Watching her, Rettie Hazel cautiously spoke.

“Sister? Amelia? Hey, wake up.” She nudged Amelia’s leg with her foot, but Amelia remained motionless. She had finally fallen asleep.

“Honestly. Why couldn’t she have fallen asleep sooner? So annoying.” Rettie clicked her tongue in frustration. It had taken Amelia longer than expected to succumb, and she’d been anxious.

“How did she know about our parents meeting with Vivian today?” Their parents, upon returning to the manor, had recounted their conversation with Vivian to Rettie, relaying the same proposal Amelia had just mentioned. Rettie had initially been hesitant, but ultimately, there was no reason to refuse Vivian’s offer, especially with the promise of future favors once she became the Grand Duchess.

“She should never have broken off the engagement with Grand Duke Hector in the first place. Though, he was a bit out of her league.” Rettie muttered to herself, thinking how different things would have been if she had been the Grand Duke’s fiancée. She pulled a hidden document from her pocket—the Grand Duke’s annulment papers.

“She’ll be out for a good two or three days, so I can do this without worry.” A smile played on her lips as she stood. “And thank you, Amelia. I’ll go to the tea party in your stead.” It would be easy enough to say she was attending on behalf of her unwell sister.

As Amelia had said, Rettie was currently at odds with her fiancé, but they weren’t irrevocably estranged. Still, the future was uncertain, and this opportunity could pave the way to becoming a princess.

Rettie Hazel considered herself ambitious. Small sacrifices from others were necessary for her own future. She reached out to the sleeping Amelia, lightly grasping her wrist. She considered pricking her finger and using her blood in place of a signature.

Thwack!

“Agh!”

Amelia, seemingly asleep, had grabbed Rettie Hazel’s wrist.

***

The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth. Slowly, I opened my eyes, raising my head to see Rettie’s startled expression. One of her hands was trapped in mine, the other had dropped the document she’d been holding.

“H-how…?”

I glanced at the fallen papers—annulment documents, as expected. One corner of my mouth lifted into a smirk. “It seems I wasn’t mistaken after all.”

“I-it’s a misunderstanding, Sister…”

I’d been suspicious from the moment Rettie, not Tepine, brought my meal. It wasn’t like Rettie to serve me, even during a conversation.