I Don’t Need the Grand Duke’s Regret - Chapter 81

Even Durante didn’t stay long in Renato this time.

In fact, he was the first of the mourners to board his carriage. Sitting in his splendid four-horse carriage, Durante looked at the dark sky with a troubled expression.

Gray clouds heavily blanketed the sky over Renato.

Durante sighed deeply as he uncomfortably observed the gloomy sky that matched the funeral’s mood.

He was entangled in complex thoughts about possibly needing to change his strategy. He was well aware that the Grand Duke was ill, but he hadn’t realized it meant he was in such a dire state.

The Ricardo he saw today was out of his mind.

Durante shuddered as he replayed the funeral in his mind.

It was a bizarre funeral.

From the absence of a body in the coffin to the behavior of the mourner, nothing was normal.

The most peculiar was the behavior of the chief mourner, Ricardo.

Throughout the funeral, Ricardo had been in a daze. But when the Grand Duchess’s coffin was being moved out of the chapel, he suddenly sprang up.

Like a beast that had lost its master, he howled and clung to the coffin. He was even trying to take out the bracelet until he was stopped by the knights.

And what happened when the coffin was being buried.

As the knights placed the white coffin in the pit and sprinkled black soil over it, Ricardo screamed and tried to leap into it.

He kept shouting the Grand Duchess’s name over and over as if he had forgotten that there was only a bracelet inside.

The mourners were all silently shocked by this scene. Though no one said it out loud, everyone thought the Grand Duke had gone mad.

Durante clicked his tongue.

‘It’s a pity to let go of him right away.’

Durante had his reasons for lingering on the Grand Duke.

Even if Ricardo had gone mad, the fact remained that he was one of the empire’s highest nobles.

The fact that he had lost his sanity would hardly spread outside. The mourners were all closely related to Renato. Among them were many who would be directly impacted if Renato fell apart.

It seemed the aide had carefully selected the guests for the mourning.

“Hmm.”

Durante’s eyes narrowed.

Despite the unsettling feelings, Durante knew he couldn’t keep clinging to the Grand Duke indefinitely. Coveting a position as the sovereign was one thing, but putting someone mad on the throne was another matter entirely.

Moreover, even if it was successful, the idea of marrying his precious daughter to a madman was deeply troubling.

‘And I can’t just side with the crown prince either.’

Durante bit his lip in frustration.

His mind raced as he contemplated the tragedy that unfolded between the Emperor, the previous Grand Duke, and the previous Grand Duchess, a situation he had a hand in creating.

In the past, Durante had whispered into the ear of the previous Grand Duke to propose to his brother’s lover. He suggested threatening to prevent his brother from ascending to the throne, If she refused his proposal.

Neither the Emperor nor the previous Grand Duke knew that Durante had been manipulating the two brothers. Thanks to this, Durante remained the only noble who maintained close relationships with both the imperial family and the Grand Duchy.

Life had been smooth sailing for Durante since the Emperor ascended the throne. He could have everything he wanted.

As long as the Emperor was in power, Durante had nothing to worry about.

But now was the time to plan for the future. As the Emperor was growing weaker by the day.

Unfortunately, Crown Prince Valerio, the first in line to the throne, disliked Durante. It seemed the deceased empress had whispered something unnecessary to her son.

Thus, for the prosperity of his family, Durante needed to ensure Ricardo ascended to the throne.

“Must I really marry Julia off to the Grand Duke…”

Durante muttered to himself with a dissatisfied face. After finding a conclusion, he tapped the ceiling of the carriage with his cane, signaling to the coachman.

Upon receiving his master’s command, the coachman steered the carriage toward the capital. The carriage, laden with greed, began its journey through the red forest.

* * *

Clang!

A loud sound of breaking glass echoed through the splendid palace.

Startled, Mirabel, who was sitting on the bed, looked down. Seeing the handheld mirror fallen at her feet, she sighed in relief.

“Be careful, Charles.”

Mirabel’s gaze shifted to the bundle she was cradling. Wrapped in soft cotton, the bundle contained a lovely baby wearing a lace cap.

“You got scared, didn’t you?”

Mirabel smiled warmly, gently stroking the baby’s head. The baby’s fine black hair softly entwined around her delicate fingers.

“Kyaa!”

The baby laughed hearing his mother’s voice, flailing his arms happily. His eyes, as blue as the clear sky, reflected Mirabel’s beautiful face.

Mirabel gazed back at Charles, her eyes shining with the same blue as her son’s. The protection magic on the bracelet had been lifted, restoring her eyes to their original color, which sparkled clearly. She smiled softly at her son and said.

“I can’t take my eyes off you for a second, you little rascal.”

“My goodness! Please, stay still, Princess.”

Sophie, who had brought some baby food for Charles to eat, was startled by the sight of the broken mirror pieces. She quickly instructed other maids to clean it up before cautiously approaching Mirabel.

“Let me take Charles for now. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Mirabel handed Charles over to Sophie and set down the hairpin she was about to put in her hair.

In just a moment of diverting her gaze to the pin, Charles had managed to knock the handheld mirror off the table. It was truly a fleeting moment.

“I was watching him the whole time, but in just a blink of an eye, he knocked over the mirror.”

Mirabel sighed lightly, looking at her son now in Sophie’s arms. As expected, raising a child was as challenging as giving birth.

Not that giving birth was easy by any means.

Mirabel’s health had been severely weakened when she returned to Segolinde. Despite the utmost care from Asil and Louise, she had nearly lost the child twice.

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