The Impact Of The Villainess’ Fake Marriage On The Ending - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The emperor, who could not give a definitive answer to Kael’s suggestion, could not overcome the time and circumstances and eventually raised his white flag.

He declared that he would hold a grand party exclusively for Adeline, and conveyed this intention directly to Kael.

The emperor clung to his request that the guards not be withdrawn until the party was held. He even asked without hesitation who would protect the capital if the knights of the north weren’t there.

Kael accepted the emperor’s offer. He wanted to withdraw the defense forces apart from the apology, but Adeline objected.

[It’s a waste to just throw away a hand that we can easily hold and shake up. And I’m not saying that you shouldn’t withdraw the defense forces at all. Let’s wait for a while.]

She wanted to take all kinds of revenge, but at times like this, she had to be cold-hearted. It was a card that was earned in return for her immense suffering. She didn’t want to use it all at once.

“I don’t really want to stand out today. Is that not possible?”

“Absolutely not. Don’t even dream about it, Your Grace.”

Melissa shook her head firmly.

Today was the day she was attending the garden party held by Duchess Flora.

She had recovered a lot, but she wasn’t actually in good enough condition to attend a party. So, it was a better decision to rest in the mansion after politely refusing.

Adeline, however, comforted those who were stopping her and raised her voice that she had to attend unconditionally.

Duchess Flora’s parties were always big, and thanks to her prestige, there were always a lot of big social figures in attendance.

It was an occasion to examine how the aristocratic society worked at that moment, and it was an opportunity to get clues related to Adeline’s false accusation. It was too unfortunate to miss it.

“Are you sure? Everyone will stick to you, Your Grace.”

“It will be fine. If it’s really too much, I can leave early.”

Adeline smiled, saying that everything would be fine, but Melissa’s face was filled with worry.

News of a party for Adeline hosted by the emperor quickly spread in the social world. Naturally, the social world turned upside down. It was the first time in the history of the empire that the emperor held a party in the imperial palace for a noble lady.

Adeline, who had always been a star in the social world, became the center of even more discussion because of it.

Moreover, the party today was the first event she was attending in the capital since the wedding and the false accusation, so it was clear that everyone would stick to her as Melissa had said.

“His Grace said he wouldn’t go with you, right?”

“Yeah. Looks like he’s busy. And he never participates in social events in the first place.”

Kael only attended a few events related to Adeline before their wedding. He had never shown his face at social events.

It was a different thing before, but now that they were trying to keep their distance from each other, there was even less reason for him to attend the party.

“Let’s go now. We’ll be late if we’re more relaxed.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Adeline got up from her seat, trying to erase Kael from her head.

***

“You’ve been through a lot, Your Grace. You don’t know how I was surprised to hear the news.”

“Everyone got upset. How could something so horrible happen!”

“You’re really amazing. You overcame all that suffering.”

Adeline and Melissa’s expectations hit the nail on the head.

From the moment Adeline arrived in the garden, the eyes of everyone at the party followed her.

As if they had been waiting solely for this moment, many nobles clung to Adeline and poured out questions and flattery.

“His Majesty is too much, too. He trusted the Red Knights too much.”

“You’re right. In fact, many people worried that he had given too much power to the Red Knights. In the end, things got out of hand.”

“People were worried for a reason.”

Adeline listened intently to the conversation in front of her.

The level of criticism against the emperor was quite high to try to match Adeline’s mood.

It was evidence that the aristocratic community judged Kael to be more powerful than the emperor.

‘That’s a good sign. If Kael is more powerful, it will be easier to find the person behind my false accusation.’

Adeline cleared her thoughts inwardly and smiled softly.

‘But it’s not as rewarding as I thought.’

Adeline had remained calm on the outside, but in fact, she regretted coming to the garden party.

No more rewarding information came in than she had expected. It was far short of her expectation that she would be able to hear something important.

‘I don’t think I’ve seen Vanessa. But why? There’s no way Duchess Flora didn’t invite her.’

The situation would have been better if she could see Vanessa, but no matter how much she looked around, she could not see her.

“Your Grace.”

As she glanced around looking for Vanessa again, Melissa quietly handed her a note.

One of the attendants carrying champagne had delivered the note to Melissa.

Adeline opened the small piece of paper, scanned through the contents quickly, and handed the note back to Melissa as if it was nothing.

Then, she stayed in her seat, dealing with the several ladies that were sitting around her.

“Everyone. If you don’t mind, can I leave for a moment? My body hasn’t fully recovered yet so I’m a little dizzy. I need to freshen up a bit.”

“What do you mean, ‘if we don’t mind’? Please don’t say that, Your Grace. Do you want me to help you?”

“Thank you, but it’s all right, Marchioness. Being with my handmaid is enough.”

After an appropriate time had passed, Adeline slowly got up from her seat, talking about her condition.

It was a natural movement that was neither sudden nor especially noticeable.

Adeline walked towards the interior part of the garden with Melissa, taking a relaxed step that wasn’t rushed at all.

But beyond her relaxed smile, her heart was too impatient.

The note Melissa gave was nothing other than a note from Vanessa.

It was an invitation that Adeline could never ignore, saying that she would be waiting for Adeline in the interior part, which was relatively free from the gaze of others.

***

“Lady Felix?”

Upon arriving at the place Vanessa had asked to meet, she saw her standing still with her back turned to her.

Adeline called Vanessa without hesitation. Kael warned her not to be close to Vanessa, but the current situation was inevitable.

“Your Grace!”

Vanessa came closer to Adeline as soon as she saw her. She hastened her steps, almost as if she were running.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you!”

Vanessa’s hands wrapped around Adeline’s.

Whether it was to show that it wasn’t a lie to say that she had waited, the speed conveyed from her clasped hands was quite urgent.

“What’s going on… Rather, why do you look so pale? Are you alright, Lady Felix?”

As the distance between them narrowed, not even the darkness of the night could completely obscure her face.

Adeline was startled as soon as she saw Vanessa from up close. Her complexion was overly pale, and her eyes were swollen.

“Help me, Your Grace. Please help me.”

Vanessa immediately continued without even giving her the chance to ask what she needed help with.

“It wasn’t my fault that I told the Red Knights the story about Your Grace. I was told to tell them in detail about what happened, so I just did.”

“…”

“I didn’t want to harm Your Grace, I just cooperated. I never had any ill intentions. Never.”

Her grip on Adeline’s hands grew stronger and stronger. Vanessa’s desperation, which was reflected in her eyes, also deepened.

“I saw His Grace the Grand Duke in the imperial palace a while ago, and he was making a huge misunderstanding. A tremendous misunderstanding.”

“…”

“Because of that, he looked at me like I was a bug. It was clear to me that he suspected that I was deliberately slandering Your Grace. I could feel it. I could feel it clearly.”

Vanessa’s eyes started tearing up as she continued speaking.

Adeline, who was confused as to why they were holding hands, faced Vanessa with a bewildered expression.

“Please. Please clear up any misunderstanding His Grace has. I did nothing wrong. I didn’t do anything.”

“…”

“I went to the mansion to clear up this misunderstanding, but he didn’t meet me that day. He’s probably convinced, right? So please help me, Your Grace. Please tell him that I am not that kind of person.”

Eagerness burst from Vanessa’s voice.

Vanessa, who faced his changed gaze, seemed unable to withstand the coldness.

“You’ve heard my feelings for His Grace before. It’s all a lie to say that I have let go of those feelings. I still love him. So, please…”

Adeline was also confused as the Vanessa who smiled leisurely as she handed over the yellow Freesia was nowhere to be seen, and only the Vanessa who was about to collapse remained.

She had to find the right answer now, but she just felt like a bunch of new question marks were piling up without an answer in sight.

“Please! Really, please!”

“What are you doing right now?”

While she was falling into a swamp of chaos, she heard a voice she never expected to hear in that place.

Adeline and Vanessa’s eyes naturally turned to its owner.

“Get your hands off her.”

It was Kael.

Kael, who had no plans to show up in this place today, approached Adeline and stood next to her.