The Voiceless Duchess - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

He taunted Lohengrin with a sneer, his upper body leaning forward. Lohengrin remained still, but a cold flame burned deep within the violet eyes that glared at him.

Dietrich bit his lip as he stared at Lohengrin. It was clear that he was the one who was unilaterally pushing the issue, but he felt as if he was being cornered instead.

He let out a slow sigh and said in a softer tone, “Of course, I understand why you’re angry. But think about it. Wouldn’t it be a good thing for both of us? Nordvandt won’t lose a family that could be a force in central politics, and Gideon will have a healthy child.”

His voice, which he tried to make sound like it was all for her, was sickening.

Sickening, who would have thought that she would ever think that of Dietrich? Lohengrin mocked herself inwardly.

“There’s no need to be ashamed of it because it’s out of sympathy. It must be difficult for you, who cannot speak, to assert your authority in the palace, but wouldn’t it be helpful if you had a healthy child? It’s not such a bad suggestion, is it?”

Lohengrin stared at him with an unreadable expression, then lowered her eyes and picked up the pen, her lips parting.

I’ll make the judgment, so that’s enough.

Dietrich’s lips pressed into a thin line.

He couldn’t tell her tone because he couldn’t hear her voice, and because he couldn’t tell her tone, he couldn’t figure out what she was feeling or thinking.

No, in fact, he could barely understand the feeling behind those words. This was because he hadn’t learned enough sign language.

While he tried to hide his impatience and observed Lohengrin, she calmly and neatly wrote a long sentences in a clean handwriting.

I’ve seen enough of your true face to last a lifetime. Don’t you think I deserve some praise for enduring this humiliation?

I’ll have Father start annulment proceedings as soon as he arrives in Bern. I think that’s what His Highness the Young Duke wants as well.

There’s no chance of reconciliation, so don’t come to the Nordvant mansion. Especially if you don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of others.

I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Lohengrin carefully put down the pen without making a sound and pushed the last piece of paper towards him.

Before Dietrich could even take it, she straightened her body and gave him the buttons. She left without saying goodbye or even making eye contact.

As Lohengrin left the room, the sound of papers being roughly swept off the table echoed behind her.

A tranquil darkness filled the Nordvant mansion in the First District of the Imperial Capital Bern.

Lohengrin entered her bedroom through the north terrace. She planned to rest for a while and then clean up the mess before dawn.

She reached for the paper and pen on the side table, but then she looked at her hands.

The unpleasant feeling of his sweaty palms lingered on her dry hands.

Lohengrin belatedly clenched her stiff hands, feeling the tension that was creeping up on her. She let out a small sigh.

She sat on the east bay window and wrote four short notes. She wrote a few instructions to Herta and the escort knight Ulrich, and a brief explanation of the situation to her father and Werner, saying that she will come to Bern alone because of an urgent matter.

Of course, she didn’t go into detail about what had happened. There wasn’t enough space to write a long letter, and it wasn’t appropriate to write about Dietrich’s deception and insults in such a short note. The whole family was scheduled to leave for Bern tomorrow, and she didn’t want to add unnecessary worries and concerns to their busy schedule.

Lohengrin checked again to make sure her handwriting was legible, then opened the bay window and called out to the elemental spirit.

An elemental spirit the size of a thumbnail, in the shape of a human, bowed gracefully in the palm of her hand.

‘Deliver this.’

The elemental spirit embraced the folded papers that Lohengrin handed and disappeared.

Lohengrin leaned her head against the window. She intended to calm her racing mind until Herta and Ulrich arrived.

‘….’

However, the conversation from earlier kept replaying in her head. Lohengrin stared blankly out the window and closed her eyes.

Even for her, Dietrich’s words were not easy to ignore. She had tried hard not to show how much his sharp mockery and criticism hurt her every time he spoke.

Even if she didn’t have much affection or expectations for him, it seemed that the bond they had built over the past eight years wasn’t completely gone.

Maybe she had trusted him more than she thought….

Lohengrin traced the rooftops beyond the garden with her eyes. It was the direction of the Gideon mansion.

She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes.

Nordvant’s founder, Ernst, was mentioned as an aide in the heroic myth of the great Valdre, the founding king of Valdrant Empire.

His son, Ingolf, led many Northerners to be the first to pledge allegiance to the city-state of Bern. The 17th Margrave, Isolde, strengthened the internal unity while the kingdom expanded its territory to the south…

On the purple carpet that the emperor walks on during the coronation ceremony, the names and crests of the families that have left a significant mark on the empire’s history are embroidered with silver thread.

The first of these, just below the imperial crest, was the name Nordvant.

Chief of the North, Guardian of the Great Northern Wall, Valder’s First Oath-taker, Keeper of the Ashen Key to the Valdrant Mausoleum.

The weight of each of those many names was not light. No one, not even the royal family, could treat Nordvant lightly.

At least until the magic power that flowed through their bloodline disappeared without a trace, and Ernst’s bravery was erased by Valdre, who was wary of Nordvant.