The Voiceless Duchess - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Translator: Yonnee

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Dietrich must have been in a relationship with Renée for a long time, and during that time, they had a child together.

The duchess must have also known about this but continued to bring the woman to salons, even though she was aware of the relationship.

And the duke…

A blue flame flickered in Lohengrin’s eyes as she glared at the button.

Ornaments like this were not given to illegitimate children. There was no need to provide a means of identification to someone who was not recognized as a member of the household.

For the child’s name to be on the button—it was clear what this meant.

They intended to record the child’s name in the family registry and make him the household’s legitimate heir.

Furthermore, judging by their sudden rush to hold the marriage, they seemed to be in a hurry before House Nordvant could find out about this. Although Duke Rutherwald might have learned about it recently…

Closing her eyes, Lohengrin couldn’t help but let out a short, bitter laugh.

She felt like she had been unexpectedly hit hard on the back of her head.

Deception. Everything was mere deception. Starting from Duke Rutherwald, then the duchess, then Dietrich, and that woman.

The entire Gideon family was involved in this deceitful scheme…

After a long silence, Lohengrin picked up her pen. She decided to go to Bern quietly now.

She offered the note to the beak of the firebird, instructing it to go to the two who had gone for a walk. The note contained her intention to visit Bern shortly.

Having sent the spirit ahead, Lohengrin stood up, and her red, velvet dress changed into a brown silk dress with an emerald green cloak over it.

As she turned towards the door of the greenhouse, the space before her distorted, and a black hole appeared.

In it, Lohengrin’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

* * *

‘Ah, ugh…’

As soon as Lohengrin emerged from the portal, she leaned her head against the wall to endure the pain that surged through her.

The feeling of her entire body being squeezed, the sensation that never seemed to become familiar, was dreadful. She wished she could relax her body and collapse, but after using such powerful magic, her heart’s mana would run wild, preventing her from doing so.

As her mind was in a haze, the pounding of her heart and a string of foul curses intertwined.

Lohengrin gasped for breath, head against the wall, body trembling. With shaking hands, she pulled her cloak’s hood over her head to hide her hair.

She barely managed to compose herself. Lohengrin closed her eyes tightly. She was determined to distract herself with other thoughts.

She calmly thought about the situation Dietrich was in.

Emperor Friedrich II had two sons—First Prince Berthold and Second Prince Joseph.

Second Prince Joseph’s birth mother, Edith of Ghent, was the sister of Duchess Rutherwald. And so, it was only natural that the Gideon Duchy would support Joseph.

However, the battle for the throne eventually favored First Prince Berthold. Thus, Second Prince Joseph disappeared into the background.

For House Gideon to stay in Bern without falling out of favor with Berthold, the family had to play their cards right.

On the other hand, House Nordvant remained neutral until the end but eventually threw its support behind Berthold. They may not have supported him from the beginning, but they were better off than House Gideon.

Given this context, the situation became even more perplexing. House Gideon owed their ability to remain in Bern, despite Berthold’s dominance, to Nordvant’s support. Yet, for them to dare bring in a bastard child without Nordvant’s knowledge…

“…dy?”

That child was nothing more than the daughter of an obscure artist. What could they possibly see in that to justify their actions?

In the religion of the Valdrant Empire, Sidus, bastards were utterly rejected. It was because they were evidence of sin—of breaking an oath made before the goddess of spring, Wer.

Therefore, it was prohibited to register illegitimate children in one’s family registry.

Those not registered in the records were excluded from all of Sidus’s jurisdictions. They were not allowed to attend schools, receive medical treatment, declare marriages, inherit property, or even receive prayers for their souls at funerals.

Their existence was completely erased from society until their very deaths.

“Lady.”

In Sidus, even the nobility, let alone commoners, strictly rejected bastard children. Given this background, it was not easy to consider raising one.

Moreover, there were unfavorable precedents.

Carlisle Ansgar. The Baron of Ansgar.

The bastard child they raised in Wynbergen was now opening his mouth to devour their entire family. In light of this, why would anyone entertain the idea of taking in a bastard child? Really, why in the world…

“Lady!”

A low cry from nearby jolted Lohengrin awake. She snapped out of her daze, and a bead of cold sweat, formed on her forehead, rolled down her temple.

“Are you alright? You don’t look well.”

A man stood before her as she opened her eyes. Lohengrin had the hood of her cloak hood pulled down low, so the man’s face remained hidden.

And as he drew nearer, a large shadow loomed over Lohengrin’s head.

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