The Voiceless Duchess - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Translator: Yonnee

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The rumbling sound subsided for a moment, and the sense of someone rushing out from inside was heard. The door opened cautiously, and a young maid peered her face through the gap.

“I apologize, but Milady already has a guest. Please come back another day…”

Lohengrin immediately lowered her robe hood. Moonlight illuminated her silver hair, flowing brilliantly.

The maid’s eyes widened as she recognized the noble lady. Unconsciously, the maid gasped and hastily closed the door.

Lohengrin clicked her tongue, lowered her hood, and tapped the door with her fingers. Sounds of commotion came from behind the door.

Thud.

This time, as a warning, Lohengrin knocked loudly on the latch.

Only then did the door open again, revealing a middle-aged woman. The maid, though trying to appear composed, couldn’t hide the paleness of her skin.

“Lady Lohengrin…”

Lohengrin looked coldly down at the hem of the maid’s sleeve. It was embroidered with a black snake.

The insignia of House Gideon.

The maid, noticing Lohengrin’s gaze, hesitated and covered the sleeve with her opposite hand. Lohengrin walked past her and entered the well-lit reception room.

“Will I be able to go to the Imperial Palace next year, then?”

Lohengrin’s eyes narrowed at the voice of a child from inside. She raised her hand, stopping the maid who was about to open the door with a trembling hand.

“Yes, probably in the summer.”

It was Dietrich’s voice.

Lohengrin stared silently at the door.

“Summer? Then I…”

“You can go there during the Caldur Festival. Are you looking forward to it?”

“I’m curious about the martial arts competition, but there’s something else. A sculpture of the great Valdre defeating the Black Dragon…”

“I guess you read about that in a book.”

After a brief nod from the child, Dietrich spoke.

“I can show you that in spring. We can pass through the main gate of the palace…”

The more she heard, the more absurd it was.

Even Wynbergen’s illegitimate child couldn’t dare to cross the main gate of Drachenzack, the imperial palace, before receiving a title. So, by what means was this man claiming this?

Briefly mocking, Lohengrin glanced at the maid and tapped her chin toward the door. The maid, trembling, opened the door with shaky hands.

“Y-Your Highness, Young Duke. There is a guest… Lady Lohengrin has—”

Ignoring the maid, Lohengrin walked into the reception room.

Dietrich, seeing her, abruptly stood up.

“L-Lohengrin?”

The woman with honey-colored hair beside him turned her head. In her round pink eyes, fear flashed in an instant.

Lohengrin walked confidently towards the loving gathering. Dietrich stepped forward, as if protecting the woman.

The woman, struggling to rise, moaned softly while gripping the armrest. Seeing her swollen belly, Lohengrin’s face grew even colder.

Creating not just one but two.

Truly, the audacity…

“W-Wait… Let’s send the child out first before talking.”

At Dietrich’s words, Lohengrin’s gaze dropped below.

As if sensing the tense atmosphere, the child stood behind his mother, clutching the hem of her dress.

Meeting Lohengrin’s cold gaze, the child trembled. Renée gently lowered her hand to hide the child behind her.

As Lohengrin nodded, Dietrich sighed in relief.

“We shall excuse ourselves, Young Master.”

The hurried maid rushed to carry the child. Lohengrin’s chilly gaze followed them as they left the room.

As he clutched the maid’s shoulders, there appeared curiosity and fear in the child’s eyes as he faced Lohengrin.

Lohengrin’s narrowed eyes descended further. The buttons reserved for House Gideon’s offspring adorned that child’s clothing.

Looking intensely at that child, Vincent, Lohengrin’s cold smile froze.

Dietrich, heavily flustered still, stood in front of her to shield the child.

“Lohengrin, I mean, this is…”

In an instant, anger welled up in Lohengrin’s eyes, scanning from Dietrich’s toe to his head.

She approached Dietrich, coming one step closer.

SLAP!

“Dietrich!”

The hand that shot up in the air and hit its target trembled. Anger surged through her from head to toe.

How amazing of a sight this was. The man, who had done nothing but wrong, remained standing as he bit his lower lip. He didn’t even have the decency to kneel in front of the person he had wronged.

Lohengrin felt mana buzzing at her fingertips. She closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them, a cup filled with tea appeared in her vision.

Splash! Red droplets fell from Dietrich’s chin.

The teacup, thrown to the ground, shattered with a crashing sound. A suffocating silence settled over the broken pieces.

Covering her mouth with both hands, Renée stood frozen. A certain rumor popped into her mind.

The Lady of Nordvant, resembling the appearance of the winter of Kornu, and her demeanor, also resembling that of Kornu. Cruel like the winter wind.

When asked if this was true, even Dietrich himself would admit that, though she had lost her voice, people wouldn’t be able to move in front of her. Rather, the people who faced her would themselves lose their voices.

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