“You vulgar thing!”
Queen Selina slapped Marianne on the cheek.
Her body fell to her floor.
“You dare to insult me? You horrible, disgusting thing!”
Marianne lifted herself off the floor, feeling the contemptuous gaze of her mother.
Her cheek tingled and her body throbbed.
Perhaps she was pregnant.
No matter what she did, the child did not die. She was already showing.
She couldn’t even remember when she became pregnant. She didn’t know who the father was.
‘Why does this parasite still exist?’
Marianne grabbed her stomach.
It was a wretched life she did not want.
No matter how many times she took terrible drugs, hit her stomach, or fell on it, her body broke, but the thing in her stomach didn’t disappear.
But Marianne couldn’t do it the way her mother wanted.
If she did as her mother said, it would be her, not the child, who would die.
“You don’t know how much money your father had to pay Istana! This st*pid daughter messed everything up!”
The hysterical Queen marched out of her room, still swearing at her.
As Marianne touched her swollen cheeks, she remembered the Crown Prince of Istana, who glared at her with contempt.
Everyone pointed at her and said she was unclean.
Why? She was still the cute and precious Marianne.
Marianne asked her handmaiden, stroking her swollen cheeks.
“Do I look that terrible?”
“You are lovely, Princess.”
However, her handmaiden’s eyes were cold. She stared at Marianne’s belly.
“What’s hideous is that thing growing inside you.”
“What?”
“If one carries a monster, they become a monster, Princess.”
In Marianne’s head, she could hear Riv laughing.
***
Riv went downstairs in time for dinner.
The sound of the wind was so loud that Moldova and Pascuda, the couple who managed the villa, did not notice that Riv had come down. They were chatting lightly with Anna.
“I don’t think the Duke has sent word yet.”
“Since he’s at the Northern border, I think he forgot that his relative was here.”
The couple had suspicions that Riv was the Duchess, but did not voice their opinion.
“By the way, did you know what happened to Princess Marianne, Anna?”
“What about the Princess?”
Moldova hesitated.
Curious, Pascuda urged him.
“Honey, don’t be stingy and tell us quickly.”
Moldova opened his mouth after another long pause.
“Ah, there are strange rumors circulating about Princess Marianne.”
“Strange rumors?”
“That Princess Marianne is pregnant…”
Silence swept over them.
Riv also stiffened.
‘What?’
Riv was murdered on the pretext that she was aware of Marianne’s pregnancy.
So she turned back time, became the Duchess, and changed Lionel’s fate.
Riv’s fate and the people connected to her had also changed, whether big or small.
‘But Marianne is still pregnant?’
The current Marianne didn’t have any obstacles like Riv and Lionel, so why?
Riv couldn’t contain her curiosity, so she stepped closer to them.
“Moldova, is it true that Princess Marianne is pregnant?”
As if he had been waiting for that question, Moldova pulled a letter out of his pocket.
“This is a letter from my friend who works in the Royal Palace. He said that the story is so famous that everyone in the Royal Capital has heard it.”
“Famous?”
“Princess Marianne was engaged to the Prince of Istana, a foreigner from across the sea. The Crown Prince came to the Royal Capital with his ministers.”
This was the first time Riv had heard of it.
“So?”
“The Royal Court found out that the Princess was pregnant while examining her health. The palace was turned upside down.”
Riv’s mind went blank.
The country of Istana was a wealthy and exotic empire across the sea, whose mountains were rich with jewels.
The Istanan Royal Family was famous for their strong pride.
What if the unmarried princess, whom they visited seeking marriage, was pregnant rather than pure?
Moldova continued his story while looking at the letter.
“He said that the Crown Prince of Istana was livid and announced it in front of everyone. He said that not only the Crown Prince of Istana, but also the ministers who accompanied him made a commotion, and instead of marriage, were ready to wage war.”
She hadn’t heard anything about Princess Marianne until this point, so the news was shocking.
“Is that true?”
Even Anna was at a loss for words.
“If rumors spread, there may be exaggerations, right?”
“They said the people from Istana were the ones who spread the rumors.”
The King must have paid Istana to cover it up.
Istana must have demanded a huge compensation.
Pascuda asked curiously.
“Then who is the child’s father? Surely it’s not the Duke, is it?”
Anna spoke, cutting her off.
“Princess Marianne hated the Duke of Sentoren. Hasn’t it been nearly half a year since the Duke went to protect the Ezul Plains? There’s no way the Duke would have thought of anything else other than having to leave his wife.”
Moldova agreed.
“Princess Marianne seems to have just gotten pregnant.”
He turned to the second page of the letter.
“Countless men who claim to be Princess Marianne’s lover and the child’s father have come forward.”
“Sigh, what the hell is going on?”
Pascuda sighed.
“Are you okay, Riv? Your expression is dark.”
“I-I’m okay.”
At Anna’s question, Riv frowned.
She realized that while her future changed dramatically, the larger picture remained the same.
Although Marianne was not married to the Duke of Sentoren, she was still pregnant.
Lionel was married, but far away from his wife and alone.
December, when Riv was killed, would soon arrive.
Riv would still die by then, even if she wasn’t killed.
Riv recalled her death. A chill engulfed her, and the flames that had wrapped around her flailing body engulfed her mind.
She was burned to death in the frigid cold.
‘Don’t think about it.’
Riv stared at Chewy. His wagging was rhythmically thumping against her skirt.
“By the way, haven’t the Ezul Plains been cleaned up? Where is the Duke of Sentoren?”
No one knew.
The time to eat approached and their conversation was discontinued.
***
A few days later, Riv and Aiden traveled to Elon to buy necessities.
The merchants’ and passersby’s conversations could be heard as they wandered the markets and shops.
“Did you hear? That d*mn battle on the Northern Plains is over.”
“That’s good. But what if it ruined this year’s crops? I heard that there will be a food shortage in the north.”
“Really? I heard that Princess Marianne has gotten the Royal Family in trouble. The king hastily married Princess Marianne in order to raise reparations for Istana.”
“No, to who?”
“I heard, but I forgot.”
Riv did not think much of the news about Princess Marianne.
Only Lionel was important to her.
“Is the battle on Ezul Plains over?”
Riv asked Aiden. He nodded.
Aiden, who was Lionel’s subordinate, was reticent. He answered the question he wanted to be asked, not the question that was asked.
“Is there anything wrong with the Duke?”
“No.”
“That’s all that matters.”
Lionel and Riv had been apart longer than they had been together.
Now, even if they were reunited, it was impossible to predict whether their relationship would be the same as before.
‘I’m glad he’s fine though.’
After buying food and other necessary items, they set off for the villa.
It took more than an hour to travel from Elon to the villa via carriage.
When they returned, the village of Sentino was quite noisy.
“What’s going on?”
“Well…”
Neither Aiden nor Riv had anticipated the situation.
When they arrived at the villa itself, the courtyard was unusually busy. It was crowded with people.
It was as if a king had returned after a long journey.
Riv dismounted the carriage and asked the nearest servant.
“What’s going on?”
Riv had a feeling, but she pushed down her hopes to avoid being disappointed.
“Duchess of Sentoren.”
Riv thought she heard wrong.
But when she turned around, Lionel was standing there.
Long tousled platinum hair, and a red scar on the left side of his face.
“Riv?”
“Lionel?”
The man, whose impression was even harsher than in Riv’s memories, looked down at her.
“Madame, long time no see.”
Michelle, standing behind Lionel, politely greeted Riv.
Michelle’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but Lionel looked more brutal and cold-hearted than before.
Riv was surprised by the change in Lionel’s appearance, and Lionel seemed equally surprised by Riv’s appearance.
Riv had become accustomed to her comfy southern attire. In the meantime, grooming her long hair was bothersome, so she cut it short, about the length of her shoulders.
“Why is your hair like that?”
Those were the first words Lionel said to her.
Seeing Riv’s shortened hair, Lionel’s impression became harsher.
“Duke.”
Riv called him ‘Duke’ instead of his name.
Perhaps it was because they had been separated for 6 months, but Riv felt a vague distance between them.
“You’re back.”
That was all she could say.