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Chapter 38
Joseph’s lips dried up due to the tension he felt when he was with Rita.
It was an urge that he wouldn’t dare act upon.
‘You bastard.’
What a trashy bastard.
Joseph wanted to bite his tongue from guilt, but he stepped back quickly as his urge got out of control.
He couldn’t bear to look at Rita, who wore a puzzled expression before dropping her head in shame just now.
“N-No, it’s okay. M-Marquis Derriano does look like someone who would use weird medicines. I guess it’s because of that.”
His innocent wife must have been very surprised, but she still extended her hand to comfort him.
Joseph flinched and took a step back.
“Right now….If you don’t touch it….”
“I’m fine.”
His voice sounded as sultry as the hot summer wind. Joseph bit his lips, feeling upset that his voice came out so beastly.
‘It must be very unpleasant.’
Joseph wanted to be as courteous as possible to Rita. She was his wife, but she was more like his savior.
They lived in a country where most people felt disgusted even breathing in the same space as the devil hunter, after all.
“I’m sorry.”
Joseph expected the desire that came out of nowhere would have offended Rita.
However, while stopping him from apologizing repeatedly, Rita only pressed her red cheeks with the back of her hand.
“It’s really okay. I was just a little surprised.”
But she didn’t clarify what surprised her so much.
“Seems like we’re almost there.”
“…Yes.”
‘You still feel awkward with me.’
My husband seemed to be more shy than I thought. He was just a victim of the potion that I made, yet he showed me an overly cautious attitude by avoiding any sort of contact with me.
‘I don’t know how he and I could have given birth to Yvonne.’
Joseph and I were married, but we only made love once in our past lives.
Joseph was grieving due to Carlo’s death, and I was in despair over George’s betrayal. Even if I squeezed my brain, my memory of that day was as blurry as a watercolor, most likely because I was drunk.
‘I didn’t know how bad it was. All I know is I kept gazing out the window as I was trying to fight the drowsiness.’
My gaze kept turning toward the Rose Monastery.
‘….Are you really going to marry Ibelina?’
I frowned, remembering my not-so-pleasant first encounter with Ibelina. Except it was a one-sided encounter because she didn’t even remember me this time.
‘But I still must pay off my debts to Joseph.’
My husband was executed as a traitor for refusing George’s order to hand over Yvonne, not to mention that Ibelina was the woman he loved.
So I shouldn’t disturb them as much as possible.
Joseph was a gentle and courteous man who tried his hardest to hide his true feelings from me, his wife in name only.
“Step on me, My Queen.”
“When are you returning to Cardinale?”
As soon as the horseman announced the arrival, I opened the door only to find the infamous assassin bent his knees for me to step on.
‘I really can’t understand why the busiest person in Spina is chasing me around as if he has nothing to do.’
“Aren’t you being so cold-hearted now that you don’t need me anymore?”
Oscar frowned at my indifferent attitude.
“No, I’m afraid you’re busy.”
“I’m busy. But I’d still follow you.”
“Why?”
“Why are you still asking? I want to stay next to My Queen.”
Oscar began calling me queen the moment he saw me wearing the Goddess’ Crown.
I couldn’t answer his straightforward reply and only frowned silently.
‘Has Oscar always followed me around like this?’
He used to pour out his affection in the past, but he never followed me around like a puppy.
He took care of the things I asked him to do, but he turned away when I needed his help the most.
‘Kill George. You’re an assassin, right, Oscar?’
‘Are you asking me to kill the Emperor of this country?’
‘Please. I will do whatever you want.’
It’s too late. I don’t want anything from you anymore.
I recalled Oscar’s apathetic attitude in the past and compared it to when I faced him right now.
“Alright, but keep it down.”
“Yes, My Queen.”
His bright yellow eyes scoured me, looking like a cat and beast at the same time.
Unlike before, his eyes were sparkling with interest and excitement, as if he wouldn’t want to miss his prey.
“Don’t forget to watch what you say in front of Prince Carlo.”
“Yes. I understand.”
He tucked my hair behind my ears and nodded, satisfied.
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‘It looks like a prison rather than a monastery.’
I took a glance at the monastery spreading behind Joseph, who was speaking to the knights guarding the draw-bridge.
Surrounded by black walls, the gray monastery was so dull that it did not match the clear weather at all.
‘Anyone will be depressed if they are stuck in a place like this.’
But Carlo would have suffered more if he stayed in the palace subjected to George’s constant bullying.
Carlo was the youngest son, but he was also the Empress’ legitimate son, therefore he was the top candidate for the throne.
As a bastard son, George felt inferior to Carlo who was closer to the throne than he was, and continued to torment Carlo even though he was ten years younger than George.
“I greet His Highness the Grand Duke of Katan.”
A guard who identified Joseph bowed deeply in front of him. When the guard gestured to the coachman, the carriage slowly moved forward with Oscar and me in it.
“I don’t think my message has reached Carlo yet.”
We definitely sent a message to Carlo when we stayed at Notte, but Carlo seemed unaware of our visit.
“How strange. It should have been a long time since the letter arrived here.”
There’s no way a carriage was faster than a messenger bird.
I extended my arms toward Joseph, who tilted his head in front of the opened carriage door.
“At least they opened the door for us, so we just need to go in.”
I meant to hold his hand and help him get on the carriage, but Joseph just stared at me, fearing that I wouldn’t be able to carry his weight.
“……”
It was when he reached out to me after hesitating for a while.
Oscar, who was sitting behind me, leaned forward and grabbed his hand instead.
“Well, you don’t have to thank me.”
Oscar smiled brightly at Joseph, who gave his hand a cold slap.
‘I was so anxious that they might fight on the way here.’
Oscar was being himself by acting arrogant regardless of his status, but for some reason he was at odds with Joseph, the one who was always indifferent and calm.
‘Fortunately, there are a lot of bandits and monsters during our journey.’
I was nervous that they would point a blade at each other, but fortunately, a flock of monsters and bandits appeared in a timely manner. Thanks to this, the two were able to release their energy on fighting monsters and bandits instead of each other.
‘It was the first time I felt sorry for monsters and bandits.’
I couldn’t help but open my mouth wide watching Joseph beating up the bandits who already surrendered or tried to escape while Oscar watched from the tree.
But it was as expected from Joseph to deal with everything flawlessly even without Oscar’s help.
‘It’d be better if Joseph became the Emperor of Las Vecchia instead.’
He was more worthy of the throne than the weak Carlo or the cunning George.
However, since he was already deposed, such a thing would be impossible unless he planned a rebellion.
Imperial law clearly prohibited the deposed member of the Imperial Family from entering the palace.
In addition, Joseph was the most unsuitable person to plan a rebellion in this empire.
I smirked as I looked at Joseph’s neat features outside the window.
‘Yeah, there’s no way a man like him is a traitor.’
“It seems like we’ve arrived.”
The monastery’s inner building slowly spread before my eyes along with the creaking sound from the white marble door.
“Please hold my hand.”
“Come on, Rita.”
As if to escort me to the door, Oscar and Joseph reached out to me at the same time.
Joseph’s long and white hand that would look so good to play piano and Oscar’s tan hands with prominent bones.
I looked at their hands alternately and shrugged.
‘My hands are not even flowers…’
It wasn’t an official visit, and it was a monastery where there would be no nobles to criticize me even if I walked without an escort.
But I couldn’t refuse their kindness, so I had to hold their hands and walked toward the gate.
“I greet the lord of the silver castle.”
The first to greet us in the monastery was a priest who was covered in white from head to toe.
“It’s been a long time.”
It seemed that Joseph knew that priest.
Then the priest bowed at me.
“I see Her Highness the Grand Duchess. I’m Raphael the priest. May God bless you.”
God bless me, my ass.
I couldn’t help but respond snarkily inside at his greeting.
‘Looks like this priest knows that I’m a Cardinale.’
He couldn’t possibly be the kind of priest who left all worldly desires and abstained from the Empire’s affairs.
‘Because I know that Roscoe Cardinale is also a devout believer.’
A priest named Raphael was giving me such a greeting because he thought that I would be Lorenzia’s believer.
But I no longer believed in God.
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So I smiled and turned toward him, who seemed to be waiting for my reply.
“I came to see Prince Carlo.”
At my declaration, the priest let out a hoarse voice as if he was in trouble.
“Th-that’s….Lord Carlo is…”
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