[Chapter 126] Catherine's Downfall

Catherine Haricott sensed that something was wrong.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, because everything was going as she had planned.

According to the way she had lived her life up until now, this was practically the final stage with no room for failure. All that remained was to expose the relationship between Nerys, the advisor, and the Marquis today, publicly disgrace her, and remove her from the picture. Nerys had been a rival, but also a useful tool to help Catherine get closer to the Grand Duke.

'Did she really think I wouldn't notice them whispering behind my back?'

The Grand Duke wouldn't let her off easily once he found out that this woman, who acted all high and mighty, had betrayed him. Originally, Catherine had planned to get rid of Nerys by tying her to Aidan Pickering, who seemed to like her. But this way was even more dramatic.

'Yes, everything's going according to plan.'

But an intense feeling of unease lingered. Especially from the ice-cold stares of the people gathered in the banquet hall.

'No, it's fine. Up until just a moment ago, everything was normal, wasn't it?'

She still didn't realize that what she had said earlier at the castle gate was far from normal. In her mind, everything she had done seemed natural, consistent with the character she had created for herself.

This was because, more than Nerys could ever persuade her otherwise, Catherine was simply unable to admit her own foolishness.

So Catherine regained her confidence and spoke haughtily to the castle staff standing in her way.

"Are you going to let me pass? To think you fools don't even move aside for someone like me. When I become the Grand Duchess, more than half of you will be fired, so just keep that in mind."

The staff hesitated and stepped aside, creating a narrow path. Catherine felt triumphant.

"Move, move. Ah, this feels great. It's been so frustrating trying to please these northern bumpkins."

Then it happened. The staff, who had barely made enough space for her to pass, suddenly stood tall and opened up a wide passageway, as if preparing for the arrival of a king.

Catherine turned around, her face twisting in displeasure. Instead of the Grand Duke, as she had expected, it was Nerys for whom the path had been made.

"You're early, Miss Haricott."

Nerys, unfazed by the threat of being humiliated, remained calm. Catherine crossed her arms and smiled sweetly.

"I thought you'd be a little scared, but you're standing proud. Or are you just shameless?"

The servants hesitated and moved aside to make a path. Catherine became more confident.

"Move, move. Ah, this feels great. How frustrating it was, trying to please these northern bumpkins."

Then, it happened. The servants, who had barely made enough space for her to pass, suddenly stood up straighter and created a wide passage, as if preparing for a royal procession.

Catherine turned around, her face contorting in displeasure. Instead of the Grand Duke, as she had expected, the person they had cleared the way for was Nerys.

"Miss Haricott, you're early," Nerys said, her calm demeanor showing no sign that the predicted embarrassment was affecting her. Catherine crossed her arms and smiled with a hint of mockery.

"I thought you'd be a little scared, but you're standing proud. Or maybe you're just shameless?"

---

Could Catherine Haricott even imagine how bad of a person Nerys Trude really was?

As she walked along the path the people had politely opened for her, Nerys reflected on this. The people of the castle looked at her with trusting eyes. Even though she hadn't done much for them, they seemed to genuinely care for her. On the other hand, Catherine, who had blatantly sought to win the people's favor from the beginning, was viewed coldly.

The future Duchess, who would walk among these people, could never be like Catherine. Nerys knew this well.

Perhaps it was Ellen, the most aware of this fact, who had given the order to the servants to show Catherine a friendly demeanor in front of her. As Nerys reached the end of the corridor, she was greeted with respectful gestures from the local lords of Meindland.

"Your Highness!"

In the middle of the crowd, a lavish tea table had been set up. The decorations were flawless, but it felt awkward to be on display like this.

When the two women arrived, Cledewin stood up and offered Nerys his seat.

"Welcome."

Catherine, who had been waiting for him to offer her a seat as well, was met with no response. Eventually, Aidan, who had been standing behind, pulled out her chair. Catherine looked up at him and spoke sweetly.

"You at least have some manners. I'll make sure to introduce you to a good woman later. Oh, Nerys Trude will be heartbroken if His Highness abandons her, so you can have her if you want."

Even the man who was the most indifferent and disinterested in others seemed surprised. Talprin, who had been quietly blending into the crowd, tilted his head. Had he had too much to drink?

Nerys smiled and spoke to Aidan. She knew that if Catherine continued to act too recklessly, it might draw unwanted attention and possibly reveal the power of the jewel.

"Miss Haricott is joking," she said.

Catherine immediately shot back.

"Your actions are more of a joke. You've been whispering with the Marquis every chance you get, haven't you? You're such a nasty woman. People call me a bad woman, but you're worse. When it comes to luring men, of course, there are lies, but you do that while pretending to be so superior, and behind the scenes you're scheming."

Catherine said this, waiting for Cledewin to be shocked. However, Cledewin's expression remained unchanged, and Nerys responded calmly.

"It's only natural to make guests feel comfortable, and I don't recall acting superior."

"Not acting superior? What's with that indifferent face, sitting there all high and mighty, pretending to be aloof when you're clearly frustrated? You hate me, don't you? You must really want to kill me, just like all the other women who lost their men!"

Catherine's voice grew louder, as if her frustration was taking over. Nerys could feel the stares intensifying around them. It was amusing.

"To think this is what 'honesty' looks like," Nerys thought. Catherine Haricott's greatest value seemed to lie in whether a man had fallen for her or not.

"Impressive courage and cunning," Nerys thought coldly. If she had valued other things, perhaps she could have been useful in many ways. But Catherine's choices were far from admirable.

As Nerys remained silent, Catherine grew more forceful and shouted loudly, her voice echoing through the banquet hall.

"I've chased away three wives and stolen five lovers! Even the most esteemed women, the best beauties of the region—when their men were taken from them, they wailed and cursed me! They don't even realize how it makes the men more repulsed! Stupid women! You may think you're clever, whispering with that guy and scheming, but you're finished now! Once I become the Grand Duchess…!"

At that moment, a voice, small and cautious, rang out.

"Roem?"

It was a voice so faint and filled with doubt that it could hardly be heard over Catherine's booming tirade. But Catherine fell silent immediately.

Ellen had quietly entered the innermost part of the circle of people surrounding them. Standing next to her was a man who was staring intently at Catherine.

The man looked unkempt, as if he hadn't bathed in days, and his clothes were shabby. Although his facial features were handsome, one of his eyes seemed unable to open fully, as if he had been injured.

The man met Catherine's gaze for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.

"So it's really Roem. I'm Dennis! You found me and came all the way here?"

Catherine's face turned as pale as a ghost, and everyone in the hall could see it. Her wide eyes were fixed on Dennis as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Dennis? I thought you were dead—why are you alive?"

She immediately realized the implication of her words, and her mouth snapped shut. However, unable to contain herself, it opened once again.

"Why are you here? Are you here to blame me? To take revenge? Is that it? Did I ask the manager to throw you out?"

"What?"

Dennis's face, previously filled with joy, darkened. He looked at Catherine in confusion.

"What are you talking about? Roem. You wouldn't do something like that, would you?"

Unlike the other people in the banquet hall, Nerys glanced toward the entrance, where the Marquis, who had been idly observing, gave a sly grin before disappearing.

'Not so easily.'

Nerys made a subtle gesture toward someone she assumed to be Talprin. The person flinched but quickly regained his familiar smile and disappeared among the crowd.

Dennis moved closer to Catherine—no, Roem—and his tired face filled with tears.

"Oh, my lovely Roem. You knew that bastard, the manager, had lied to me, and that's why you came to find me, right? I knew you'd come. I knew that the lie about you not loving me was all his doing…!"

"You fool!"

Frustrated, Roem interrupted Dennis's words and, like thunder, fiercely shouted at him.

"Who the hell would love a pathetic man like you? You were just an unknown actor with nothing but your looks! All you ever did was whine to me, and every time you did, I was so annoyed! You should've just died!"

Dennis, who had been moving closer to Roem, froze in shock. At that moment, the people in the banquet hall could all sense the history between the two.

"My goodness, so he wasn't the Marquis's nephew but just an actor? A completely different name?"

"Is that all? She's now throwing away her old lover's life just to find a new man…"

The maidservants, unable to contain their whispers, heard Roem's furious glare aimed at them.

"Shut up!"

But the maids didn't stop. Even the lowest-ranking maid, who had passed Ellen's strict scrutiny, wasn't afraid of a revealed con artist like him. Even the youngest maid, who worked in the kitchen washing dishes, glared back defiantly, as if to say, "What will you do about it?"

Amidst the contemptuous glares spreading like ripples, Roem trembled. Was it from anger or fear? He couldn't even distinguish between the two.

"Strange," he muttered to himself. "Why is this happening? What's going wrong? Why isn't everything going according to plan?"

Feeling confused, Roem mumbled to himself. He needed to escape. He had to think of something—anything—to get out of this situation.

Watching the commotion, Cledewin spoke softly.

"Certainly, this has been an entertaining show. I'll forgive the time you've stolen from me."

His words implied that he would forgive nothing else. Roem, instinctively feeling the injustice, tried to argue.

"No, Your Majesty! I know that person! No, I know her!"

Perhaps he had meant to say "I don't know her," but in his panic, the truth came out. Nerys tilted her head slightly.

Cledewin gestured to Ellen with his chin.

"Handle this appropriately in the eyes of the chamberlain."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As Ellen stepped forward, a soldier roughly grabbed Roem's arm. Roem panicked and struggled, shouting toward Ellen.

"Ellen! Ellen, you like me, don't you? Ellen! Let me go! I look like your former master! Ah!"

As the noise grew louder, the soldier covered Roem's mouth. But by then, everyone had already heard his words.

Everyone who knew how much Ellen had revered her former mistress, the late Grand Duchess, understood the significance. Some were anxious, others were excited to see how things would unfold, casting sideways glances at Roem.

Ellen approached Roem, her eyes locking onto his with a chilling gaze. She smiled gently, as perfect as ever in her role as chamberlain. Yet, the look in her eyes was filled with barely contained fury, enough to terrify anyone who made eye contact.

"Of course, I like you," she said, her tone smooth but deadly. "Don't worry. Since you dared to imitate our mistress, I'll make sure to give you everything you deserve."

Roem's confidence shattered. She had realized too late that Ellen, whom she had thought was simple and obedient, was actually far more terrifying than she had imagined.

The soldier dragged Roem out of the banquet hall. Nerys guessed she'd probably end up locked up somewhere, and once spring came, she'd be sent to one of the wives Roem had previously cast out.

'Ellen wouldn't prefer an easy death, anyway.'

Dennis, his face in a daze, sank to the ground, and no one paid him any more attention. The onlookers, murmuring and chuckling, all smiled widely.

Everyone knew who was next.

"Now, I suppose there's an explanation for bringing a rat into my castle."

Cledewin chuckled as he looked down at the Marquis kneeling before him.