Episode 68. A Bad Move
“……Pardon?”
Madam Charlotte’s voice rang loudly through the study.
She had rarely ever raised her voice in front of Raymond before—but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
That was just how absurd the order Raymond had just given was.
Yet the one who had given that command looked utterly calm.
So calm, in fact, that he even kindly repeated his earlier instruction for her.
“I said, move Deborah’s room next to my bedchamber, and remove her from all duties for the time being.”
“……”
As if asking whether further explanation was necessary, he met her gaze directly, and Charlotte was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘No, this is just… what in the world…’
Even hearing it again, it was incomprehensible.
No—how could anyone possibly understand such a thing? No one could.
‘I thought it was just some fleeting curiosity, but perhaps not…’
Letting out a low sigh, Charlotte recalled what had happened not long ago.
The day after he had suddenly ordered Deborah’s assignment changed, the Duke had, for some reason, sent word to retract that very order.
The engagement talks with House Constantine, the shock it would cause to the Duchess Dowager, and all the other issues that could arise.
While she had been worrying over all those matters, the retraction had been a great relief.
Though the atmosphere had been so cold that she couldn’t hear the details, at least she had felt she could finally breathe again.
Whatever his feelings or depth of emotion, she had thought—this was exactly like the Raymond von Chaestier she knew.
Still, out of a lingering sense of unease, she had kept a discreet watch on him for a few days.
Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she had just begun to think she could truly rest easy when—yet again—a shocking statement came out of his mouth.
And this time, right now.
Even if she were to be infinitely generous and let go of the matter of removing Deborah from her work—
moving her room next to his bedchamber?
That was, no matter how one looked at it, the same as announcing to the entire household what kind of relationship the two of them had.
She had vaguely suspected that the two might have already crossed a line—but this was an entirely different matter.
Madam Charlotte swallowed dryly and finally opened her mouth, her expression more solemn than ever.
“My lord Duke.”
At her low voice, Raymond slightly raised one eyebrow.
A gesture that said: If you have something to say, speak.
Madam Charlotte took a deep breath.
“May I ask… does Deborah—does that child know about the order Your Grace has given?”
It was a roundabout way of asking a single question:
Did Deborah consent to the Duke’s command?
Charlotte hadn’t known her long, but she was perceptive enough to tell that even if Deborah had crossed a line with the Duke, she wasn’t the type to accept something like this easily.
If she were, she wouldn’t have gone so pale at the subtle warning Charlotte had once given her.
And it seemed her instincts were right—no answer came from the Duke’s lips.
That left her even more speechless.
To issue such an order of his own accord—what did he plan to do about the rumors that would inevitably follow?
Charlotte exhaled deeply once again, about to open her mouth—
—but the Duke spoke first, a step ahead.
“Her opinion doesn’t matter.”
Thud—his firm tone hit like a heavy blow, and Madam Charlotte felt her heart drop to the floor.
“Doesn’t… matter? What are you saying…?”
Her mind went blank; for a long moment, she couldn’t even form words.
Then, her expression hardened.
The look in her eyes turned cold as an icy wind.
“Surely… you don’t mean to take her by force.”
To say her consent didn’t matter—
She had known Raymond von Chaestier since the day he was born, and she knew he wasn’t that kind of disgraceful man.
And yet, the words he had just spoken could only be taken that way.
Of course, if he truly set his mind to it, it would not be difficult.
He was, after all, a man who held immense power—power that rivaled even the royal family within the Kingdom of Ruvake.
For a man like that, to force his will upon a woman he fancied would be far too easy.
All the more so when the woman in question was a poor laborer with nothing to her name.
It was horrific and disgusting—but such things had always, and would always, happen where power gathered.
Yet if such a thing were to happen here, in Elpengreen, Charlotte could never stand by and watch.
It wasn’t that she had any real power to stop him—but even if it cost her position, her face now bore a firm resolve: she would prevent such a monstrous act at any cost.
Sensing that determination, Raymond let out a short, light laugh.
“I’m disappointed.”
“……”
“To think that you saw me as that kind of man.”
“……”
At the duke’s bitter smile, Charlotte—rarely for her—found herself flustered.
Had she jumped to conclusions on her own and unjustly accused him? All sorts of thoughts raced through her mind.
Then, at the end of that confusion, another question rose once more.
Charlotte didn’t wait this time and asked directly,
“Then, may I ask… what exactly you meant by that?”
He was insisting on forcing through something even though the other person didn’t want it.
She had asked because she wanted to hear his reason.
However, what came from Raymond’s mouth after a brief, pensive silence was entirely different from what Charlotte had expected.
“That’s a matter between the two of us.”
“……”
‘Between the two of us.’
At those blatant words, Lady Charlotte’s face grew even darker and gloomier.
“But I promise you—what you’re worried about will never happen.”
“……”
“It hasn’t before, and it won’t in the future either.”
As he added “before” with a faint smile, Lady Charlotte’s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly—it went without saying.
After Charlotte, wearing a dazed expression, left the study, Raymond rose from his seat and walked toward the window.
As he gazed out at the green scenery beyond the glass, a faint chuckle slipped from his lips.
—Very well… I’ll deliver the message. But if she refuses, we can’t forcibly move her room. You understand that too, Your Grace. Then, I’ll take my leave for now, with that in mind.
He could hardly blame her for the unease that had appeared on her face—one usually so stiff and composed.
Yes, she must think I’ve gone mad.
Even I think I must be insane to act this way—how much worse must it look to someone else?
Heh. Raymond let out a low laugh.
After all the intense deliberation of the night before, that was the conclusion he had reached.
To keep her close to him.
Just as he had promised Charlotte, he had no intention of forcing himself on the woman.
The last time, he had merely lost his composure for a moment over her foolish words—but even then, not once had such vile intentions entered his mind.
That much he could say with certainty.
Using force to claim a woman was one of the things he most despised.
And if that had been his intent, he wouldn’t have agonized over it so endlessly in the first place.
That night—when he’d nearly gone mad—he wouldn’t have waited for the woman, who’d hesitated so many times, to make her own choice.
After thousands of moments of reflection, he’d arrived at a single conclusion:
the woman felt exactly the same way as he did.
Of course, if not for that night, he might not have had such confidence—but recalling each and every reaction she’d shown him then, he was certain of it.
Then why had her attitude changed so drastically overnight?
Why had she built a wall between them? From the look of her situation, he could faintly guess the reason… but it wasn’t certain.
In any case, whatever happened, it was something that could only be resolved face to face.
That was why, knowing full well how insane it sounded, he had given Charlotte that outrageous order.
‘She’ll come running to me soon enough, her face pale as a sheet.’
Since Charlotte had just left, within an hour, the message he’d given her would surely reach that woman’s ears.
Just imagining her face turning white, those trembling eyelashes—made the nape of his neck tingle sharply.
His narrowed eyes gleamed faintly, like those of a hunter waiting beside a set trap for his prey.
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By Anna 💓
