Chapter 121 : A Garden of Poison and Lies
Chapter 121
Edward looked at everyone with a kind smile.
It seemed like he meant nothing, but everyone seemed to notice something strange in his words.
“Come to think of it….”
“Did that maid deliberately approach the Marquis de Hatzfeld?”
“No, no. It wasn’t like that….”
The ladies continued their conversation in confusion. Some people who realized something was wrong wiped away the cold sweat, while others rolled their eyes here and there.
Everyone seemed very embarrassed that they were only preoccupied with the fact that the Marquis of Hatzfeld’s daughter had collapsed and were caught up in shallow thoughts.
At that time, a loud voice intervened again.
“Then wouldn’t it be more of a problem? Doesn’t that mean that the maid could have been targeting the Duchess?”
“Oh, no!”
Ahin, who had been looking around with fearful eyes, shouted in horror.
Then he started to notice me. He had an anxious face for fear of being misunderstood by me.
I couldn’t just go out, so I nodded to her to show that it was okay. Then Ahin said with a relieved expression.
“Well, I hurried over after hearing that my wife had called me, but suddenly the Lady of the Marquis of Hatzfeld blocked my path….”
Then he started talking in detail about what happened right before the incident.
When I mentioned the person who told me that the stocking was torn, they looked at me and said I didn’t know them, and when I came in, the Marquis of Hatzfeld took the stocking away from me and suddenly fell down alone, foaming at the mouth.
“If it had been poisoned, why would I have been fine as I was holding the stocking the whole time…?” …?”
“That’s it again.”
Now that everyone seemed to be listening to him, Ahin gained confidence and insisted.
“…I really am not!”
After that, most people around me agreed. Reporters quickly began writing down this incredible incident in their notebooks.
“But why did the Marquis of Hatzfeld suddenly act like that…. Did you collapse? There is no other reason.”
“Well. My pulse is normal now and my complexion is clear, so I think we should wait until the doctor comes first.”
People looked down at the daughter of the Marquis of Hatzfeld, who had collapsed with a funny look on her face.
No matter what the Marquis Hatzfeld’s status is, he will never be able to enter the social world anymore, as he has suffered a series of ugly appearances.
Soon after, the Hartsfeld family’s doctor arrived at the museum.
He said that it had been quite a while since the Marquis of Hatzfeld had taken sleeping pills. He then added an explanation that he seemed to have experienced a brief poisoning reaction because the ingredients in the sleeping pills and the scent on the stockings were at odds with each other.
“Such a sad thing.”
Tsk, Edward clicked his tongue briefly.
I’m sure Edward Windsor knew that she had been taking sleeping pills for a long time.
‘And they must have done research in advance about what kind of scent I use. Maybe he deliberately bribed his doctor and put something that had the opposite scent in the sleeping pills….’
It was possible for Edward Windsor. When I looked at him with tired eyes, Edward smiled and added, as if my guess was correct.
“It was just a brief incident. Anyway, I’m glad that the Marquis of Hatzfeld is safe.”
“Well, that’s right. I’m glad nothing terrible happened.”
Only then did the atmosphere relax as the nobles agreed.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
If Edward hadn’t said something to change the situation, they wouldn’t have listened to Ahin and would have driven her away.
No, if that were the case, would Johannes have intervened?
With that thought in mind, I glanced at Johannes. But he wasn’t looking at me anymore. He was examining Edward instead.
At that time, taking advantage of the chaos, Edward slowly leaned his upper body towards me.
I thought it was an act conscious of Johannes, but it was as expected.
“I wonder what Johannes is thinking? It’s scary because I get all those looks at me too.”
I frowned, not even thinking about managing my facial expression.
What on earth is this man up to? You put Ahin in danger….
He added as if he could read my thoughts.
“There is no need to think deeply. It’s just a warning, a warning.”
“What does that mean….”
“It’s a shame, but I’m not stupid, Duchess.”
I clenched my fists. This is because his simple words gave a vague judgment of the situation.
The Marquis of Hatzfeld’s daughter was merely a bait.
When I seemed to understand, Edward lowered his voice even further.
“I won’t do such a rookie thing, like acting without knowing how much Johannes knows about my plans.”
“…….”
“In other words, I am threatening the Duchess. A very classic but effective threat that the precious people around you may disappear one by one.”
He rolled his eyes slightly.
Edward Windsor planned this whole thing to scare me.
It was indeed a well thought out plan. If you were planning to push me into a corner without offending the nobles.
None of the nobles, including Johannes and me, were injured.
There is no point in discussing the embarrassment of the Marquis de Hatzfeld.
She is the daughter of a high-ranking noble family, and although it may be embarrassing for a moment, it will be nothing more than a temporary affair as long as the family lasts. Although you won’t be able to see her face in social circles, she will find a suitably good partner.
Only then did I understand the meaning of Johannes’s light whisper before Edward called me, saying he had something to share.
‘For me, your safety comes first. It would be good if no casualties emerged in the process, but even if one were to happen, as long as you are safe, there will be no problems.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Edith Schultz. I want you to know that the reason I put the divorce issue aside for a while was a decision that took into account all the variables that will arise in the future.’
Like Edward, Johannes was assessing how far he could go.
As he knew Edward Windsor well, he would have known that no harm could be done to me in a public place like this.
Unfortunately, as Johannes expected, only Ahin and Jean Dürer suffered any real damage here.
I turned my attention to Jean Dürer, who was watching the whole situation with a pale face in a corner.
The person seen at the beginning of the opening ceremony had a blank, almost crying face.
It wasn’t surprising that he looked like that. Because articles about this incident will be pouring into daily newspapers by tomorrow.
Since this incident happened at my exhibition, I will bear all the disgrace. I may never be able to pick up a paintbrush again.
From the beginning, Edward Windsor had planned to take advantage of the daughter of the Marquis de Hatzfeld, who had exhausted her usefulness in society, and to bury Jean Dürer, who painted Eden Blanc, who was almost his symbol, in his own way.
Gritting my teeth, I said sarcastically to Edward.
“You put a lot of thought into everything.”
“Sure. I must have really thought about it. I’m very happy that everything happened as expected.”
“I hope you like it. Congratulations, Your Highness.”
They are so good at managing their facial expressions that, from a distance, it would seem like they are having a very friendly conversation.
I had the urge to hit his neck right away, but I barely held it back.
I can’t show such nonsense in front of reporters.
I pursed my lips and looked back and forth between Ahin, who was sitting on the floor alone, and the nobles who were not paying any attention to her.
Ahin seemed to have lost strength in his legs and couldn’t even think of getting up. But no one seemed willing to help her up.
Where are the people who were biting Ahin as if they were going to kill him just a little while ago?
It seemed like he didn’t have the slightest feeling of sorry for Ahin.
I walked without hesitation. And she went to Ahin, raised her up, and said to her nobleman, who had set her in high stead,
“Ma’am, apologize to my maid right now.”
