Chapter 19 : A Duchess in the Wrong Corridor
Chapter 19
“It’s… modest.”
Clearly, Johannes Schulz and I had vastly different definitions of the word simple.
The banquet was a dazzling display of extravagance, practically dripping with opulence. All those reassurances about not burdening me felt like veiled mockery the moment I stepped into the garden — now blooming with fresh flowers and aglow with lights, attempting to mimic the warmth of a summer’s night.
But the chill in the air remained.
“You’re the guest of honor, Miss Prim. It’s only proper that you make your entrance last. I imagine the nobles are curious about you.”
Marilyn’s voice was calm as she reached up to smooth my hair. Her fingers glided gently over the strands, trying to tame the persistent frizz.
“You seem pale. How are you feeling? Any better?”
“Yes. I’m alright.”
But that was a lie. I wasn’t alright in the slightest.
I leaned out the window in search of cold air to clear my head. Carriages kept arriving, one after another, and the staff scurried about like bees in a hive. Laughter, light-hearted and incessant, floated through the halls.
It seemed these banquets were simply routine for the nobility. Elegant, leisurely — effortless.
My body was already running a mild fever, but the dizzying sights and sounds made my head throb harder.
Marilyn noticed and said softly, “You don’t have to endure this. Let’s get you some fresh air. If the garden is too crowded, I know a quieter place.”
“Would you?” I asked, grateful.
“Of course. Wrap a shawl around your shoulders — even if it’s warm. You mustn’t catch a chill.”
The relief I felt at those words was almost overwhelming.
Marilyn led me to a secluded corner of the estate and pressed a delicate pocket watch into my palm. She wrapped me snugly in a shawl and reminded me to return by eight.
As I walked through the corridors alone, voices drifted from around a bend. The murmurs weren’t idle conversation — they were venomous.
I froze and instinctively ducked behind a marble pillar.
“Where has Duke Schultz been hiding all this time? And now he shows up with that commoner woman?”
The word commoner was spat with disdain, like a slur.
“I suppose he was bewitched by her looks,” another woman said, her voice tinged with scorn. “They say women like that sell more than just words to climb the social ladder.”
Their contempt was palpable. To them, commoners were vermin — invisible, irrelevant.
“She’s just a temptress,” a shrill voice sneered. “Everyone says she’s beautiful. I suppose that’s her only virtue.”
A cruel laugh followed.
“And yet, does she really think he’d make her his wife? The Duke is the pride of nobility.”
Cruel, yes — but perhaps not wrong.
How had the truth become so twisted? They spoke of me like I was a villainous schemer, not a girl dragged along by forces she couldn’t control.
“Men lose their reason when a pretty face walks by,” another voice chimed in with a hollow laugh.
“Mrs. Kelger may have a point,” said someone new — a calm, youthful voice. “But Duke Schultz isn’t like that. He’s of the Schultz lineage.”
Silence fell.
Then, one of the older voices replied with a sigh. “True. Otherwise, why would he reject a royal match?”
“I heard Lady Hatzfeld went to great lengths to prepare for that union…”
The more I listened, the more nauseous I felt.
But turning back down the hall meant I would walk right into them. They would know I heard everything. I’d be humiliated — and they would pretend to be the victims.
Still… they didn’t recognize me. Maybe that was my saving grace.
Better to vanish before I was noticed. Before their sharp words turned into sharper smiles.
I turned on my heel and quietly slipped away.
‘Was it this way…?’
I couldn’t recall if the corridor Marilyn had mentioned was to the right or left.
‘The right side is darker… That must be it.’
Following my instinct, I made my way down the shadowy hallway. The marble beneath my feet felt like ice, soaking through the soles of my shoes.
I sank down behind another pillar and allowed myself a moment to breathe. My headache, at least, seemed to fade.
But just as I reached to check the time—
A hand gripped my wrist tightly.
I was yanked upward like a doll, gasping as I found myself face-to-face with a stranger.
Sharp eyes. A narrow nose. A smirk curled on his lips. His face was unfamiliar — yet not foreign.
His gaze lingered on the bare skin where the shawl had slipped from my shoulders.
“Well, well,” he drawled. “A spring butterfly fluttering through a shrine in winter. Are you lost?”
“Let go of me,” I snapped. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Or perhaps… is this an elaborate trap? A little seduction game?”
His fingers tightened painfully.
“This is my first time seeing your face,” he mused. “Whose daughter are you? You do realize this corridor is off-limits. Invitation only.”
“I didn’t know,” I replied quickly. “I just took a wrong turn.”
The hallway was dim, his breath reeked of alcohol, and the roar of the banquet made it impossible to call for help.
I couldn’t risk provoking him. Technically, I was the one in the wrong. If he caused a scene, I’d be the one blamed.
I forced the fear from my face and steadied my voice.
“If you were truly a guest here,” he muttered, swaying slightly, “you’d know this path leads to the shrine.”
I glanced at my feet.
Could I run? Not in these heels.
He wouldn’t dare act like this if I were standing beside Johannes. Of that, I was certain.
What if I took off my shoes and bolted?
Or… wait until eight. Marilyn would come looking. She’d worry if I was late. She’d find me.
“Come now, beautiful girl,” he coaxed. “Just tell me the truth. Hmm?”
“What truth?”
The man’s smirk wavered, then returned with greater intensity.
“The royal family wasn’t invited tonight. Could it be they sent you instead — a little spy in disguise?”
“That’s absurd,” I said coldly.
But he didn’t care.
“Then why don’t you stay and keep me company?” he whispered, voice thick with suggestion. “You’re not the commoner woman with Duke Schultz, are you?”
I said nothing.
His face darkened.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“…No.”
Everything happened so fast.
He grabbed me by the throat and shoved me against the pillar. My vision blurred as I struggled for air, his grip vice-like and full of fury.
“Judging by that look… it is true.”
My lungs burned. My mind raced.
He leaned in closer, eyes blazing.
“Because of you,” he snarled, “my family was dragged into a trial. Even the Navy got involved. We had to pay.”
“What… what are you talking about?” I gasped.
“I’m talking about debt, you little—”
I was choking. Panicking. His words made no sense.
This can’t be how I die. Not here. Not like this.
And then—like thunder through silence—
“I didn’t expect the Schultz name to sink this low.”
His voice cut through the air like a blade — cool, emotionless.
But to me, it sounded like salvation.
