The Seventh Plan. Revenge Done Right. (5)
“I won’t be listening to anything else. Does the Count even know that she had already been kicked out for failing the task of taking good care of Theodora?”
“That’s—!”
“Baroness Eran was kicked out of this castle due to the fact that she couldn’t even take care of the newborn baby girl, the Princess. In the blink of an eye, Theodora, the little child, had gone to God’s side. Therefore, why did Baroness Eran dare say that it was poison for Prince Carlos instead? Do you even believe in the words of a woman who had been disgraced by my own hand? I’m sure it wasn’t me whom she had made the accusation to, Count.”
Count Decca was visibly embarrassed. This was his last chance to actually undo what he had just said.
“Ha—but it’s true that the Duchess had always wanted to give birth to a Prince and she gave birth to the Princess instead. On top of that, it was also true that she and the Prince had been sick at the same time during that day!”
The bewildered Count insisted on speaking gibberish instead. It had nothing to do with giving birth to a daughter when I surmised that I was going to have a son and the fact that both Carl as well as Theodora had been sick at the same time during that particular day. There was probably more stuff like that in the accusation, but when people became flustered, they could only stutter some of it.
There was no need to point it out and bite onto his incoherent logic anyway.
“Count. I didn’t even know that my daughter was going to die that day as I stayed by the side of our sick Carlos.”
Even when I said so, I was hurt. I closed my eyes and held back my tears. A hand that was hotter than my tears had wrapped over my hand tightly.
“Am I accusing you of trying to harm Carlos?”
The Count actually had the audacity to repeat his claim in front of me. He soon fell silent and became speechless before Gellerhard opened his mouth in return.
“Do you still doubt my wife at all after that?”
Gellerhard laid his eyes on several men. These had been the men whom Count Decca had looked at as if he was asking for help earlier. The contemplative Count Decca began touting desperately about my notoriety and even claiming that I was abusing Carlos, which made Gellerhard kick the Round Table once more.
Bang! And once again, a heavy silence followed suit.
“I didn’t know my infamy was so great. Everyone, if you’re that curious about Carlos’s safety, then let me show you in exchange.”
My voice rang clear amidst the silence. Gellerhard told his aide to bring Carl inside and silence fell again. In Gellerhard’s sharp gaze, the men soon became unable to exchange glances with each other properly.
The door opened and little Carl soon entered.
“Oh, oh!”
An exaggerated exclamation leaked out from Count Petrika.
“Mandy!”
As he looked at the adults who were filling the room with those bright green eyes, Carl called out and ran to me without any hesitation. Carl, who grabbed a hold of my dress and tried to climb onto my lap, was simply a lovely child who appeared to be healthy and happy to anyone.
Carl sat on my lap and looked at the men who were seated at the Round Table. Gellerhard then opened his mouth.
“This is my son, Carlos. Just skip the greetings.”
It was not an ideal place to greet Carlos one by one in a row as he said afterwards.
“This upcoming winter, Carlos will soon turn 3. I’m going to have Carlos be seated as the Young Duke on this birthday.”
Everyone nodded. Since Carlos was Gellerhard’s only child as well as the eldest son, there was no one to impede from making him the successor. I carefully looked at Count Petrika’s face and saw the sheer delight that was beyond joy shone on his face.
“Mandy, I decided to do so because you, the Duchess of DeMancier, had strongly insisted on it. However, all of you actually dare…”
Gellerhard’s gaze immediately turned towards Count Petrika.
“Carlos is in a dangerous situation, so you will take him back to the County, you say?”
Count Petrika, who was excited about the fact that Carl would soon be named as the Young Duke, hurriedly changed his complexion.
“I apologize. Having been concerned about my grandson, this old man’s eyes became blurred. Duchess, I can only be moved by your grace. How relieved I am to see that my grandson has grown up so well here…”
“Count Petrika! You speak differently than before!”
“That was what I’m going to say! Didn’t you just vouch for Baroness Eran? I didn’t even know that such a terrible thing had happened! How could the words from such a woman be believed and alternately framed the Duchess in exchange?”
Count Petrika quickly cut off his tail. Adults fighting as well as Gellerhard kicking the Round Table and making it quiet weren’t the things that I would show to a child, so I sent Carl out yet again. When we finally made a promise to play hide-and-seek together in the room a little later, Carl walked out as if he was jumping up and down before saying that he would go first and make himself hidden.
As soon as Carl left, Gellerhard kicked the Round Table with his foot once more. Bang! And with that, the sound of the quarrel eventually ceased.
“All those who dared say that my son is in danger within my castle itself will be punished.”
The highlight of this meeting was at this moment. Gellerhard and I wanted to single out and oust those who had aligned themselves with Count Petrika. On top of that, we wanted to respond officially to the rumors that were spread by Count Petrika saying that I had been the one trying to poison Carl.
And…
“I guess all of this has been due to the fact that Amanda is just a stepmother.”
Gellerhard’s purple eyes shone brightly in due time.
“Therefore, I will have Carlos adopted as Amanda’s own adopted son.”
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