The Kind Older Sister Is No More

After getting ready for her bed, Irene laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. Her lips curved up in a soft smile. She wondered if she could meet Noel tomorrow.

The next day, the love affair between Noel Kristen and Irene Chase went public. In addition, there was even a story that Grand Duke of Kristen, the Great Kristen, had treated the lady Irene Chase with special care at the dress store. Coupled with this news, the rumours spread out of control. Until then, Irene had no clue as to what kind of uproar the rumours would cause. 

“It’s big news. I never thought a woman would appear and marry the young Duke.”

“That’s not all. Rumour has it that she has the trust of the Duke.”

“If she marries the Duke…”

At a secret time, past midnight, an emergency meeting was convened by Earl Rixis. 

The vassals were seated around a long desk, and a young man with light blue hair was seated in the first seat. An elder man was seated in the upper seat. As soon as the meeting began, the attendants spoke one after another. The topic of the meeting was the beloved woman of the Duke, and the rapidly spreading rumours around her. As the heat of the conference room grew, the voices of the vassals rose.

Although they belonged to the family of the Grand Duchy of Kristen, they were in fact the ones who betrayed the duke Noel and sided with Ascardo. That was why they could not help but be swept up in this circulating strange rumour. 

The moment Noel became the Grand Duke, everything was over. They, who thought Noel would never be the Grand Duke, had openly ridiculed Noel more than once. Moreover, when Noel was chosen as the Grand Duke successor, they had strongly opposed it.

“You have to somehow do something to deal with this!”

“What do you mean! I don’t even know what kind of woman she is, and there are rumours that the Grand Duke loves her. If we hurt her, it will only put us at a disadvantage!”

“Then you're saying that we should just watch the Duke Noel become the Grand Duke like this?” One of the vassals exclaimed, who could not bear it any longer when they were unable to come to a conclusion, no matter how much they racked their brains. As he said, there was no other way. While everyone was sighing, a middle-aged man sitting at the top, Noel’s uncle, and the Earl of Rixis, asked his son.

“Do you know anything about Noel’s woman?” 

At his question, Ascardo lowered his gaze. The moment he heard the rumour, there was a woman who came to mind. A woman with wheat hair and olive eyes. 

“I’ve seen her at the estate.” 

“No! You mean you’ve seen her!”

"Then why haven’t you said a word till now?”

Ascardo’s response stirred up the conference room. Ascardo raised his head and looked at his father. 

“She was an ordinary woman, nothing special, and above all, I never thought she would have received the recognition of the Grand Duke. Not only me, but everyone here, and my father, was this not your thought too?” he continued. “That was why I let my guard down.”

“Hmm!”

The words of Ascardo, which had hit the nail on the head, were responded with only an awkward cough. It was as he said. No one thought that the Grand Duke was willing to hand over the seat to Noel. 

Because they knew that the Grand Duke wholly despised Noel.

Was that not the case?

Although he was pretending to be quiet on the outside, Ascardo too felt like he had been hit in the back of his head. As he knew, the Grand Duke William of Kristen, was resenting Noel for the bitter death of his grandson.

There was no way he would be elevated to the position of the Grand Duke, at least Ascardo certainly thought so. Did this mean that from the beginning he had intended to hand over the Grand Duke title to Noel? 

Or something changed…

The face that immediately came to mind was Noel’s woman, the centre of this confusion and the only variable -- ‘Irene Chase.’

When he had visited the Main House, he had done a background check. Unfortunately, Ascardo had found nothing significant. She was just normal. But how could such a woman flip the tables of the game?

“Their marriage must be prevented by all means,” Earl Rixis stated in a solemn voice.

“Even without you telling me, I’m going to do it,” Ascardo replied.

“...”

“Then, I’ll take my leave. I think I will have to prepare to visit the Grand Duke’s residence.”

Ascardo raised himself in the silence. He bowed to his father and left the meeting without so much as a glance back. Contrary to the cluttered interior of the conference room, the dark hallway outside was terrifyingly quiet. The sound of his footsteps on the wooden boards echoed endlessly.

The kind face Ascardo was used to showing, which had always been that of a sweet gentleman, was nowhere to be found. Only a chilled and calm expression engulfed his face.

Brother.

First, Noel’s face came to mind, followed by ‘Irene Chase’. A shadow fell on Ascardo’s face. Even the shading seemed particularly sharp in the rain, highlighting his prominent features, and sharp jawline.

Nevertheless, he could not give up. 

You cannot steal the position of Grand Duke from me brother.

Although he seemed to have no ambition as the Count, Ascardo was in fact more ambitious than anyone else. Twenty-three years ago, a rebellion had broken out and the current emperor had ascended the throne. But he was a puppet. The power of the Grand Duke of Kristen surpassed that of the present monarchy. To become the Grand Duke of Kristen meant gaining power beyond the imperial family.

Ascardo clenched his fists.

♔♔♔ 

• The Kind Older Sister Is No More