Duke's Villainous Daughter is Depressed Chapter 19

DVDID | Chapter 19

Shuert escaped the dungeon, and the very place he went immediately after was not the Lily Palace but the Emperor's chambers in the Central Palace, which he had never thought of stepping into until the Crown Prince's coronation ceremony.

Even with all the tangled mess and filth, his soft and silky, platinum-colored hair shimmered in the moonlight. It was a trait unique only to the Imperial Family. Besides that, the coral-colored eyes he had gotten from his mother were also not common. 

He had soft facial features that accentuated his fragile appearance making him even more pitiful now that his body was covered with bruises and wounds.

The Knight guarding the Emperor's chambers unknowingly blocked his way but soon trembled, seeing his hair and eyes. The Second Prince, who was said to be living as a monster during the day, appeared for the first time.

“……Wait, you're the... Second Prince?”

Seeing the Knight, trembling slightly as if trying to gauge whether what he was seeing was real or not, Shuert gave an order in a cold, subdued voice.

“Tell the Emperor that Shuert Rennes request his presence.”

"...Yes! Wa, wait a minute!"

The Knight rushed inside, and even the guards, servants, and maids who were in attending were whispering amongst themselves when they saw Shuert.

However, without any sign of nervousness at all, Shuert held up his head proudly. He imagined it over and over again. The Emperor, the Empress, and himself in front of Raynard.

In front of Elle, he was nothing but a mild-mannered Tofu, but in front of these people, he wore a scowl that seemed to show how messed up and broken his insides were.

If it wasn't for Elle, he wouldn't have appeared before the Emperor now. Of course, he wasn't disappointed but he could have done something more for Elle.

“Yo, you may enter now, Your Highness.”

Shuert closed his eyes as he stood in front of the slowly opening door. Years have passed by when he was abandoned at the Lily Palace and had to leave without even seeing his mother on her deathbed. How will the Emperor react when he sees him?

Whatever it is, the current Shuert does not regard the Emperor as his father, which means that neither does the Emperor.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty the Emperor."

“What brings you here?”

“I came to ask for a favor.”

"A favor?"

It was truly a dull reunion.

***

The ledgers that the princess obtained and submitted became the centerpiece that exposed the deep-rooted corruption amongst the nobles.

The Emperor was furious that they have dared to spend the palace budget on private matters, and all the aristocrats involved were either executed or stripped of their titles.

During his reign as the current Emperor, he would never have imagined that she'd be able to set foot in the center.

He didn't know much about the princess, but most of the people associated with the chamberlain were aristocrats and parasite-like bastards that didn't help him at all.

However, this opportunity was able to reduce such miscreants to an extent, so the Emperor could not help but be happy.

Then, there's this matter about his son. It was very uncomfortable that the Second Prince who was known as a cursed monster was inside the palace grounds. 

But that was at first. The Second Prince was living like a dead mouse, so he felt relieved and left him alone.

Then, as his other known son, Raynard, began to grow up on his own, he often wondered what it would be like if it were Shuert.

He was an intelligent son from an early age. Had it not been for that incident, the Emperor would have been willing to make him the Crown Prince.

There is an expectation of ‘what if’. If he could break the curse, then he needed to do something. That's why he had to seek a bride from the Sahad Kingdom for the Second Prince. Of course, the odds were slim.

He didn't tell Shuert or the Empress, but the dark wizard taught him how to break the curse before he died. But it was too absurd to even try because no one wanted to marry Shuert, who was known as a monster.

However, at that time, he got his hopes up a bit when he saw the attitude of the Second Prince who came to see him and asked for a favor, and even the princess with her kind attitude toward the dog that was nothing more than a pet.

"Perhaps......"

Though it bothered him that the princess came from the Kingdom of Sahad, which was full of barbarians aiming at their neighboring countries, if Shuert's curse can be lifted in such a way, he has to make a deal with them without opposition.

After all, it was a political marriage based on mutual interests since the princess was a daughter of a Duke.

If something goes wrong here, even if he was politically ripped off, what else can he do? He couldn't just tell those savages to repay him with their heads.

“I should send a present to the princess.”

The Emperor, who had the face of a seasoned politician, thought he should watch the princess a little longer.

* * *

It felt as if I removed a rotten tooth from my mouth. Things were getting better than I expected, and I wondered if I can be at ease now that Coffari was imprisoned. 

According to what I heard, he wouldn't go down alone, so he started singing the names of the nobles he associated with.

Existing servants and maids were also expelled from the palace in an instant and filled with new ones. They were all very devoted to me.

I don't know how the rumors got out, but they seemed to think that the Emperor was very fond of me.

In fact, not long ago, the Emperor himself sent a gift. It was a gorgeous red diamond necklace.

If I had been from another noble family, I would have considered it a family honor and I would have kept it as an heirloom. Most of the comments I received from the maids as I wore it were that I looked pretty in it.

I told my maids that I have to go to a banquet in several days, so they told me to keep it and wear it later.

Seeing that my face has no signs of elation, my maids took it differently. 

'The gem was not even on par with the princess' preferences!'

As a matter of fact, I had a lot of jewelry boxes that I brought, and the maids who organized them considered my indifferent attitude to the gift to make sense. Because all of my jewelry were expensive and of high quality.

That contributed to their thoughts that they should be serving me with more sincerity. If by any chance I find something pleasing, the reward will follow.

Of course, I didn't keep anyone close to me except Lari and Tofu, since I didn't want to increase what I treasured any more than what I had.

My hands are already full from just the two of them. Moreover, like moths to a flame, the people who're clinging to prestige and power were useless. When it disappears, it will disappear like a mirage.

"Tofu."

"Woof!"

“Will you stay by my side for a long time?”

"Woof!"

At times like this, Tofu seemed to really understand what I was saying. I often think that there's something more to him than meets the eye. Well, it didn't matter to me whatever he was though.

Even if there's nothing out of the ordinary, Tofu was quite unique compared to other dogs. I don't know exactly what kind of dog he was, but it looked like a dog with a great pedigree.

"Tofu, hands!"

"Woof!"

Even though he didn't have any training, he reached out his hand.

"Bang!"

"Woof!"

I told him that this was how you do it by lying flat on the ground facing the sky so I demonstrated it then, but even if I did it, he just looked at me impudently with a face similar to a grimace. Is it his pride...?

Not long ago, some of the maids rushed in and forcefully checked his gender right in front of me, I concluded that Tofu was indeed a male.

Tofu didn't even look for me for several days after that as if the process of revealing his gender was shameful. Whenever I saw him from afar, I apologized profusely and enticed him with snacks. Eventually, he gave in and approached me.

“Roll down!”

"Woof!"

I smiled broadly seeing that he was obedient and stroked Tofu's head. Tofu liked the beefsteak the most. He definitely has a high-class mouth. Snacks were acceptable like chicken breast or fruit. In particular, there was a fruit similar to a Korean plum called 'Tiya', which I liked the most.

I liked plums, so I was very happy that there was a similar fruit here. Anyway, after the nose fly disappeared, peace came to the Lily Palace.

The newcomers did not even dream of attacking or bullying me, and the dirty palace was quickly cleaned up.

A lot of gardeners were also hired. As a result, the garden was in a good shape.

A walking trail was created to make it easy to take a walk with Tofu. I was amazed every time I looked at the grass that was neatly trimmed and the tea-table was arranged in a way like I'm having a garden tea party.

I didn't mind at all when Tofu liked to wander outside. He always disappears all by himself at dusk. Perhaps it was because he likes to roam around at night?

When I saw him in the morning, he always had grass stuck on his pure white fur. He's been outside for a long time, so I became worried that he might catch a cold. However, no matter how tightly I shut the door, he goes out like a ghost, so I have given up.

“Tofu, let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

My surroundings are getting better and better, so I take a walk more often than before for Tofu. It would just be frustrating if I was only inside.

“Lady Elle! Where are you going?"

“Oh, you need not run, Lari."

I saw Lari running with both hands full of invitations. It's been a sight to behold every day.  It was all because of the Emperor.

Hell, I didn't know what the Emperor was doing bothering people so much by sending gifts.

Since that day, the noble ladies, who didn't care whether the Second Prince had a wife or not, started sending invitations because they were too curious. They're probably trying to snoop around, wondering what kind of woman I am to have caught the Emperor's eye.

But I had no intentions of accepting their invitations. All I wanted was to live quietly and gradually disappear from the spotlight.

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