Estelle rose from her seat.
"I think I should go check for a moment."
"You don't really need to worry so much."
"Duren is the youngest. I'll just make sure he's playing well and be right back."
"You're so overly devoted."
Lady Alt, who hadn't managed to land a single blow on Estelle, muttered sarcastically.
"Hm? He's my son, of course I am."
As if stating the obvious, Estelle replied and dashed toward the garden.
In the distance, she could see the children gathered together in a huddle.
But Duren wasn't among them.
"Kids, where's Duren?"
Startled at the sight of Estelle, the children answered that they were playing hide-and-seek.
"Dudu's the only one we haven't found yet!"
"That's right! Dudu's really good at finding us and hiding himself!"
"Dudu is smart!"
"Dudu is so cute!"
The children showered him with praise.
Estelle, smiling softly, waited until they had finished speaking before opening her mouth.
"Can Auntie help look too?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Sparkle, sparkle.
The children's eyes shone brightly as they looked up at Estelle.
Faced with so many pairs of innocent eyes, Estelle was momentarily flustered.
"Ah, well… Auntie will try her best to find him."
"Your Majesty!"
Though she had called herself Auntie, the children insisted on correcting her to Your Majesty. Estelle gave them a small smile and headed further inside.
How well could a child hide, when they thought covering only their face with a blanket made them invisible?
He should be around here somewhere.
As expected.
She found Duren hiding behind a tree.
"Duren!"
"Mom! Mmm…"
The problem was—he wasn't alone.
"My lord Count! Please let go of Duren."
Startled, Estelle cried out.
Duren held a lollipop in one hand, while his other hand was gripped tightly by Count Bellonsa.
The moment he saw Estelle, he tried to run to her—but the count yanked his arm mercilessly, making him cry out in pain.
Huh? Why won't he let me go?
It hurt badly enough to bring tears to his eyes.
But because he didn't understand what was happening, Duren didn't cry—he only shifted his gaze around obediently.
He didn't seem to suspect at all that Count Bellonsa might harm him.
Estelle's face turned pale.
"If you agree to talk with me, then I'll let him go."
"I will. Just please, don't lay a hand on the child."
"The way you say that makes me sound like a villain."
Estelle bit down hard on her lower lip.
How cowardly—to take a child hostage just to force a conversation.
"We'll talk after you let him go. I won't scream, and I won't run."
"Come a little closer, then I'll believe you."
As Estelle stepped nearer, she immediately pulled Duren into her arms.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Duren tilted his head and suddenly shouted:
"He said we're family with Mom! He even gave Dudu candy!"
"Is that so? Duren, for now, why don't you go back to your friends? They're over there looking for you."
"What about you, Mom?"
"Mom has something to discuss with the adults. I'll finish quickly and come join you."
"Okay!"
Without a hint of suspicion, Duren ran off in the direction Estelle pointed.
Once he was gone, Estelle turned a gaze full of contempt on Count Bellonsa.
The count, who had been smiling so warmly in front of Duren, let the corners of his mouth drop in an instant.
"Do you know what happened to Matthias's hand?"
"I heard it was injured."
"What? Injured? That's all you think it is? It's ruined—useless! My only brother ended up like that, and you speak as if it's none of your concern!"
"Didn't you hear from Matthias himself how it happened?"
"..."
"That only brother of yours tried to strike me with a liquor bottle—one bigger than my palm."
The count's face froze in shock.
Clearly, Matthias had told him only about being struck, not about the fact that he had been the one to attack first.
Now he should realize this isn't a situation where he can just fly into a rage.
Or so Estelle thought—
—until she heard the count's reply.
"There must have been a good reason for him to do that."
"There must have been a reason for Matthias to act so violently. No—if you had just replied properly to his letters, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to come after you."
"So you're saying this is all my fault?"
"Why are you trying to evade your responsibility? Estelle, Matthias has lost the use of one of his hands forever. And you? You're perfectly fine."
Ha!
Estelle let out a hollow laugh.
She had briefly forgotten what kind of man she was dealing with.
It was foolish to expect even the slightest shred of decency from him.
"More importantly—how did you even get here? If Lady Alt finds out, you'll be thrown out."
"I asked her permission beforehand. That doesn't matter. What matters is—I've thought it over, and this isn't right."
"What isn't?"
"Divorce. You should end this marriage now. Hand over Winterren Territory. This situation is wrong."
"..."
"This ridiculous marriage should have been stopped from the very beginning."
"Then why didn't you stop my previous marriage?"
"That one was settled well enough, wasn't it! This isn't the time to drag up the past!"
"I'm sorry, my lord count, but I cannot divorce."
"What? Why not?"
"Because if I divorce—or if I die—there's a clause in the contract that transfers all of my assets to His Grace the duke."
"There was no such thing!"
"The duke must have been uneasy—he revised the contract after the marriage."
"And you stupidly agreed to that?"
"I wasn't worried. I know I won't die."
"Right… you won't die from the curse. And since the duke is immune to it too, I can't kill him either."
Count Bellonsa began pacing, visibly uneasy.
He couldn't force a divorce.
He couldn't kill the duke.
In that case…
His gaze lingered on Estelle for a long moment.
"If you ever fail to inform me of something important again—or ignore my letters—I'll report to the temple that you can wield the curse. I'll tell them you used that power to kill your former husbands."
"That would only be you setting a trap for yourself. Not once did I ever wish them dead."
"But they died by your hand in the end. If I say we only learned too late that you could handle the curse, it will hold."
"You think such threats will work on me?"
"Do you truly not understand? It's because you keep being so uncooperative that I have to resort to words like these!"
The count thundered.
"Estelle, know this—we have nothing to lose."
It was blatant blackmail.
As if taking Duren hostage weren't enough, now he was resorting to threats as well.
Estelle was utterly sick of this situation.
That was why—those words slipped out before she could stop them.
"If you were so desperate for money, why didn't you just marry off Vera from the start? Or at the very least, sell off Matthias…"
Smack!
Before she could even finish, Estelle's head snapped to the side.
The count had struck her across the face.
"Just because you have a mouth doesn't mean you can speak so recklessly. Do you think you're the same as those children?"
"That's right. Matthias and Vera are your blood children…"
Her cheek throbbed with pain.
The taste of iron filled her mouth.
And yet—her mind grew still, as if doused with cold water.
"…While I am nothing but an outsider."
"..."
"Yes. An outsider."
In the end, I am nothing to them.
So why should I endure this?
There's a simple way to erase this man from before my eyes.
So why?
Why should I keep enduring this humiliation?
From beneath the ground, the curse began to seep upward.
The count shouted something, but the words no longer reached her.
If he died, everything would finally fall silent…
"Estelle."
At that moment, a familiar voice pierced her ears, and Estelle quickly turned her head.
It was Lennox.
Not anyone else—but Lennox. Why was he here?
In an instant, her concentration shattered, and the curse receded back beneath the earth.
Estelle wasn't the only one caught off guard.
"Y-you… isn't this His Grace, Duke Winterren? W-what brings you here?"
The count stammered in shock.
How much did he hear?
Both Estelle and the count stiffened—after all, secrets that should never have been spoken aloud had already slipped out.
With both of their gazes fixed on him, Lennox finally spoke.
"Didn't you say you were just here to watch the children play?"
"…Y-yes."
"Yet nothing I'm seeing matches what I was told. Judging by the situation, this doesn't look like a planned meeting either."
"T-that's… I simply had something urgent to discuss with my daughter, so I sought her out."
"And now you want me to pretend I didn't see what's happening?"
"No, no, not at all! I only meant to say—it's really nothing worth troubling yourself over!"
Lennox's reaction came across as almost indifferent, even dismissive.
At that moment, the count clung to a fragile hope—that perhaps Lennox had only just arrived and hadn't heard anything important.
But…
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. I already promised I'd act as I see fit."
Lennox strode forward, seized the count's hand—
—and snapped it without hesitation.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://payhip.com/pokemon