Chapter 12
When she finally opened the door and stepped out, the atmosphere of the Duke’s mansion had noticeably changed. It was a bit chaotic, and everyone’s expressions seemed unusually excited.
“…What’s going on?”
“G-g-milady.”
Railey leaned against the wall, staring at the maid blankly. Even after such a long time, Railey’s face was still beautiful, but it looked as if it were trapped in the shadows of sorrow.
“W-well…”
The maid hesitated, unable to speak. A passing steward hurriedly called out to the maid.
“What are you doing? Lady Anna is looking for you.”
“Ah…”
Seeing the maid’s flustered expression, the steward turned his head. When his gaze met Railey’s piercing stare, he gasped and drew in a shaky breath.
“M-milady.”
“…Everyone looks so happy. Why all the commotion?”
“….”
Even at Railey’s question, the steward and the maid remained silent, as if they had honey in their mouths.
Railey slowly approached the steward. As her cold eyes swept over him, he felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
‘I can’t… breathe.’
Seeing the two of them silently bowing their heads, Railey tilted her head slightly.
“If you keep your mouths shut like that, it will only make it worse.”
Flinch.
The steward trembled as Railey lifted her hand. Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable strength. Cold sweat ran down his back as he shut his eyes tightly.
“Why is everyone so happy? It’s fine, so just tell me.”
Railey smiled as she brushed the dust off his shoulders. As her eyes narrowed, the steward felt as if his breath had been freed.
“Well… Lady Anna is pregnant.”
The maid finally admitted the truth, pouting in distress. The steward looked at her, but it was already too late.
Railey felt dizzy. As soon as her child had died, she had become pregnant herself…
Rage blinded her and deafened her. A creeping sense of guilt for not being able to protect her own child rose, wrapping around her body.
“Madam?”
Just then, Anna appeared, wearing a wide smile, approaching Railey. Her confident gaze, sweeping over Railey, was enough to ignite fury.
When Anna and Railey faced each other, everyone else wore expressions of shock.
‘I have to get the Duke here quickly.’
The steward glanced at the two and stepped back. Confirming Anna had captured Railey’s attention, he quickly headed to the study.
“Oh my, did you hear that? How perfectly timed for the child to appear! As soon as the scandal broke, imagine how difficult it was for the Duke and me.”
Despite her words, Anna’s expression was bright.
As Railey had predicted, a few days later, the scandal involving Theo was plastered across the entire empire—but it quickly died down.
Theo had been rushing about, making appeals in every possible direction. He had a surprisingly wide network, and his good reputation made winning people over easier.
Moreover, since Railey could not bear children, the need for an heir made the ridiculous lie—that a mistress had to be taken—convincing.
Most importantly, Anna’s pregnancy was perfectly timed.
Anna slowly patted her stomach and looked directly at Railey.
Railey clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.
‘She’s carrying my child…’
Yet no one would believe her. Theo had always supported Anna. Railey heard a snapping sound in her heart, as if something inside had broken.
Her hands went limp, and a wave of emptiness washed over her. Finally, it felt like everything had ended.
Nothing had gone the way she wanted. Although she had submitted a divorce petition to the royal court, the scandal only increased the matters under review.
In the end, Railey—the victim of all this—could only swallow a bitter laugh.
She hated Anna enough to want to kill her. But the child in Anna’s womb was innocent.
“I see… so that’s how it is.”
Railey hated her own helplessness. Yet she could not bring herself to act the same way as Anna.
Those who watched Railey walk back into her room turned away with pitying eyes. They could not imagine what thoughts ran through her mind as she left Anna behind.
“No matter how I look at it, everything is just too perfectly timed.”
The divorce lawsuit was taking longer than expected. Letters had been sent to the royal court, but no response came.
Len simply told her to wait a little longer.
‘He said it would take time because he was adjusting the conditions completely in Railey’s favor.’
If they used authority, it would be resolved immediately—but if the Emperor found out, Railey might once again be forced back under royal jurisdiction.
Caber was in a difficult position, hiding his identity and avoiding his father’s attention while pursuing Railey’s divorce petition.
“What am I missing?”
Railey tapped the table with her fingers, furrowing her brows.
Some time had passed since Anna became pregnant. During this time, Railey had quietly observed her and Theo.
They behaved normally, and Railey was still just a Duke’s wife in name.
She counted the months on her fingers.
‘…It’s been four months.’
She was still trapped in this miserable mansion, unable to escape. She wanted to leave quickly, but if she did, she would gain nothing from him.
That was why Railey stubbornly endured, while also keeping an eye on Anna’s suspicious behavior.
Recently, Railey had noticed Anna’s stomach hadn’t changed much. It wasn’t showing any obvious sign of pregnancy.
“Anna’s belly still looks the same.”
It wasn’t the pregnancy itself that was troubling, but the perfect timing made her uneasy.
“Belly? Has it really been four months already?”
“Yes. By now, it should be visibly growing.”
Yet Anna’s belly still didn’t seem swollen.
“That’s strange. Even if the timing fits, a pregnant belly shouldn’t remain unchanged.”
“I don’t know for sure, but Theo probably did visit her room while you were pregnant.”
Len shrugged. Even if Railey didn’t know, he suspected Theo had.
Railey nodded.
‘Since Theo hadn’t spent nights with me while she was here…’
If he had been visiting Anna regularly during that time, it wouldn’t be strange for her to become pregnant.
But something still felt off.
It wasn’t just that Anna had taken her child; Railey could no longer trust any of her words. She had never truly believed her to begin with.
‘Something’s definitely going on. What am I missing?’
Even a reckless husband wouldn’t want another child if the heir already existed. Theo wanted a child carrying the Traila family bloodline.
At some point, Anna’s unchanged belly became even more suspicious.
‘What is she really thinking?’
Feeling restless, Railey opened a window to look outside and suddenly stood up.
Len, startled, blocked her path.
“What is it?”
“There’s a man I haven’t seen before.”
Railey pointed outside at a suspicious man. He must have come from the main house where Anna was staying.
His hooded face and cautious movements were unusual.
Railey was certain that following him would answer her questions.
“He’s definitely connected to Anna. Follow him.”
Len peered out the window. The cloak obscured his face, so he couldn’t tell who he was.
‘Did that idiot get caught?’
Len swallowed nervously, fearing it might be Caber. Even though it wasn’t, he knew Railey would react harshly if she discovered any interaction with the Crown Prince.
“What the…?”
Fortunately, it wasn’t Caber. He had been busy with a recent request and wouldn’t visit the mansion for a while.
This was a stranger.
Railey speculated he might be sent by Caber, but his attire showed he wasn’t royal. His clumsy movements suggested inexperience.
“He must have received something from Anna.”
When did she see this?
Len breathed a sigh of relief. Railey was more observant than he thought.
“I’ll check it out.”
“Thanks.”
Len quickly left the room, keeping an eye on the man from above.
His sneaky behavior did look suspicious. The heavily lowered hat and coin-filled pouch screamed, “I’m up to something!”
Watching him leave the mansion and enter the forest, Len followed.
“That woman really has no limits.”
The man took coins from his pouch, smirking and humming. Len, silently trailing him, strained to listen.
“I’d be too scared to do this myself. Infertility drugs and fake pregnancy….”
Shivering, he felt a chill. As the man turned, a large hand suddenly covered his face.
“Ahh!”
The man slammed his head into a tree under the brutal force. He thrashed, unable to see properly as Len held his face.
Warm liquid touched the back of his head. Trembling in fear, the man glimpsed a terrifying shadow in the red eyes peeking through Len’s fingers.
“Ugh!”
The man, in sheer terror, urinated on himself like a child. The liquid dripped onto the forest floor.
“What did you say earlier?”
“P-please… s-save me…”
Unable to speak properly, he stammered words like a child learning to talk.
Instinctively, he realized the person in front of him could kill him at any moment.
‘Is this someone from the Duke’s mansion? No, she said no one knew about this.’
No answer came from thinking.
Len leaned close and whispered in the man’s ear.
“This is your last chance. What did she give you?”
“Ah! I-I’ll tell everything!”
Len relaxed slightly. As the man’s feet touched the ground, his body collapsed.
If he didn’t speak, he would die. The red eyes glimmered like they could end his life instantly.
“Anna… Anna asked me for drugs. Drugs to cause infertility! She took them long ago, and recently requested more. She also bought some items that make it look like she’s pregnant.”
The man poured out the information like someone possessed.
“Items?”
“Items that make it look like she’s pregnant, along with the drugs.”
Everything he said was unbelievable. The strange odor in her food long ago was none other than infertility drugs.
It had been a waste.
Railey’s unstable mana made it hard for her to conceive anyway.
“Wouldn’t it be noticed? The drugs.”
“They were specially made with a scent men can’t detect.”
Finally, everything clicked in Len’s mind. That was why Theo hadn’t noticed.
“I’ve told everything. Will you let me go?”
“Of course.”
The man breathed a sigh of relief. But when Len fixed her gaze on him and grabbed his tongue, his terrified eyes darted about.
“N-no, I… I’m sorry.”
“If you leak this anywhere, I can’t just let you go.”
“Ahhh!”
The man’s screams echoed through the forest. Frightened birds flapped from the trees, taking to the sky.
