Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 184

The rumor that the crown prince, who had fled abroad, had returned to the country only to die spread quickly throughout Bastogne.

The news of his crimes, along with the fact that it was the Duchess of Carlisle who had killed him, spread together, and for a while, the streets were filled with that story.

At first, when people heard that the Duchess had struck the crown prince’s forehead with a single bullet, they were doubtful. Since it had come out in the official investigation, they thought it must be true, yet it was still hard to believe that the Duchess possessed such marksmanship.

But when it was revealed that every word of it was true, Bastogne was once again in an uproar.

“Brianna, do you know what the latest craze among the ladies is these days?”

About a month after the incident, Brianna met Lily for the first time in a while. While they were browsing together in a trinket shop, Lily suddenly asked, and Brianna tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Well, I don’t know? Trends in society change so quickly. Are you talking about photographs, perhaps?”

Recently, a device called a camera was invented, drawing great attention. The ability to capture an image identical to reality without painting fascinated not only noble ladies but also common folk. Brianna was also planning to go with Lucius soon to have one of these photographs taken.

“No, not that, something else. You really don’t know?”

“What is it?”

“A gun, of course!”

Lily shaped her fingers like a gun and pretended to fire, going bang.

“Because of you, all the ladies are in a frenzy to learn how to shoot. The noble lords are having quite a headache over it. They’re worried someone might fiddle with something dangerous and cause an accident. So, how does it feel to be the lady setting even society’s trends now?”

Brianna let out a small sigh. No wonder, every time she attended a gathering lately, she received requests to personally teach them to shoot. It seemed that the image of a woman standing against danger and defeating her enemy in one blow had left quite an impression.

“Because of you, even the opera we’re preparing at our theater has had its script changed.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Lily shrugged her shoulders. “The playwright saw what happened and suddenly changed his mind. He decided to strengthen the heroine’s abilities. Originally, she was supposed to be captured by the villain and wait helplessly for the hero to come rescue her. But now, in the decisive moment, she fires a gun and saves the man she loves.”

“Ah, that’s a little…”

“Why?”

“Somehow, that feels a little embarrassing.”

Brianna covered her flushed cheeks with her hand. Seeing that, Lily burst into laughter.

“That’s why you absolutely must come to this performance. With the Duke. All right?”

“All right, I’ll ask Luce.”

“Ask? What’s there to ask? If you invite him, he’ll gladly follow you around anyway.”

The two of them left the shop and began strolling through a quiet park.

“How is the Duke? His injury?”

“He’s much better. He still has to walk with crutches, though.”

For the past month, Lucius had been receiving treatment for his wounded leg. Fortunately, as he had said, the bullet had only grazed him, so neither muscle nor bone was damaged. The doctor said that with proper treatment and rest, he would return to normal.

Lily placed a hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “That’s a relief. Honestly, I was so worried he might end up like the late duke, with his leg permanently disabled.”

“Wow, you actually worried about Luce? The world must be ending.”

Brianna teased, and Lily turned her head away with a huff.

“This is all because of you. I was worried you’d be stuck for life with a husband whose body was inconvenienced.”

“Luckily, his recovery rate is monstrous. Soon enough, he’ll be throwing away the crutches too.”

Lily shook her head in disbelief. “Anyway. Please, just live peacefully without any more incidents. The wife gets stabbed, the husband gets shot. What on earth is that? I really can’t take it anymore.”

Brianna laughed. When the Dowager Duchess had returned from her trip and found Lucius lying in bed, she had said something similar. That if her son and daughter-in-law kept tormenting her heart like this, she would rather die first before having to witness anything worse.

“Lily, I should go now.”

As they finished their walk around the park, Brianna spoke, and Lily immediately pouted.

“What? We haven’t seen each other in so long, and already? I thought we’d have dinner together.”

“He’s still unwell. I need to be by his side for now.”

“The ducal residence is overflowing with servants. What help do you need to give?”

“Sorry. Next time, when I have time, come visit the mansion.”

Brianna left the disappointed Lily behind and headed to the mansion.

For the past month, Brianna had spent most of her time by Lucius’s side. It was because she wanted to take care of him herself.

Still, thank goodness it wasn’t worse.

Settling into the carriage on her way to the ducal residence, Brianna gazed out at the scenery and let out a faint sigh.

After that incident, Brianna had undergone several investigations. Since someone had died, it was a procedure she was obligated to go through.

As a result, although she had committed murder, it was clear it had been self-defense, so she was cleared of all charges. And rather than bearing a grudge against Brianna, the royal family wanted the crown prince to be laid to rest quietly. This was because his crimes were too severe, including treason, murder, and even kidnapping.

However, the crown prince’s body was not buried in the temple where royalty were laid to rest, but in a secluded place elsewhere. His title of crown prince was also stripped from him forever. Just as Brianna had warned, he had fallen from being the royal with the greatest fortune to the most pitiful of all.

“Where is the Duke?”

As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, Brianna asked the maid where Lucius was.

“The Duke is currently walking in the garden.”

“Walking? In his condition?”

When Brianna asked in surprise, the maid let out a deep sigh. “We told him it was too soon to take walks, but he wouldn’t listen at all.”

“I understand. Who could stop his stubbornness? I’ll go see him myself.”

Brianna headed straight to the garden. While it was good that Lucius had a monstrous recovery rate, his excessive eagerness was a problem. Even though the doctor had said he needed to be careful, Lucius, eager to heal quickly, kept trying to move around.

Entering the garden, she spotted the figure of a man walking along a flower-filled path, supporting himself with crutches.

“Luce!”

When Brianna called out, the broad-shouldered man flinched. He turned around cautiously. Seeing his face, like that of a child caught doing something wrong, Brianna almost burst out laughing.

“They said you shouldn’t be walking yet, but here you are again?”

Brianna approached him, barely managing to keep a stern expression.

“Staying inside all the time was too stifling. I just wanted a short walk…”

“If I hadn’t come early, you’d have been walking around all day, wouldn’t you?” Brianna cut off his excuse in advance and wrapped one arm around his waist.

Lucius looked down at her blankly. “What are you doing right now?”

“You shouldn’t overexert yourself, so lean on me when you walk.”

“Lean on tiny you?”

“Unbelievable. Have you ever seen a bean this big?”

Lucius laughed incredulously, then placed one arm on Brianna’s shoulder. And the two of them began walking slowly together.

“Did you see Lily?”

“Of course, she sent her regards to you again.”

“Well, that’s kind of her.”

“What? Lily really did worry about your health.”

As they walked, Brianna told him about what had happened during her outing. Before long, she realized he wasn’t leaning on her at all, but she pretended not to notice.

“These days, with my leg like this, I keep thinking of my brother.”

When he spoke in a slightly bitter voice, Brianna wiped the smile from her face and looked at him.

“Even after his leg ended up like that, my brother never once showed me a frown. But now that my leg is inconvenienced, I finally understand how he must have felt back then. He must have wanted to cry, wanted to lean on someone, but held it all back. He couldn’t show that side of himself to me or to Mother.”

Brianna comforted him by gently patting his back. “When your leg heals, let’s all visit his grave together. I’ve never been there once.”

“Actually, I haven’t gone since the funeral either. Mother has gone from time to time, I think.”

At his unexpected words, Brianna widened her eyes. “Really? Why not?”

“I had firmly resolved not to go until I had properly dealt with the crown prince.”