This Time, I Became the Fiance of a Duke’s Daughter. But She is Rumored to have Bad Personality, and Ten Years Older – Chapter 429

“Kill the Duke… You’re not talking about Duke Harald Alway, are you?”

The blood of the Progenitor might flow through him. However, to Jared, who knew Duke Alway, it was simply unthinkable.

“My apologies for the misunderstanding. I am not referring to Duke Harald Alway.”

A collective sigh of relief swept through the group. That statement had been quite harrowing.

“Then who are you talking about? No! Even if he were trying to revive the Progenitor, killing the Duke is…”

“Yes, I understand that what I’m asking is difficult. The Duke I speak of is Duke Cassandra Hagedorff.”

“—What, you’re lying!?”

Olivier reacted more strongly than anyone else to that name. Her face had turned pale with shock. Jared had never seen his fiancée look so distraught.

“Cassandra Hagedorff, wasn’t she unusually a young woman as the head of the Ducal Family? Olivier, do you know her?”

“Know her? She’s more than just an acquaintance. She’s like an older sister to me.”

“Is that so?”

Jared didn’t doubt Olivier’s words. However, when he turned to Hannelore and Emilia for confirmation, the two women nodded with bitter expressions.

“I know her too, Older Brother.”

“Yeny, you too?”

“Yes. Cassandra is your Grandfather’s disciple. Didn’t you know?”

“I’m hearing this for the first time. I knew my Grandfather had a wide circle of acquaintances, but I never imagined a Duke was his disciple.”

Though surprised by his grandfather’s connections, they couldn’t let the conversation stall. Jared had to ask Rasmus why Cassandra Hagedorff had to be killed, assuming she was indeed an acquaintance of Olivier and the others.

“If you truly want me to do something, then tell me. Is Duke Hagedorff really trying to revive the Progenitor?”

“That’s right,” Rasmus replied without hesitation.

“Why? Even if she is the head of a Ducal Family, why now?”

“That, only she knows. I don’t understand her anymore.”

“You’re crying as you tell me to kill Duke Hagedorff. You must be close to her, aren’t you?”

“Very. I’ve known her since she was crying because she had no place in her home due to her birth.”

“No place? What do you mean?”

“Cassandra is the child of a Lover,” Hannelore said softly, having observed the unfolding events.

“Duchess Alway seems to know. If you’re both from Ducal Families, perhaps it couldn’t be hidden.”

“No, my daughters wouldn’t know. It’s not something that would particularly be brought up.”

While it wasn’t uncommon for nobles to have consorts or lovers, this was typically spoken of only in reference to men. It was a form of insurance when seeking an heir, as no one could predict the reasons why an heir might lose their claim.

“As the夫人 says, it’s not that unusual. But it’s different for the children. Even though both the Main and Consort have high status in a Ducal Family, Cassandra’s Mother was not even a noble.”

“…I can easily predict where this is going.”

“It’s exactly as you’re thinking, Jared. Because her mother’s status was low, she was bullied by her siblings. Even the servants didn’t seem to treat her very well. However, her father was different. Although her status as a lover remained, he prepared a mansion for the woman he loved and doted on Cassandra more than anyone. But, that was a mistake.”

The course of events was predictable, yet Jared didn’t interrupt. Just as Cornelia Alway had once tried to kill Hannelore Alway, something similar must have happened within the Hagedorff Ducal Family.

“Her siblings were jealous, and the Main wife and Consorts were enraged. But the more the reactions from those around her turned negative for Cassandra, the more love the former Duke Hagedorff showed her. He had her learn many things and eventually even made her a candidate for heir.”

Rasmus continued as if he had witnessed it all.

“I met Cassandra when her Mother passed away. Though her Mother’s status was that of a Commoner, she was descended from the Progenitor’s shrine maiden.”

“So that’s how it happened.”

“—Cassandra, to think…”

Cassandra, despite her different circumstances and background, was a descendant of a shrine maiden who served the Progenitor, just like Yeny. Jared was surprised, but not as much as his fiancée. Olivier, who regarded Cassandra as an older sister, could only stare in utter disbelief at the truth about her childhood friend, even if she hadn’t known Cassandra’s full story.

“To me, both Cassandra and her Mother are dear children. I wanted to cheer up the girl who was despondent after losing her Mother. But that’s when malice came into play.”

The boy, who had lived for a long time, shed another tear.

“Because her status was low, because she was a commoner, for no other reason than that, Cassandra received animal carcasses. Along with a letter, asking her to bury them.”

“…How cruel. Who would do such a thing to Cassandra?”

“Just like Olivier, I thought about who did it and felt indignant. I wanted to find the culprit and tear them to shreds. But doing so wouldn’t comfort Cassandra. So, I told her the story of the Progenitor and the Progenitor’s shrine maiden who flowed within her blood.”