Chapter 7

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After that, Katjina said she had her maid bring tea leaves from her homeland, and after having the maid prepare the tea, Katjina drank it first, saying it was to test for poison, and then collapsed on the spot, writhing in pain.

In fact, this was a complete act, and Katjina had taken action to create a reason to restrain the three maids who were suspected of poisoning her.

When the news spread that the same people from Rurio had attempted to assassinate the princess, all the people from the Rurio Kingdom were placed under house arrest. However, when Niklas, who had received a secret message, hurriedly returned from the palace, his face had turned a bluish-purple.

"Oh! Katjina! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Niklas, who had instinctively embraced his wife, suddenly came to his senses and let go of Katjina, but his eyes still showed relief and some other emotion. However, Kastehelmi decided to pretend she hadn't noticed.

"Ah! Thank you for worrying about me! I'm fine, but I'm really, really sorry~"

It seemed that Princess Katjina was more likely to marry a domestic noble or an imperial noble, and the Lahati Kingdom was not even on her radar. She could speak the imperial language fluently, but her Lahati language was clumsy. Perhaps that was her charm point.

The next morning, Kastehelmi was checking the newspaper from corner to corner to see if the news about Princess Katjina being poisoned at the duke's house had leaked out...

"Kastehelmi! This is a serious matter!"

Olivier, who was checking the newspaper in the same way, spread the newspaper in front of Kastehelmi.

Katjina, who had come from the Rurio Kingdom, had pretended to drink poison to have all the people from her homeland restrained. If this news had leaked out, it meant that someone inside the duke's house had leaked it to the newspaper. They needed to start looking for the culprit immediately...

"Oh my! This is beyond my imagination! Yesterday it was the Daily, and today it's the Wizley! To think such a thing would be reported!"

In the Wizley, a four-page article revealed the secret love between Katjina and Olivier. It was said that Lord Niklas, who still harbored feelings for Lady Yuliana, had been cold to Princess Katjina. Olivier, who had been kind to her, had noticed that Lady Yuliana was a problem child early on and had distanced himself from her. As a result, he had begun to feel angry at his brother's attitude.

"You shouldn't feel angry, you were in the same boat!"

Thus, an unacknowledged love had developed between Olivier and Princess Katjina. Princess Katjina, who was hurt by Lord Niklas' cold attitude, was comforted by Olivier. It was suggested that Lord Niklas, who could not forget Lady Yuliana, should give both the dukedom and Princess Katjina to his brother Olivier, as this would be the best choice for both of them.

"Where is my wife? Where have I, Olivier's wife, gone?"

"Kastehelmi, stop talking to yourself, it's scary."

"Huh? My name isn't even mentioned in this article."

"Kastehelmi, I'll make sure Wizley goes bankrupt immediately, so please forgive me!"

"What am I supposed to forgive? That you had an affair with the princess?"

"Kastehelmi! Come to your senses! This is no joke! It's a crisis for the duke's house!"

Currently, a major project to connect the Rurio Kingdom and the Lahati Kingdom by railway is underway. The tracks are being laid sequentially, and the bridge over the Talles River has been completed. The embankment work upstream has also begun, but the railway project is progressing smoothly for now.

"Kastehelmi, let's hold a family meeting. If Princess Katjina causes trouble with love and hate after entering the duke's house, it could be fatal! We must unite and overcome this crisis, or the duke's house will fall, and the railway project will have to be suspended!"

"That would be a problem."

Kastehelmi's family, the Kalkoski Earl's house, has also invested a large amount of money in the railway project, so they want to get the tracks laid and the steam locomotives running as soon as possible to recover the funds.

"Kastehelmi, I love you!"

Olivier, wrapping his hands around Kastehelmi's shoulders, declared passionately, but

"Gross."

Kastehelmi replied bluntly.

"Anyway! I don't have any unrequited love for Princess Katjina!"

Indeed, Olivier did not have any unrequited love for Katjina; he had no time for such things.

◇◇◇

Joanna, the princess of Rurio, yawned and sat up in bed, completely naked. Her firm, well-shaped breasts pointed upwards, and her slender waist and the rest of her body were hidden under the sheets, but her allure was undeniable.

"Anna, I think I managed to get the article you wanted. Would you like to read it?"

"Rick, you acted so quickly? You really are efficient."

The masquerade ball held the previous night was unofficial, and the lovers of one night had enjoyed their time together. Joanna, who had her maid take her place and gone out, had enjoyed the night in Lahati with her mischievous friend. Rick, whom she had met there, was well-informed and had acted swiftly for Joanna.

The day after Katjina's marriage to the duke's house, the newspaper had published an amusing article about her marriage being a sham. Now, the newspaper in front of her contained an article suggesting that Katjina was unable to hide her love for her brother Olivier.

Joanna, thinking that loving one woman with multiple men was so indecent and disgusting, had pushed the marriage to Niklas in Lahati onto her half-sister Katjina. She had attended her sister's wedding in Lahati to witness the tragedy of her sister being married to a shallow and ugly man, but Niklas was not an ugly man at all.

Rumors of polyandry had spread, but they were just whispers from the lower classes. The duke's brothers had only been affectionate towards the girl they had protected like a sister. The girl had misunderstood and thought everyone was after her. Hearing such a story, one couldn't help but be unsettled.

The Lautavaara duke's house was known for its wealth, and it had invested a large sum in the railway project. The wealth of the duke's house was evident from the port cities it owned, and that was why both countries had agreed to connect the railway to Lautavaara first.

The former Duke and Duchess of Lautavaara did not attend the wedding, implicitly declaring that the duke's house would not use the princess's prestige for private gain. In a world where newly married women often suffer from conflicts with their mothers-in-law, the mother-in-law had already stepped down from the stage.

"Doesn't this make it easier for you to get Niklas Yorma Lautavaara?"

"If Katjina switches to Olivier, then Lord Niklas will be free! Then I can have Lord Niklas without any problems!"

Kastehelmi and Katjina, who had married into the Lautavaara duke's house, not only had no interest in the duke's brothers but also felt a strong aversion towards them. However, most women would use any dirty means to get them, which speaks to the brothers' beauty.

I will start updating at 4 PM from tomorrow! I plan to wrap it up quickly, so even though the hot days are making me feel frustrated, I hope this can be a bit of a mood changer for you!

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