The Soulless Duchess

Chapter 5

Yvona’s face hardened.

That’s what you do with good-natured cousins, I see. Make her your man’s fiancée to exploit her? How did it feel to use an angelic girl as a shadow and discard her?

“That looks heavy. You should have sent people out to do the shopping. Why did you come out by your—?”

Tristan smiled warmly and tried to take the basket from her hand, which Yvona quickly blocked with her free hand. Not that Tristan would have known what she was going to use the Kiridan fruit for, but she still didn’t want him to see.

“It’s nothing that concerns you.” She couldn’t help but sound irritated, knowing what she knew from her past life.

“Ohh... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have intruded.” Tristan retreated awkwardly and prompted Gaspar to step in.

“I know you have a bad temper, but do you have to talk to your cousin that way?” Gaspar asked as he turned to Yvona.

“Don’t,” said Tristan. “I went to see her because I wanted the two of you to talk. You two have refused to see each other...”

“I heard that Tristan has been barred from seeing his own uncle because of you. When will you come to your senses? You must have figured out by now everything I’ve been doing for you. I’ve been quite generous.”

Yvona thought of all the things he had done for her.

Gaspar said that there were many things he had bestowed on her. However, what he didn’t realize was that the money her father received meant very little to Yvona, since her father only spent his days at the bordello. In addition, the title and land that her cousin received also meant nothing to her.

The only thing she got from Gaspar that she really wanted was the engagement ring, but it was so small and pitiful compared to the riches that Gaspar bestowed on Tristan.

“‘Talk’? I don’t know. If this is how you feel, I have nothing more to say to you.”

With that, Yvona held out her palm and recited a spell. The mana in her body reacted and instantly created a magic circle.

Gaspar could see that her control was quicker and more sophisticated than he had ever seen. Yvona’s mana might have decreased when she returned from the future, but she had brought her experience back with her.

Staring agape at the magic circle, Gaspar shouted when Hasslath emerged from it.

“Wait! Wait, Yvona!”

The divine beast Hasslath took the form of a wolf. A very, very big wolf.

His piercing blue eyes sent chills down one’s spine, and his majestic stature had a way of overwhelming all those before him.

“Wolf! A wolf! Everybody run!”

“No, don’t be afraid. Look at its pure white fur. Isn’t that a divine beast?”

“Yes, it’s Hasslath, the divine beast that Lord Gaspar is rumored to have summoned! Look at that size!”

Yvona affectionately scratched Hasslath on his back, and Hasslath in turn leaned into her hand.

Horrified, Gaspar looked around him to gauge everyone’s reaction. Publicly, Hasslath was a divine beast that Gaspar summoned, so the beast should only trust him.

Yvona counted to ten in her head.

You really love Tristan, don’t you? How heartrending. But which will you choose: greed or love? Which outweighs the other?

Gaspar looked at the crowd that gathered. The people were looking straight at him.

Tristan did mention that Yvona summoned Asula. I don’t know how she did it, but she’s suddenly gotten very good.

If it’s really true that she has summoned Asula, it’d be very difficult to find a summoner as good as her. Even if I did find such a person, I wouldn’t be able to make them my shadow.

Gaspar raised his hands over his head in surrender.

“Fine. We’ll talk. I’m sorry. It was all my fault. I’m sorry if I made you—”

“Gaspar?” Tristan interrupted.

“I have such a bad temper that I snap at my own cousin. I can understand why you prefer Tristan over me, your lordship.”

“That’s not true. I look after Tristan because he’s your cousin.”

Tristan looked at Gaspar, then bit his lip and cast his eyes to the ground.

“Is that really the whole reason?”

“Yes. Tristan made a mistake just now—”

“Then answer me this: Who matters more to you, your lordship? Me or Tristan?”

“Of course... It’s you, Yvona, my betrothed.”

“I didn’t know you felt that way.” Yvona’s lips tugged up into a smile.

Gaspar was very relieved to see this. “So we’re good? About the festival—”

“You must really love me, your lordship.”

Gaspar flinched at the word “love.”

Yvona caught this and narrowed her eyes in amusement. “Don’t you love me? Now that I think about it, I don’t think you’ve ever said those words. Perhaps this is your opportunity. I’ll never doubt you again if you say those words to me.”

“But...” Gaspar suddenly seemed very aware of Tristan’s presence. Tristan’s eyes briefly glanced up at Gaspar, then returned to the ground.

After seeing the look on his beloved’s face, Gaspar said in a trembling voice, “You know me. I don’t like to say these things out loud.”

“That’s why I’m asking now. When will I ever hear you say it if not in tandem with an apology?”

Gaspar stood between his beloved and his very useful fiancée, unable to say a word.

“Why don’t I say it to you when we’re alone? I don’t want to say it in front of others.”

“Everyone’s too distracted by Hasslath to pay any attention to what we’re saying.”

“Haha, but Tristan is right here...”

“Tristan is the biggest champion of our union, isn’t he? He’s family. No one will be more delighted to hear your Lordship declare your love for me.”

“Yvona...”

“Tristan is your friend and my cousin. What he just said was so moving. He cares for me and loves me. Just think of how happy he’ll be to hear his angelic cousin’s fiancé tell her that he loves her.”

Yvona flashed Tristan the most angelic, innocent smile she could contrive at the moment. “Right, Tristan?”

He was slow to respond.

He lifted his head at long last and said, “It’s not any of my concern. It’s up to you and his lordship.”

“Why do you look so gloomy? Did something happen to make you sad, Tristan?”

“No. I’m glad for you. It seems like you two have reconciled.”

“If you’re not upset, why do you say it’s none of your concern? You couldn’t have cared so much about us if you were only after our money. Why did you interfere only to back out now? I thought you cared about me and his lordship.”

Tristan silently clenched his jaw.

He hadn’t believed it when Gaspar insisted that she had transformed into a different person, but he could see now that he was right. Every word out of her was barbed.

Besides, it was almost as if she knew the truth about his relationship with Gaspar. There she stood, smiling innocently as though she knew nothing.

Of course she doesn’t know. How could she? We’ve been so careful.

I knew Gaspar shouldn’t have pushed her so hard. This is how we’re paying for it now. What’s most important is to keep Yvona on our side. I have no influence over Uncle anymore. If she drifts away from Gaspar now...

“Gaspar, tell Yvona that you love her. They’re just words.”

“Tristan.”

Gaspar never dreamed that the day would come when he would have to stand before his lover and tell his lover’s female cousin that he loved her.

He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

At long last, Gaspar shut his eyes tight and muttered, “... I love you.”

“Huh? What was that?”

“I love you, Yvona!” he snarled.

She quickly checked Tristan’s expression.

He had his eyes cast to the ground, looking as despondent as she had ever seen him. She’d never thought this relentlessly amiable man was even capable of making such a face.

But Yvona wasn’t done.

Her eyes smiling half-moons, she said, “Thank you. I didn’t think you would actually say it.”

“S-so...”

“But something feels off. It’s like we’re missing something.”

“What?”

What more could she want?

Gaspar’s face crumpled with frustration, but then he returned to neutral when he became aware of Yvona’s eyes on him.

But Yvona did not fail to see this.

Her voice took on a teasing tone. “I think the words lacked sentiment. Tristan told me that I looked like an angel descended from above and other very sweet things. Your lordship, on the other hand, just said ‘I love you.’ Perhaps that’s why this feels anticlimactic. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

“What?”

“I need a token of your love. For your first time telling me that you love me, this isn’t very romantic. You can do better.”

“What do you want? Jewels?”

“If I tell you what I want, will you give it to me?”

“Sure. Anything.”

Yvona closed her eyes and mulled this over.

Then she cried out, “Oh! I know what I want. Remember the precious stone that the emperor bestowed on you for your services? The Blessing of Iphelia?”

“That, um...” Gaspar stammered, remembering that he had just told her he would give her anything she wanted.

The Blessing of Iphelia was not just a pretty rock. It was a legendary stone rumored to give one’s lover the strength to endure any anguish or obstacle.

The emperor must have given it to Gaspar as a sign that he approved of the match between him and Yvona.

Yvona did not receive the Blessing of Iphelia in her past life. She only knew that he got it from the emperor when people asked her questions about it, assuming Gaspar gave it to her.

When she asked him about it in her past life, Gaspar said that he had lost it. Thinking back, he must have given it to Tristan.

To endure any anguish or obstacle...

The jewel must’ve meant so much to the two of them. She could imagine all the anguish and obstacles they were enduring as it was, as future in-laws dating each other in secret. They would have thought the stone was made for them.

They probably felt so sorry for themselves and cursed the world that would not accept their love.

In order to give this to Yvona, he would have to take it back from Tristan. This would no doubt drive a wedge between the two of them.

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“Wait, I—”

Yvona hopped up on Hasslath’s back.

The great wolf obeyed the command of his summoner and leaped deftly away from the crowd.