The succession ceremony took place normally.

She wondered if the ceremony would be very grand, but with the presence of the main nobles and the elders of the family, the successor’s qualifications were confirmed and the ceremony concluded without incident.

When she was about to return, she was asked by her family to attend a dinner, so she ate dinner, and when midnight arrived, she got into her carriage. The Count and Robert did not say much throughout the farewell, and her mother raised the corner of her lips in a bright smile.

With a lighter heart, Anne climbed into the carriage and leaned back in the soft chair. She planned to go back to the mansion in the capital first, and then go to the north the next day with the servants she had brought with her.

“Marie must have been bored.”

She wanted to give Marie a tour of the capital, but she was in a rush due to the tight schedule. Anne decided that before leaving tomorrow, she should at least show her the downtown area of the capital. She buried her back deeply.

The only sound was the sound of the horse’s hooves as they stepped down the dark night road. The carriage did not return to the Grand Duke’s residence with the Grand Duchess that day.

Chapter 9. False Relief

It was not long after that Anne opened her eyes. It was pitch black, a musty smell clinging to her every time she exhaled, and the texture of the material touching her cheek was greasy.

Where am I?

Quietly recalling her memories, she recalled that the carriage on the way to the Grand Duke’s residence was attacked, and the assailant put a sack over her head and soon lost consciousness.

Concluding that she had been kidnapped, Anne realized that her hands were tied behind and took a slow, deep breath. As she was unaware of the situation, she focused all her attention on what she could hear, rather than making any hasty moves. She heard the sounds of a conversation not far away.

“I did as you were told, so give me the money you promised.”

“I heard that you’re quite usable for this kind of thing, but you handled the job neatly.”

Her heart sank. Coincidentally, the voice that came after an unfamiliar man’s voice was that of someone he knew well.

She doubted her ears, but that insolent voice was definitely her brother’s. The person who instigated her own kidnapping was her blood relative, Robert.

Anne listened, keeping her breathing quiet.

“I’m fairly certain of my job.”

“I will give you the money after everything is done. Be sure to get her pregnant.”

“ I’ll try my best.”

As she overheard the conversation between the two, Anne’s face turned pale.

Pregnant?

The purpose of kidnapping her was to impregnante her. Her shock seemed to choke her. How could Robert sell her own sister for that?

The memory of Robert suddenly spilling out his heart at the banquet flashed by. Ah, it was a lie that he had repented.

Robert had prepared this terrible planwith the intention of using the child to take over the Grand Duchess’ power and inherit the Count’s desires.

I was complacent.

Anne swallowed her tears. She could not regret her rashness more than she already did. It’s been years since she grew up watching him, yet she still believed he’d really changed. People didn’t change that easily, so it wasn’t Robert who was dumb, but her.

Still, she couldn’t stay so helpless. It was a terrible thing to imagine that the wife he married had an affair with another man. If the Grand Duke knew this, judging from his temper, it wouldn’t end with just being kicked out.

Anne chewed her lips. Deciding that she’d rather make an excuse before Robert went away, Anne opened her mouth after taking a deep breath.

“Brother.”

Her small voice broke the silence. After a moment, the sound of footsteps on the floor was followed by a noise like creaking wooden planks. The vibration that made the floor vibrate along with a dreary sound that seemed to be about to crumble soon reached her body.

The cloth covering her face came off roughly. She blinked for a moment, and when she checked the face of the person standing in front of her, she felt devastated. She wished otherwise, but the person in front of her was undoubtedly Robert.

Anne quickly looked around. She saw a narrow wooden wall and a black curtain in front of her eyes, realizing that she was currently in a carriage. Robert really did kidnap his sister.

The rough sound of leaves swaying in the bleak wind informed her that this was the side of the forest away from the road. There was a man with black hair holding the curtain over Robert’s shoulder.