The Echanting Duchess

Chapter 49: The Duchess Is Up to Something

It was another day at the Duke of Kargaz estate.

Everything seemed to be pretty normal. 

The several women living within the estate were quietly observing everything.

As days passed by, they were all aware that there were significant changes happening within the estate, especially between the duke and the duchess.

At first, they thought that the duchess was also one of them - a pawn discarded by their family in order to gain the favor of His Majesty. Thus, they didn't even pay any attention to the new duchess.

Although there was a difference in title, a huge one at that, in their eyes, a pawn was still a pawn, that the duchess was just as insignificant as they all were.

But lo and behold, it didn't take long before they realized that the duchess seemed to hold a different role than the rest of them.

And this made everyone squirm on their plush and expensive seats.

Although they wanted to do something about it, they couldn't just possibly go against the duchess head on.

Why?

It was because of the duke himself, of course.

Remaining for this long at the estate of the famous Duke of Kargaz, they had all surrendered under the rule of the duke and even went against their families, surreptitiously.

For at first they were all deployed by their families to spy and tarnish the reputation of the most powerful and the strongest man in the Kingdom of Hartize, under the direct and open secret order of His Majesty The King.

By doing this, even if the duke became the strongest swordsman in the kingdom, his name would not have a strong foundation and the opinion of the public would always be torn due to his seemingly promiscuous way of living, housing several women without giving any title to any of them.

But for some unknown reasons, the way the duke treated and regarded the duchess was far different from them and for what they expected.

The duke even sternly warned them not to touch the duchess.

Even the most favored one, Lady Janette Terav was given a cold treatment after slightly confronting the duchess.

If the most favored one received such harsh punishment, what more the several of them?

Because of this, they could only patiently and obediently watch on the sidelines as they awaited how things would turn out.

But of course, none of them would willingly give up should they have to leave the estate.

After all, they all decided to side with the duke because they all sincerely admired the duke and they were all holding a torch for the duke.

And today, after hearing for several days, and even seeing for themselves, that the duchess had been shopping lately, a sudden news came about that startled most of them.

The duchess decided to accept the lots of invitations for tea parties coming from some of the noble and aristocratic families in Kargaz and even those few from the Royal City.

This news was like a sudden tornado that came to rattle them all, an earthquake to shake them all.

While this news was not a secret one, they could only bite their fingers as they quietly and anxiously let their thoughts wander around this explosive piece of information.

At the Duchess's study room, inside the Crystal Diamond room.

Atallie was calmly and elegantly sipping on her favorite cup of tea when a knock came at the door.