C58
Cheryl Cassius. The late Duchess Cassius, who passed away more than ten years ago, and the eternal love of Edman Cassius.
When she died due to an illness, people spoke in unison. Although that love was so great, it will be forgotten by the ruthless passage of time.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Duke Cassius did not remarry until today. Instead, he adopted an orphan who resembled his deceased wife and raised her with more affection than his own children.
Many beautiful women tempted the duke, but he paid no attention to them. In the end, the man called the Demon Duke, paradoxically, became a symbol of pure and eternal love.
I looked around at the view of the living room. What stands out the most is the large portrait hanging on one wall.
In the portrait, a duchess with a neat appearance and long silver hair smiled cheerfully.
Next to it was an elaborately carved bust of the woman, and next to it was a tapestry embroidered with the image of a woman reading a book, and next to it…
A person represented by many of these works of art. She was Cheryl Cassius, the illegitimate daughter of a noble family who fell in love with Edman and married him.
"If Liena's words are true, it's bait for the duke to do what I want."
It was only Cheryl Cassius. More specifically, a time capsule she left before dying.
Indeed, although it was a time capsule, it only contained a letter from Cheryl to her future family and some belongings.
One day, before succumbing to an illness, Cheryl spoke to her beloved husband.
In Cassius, there is a time capsule hidden somewhere, so find it.
Unfortunately, the happy treasure hunt she dreamed of did not come true. The duke, left behind, fought against the pain and did everything he could to find it.
The gardens of the Cassius mansion were thoroughly explored, and the duke searched every corner of the warehouse and dwellings. It is said that they even examined the bottom of the lake after draining the water.
However, the time capsule was nowhere to be found. Despite expanding the search and thoroughly looking through the houses in the capital and all the places the Duchess had ever visited in Cassius Territory.
I thought I would never find the time capsule. Until Liena was fortunate enough to discover it in the epilogue of "Return and Walk on a Flower Path."
The novel ends with Duke Cassius shedding tears as he reads the letter and then introducing his new family to the duchess in heaven. Liena and her husband Mikhail.
"Wow, it was a very moving scene. But if you'll excuse me, I'll take advantage of that feeling."
Still, what's the problem? It would be good to find the time capsule in advance.
It would take several more years to complete the novel, and it would be beneficial for both the duchess and the duke to know it now.
I justified it that way and came up with a plausible explanation.
"In reality, I solved the clue the duchess left some time ago."
"You mean that cryptic poem?"
Leheim spoke for the first time. He stayed silent because his father was angry.
Cheryl herself wrote a poem and shared it with her husband and her two children. She said it was a clue to where the time capsule was.
"I can't believe it."
Said Liena.
"I called the most powerful cryptographers, poets, and detectives in the empire to decipher the poem, but no one succeeded."
The duke, who felt relieved of his embarrassment at those words, looked at me in disbelief.
"Are you sure you're not lying to deceive me, right?"
"Of course. Otherwise, what kind of disaster would I suffer?"
"If you not only implicated my son but also sold Cheryl's name, don't even think about leaving this house alive."
It was a level of brutality that could not be compared to anything before. I was lucky because I was sitting, but if I had been standing, my legs would have failed, and I would have hit my butt.
However, I must not show that I am afraid. Confidence is always important!
"Oh, didn't he say a moment ago that he wasn't interested in anything related to me?"
The duke shuddered and stiffened.
"Well, it's a shame, but I'll just go back. I have to go fast and prepare for tomorrow's trial."
"Wait."
"You two, get ready."
"Wait!"
"Is that an order?"
"And if it is?"
"Then I won't listen. Even if you're a great noble of the empire, you have no right to give me orders unilaterally.
Although the power dynamics among the nobility were clear, there was no formal hierarchy.
When I stood up, the person who became impatient was Duke Cassius.
"Hey, Ethel..."
"Dad, please let her go."
Liena stopped him.
"Let's schedule a formal meeting later and talk about it, okay?"
"But it's a memento of my wife."
"You don't even know if that's true. I'm not saying my sister-in-law is lying, but it could be a misunderstanding."
She was desperate, as if she thought that if things continued like this, I would lose the initiative, and the duke would take control completely.
"It's strange from the standpoint of common sense. The fact that my sister-in-law solved a riddle that no one could solve, and the fact that she's telling it right now."
Then Duke Cassius asked me a question with a suspicious expression on his face.
"How did you solve it?"
"She said no, but I feel like they're treating me like a liar."
I looked at him again.
"I solved the riddle because I was smart and lucky."
......
When I spoke too confidently, he seemed to have nothing to say.
"And the reason I'm telling you now is that I solved it just a few days ago."
Of course, I knew it from the beginning.
I simply kept my mouth shut for the sake of the novel. However, my thoughts changed when I chose a path that was very much against the flow of the novel: divorce. It was not necessary to follow the novel.
"At first, I thought of using the time capsule to resolve the matter and end the relationship with an amicable divorce."
Our side was in a rather weak situation. So I diligently prepared for the divorce trial.
So that I can show this letter while the trial is in full swing, that is when the duke wonders in his heart whether he should do everything possible to keep me or not as his daughter-in-law.
In addition, I have already shown the duke several times that I do things that go beyond his common sense.
Cassius was not only fighting in a fight he should have easily won but also brought to my side his most reliable confidant.
"Externally, you're ignoring me, but internally, it's probably different."
Probably, the duke was currently in conflict. As his daughter said, it's really crazy that she solved the riddle...
"If it were me, this might not be a deception."
After remaining silent, he finally opened his mouth.
"Is it the absolute truth with not a single trace of lies, right?"
"Dad!"
I'm sorry, but it's useless, Liena. You know well, right? If it has anything to do with your father's dead wife, he won't hesitate.
"The person who appeared a few years ago claiming to have solved the riddle was also a fraud!"
However, the person who was being deceived by these fraudsters every time they appeared was Edman Cassius.
"I beg you. Please tell me where my wife's belongings are."
It was the polite request from the duke that I received for the first time in my life. At the same time, Liena's expression distorted.
"It's hard to ask someone like me who should leave this house immediately."
"...I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
The tightly clenched fist of the duke was trembling. It was an apology that should have been made a long time ago, but it's already done.
"It's insincere anyway, so what's the point of listening more?"
But when he reads his wife's letter, he will change his mind. No, anyone who knew what the minimum duty was should have changed.
"Very well. Let me tell you. Could you bring me paper and a pen first?"
In the duke's gaze, the servant by my side quickly ordered the items I asked for.
"Once I get the time capsule, you will first sign an agreement to cooperate with my divorce."
"Even if I die, I won't change my mind about anything related to my wife."
"I trust your word. But there's nothing wrong with being sure."
"...Are we going to start drafting the memorandum now?"
"I wrote it in advance, Duke, just sign it. The paper I asked for will be used for other purposes."
I handed him the memorandum. It was a document written in collaboration with Sharon and perfectly met the requirements for the legal effect to occur smoothly."
The duke read it and signed without saying a word.
"There's a lawyer here, so we can certify it before a notary. Please also call Mr. Farrell. There is no law that says it cannot be notarized by more than one lawyer."
After they called Farrell and notarized it, I wrote a few sentences on a blank sheet of paper.
The spring of purity has returned without fail,
A crystal garden with blooming hydrangeas,
The bell from the bell tower on the mountain behind rings three times at dawn.
Fountain guarded by little angels,
In all those places, I hid treasures.
"This is the mysterious poem."
Leheim tilted his head.
"I don't understand it even if I look at it again. I searched the garden, the hill behind it, and the fountain, but I didn't find them anywhere."
"Duke, this is the part where I had questions for the first time. Cherubs in the fountain."
"Why is that?"
"The largest fountain in the courtyard of Cassius Mansion. There was a cherub statue there, but there was only one."
"There should have been two angel-shaped statues."
"The other angel was a little smaller, but if you look closely, it wasn't a baby. At best, it's a child."
Leheim intervened again.
"Isn't that a problem? Some people call all small children babies."
"Normally, we tend to think that way. So everyone missed an important clue."
"The next is the crystal garden. Were there really hydrangeas in the crystal garden of the mansion?"
This time, Liena answered.
"There were! I saw them this spring too!"
"I saw them too. It was really beautiful. After looking at it for a long time, the gardener spoke proudly. He said he planted a hydrangea tree."
The duke was surprised by my words.
"Now that I think about it, Cheryl managed the crystal garden. Until she collapsed."
That means.
"When the duchess was in good health, there were no hydrangeas in the crystal garden. The gardener in charge of the place planted a tree after she fell ill."