The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 59.1

Judith turned away to calm herself. But suddenly something brilliant came into her field of vision. The girl immediately doubted her own thoughts, but still looked at Sylvia’s neck. She was wearing a luxurious diamond necklace, clearly a gift from Derrick.

Judith had seen something like this once before. The last time she quarreled with her husband, he gave his mistress a necklace. Therefore, the Duchess understood everything perfectly. Sylvia’s pale face came to mind.

Even if she wore the green dress completely by accident, what about the necklace? As if on purpose to make Judith feel absurd. Something hot was creeping up to my chest. It is not difficult to understand what anger is.

Holding on with all her might, Judith tried not to change her face and not pour out all her emotions here and now. Losing self-control could only create a new scandal around their family, rumors about which Derrick barely calmed. It is also a banquet to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday.

That is why there are more nobles in the hall now than usual. And it was worth being careful. Any mistake could brand you for life. Breathing deeply, Judith looked at her husband, who spoke:

— Have I invested in your family?

At this moment, an atmosphere of confrontation reigned.

Although the Duchess did not expect anything like this, her hands began to sweat from happiness and the demon’s zealous desire to protect her. Nothing in life has ever given me so much pleasure. Derrick, looking at his interlocutor, smiled gloomily. This never boded well.

“In the past, perhaps I was not myself,” such words made the entire room fall silent.

At official banquets, this was not a good sign at all. After all, the demon’s statement sounded too aggressive. Judith grabbed his sleeve, not knowing what to say in this situation.

His interlocutor seemed too worried about what he heard. The attitude of embarrassment and inability to hide emotions properly seemed too stupid and terrible. Not everyone could cope with it. And now was the perfect opportunity to apologize.

Security guards lined the stairs leading to the second floor. The trumpets rang again, resonating in the air. Eyes went to the golden door, which slowly opened. The Emperor wearing a red cloak and a golden crown entered it. All the nobles put their hand on their chest and bowed their backs.

Killard glanced at them before looking at Judith. The girl quickly looked down. Her head was hot and her thoughts were confused, as if the Duchess had never wanted to see the Emperor. But she tried to pretend as if nothing had happened.

Suddenly Judith remembered the Viscount again. Looking around, she saw that he was standing with Sylvia. However, his movements were strange and sluggish. It seemed that the Viscount intended to recreate the conversation with Derrick again, although this was something extremely dangerous for himself: there were too many nobles around. And, moreover, the opponent in the conversation is none other than the Duke, who was one of the most powerful people in the Empire.

Conversations with Derrick were not easy, even in a private home. In society, power has always prevailed. And even if the Duke is rude or says something strange for no reason, no one will say a word to him except the Emperor himself. Perhaps that was why Derrick acted this way. But Judith regarded spontaneous behavior as something of the highest nobility.

— I wanted to thank everyone who came to my birthday. I hope you enjoy everything here – the party always began with a simple greeting from the Emperor.

The moment he appeared, the usual friendly atmosphere between everyone else reappeared.

– What should we do? – Derrick asked in Judith’s ear, because he did not know the order of the banquet.

His hot breath, touching the shell of her ear, tickled her, forcing her to hold her breath.

“I have to say hello to His Majesty and…” Judith suddenly cried out from the sharp pain she felt in her leg.

In an instant, the demon hugged her around the waist, preventing her from falling:

– What’s happened?

“Legs…” Judith quickly lifted the hem of her dress. Most likely, the shoes, worn for the first time, caused great discomfort.

— Did you damage them?

Finding the wound on his own, he added in a lower voice:

“I will heal you,” the demon was ready to cast magic on his legs immediately as soon as he received the appropriate permission from his wife.

Judith lowered her skirt, holding onto Derrick’s forearm, and shook her head. Even if it required enduring pain, the Duchess could use it as an excuse not to face the Emperor again this evening.