Julietta’s Dressup

Chapter 253. The Proof of Blood, Part IX

Translator: Khan

Editor: Aelryinth

Archbishop Paulo, facing the fierce eyes that seemed to hold a curse, nodded. “I’ll pass it on to him. Will you let go of my priestly clothes?”

Her dainty hand fell off when she heard his answer. Paulo walked out of the room past the nanny, who was crying bitterly, and the young lady next to her.

“Shall I speak to the Duke of Dudley again?” the young priest quietly asked.

Paulo walked through the hall in silent thought. Princess Kiellini’s gorgeous blonde hair had been like the midday sun when she had proudly said, ‘Let’s maintain a strong relationship,’ and the falling moonlight of a sick woman who refused to hide her cursed eyes for the chance to say something…

He walked for a long time and stopped in front of his room to look back at the young priest. “Not now, but go to the Duke of Dudley just before the ceremony begins and tell him the words of the woman. You should tell him her appearance as well.”

“Yes, Archbishop.”

He went into his dwelling place, glancing at the back of the retreating young priest.

“Everything is as God wills…”

—

At three P.M., the ceremony for the Proof of Blood began.

Julietta raised her hand to stop the priest as he approached to bleed the tip of her finger. “Give me a knife. I’ll do it myself.”

The priest, unable to conceal his astonishment at her unusual audacity, so unlike an ordinary lady, gave her a knife.

Julietta put the knife to her finger after she saw the priest step back. She didn’t want to be caught acting nervous. If the priest came closer, he might notice her trembling breathing. She stabbed herself in the skin. The blood that came out anointed a thin pen point.

Julietta shook her head and refused as the priest tried to approach her to heal her finger. “It’s okay. Let’s hurry up and proceed with the ceremony.”

Killian was watching and ordered Oswald next to him, “The Marquis, it’s strange that the Duke of Dudley is not in sight. Find him right now.”

The gold-colored paper was made over a hundred days by pouring in the sacred power of the priests. The names of the two people who needed to prove their blood relationship were written on this sacred piece of paper in the red blood of each person. If the signature turned blue, the two were blood relatives. When bloodless people signed the paper, no writing appeared on the bright golden paper.

Julietta raised the blood-soaked pen point with trembling hands. Though she had experienced all the magic and strange phenomena, she was uneasy about the present situation. ‘The red blood turns blue?’

After she signed and stepped down, Marquis Anais also signed. Julietta looked nervously at the paper held by the archbishop. She clasped her hands in uneasiness as the archbishop frowned slightly.

The archbishop looked down at the signatures of the two, but they had turned vivid blue. When he had seen the lady earlier, he had wondered if Princess Kiellini was real, but she was real. ‘Well, she wouldn’t have come all the way here to sign the Proof of Blood otherwise.’

He lifted the certificate high to the crowd. “This is how the two have been proven to be blood relatives.”

Julietta’s stiff shoulders finally relaxed at the blue signatures of the archbishop’s certificate.

“Oh, indeed, Mrs. Anais’s suspicion was wrong. That’s right. What a discourtesy!” The Duke of Martin, who was present as a witness, spoke out.

“The Duke of Dudley should take responsibility for insulting Princess Kiellini. I can no longer tolerate that he’s constantly caused trouble, denounced and driven His Highness Killian to the corner.”

Duke Haint was also angry, but looked around and was puzzled. “And where IS Duke Dudley?”

Duke Martin clicked his tongue at the question of Duke Haint. “Don’t tell me, he just walked away now to avoid this situation. It’s not something we’re going to let go of.”

Some of the nobles who had visited the Vicern Temple and were close to the Duke of Dudley were now shaking their heads, frowning.

Julietta might feel relieved or sullied by the reaction of people, but her heart was pounding strangely. She took Manny from Vera and hugged it tightly to soothe her heart.

“Then let’s end the ceremony now that everyone’s doubts seem to have been cleared. With the quick help of the archbishop, we are fortunate to be able to return to Austern today.”

As Killian looked back at the people and spoke, the Duke of Dudley’s voice came to him.

“It’s not over yet.” The Duke of Dudley, who had not been seen until the ceremony was over, came forward with a woman.

From the moment she saw Dian following the hooded woman behind the Duke of Dudley, she realized that something had gone wrong. Her eyes turned to Killian. The moment she saw his expression, Julietta seemed to feel her heart stop.

He looked like he lost everything; he was full of shock and fear. Of course, the look quickly disappeared into an expressionless appearance, but she had never seen Killian make such a face.

‘Did you do that when I drank poison and fell down? Am I seeing the image of Killian that I heard from Vera and Phoebe?’

Julietta raised her head. It was absolutely impossible to back down. It wasn’t a time to be shaken and swung.

“Princess Dudley, you are very rude. You have been trying to cause trouble by questioning my identity, so I came to Vicern myself. Where have you been? Do you now appear to do this?”

The Duke of Dudley admired the fake princess, whose face never changed when she saw the woman he had brought. It was not normal audacity. With such audacity, she had stolen someone else’s identity and coveted the seat of the Empress.

But such audacity and her big scale were done today. He thought the woman’s audacity was a waste, but that was all.

“There was a woman who was looking for me when I stepped out to attend the ceremony. She said she had something to say about Princess Kiellini. Aren’t you curious?” The Duke of Dudley looked back at everyone and pushed a woman wearing a hood in front of him.

A woman of small stature, like a child, staggered off the hood. She glared at Julietta with a rueful look. “How dare you covet my seat and kill my father, even if you are an illegitimate child. You enemy, did you think you could cheat people to the end and sit in my seat and live well in clover?”

Regina coughed heavily for a while and then turned back. “I’m the only daughter of the Duke of Kiellini, Iris Regina Kiellini.”

Those who attended the ceremony looked surprised at her crisp blond hair and dark blue-green eyes, which had worsened with poor health.

Only

Archbishop Paulo was surprised for a different reason than people. It had been too dark to recognize her earlier, but he had just met the woman who was identifying herself as the real Princess of Kiellini, right here.

The Duke’s illegitimate child, who had come with the Duke of Kiellini to receive the Proof of Blood, claimed that she was the real one.

Paulo looked at Princess Kiellini, who had just finished her ritual. There was a difference between light and shade, such as day and night, but they had the same blonde hair and green eyes, an unusual combination. There was no doubt that they were both daughters, as the Duke himself had brought her to be recognized as an illegitimate child.

He was so desperate to tell the truth he knew, but he shut his mouth. ‘Everything is as God wills.’

Dian looked at Regina with astonishment. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

Regina was leaving the room to meet the Duke of Dudley, and whispered to Dian, “You’ll be introduced as Princess Kiellini soon, so please come back ready.”

Dian stayed in the room and took out the best of the few clothes she had prepared before leaving Tilia in a hurry and put her hair in order. She didn’t really like the dark blue-gray dress, but thought she’d only wear more fancy and more luxurious clothes in the future.

When she finished her priming, Dian went to Duke Dudley’s residence. Just after the conversation, they came to the hall where people gathered, and she came along the Duke and Regina. Dian lowered her eyes gently, waiting for Regina to introduce her. Regina, however, did not care about her presence and only said she was the real Princess of Kiellini.