The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!
Chapter 101: Scheming Minds

Chapter 101: Scheming Minds

He didn’t seem to realise he was dealing with the powerful Duchess of the East. She wasn’t given this title only because it was hereditary but because she was capable. She didn’t use her powers too often, only because she didn’t have to.

Realising it was getting ’physical’ the Duchess acted. She turned and used her powers. A torrent of water surged forth from her fingertips, a huge wave that crashed down on him, and the water overwhelmed him. It slammed against the desk leaving him soaked.

With heaving breath, he stared at his wife leaving... Anger and fright... This was the first time she confronted him with her powers... She dared to... He wasn’t going to take this lying down.

His study was full of water, he had stored many items that he held close to his heart in there and now they were all wet. He laughed like a crazy person while looking at the door that closed behind her back.

For him and Everett, this would be a last resort... Together they decided that they would do whatever it took to get ahold of the Duchy. What would happen if the Duchess disappeared along with Dimitri?

As for Adeline... They don’t want to harm her because of her father... But, if she came in their way... They wouldn’t mind silencing her too.

The grand dinner had finally begun, and the dining hall filled with the smell of exquisite dishes as servants buzzed around, pouring wine and placing platters before them. They were excited about their Master’s return!

Dimitri, sitting at the long table with Adeline beside him. He felt slightly out of place, but he had to act like the Duchess’ carefully selected heir... He needed to act confident.

He straightened himself out and applied all the etiquette he learnt and observed while staying with the Kendricks.

Adeline was worried that the Duchess would not be able to hide her disdain... After all, the rumours that she gave a lot of importance to bloodlines and status would make anyone assume that.

But, she treated Dimitri well. She treated him with kindness, she was still cold but she was gentle.

Adeline had a mind full of schemes tonight, even though she was still disheartened by the loss of the letters she’d hidden away. Despite the setback, Adeline stayed cheerful.

She will find another way to expose the Duke. How hard can that be? Her eyes kept landing on the Duke and Everett, for someone whose plans were ruined, they looked pretty joyful.

Her eyes narrowed. In noble circles, infidelity carried a severe punishment, one that could strip the Duke of his title and holdings. She detested those who cheated, she would very happily expose these people.

Across the table, Everett and the Duke sat composed, seemingly unbothered by the recent upheaval of the heir announcement.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to read their expressions. "Why are they so calm?" She wondered. "They must be planning something else."

Dimitri caught Adeline’s wandering gaze and nudged her slightly. "Don’t worry," he whispered. "I’m prepared. I know there’s a target on my head now, but I’ve been training."

He also handed her a napkin to wipe her mouth. She looked so cute when she was embarrassed. She practically grabbed and quickly dabbed her mouth. She didn’t want the Duchess to think she was mannerless!

Dimitri thought that he would be afraid but he was very confident, he had been spending weeks training under Aaron’s master, honing his magic skills.

The Duchess sat at the seat meant for the head of the household. She never cared about her seating, usually, her husband would sit there but this time, she intended to send a strong message.

She wanted him to know that he could act arrogant only because she stepped back, if she started being assertive, he would be left humiliated. If he knew what was good for him, he would willingly back down.

She shook her head silently, she had given too much freedom to this man. She wouldn’t use her powers in front of him, nor sit in the spot reserved for the head of the household. Just to protect his fragile ego she backed down too many times.

But that ends now. Catering to a man like him? How laughable. She could not believe that she did it for so long.

As the evening drew to a close, the grand celebration soon came to an end. he Duke rose from his seat and excused himself. There was a calculating gleam in his eye, he intended to end this once and for all.

Everett, however, did not follow him. Adeline wondered what he was up to now but soon it became very clear. He wanted to suck up to the Duchess, just like he did in the original story. Was the Duchess falling for it? She couldn’t tell.

Her reaction was lukewarm, neither cold nor accepting of Everett. Adeline was worried for some reason, she hoped that the Duchess would not fall for it...

He would betray her in the future and that was exactly what she wanted to prevent. Adeline sighed and returned to her room. She was thinking about how to expose Everett’s parentage.

The headmaster of the orphanage wouldn’t know about the secret, would he? It was unlikely, he spent five years in that orphanage so that his biological mother would be hard to trace... He was not the kind of person to leave loose ends.

Where should she even start? She decided to start by investigating the Duke’s past. There has to be some lead from the past that she could follow up on.

Based on the information the Goddess gave her, she planned to look up everyone he had frequent contact with five years ago, because that would be when his mother died and when he was dropped into that orphanage.

She was sure that she would have the Duchess’ cooperation. With that in mind, Adeline fell sound asleep... Tomorrow, she will start her work.

She wished that there were DNA tests in this world... Life would have been so much easier... As much as she tried to fall asleep, it did not happen. She was wide awake in the dead of the night.

There had to be some way to expose the fact that Everett is the Duke’s son! If there was one thing she was sure about was that the nobles would hate to raise someone else’s child as their own.

These people dedicated their lives to upholding their bloodline and preserving their lineage... There had to be some way they verified parentage... It was unfortunate that she didn’t fully know about this world.

Living a sheltered life, she would never have to hear about being tested to verify paternity. She stepped out onto the balcony and decided to ask around if there was any means to do so.

As the wind blew into her face she finally felt at peace. It had been a hectic couple of days. She rarely had the chance to catch her breath. Since the Duchess was back, etiquette lessons would be starting from tomorrow.

"Damn it!" She muttered to herself.