The Duke’s Substitute Bride is a Maid

Chapter 18: The Hateful Rhett

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Rhett had been coming frequently during the wedding preparations. Irene found that although Rhett had a gentle appearance, there was a toughness in his bones.

When Rhett appeared in front of her with a set of riding clothes, Irene was looking at the topographic maps of the two countries, Murcia and Celt. She realized that although Murcia was vast, the terrain was flat. If they really fought with Croce, they might not be able to resist at all.

Rhett unfolded the riding clothes and stuffed them into Irene’s arms. “Go and try it out. I’ll bring you to go riding today.”

Irene liked to be quiet. Moreover, she was in the mood to analyze the terrain. Her expression was cold. “I don’t want to go.”

Rhett acted as if he did not hear her rejection. He pushed Irene toward the cloakroom. “Go and change.”

Irene turned around and wanted to reject him again, but Rhett said, “Don’t tell me you want me to go in and help you change. Hurry up and go.”

Irene felt helpless as Rhett pushed her into the cloakroom.

Ronald would never force her to do anything. As soon as this thought appeared, Irene threw it out of her mind.

What was she thinking? She knew she would never see him again in this lifetime. She might as well think about how to get rid of Rhett the clinger.

It was her first time wearing a riding outfit. Irene felt uncomfortable all over. She was about to say that she wanted to cancel the plans, but when she saw Rhett’s excited face, she swallowed her words.

The stable was clean and tidy. The horse servants swept the floor and cleaned the horse manure in an orderly manner. The horses were all tall, strong and had sleek and shiny manes.

In addition to the two of them, a few princesses were also picking horses in the stable. The lawn was also neatly trimmed by the gardeners, and there were dewdrops hanging at the tip.

There were almost no extra parts on the surrounding branches of the trees. They were exquisite, but they lacked some vitality.

Irene was not a good rider. Rhett spent most of the afternoon leading her horse.

Why bother? Actually Rhett did not enjoy himself at all. She could see that Rhett wanted to ride the horse. If it wasn’t for him insisting to bring her out here, he could have rode the horse happily, and Irene could do whatever she liked.

After returning to the city, Irene stopped Rhett at the palace gate. “We are going to get married soon, so you should go back to Celt to prepare for the wedding. Thank you for accompanying me during this period of time, but I would like you to go back to Celt first. Is that okay?”

Irene did not wait for Rhett’s reply. She immediately got into the carriage and entered the palace gate.

There was another reason that Irene did not mention. She felt that Rhett had been using witchcraft on her during this period of time. When she was pretending to be unconscious, she heard the wizard tell Rhett that her memories were slowly fading.

She did not know whether Rhett was doing this out of his own standpoint or because he was conspiring with others. Irene only felt very tired because she had to be on guard against others at all times.

Now, as long as Rhett was driven away, she would be able to relax her vigilance and live a less tiring life.

The main reason why Ronald went to Celt this time was to capture Irene. He even led his troops out of the city sneakily to avoid alerting others.

Ronald rode at the front. As he looked at the sky that started to darken, the anger in his heart subsided. A hint of sadness rose in his heart. Was he treating her badly? Did she feel wronged when she was the wife of the general in Croce?

Ronald sneered. Wasn’t it unfair for her? The wife of a general could not fight for the right to inherit the throne. How could she resist the temptation of power no matter how good he was to her?

Thinking of this, Ronald tightened his grip on the reins. If that was really the case, why did she marry Rhett in the blink of an eye?

Was it because the person she truly loved was Rhett?

The news of Irene’s escape was suppressed by Ronald in time. Other than the soldiers, almost no one knew that such a heartless woman had run away. In his rage, why did he have to expend so much effort to chase her back? Was it because he felt humiliated?

Was it because he couldn’t even keep a woman, or was it due to indignation?

Ronald also wanted to see how good Rhett was to her, to the point where she would take the risk to escape from him, even if it meant exposing the truth of her substitute marriage.

They had been on the road for several days. Even the horses couldn’t hold on much longer, let alone the people. However, no one dared to persuade the general to rest for a while. The general’s face was so gloomy that it seemed as if he could kill anyone at any time.

The marriage between Irene and Rhett was celebrated by both countries, and everyone was rejoicing.

Irene had a smile on her face, but it did not reach her eyes. Was she going to marry Rhett, the hypocrite who was not what he seemed?

Then this wedding was even more frightening to her than the last time she married Ronald!