Chapter 15: Spear and Shield (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Spear and Shield (2)
Perhaps my last words had provoked him, for the Grand Duke’s already chilly expression hardened even further. One corner of his mouth twisted upward in a wry smirk.
“Is that why the Marquis sent you all the way here?”
His low voice sounded infinitely ominous.
“To eliminate any grounds for divorce?”
“Not exactly.”
I looked at him with eyes full of mirth and clapped my hands together.
“Ah! By ‘not exactly,’ I meant that my father didn’t send me. But you’re right that I came here to eliminate any grounds for divorce.”
Sigh. The Grand Duke’s jaw tightened visibly.
“You seem to enjoy speaking in circles. Is that a trait of those from the capital? Or is it a specialty of yours, Lady?”
I tilted my head curiously.
“I’m just telling it like it is. My father is probably furious right about now, considering I left home without his permission.”
The Grand Duke stared at me, his face urging me to get to the point.
“I want to divorce you too, Your Grace.”
At those words, his handsome eyebrows shot up.
“Then why…”
“But not right now.”
He looked at me as if asking if our goals weren't the same, but I shook my head.
“Because I need time. I want to divorce you in a year. So, I can’t be kicked out of here just yet.”
“What makes you think I will accommodate your circumstances?”
“Because you won’t have a choice.”
I shrugged as I spoke.
“You have no way to kick me out, after all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“A gentleman like you wouldn’t tie me up and throw me out of the castle, would you? So how else are you going to get rid of me?”
“It seems you haven’t heard the rumors about me,” the Grand Duke spat out in a stiff voice. “I am far from being a gentleman.”
“Are you going to starve me? Or perhaps hold a sword to my throat?”
Even so, the Grand Duke frowned as if my words—treating the Emperor’s niece like a common thug—weren't even worth answering.
“If it’s not those two things, then I’m not really scared.”
“You might fall asleep and wake up to find yourself already in a carriage heading back to the capital.”
Hmm… I hadn’t failed to anticipate that.
I smoothly offered my next rebuttal.
“If you play it that way, I’ll go back to the capital and tell everyone that we spent our first night together.”
At that, the Grand Duke’s neck turned bright red.
“What in the…”
“Of course, I don’t think Your Grace would ever do something so boorish.”
“Do you have… no sh-shame, Lady?”
Faced with a threat unlike any he had ever heard, he clenched a fist resting on his knee.
“I’m just a bit desperate,” I continued with a bright expression. “It would be wonderful if you didn’t force me to say such scandalous things.”
The Grand Duke, looking utterly dumbfounded, clamped his mouth shut. He seemed staggered by my nonchalant attitude.
He drained his tea in one gulp as if his throat were parched before asking, “Why one year?”
“Are you seriously considering it?”
“I must at least know the reason.”
“Actually, the one-year timeframe was decided with you in mind as well, Your Grace.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You need to remarry Princess Pelianes, don’t you?”
I continued, “There’s about a year left in the mourning period for the late Queen, right?”
At those words, the Grand Duke’s eyes flashed sharply.
When the Marquis had first proposed the marriage to the Grand Duke, the negotiations between the Grand Duke and the Princess had already progressed to a certain degree. Both sides had wanted to proceed with the wedding as quickly as possible.
However, several aristocratic factions in the Kingdom of Rondoris had strongly protested, insisting that the wedding could not take place until the three-year mourning period for the late Queen was completed. The powerless King of Rondoris had no choice but to accept their demands.
The marriage talks fell through, and the Grand Duke lost his perfect excuse to reject the Marquis’s proposal.
However, the marriage between the Grand Duke and the Princess wasn't completely off the table; it was merely on hold.
Once he divorced me, the Grand Duke would surely push for the marriage with the Princess again, if only to escape the Empire’s influence.
The curse wouldn't be an issue either. Princess Pelianes was physically frail and would find it difficult to live in the cold climate of Blenheim anyway. She and the Grand Duke had already agreed that she would continue to live in her kingdom even after the marriage.
It was, quite literally, a marriage of convenience for their respective goals.
However, they would have to wait at least a year. That was exactly what I was aiming for.
“The Marquis’s intelligence network is truly formidable,” the Grand Duke said sarcastically.
Since it involved the royalty of the Kingdom and the Grand Duke, all discussions regarding the marriage had been kept strictly confidential.
While there were rumors that marriage talks were happening, the fact that the agreement had stalled due to the mourning period dispute was a top-secret matter known only to a few ministers and vassals who had directly participated in the negotiations.
“This is something my father knows nothing about,” I said with a beaming smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment to my own intelligence-gathering skills.”
“Are you saying you found all this out on your own?”
The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes as if trying to gauge the truth of my words. But that wasn't the important issue right now, nor was it something I could tell him.
I couldn't exactly say I knew because I’d read it in the original story.
I firmly steered the conversation back.
“Just let me stay here for one year. After that, I’ll make it so this marriage never happened.”
However, after narrowing his eyes in thought for a moment, the Grand Duke soon shook his head.
“I cannot.”
I was taken aback by his unexpectedly firm stance. Wait, what did he think I’d been saying all this time?
“Why not?”
“It’s not for a lifetime, and it’s not ten years. It’s only one year!”
“The duration is not the problem.”
“Be honest with me. Is the Grand Duke’s Castle in such financial trouble that you can’t even afford my meals?”
“…I will pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Then what is the problem? Do you just hate the idea of me wandering around the castle? I’m very good at staying out of sight.”
His wall-like responses were making my blood boil.
“The castle is so vast that I could wander for a week and barely see your face once. Isn't it enough if I just stay out of your way?”
Sigh. The Grand Duke averted his gaze at my pathetic plea and let out a small sigh.
“Does your coming to Blenheim truly have nothing to do with your father?”
“…Shall I explain it all over again from the beginning?”
At that, the Grand Duke hesitated before wetting his dry lips and speaking.
“It seems ordinary words won't change your mind, so I will be blunt. Only a very few people know this secret. As a woman of honor, I trust you will keep it.”
Seeing the serious look in his eyes, I straightened my back.
“Please, go on.”
“Are you aware that the previous Grand Duke of Blenheim made a contract with a dragon?”
“Of course. Everyone in the Empire knows that story.”
“When my father passed away, I inherited that contract.”
“I know that too.”
“In truth, that contract carries a curse. Any woman… the moment she touches my body, she will experience great pain. It could even lead to death.”
He spoke coldly. “It may sound like a lie, but it is the truth. Yesterday, you could have died.”
The Grand Duke continued, “As long as you are by my side, there is no telling when such a thing might happen again. That is why I am telling you to leave—for your own sake.”
He’s actually telling me this?
I didn't know how to react to such an unexpected revelation.
If rumors of this got out, his reputation could plummet in an instant—from a hero of the Empire to a cursed Grand Duke. To think he would reveal such a fatal weakness to me, the daughter of the Marquis.
What if I used this to blackmail him?
Though, the Grand Duke didn't seem like the type of person who would let himself be blackmailed.
In the midst of all this, he completely left out the part where I could alleviate his pain… If I revealed that, I could negotiate properly.
Why is he trying to get rid of such a precious person like me! He should be holding onto me with gold and jewels!
I was frustrated, but I couldn't just come out and say it.
I hesitated, my lips trembling as I struggled to find the right words.
Taking my silence as fear or resignation, the Grand Duke composed his expression and spoke.
“If you have circumstances that make it difficult to return to the capital, I will find another place for you to stay. There are several suitable villas near the capital. They should be more than adequate for a year’s stay.”
He stood up as if to conclude the meeting. That was when I hurriedly caught the end of his words.
“But I was perfectly fine.”
The Grand Duke said dryly, “Even if you don’t believe me, Lady…”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you.”
I looked at him with a calm face.
“I didn't feel any pain at all. Doesn't that mean the curse doesn't work on me?”
At those words, the Grand Duke avoided my gaze.
“That… you should consider yourself lucky.”
“But even when you kissed the back of my hand, I didn't feel a thing. In fact, it felt quite nice.”
“It felt… how can you say such a thing…”
At my words, the Grand Duke bit his lower lip hard.