Chapter 32: A Bittersweet Feeling
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: A Bittersweet Feeling
“It will be a hassle for you.”
No, honestly, even this side of him was quite cute…
I made a show of blowing a stray hair out of my face with a puff of air and spoke up.
“Your Grace, it’s not like I’m asking to share a bed. Why do you get so red in the face every single time?”
At the mention of sharing a bed, the Grand Duke’s neck flushed a deep crimson.
“I—I told you not to say things like that.”
I stepped closer to the Grand Duke as he muttered under his breath.
“You said you didn't like me visiting at night. So I’m saying I’ll at least give you a morning greeting, but is even that not allowed?”
“There is no need to make a formal promise of it.”
“Just… come and let me tie it whenever you think of it. That will be enough.”
“And what if I want to come and have you tie it every single day?”
The Grand Duke’s lips hovered for a moment before he spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
“…Because I think I might.”
“I think I might end up… waiting for you too much.”
Did I hear that right?
“So, you’re saying that if we make it a promise… you’re worried you’ll spend every morning desperately waiting for me?”
The Grand Duke lowered his gaze and pressed his lips thin instead of answering.
Oh, is my heart okay?
He’s so cute right now I feel like I might actually explode.
I tried my best to suppress the grin tugging at my cheeks and said, “I think that would make me very happy.”
The Grand Duke, who had been staring at the floor, faltered and lifted his head at those words.
“The thought of you waiting for me every morning… it makes me happy.”
“…It will be a nuisance.”
He murmured so softly it was almost inaudible.
“Your Grace, do you know something?”
I met his eyes with a gentle gaze.
“I like a ‘nuisance’ husband who needs my help more than a husband who is too perfect.”
At that, the Grand Duke’s face turned beet red all the way to the tips of his ears.
When I grabbed the edge of his sleeve and gave it a playful tug as if coaxing him, the man—who was as large as a mountain—swayed helplessly to and fro.
“Well? Your Grace?”
After biting his lip nervously, the Grand Duke finally nodded.
“Then… please do so.”
“You mean it?”
“You were going to do as you pleased anyway, weren't you, Consort?”
“How did you know?”
Seeing me pull my lips into a satisfied smile, the Grand Duke let out a hollow laugh as if admitting defeat. His face remained a bright, burning red.
*
Ferdin, the young heir of the Frais Marquisate, discovered a familiar yet foreign seal among the pile of letters a servant had brought.
It was the crest of the Blenheim Grand Ducal House.
Ferdin picked up the gold-trimmed envelope.
Most nobles used plain stationery, as heavily decorated paper was often gossiped about as being frivolous. Yet, as if mocking such trends, this stationery was ostentatiously lined with luxurious gold leaf.
The difference was that the gold on this paper was undoubtedly real.
The letter was from someone he hadn't expected to hear from.
Ferdin slowly opened the letter.
[To Brother Ferdin,
Brother, I heard that you attended my wedding.
Since I was unable to greet you in person, I can only hope that you will understand with a generous heart.
Spring must be in full bloom in the capital by now. Here in Blenheim, spring is arriving slowly, though it is taking its time.
I accept the gift you sent with a grateful heart.
I wish you eternal peace.
Sincerely,
Annette Blenheim.]
Ferdin ran his thumb over the final sentence.
‘Annette Blenheim.’
The reality that the girl had completely left the Frais family finally sank in.
He had known she intended to leave. After all, Ferdin was the secret owner of the information guild she had visited to sell her jewels.
– “How many jewels did she bring?”
– “At most, they won’t even fetch a few dozen Danir.”
Ladriel’s jewels could probably buy a whole castle. Even so, could the jewels a lady of a Marquisate brought to sell really be worth so little?
In the end, Ferdin had ordered the guild master to pay her a reasonable sum without raising too much suspicion.
When he saw the hired carriage she had secured, he wondered if she would even make it to Blenheim, but seeing as she had sent a letter, it seemed she had arrived safely.
Ferdin examined the letter carefully once more.
The excessively calm tone didn't suit the girl, who had always been timid and emotional.
‘Doesn't suit her? Do I even know her well enough to say that?’
They had been worse than strangers for a long time.
Why did he feel this bittersweet sensation only after she had taken a surname other than Frais?
To clear his useless thoughts, Ferdin tucked the letter back into the envelope.
Since he had sent her mother’s keepsakes along with her without his father or Ladriel knowing, he had given Annette everything she was rightfully owed.
‘Fine. It has nothing to do with me now, no matter how she lives.’
As he tried to turn his attention out the window, a servant knocked on the door. It was a summons from his father, Marquis Frais.
“The letter from Blenheim? Did you take it?”
The Marquis asked, barely suppressing his temper. It seemed news that a letter from Blenheim had gone straight to Ferdin had already reached him.
Ever since Annette had left for Blenheim without a word, the Marquis had been on the verge of exploding.
The shock of being stabbed in the back by his insignificant third child was compounded by the later realization that her actions had been calculated.
When it was discovered that Annette had swapped out the contents of the wedding gifts displayed in her room and made off with every piece of jewelry and dress that was worth anything, even the maids and servants who frequented that room had to face severe punishment.
“It was a letter addressed to me.”
“Why would that lowly thing write to you!”
“It was a formal thank-you for attending the wedding.”
“That’s all?”
Marquis Frais’s jaw twitched.
Because a maid had reported seeing Ferdin’s servant at the chapel, Ferdin had been forced to confess that he had visited the ceremony. He had excused it as merely passing by, but the Marquis had remained suspicious of him for a long time.
“Bring me the letter.”
“I burned it.”
The Marquis arched an eyebrow as if questioning his motives.
“You burned such an important letter? When you know full well how much I care about this?”
“It didn't contain anything significant.”
“Even if it didn't, you should have brought it to me first! Do you dare look down on me, the head of this house!”
Ferdin stared straight at the Marquis.
“I simply disposed of it because I thought reading it would only sour your mood further.”
The gazes of father and son clashed tensely.
The Marquis glared into those dark blue eyes for a moment before finally turning away. Though Ferdin wasn't a particularly rebellious son, his eyes—which were the spitting image of the late Marchioness—sometimes had a way of making the Marquis feel cold.
Seeing his father’s momentum falter slightly, Ferdin let out a shallow breath.
“Annette has fulfilled her role. Didn't you get what you wanted anyway?”
“What do you mean, get what I wanted! Do you have any idea how precious this opportunity was!”
The Marquis crumpled a pile of documents on his desk.
“Do you know how carefully I selected the men I was going to send to the North!”
“The Grand Duke of Blenheim is no fool.”
Ferdin continued in a level voice.
“Have you forgotten that the Grand Duchy is a military zone? Even if you had sent dozens of men with Annette, they would have been turned away before they even set foot inside the territory.”
“That’s why we should have planned it better…!”
“Father.”
The Marquis narrowed his eyes at his son’s firm tone.
“Give up on Annette. She is a fragile child. No matter what she does in the Grand Duke’s castle, she won't be of much help to the Marquisate anyway.”
The Marquis’s voice sank low.
“Do you dare try to lecture me?”
Ferdin lowered his eyes with an expressionless face.
“I am only saying this because I don't want you to waste your energy on something that is already over.”
“…Leave us.”
At the dismissal laced with displeasure, Ferdin performed a formal bow and withdrew.
Listening to the sound of the door closing, the Marquis gritted his teeth.
‘Something that is already over?’
This wasn't something to be given up on so easily.
Despite his best efforts over the years, he had never once succeeded in planting a spy in Blenheim.
Except for Annette.
Her daring to betray the Marquisate and run away was detestable, but now that she had settled there, he had to find a way to use her.
‘I’ve been staying quiet to observe the situation, but…’
If a letter came from Blenheim first, that changed things.
For the first time in his life, the Marquis began to ponder what kind of letter he should send to his "dear" third daughter.
*
The Grand Duke’s door opened the moment I knocked, as if he’d been waiting.
“Did you sleep well?”
With his hair styled up, the Grand Duke’s face looked clean and sharp even in the early morning.
‘Why does he always open the door immediately without me even hearing him move?’
“Do you wait behind the door every morning by any chance?”
“If you say so.”
I shrugged and naturally stepped into the room as the Grand Duke pressed his lips into a line, pretending otherwise.
Since the day we made our promise in the greenhouse, I had started going to the Grand Duke’s room every morning to tie his cravat. Unless there was a special reason, we also went down to the dining hall to eat breakfast together.
It really felt like the daily routine of a newlywed couple.
Today, after much deliberation, I chose a teal cravat that matched my dress. The Grand Duke habitually leaned down toward me.
A scent like a cool winter breeze brushed softly against the tip of my nose.
As I wrapped the fabric around his neck, the sensation of his breath grazing me made me feel all tingly.
‘Ah, the Grand Duke even smells good.’
I felt a warm heat radiating from his neck, and a drowsy warmth gently melted through my body.
Perhaps he was ticklish, as the Grand Duke flinched occasionally. Yet, he would immediately shrink back and stay still, worried he might make things difficult for me. He was like a well-trained wild wolf.
The Grand Duke, who had been staring down at me as I tied the knot, spoke up.
“I think it will be difficult to have breakfast together today.”
“Why? Are you busy?”
“I plan to inspect a few villages near the border. It’s quite a distance, so I have to leave a bit early.”
“I see. You’re working hard.”
I answered distractedly while straightening the neatly folded pleats of the cravat. I liked this routine we repeated every morning; it gave me a strange sense of accomplishment.
“There, all done!”
While I was lost in my own pride, the Grand Duke spoke hesitantly.
“If you’d like… we might be able to have dinner together.”
“Really? I’d love that.”
The Grand Duke was so busy that I hadn't even dared to ask him to eat together except for breakfast.
I beamed at the rare dinner invitation.
“I’ll tell Whitley to make something delicious.”
“I will return as quickly as possible.”
I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at the Grand Duke’s small nod.
“This makes us feel like a real married couple.”
Unlike me, who was grinning, the Grand Duke’s face froze stiff.