Chapter 51: Playing the Fox
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51: Playing the Fox
The Grand Duke’s castle was a fortress once forbidden to women, so it was no wonder everyone was losing their heads now that a lady had entered its walls.
The maid whispering instructions to the Grand Duchess from behind appeared to be the second daughter of the Terito family, whom Meisel had mentioned.
Under Tiern’s fierce glare, the maid hurriedly lowered her gaze, but the Grand Duchess merely stared back at him with a vacant expression.
‘She’s the Villainess of the Capital, so I suppose she has some backbone?’
Even though he had displayed his hostility as clearly as possible so that even a fool could recognize it, the Grand Duchess didn't even blink as she handed him the gift.
– “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Tiern. I look forward to working with you.”
Faced with those blue eyes staring intently at him, Tiern was eventually forced to be the first to look away.
Why did he do that?
The fact that he had yielded frustrated him so much that even after training ended, he walked along the secluded paths of the castle walls for a long time.
In his hand, he held the Grand Duchess’s handkerchief, embroidered with a yellow seal.
The moment he recalled the rumor that she had chosen the color of the seal to match his hair, he could no longer stomach the unpleasantness.
Eventually, as he passed a trail near the castle tower, Tiern threw the handkerchief into the thicket.
He watched as the handkerchief fell lonely among the brambles, stained by the muddy water rising from the damp earth.
It was a gift bestowed by the Grand Duchess herself.
If caught, he would have no excuse even if he were punished for lèse-majesté.
But who would come to such a remote place?
Even the maids rarely set foot here, let alone the knights.
Tiern left the spot, feeling a petty sense of victory.
He failed to see the hand that reached out a moment later to pick up the handkerchief.
*
When I visited the Grand Duke’s room as usual, I found myself swallowing hard at the unexpected sight.
“Grand... Duke?”
Usually, my day with the Grand Duke began like this:
When I entered the room, the Grand Duke, with his buttons fastened neatly to the top of his neck, would be standing quietly in front of the cravat display case.
Then, when I selected a cravat that matched his outfit for the day, the Grand Duke would obediently lean his long neck forward to match my eye level, and I would tie the cravat beautifully for him.
However, it seemed the Grand Duke had been distracted lately.
One day, a single button on his shirt sleeve was undone.
– “Grand Duke, wait a moment. The button here is undone. I’ll fasten it for you.”
– “Thank you.”
At that time, the Grand Duke had simply stared at me as I fastened the sleeve button. Then, perhaps he was distracted the next day as well, because this time, both sleeve buttons were undone.
‘Did he forget?’
I tilted my head in confusion but fastened the buttons for him anyway.
But from the following day, for some reason, even the neck buttons of his shirt began to come undone one by one. Today, it had finally reached the point where three of the front buttons were unfastened.
‘At this rate, is he going to show up tomorrow with his shirt completely wide open?’
As the Grand Duke moved slightly, his firm chest was partially revealed through the gap in his shirt.
The smooth, defined contours continued downward, hidden beneath the fabric.
‘Are you crazy? Where are you looking!’
Flustered, I turned my gaze toward the display case, but seeing my reflection in the glass, I hurriedly lowered my head.
A woman was standing there with her nostrils flaring, wearing a distinctly lecherous expression.
I struggled with all my might to compose my face.
“I think I arrived too early, didn't I?”
“No. You arrived exactly on time.”
The Grand Duke’s tone was as calm as could be.
‘Then why on earth haven't you fastened your shirt buttons!’
Right. I must have arrived too early.
The Grand Duke is a man who values etiquette, so he probably just opened the door because he didn't want to keep me waiting, and he must be unaware that his shirt is gaping open and showing his fi... chest.
“It looks like your buttons aren't all fastened.”
I spoke nonchalantly so as not to embarrass him, then peeked up to gauge his reaction.
“……I apologize.”
Contrary to his calm voice, the Grand Duke’s neck was flushed bright red.
‘Apologize for what! You knew all along!’
Even a fool could see from his expression that he was playing the fox on purpose.
Did he really leave his shirt unbuttoned intentionally?
Was he waiting for me to fasten them?
Why?
My eyes darted around in confusion until I saw the Grand Duke’s somewhat dejected face, and only then could I guess his intention.
‘Does he need more contact because of the pain?’
To be honest, lately, every time I tied the Grand Duke’s cravat, I had become excessively conscious of our physical contact.
It was for a reason I couldn't bring myself to say out loud.
‘Am I really a pervert? Why does it feel good when I touch the Grand Duke?’
I wasn't sure at first, but as time passed, I was becoming certain.
Every time I touched him, a strange heat rose within me.
But that ticklish sensation of blood circulating through my entire body felt a bit strange.
If I had to put a label on it, should I say it felt a bit... erotic?
‘Is this what mana is normally like?’
Perhaps it was a natural phenomenon that occurred when accepting someone else’s mana.
Every time the heat rose, I stole a glance at the Grand Duke’s reaction, but since his face always turned red whenever I tied his cravat, I couldn't be sure.
Though he did flinch occasionally, as if he were ticklish.
If it wasn't a natural phenomenon... was I possessed by a lecherous demon?
Should I just ask him honestly?
‘I feel good when I touch you, Grand Duke. Could this be because of the mana?’
No, what if he really thinks I’m a pervert?
‘You feel good when you touch me? Have you been tying my cravat with such impure intentions? Remove your hands at once! I cannot even offer an escort to a lady like you.’
Hmm. It seemed like keeping my mouth shut was the wiser decision.
‘If he’s going so far as to play the fox, is he in that much pain?’
He still refused to confess that I was his painkiller.
Well, given his shy personality, it seemed he couldn't bring himself to openly ask me to hold his hand, no matter how desperate he was.
So, wasn't that why he went to the trouble of unbuttoning his shirt just to have contact with me?
‘Well, if the Grand Duke wants it, there’s no reason for me to refuse, right?’
I had been a bit careful about touching him lately because feeling good from the contact made me feel like a bit of a scoundrel, but...
“Please wait a moment.”
It was just as the Grand Duke, his face flushed deep red, was about to move his hands as if giving up.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it for you.”
My hand reached out and touched the fabric of the Grand Duke’s shirt first.
Loik bit his lower lip hard.
‘Did she realize? She must have.’
He felt like his face was going to explode from shame.
The Grand Duchess might not know, but Loik had made one firm resolution.
He would not intentionally use her to alleviate his pain. He didn't want to exploit the innocent Grand Duchess, who knew nothing, in any way.
The problem was the fact that he had become excessively healthy since her arrival.
Clearly, when they first touched, it had simply felt comfortable...
But from some point on, every time her hand touched him, his body began to react in an increasingly strange way.
Whenever he had physical contact with the Grand Duchess, a tingling thrill ran through his entire body, and the blood below his waist grew hot.
When her hand touched him, he wanted to grab it, he wanted to touch her, he wanted to hold her in his arms...
Loik’s gaze slowly drifted toward the Grand Duchess’s lips as she fastened the middle button.
‘You beast.’
Loik hurriedly tilted his head upward.
The veins in his neck stood out tautly.
The Grand Duchess was performing this labor every day out of the pure heart of wanting to give him a morning greeting, yet here he was, having such filthy thoughts.
As if to prove how hot his body had become, the Grand Duchess’s hand felt cool through the thin fabric.
Every time her fingers brushed against his chest, his heart rate quickened.
Even though she was only fastening a few buttons, his face heated up for no reason.
It reached the point where even breathing felt awkward.
Whether she knew he was struggling or not, the Grand Duchess nonchalantly finished fastening his sleeve buttons and tied his cravat.
“All done.”
Loik lowered his head slightly and cleared his throat.
The embarrassment of having intentionally unbuttoned his shirt vanished, replaced by a sense of regret that this time was already over.
‘If I had just unbuttoned the whole shirt...’
It was just as Loik was about to take a step back, dismissing the futile thought.
The Grand Duchess suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Wait a moment. Let me hold my husband’s hand for once in a while.”
Loik helplessly surrendered his hand as she pulled.
Blood rushed to his head in an instant.
The Grand Duchess, having pulled his much larger hand toward her, began to gently massage it, pressing down on each fingertip.
“My hand...”
Loik asked while keeping his head turned, not wanting to show his presumably beet-red face.
“Why are you rubbing it?”
Without knowing what she was doing to him, the Grand Duchess gave a bright smile.
“They say good energy is created when your hands are warm.”
“Is... that so?”
He didn't know about good energy, but he felt so good he thought he might go crazy.
“Since I’ve held your hand like this, everything will probably go well for you all day today. What is your schedule for today?”
Loik, who had unconsciously let his expression soften, tried his best to pull himself together.
“I have several meetings with the administrators.”
“Again? You’ve been having frequent meetings lately.”
“It is because I plan to invite a delegation from the Kingdom of Rondoris soon.”
“The Kingdom of Rondoris?”
At those words, the Grand Duchess’s movements momentarily stopped.
“The delegation is...”
Huh? The Grand Duchess’s atmosphere seemed to have changed a bit.
The Grand Duchess, who had been staring fixedly at his hand, began to move her hands slowly again.
“Are they coming for the marriage alliance with the Princess?”
“What...! Absolutely not.”
Loik’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.
“It’s okay. You’ll need to start negotiations now if you want to have the wedding in a year anyway.”
“I haven't even discussed marriage proposals with Rondoris since that time.”
Loik hurriedly met the Grand Duchess’s eyes.
“The delegation is being invited to discuss mutual trade.”
“Progress has been slow because we haven't reached an agreement on the date of the visit or the scale of it.”
“...I see.”
“It’s true. No matter what, I am not such a rogue as to consider another marriage while I have a wife.”
The Grand Duchess gave an awkward smile.
Th-this wasn't right.
The Grand Duchess was clearly misunderstanding something.
Loik was about to explain properly when the Grand Duchess spoke in a slightly curt voice.
“And you don't need to worry about my reaction to things like that. As long as you keep the contract, nothing else really matters.”
His head, which had been burning with heat, instantly cooled down.
“...It doesn't matter?”
His voice had sunk low, even to his own ears.
I was sitting here unbuttoning my sleeves like a beast in heat, driven by the greed to touch you just a little more...
Is the Grand Duchess already thinking about a year from now?
“I suppose that’s true. As long as the contract is kept...”
The strength drained from his hand.
The Grand Duchess released Loik’s hand somewhat awkwardly.
She seemed to be gauging his mood, wondering if her words had offended him.
‘The Grand Duchess didn't say anything wrong.’
He didn't want to make her feel like she had to walk on eggshells.
Loik carefully took both of the Grand Duchess’s wrists and lowered them back to her sides.
“Since the meeting is early, I don't think I can have breakfast, but I will escort you to the dining hall instead.”
“Thank you.”
When Loik offered his arm, the Grand Duchess placed her hand on it, looking relieved that he seemed to be his usual self.
Feeling that soft touch, Loik clenched his fist and began to walk.