Chapter 88: A Hot Night (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: A Hot Night (1)
‘Is he unable to withstand the Grand Duchess’s pressure?’
The way he had looked flustered earlier, telling her not to come closer, made it seem as though he was terrified of being caught by the Grand Duchess.
Though a sense of bitterness rose to her throat, Meisel had no choice but to offer her greetings and leave.
The jingling sound that echoed with every step she took felt strangely pathetic.
After confirming that Meisel was moving away, glancing back repeatedly, I immediately checked on Loik’s condition.
“She didn't touch you, did she?”
Loik cleared his throat before speaking.
“Thanks to you arriving just when things were getting dangerous…”
Even though Loik looked troubled, I could see a hint of a smile playing on his lips. It seemed my performance from a moment ago had been quite impressive.
“You can laugh at a time like this?”
When I scolded him, Loik clamped his mouth shut.
“I had no choice. We don’t know when a situation like this might happen again. If I didn’t set things straight now, the young ladies would be throwing themselves at you at every opportunity.”
Honestly, I can’t let my guard down for a second.
To think Meisel would approach him like that the moment I stepped away. Then again, considering how remarkable a man he is, perhaps it’s only natural. Even with a robe pulled over his head, his radiance couldn't be hidden.
The glimpse of Loik’s face beneath the hood practically dripped with nobility. He was easily the most eligible bachelor in the Empire.
Furthermore, since Loik was beginning to appear in public more often, the fact that he had a wife who was practically his enemy wouldn't be much of a deterrent. I had a nagging feeling that more ladies like Meisel would appear in the future.
“From now on, you should cover your face as much as possible when you go out.”
Loik furrowed his brows as if asking what I meant.
“And just wear the clothes you used to wear.”
“You’ve become unnecessarily handsome, so now all these ladies are making a fuss just to try and talk to you.”
The Grand Duke cleared his throat awkwardly, looking embarrassed.
“No one would think such a thing.”
Does this man not look in mirrors?
Regardless, since I had spoken so boldly to Meisel, she would surely go around badmouthing me everywhere. Even if other ladies had the chance to stand before Loik, it would at least give them pause.
Perhaps due to the tension, the hair peeking out from Loik’s hood was damp with sweat. I took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his forehead.
“The children…”
“Don’t worry. Their parents were already looking for them. Jerome took them, so they should be reunited by now.”
For some reason, I felt a faint heat radiating from Loik’s face.
‘Does he have a fever?’
I reached out to check his forehead, but Loik gently took my hand and lowered it.
“I’m sorry, but I believe I must head back separately from here. Will you be alright?”
“Separately?”
Loik’s gaze turned toward the lakeside.
The fountain show had ended at some point, and the crowd was already dispersing. The path in front of the shopping district, which had been empty moments ago, was now packed with people again.
“Norton will escort you back, so do not worry too much.”
At those words, I turned around to see Norton, who had approached unnoticed, waiting for me in the distance.
“What about you, Loik?”
“I can use the gate behind that forest path.”
Loik reassured me, saying the knights would have already brought his horse there.
“Then you go first.”
“You should go first.”
“I have Sir Norton, but you have to go alone, Loik.”
Ever since his encounter with Meisel, his complexion had looked strangely poor, which worried me. That forest path looked quite dark. No matter how sturdy a grown man is, isn't it a bit scary to walk through a place like that alone?
‘Something might pop out of the bushes again…’
I was about to tell Norton to take Loik back first since I would be fine, when Loik spoke in a low voice.
“What is it?”
He hesitated before opening his mouth.
“I know how hard you worked to transform this lakeside.”
Suddenly?
When I looked at him as if asking what he meant, he gave a slightly awkward smile.
“I should have made it better known to the public and expressed my gratitude to you properly…”
“What are you talking about? I feel like you’ve already thanked me a thousand times.”
“I haven't been able to do so officially.”
I scrunched up my nose. That talk again.
He meant he hadn't been able to arrange a formal occasion to commend the Grand Duchess. It was unavoidable since the Grand Duke couldn't appear in official settings.
“Instead, you’ve informed everyone in the territory unofficially.”
Throughout the preparation of the shopping district, every notice from the Grand Duke’s Castle began with, “The Grand Duchess has personally prepared…” and the first words of every meeting were, “As Her Highness the Consort planned…”
By now, there wasn't a single person in Blenheim who didn't know the lakeside shopping district was my work. Yet here he was, looking so regretful that he couldn't announce it to the whole world.
‘If Loik were my boss, I would have been loyal to him for life.’
However, even after coming this far, it seemed to weigh on his mind that he had to sneak around like this.
“Then I’ll head out first.”
Loik looked so apologetic that I eventually turned away first. When I reached Norton, I gave a small wave behind my back, and Loik raised a hand from his waist to give a slight wave in return.
*
When I returned to the management office, Cecilia was waiting for me, having already bought a mountain of various snacks. We sat on the terrace eating apple pie while listening to Perel’s reports.
Because more people had gathered than expected, some shops had sold out and closed earlier than planned, and some restaurants had to briefly close during peak hours to rush out and buy more ingredients. Overall, however, the shopping district was a massive success.
“We’ll have to monitor the situation for about a week, but the shopping district should be running smoothly by the time the delegation arrives.”
Perel spoke in a relieved voice, noting that thanks to the management office staff’s diligent patrolling, no major issues had occurred despite the crowds.
The reaction to the shopping district was also overwhelmingly positive. Perhaps because there had been so few leisure spots for the people until now, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the crowding.
Because of this, we had to push back the scheduled closing time by an hour.
Only after confirming that people were starting to leave and the crowds had thinned out did I take a carriage back to the Grand Duke’s Castle.
‘It was such a fulfilling and exhausting day.’
Throughout the execution of the shopping district plan, I had been nervous deep down. It was even more so because no one had challenged my plans. If it had been before my possession, all sorts of people would have been giving orders, meddling, and interfering.
To be honest, seeing the administrators and workers move in perfect unison without a single complaint, as if my judgment couldn't possibly be wrong, had actually been a little frightening.
‘Still, I’ve never done anything this rewarding before.’
Perhaps because I had been so tense since morning, my body was aching, but one side of my heart was filled with pride. It was the thought that I had finally done my part, living up to the name of the Grand Duchess.
Reta, who was preparing my bed, also seemed to be in a good mood after the rare outing. Although she tried not to show it, Reta looked slightly excited as she brought me some warm water. After drinking it, I lay down in bed.
“Sleep well, Your Highness.”
“Goodnight, Reta.”
After Reta left the room, I tried to drift off into a pleasant sleep.
How much time had passed?
It was the moment my consciousness was just about to cross the threshold into sleep. I heard a knock—small, but sounding urgent.
‘Who is it? At this hour?’
In an instant, a sense of foreboding jolted my senses awake. As I threw on a light shawl and hurried to the door, the knocking grew slightly louder and more frantic.
When I opened the door, Norton stood there, his face frozen like stone.
“What’s the matter?”
The knight swallowed hard and spoke in a desperate voice.
“Please, save His Highness the Grand Duke.”
*
I followed Norton out of the main castle. The cold night air swirled chillingly around my ankles.
The path he took was in a direction I had never been before. After passing through the corridors of the East Wing, Norton led me down irregular stone steps connecting the buildings, then back up again, walking for a long time past a small forest path with a rough incline.
I had followed him wearing only a gown and a wrap after he said Loik seemed to be having an overload.
‘So Norton knew about the curse too.’
My feet kept slipping due to worry and fear. I had been tying his cravat every day and holding his hand whenever I could. Hadn't the mana been dissipating sufficiently? Why was he suddenly having an overload?
Norton had asked if we could take a rougher shortcut because there was no time, and I had nodded in agreement. The path was steeper and more rugged than I expected, so I didn't even have the presence of mind to ask questions while trying not to lose sight of him.
Even as he moved quickly, Norton frequently turned his head to make sure I was following.
“Be careful. The path is slippery.”
After walking for about ten minutes, Norton finally stopped after descending a long, slippery stone path close to the castle walls. A crude brick building stood there; it looked very sturdy but didn't match the surrounding architecture at all.
“This place is…”
“It is where His Highness stays until the overload subsides,” Norton said as he unlocked the heavy iron door.
As I entered through the massive door, which opened with a grating creak, I saw two people standing at the end of a fairly long hallway. It was Whitley and Enolius.
‘Enolius?’
Upon spotting me, Enolius narrowed his eyes in disapproval and looked at Whitley, then let out a sigh as he turned his gaze back to me.