GDASP 05

Chapter 05…

Cynthia was so shocked that she froze on the spot, unable to say a word.

“……”
“What… what did you just do?”
“Ah… uh, that’s… um…”

When she actually tried to explain what she had done, it sounded ridiculous even to her own ears.
Cynthia, forgetting once again that she was supposed to be Elizabeth, began to stammer.

“T-the… h-hair…”
“Hair?”

A faint crack appeared across his smooth forehead — not literally, but his expression stiffened in confusion. He clearly didn’t understand what she meant.

Ah, I’m doomed…
Cynthia despaired for a moment, but then the thought of that shining 5 million mint payment steadied her heart again.

“…Haah. The truth is, one strand of hair on Your Grace’s forehead was out of place, and it was bothering me, so I tucked it back. I tried to do it discreetly so you wouldn’t notice, but… I apologize if it made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry.”
“My hair was bothering you?”
“Yes. I can’t stand little things like that being out of place. But it’s really inappropriate of me to act that way on our second meeting… I was careless.”

Cynthia muttered like she was scolding herself.
All she could hope for was that her sincerity — that she hadn’t meant any harm — would reach him.

“Hair…”

The Grand Duke Romanov murmured under his breath and relaxed his grip on her wrist.
Freed from him, Cynthia sank into her chair, her back finally resting against it properly.

Whatever happens now, so be it…

“There was just this one little rebellious strand of hair hanging down on Your Grace’s otherwise flawless forehead. And my foolish fingers—more shameless than that strand—moved on their own…”

She said it casually, almost slouching in her seat. It wasn’t as though he could see her posture anyway, so why had she been sitting so stiffly this whole time?

But then…

Did… did he just smile?

Her eyes widened slightly as she tilted her head to look at the Grand Duke.
He quickly returned to his usual calm, statue-like expression, but for the briefest moment, it had looked like the corner of his lips had curved up.

…No way. I must’ve imagined it.

It hadn’t even been that funny of a line.
Losing interest quickly, Cynthia reached out to the table and grabbed a butter cookie. She bit into it and began to chew.

Wow… this is really good…

After a while, she glanced up at the Grand Duke again.

“Your Grace.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Would it be all right if I offered you a butter cookie?”
“…What?”

His voice held clear confusion.
These cookies looked almost identical to the ones Dale always served her when she visited the mansion. Cynthia picked up the plate again.

“They’re quite good, actually. I think our family’s chef baked them fresh today. I thought you might enjoy trying one too.”
“A cookie…?”
“Oh, do you perhaps not like cookies? That’s a shame, they’re really delicious… They’re a bit of a family specialty, you know.”
“No, it’s not that.”

Cynthia stared straight at him.
This time, she was sure she saw it.

“If you’re offering it personally, then… I’ll gladly have one.”

His lips curved upward gracefully, forming a beautiful arc.

“How did it go?”
“What do you mean, how did it go…”
“I mean, did it go well?”
“I don’t know…”

Cynthia trudged down the long, carpeted hallway, replying weakly.
Go well? It was a disaster.

Dale, walking beside her, pushed his glasses up and spoke again.

“From what I saw, the Grand Duke didn’t look displeased when he left the sitting room.”
“He looked expressionless to me…”
“Exactly! If he looked expressionless, that means you did well. I was expecting him to storm out with a scowl.”

Excuse me?
Cynthia stopped in her tracks and glared at him.

“…How little faith do you have in me?”
“Do you even have to ask? I was sure you’d completely blow it!”

Dale didn’t back down.
Cynthia turned away, feeling an embarrassed twinge — because, honestly, she had blown it.

The moment she saw the Grand Duke’s faint smile, she’d been so flustered that she’d dropped the entire cookie plate.
Cookies had tumbled down onto her skirt, and she hadn’t even noticed.

‘…Didn’t you just drop the cookies?’
‘Huh? Ah—ah! I picked them up! Three-second rule! It’s fine if it’s under three seconds!’

She had been so panicked that she’d picked them back up off her dress, put them on the plate again, and then offered them to him.

There was no saving that situation.
It was obviously a disaster.

There was no way the Grand Duke Romanov wouldn’t have noticed how different she was from the Elizabeth he’d met before.
Even if by some miracle he hadn’t realized…

Who would stay engaged to a lady who gets caught tucking your hair and then serves you dropped cookies?

Cynthia hung her head in despair.

Beside her, oblivious to her misery, Dale spoke cheerfully.

“Oh, by the way! The Grand Duke finished all the cookies, didn’t he? They must’ve been delicious.”
“They were good…”
“They’re a real delicacy. Always taste amazing.”
“Your household’s pâtissier must be very talented…”

If only he had the decency to pack a few for me…

“Huh? Our pâtissier?”

Dale looked puzzled.

“Hm? Weren’t those cookies from the Bailey duchy? Oh—maybe they were from a famous shop in the capital instead?”
“The cookies were a gift from the Grand Duke himself. For his fiancée.”

Ah. So not only did I serve him dropped cookies, I bragged about them like they were from my own house. Fantastic.

“Dale…”
“Yes?”
“Do I… have to return the advance payment?”
“Ha! You joke well, my lady. Of course not.”
“I see…”

Cynthia gave a bitter little laugh and nodded.

A few days later, a letter from Dale arrived at Cynthia’s house.

It’s got to be about the annulment…

She stared at the white envelope on the table with a troubled expression.
The Bailey family’s wax seal glistened elegantly.

“…It was a ridiculous offer to begin with. There’s no way I could actually become Elizabeth overnight.”

Her face fell as her gaze drifted to the check lying beside it — 500,000 mints she hadn’t dared to spend.

“…Good thing I didn’t cash it yet. That would’ve made things even messier.”

She brushed her fingers over the shiny paper sadly, then tore open the envelope in one go.
If it was bad news, she wanted to read it quickly and get it over with.

But the moment her eyes scanned the contents, her red eyes went wide.

It wasn’t what she’d expected at all.

“You are invited to dine at the Grand Duke Romanov’s estate this coming weekend.
Please visit the Bailey duchy the day before for thorough preparation!
—Dale”

“Safe travels, my lady!”

Outside the carriage, Dale waved with a bright smile. When Cynthia met his gaze, he clenched his fists in an exaggerated gesture of encouragement.

“Yes…”

Cynthia leaned her weary head back against the seat. She forced a smile at him, but as soon as he was out of sight, her face fell.

That insane man…

She’d spent several sleepless nights being drilled again under Dale’s “Spartan” training.
This time, since he couldn’t accompany her to the Romanov estate, he insisted she needed to prepare even more thoroughly.

‘This will be Lady Elizabeth’s first visit to the Grand Duke’s mansion. You must leave a convincing first impression — one that raises no suspicions!’

“Ugh… my head hurts…”

Cynthia rubbed her temples, exhausted.
She’d spent all night reading — and rereading — a 100-page report on Elizabeth’s entire life.

Where she was born, the climate there, the name of her first teddy bear, the noble girls she’d pulled hair with at age five, even the list of servants she’d fired over the years…

It was obvious that Dale was pushing her to the brink just to make her perfectly replicate the infamously ill-tempered Elizabeth.

“…Though, I can’t really blame him.”

She whispered, resting her head against the seat.

If anyone ever found out she wasn’t the real Elizabeth…

It wouldn’t just be about losing 5 million mints — she could actually end up in prison.