~Chapter 51~
“Spotlight Shift”
“Wait… That man is really the Duke of Maledictus?”
As Damien removed his mask, everyone stared at him in complete shock.
“I thought he had burn scars on his face?”
“No, I heard it was a horrible cut across his cheek.”
“But he’s… unbelievably handsome!”
Cameras began flashing nonstop.
“Quick, quick, take more photos!”
The reporters, who had only been snapping Leonard’s photos earlier, were now urgently photographing Damien.
“If he looks like that, why did he wear a mask for so long?”
“Is it really him? Could it be a stand-in?”
But then the room echoed with one unanimous reaction:
“He’s… so good-looking.”
Damien, whose lips had been tense with nerves, finally relaxed slightly.
“That’s all. Thank you.”
He calmly ended his short speech and stepped down from the podium.
“W-Wait! Just a moment!”
People were reluctant to let him go.
I smirked to myself.
‘It worked. This was enough.’
I had a moment of doubt before, wondering if it would really go well—but my gut was right.
‘Revealing Damien’s face after 12 years of secrecy would be enough to pull all attention away from Leonard.’
It was a gamble, but one that paid off.
People love surprise reveals—especially when someone thought to be ugly turns out to be a stunner.
The imperial family was full of bright, princely beauty. But Damien was different—his looks had a darker, more mysterious charm.
‘When something new shows up, people always go crazy for it.’
All I wanted was to mess with Leonard for trying to threaten and corner me.
But it ended up being more effective than I expected.
“Did you see his face earlier?”
“He looked like a sculpture.”
“If that’s really him, Duchess Rubiana didn’t get sold off—she hit the jackpot!”
And now they were even saying my name.
“A-Anyway! Time for the celebratory toast!”
The emcee tried to regain control of the situation as more and more attention shifted toward Damien.
“A toast to Prince Leonard’s victory!”
“Cheers!”
Everyone awkwardly raised their glasses.
“Guests are now free to mingle…”
But before the host could finish, reporters rushed forward.
“Your Grace! Please, just one interview!”
“Why did you choose now to reveal your face?”
Crowds naturally followed the reporters toward Damien.
“W-Wait!”
This was bad.
Just because Damien had shown his face didn’t mean he was suddenly fine with the public staring at him.
“Damien…!”
Calling his name made things worse—now the reporters turned to me.
“Look! The Duchess!”
“Your Grace, did you know what he looked like all along?”
“Is that really the Duke or a body double?”
Answering carelessly could cause problems.
‘Better to let them stay curious.’
I slowly backed away, avoiding the crowd.
“Y-Your Grace!”
Ugh, stop following me!
My feet were already sore from heels when someone suddenly picked me up.
“Damien?”
“Yes.”
Effortlessly, he held me in his arms and quickly cut through the crowd toward a dark corner of the ballroom.
They had dimmed the lights in all areas except the stage—he took full advantage of that.
“When did you get here?”
I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I came as soon as I saw the reporters chasing you. I’m used to moving in the shadows.”
He made his way to a moonlit terrace in the far corner.
“Hold on tight.”
I braced myself and clung to him.
Damien leapt off the second-floor terrace.
It felt like we were flying—and then falling.
[Here, here.]
[Catch them!]
I opened my eyes and saw Damien’s lower curses gathered below, forming a soft mat to catch us.
[Wheeeeee.]
After landing, Damien reabsorbed the curses into his body.
“There! They jumped off the terrace!”
People on the second floor leaned over, trying to see us.
But Damien didn’t stop running.
“Master!”
His guards had been informed. A carriage with a butler and servants was already waiting.
“Go. Now.”
From the moment we left the ballroom to boarding the carriage—it took less than five minutes.
“They’re leaving!”
The reporters desperately snapped photos of the retreating carriage.
“You can relax now.”
Even after running so fast while holding me, Damien wasn’t out of breath.
His silver hair was tousled from the wind, but his eyes looked clearer than ever.
‘He used to look like a cold gemstone in the ballroom… Now he looks like a calm night sky filled with stars.’
“Are you okay, Damien?”
“I’m fine. You’re as light as a feather.”
He smiled gently, his voice steady.
“But what about you? The reporters scared you, didn’t they?”
“A little. I was trying to escape when you came.”
“Good. I’m glad I got to you in time.”
Outside the window, we had already left the palace grounds.
The only sounds now were the wind brushing through grass.
“The palace was so noisy and stiff… but it’s so calm here.”
“I know. The palace always feels like another world. A cold one.”
I thought of the uptight nobles from earlier—and even Leonard, whose fake charm couldn’t hide his greed.
“I wasn’t planning to leave early. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine. I’ve left mid-event plenty of times before.”
‘Of course he has. No wonder he knew the exit route so well.’
“There’s no reason to stay at a boring party, right?”
Damien took both my hands into his.
“It’s more fun when it’s just the two of us.”
His smile was refreshing and freeing.
So beautiful it made my heart flutter.
“…Yeah, it is.”
I smiled and held his hands tightly.
“Then… shall we go on our night picnic?”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
“I’ve already told the coachman where to go—he’s taking us to that haunted street with the ghost maid.”
“Damien, you’re amazing. You thought of everything.”
“Of course. Now let’s talk about something fun on the way.”
“Oh right!”
I remembered what I’d discovered earlier.
“While I was dancing with Prince Leonard… I learned something…”
The night of the victory banquet continued on.
But the night was still young.
And we had all the time in the world to enjoy it.
Next Day – Morning After the Banquet
Crash!
“Damn it all!!”
Leonard screamed, throwing a newspaper across the room.
His plan to use the banquet to solidify his status as the next emperor had completely failed.
Because every single newspaper in the empire featured Damien’s face on the front page—not his.
[Duke Damien Maledictus reveals his face after 12 years!]
[A sculpture-like beauty: The hidden face of the Duke!]
[The Monster Duke no more—who is Damien Maledictus really?]
[The star of the night: Damien Maledictus and his romantic escape with wife Rubiana!]
Leonard could only stew in rage… while Damien stole the spotlight.
