The man who stepped into the drawing room was, unexpectedly, Young Marquess Spencer.
“Grand Duchess, it’s been a while.”
“Young Marquess, what brings you to the Grand Ducal Residence?”
“I was supposed to meet with Benedict. Seems we missed each other.”
The Grand Duke had a meeting with the Young Marquess? I hadn’t heard anything about that.
My brows knit slightly in confusion. Lately, the Grand Duke’s movements were making less and less sense.
“I hear you handled the Bovary Ducal House’s divorce suit brilliantly, Grand Duchess.”
“I just got lucky.”
I kept my reply short, and the Young Marquess gave a small nod. His wavy brown hair shifted naturally with the movement, catching the light in a way that made the scene feel almost picturesque. The Young Marquess seemed in an unusually good mood today.
“I’ll admit, I was skeptical about how you’d manage to get the fastidious Duchess Bovary to hand over a summer ball invitation. Clearly, my concerns were unfounded.”
“I’m glad it all worked out in the end.”
I gave him a faint smile. I’d been holding something back this entire time, unsure how to bring it up. But if he noticed anything off, he didn’t let on—instead, the Young Marquess’ gaze wandered to the many items crowding the drawing room, and he smiled with his eyes.
“Judging from the dresses you’ve chosen, I can’t begin to imagine how stunning you’ll look tomorrow.”
“Ah…”
“It’s an honor to be your first dance partner.”
The Young Marquess’ voice lifted with the giddy excitement of a child. And just like that, the discomfort I’d been pushing down surged into my throat. I made the decision to finally say it.
“Uh… Young Marquess…”
“Yes, Grand Duchess?”
The Young Marquess looked at me with that guileless face. I swallowed hard and spoke carefully.
“About being my dance partner…”
“Yes?”
“I realize it was a condition of the contract, but… would it be alright to postpone it? The next ball isn’t far off, and—”
The smile instantly vanished from his face. The Young Marquess’ green eyes cooled, stripped of even the pretense of warmth. I flinched involuntarily.
“No.”
“I mean… it’s just…”
I expected he’d at least ask for a reason, but he refused outright, without even hearing me out.
“No. I don’t want to hear the reason. A breach of contract is unacceptable under any circumstance.”
“……”
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the chill in his voice left me speechless. The truth was, he was completely justified. I had made this dance partner deal with him in exchange for his investment—which he had already fulfilled. There was no reason for him to make an exception now.
The Young Marquess’ face had suddenly gone flat. Not angry—just disturbingly devoid of any softness.
“I suppose I’ll postpone my meeting with Benedict, then. I’ll take my leave.”
The Young Marquess rose and brushed down his coat with practiced elegance. Despite the courtesy in his gestures, a definite coldness radiated off him.
And when he left the drawing room, I sat alone, staring down at the summer ball invitation with an uncomfortably heavy heart.
* * *
The day of the summer ball.
At the crack of dawn, a team sent by Claire descended upon the Grand Ducal Residence. Clothes, makeup, hair—all of it. The experts she’d handpicked used my body and face like a blank canvas, and the result was borderline art.
“My goodness… I always knew Your Highness was beautiful, but dressed like this, you could rival a goddess!”
Madam Verona was nearly in tears. Elena’s—no, my reflection in the mirror was enough to justify the reaction.
Soft curls of golden hair framed my face, the makeup was delicate in pastel tones, and the blush-pink silk gown shimmered with intricate embroidery. Every accessory, from the headpiece to the smallest jewel, was encrusted with top-grade diamonds, sparkling like frost under light.
Suddenly self-conscious, I turned to a young maid.
“Is His Grace ready, as well?”
“Yes, he just finished a moment ago.”
Claire, ever meticulous, had even sent a servant to help him prepare—along with his attire for the ball as well. Just then, murmurs echoed from the hallway.
“Your Highness! Why have you been hiding this side of yourself until now?!”
“You always came to banquets in uniform, we had no idea!”
Victor and another soldier’s voices boomed against the stone walls.
Peeking out the door, I saw a crowd of servants and soldiers practically gawking at the Grand Duke, showering him with admiration. It didn’t take long for his tall frame—standing a full head above the rest—to come into view.
‘Wow.’
Even I let out a silent gasp.
An evening coat of black fabric, embroidered with rich gold thread. Jet-black hair slicked back flawlessly. His face looked like it had been carved from myth—polished and godlike. Even from a distance, he stood out like a flash of lightning.
“Her Highness is also ready.”
At Madam Verona’s words, every head turned toward me.
The room fell utterly silent. Breathless. In that hush, the Grand Duke and I locked eyes.
“Your Grace, you look incredibly handsome today.”
I walked toward him, my eyes curling with a soft smile.
A flicker passed through the Grand Duke’s crimson gaze—he looked as though he’d momentarily forgotten that we were supposed to be playing the part of the happy couple. Before he could say anything strange, I gave him a little wink.
“You as well… ahem. Indeed… beautiful…”
A flush crept up the Grand Duke’s sculpted face. It seemed saying the words out loud was too embarrassing.
Victor stepped in to fill the silence, barking out his admiration like a trumpet.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess! You look stunning!”
Excitement laced his voice, and the soldiers quickly followed.
“Knew it! I always knew it!”
“It’s an honor to serve Your Highnesses.”
The hallway burst into cheerful noise.
I smiled at them and thanked them warmly, but caught the way the Grand Duke’s brow twitched.
“I believe you said there was training today.”
His voice was all chill and shadow.
One raised brow from him, and the circle of soldiers around me scrambled into formation. Victor, already standing stiffly, stammered an excuse.
“Th-there’s still time left in the day! We, uh, just wanted to see you two off first…”
“I was under the impression a soldier’s duty begins with never slacking off in training.”
“I—I’ll correct that now!”
With a sharp salute, the soldiers cleared the hall in seconds.
In the end, only Madam Verona and a few maids remained to see us off.
Not long after, we were alone inside the carriage.
“Weren’t you a bit harsh on Victor? You’re skipping training too, Your Grace, to attend the ball…”
I half-chided him, gently taking Victor’s side.
His expression tightened instantly.
“Hah. So you’ve forgotten the whole point of attending the ball, have you? You’re practically brimming with excitement. Weren’t you the one insisting it was for investigative purposes?”
For some reason, he looked quite displeased.
The Grand Duke had always avoided these events unless they were hosted by the Imperial Family—so it wasn’t surprising that he resented being dragged into this summer ball on my terms.
‘Does he think I used the investigation as an excuse just because I wanted to attend?’
I couldn’t risk losing my client’s trust. So, I wiped the smile off my face and sat up straighter, voice firm.
“No, I’m not excited at all. I’ll focus entirely on investigating Crown Prince Lawrence at the ball.”
“……”
That had to be the answer he wanted. But instead of improving his mood, the Grand Duke’s mood only seemed to sink further. He turned his head away, silent and sulking, but the disappointment practically rolled off him in waves.
‘Difficult… He’s such a difficult client.’
I sighed quietly and shook my head. Then something caught my eye. Near his jawline—just below the cheekbone—a faint scratch. It hadn’t been there before.
Suddenly, my heart sank.
Could it be from the night he came home soaked in blood?
After a moment of hesitation, I asked, carefully.
“Um, Your Grace.”
At my voice, he flicked only his gaze toward me.
I licked my dry lips. There was no running from this conversation—not inside a carriage. This was the best moment I’d get.
“These past few days… where have you been heading off to?”
His crimson eyes immediately rippled with unease.
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