Episode 06
The moment she turned, a woman in neat attire stood gazing at her.
It was Rachel, her father’s loyal subordinate and Edith’s nursemaid.
Rachel’s presence here was unequivocally clear. She was undoubtedly commanded to confirm if I had ‘properly’ spent the night with the Grand Duke.
“Did you… properly steal the Grand Duke’s night?”
My face flushed with shame. I glared at her, my eyes reddened as if to ask, ‘Do you really have to ask me this now?’
Rachel didn’t bat an eyelid.
Finally, with trembling hands, I lifted the hem of my dress. As the thin lace covering my chest parted, the crimson rash-like marks scattered across my skin became visible, one by one.
Rachel’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. “You’ve done exceptionally well. His Grace will be pleased.”
Instead of answering, I let out a long, shaky breath.
“A carriage awaits outside. Leave the rest to His Grace and get some much-needed rest.”
“There’s joyful news for the Ducal family.”
Rachel chuckled, leading the way down the stairs. She seemed to be in a hurry, as if she needed to deliver the news to the Duke as soon as possible.
I followed her silently, wiping the cold sweat that had gathered in my palms onto the hem of my skirt. To conceal my bare ears, I gathered my hair and brought it forward.
‘Good, I’ve passed the first test.’
Rachel had appeared at the end of the original story as well.
‘That’s why I asked Denok to leave a kiss mark before I left.’
He was perplexed, but…
“Ah!”
“…”
“W-wait. That’s enough, ugh!”
Perhaps it was the lingering effects of the aphrodisiac, but he was more persistent than expected. I had to bite my lip hard several times to suppress my moans.
Feeling a sudden wave of embarrassment, I quickly cleared my mind.
‘Anyway, the important task is done.’
All that remained was to prepare for the wedding.
I finally relaxed my tense body. At this moment, a bed was all I craved.
The Morning After
The next day, in salons and shopping districts across the capital, wherever people gathered, the same topic of conversation circulated ceaselessly.
“They say that beastly Grand Duke and Lady Sertia spent the night together?”
“Oh my!”
The unexpected big news filled people’s faces with intense curiosity and undisguised interest.
“A union between the Grand Ducal House and the Ducal House…”
“What could they be thinking? For the Duke to permit such a volatile, bomb-like presence.”
“Whatever the reason, the Sertia Ducal family has now gained military might in addition to their wealth.”
Nobles who considered themselves astute observers of the times paid close attention to the meeting of these two immense powers.
“Heavens, no matter what, how could such an indecent act occur at an imperial banquet…”
“Truth be told, physically, he was on a different level from those soft men with bulging bellies. In many ways.”
“Even I would have found it hard to resist!”
Giggles erupted, and fans fluttered busily. Excited whispers bounced between crimson lips. From mouth to mouth, the story escalated, and the night between the two had, by then, become a scandal of the century.
As the rumor spread throughout the empire, even children in the streets began to chatter about it. Then, an unexpected commotion arose within the Grand Ducal House of Luciano, where the protagonists themselves resided.
CRASH!
“What! In! The! Name! Of! Gods! Is this?!”
A man burst into the Grand Duke’s bedroom without knocking, letting out a wild cry. As the door violently swung open, his reddish-orange hair scattered in the wind. His usual sly smile was gone, replaced by a face utterly dumbfounded as he surveyed the room.
“Do you have any idea what kind of rumors I just heard outside, Your Highness?”
Deep darkness enveloped the room.
Nevertheless, the man walked straight ahead without a moment’s hesitation. The Grand Ducal residence’s mornings were unlike those of other noble houses. For the sake of its master, who suffered from magical pain every night, morning was arranged to resemble night. Thanks to the seamlessly drawn blackout curtains, not a single speck of light penetrated the room. As a result, the master of the castle, who had just been on the verge of falling asleep, let out a low growl in the darkness.
“…Quiet.”
Even though the already dim space was now imbued with a weighty presence, the man paid no heed and leaped up.
“Did you sleep with Lady Sertia? Did you?!”
Before even hearing a reply, the man shook his head to himself, pacing the room.
“No. There’s no way our Grand Duke would do such a thing. How could a man who’s never even held a woman’s hand… Argh!”
A pillow hurled from the bed accurately struck the man’s head.
“That’s enough, Gerald.”
“But Your Highness is getting married, isn’t he?!”
Denok ignored his loud protest and rose. Perhaps it was the aftereffects of yesterday, or the lingering effects of the medicine, but his body felt heavy.
It had been a banquet he only intended to briefly attend due to the Emperor’s command. He had merely followed when a servant unexpectedly informed him that His Majesty was looking for him. Suddenly, his head grew dizzy, and… he met her.
‘She was right. The rumors have already spread in just one day.’
His brows subtly furrowed as he recalled the woman who, despite trembling, stubbornly reached out her hand.
“The rumor is false.”
“Right?!”
“But the marriage is true.”
Denok muttered softly, donning a gown over his naked body as he rose. His body, once covered in numerous scars, was now concealed by black silk, and his heavy footsteps crushed the carpet. As he approached the window and drew back the curtains, the estate, undoubtedly in an uproar, came into view. Denok, his eyes narrowly slit, gazed at the estate and the vivid blue sky above it.
“…What in the world does that mean? Explain it so I can understand.”
“She said she could suppress my magic.”
As Denok’s words ended, the playfulness instantly vanished from the man’s face.
“Is that true?”
Denok looked at the man, subtle wrinkles delicately etched beneath his long, slit eyes. Gerald Fitz. Though his somewhat frivolous personality and lack of manners were flaws, he was one of Denok’s few true confidants. After Denok’s parents sponsored him, a commoner, he sought to repay their kindness and became a knight of the Luciano household.
“Young Master!”
After Denok went missing in an accident, Gerald had searched for him day and night, turning the empire upside down.
“Perhaps.”
Even now, as Denok’s words concluded, Gerald’s face was filled with a joyful smile.
“What! Then it was good news! But wait a minute.”
He had been bouncing on the spot, but then he suddenly stopped and tilted his head.
“You said the rumor was false. Then how are you marrying the Lady?”
His Young Master, or rather, his liege now, Gerald knew that Denok wasn’t the type of person who was very popular with women. First, his inability to temper his fierce demeanor was a problem, but his hair, which completely obscured his handsome face, and his expression, utterly devoid of a smile, were particular issues.
As Gerald gave him a skeptical look, a prominent vein bulged on Denok’s forehead.
“Hmph… She proposed a contract marriage. Stop your useless thoughts.”
“Contract marriage?”
“Yes. She said we should temporarily obscure his gaze, as we don’t know what other tricks Duke Sertia might pull.”
Gerald’s mouth hung open as he listened to the ensuing explanation, then his face flushed crimson, and finally, he clutched his head.
“Wow, she’s no ordinary lady.”
He quickly needed to go prepare for the wedding…!
Gerald had just turned to relay the news to the butler when Denok’s low voice stopped his hand on the doorknob.
“By the way, Gerald, what about the task I gave you?”
He slowly turned to face Denok, then shrugged.
“It was a bust again, I guess.”
He ambled over to Denok and pulled out a worn piece of paper from his pocket.
“Who would even recognize such a crude drawing in the first place?”
Gerald lightly shook the paper and placed it on the desk. It was so creased and unfolded that its folds were tattered. Denok picked up the paper with a somber expression. On the worn paper, the faint outline of a necklace was drawn. A thin chain and an abstractly patterned ornament hanging in the center.
“Your Highness… Isn’t it time to stop looking?”
At that moment, Gerald cautiously spoke.
“We’ve searched countless times since that day, but no one recognizes it.”
“…”
“Perhaps Your Highness remembers it incorrectly? Why don’t you put your mind at ease…”
But Gerald quickly raised his hands before he could finish his sentence.
Thwack!
A metal ornament, seemingly flung from nowhere, struck his palm with a heavy thud. Such force was behind it that Gerald’s hand trembled.
“That’s enough.”
“…”
“Gerald. That’s enough impertinent talk.”
The air in the room grew chillingly still, reflecting the master’s displeasure.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Gerald respectfully bowed his head, the oppressive aura finally receded. Denok listened to the footsteps receding from the room, then looked down at the paper alone.
‘It definitely existed. There, on that day.’
That place, where everything burned red.
And the necklace, faintly swaying before his eyes.
‘I must…’
Denok gritted his teeth, clutching the paper.
‘I will find it, no matter what.’
