SEM 07

 #007:

Grady, who had momentarily lost his composure at Eliana’s provocative actions, looked her up and down from head to toe.

The tight-fitting dress, reaching up to her neck, was a vivid red. It was an endlessly excellent choice for capturing the attention of others. But Grady knew the truth hidden beneath that dress.

He reached out and brushed her hair. The blonde strands that slipped through his fingers were dry and coarse. A smooth smile crept onto Grady’s lips.

Coming back to his senses from the illusion crafted by a temptress, he returned to reality.

His fingers traced from her hair down her slender nape to the deep curve of her back. His calloused fingers pressed firmly against the hollow of her spine.

“Ugh!”

Her tightly shut lips opened in an instant, letting out a gasp.

“As expected.”

Seeing Eliana’s face go pale in a flash, Grady smiled leisurely.

“Your body still seems stuck on the morning after that night. Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be doing business again?”

Grady’s voice was loud enough for people nearby to hear. A young noblewoman who had secretly harbored feelings for him fainted on the spot, clutching her forehead.

Grady barely spared a glance at the unconscious girl before turning a smirking smile toward Eliana, who was glaring at him.

He traced her tightly bitten lips with his thumb and then turned away. By now, a crowd had gathered around the two of them.

But Eliana had no awareness of her surroundings. The only thing she could focus on was staying upright on her feet.

In contrast, Grady remained composed.

“You should take a short break.”

Grady grabbed Eliana’s hand—dropped during the earlier struggle—and began walking. Eliana, a step behind, stared blankly at his broad back. Her pale hand, gripped in his large one, felt foreign to her. For a brief moment, she didn’t hear the malicious whispers or feel the hostile stares of the crowd.

“Hurry up. If we’re late, we might not get a seat.”

Still walking ahead, Grady turned back and pulled her hand forward.

“Ah!”

In an instant, Eliana found herself standing beside Grady. He tousled her hair, and a clear, refreshing laugh scattered above her head with the hot rays of sunlight.

‘What a strange man.’

For someone she had only met three times, her thoughts felt a little too contrived. But before she could linger on that thought, Grady led her to the most famous restaurant in the capital.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

“I didn’t make a reservation in advance—will that be a problem?”

The manager, who had run out to greet the Grand Duke of Cryber, beamed widely.

“For Your Grace, a table is always ready. This way, please.”

They were led to an exclusive area reserved for only a handful of nobles. It was also a place where they could enjoy their time in complete privacy.

“I’d like to dine by the window.”

“Pardon?”

“Could you move the table there?”

“Of course.”

Though slightly flustered, the manager quickly called someone to relocate the table beside the window.

Even without moving the table, the spot already provided a grand view of the bustling street below. But no one could stop Grady from turning himself into the spectacle.

If Dante were here, things might have gone differently—but he was busy back at the estate catching up on work and remained unaware of Grady’s eccentric behavior.

“Have a seat.”

Grady pulled out a chair for Eliana and then sat beside her. The manager, sweating nervously at the unfamiliar sight of this side of Grady, tried to remain calm.

“I’ll have my usual. And for my lover, a nutritious soup. We don’t want to be disturbed, so dismiss the staff.”

“…Understood.”

Bowing deeply at the perplexing order, the manager left. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s lower level had already become crowded with people reacting to the arrival of Grady and Eliana at the window.

But they didn’t want to be disturbed?

Puzzled by his contradictory behavior, Eliana opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. Having not eaten properly in days, even just sitting was exhausting.

“Who told you I’d be visiting today?”

His tone had shifted completely from the boisterousness on the street. Cold and sharp, his voice strangely calmed Eliana’s nerves.

She looked at him. Even sitting down, he was so large that she had to look up. Sitting close together, their arms brushed whenever one of them moved.

Eliana turned her head toward the window instead of answering right away. From the terrace across the street, nobles sipping tea were gasping and gesturing toward them.

By tomorrow—no, by tonight—the capital would be buzzing with rumors about the two of them.

Already, the newspapers were filled with daily gossip about Grady and Eliana crashing the marquis’ funeral.

“I wonder.”

Eliana trailed off.

From the moment she heard he had arrived at the estate, she knew—Grady Cryber was her only lifeline out of this situation.

But she had no intention of telling him that.

It might have started as a coincidence, but the funeral definitely wasn’t. Grady Cryber had approached her with a purpose. That much was certain. Which meant she couldn’t reveal her own cards first.

“Don’t play games. I’m not like the fools blinded by your skirts.”

Grady sneered at her. The wrinkle between his brows refused to ease, as if he was thoroughly displeased with the current situation.

“We didn’t get to talk much at the funeral. I figured you’d come find me again soon.”

“Impressive insight.”

Grady sighed in boredom. He unbuttoned his constricting shirt and massaged the back of his stiff neck, acting as comfortably as if he were at home.

“Now it’s the Grand Duke’s turn.”

As Grady turned his languid body toward her, Eliana tensed up. Unlike his relaxed posture, she sat stiff and guarded.

“…Why did you come looking for me again?”

Warm sunlight streamed in through the large window. Crowds of nobles were gathering outside the restaurant, as if the entire capital had turned out.

Despite the single pane of glass separating them from the crowd, the air on either side felt entirely different. Grady lowered his gaze. A heavy sigh fell from his lips, and silence filled the room.

“Tell me what you want.”

The blunt, hard words struck like shattering the ice of a frozen lake. Sharp, yet to Eliana, they sounded like salvation.

Grady Cryber was known to love Empress Rosella.

Every citizen of the empire knew it—none doubted it.

Despite the scorn and contempt from his half-brother, Grady could never leave the capital.

The only reason: his love for the Empress, his sister-in-law.

A ghost roaming the Imperial Palace out of unrequited love.

So when the Emperor announced his intention to take a concubine, there was no way Grady would stay quiet.

It wasn’t that the Emperor had never had lovers before. But none had been given a palace within the imperial grounds—none had been so openly favored.

Yet now, Emperor Mateo was going to great lengths to bring Eliana into the palace.

Grady had approached her for the sake of the Empress. That much was obvious.

“It’s not about what I want. You should be the one to speak your desires. You’re the one paying the price, aren’t you?”

“Ha!”

Grady let out a hollow laugh and ran a rough hand through his hair. He clearly didn’t like where this was going.

Eliana silently watched him slump forward, arms on the table, shoulders shaking.

“…So I’m the one paying the price, huh. You think you already know what I’m going to ask for?”

When he looked up, his expression was strangely hollow. Not the face of a man protecting the woman he loved—but one of someone ready to give everything up. Eliana deliberately looked away.

“You don’t want her heart to be hurt, do you?”

She knew all too well the romanticized stories the tabloids told about the Grand Duke’s tragic devotion. She’d often envied Empress Rosella while reading them in the midst of her own miserable life.

In truth, every woman in the empire envied Rosella.

She had married the Emperor after a passionate love affair and was followed around constantly by her devoted brother-in-law, a war hero who had saved the empire.

Even the spectacle of him turning into a reckless fool because of unrequited love was a topic of fascination for everyone.

And now, Eliana had decided to stake her future on that love.

After all, a man who loved another woman would never fall in love with her—making him the safest choice of all.

As Eliana finished her mental calculations, Grady picked up a glass of ice water.

“So, how much do I have to pay to marry you?”

Eliana swallowed hard. Until her dry, bitten lips began to sting, she couldn’t even breathe—captivated by his gaze.

“…The complete death of Eliana Hoffman.”