The Grand Duke had gone out on an expedition, and I hurried to prepare for my outing.
Julia, the maid assigned to me, helped with my attire.
“Is this kind of dress in fashion in the capital?”
She watched with fascination as I pulled clothes one after another from my magic bag.
“Well, partly. But mostly it’s just my taste.”
“I think you have an excellent sense of aesthetics, my lady. Even a simple dress looks dazzling when you wear it.”
“Well, of course. I was born having inherited only the best genes from my parents.”
In fact, even in the original novel, Lizebrion had been a fairly popular character among readers. She was what you might call a villainess, but one described so meticulously by the author that she was strikingly beautiful.
“She’s wicked, but she’s so pretty I’ll forgive her!”
There had been quite a number of Lizebrion fans who cried that line.
She’d been treated almost like a secondary protagonist, with buffs of her own. Plus, the backing of the Marchioness of Metheisa’s wealth.
For the record, I am not the type to refuse a compliment.
Julia gave a soft smile at my brazen answer and continued to help me dress. After just a few days of waiting on me, she already seemed comfortable in my presence.
“Tomorrow, His Grace won’t be going out on an expedition.”
“Really? Then I’ll get to spend the whole day with him.”
“You’re that happy about it?”
“Of course. Do you think the Grand Duke is just handsome? He’s unbelievably handsome.”
As I’ve said again and again, true handsomeness is something you need to see often, up close, to fully appreciate.
Julia listened, her face suddenly serious, and nodded.
“Yes. His Grace is indeed handsome.”
“See? Even in the capital, a face like his is rare.”
“But to us… rather than handsome, he’s a little… frightening. There wasn’t anyone bold enough to openly stare at his face.”
“I don’t understand. A face like that needs to be looked at steadily, for the sake of one’s eye health.”
“Hehe. That’s why we all find you fascinating, my lady. You seem rather remarkable.”
Julia pinned my hair and brushed it carefully.
At first, I had found it strange that the servants of the Grand Duke’s castle called me young lady.
I had been addressed as My Lady Marchioness or even Head of House since I was very young. So being treated as an innocent young lady here felt awkward… yet oddly endearing.
But people adapt quickly. Now, I was starting to like the title.
“If you could live alone in that mountain range, then you must be very strong as well, my lady.”
“Are you curious about my true identity too? Sir Nox still looks at me with suspicion.”
“I am curious. But I don’t think you’re a bad person. And besides, for maids like me, curiosity about our master can sometimes become poison. So we know better than to pry.”
Julia was truly someone who knew her boundaries. She never tried to cross them, and she fulfilled her duties as a maid with precision.
Honestly, she was so competent I wanted to scout her into the Marchioness’s household. My estimation of her rose.
“Thanks to you, my lady, the Grand Duke’s castle has become much brighter. Many good things have happened since you came.”
She placed a hand mirror in mine.
“And above all, His Grace only shows that gentler side of himself when he’s with you.”
“Does he?”
“Yes. Others gossip that the two of you are lovers, but… you’re not actually at that stage yet, are you?”
Since Julia had been the one attending me, she’d seen and heard the most from up close.
At the word lover, my face grew hot, and I fanned myself.
Of course, being mistaken as the lover of a handsome man was ‘Oh yes!’ material, but I couldn’t show my delight too openly.
Embarrassed, I twisted my body and gave Julia’s shoulder a light push.
– She’s happy about it.
– Just let her be.
The sylphids’ exasperation brushed against me, but I ignored them.
“A lover? Hardly.”
“Your face is as red as a tomato, my lady.”
“That’s only because you said something ridiculous! Quickly, call for the carriage and get yourself ready as well.”
“Pfft. Yes, my lady.”
Of course, my heart did flutter when I saw the Grand Duke’s handsome face. But between us… there was nothing like that. Was there?
After all, from the very beginning, he had already seen through who I was.
‘Your Grace, my legs ache. May I ride this horse?’
‘Do you know how to ride?’
‘Of course. Will you ride with me? Oh! Or is my dirtied gown too displeasing?’
‘I’ll hold the reins. You ride and go slowly.’
How could such words be mere courtesy to someone whose identity was unknown?
‘Your Grace, may I stay in your castle for about a month?’
‘…Is this a runaway?’
The sylphids had definitely delivered that letter intact. The Grand Duke had hesitated, then asked carefully.
Even now, I couldn’t forget the incredulity in his eyes as he asked. Was the letter really so shocking?
I’d put a lot of effort into writing it. I puffed out my cheeks in secret.
‘No, I received my younger brother’s permission.’
‘That couldn’t have been easy.’
‘That’s why I staged a protest.’
Yes. From the very start, the Grand Duke had recognized me. Otherwise, how could he have said that it must not have been easy, with that nuance pointing toward my brother Theo?
His eyes had given it away. It wasn’t the “runaway” that caught his attention, but the fact that I was Metheisa’s Marchioness, leader of the rebellion.
And yet, he hadn’t announced it. He’d respected the fact that I wanted to keep my identity concealed.
Truthfully, asking to stay so suddenly and without cause was incredibly rude.
I had felt close to him thanks to the sylphids’ reports and glimpses of his true self. But to him, I was a stranger.
Even so, he had treated me kindly. I had simply thought he was a gentler man than he appeared to be.
The reason was simple. People who seemed gentle—like me—were often capable of ruthless acts as well.
“But calling us lovers just because he’s kind to me…!”
At this rate, wouldn’t my perfect plan, even a proposal, succeed in one stroke?
Something about this rosy current of air made me squirm.
– ‘Lize! Your ears are turning red!’
– ‘Do you have a fever?’
– ‘No, maybe she’s just hot! Let’s blow some air!’
Those sylphids…! Their lack of tact was unbearable.
ִֶָ___________𓂃 ࣪˖ ִִֶֶָﾒ ་༘࿐__________
“Your Grace. I believe we can suspend expeditions until winter. Not a single creature has been sighted today.”
“Have the knights train in the practice grounds to prepare for winter. Tell Kishiev to arrange a schedule and report back to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then I’ll head down first. Make sure everything is in order before you follow.”
“You’re leaving first, sir?”
Lucas nodded in answer.
Nox looked puzzled, then suddenly realization dawned, and he muttered under his breath.
“Is His Grace unwell…?”
Ignoring Nox’s murmur, Lucas descended the mountain ahead of his knights.
“Has he gone mad?”
Perhaps Nox was right. Was he ill? Or truly losing his mind?
Lucas let out a rare sigh.
Though he had come to lead a subjugation, his thoughts kept straying elsewhere. And ever since that woman had arrived. Was this a serious condition?
He recalled their first meeting.
‘Your Grace, my legs ache. May I ride this horse?’
She had shown no fear of him, which was strange enough. And more baffling was the way, despite hardly knowing him, she sometimes looked at him with fleeting familiarity, almost… longing.
She hadn’t come by ordinary means. Since there had been no word sent ahead to the castle, she must have deliberately crossed the northern range.
The green slime mixed with blood told him she had fought slimes and troll hordes.
Monster subjugations were nothing like ordinary battles, yet she had survived. That alone proved she was indeed Metheisa’s bloodline.
‘Your Grace, may I stay in your castle for about a month?’
He had barely managed to speak, so stunned by her brazenness. If it really was a runaway, he’d intended to contact the Emperor at once to have her taken away.
‘…Is this a runaway?’
‘No. I received my brother’s permission.’
‘That couldn’t have been easy.’
‘That’s why I staged a protest.’
She was so bold, even seeming proud of her so-called protest.
He had made it clear he’d read her letter, yet she offered no explanation for its contents. Instead, he had been the one left anxious.
‘Then that’s a relief. At least your brother won’t storm the North to retrieve you.’
‘Yes. So, Your Grace, what is your answer?’
Lucas couldn’t explain why he had permitted her to stay.
The moment their eyes met—eyes waiting only for his permission—his lips had parted on their own.
At times, she even gave him sly, mischievous looks. Yet it didn’t feel unpleasant, so he let her be.
‘I’ll allow it.’
‘Thank you, Your Grace!’
She had smiled in satisfaction.
From the moment they met, Lucas had known her identity.
Silver-gray hair. Ruby-like crimson eyes.
Red eyes weren’t exclusive to the Metheisa line, but the aura flowing from her had not been magical, but that of spirits. From then, his suspicions hardened into certainty.
Now it had been nearly five days since she’d come to stay.
And in those days, she had been… unique.
She caused trouble often, yet Garnet insisted that her mischief had breathed life into the castle. The maids adored her, calling her their idol and squealing over how wonderful she was.
She stirred the castle but never in a way that truly troubled him.
When he left for expeditions, she’d send him off coolly with “Come back safely”—though sometimes with fussing, telling him to be careful. For the northern Grand Duke, hearing “be careful” for the first time had made his chest strangely ticklish.
When he worked, she would sit nearby nibbling cake or dozing. Sometimes she peeked at him, but never enough to be bothersome.
At first, when he’d heard that the Marchioness of Metheisa had succeeded in rebellion, he had thought only that it saved him the trouble.
Until then, she had been of little interest to him. His attention in the capital had always been fixed on the late Emperor, who, greedy and fearful, constantly regarded the North’s strength with suspicion.
Was that cleverness, or stupidity begging for death?
The assassination attempts had piled up so often that Lucas had considered flattening the capital. And then, at just the right moment, Metheisa had killed the Emperor first.
Theo, the new Emperor, wasn’t particularly pleasing, but it made little difference who sat the throne.
What he appreciated was that unlike the old Emperor, Theo sent no assassins. Thanks to that, Lucas had been sleeping more peacefully.
As he organized his thoughts, Lucas noticed his pace quickening. He caught himself, startled.
And yet, thinking of Lize waiting to share dinner with him, he hastened his steps again.
‘If I keep her close a little longer, perhaps I’ll understand why I’m so lenient with her.’
