Chapter 9….
Since the first night, the Grand Duke had gone out riding every morning after breakfast, only returning late at night.
Without missing a single day.
And this was already the third day.
“…Sigh.”
I stared out at the dark window once again, shaking my head as I watched the Grand Duke return, looking despondent.
‘Since that day, I haven’t even exchanged a word with him.’
I thought I’d become the mistress of the Grand Duke’s house—or rather, the Grand Duchess—but it turned out to be a somewhat awkward and strange position.
I thought everything would go smoothly if I became Roselia. I never expected to face such difficulties.
‘He chased after Roselia all the way to the ends of the earth, and the moment he saw her, he demanded a divorce? If that’s the case, why did he even look for her? Has his pride really made him lose his mind?’
He’s really a strange person. Absolutely strange.
Honestly, maybe it’s because I’ve met all sorts of people so far. It’s ridiculous, but I’ve come to think, “Well, whatever.”
“…Haa.”
But the problem is that the Grand Duke has my fox orb.
‘I didn’t expect this to happen without the fox orb.’
Every time I married, I would hand over the fox orb to a trustworthy man. Of course, most of them would die before the hundredth night, cheat on me, or have my identity discovered.
But I always gave the orb to someone reliable. This was the first time I’d been left without any vital energy, having lost the orb to someone else.
I didn’t know.
Without the fox orb, the magic I had once used didn’t show any sign of returning.
‘At this rate, I might not even be able to turn back into a human.’
Even now, my magic to maintain my human form was being consumed.
To insert or remove the fox orb, it had to pass through my lips.
It would have been easy—just one kiss, and it would be solved.
But could I kiss a man who immediately demanded a divorce upon seeing me?
‘To get it back, I’d have to use seductive magic…’
But I had already used all my seductive magic.
‘And to recharge my seductive magic, I’d need the fox orb…’
To get the fox orb back, I’d need seductive magic…
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t escape this miserable cycle.
It was a deadlock in every way.
I sat thinking for a while, then got up.
It was already ruined. From the start, capturing the heart of someone who built a wall against me was difficult.
‘I’ll just have to confront him head-on.’
Though it was late at night, I decided to go to the Grand Duke and settle this once and for all.
I put on my coat and walked quickly toward the Grand Duke’s castle.
“Your Grace, what brings you here?”
It wasn’t the Grand Duke who greeted me, but Elaine, the head steward.
Honestly, I think I’ve seen this person more than the Grand Duke himself.
“I need to see the Grand Duke for a moment.”
“…At this hour?”
Elaine carefully glanced at me, wary.
“…It might be better if you came back in the morning.”
“It’s urgent.”
At my firm tone, Elaine silently stepped aside.
The man guarding the Grand Duke’s door hesitated upon seeing me, with the same expression as Elaine.
He knocked on the door and spoke, his voice trembling, “Your Highness… The Grand Duchess has arrived.”
There was a brief silence inside, then the Grand Duke, in a calm voice, said, “Enter.”
Inside, a late meal was set on the table.
“Are you having dinner now?”
“…”
“You returned late. Were you busy again today?”
I said it just to start a conversation.
“Interfering in my affairs is probably also forbidden in that contract.”
The Grand Duke sounded like he was scolding me.
“And at this late hour, what brings you here?”
“You said I could ask for anything I wanted. It’s a little late, but it’s urgent.”
“What conditions?”
“Looking at the contract you gave me yesterday, it seems you don’t want us to appear as a hostile couple.”
“…Yes.”
“To look better, we should get a bit closer naturally…”
“Let’s just get to the point.”
The Grand Duke, seemingly uninterested, took a sip from the glass in front of him.
I might as well just demand directly.
“Then let’s at least try a kiss.”
At my words, the Grand Duke froze. He didn’t even seem aware the water was still flowing.
His expression was utterly rotten as he looked at me.
“What did you just say?”
Was I too direct?
No, he told me to just get to the point.
I had no intention of forcing a kiss on someone who clearly didn’t want it. But the situation was urgent.
The fox orb was inside him. I had to become human within a year. To reach a hundred nights within a year, I’d have to seize the orb from him and quickly move on to another man.
With three months already required for nights, I basically had nine months left.
I explained the valid reason I had thought of.
“To appear as a proper couple publicly, I think we need to handle some light physical contact naturally.”
“…”
“If we appear awkward, people will notice, and rumors of marital strife will spread. We need to practice beforehand.”
Even in romance novels, contract marriages use this as an excuse for light physical contact, which eventually leads to intimacy.
The Grand Duke, seemingly unable to argue, asked me something else instead.
“Is it necessary to appear close? We’re getting a divorce anyway.”
Heh. The cunning fox had anticipated this.
“If we divorce, we’ll remarry. It’s better for us to appear decent. Otherwise, people might think I got divorced because I was troublesome.”
“…”
“In these situations, as a woman from a fallen family, I’m more susceptible to rumors than a high-ranking Grand Duke like you.”
That was true.
Even when making the same mistakes, the blame often falls on the weaker or more obvious target.
“Of course, that’s not always the case, but I don’t want pity or to be treated as a problem person.”
“So, you’re worried about remarriage.”
I turned slightly at the sneering tone in his voice.
“How strange. Wouldn’t being more… innocent help with remarriage?”
“I think being skilled is better.”
I had made the bold statement, but his ears seemed to redden.
“…Miss, you don’t want to remarry anyone?”
“No, I don’t.”
A moment of silence passed before he slowly spoke again.
“…I understand your intentions. In that case, I can see why.”
Does he really understand?
His face looked as cold as ice in early summer frost.
“As you said, the minimum duties between a couple should be observed.”
So, he’s okay with some physical contact?
‘Who could do that with such a harsh expression…’
But I didn’t miss the chance to recover the fox orb.
“Then a kiss should be fine?”
He frowned.
“Let’s at least have dinner together twice a week.”
Ah. Minimum duties… just dining together.
I guess my urgency was showing. I couldn’t help revealing my thoughts.
“It’s fine to have light physical contact…”
“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that. Now, please leave.”
Isn’t this guy insane? What’s so hard about one kiss?
I wanted to just close my eyes and press my lips to his, but if I did, he’d probably forbid anyone from coming near within a kilometer.
Still, I couldn’t leave empty-handed.
Losing the fox orb—even unintentionally—was a first. I needed to confirm my hypothesis.
“…Actually, I have another request.”
I ignored the Grand Duke’s order and stepped closer.
“If you’re talking about the kiss…”
“You said to pretend you didn’t hear that.”
I cut him off immediately.
“That earlier talk was a joke. Just a joke.”
Judging by his expression, I could tell what he was thinking without words.
He must be thinking, Why such a vulgar joke?
Too bad. If you’re not the man who will make me human, at least hand over the orb.
“Even if we’re not close, I hope we can get along reasonably.”
I placed my hand on the back of his hand, as if coaxing a child.
“If Your Highness ignores me, the servants ignore me too.”
From his hand, I felt a strange energy flow into my palm.
‘As expected.’
Being in contact with the man who held the fox orb restored my magic.
After Roselia left, Epheire stood in front of the bookshelf along one wall.
He pulled a book from the far end, pressed a button, and the bookshelf moved automatically, revealing a hidden space inside.
At the center was a desk, surrounded by walls of countless documents.
“…Pelua… Pelua…”
He retrieved the files he had investigated weeks ago.
Holding documents he thought he’d never need again, he frowned as he flipped through them.
‘Lucas, a commoner. He must be the lover.’
He couldn’t have investigated incorrectly. He had confirmed everything before arranging the marriage with the Pelua family.
Since Roselia had a lover, he thought she would be grateful if the divorce happened a year later—but she didn’t show the slightest sign of gratitude.
‘Could it be… she’s already been compromised?’
The likelihood was high.
‘Is my brother using the Grand Duchess’s lover as leverage to get information from me?’
Since arranging the marriage, his brother’s associates would have investigated.
But Epheire shook his head and pressed his hand to his forehead.
‘Ha… there’s no time for that.’
From the moment of arranging the marriage, he had sent guards to lead her to the Grand Duke’s house.
Worried that some of the guards might side with Herion, they watched each other, and no suspicious actions occurred.
‘She was away briefly a few days ago… Did the contact happen then?’
Epheire traced a sentence in the document and exhaled deeply.
She was supposed to be timid, passive, polite, and very quiet.
Yet the Roselia he faced seemed very different from what he had imagined.
-
“Then let’s at least try a kiss.”
Too bold for someone so proper.
-
“You said to pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Quite shameless as well.
‘Is this just her natural personality, unknown to others?’
Thinking of Roselia boldly demanding physical contact gave him goosebumps.
‘If that’s the case… she’s a little crazy.’
Actually, she seemed very much so.
‘Did we choose the wrong marriage candidate…?’
Better to assume she was conspiring with my brother than trying to kiss another man—though not just any man.
His thoughts became tangled, and his head throbbed.
At such times, he kept thinking of one face.
“…Siena. I want to see you.”
He called the name of the one who filled his heart, touching his lips that he had bitten hard.
