Episode 16
The Grand Duke finished his story. I clasped my hands together and held them to my cheeks.
Wow. How can our Grand Duke be this cool?
He didn’t go into every tiny detail, but based on what I heard, I could easily imagine how it all played out.
Anyway, since this proved my prediction was correct, I needed to show off a little. I pulled my shoulders back proudly and lifted my chin slightly.
“See? I was right, wasn’t I? You can trust me now, right?”
“Just once isn’t enough.”
“Huh?”
I had confidently puffed out my chest, but his reply caught me off guard. The Grand Duke simply shrugged and stated his thoughts clearly.
“Isn’t it only fair to trust something after it proves itself multiple times?”
“Well… I guess that’s true.”
So, one time isn’t enough? Fine, then.
I quickly recovered from my surprise and pointed my index finger at him.
“Alright then. Let’s go for one more.”
“Good.”
The Grand Duke nodded in approval.
The next person I talked about was a commoner named Jen.
He lived in the Mororo region and worked as a farmer on land just outside the village center. His family had lived there for generations, so the farmland was quite large. During busy farming seasons, the whole family worked hard, and thanks to that, they lived pretty comfortably for commoners.
But the local lord started coveting that rich land. So he came up with a scheme called the “Name Tag Law,” which required people to officially register their land and hang a name tag to prove ownership.
And if they didn’t? The land would automatically become the lord’s. Of course, there was a deadline. That way, if people missed it, their land could be taken.
It was basically a sneaky law used by corrupt officials in history to steal land from commoners.
For commoners, land passed down from their ancestors was naturally theirs. But suddenly, this weird new system with confusing rules was forced on them. It was like those tricky contracts filled with complicated legal words no one understands.
Even when I read about this in the original novel, I remember thinking, “Shameless people are the same everywhere.”
The Grand Duke looked frustrated after hearing my story.
“I’m not sure, but I think the deadline for the Name Tag Law is soon.”
“Then we need to hurry. Thank you, my lady.”
His eyes sparkled with urgency.
Mororo was far from the capital, Ferment. Riding there without rest would take half a day. He could use teleportation, but as far as I knew, the Grand Duke didn’t have a magician that powerful.
Because of his busy schedule, it seemed we had to part ways earlier than usual today. The Grand Duke had to go there himself if he wanted to properly deal with the nobles.
As I prepared to leave with Koa, the Grand Duke quietly stepped beside me.
“I’ll walk you to that road over there.”
“Oh my, how kind of you.”
Since he was going to be away for a few days, I had no reason to refuse. I needed to soak up as much of my favorite person’s presence as I could to survive this harsh world.
The three of us walked through the marketplace.
As I walked beside the Grand Duke, I felt like I was revisiting all the places we saw before. That’s when I spotted a shop I hadn’t noticed yesterday.
“Huh? What’s that?”
It was a shop I remembered from a book. Everything was painted pink, and the pink sign at the top read “Hari’s Desserts.”
It was one of the first gourmet books I had read from the Grand Duke’s shelf—my kind of book! The store looked exactly like the drawing in the book, so I recognized it instantly, even though there were no photos.
The Grand Duke followed my gaze and looked at the shop with me.
“You know that place?”
“Yes! I saw it in a book. It’s really popular for its amazing taste. I didn’t know it was here!”
I swallowed my saliva. I could clearly picture the desserts I’d seen in the magazine. Unfortunately, it was almost midnight, so the shop was closed tight.
“I’ll have to come during the day next time.”
I smiled at the Grand Duke, even though I was disappointed. Still, now that I knew where it was, I could come back any time.
I thought I wouldn’t see the Grand Duke for at least a week, but we met again in just two days. It would take a whole day just to go there and back, right? So how was he calling me so soon?
I followed Koa into the room and saw the Grand Duke. He looked a little tired.
“You’re back already?”
“Yes. I couldn’t afford to delay.”
He was clearly worn out, but he didn’t seem stressed. If anything, he looked satisfied.
“So, how did it go?”
“Just like you said. Jen and the other commoners had no idea about the registration. So, at dawn, I went around the village and told them about the Name Tag Law.”
Here’s what happened: Once the commoners found out, they rushed to the office, creating chaos and stopping all work. When the lord got the report and realized his plan had failed, he immediately canceled the law.
After everything was settled, the Grand Duke met with the lord and made him promise never to pull something like that again.
Hearing all this, I pointed out something that bothered me.
“But… will he really keep that promise?”
“If you hold a knife to someone’s throat, anyone would. I told him that if it happened again, next time the knife wouldn’t just scratch his neck—it would draw real blood.”
“Oh.”
Right… Raymond used to be a villain, huh? I totally forgot.
Hearing him say that so casually made a chill run down my spine—but it also felt strangely satisfying.
Even if he looks like a villain, he’s really a hero inside, isn’t he?
The Grand Duke reminded me of Robin Hood. It’s honestly unfair that someone like him is treated like a villain.
Anyway, maybe now he’d finally believe in my prophecy skills?
“Your Grace, do you believe me now?”
“Hm.”
But to my surprise, he didn’t answer right away. He rubbed his chin, then looked up like he had made up his mind.
“Can you show me just one more?”
He said it gently, as if asking for another piece of proof. But I could tell from his tone that he already trusted me.
“Sure! They say good things come in threes!”
He blinked a few times.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s just a saying.”
I laughed and brushed it off.
In the end, the Grand Duke asked me for five prophecies before he finally said, “That’s enough.”
It wasn’t because he didn’t trust me—he just wanted to help the people. Because I understood that, I never felt tired or annoyed. In fact, I enjoyed it. He really is the best villain the world has ever seen!
After I finished explaining the fifth prophecy, I was wondering what excuse I could use today to spend more time with him. But surprisingly, he was the one who spoke up first.
“My lady. Come with me somewhere.”
“Huh? Oh, sure!”
Of course I’d go if my favorite person asked!
Curious, I followed him without hesitation.
But to my surprise, he stopped in the middle of a street.
There were wooden tables and chairs set up in front of closed shops. From afar, they looked like a mini festival with all their bright colors. I opened my eyes wide and walked closer. On the tables were all the desserts I’d seen in the Hari’s Dessert magazine.
“No way!”
I was so shocked, my mouth dropped open. What was all this?!
“Since we always meet at night and can’t go to the dessert shop, I had someone buy them during the day and set them up.”
The Grand Duke explained shyly, staring straight ahead.
Oh my gosh. He’s so thoughtful…
Everyone, look at this! Look at what my favorite person did!
How could I possibly express this overflowing emotion?
A hug? A kiss? A full-on make-out?
Nope, none of those were allowed. So instead, I pressed my hands together tightly over my heart.
“Your Grace…”
“Ahem. It’s nothing. Just a thank-you for all your help. Please sit and eat.”
I sent him a look full of love and gratitude, and he quickly looked away. I saw the tips of his ears turn red like strawberries.
So this is a dessert table prepared by my favorite person? Of course I was going to eat it.
“Thank you for the food.”
“Enjoy.”
I sat down and eagerly started eating.
The desserts were just as pretty and tasty as they were in the magazine. Each one looked like a tiny accessory, and instead of being overly sweet, they had rich, deep flavors.
“This taste is amazing. No wonder it’s so popular.”
I kept complimenting them, focusing all my senses on the flavors.
But then I noticed the Grand Duke quietly watching me.
Oops. I’m eating everything by myself again. How rude!
Feeling guilty, I quickly picked up a piece and held it out to his lips.
“Huh?”
“Say ah.”
He looked surprised and hesitated, but then, like a well-behaved child, he opened his mouth without complaint.
Aww. Look at him eat so well.
And this was the perfect chance! I quickly pulled back the fork and popped it into my own mouth. Boom—indirect kiss!
I saw his eyes start shaking in real-time.
Oh no… was that too obvious? Maybe I should’ve stuck the dessert on another fork…
Too late. But I had no regrets. I could die happy now.
“These desserts are amazing. Thank you, Your Grace.”
When things get awkward, the best move is to change the mood!
I smiled brightly on purpose, and the Grand Duke’s shaky eyes calmed down. The confusion disappeared, and instead, his face turned a soft peachy pink like a blooming flower.
Looks like he completely forgot about the indirect kiss.
Mood switch: total success!
