Chapter 45
Though the outside world was in an uproar after the banquet, the Grand Duke’s estate remained calm and undisturbed.
“Madam.”
“…Again today?”
“Yes. His Grace sent them.”
Kyrie sighed as she looked at the flowers the servant had brought in, then turned her gaze to the card tucked among the blooms.
“……”
Silently, she turned toward the greenhouse. She needed to refill the pouch of Nellion wildflowers in her pocket.
‘Looks like I’ll run out soon.’
Considering how many times they had lain together, it was something of a miracle that she still had any flowers left.
‘Should I be… grateful to Lexion for that?’
Thanks to the scandal at last week’s banquet, the Grand Duke had been less able to share her bed as frequently as before. That, above all, had preserved her supply.
After the Crown Prince’s wedding announcement fell through, the backlash within the palace had inevitably reached the Grand Duke as well.
Though the Emperor had not said much, the real problem lay with the Empress.
‘How could something like this happen at a banquet I was hosting!’
Deeply wounded by the events, the Empress became adamant in her opposition to Lexion’s marriage. She even pressured him to break off the engagement he had already announced on his own.
Johansson began writing to Kyrie with renewed fervour.
‘It’s obvious what those letters are about. He’s probably just telling me to disappear.’
Kyrie didn’t bother to read them and threw them out unread. But she did meticulously go through the gossip columns he included, articles that he likely intended for her to read and reflect upon.
[What will become of His Highness the Crown Prince’s marriage?!]
The beautiful love between His Highness the Crown Prince and Lady Ehrenberg seems to be foundering, all because of the Empire’s Mad Dog…
Because the Mad Dog smeared the name of Ehrenberg, Her Majesty the Empress is said to have grown displeased…
Convincing Her Majesty will be the next obstacle this lovely couple must overcome…
Our reporters will continue their investigative efforts with a sense of duty, and faithfully deliver the public’s demand that the Mad Dog be held accountable.
Kyrie curled her lips as she recalled the public sentiment condemning her.
Summing up the buzz from the endless gossip sheets, it seemed the Empress couldn’t even bring herself to confront the Emperor over the situation.
‘Though come to think of it, His Majesty seems to be in quite a good mood these days.’
That offhand remark from the Grand Duke came to mind. When she asked why, his reply had been:
‘Because all of this is dragging down my reputation as well.’
‘……’
‘My uncle is delighted when my popularity takes a hit. Whether his son gets married or not.’
Unable to lash out at the Emperor, the Empress had turned her frustrations on her son, Lexion.
And where had all of that pressure from Lexion gone?
The answer was clear.
‘No way he would vent it on the precious Elise.’
So, in the end, Lexion began summoning the Grand Duke more frequently than ever before. Unannounced overnight absences became a common occurrence.
“Not surprising.”
Still, in the early days of those absences, Kyrie had, out of habit, continued to slip into the Grand Duke’s chambers.
It wasn’t that she missed him or had waited up for him. But every time he returned to the manor, he would inevitably come to her in the end, find her, and pull her into his bed.
She had gone there assuming he’d seek her out, as usual. But that night, he never returned.
Kyrie ended up falling asleep waiting, more than once.
And in the morning, waking in his bed, alone, with only the lingering scent of him on the sheets, she couldn’t quite put a name to the strange feelings that stirred inside her.
‘Surely… I’m not feeling lonely?’
The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. After all, theirs was a relationship of mutual exchange, nothing more.
The outings where he took her by the hand and walked the capital, the way he led her out of the banquet that day, those were all just extensions of their contract.
‘No point in waiting for someone who doesn’t come.’
That’s what she told herself.
And yet, every night, her feet carried her to his room of their own accord.
Later on, she told herself it was simply because the Grand Duke’s bed was larger and more comfortable. Sleeping alone in it wasn’t unpleasant at all.
There was a night when the Grand Duke returned just before dawn, and saw her there.
‘……’
Kyrie, deep in sleep, was jolted awake by the sharp, almost menacing gaze that cut through the room.
He stood nearby, staring at her lying in his bed.
Moonlight poured in, cascading over his chiseled jawline like silver. Kyrie, at a loss for words, stared up at him blankly.
Then she realised she had pulled his blanket over herself and was curled up with it.
A wave of awkwardness crashed down.
‘How much must he be laughing inside?’
A man who constantly teased and tormented her had now found her, alone in his bed, clinging to his sheets.
A flush crept into Kyrie’s cheeks.
‘He’ll probably offer advice about how to sleep alone, the way he used to mock Lexion.’
Or he might jeer, asking if she’d snuck into his bed the way she had with Lexion’s.
But contrary to all her expectations, the Grand Duke simply stood there in silence, gazing at her.
The stillness stretched long. So long, in fact, that the quiet began to feel suffocating.
Kyrie, who had steeled herself for a sarcastic remark and prepared a sharp retort, found the silence strangely unnerving.
When the Grand Duke finally moved and the deep aroma of wine rose from the collar of his tightly buttoned uniform, she realised he must have met with Lexion and shared more than a few drinks.
Still, there was not a trace of intoxication on his face. He looked, as always, composed and unreadable.
Then he finally opened his mouth.
“You waited for me, didn’t you?”
“……”
“My wife.”
His voice was eerily calm and smooth, almost too much so.
She wanted to snap back. Of course she had waited. Wasn’t it obvious?
He was the one who had started this, visiting her constantly, coming to her every night. Her being in his bed was no accident.
This habit was of his making. He had no right to blame her for it.
And yet, Kyrie’s lips only twitched faintly. She couldn’t speak.
The moment she opened her mouth, it felt like something fragile might break, the still air, the peculiar tension, the tenuous balance holding her still.
Suddenly, she became acutely aware of the state she was in. She was wearing a sheer negligee that left her figure fully visible.
Creak.
The Grand Duke, still in uniform, climbed onto the bed.
The bed, crafted from sturdy fine wood, had become somewhat looser from frequent use and let out a soft groan under his weight.
As he reached for her, the scent of wine on him grew stronger.
‘So, as usual…’
She assumed they would be sharing a night together again.
But instead, he wrapped her in his arms and collapsed beside her, closing his eyes.
His solid arms encircled her shoulders and arms. Her back was pressed against the full breadth of his chest.
‘……’
Though she had felt his back before, the sensation of his steady, rhythmic breathing brushing against her shoulder blades was… oddly ticklish.
“Your Grace.”
“……”
Still, he didn’t answer.
She couldn’t believe it.
Kyrie opened and closed her mouth several times, struggling with words she loathed to speak. In the end, she forced them out.
“…Dominique?”
But only the sound of steady breathing returned, along with an even deeper embrace.
Hup. Kyrie sucked in a breath. The man nuzzled against her neck and temple, sighing softly.
The breath he exhaled, tinged with alcohol, made her head spin.
She felt as though she had fallen into a trap.
Still tense, Kyrie lay in his arms until eventually she drifted off, as if fainting.
And, to her own surprise, she slept deeply and soundly.
When she awoke the next morning, the space beside her was empty.
‘Of course.’
She didn’t even know why, but the sight brought her relief.
But the unexpected continued.
“Madam, His Grace will be late tonight.”
“…Did he send word?”
“Yes, and he sent something else along with it.”
“Something else…? Oh.”
That afternoon, a massive bouquet arrived, accompanied by a message.
‘Seriously.’
There was no reason at all for him to send her flowers.
‘Is he just trying to feed the gossip mill?’
And yet, again today, another bouquet was delivered.
Every time the florist’s staff came by, they couldn’t hide their excitement as they sneaked glances at Kyrie.
There was no need to ask. She knew those rumors would follow them into the streets and grow louder by the hour.
Still, the flowers were beautiful.
And that beauty made Kyrie’s heart stir in strange, uneasy ways.
‘They’ll just ruin my reputation anyway.’
When she stared at the bouquet with that thought in mind, every petal seemed to resemble a fresh rumor.
This bloom, said to have made the Grand Duke lose his mind. That one, claimed she had sabotaged the Crown Prince’s engagement to enjoy a carefree honeymoon. Another, surely some new scandal waiting to bloom.
Among those flowers, always, was a brief note from the Grand Duke.
The message was invariably curt.
[Will be late. Don’t wait, sleep first.
P.S. It’s fine to sleep in my bed, even if you’re not the Grand Duchess.]
Reading those messages, she could practically see his smug, sarcastic grin tucked into the margins.
‘He must be thrilled to have something to tease me about.’
And yet, she would stare at those dry little notes longer than she cared to admit.
Today’s note had said the same, he was busy.
Even this, Kyrie realised, came with some benefits for her.
‘It might be an opportunity.’
