Episode 15. Why Were You with the Grand Duke?
“Isn’t that woman the one who chased after Count Wence and ended up marrying him?”
People's gazes were quite unkind, perhaps because they were starting to recognize Rose.
“Did you really see everything?”
Duke Flice strode toward Rose with a sharp gaze. He looked as if he might grab Rose by the collar at any moment, so Rose swallowed hard before answering.
“Yes.”
He bit his lower lip at the unexpected presence of Rose. If he pushed a little harder, he could arrest the Grand Duke. For the murder of Marquis Blade. That would have brought forward the plans for the Grand Duke's execution.
"It's strange. Why are you, who should be at the banquet hall, with the Grand Duke? Leaving your husband behind in the middle of the night... with the Grand Duke. Even your dress is filthy, as if you've been rolling around on the floor."
"Is he trying to muddy the waters?" Duke Flice glared at Rose, his eyes squinting. Then he looked her up and down, sending her a displeased look.
“I was out with Count Wence and got lost in the garden.”
Rose answered calmly, unfazed. She didn't forget to mention Eric to emphasize that she hadn't been with the Grand Duke from the beginning.
“And this dress fell over because I was startled by the monster that suddenly appeared.”
Duke Flice, who had been trying to kill the woman's spirit and get things done as he intended, wanted to immediately shut Rose's mouth, who was looking straight into his eyes and speaking clearly.
‘You’re such an ignorant woman who doesn’t even know which side your husband is on...!’
She should have just been sullen and sullen, but she kept spouting unnecessary things. Rose, who was known for being such a dull woman, didn't think she was intentionally taking the Grand Duke of Artaeum's side.
“I almost lost my life. But...”
Rose looked at the Grand Duke, her voice trailing off. She smiled faintly at him and spoke softly.
"Thanks to you, Grand Duke, I survived. If it weren't for him, I would have lost my life along with Marquis Blade."
“Then where did that strange monster go?”
Duke Flice fired back, trying to avoid giving Rose a chance, but she remained unfazed and continued speaking.
"I think it ran away while I was away to bring someone to treat Marquis Blade. It's quite a violent fellow... This is a big deal. What if it causes trouble elsewhere?"
Rose's expression was filled with fear, as if she had seen a monster. Then, she turned to Grand Duke Artaeum. Rose's large eyes blinked, staring at the Grand Duke. As if sending a signal. Grand Duke Artaeum, who had been watching Rose, who was embracing herself with interest, noticed her signal. Then, with a smile on his face, he opened his mouth.
"Don't worry about that. It was on the verge of death, so even if it ran away, it would be found dead."
The monster's breath was cut off by the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
'That monster that was already dead is gone...'
The Grand Duke stared blankly at Duke Flice. In the current situation, he was the only one who could have possibly removed the corpse. As the Grand Duke had predicted, it was Duke Flice who had removed the monster's corpse. More precisely, one of his subordinates. He had removed the dead monster and taken Marquis Blade into the mansion. Then he shouted to the crowd that Marquis Blade had been "murdered."
'Damn you! Is this how you handle things?'
Duke Flice had already assigned six of his knights to the Grand Duke of Artaeum to orchestrate the incident. He had instructed them to kill any witnesses, lest they become a nuisance. Yet... The situation had reached this point, and the Duke's six knights were nowhere to be seen. Duke Flice gritted his teeth, threatening to punish them if they showed up.
'It was my fault for leaving everything to them.'
Believing it was the perfect plan, they acted too complacently. The people listening to their conversation began to stir. Since the witness had appeared, the Grand Duke of Artaeum was "innocent." Those who had been tearing at the Grand Duke as if they were going to devour him began to take notice as the situation began to turn around. They had followed Duke Flice, who had said they simply needed to stay by his side and give him air, but they began to think it was time to retreat. The Grand Duke of Artaeum, according to those who had offended him, hadn't been very good so far. One by one, those who had been watching the situation began to leave.
“That’s huge. I almost had a misunderstanding.”
“That’s right. There’s no way Grand Duke Artaeum would do that.”
The people who had swarmed like hyenas each made excuses and fled. Among them were the nobles who had conspired with Duke Flice, but they ignored him and fled. They must have wanted to live alone.
'Those bat-like guys...!'
But there's a time for rushing in. The Duke knew all too well that now wasn't the right time.
“I almost had a misunderstanding, Grand Duke Artaeum.”
Duke Flice forced a smile and looked at Grand Duke Artaeum. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were chillingly cold.
“You too. It was nice meeting you.”
He smiled coldly at Rose, the mastermind who had ruined his plans. The sight of her glaring gaze was so frightening that it made his stomach churn, but he pretended to be unfazed and greeted her.
“It was nice to meet you, too.”
As Rose, who didn't know exactly who he was, stared at the Duke with the end of her words trailing off, he introduced himself.
“This is Duke Flice.”
Rose flinched for a moment when she heard his name.
'If it's Duke Flice... he's the Emperor's closest confidant.'
When she was receiving private lessons, the person her teacher always praised was none other than the Duke of Flice. It was he who played the greatest role in enabling the current Emperor to ascend to the throne.
'...and he is also someone who thoroughly uses and discards the Count Wences.'
At the heart of the downfall of the Counts of Wence was Duke Flice. He exploited the Count of Wence until he ultimately abandoned him, claiming he knew too much. The saying, "A dog that chased a chicken will end up looking at the roof," perfectly suited the Count of Wence, who would later be abandoned.
“Yes, Duke Flice.”
A chill ran down Rose's spine as she realized that the man she was dealing with was a formidable force.
'I'm glad I didn't know. If I had, I might not have been able to look you in the eye and say anything like I did earlier.'
Ignorance is bliss. She grumbled about the lack of cameras in this world, but she never dreamed it would be of any help to Rose. Rose, who was about to say goodbye to Duke Flice and leave, stopped when he called her.
"For a moment."
When Rose glanced back, Duke Flice gave her a meaningful look and spoke.
“Please give my regards to Count Wence.”
In this situation, he asked her to say hello to her husband. Rose immediately understood what Duke Flice meant by those words.
'It looks like it's been stamped very firmly.'
He is expressing his anger towards Count Wence.
“Yes, I understand, Duke Flice.”
Rose pretended not to understand the Duke's intentions, smiled brightly, and turned away from him. It didn't really matter, since his arrows seemed aimed at Eric, not her. Rose straightened her back and leisurely left. How long had she walked? She'd walked so far that she thought she was invisible, and only then did she let out a deep breath.
"Ha..."
Rose's heart pounded rapidly. She couldn't begin to describe how terrified she'd been when the Duke grabbed her by the tail and dragged her along. Afraid they'd discover she'd lied to them.
“Isn’t that woman the one who chased after Count Wence and ended up marrying him?”
People's gazes were quite unkind, perhaps because they were starting to recognize Rose.
“Did you really see everything?”
Duke Flice strode toward Rose with a sharp gaze. He looked as if he might grab Rose by the collar at any moment, so Rose swallowed hard before answering.
“Yes.”
He bit his lower lip at the unexpected presence of Rose. If he pushed a little harder, he could arrest the Grand Duke. For the murder of Marquis Blade. That would have brought forward the plans for the Grand Duke's execution.
"It's strange. Why are you, who should be at the banquet hall, with the Grand Duke? Leaving your husband behind in the middle of the night... with the Grand Duke. Even your dress is filthy, as if you've been rolling around on the floor."
"Is he trying to muddy the waters?" Duke Flice glared at Rose, his eyes squinting. Then he looked her up and down, sending her a displeased look.
“I was out with Count Wence and got lost in the garden.”
Rose answered calmly, unfazed. She didn't forget to mention Eric to emphasize that she hadn't been with the Grand Duke from the beginning.
“And this dress fell over because I was startled by the monster that suddenly appeared.”
Duke Flice, who had been trying to kill the woman's spirit and get things done as he intended, wanted to immediately shut Rose's mouth, who was looking straight into his eyes and speaking clearly.
‘You’re such an ignorant woman who doesn’t even know which side your husband is on...!’
She should have just been sullen and sullen, but she kept spouting unnecessary things. Rose, who was known for being such a dull woman, didn't think she was intentionally taking the Grand Duke of Artaeum's side.
“I almost lost my life. But...”
Rose looked at the Grand Duke, her voice trailing off. She smiled faintly at him and spoke softly.
"Thanks to you, Grand Duke, I survived. If it weren't for him, I would have lost my life along with Marquis Blade."
“Then where did that strange monster go?”
Duke Flice fired back, trying to avoid giving Rose a chance, but she remained unfazed and continued speaking.
"I think it ran away while I was away to bring someone to treat Marquis Blade. It's quite a violent fellow... This is a big deal. What if it causes trouble elsewhere?"
Rose's expression was filled with fear, as if she had seen a monster. Then, she turned to Grand Duke Artaeum. Rose's large eyes blinked, staring at the Grand Duke. As if sending a signal. Grand Duke Artaeum, who had been watching Rose, who was embracing herself with interest, noticed her signal. Then, with a smile on his face, he opened his mouth.
"Don't worry about that. It was on the verge of death, so even if it ran away, it would be found dead."
The monster's breath was cut off by the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
'That monster that was already dead is gone...'
The Grand Duke stared blankly at Duke Flice. In the current situation, he was the only one who could have possibly removed the corpse. As the Grand Duke had predicted, it was Duke Flice who had removed the monster's corpse. More precisely, one of his subordinates. He had removed the dead monster and taken Marquis Blade into the mansion. Then he shouted to the crowd that Marquis Blade had been "murdered."
'Damn you! Is this how you handle things?'
Duke Flice had already assigned six of his knights to the Grand Duke of Artaeum to orchestrate the incident. He had instructed them to kill any witnesses, lest they become a nuisance. Yet... The situation had reached this point, and the Duke's six knights were nowhere to be seen. Duke Flice gritted his teeth, threatening to punish them if they showed up.
'It was my fault for leaving everything to them.'
Believing it was the perfect plan, they acted too complacently. The people listening to their conversation began to stir. Since the witness had appeared, the Grand Duke of Artaeum was "innocent." Those who had been tearing at the Grand Duke as if they were going to devour him began to take notice as the situation began to turn around. They had followed Duke Flice, who had said they simply needed to stay by his side and give him air, but they began to think it was time to retreat. The Grand Duke of Artaeum, according to those who had offended him, hadn't been very good so far. One by one, those who had been watching the situation began to leave.
“That’s huge. I almost had a misunderstanding.”
“That’s right. There’s no way Grand Duke Artaeum would do that.”
The people who had swarmed like hyenas each made excuses and fled. Among them were the nobles who had conspired with Duke Flice, but they ignored him and fled. They must have wanted to live alone.
'Those bat-like guys...!'
But there's a time for rushing in. The Duke knew all too well that now wasn't the right time.
“I almost had a misunderstanding, Grand Duke Artaeum.”
Duke Flice forced a smile and looked at Grand Duke Artaeum. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were chillingly cold.
“You too. It was nice meeting you.”
He smiled coldly at Rose, the mastermind who had ruined his plans. The sight of her glaring gaze was so frightening that it made his stomach churn, but he pretended to be unfazed and greeted her.
“It was nice to meet you, too.”
As Rose, who didn't know exactly who he was, stared at the Duke with the end of her words trailing off, he introduced himself.
“This is Duke Flice.”
Rose flinched for a moment when she heard his name.
'If it's Duke Flice... he's the Emperor's closest confidant.'
When she was receiving private lessons, the person her teacher always praised was none other than the Duke of Flice. It was he who played the greatest role in enabling the current Emperor to ascend to the throne.
'...and he is also someone who thoroughly uses and discards the Count Wences.'
At the heart of the downfall of the Counts of Wence was Duke Flice. He exploited the Count of Wence until he ultimately abandoned him, claiming he knew too much. The saying, "A dog that chased a chicken will end up looking at the roof," perfectly suited the Count of Wence, who would later be abandoned.
“Yes, Duke Flice.”
A chill ran down Rose's spine as she realized that the man she was dealing with was a formidable force.
'I'm glad I didn't know. If I had, I might not have been able to look you in the eye and say anything like I did earlier.'
Ignorance is bliss. She grumbled about the lack of cameras in this world, but she never dreamed it would be of any help to Rose. Rose, who was about to say goodbye to Duke Flice and leave, stopped when he called her.
"For a moment."
When Rose glanced back, Duke Flice gave her a meaningful look and spoke.
“Please give my regards to Count Wence.”
In this situation, he asked her to say hello to her husband. Rose immediately understood what Duke Flice meant by those words.
'It looks like it's been stamped very firmly.'
He is expressing his anger towards Count Wence.
“Yes, I understand, Duke Flice.”
Rose pretended not to understand the Duke's intentions, smiled brightly, and turned away from him. It didn't really matter, since his arrows seemed aimed at Eric, not her. Rose straightened her back and leisurely left. How long had she walked? She'd walked so far that she thought she was invisible, and only then did she let out a deep breath.
"Ha..."
Rose's heart pounded rapidly. She couldn't begin to describe how terrified she'd been when the Duke grabbed her by the tail and dragged her along. Afraid they'd discover she'd lied to them.
“...I thought I was going to die.”
Rose slumped down in her seat and muttered to herself. Her palms were soaked with sweat. Then, Grand Duke Artaeum's voice pierced the silence.
“If you were so scared, why did you step forward?”
“Whoa!”
Rose, who thought she was alone, was startled to death when she heard his voice.
'What a surprise...! How long have you been here?'
She couldn't even hear his footsteps.
“...How long have you been here?”
When Rose looked at him as if she had seen a ghost, the Grand Duke of Artaeum shrugged and said.
“I’ve been standing behind you from the beginning.”
Rose glanced behind him, wondering if other people were standing behind the Grand Duke.
“Don’t worry. It’s just you and me here.”
Rose sighed in relief at the words of the Grand Duke of Artaeum. She didn't want to face the cold face of Duke Flice again.
‘I'm talking back to someone who is even more evil than the Grand Duke of Artaeum...’
“I ask again. Why did you protect me?”
The Grand Duke asked Rose with a rather curious expression.
“...You said that you didn’t kill him.”
“So, you said you saw something you didn’t see? For me?”
Rose nodded slowly at the Grand Duke's words.
“You believed me, didn’t you? That I didn’t kill Marquis Blade.”
"... Yes."
Of course, at first she thought him killed him... At Rose’s answer, the Grand Duke of Arteum’s eyes widened slightly.
“I bet you know what kind of rumors are following me.”
“That’s what the rumors say... but I think you're a kinder person than I thought.”
Rose's words brought the Grand Duke to a look of surprise. Sure, her first meeting with the Grand Duke had been terrifying, but today, she'd met him as no different from anyone else. Furthermore, he'd caught her when she'd fallen from the carriage and helped her escape her husband's clutches.
“I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding at first. I didn’t realize it was because you were saving Marquis Blade...”
Rose couldn't face the Grand Duke. She treated a normal person like a murderer. The Grand Duke lowered his head, staring blankly at Rose, who was at a loss. Did Rose realize the strange madness in the Grand Duke's gaze as he stared at her silently? Probably not. Rose had kept her head down. The Grand Duke slowly approached Rose.
“It’s okay. You’re like a benefactor who saved my life.”
Then he leaned down towards Rose, who was sitting on the floor, and whispered.
“I want to repay you for saving me.”
The Grand Duke spoke, gently ruffling Rose's tangled hair. Eric's hair had been tangled, and the turbulent circumstances had left it looking quite unsightly. Rose, with her hair disheveled and her large eyes staring at him, seemed to overlap with his pet dog.
‘...They look alike.’
The Grand Duke's hand unconsciously reached out to stroke Rose's head, but paused in mid-air. He almost treated her as if he were petting his own pet. No matter how similar they were, it was impolite to stroke a lady's head like a puppy, so he immediately lowered his hand.
"Repayment? That's fine. I didn't expect anything like that..."
As soon as she said that she didn't need anything in return, a thought popped into her head.
'Wait a minute... this could be a good opportunity?'
Rose's mouth twitched as she spoke. Then, with difficulty, she opened her mouth to speak to the Grand Duke.
“I... Your Highness.”
“I guess you have a wish?”
Rose nodded slowly at the Grand Duke's words and said.
"I..."
What was she trying to say, taking so long? Grand Duke Artaeum didn't complain, just waited for her to speak comfortably. After a long moment of deliberation, Rose finally seemed to have made up her mind and got to the point.
“Please help me. I need to go through divorce proceedings, and I don’t know anything about it.”
The Grand Duke's eyes wavered at Rose's unexpected words.
“You’re getting a divorce? You?”
He couldn't believe that the word 'divorce' came out of the mouth of the woman who had been following Eric around.
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