Episode 102. Maybe I Was Hasty
The next morning.
Rose, who had woken up early, was so energetic that her worries about her condition being poor were for naught.
It was the best condition she'd ever felt since being possessed.
"I feel so refreshed."
Not only did her body feel light, as if she could fly, but her skin seemed to glow.
Rose blushed as she thought back on yesterday.
She'd expected it, but he was skilled. To be able to make someone so ecstatic.
It was a wonder she'd let out a natural exclamation, not to bolster the other person's spirit.
Being skilled meant he'd done it a lot...
She was nervous, but she quickly shook her head.
"So what? As long as I did it well..."
It was a hundred times better than being incompetent.
Rose was the Grand Duke's first woman, but he had unintentionally been misunderstood.
Rose headed to her office, feeling refreshed.
Humming a tune as she arrived, she suddenly had a thought.
But. Was this relationship really okay?
It was clearly what Rose had wanted, but a sudden feeling of unease struck her.
Just as people change their minds like flipping a coin after a task is completed, there was no way the Grand Duke wouldn't do the same.
"Maybe I was too hasty..."
Rose muttered to herself, then quickly composed herself.
"Let's focus on the conference we have today."
Though her mind was still agitated, Rose forced herself to look through the documents. She wasn't nervous. Having prepared thoroughly, she felt confident.
"If I just follow the instructions, everything will be fine."
However, one thing was bothering her: setting foot into the palace again.
The very thought of entering a palace teeming with enemies was deeply unsettling.
Rose pictured the Emperor's face, glaring at her with cold eyes.
"...There are so many eyes watching, so it'll be alright."
If bad things continued to happen to the Grand Duke of Artaeum, only the Emperor would suffer. He was an Emperor who was quite conscious of public opinion.
He wouldn't want to lose the people's trust by making a rash move. This time, it was highly likely he'd let it slide.
Besides, he'd probably be preoccupied with dealing with Chicagor.
"I won't be meeting the Emperor."
She had no intention of going to an audience.
Rose muttered to herself and turned her eyes to her paperwork.
She was gathering the necessary documents for the conference. They were to be distributed to the brand representatives attending today.
Finishing her preparations, Rose checked the clock hanging on a corner of the room.
She had plenty of time. Enough time to leisurely eat and depart.
Rose gathered her documents and left her office. As soon as she opened the door, the person she saw was Neruan.
Neruan, who had been walking briskly, creaked as he met Rose.
'Damn.'
He didn't relish meeting Rose. He hadn't yet apologized for his mistake.
His eyes wavered; he turned around slightly. Then he turned back the way he had come.
'You're avoiding me.'
A simple apology would have been enough.
Rose let out a low sigh and quickly followed Neruan. Neruan, sensing Rose's approach, picked up his pace.
"Are you running away?"
Neruan strode forward, as if trying to shake her off. The distance between them was only growing wider.
Rose, perhaps feeling it couldn't be helped, called out to him in a loud voice.
"Neruan."
Neruan pretended not to notice Rose's voice and kept walking.
"That!"
Rose's eyes burned with fire at the sight of him pretending not to hear, even though he could clearly hear her.
"Neruan, are you avoiding me?"
Rose called out to Neruan in a louder voice than before. The gazes of the nearby attendants were fixed on Neruan at her words.
It was impossible to ignore Rose's words any longer. He stood tall, sighing softly and turning around.
"You called me?"
"I called you twice."
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something and didn't hear you call me."
He said with a curt expression.
It was an obvious lie, but she couldn't argue with him.
"Today. My conference."
"I know."
Isn't that what I wanted to hear?
Rose furrowed her eyebrows and repeated,
"You're coming today, right?"
Neruan remained silent for a moment at Rose's words.
He wondered how confident Rose must have been to say such a thing.
However, he planned to go, not in his current state, but disguised as one of the Grand Duke's knights. Concealing himself in sturdy armor.
"Let's see how great that project you mentioned turns out."
Neruan said quietly.
He had planned to go, but there was no need to tell Rose the truth.
"I'm sorry, but I'm busy with work at the mansion, so I won't be able to attend the conference."
"That's too bad."
Rose left, leaving Neruan, who seemed completely unwilling to apologize. As Rose left, Julius suddenly appeared outside the window. It seemed he had been hiding and eavesdropping on their conversation.
He gazed at Neruan, holding a lush tree branch in both hands. He rested his chin on the windowsill and scolded Neruan.
"I told you to apologize to Lady Serviat, and here you are again."
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
Neruan pouted and grumbled.
“Oh, that’s what I’m saying because you didn’t. If you were going to apologize, shouldn’t you have already?”
“I tried to apologize yesterday, but it was hard to see how all day.”
Neruan stared at Julius with stern eyes.
It was a silent protest directed at Julius.
The pink aura between the Grand Duke and Rose had grown even stronger thanks to Julius.
“Thanks to the Princess, it was really hard to see you two yesterday.”
“Huh? Why are you blaming me when you just sat there and did nothing?”
“Just sat there? You’re right that I couldn’t bring myself to go in.”
“You usually go into Lucas’ bedroom without a second thought.”
Neruan felt a lump in his throat at Julius’s reaction that was pushing him.
“Little thing, you say? It’s not me who’s small, but you, Juli, right? You’re much smaller than me. If you look down on me, you’re really cute.”
Julius, who had been laughing playfully until then, hardened his expression fiercely.
As if he had never smiled before, his expression changed 180 degrees.
Neruan, who was grinning, realized his mistake.
Julius wasn’t short, but he was sensitive to height.
He thought that while he was superior in everything else, he lacked height.
“Ahem. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Neruan quickly tried to leave, keeping an eye on Julius.
“...Where are you going?”
But Julius grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Neruan whispered urgently.
“Calm down. What if they find out your identity?”
“...If I’m going to kill you, it’s better to reveal my identity. I don’t want my sister to be harmed.”
He whispered these terrifying words as if nothing had happened and smiled at Neruan. Neruan wiped the beads of sweat running down his forehead and avoided Julius’s eyes.
Neruan, who had been smiling awkwardly, suddenly pointed to one side and spoke loudly.
“Ahahaha. There comes Finn. Finn!”
Julius flinched at the sound of Finn calling out. Julius didn’t like Finn. He had been bitten by Finn once.
When Julius turned his head to find Finn, Neruan took advantage of the moment to escape his grasp.
He ran as fast as he could, fearing Julius would follow.
Of course, the fact that Finn was there was also a lie.
Julius, realizing too late that he had been caught, let out a bestial roar and shouted,
“Neruan!!”
He chased him at a terrifying speed, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Neruan soon got caught easily.
Julius grabbed Neruan by the collar.
“What are you doing, Juli?”
At that moment, the Grand Duke of Artaeum walked in from afar.
He walked towards Julius and Neruan with a sharp glare. Judging by his quick steps, he seemed quite flustered.
“There are so many eyes watching you. What are you doing?”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum scolded Julius for not showing any respect.
“Don’t even think about stopping me, Lucas? Neruan and I will figure it out. Just go on your way.”
Grand Duke Artaeum sighed softly at Julius’s disapproving tone.
“Even as adults, this is so frustrating.”
He looked between the two of them as if he was quite used to it, then lightly snapped his fingers.
At the Grand Duke’s gesture, Julius and Neruan’s bodies moved on their own.
“Your Highness, again!”
Neruan was furious at the Grand Duke’s arbitrary use of magic, but there was nothing he could do.
They moved in circles like toy soldiers, then quickly dispersed in both directions. Only when Neruan and Julius disappeared from view did he finally smile in satisfaction.
“It’s finally quiet.”
He hated noise. And especially not on such an important day.
He didn’t want to cause trouble for Rose.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum headed toward Rose's annex.
Rose was probably in her office, skimming through conference materials.
A maid, seeing the Grand Duke heading toward the annex, asked,
"Are you looking for Rose?"
"Yes. Is she in her office?"
"No. She was in her office just now and then left."
"Where?"
"Probably in the dining room."
She informed him of Rose's whereabouts and went about her business. The Grand Duke continued on his way to the dining room.
He longed to see Rose.
She was a face he saw every day, but for some reason, today, his heart pounded even harder.
The mere thought of seeing Rose made the Grand Duke's heart pound wildly.
As his heart rate increased, so did his steps.
"Now that we're officially dating, what should I call you?"
Calling her Rose seemed completely insincere.
"Honey, honey, pretty girl."
... How cringey.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body as he attempted to do something he had never done before. No matter how much he loved Rose, he felt like he would never be able to say these words out loud.
'I guess it's better to just do as usual.'
He decided to discard his unbecoming coquetry and treat Rose as he always did. As soon as the Grand Duke arrived in the dining room, the servants opened the doors on both sides.
When the doors opened, Rose was there first.
The Grand Duke's mouth curled up involuntarily at her beautiful appearance as always.
"You're here?"
A smile formed for a moment, but his expression hardened into confusion.
Rose, who had been smiling shyly until yesterday, suddenly turned cold.
"Please sit down."
Her voice, so cold it chilled him to the bone, was full of a sharp edge.
The next morning.
Rose, who had woken up early, was so energetic that her worries about her condition being poor were for naught.
It was the best condition she'd ever felt since being possessed.
"I feel so refreshed."
Not only did her body feel light, as if she could fly, but her skin seemed to glow.
Rose blushed as she thought back on yesterday.
She'd expected it, but he was skilled. To be able to make someone so ecstatic.
It was a wonder she'd let out a natural exclamation, not to bolster the other person's spirit.
Being skilled meant he'd done it a lot...
She was nervous, but she quickly shook her head.
"So what? As long as I did it well..."
It was a hundred times better than being incompetent.
Rose was the Grand Duke's first woman, but he had unintentionally been misunderstood.
Rose headed to her office, feeling refreshed.
Humming a tune as she arrived, she suddenly had a thought.
But. Was this relationship really okay?
It was clearly what Rose had wanted, but a sudden feeling of unease struck her.
Just as people change their minds like flipping a coin after a task is completed, there was no way the Grand Duke wouldn't do the same.
"Maybe I was too hasty..."
Rose muttered to herself, then quickly composed herself.
"Let's focus on the conference we have today."
Though her mind was still agitated, Rose forced herself to look through the documents. She wasn't nervous. Having prepared thoroughly, she felt confident.
"If I just follow the instructions, everything will be fine."
However, one thing was bothering her: setting foot into the palace again.
The very thought of entering a palace teeming with enemies was deeply unsettling.
Rose pictured the Emperor's face, glaring at her with cold eyes.
"...There are so many eyes watching, so it'll be alright."
If bad things continued to happen to the Grand Duke of Artaeum, only the Emperor would suffer. He was an Emperor who was quite conscious of public opinion.
He wouldn't want to lose the people's trust by making a rash move. This time, it was highly likely he'd let it slide.
Besides, he'd probably be preoccupied with dealing with Chicagor.
"I won't be meeting the Emperor."
She had no intention of going to an audience.
Rose muttered to herself and turned her eyes to her paperwork.
She was gathering the necessary documents for the conference. They were to be distributed to the brand representatives attending today.
Finishing her preparations, Rose checked the clock hanging on a corner of the room.
She had plenty of time. Enough time to leisurely eat and depart.
Rose gathered her documents and left her office. As soon as she opened the door, the person she saw was Neruan.
Neruan, who had been walking briskly, creaked as he met Rose.
'Damn.'
He didn't relish meeting Rose. He hadn't yet apologized for his mistake.
His eyes wavered; he turned around slightly. Then he turned back the way he had come.
'You're avoiding me.'
A simple apology would have been enough.
Rose let out a low sigh and quickly followed Neruan. Neruan, sensing Rose's approach, picked up his pace.
"Are you running away?"
Neruan strode forward, as if trying to shake her off. The distance between them was only growing wider.
Rose, perhaps feeling it couldn't be helped, called out to him in a loud voice.
"Neruan."
Neruan pretended not to notice Rose's voice and kept walking.
"That!"
Rose's eyes burned with fire at the sight of him pretending not to hear, even though he could clearly hear her.
"Neruan, are you avoiding me?"
Rose called out to Neruan in a louder voice than before. The gazes of the nearby attendants were fixed on Neruan at her words.
It was impossible to ignore Rose's words any longer. He stood tall, sighing softly and turning around.
"You called me?"
"I called you twice."
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something and didn't hear you call me."
He said with a curt expression.
It was an obvious lie, but she couldn't argue with him.
"Today. My conference."
"I know."
Isn't that what I wanted to hear?
Rose furrowed her eyebrows and repeated,
"You're coming today, right?"
Neruan remained silent for a moment at Rose's words.
He wondered how confident Rose must have been to say such a thing.
However, he planned to go, not in his current state, but disguised as one of the Grand Duke's knights. Concealing himself in sturdy armor.
"Let's see how great that project you mentioned turns out."
Neruan said quietly.
He had planned to go, but there was no need to tell Rose the truth.
"I'm sorry, but I'm busy with work at the mansion, so I won't be able to attend the conference."
"That's too bad."
Rose left, leaving Neruan, who seemed completely unwilling to apologize. As Rose left, Julius suddenly appeared outside the window. It seemed he had been hiding and eavesdropping on their conversation.
He gazed at Neruan, holding a lush tree branch in both hands. He rested his chin on the windowsill and scolded Neruan.
"I told you to apologize to Lady Serviat, and here you are again."
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
Neruan pouted and grumbled.
“Oh, that’s what I’m saying because you didn’t. If you were going to apologize, shouldn’t you have already?”
“I tried to apologize yesterday, but it was hard to see how all day.”
Neruan stared at Julius with stern eyes.
It was a silent protest directed at Julius.
The pink aura between the Grand Duke and Rose had grown even stronger thanks to Julius.
“Thanks to the Princess, it was really hard to see you two yesterday.”
“Huh? Why are you blaming me when you just sat there and did nothing?”
“Just sat there? You’re right that I couldn’t bring myself to go in.”
“You usually go into Lucas’ bedroom without a second thought.”
Julius pretended not to understand Neruan and muttered.
“You two stayed up all night. How could I go in?”
Neruan clenched his fist and trembled. Julius shouted, “Wow!” and started to fuss.
“You, you! Neruan! What are you thinking?”
Neruan couldn’t hide his embarrassment at Julius’s excessive reaction.
“I wasn’t thinking anything...”
Julius cut Neruan off with a smirk.
“Look at that little thing acting all sly?”
“You two stayed up all night. How could I go in?”
Neruan clenched his fist and trembled. Julius shouted, “Wow!” and started to fuss.
“You, you! Neruan! What are you thinking?”
Neruan couldn’t hide his embarrassment at Julius’s excessive reaction.
“I wasn’t thinking anything...”
Julius cut Neruan off with a smirk.
“Look at that little thing acting all sly?”
Neruan felt a lump in his throat at Julius’s reaction that was pushing him.
“Little thing, you say? It’s not me who’s small, but you, Juli, right? You’re much smaller than me. If you look down on me, you’re really cute.”
Julius, who had been laughing playfully until then, hardened his expression fiercely.
As if he had never smiled before, his expression changed 180 degrees.
Neruan, who was grinning, realized his mistake.
Julius wasn’t short, but he was sensitive to height.
He thought that while he was superior in everything else, he lacked height.
“Ahem. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Neruan quickly tried to leave, keeping an eye on Julius.
“...Where are you going?”
But Julius grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Neruan whispered urgently.
“Calm down. What if they find out your identity?”
“...If I’m going to kill you, it’s better to reveal my identity. I don’t want my sister to be harmed.”
He whispered these terrifying words as if nothing had happened and smiled at Neruan. Neruan wiped the beads of sweat running down his forehead and avoided Julius’s eyes.
Neruan, who had been smiling awkwardly, suddenly pointed to one side and spoke loudly.
“Ahahaha. There comes Finn. Finn!”
Julius flinched at the sound of Finn calling out. Julius didn’t like Finn. He had been bitten by Finn once.
When Julius turned his head to find Finn, Neruan took advantage of the moment to escape his grasp.
He ran as fast as he could, fearing Julius would follow.
Of course, the fact that Finn was there was also a lie.
Julius, realizing too late that he had been caught, let out a bestial roar and shouted,
“Neruan!!”
He chased him at a terrifying speed, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Neruan soon got caught easily.
Julius grabbed Neruan by the collar.
“What are you doing, Juli?”
At that moment, the Grand Duke of Artaeum walked in from afar.
He walked towards Julius and Neruan with a sharp glare. Judging by his quick steps, he seemed quite flustered.
“There are so many eyes watching you. What are you doing?”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum scolded Julius for not showing any respect.
“Don’t even think about stopping me, Lucas? Neruan and I will figure it out. Just go on your way.”
Grand Duke Artaeum sighed softly at Julius’s disapproving tone.
“Even as adults, this is so frustrating.”
He looked between the two of them as if he was quite used to it, then lightly snapped his fingers.
At the Grand Duke’s gesture, Julius and Neruan’s bodies moved on their own.
“Your Highness, again!”
Neruan was furious at the Grand Duke’s arbitrary use of magic, but there was nothing he could do.
They moved in circles like toy soldiers, then quickly dispersed in both directions. Only when Neruan and Julius disappeared from view did he finally smile in satisfaction.
“It’s finally quiet.”
He hated noise. And especially not on such an important day.
He didn’t want to cause trouble for Rose.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum headed toward Rose's annex.
Rose was probably in her office, skimming through conference materials.
A maid, seeing the Grand Duke heading toward the annex, asked,
"Are you looking for Rose?"
"Yes. Is she in her office?"
"No. She was in her office just now and then left."
"Where?"
"Probably in the dining room."
She informed him of Rose's whereabouts and went about her business. The Grand Duke continued on his way to the dining room.
He longed to see Rose.
She was a face he saw every day, but for some reason, today, his heart pounded even harder.
The mere thought of seeing Rose made the Grand Duke's heart pound wildly.
As his heart rate increased, so did his steps.
"Now that we're officially dating, what should I call you?"
Calling her Rose seemed completely insincere.
"Honey, honey, pretty girl."
... How cringey.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body as he attempted to do something he had never done before. No matter how much he loved Rose, he felt like he would never be able to say these words out loud.
'I guess it's better to just do as usual.'
He decided to discard his unbecoming coquetry and treat Rose as he always did. As soon as the Grand Duke arrived in the dining room, the servants opened the doors on both sides.
When the doors opened, Rose was there first.
The Grand Duke's mouth curled up involuntarily at her beautiful appearance as always.
"You're here?"
A smile formed for a moment, but his expression hardened into confusion.
Rose, who had been smiling shyly until yesterday, suddenly turned cold.
"Please sit down."
Her voice, so cold it chilled him to the bone, was full of a sharp edge.
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