Episode 73. I Like the Grand Duke
So get out of my sight.
Rose spoke with cold eyes.
She was saying she was no longer interested in him, so please, just stop caring.
'If I said it this way, you'd understand.'
She was sick and tired of cheating men. Lee Do-hyun's face overlapped Eric's.
Although their appearances and personalities were completely different, he reminded her of Lee Do-hyun.
Rose didn't want to suffer under his shadow any longer.
The most horrific memory she'd ever experienced.
Now, she wanted to escape that nightmare.
'So, please get out of my life.'
She wanted to completely break away from Eric, who clung to her so tirelessly.
"What...?"
Eric trailed off, doubting his own ears.
Rose, who he'd sworn would be his only love... now loved someone else.
It was shocking.
Rose's words were unbelievable.
Eric's anger surged to the very tips of his head at the sight of Rose affectionately clutching the Grand Duke's arm.
His fingertips trembled. His lips were parched, and he couldn't form words because of the absurdity.
His whole body trembled with a surge of betrayal.
Eric finally realized that her rejection of him was genuine.
Rose, who had clung to his feet, was now nowhere to be found.
Eric, speechless, stared at Rose, his face pale, and she left with the Grand Duke.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed he was finally accepting her words.
She felt relieved. She would never again see Eric's face.
'Let's explain this to the Grand Duke separately.'
So get out of my sight.
Rose spoke with cold eyes.
She was saying she was no longer interested in him, so please, just stop caring.
'If I said it this way, you'd understand.'
She was sick and tired of cheating men. Lee Do-hyun's face overlapped Eric's.
Although their appearances and personalities were completely different, he reminded her of Lee Do-hyun.
Rose didn't want to suffer under his shadow any longer.
The most horrific memory she'd ever experienced.
Now, she wanted to escape that nightmare.
'So, please get out of my life.'
She wanted to completely break away from Eric, who clung to her so tirelessly.
"What...?"
Eric trailed off, doubting his own ears.
Rose, who he'd sworn would be his only love... now loved someone else.
It was shocking.
Rose's words were unbelievable.
Eric's anger surged to the very tips of his head at the sight of Rose affectionately clutching the Grand Duke's arm.
His fingertips trembled. His lips were parched, and he couldn't form words because of the absurdity.
His whole body trembled with a surge of betrayal.
Eric finally realized that her rejection of him was genuine.
Rose, who had clung to his feet, was now nowhere to be found.
Eric, speechless, stared at Rose, his face pale, and she left with the Grand Duke.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed he was finally accepting her words.
She felt relieved. She would never again see Eric's face.
'Let's explain this to the Grand Duke separately.'
The Grand Duke might have been quite taken aback, but she felt that if she explained it well, he would understand her situation.
Eric stared blankly at Rose as she left with the Grand Duke. He didn't have the strength left to hold her back.
Tercia, who had been invited with Cedric and witnessed the entire situation, grew even more indignant towards Rose.
'How dare you...! How dare you publicly humiliate my son like this!'
Rose, with her charming appearance, had finally seduced even the Grand Duke. It was clear that she was a witch who bewitched men.
"Honey, why don't you just get rid of that kid in secret? I'm so angry I could die!"
She clutched the back of her neck and whispered to Cedric next to her.
Unlike Tercia, who was furious, Cedric looked remarkably calm. However, his eyes were a complex web of subtle emotions.
'That kid...?'
He shot Rose a questioning look, but quickly shook his head.
'No. What would that idiot do?'
Cedric felt a strange sense of déjà vu from Rose, but tried to calm his complicated feelings.
After all, today was the end for both the Grand Duke and Rose.
The nobles, regardless of gender, whispered about Rose and the Grand Duke.
They looked at Rose with a look of interest.
She, who said she'd die without Eric, had openly confessed her love for someone else.
"Love is so easy. Isn't it funny?"
"I see. She married Count Wence as if it were the love of the century, and now she's clinging to the Grand Duke of Artaeum."
"She's a fallen noble, so her family has no money. What can she do? She must have wanted to stick by a man like that."
"On the one hand, it's impressive. Why do only those big shots get so involved?"
"What's the point of having high status for men? They all have their flaws. Count Wence is a rascal and a womanizer... and the Grand Duke is a horrific murderer. She has no luck with men."
"Shh, watch your words. You have things you can't say."
The heated conversation had forced a word out of her, something she hadn't been able to easily say.
The noble who had crossed the line quickly covered her mouth and nodded. She rolled her eyes, anxious that the Grand Duke might hear her words.
Then, a cheerful voice cut through the chaotic crowd of nobles.
“Is love a crime? It’s just being honest with your heart.”
Princess Diana walked elegantly behind the nobles. They quickly bowed their heads in courtesy to her.
The Princess didn’t seem to hear the nobles calling the Grand Duke a “murderer,” but she had certainly heard the insults directed at Rose.
“I find that side of her more appealing. She’s honest and confident,”
The Princess said, seemingly defending Rose.
Those who had been gossiping about Rose changed their tune at her words and nodded.
“Ahaha. That’s right.”
“She really has an honest side.”
The Princess raised the corners of her mouth in satisfaction at the people's reactions and added,
"Count Wence's philandering ways are well-known. No matter how much she loved him, it would have been difficult to tolerate such a thing. I support Lady Serviat's new love."
At the Princess's words, the public criticism directed at Rose subsided. They criticized Count Wence's frivolous remarks, not Rose's actions, and began to defend Rose.
The Grand Duke and Rose approached the Princess, piercing through the crowd of gazes.
"It's been a while,"
Grand Duke Artaeum greeted the Princess.
"You've come. Why is it getting harder and harder to see your face, Brother?"
The Princess greeted the Grand Duke with a friendly tone.
She turned her gaze to Rose, who was standing beside the Grand Duke. The piercing blue eyes, just like Grand Duke Artaeum's, met Rose's.
Rose politely greeted the Princess. Rose's hand, gripping the hem of her skirt, trembled with nervousness.
She was thrilled to meet the Empire's Princess Diana, but she was also worried about whether she could safely avoid the impending accusation of "poisoning."
"I am Rose of the Serviat family. I greet the light of the Empire, the Princess."
Rose, who had lowered her head, heard the Princess's voice in her ear.
"Raise your head."
Upon hearing the Princess's permission, Rose looked up and met her gaze.
Diana carefully studied Rose. Her gaze was intense.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
The eyes of the surrounding nobles rolled at the Princess's words. They whispered among themselves in low voices.
"She seems to be quite close with the Grand Duke of Artaeum."
"That's right. Judging by the fact that the Grand Duke introduced her to the Princess... I imagine they'll be getting married soon?"
Rose, who had been a fallen nobleman, had been ignored all along... If she were to become the Grand Duchess, the landscape would change.
The position of Grand Duchess held enough power to shake up society.
The nobles were listening intently, trying to gauge how things were going. They were simply talking about business, but it seemed they hadn't heard it.
"The Grand Duke must have spoken well about business."
Rose nodded shyly.
A hand clad in thick leather gloves extended toward Rose. The Princess was the first to offer a handshake.
"I've heard rumors, but... You really are wrapped up so tightly."
The Princess's dress was suffocatingly high, reaching all the way to her chin. Her back was completely bare, and she wore thick leather gloves over her long sleeves.
Her face was the only visible part of her skin.
They say she's sensitive to 'poison,' but she was covering up her entire body to an excessive degree.
Leather was particularly resistant to 'poison,' the perfect fabric for protecting delicate skin.
"It's been a while since we've seen each other, so shouldn't we have a toast?"
The Princess seemed elated, though not inexplicably.
The thought of drinking alcohol seemed quite thrilling.
In truth, the Princess loved alcohol.
However, she had a pathological fear of "poison," making it difficult for her to even touch it.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum brought her his own wine every year, so she could enjoy it with peace of mind. She could only drink it once a year, on her birthday.
She had decided so herself.
The alcohol's aroma was quite strong, making it difficult for tasters to distinguish even if poison was mixed in, so this was the best she could do, as she couldn't drink it often.
The Princess gestured to one of her maids. She carefully brought over her own special cup, a dazzling goblet made from a unicorn horn.
The servant beside her accepted the wine the Grand Duke had brought and uncorked it in front of everyone.
Rose swallowed hard and looked at the Grand Duke beside her.
'I hope you’ve finished preparing well?'
Sensing Rose’s anxious gaze, the Grand Duke of Artaeum faintly smiled and reassured her.
“Young Lady, would you like a glass of wine? I’d like to chat with you.”
“Yes, it would be my honor.”
The maid served glasses to the Princess, then to Rose, and then to the Grand Duke of Artaeum in that order. Unlike the Princess’s glass, Rose’s and the Grand Duke’s glasses were remarkably ordinary.
“This is your favorite ice wine.”
Diana’s lips curved at the Grand Duke’s words. It was the Princess who licked her lips, as if she wanted to taste it right away.
The Princess’s, the Grand Duke’s, and Rose’s glasses clinked in the air with a clear sound.
Rose, holding the wine to her lips, looked back and forth between Diana and the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
Normally, Diana would have served the wine to the poison expert first, but since the wine had been brought by the Grand Duke of Artaeum himself, she did not do so.
She trusted the Grand Duke of Artaeum that much.
'The Princess won't collapse, right? The Grand Duke told me not to worry.'
Even as she swallowed her wine, Rose looked at the Princess anxiously.
Diana sipped the wine savoringly and smiled at Rose.
"You don't drink wine, do you?"
"Oh, no. I like it."
The wine had been difficult to drink because she was worried the Princess might collapse, but Rose seemed to be puzzled by this behavior.
The Princess had already drained an entire glass of wine. Diana was fine, enough to make Rose's worries seem meaningless.
'She seems to be okay. That's a relief.'
Rose finally relaxed and smiled in relief at the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
He, in turn, wrinkled his nose at Rose, showing that his plan had gone without a hitch.
Rose finally gulped down the wine to quench her parched throat.
And before she could even finish her sip of wine, she heard the sound of a glass shattering.
Clang!
“Whoa!”
In an instant, the surroundings erupted in commotion. People began to run towards Rose with expressions of contemplation.
Everything felt as if in slow motion.
The sounds of people shouting came from all over the place, jumbled together like tangled tape, and the faces of those running towards Rose were all filled with shock.
No, actually, it wasn’t Rose, but rather “the people approaching the Grand Duke of Artaeum.”
Rose stared at the Grand Duke of Artaeum with an expression of disbelief.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, who had been smiling beside her until just a moment ago, fell helplessly to the floor.
With a dull thud, the Grand Duke fell.
“Grand Duke!!”
Rose threw down the glass she was holding and grabbed the Grand Duke of Artaeum’s body.
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