Episode 80. The Grand Duke is Strange
Rose looked at the Grand Duke with a dumbfounded expression.
Her mind was in turmoil.
'What? Why is the Grand Duke suddenly acting like this?'
They say people change when they come back from the dead, but the Grand Duke seemed strange for making such a pointless joke.
'Perhaps... he's trying to lighten the mood because he's afraid I'll feel awkward?'
Given the circumstances, that would be the most likely answer...?
Rose studied the Grand Duke's expression.
The Grand Duke, sensing Rose's gaze, returned a bright, unexpected smile.
'You're smiling? I guess my reasoning was right.'
Rose thought the Grand Duke was more thoughtful than she'd expected.
As the tension melted away, a bright smile bloomed on Rose's face.
"Haha. The Grand Duke is more interesting than I thought."
The Grand Duke, unsatisfied with Rose's answer, hardened his face, but then turned to optimism.
‘I thought you’d say yes right away... Well, I haven’t even formally proposed, so it’s embarrassing to show your excitement now.’
Rose’s bold yet shy appearance was endearing.
For a while, laughter did not stop in the carriage.
Rose and the Grand Duke's different dreams continued today.
Rose suddenly wondered.
‘But... Grand Duke, why did you hug me earlier?’
Last time, they almost kissed because the mood just flowed that way...
‘Today was really unexpected.’
Could it be that he was acting strangely because he came back from the brink of death?
‘There are times when you just wake up from anesthesia and mumble strange things and act incomprehensibly, right?’
It happened to her when she had an endoscopy under sleep.
Her coworker, who went for the test with me, laughed and explained the situation.
‘Oh, I really thought I was going to die from laughter earlier.’
‘Huh? Why?’
‘No, I don’t know. You kept threatening to not go home unless the nurse bought you chicken, so.'
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. That made me laugh so hard!"
She doesn't remember a single word, but she remember hee being so stubborn there, a stubbornness she usually avoided.
'The Grand Duke was probably in a similar situation to me.'
It wasn't even anesthesia; it was poison.
She understood, thinking it must have been worse than her own, just as much as any other.
"He'd be embarrassed if I brought it up."
Rose decided not to ask about this.
She wanted to be considerate of the Grand Duke, just as he had been considerate of her.
"The meeting with the CEOs didn't go through today, but don't worry too much. If you talk to Diana, it won't be too hard to meet them again."
"Yes. Thank you for your consideration."
It was the words she couldn't bring herself to say first.
The palace was in chaos, so bringing up business subtly wouldn't have made a good impression.
"I'll reschedule the date soon."
At the Grand Duke's words, Rose smiled and nodded.
The Grand Duke returned to the mansion and headed straight to his study.
Neruan, who had been waiting for him in the garden, moved with him.
Neruan and the Grand Duke entered the study and sat down on the sofa facing each other.
"Judging by your expressions, it seems you had a rather successful day."
"Yes. Neruan, you should have seen my uncle's expression with me. It's a shame I enjoyed it alone."
Neruan shook his head at the Grand Duke's satisfied smile.
"What good would I gain from going to the palace? If some people recognize me, wouldn't all the plans you've been building up so far be ruined?"
Neruan muttered with a mysterious look in his eyes and added,
"Just remember that one promise. You said I'd take Duke Flice's head."
While the Grand Duke's anger was directed at the Emperor, Neruan's was directed at Duke Flice.
Because those two were the ones who had directly annihilated his own family.
"Yes. I promise that."
The Grand Duke nodded, looking at Neruan beside him.
He had been with Neruan for over ten years. He had planned revenge with him at the center.
The Grand Duke's gaze, looking at Neruan, who was much younger than him, was filled with complex emotions.
It had been an arduous and difficult path.
There were many times when he wanted to give up on revenge. He had felt the same way, so how much more so must Neruan, who was much younger than he, have felt?
Neruan truly persevered, driven by evil and brute force. He sought revenge against Duke Flice, who had annihilated his family.
The rumors that Neruan had come from a foreign land were false.
He was born and raised here.
When the current Emperor ascended to the throne, countless nobles who supported the Grand Duke were slaughtered.
Neruan's family was one of them.
His family was decimated by Duke Flice's knights, without exception. They killed everyone, old and young.
They plundered all the gold and silver and even stole the family's ancestral treasure, the "Tears of Luna," to escape. As if that weren't enough, they set fire to the massive mansion, burning it to the ground, leaving no trace. Neruan barely escaped that hellish place. If not for the help of his nanny, he too would have been reduced to ashes.
Neruan thought he had to expel Rose, regardless of whether she had helped the Grand Duke in this matter or not.
'She survived by overcoming the lives of hundreds of people... and yet she behaves like that.'
Rose looked at the Grand Duke with a dumbfounded expression.
Her mind was in turmoil.
'What? Why is the Grand Duke suddenly acting like this?'
They say people change when they come back from the dead, but the Grand Duke seemed strange for making such a pointless joke.
'Perhaps... he's trying to lighten the mood because he's afraid I'll feel awkward?'
Given the circumstances, that would be the most likely answer...?
Rose studied the Grand Duke's expression.
The Grand Duke, sensing Rose's gaze, returned a bright, unexpected smile.
'You're smiling? I guess my reasoning was right.'
Rose thought the Grand Duke was more thoughtful than she'd expected.
As the tension melted away, a bright smile bloomed on Rose's face.
"Haha. The Grand Duke is more interesting than I thought."
The Grand Duke, unsatisfied with Rose's answer, hardened his face, but then turned to optimism.
‘I thought you’d say yes right away... Well, I haven’t even formally proposed, so it’s embarrassing to show your excitement now.’
Rose’s bold yet shy appearance was endearing.
For a while, laughter did not stop in the carriage.
Rose and the Grand Duke's different dreams continued today.
Rose suddenly wondered.
‘But... Grand Duke, why did you hug me earlier?’
Last time, they almost kissed because the mood just flowed that way...
‘Today was really unexpected.’
Could it be that he was acting strangely because he came back from the brink of death?
‘There are times when you just wake up from anesthesia and mumble strange things and act incomprehensibly, right?’
It happened to her when she had an endoscopy under sleep.
Her coworker, who went for the test with me, laughed and explained the situation.
‘Oh, I really thought I was going to die from laughter earlier.’
‘Huh? Why?’
‘No, I don’t know. You kept threatening to not go home unless the nurse bought you chicken, so.'
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. That made me laugh so hard!"
She doesn't remember a single word, but she remember hee being so stubborn there, a stubbornness she usually avoided.
'The Grand Duke was probably in a similar situation to me.'
It wasn't even anesthesia; it was poison.
She understood, thinking it must have been worse than her own, just as much as any other.
"He'd be embarrassed if I brought it up."
Rose decided not to ask about this.
She wanted to be considerate of the Grand Duke, just as he had been considerate of her.
"The meeting with the CEOs didn't go through today, but don't worry too much. If you talk to Diana, it won't be too hard to meet them again."
"Yes. Thank you for your consideration."
It was the words she couldn't bring herself to say first.
The palace was in chaos, so bringing up business subtly wouldn't have made a good impression.
"I'll reschedule the date soon."
At the Grand Duke's words, Rose smiled and nodded.
***
The Grand Duke returned to the mansion and headed straight to his study.
Neruan, who had been waiting for him in the garden, moved with him.
Neruan and the Grand Duke entered the study and sat down on the sofa facing each other.
"Judging by your expressions, it seems you had a rather successful day."
"Yes. Neruan, you should have seen my uncle's expression with me. It's a shame I enjoyed it alone."
Neruan shook his head at the Grand Duke's satisfied smile.
"What good would I gain from going to the palace? If some people recognize me, wouldn't all the plans you've been building up so far be ruined?"
Neruan muttered with a mysterious look in his eyes and added,
"Just remember that one promise. You said I'd take Duke Flice's head."
While the Grand Duke's anger was directed at the Emperor, Neruan's was directed at Duke Flice.
Because those two were the ones who had directly annihilated his own family.
"Yes. I promise that."
The Grand Duke nodded, looking at Neruan beside him.
He had been with Neruan for over ten years. He had planned revenge with him at the center.
The Grand Duke's gaze, looking at Neruan, who was much younger than him, was filled with complex emotions.
It had been an arduous and difficult path.
There were many times when he wanted to give up on revenge. He had felt the same way, so how much more so must Neruan, who was much younger than he, have felt?
Neruan truly persevered, driven by evil and brute force. He sought revenge against Duke Flice, who had annihilated his family.
The rumors that Neruan had come from a foreign land were false.
He was born and raised here.
When the current Emperor ascended to the throne, countless nobles who supported the Grand Duke were slaughtered.
Neruan's family was one of them.
His family was decimated by Duke Flice's knights, without exception. They killed everyone, old and young.
They plundered all the gold and silver and even stole the family's ancestral treasure, the "Tears of Luna," to escape. As if that weren't enough, they set fire to the massive mansion, burning it to the ground, leaving no trace. Neruan barely escaped that hellish place. If not for the help of his nanny, he too would have been reduced to ashes.
"There's only one reason I survived," he thought, and that was revenge. His sunken golden eyes gleamed darkly.
“Rose was a great help in this matter.”
Neruan’s expression hardened at the mention of Rose.
“...Is that so?”
Neruan’s expression seemed somewhat uncomfortable as he answered.
“Yes. She even prevented me from being accused of murdering the imperial family. Thanks to her, I even had a pretext for a counterattack.”
“I see.”
Neruan answered absentmindedly
“Chicagor. I must be the first to reveal the truth about that place. I will absolutely reveal that the Emperor is responsible there.”
He would probably first try to destroy the evidence of the human experimentation. He had to uncover all the crimes before that.
“Are you going in person, His Highness?”
The Grand Duke shook his head at Neruan’s question.
“No.”
I thought you would say you would leave immediately...? Neruan tilted his head at the unexpected answer.
“You can’t just leave suddenly at a time like this, can you?”
“Is there something important coming up?”
Was there some important matter of the Grand Duke that he didn't know about? Neruan perked up his ears and looked at him.
"Marriage."
"Marriage? Who around you gets married?"
The Grand Duke didn't particularly attend other nobles' weddings, so his answer remained ambiguous.
"No, my marriage."
"...Huh?!"
Neruan's eyes widened at the Grand Duke's calm words. Had the Grand Duke ever had a romantic relationship of any kind? Absolutely not. He had never even considered a political marriage, so the sudden development left him extremely bewildered. Only one person came to mind who would marry the Grand Duke.
'Rose de Serviat.'
Rose, the uninvited guest at the Artaeum Mansion, came to mind.
"Are you really getting married?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Who, really? Rose."
The Grand Duke's attitude, speaking so matter-of-factly, made Neruan furious.
'What I feared is finally happening.'
The Serviat young lady, obsessed with men, had finally managed to seduce the Grand Duke.
'...What happened all of a sudden? What happened at the palace?'
Something had to have happened. Otherwise, the developments wouldn’t have been this abrupt.
'As expected, the business was just an excuse. She was after His Highness the Grand Duke from the beginning.'
The daughter of the Serviat family had changed?
'That foolish woman wouldn’t change so easily.'
Even watching Rose prepare for the business, he felt uneasy. He felt she had a clear ulterior motive. And he had assumed her ultimate target would be the Grand Duke of Artaeum. Neruan mistakenly believed his prediction was perfectly accurate.
“She confessed to me.”
Neruan frowned at the Grand Duke’s words.
“You mean she confessed publicly at the palace?”
“Yes. You know it well enough without me having to say anything.”
Neruan was taken aback by the Grand Duke’s answer.
'She's a scarier woman than I thought.'
She was the same when she married Eric. Not only did she cling to him without warning, but she also frequently confessed her love in front of numerous nobles. Her outbursts were so extreme that people joked that begging for love was a habit of Rose's. Neruan has been acting quite docilely, just watching...
'I can't just stand by and watch any longer.'
Neruan thought he had to expel Rose, regardless of whether she had helped the Grand Duke in this matter or not.
'She survived by overcoming the lives of hundreds of people... and yet she behaves like that.'
Unlike his own family, which was annihilated, the Serviats survived.
The Serviats had to bear the weight of those who couldn't live even if they wanted to.
Neruan felt they had to bear the burden of their fellow nobles who had been brutally slaughtered by the Imperialists.
'... It wasn't people like you who should have survived, but my family.'
When he heard the news that she had gone on a rampage, claiming to be suicidal because of Eric, he was truly infuriated. From the beginning, he hated Rose, who had clung to the family of the enemy who had ruined his family, instead of feeling proud.
The sight of her being so obsessed with men that she didn't even live her own life and behaved so shabbily was nauseating.
The word 'parasite' that he had used last time had also been uttered out of disgust.
Neruan slowly rose from his seat and muttered to the Grand Duke,
“Are you done with the important matter?”
“I have a letter for Julius, please deliver it.”
The Grand Duke wrote a concise and clear letter to his old friend Julius and handed it to Neruan.
“Well, excuse me first.”
Neruan’s face hardened as he received the letter. His sunken eyes were filled with twisted resentment and hatred toward Rose.
He walked straight toward Rose’s room, ignoring the servants' greeting him.
He passed through the hallway and across the garden. The annex where Rose stayed drew closer and closer. Before he knew it, he stopped in front of her room.
Knock-knock-knock.
Neruan knocked on Rose’s door three times.
“Yes?”
Rose’s voice came from inside.
“It’s Neruan.”
“Oh, come in.”
As soon as he heard Rose’s answer, Neruan opened the door and went in.
He greeted her politely as usual and looked at Rose.
"What's going on?"
Rose looked at Neruan with wide eyes.
Neruan didn't hide his cold gaze; only the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
The Serviats had to bear the weight of those who couldn't live even if they wanted to.
Neruan felt they had to bear the burden of their fellow nobles who had been brutally slaughtered by the Imperialists.
'... It wasn't people like you who should have survived, but my family.'
When he heard the news that she had gone on a rampage, claiming to be suicidal because of Eric, he was truly infuriated. From the beginning, he hated Rose, who had clung to the family of the enemy who had ruined his family, instead of feeling proud.
The sight of her being so obsessed with men that she didn't even live her own life and behaved so shabbily was nauseating.
The word 'parasite' that he had used last time had also been uttered out of disgust.
Neruan slowly rose from his seat and muttered to the Grand Duke,
“Are you done with the important matter?”
“I have a letter for Julius, please deliver it.”
The Grand Duke wrote a concise and clear letter to his old friend Julius and handed it to Neruan.
“Well, excuse me first.”
Neruan’s face hardened as he received the letter. His sunken eyes were filled with twisted resentment and hatred toward Rose.
He walked straight toward Rose’s room, ignoring the servants' greeting him.
He passed through the hallway and across the garden. The annex where Rose stayed drew closer and closer. Before he knew it, he stopped in front of her room.
Knock-knock-knock.
Neruan knocked on Rose’s door three times.
“Yes?”
Rose’s voice came from inside.
“It’s Neruan.”
“Oh, come in.”
As soon as he heard Rose’s answer, Neruan opened the door and went in.
He greeted her politely as usual and looked at Rose.
"What's going on?"
Rose looked at Neruan with wide eyes.
Neruan didn't hide his cold gaze; only the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
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