Chapter 47

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

The expression on the Grand Duke’s face as he looked at me was strange. Somehow, he almost looked displeased.

“The imperial family would never approve of a marriage between two ducal families.”

“….?”

Why was he pointing out something everyone already knew?

‘Whatever, now’s really not the time for this.’

I pulled him aside into a shadowy corner.

“I’m sorry for grabbing you out of nowhere, but I needed to get us away from prying eyes and ears.”

“You know that marriages between high-ranking nobles require the imperial family’s approval, don’t you?”

“Why do you keep stating the obvious… Ah.”

Could it be he actually believed that rumor about me breaking off my engagement with Cleas and asking the Grand Duke to be my fiancé instead?

I looked at him closely to see if my guess was right.

‘Hmm, he really thinks that.’

Realizing that, I started to see the duke a bit differently. He didn’t seem like the cold-blooded monster with noble blood everyone made him out to be.

‘Well, considering all the rumors about me, I’m not really in a position to judge anyone else’s reputation.’

When I let out a little chuckle, the Grand Duke’s eyebrow twitched.

“I’m here to talk about your curse, Your Grace.”

His expression changed in an instant.

He suddenly looked every bit as icy and intimidating as the rumors said.

“I don’t know where you heard such baseless rumors—”

“It’s not just a rumor. It’s the truth. I even have proof, so let’s not waste time dancing around it.”

Before I regressed, I saw the curse emanating from him with my own eyes. So, what better proof could there be?

“I want to know just how far the curse has taken hold of you.”

The Grand Duke fixed his gaze on me.

There was a piercing, almost chilling sharpness in his blue gaze. He quietly studied my face for a moment before finally speaking.

“Why are you so curious about how far the curse has spread?”

‘As expected, he’s really impressive.’

He had inherited the title of grand duke at a young age and had shown greater brilliance than any of his predecessors.

He immediately saw how certain I was. Not only that, he didn’t bother denying the curse but went straight for my intentions. Denying the curse would only reveal a weakness. He must have decided it was better to find out what I was after and handle it, instead of showing any vulnerability.

That way, I can determine the true value of this item I worked so hard to prepare.

“Go on.”

“The worse your curse is, the more desperately Your Highness will need this. That means I can ask for a higher price.”

“And what exactly is this item?”

I gave him a gentle smile.

“Petra.”

“If that’s it, I have to say I’m disappointed. I’ve already confirmed Petra’s effectiveness, and I’ve just finished a deal with Bethril.”

“It’s not just ordinary Petra. This is…”

I carefully opened the box I had been keeping hidden inside my coat.

“This is stabilized Petra. It was crafted by the Tower Master himself, and it’s capable of dissolving only recognized curses.”

“….”

The Grand Duke fixed his eyes on the Petra in the box.

Where his gaze landed, magical runes appeared in the air.

‘He’s appraising it in silence, without even casting a spell? But the Tower Master personally reworked the magic on this, and at the highest level, too…’

There really was a reason everyone looked up to Grand Duke Akelos.

It was a little surprising that I was able to sense it firsthand. Even though I was the lady of the Delosif family, surrounded by incredible knights, powerful wizards, priests, and even those with special abilities, the Grand Duke’s power still seemed remarkable to me.

“Do you know a lot about magic?”

“Enough to know you’re not lying, my lady.”

As the glowing runes above the Petra disappeared, he turned his gaze to me.

“It’s clear the Tower Master worked on this. He’s probably the only person in the world who could reconstruct enchantments like this.”

“That’s right. So, now that you’ve inspected the item, shall we begin the deal?”

I gazed at him with a confident expression.

The item’s quality was guaranteed, and it was something he desperately needed.

‘There’s no way he can refuse this deal.’

—Or so I thought.

It was the first time I had ever seen him smile.

The Grand Duke gave me a slight smile and leaned in a bit closer.

He met my gaze and spoke.

“I refuse.”

…What?

Seriously?

Really?

‘This is Petra we’re talking about! Stabilized Petra!’

But the Grand Duke truly walked away as if he had no interest at all. I managed to catch him before he could disappear down the dark hallway.

“Why? You need this Petra, don’t you?!”

“And what makes you think I do?”

“Because you must be in terrible pain. Even with regular Petra, the pain would be enough to paralyze you, and if your enemies went after you the moment you’re that weak… huh?”

“If my enemies planned to attack when I was weak, they’d have done it by now. All they want is to keep me tied down by this curse.”

“….”

“But if they find out the curse is weakening, they’ll get nervous and start looking for a different way to come after me.”

“….”

He tilted his head to the side and looked at me.

“They’ll also figure out that you used stabilized Petra to weaken my curse.”

“That…”

“Are you sure you can handle it? Do you really think you can deal with enemies powerful enough to curse someone like me?”

“….”

The Grand Duke truly was an exceptional man.

He pointed out something I hadn’t even considered, leaving me speechless. Yeah, my only goal was just to hunt down those cheaters. It was only because the ones who killed me were a handful of incredibly powerful people that I even needed his help.

But…

‘The Grand Duke’s dealing with battles on a whole different scale than I am.’

That was what he was making clear.

In other words, he was telling me to get out while I still could.

“There won’t be any more conversations like this in the future. But let me give you one piece of advice first. Don’t go looking for a man this late at night.”

“…Pardon?”

“You should really know you’re a lot more attractive than you realize.”

“….”

And with that, he turned away and walked away.

As if he truly meant it, like this would be the last time we ever talked.

So I… I…

‘I can’t get those words out of my mind.’

“Find me. No matter what, find me. That way, you can save yourself.”

Those words that saved me.

I marched straight up to the Grand Duke before I stopped him in his tracks and scowled at him.

“Do you know what they call me?”

“I’d be pretty embarrassed if I had to say those nicknames out loud.”

“That’s right. I’m the notorious mad troublemaker.”

“….”

“I’m not afraid of anything anymore. Adding a few more names to my list of people to take revenge on is nothing.”

“….”

I gave a resigned little smile.

“So, let’s make a deal. I’ll give you this stabilized Petra.”

“And what do you want from me in exchange?”

I raised my index finger and pointed directly at his chest.

“You.”

“…That’s quite an expensive price.”

He gave a short, amused laugh.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

The next morning.

I woke up in a daze, still half-asleep in bed.

‘Yesterday… that wasn’t just a dream, was it?’

The deal I made with Grand Duke Akelos.

I glanced at the table.

The box with the Petra was gone.

Right, Grand Duke Akelos had taken it.

‘That was his way of saying he accepted the deal.’

And then…

“I need some proof you won’t change your mind.”
“As expected of Zerno Delosif’s sister. Thorough as ever.”
“Let’s start with you giving me your token of promise. I already gave you the real item, didn’t I?”

The Grand Duke agreed to give me a token of promise.

Although I tried asking when and what it would be, he just answered in riddles.

“No matter when or where, if you see it, you’ll know it’s something I sent.”

—That was all he said.

‘Is it going to be something like the Akelos family heirloom, the Godslayer (the sword that killed a god)?’

I was still mulling it over when—

“My lady, it’s time to get ready~”

Alice and the other maids rolled in with big smiles, pushing several carts.

“Oh, that’s today?”

“Yes! The garden party is today!”

It was a festival held to celebrate the day when the flowers were in full bloom. Because of it, even nobles open their gardens to everyone, including commoners, to enjoy the day.

‘That’s why Selena invited me to the garden.’

The maids were bursting with energy.