Chapter 17

“This is my proposal.”

A radiant smile, one she had never seen before, briefly flickered across his face beneath the moonlight before fading away. That expression, clearly visible even in the dark, felt like a rare glimpse into his true feelings.

Anais studied him quietly, then gave a small nod.

For the first time, she could believe that his happiness was genuine.

“I’d like to have the wedding as soon as possible.”

“I was hoping for the same.”

The ring the Grand Duke slid onto her finger fit her perfectly. As she stared at it in a daze, he took her hand and didn’t let go. When she glanced up from their clasped hands, he met her gaze with a gentle smile that softened his eyes.

The tenderness made her blink and look away, flustered, before she finally spoke.

“As for the terms of the contract…”

“Let us draft them together, through mutual agreement, before the wedding.”

With everything important said, Anais was thinking it was time to head back before it got too late, when the Grand Duke asked.

“What is that?”

“…Ah.”

His gaze had landed on the box of poison she had been clutching in one hand since earlier. She had taken it out with the intention of giving it to her father after receiving it from Madam Jade.

Having completely forgotten about it until now, Anais quickly tried to brush it off.

“It’s nothing.”

“You’ve been holding it tightly for a while now. Is it something precious? Precious enough to bring with you to the Grand Duchy?”

“No.”

The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow with curiosity and asked again.

“Then, do you need it?”

“…No.”

As he watched Anais shake her head repeatedly, he tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“In that case, leave it here.”

He extended his hand toward her, as if asking for the box.

“If it’s truly nothing, there’s no reason to carry it around. Throw it away.”

His casually spoken words echoed in Anais’s mind. She looked down silently at the box in her hand.

“….”

He was right.

The box containing poison was something that had been forced on her and held no use for her. Once she reached that conclusion, there was no reason to hesitate any longer. Anais moved immediately, tossing the box she had been holding under the bench.

“That was a wise decision.”

As the weight in one of her hands disappeared, the Grand Duke gently tightened his grip on the other, the one he had been holding since placing the ring on her finger. Feeling his steady presence through that simple touch, Anais looked up at him and smiled.

With a shrug, the Grand Duke asked.

“Shall we head in now?”

She nodded and rose from her seat, feeling lighter than before.

Leaving behind the box that had once weighed her down, she took his hand and walked forward. The spot where she left it was rarely checked by the servants, so it would probably take days before the box was discovered. By then, she would be far from here.

Though every action she took was carefully calculated, it was the Grand Duke who gave her the strength to follow through.

As she made her way back to her room, quietly grateful to him, her mind circled back to the thought that had never left her since their very first meeting.

‘Is this man… really the one who will kill me?’

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

The next morning, just after sunrise.

The Grand Duke informed Viscount Nectar that he would be taking Anais to a townhouse owned by the Grand Duchy. Having already signed a contract promising not to interfere with the marriage and received his payment, the viscount could only agree.

Before stepping into the black carriage parked in the modest garden of the viscount’s estate, which lacked even a single flower bed, Anais stood in front of the old house one last time, holding a small suitcase as she said her final farewells. Despite the fact that the viscount’s daughter and direct heir was leaving the estate for good, the only ones there to see her off were Nectar and Madam Jade. Even that seemed more like a courtesy for the Grand Duke’s sake than a genuine farewell to Anais.

“Your Highness, thank you for gracing our estate with your presence. We’d be honored if you visited again sometime.”

Nectar’s lips curled into a greedy smile as his gaze flicked between the Grand Duke and Anais.

Rather than offering a word of concern or a blessing to his daughter before her marriage, he stepped aside and motioned for several servants to move forward.

“These are your maids. Take them along.”

A few maids, carrying much larger and fuller bags than Anais herself, lined up in front of her.

“I trust the Grand Duchy will have no trouble accommodating a few of Anais’s personal attendants. Ahem.”

Deliberately ignoring the Grand Duke’s narrowing eyes, Nectar gave Anais a dismissive wave.