CH 01
“……ah.”
At that moment, Grace’s vision cleared and she saw the man in front of her, Arthur Felix.
Grace let out a small exclamation that sounded like a scream.
The overall shape of the man was exactly as she had seen him behind the veil, so there was nothing to be alarmed about, but what caused her to let out the sound was the different color of his eyes, which were clearly visible through the mask.
The left was a sapphire blue, like a clear summer sky, while the right was a reddish ruby, like the flames of hell.
The moment Grace looked into his eyes, which had a mesmerizing quality, she understood why he was called the Monster Duke.
He doesn’t look human at all.
Grace swallowed hard at the fear that flooded her at the sight of those strange, strange eyes and looked away from his gaze.
Then his eyes, which had been fixed on her the whole time, seemed to tremble.
“Do you, the groom, Sir Arthur Graham Felix, do you take Grace Marie Alberton to be your bride and do you pledge to spend the rest of your lives with her?”
“…….”
The Pope read the words of the marriage vows in a clerical voice, seemingly oblivious to the complicated glances that passed between them.
Then, looking at Grace, who was avoiding his gaze, he answered slowly. There was a slight pause, but there was no hesitation in his answer.
His voice sounded better than she had expected, and his answer made her heart drop to the floor with a thud.
“Do you, then, Miss Grace Marie Alverton, the bride, take the bridegroom, Arthur Graham Felix, to be your husband, and do you pledge yourself to him for life?”
After hearing Arthur’s answer, the pop came back and asked for Grace’s vows as well.
‘……I wonder if I should.’
Grace wondered if she should just run away at this point, if she would have to give a false answer of “for life” in a sacred marriage officiated by the Pope
No. I can’t do that.
But then she realized that if she ran away from the wedding, the poisoning she had narrowly escaped would come back to haunt her.
Grace swallowed dryly, drew in a short, deep breath, and turned to face his oddly shaped eyes, one blue and one red, which had been staring back at her the entire time, and answered with a declaration.
“Yes, I will.”
As her answer burst forth, his eyes widened slightly behind his mask, and the guests around him burst into cheers.
Grace squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her ears ringing from the cheers, which she couldn’t tell if they were a blessing or a mockery. From this moment on, she would be the ‘Bride of the Monster Duke’.
* * *
Duke Arthur Felix, the greatest knight in the empire, owner of the largest estate in the empire, Felix Castle in the North. With the noble title of being the nephew of the First Emperor, and the power of never having been defeated in battle since he first went to war and distinguished himself at the age of seventeen.
And the knight, a man of great stature, a head taller than most men, was as famous for his unusual appearance as for his accomplishments.
A head taller than most men, with eyes as blue as sapphires on the left and as red as rubies on the right.
He was a man of great ability and rare odd eyes, and people feared him.
For he was cursed.
It began with the untimely death of Elektra, the princess of the Duchy of Royenne, to whom he had been betrothed in an arranged marriage.
The death of his first wife, Duchess Felix, came less than a year after their marriage and was dismissed by many as mere bad luck.
But when every woman who approached him, attracted by his status and wealth, died or went insane within a year, rumors of his infamy began to circulate among the nobility.
The rumor, coupled with his uncommon odd eyes, has spread like wildfire among the nobility, with every single woman who approaches Duke Arthur Felix either dying or going insane.
What caused this curse?
The nobles who gossiped behind Duke Felix’s back came to believe that his odd eyes were the cause of all the curses.
The black mask he wore in honor of his wife became a shield to hide his cursed face. The rumor spread to his younger brother, Leon Felix, whom his mother, the Emperor’s sister, had given birth to.
That his odd eyes are cursed, too.
All the women who associate with him will die or go mad.
Avoiding the vicious rumors and pointing fingers, Duke Arthur Felix moved to the northern Felix territory with his brother Leon Felix, who looks just like him and has a odd eye, as if they were taking refuge, half a year of snow falls.
* * *
The wedding was over in a flash, as if it had been performed without proper engagement formalities.
The Albertsons didn’t even give Grace time to say goodbye to Castle Alberton; they wanted her to go straight to Felix’s estate.
Grace had no intention of staying at Alberton Castle for another day, so she was ready to go straight to Felix’s estate.
After removing her gorgeous wedding gown, which was not quite right for her, and changing into more comfortable clothes for the carriage ride, Grace was met by Arthur, who was waiting for her.
When she spotted him leaning stiffly against the church wall, she gasped in surprise.
“……I’m sorry, have you been waiting long?”
“No.”
Arthur gave a short answer to Grace’s question, then turned on his heel and walked out of the church onto the long carpet.
Grace followed after him, frowning slightly at the rudeness of his unannounced departure.
“Grace, live happily ever after.”
“I hope you have an heir with magical abilities, Grace, and don’t make him or her as unhappy as you are.”
“Marianne! Hmmm. ……Be well behaved as hostess of Felix’s estate from now on.”
“……Yes, I will.”
Standing in front of a large carriage painted with the falcon that symbolized the Felix family, Grace was seen off by her family.
They showered her with words, both blessings and curses, as if she had just finished an annoying and troublesome task that had been put off for a long time. Grace waved them off and climbed into the carriage, assisted by the maids who stood by her side.
“……?”
But something was strange. Even though there were easily six seats, Arthur’s figure was nowhere to be seen inside the carriage. She thought he would naturally be the first to get into the carriage without even being escorted.
At the sight of Arthur’s invisible form, Grace turned to the coachman who had come to close the door and asked.
“Excuse me, sir, but the Duke is not getting into the carriage?”
Yes, madam. His Majesty is getting on the carriage reserved for the Duke in front of me.
“……Ah, I see.”
“Then we will be on our way soon, madam, and you may rest easy.”
With those words, the coachman closed the carriage door and disappeared into the cabin.
Grace let out a short sigh and leaned back against the padded backrest of the carriage, knowing she was the only one left in the carriage.
The ride to Felix’s estate was a long one, taking a full day no matter how fast she drove the horses, and she wondered how she would endure the long, awkward, uncomfortable hours sitting with Arthur, but it seemed to be a fateful one.
“maybe it’s a good thing I’m here.”
Grace was a little glad that she didn’t have to sit in the carriage, facing the strange and terrifying Odd-Eye over and over again.
Grace crossed her arms and closed her stiff eyes.
She would ask for a short rest until she reached Felix’s estate.
* * *
The procession of carriages carrying Duke Arthur Felix and his new bride, Duchess Grace Marie Felix, drove through the long castle.
Over mountains, across rivers, and after a long day’s ride, the carriage finally arrived at the gates of Felix’s castle, and after a short inspection, they drove straight into the mansion.
“……Oh my.”
Grace, who had woken up in the meantime, surreptitiously opened the carriage window and observed the scenery of Felix Castle.
In her previous life, and now in this one, she had only ever been to the Alberton estate in the capital and the convent where she had last stayed.
Unlike the capital, where the leaves were just beginning to turn red in the fall, the white snow piled up to the height of the carriage wheels, the rough stone mansion, and the clean smoke from the chimneys billowing into the inky black sky were both desolate and comforting.
Grace felt a cold breeze blow through the open windows, drawing her attention to the white, snow-covered landscape outside.
“My lady, we have arrived at the mansion.”
“I see.”
The carriage came to a halt, and the coachman’s voice could be heard outside the door announcing their arrival at the mansion. Soon the closed carriage door was opened, and Grace smoothed down the hem of her disheveled dress.
“……ah.”
“……Please, hand.”
The moment the door opened, Grace saw Arthur, who had arrived in a different carriage from hers.
He had apparently arrived at the mansion first, as he had run ahead of her carriage, and was waiting for her in front of it.
“When I got on the carriage, it didn’t seem like they would ever provide an escort.”
She wondered if he had thought they would be kind to her by coming to the mansion.
Grace shook her head and stepped out of the carriage, taking his hand as he held it out to her.
“Thank you……!”
But the moment she stepped out of the carriage, Arthur let go of her hand as if to shake it off.
Before she could even finish thanking him, he was already walking toward the wide-open front door of the mansion.
“……ha!”
“It is an honor to meet you, my lady. I am Robert Heinz, butler of St. Felix Castle.”
“Robert, I’ll take care of guiding this person, so you can go back to the annex and get Leon’s dinner ready.” (Arthur said)
“……Ah, yes, sir. At your service, Your Excellency.”
“Follow me.”
Grace gave a short, hollow laugh and watched Arthur’s back as he walked away, leaving only the words to follow him.
The way he shrugged off her hand and walked away, as if he didn’t want to be touched, made her feel like he was a monster.
‘I wonder if he thinks I’m just a normal, incompetent woman with no magical abilities.
Is that why he thinks he can ignore me like this?
As the thought crossed her mind, Grace felt herself getting upset.
But then she shook her head as if to dismiss the thought. It was one of her bad habits to read too much into other people’s actions and words.
“……I’ll say goodbye properly later, Roberts.”
“No, please, follow His Excellency.”
With that, Grace gave a quick bow to the butler, Roberts, and followed Arthur, who was already well ahead of her.
