“What insolent and disrespectful behavior is this?”
I spat the words out, glaring up at him.
Ha, Hayden Roger let out a cold, hollow laugh.
It seemed he’d finally given up pretending to put on a convincing smile in front of me.
‘Not that it matters anyway…’
I shifted my gaze to the arm blocking my path, right next to me.
One hand was rudely gripping the Grand Duches’s arm, while the other brazenly rested against the wall.
All this, even in the imperial palace where every wall and pillar has eyes and ears, despite the lack of visible people?
‘Has he completely lost his mind?’
That was the conclusion my mind inevitably came to.
I refused to back down, staring him down defiantly before jerking my shoulder to shake off his hand.
For how strongly he had been gripping my arm—enough to make it throb—Hayden Roger surprisingly let go without much resistance.
I narrowed my eyes, deliberately twisting my lips into a mocking smile.
“You used to know how to be careful. Have you lost your mind so completely that you can’t even distinguish time and place anymore?”
It was a blatant taunt.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much of a reaction.
The Hayden Roger I knew would have dismissed such provocations as utterly laughable.
But this time was different.
Whether he’d truly lost his mind, was burning with rage, or just annoyed beyond measure, my words froze his expression in an icy grimace.
Then he let out a bitter scoff.
“…Still as clueless as ever, I see. It seems you’ve grown so intoxicated with your role as Grand Duchess Consort that you’ve completely lost your grip on reality.”
His low voice, cold and sharp like a finely honed blade, was laced with menace.
To think I once considered him to have a “gentle demeanor”—that thought now felt utterly absurd as I faced the venom in his expression.
But I had experienced far too much in a short time to be shaken by a man like Hayden Roger.
“Well, this is the imperial palace, where every wall and column has ears. Isn’t it clear who truly lacks self-awareness here? Though I’ll admit, I do admire the audacity it takes to lay hands on the Grand Duchess.”
I calmly shot back, closely observing his expression.
I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what had him so riled up.
If anything, Ian renouncing his claim to the throne should have been a welcome boon for the extreme pro-emperor faction.
It made no sense for him to lose his composure over it.
‘What’s going on with him?’
But this wasn’t the time or place to carefully analyze the reason behind his behavior.
After staring at me for a long moment, Hayden Roger slowly closed his eyes, as though trying to suppress the anger welling up inside him. He exhaled deeply.
When he reopened his eyelids, revealing his dark green eyes, they were calm, a stark contrast to the burning fury they had displayed earlier.
‘The way he changes his expression in an instant…’
I didn’t particularly feel like complimenting him, but I had to admit it was impressive.
Well, it was that same skill in controlling his expression that had allowed him to deceive me so shamelessly all this time.
He tilted my chin upward and leaned in, casting a shadow over me.
“…Your Highness, the Grand Duchess, I believe I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”
His tone, strangely soft and gentle, was unsettling.
“I am the only one who can truly help you. You can’t stay lost in this role forever. I thought I had made that clear to you.”
The hand gripping my chin tightened slightly.
“It seems my earnest concerns have fallen on deaf ears.”
“Well, seeing as you’ve stooped to grabbing me and spouting nonsense, I’d say ignoring your words was the right decision.”
I smacked his hand away again and retorted mockingly.
“…….”
His gaze, sharp enough to kill, bore into me.
Even in this tense standoff, I still couldn’t pinpoint what had set him off.
But one thing was clear:
‘This isn’t just about supporting the emperor or anything like that.’
There was no way blind loyalty alone could fuel such madness.
If Hayden Roger hadn’t been acting so threatening, I might have taken the time to ponder what lay beneath his behavior.
But unfortunately for him, I had no intention of doing so now.
The man was clearly out of his mind—what use was there in trying to understand him?
Perhaps my composed demeanor irritated him further. Hayden Roger took a step back and ran a hand through his wavy brown hair.
“I don’t know how long you think you can keep up this charade.”
“…….”
“But you should at least understand this: it won’t last. Do you really believe Ian Cloud will continue to value you, even knowing you’re a ‘fake’? How pitiful.”
A derisive laugh slipped through his crimson lips.
I furrowed my brows without realizing it.
“…….”
“Haha, from your silence, it seems you’re not entirely clueless.”
While I could dismiss most of his words as nonsense, this particular remark struck a nerve.
Even I couldn’t predict how Ian would react when I told him about the “real me.”
My fists clenched reflexively.
Hayden Roger seemed pleased with my momentary loss of words, smiling brightly as he swept back my disheveled hair.
A creeping discomfort rose within me, entirely different from when Ian touched me.
“Remove your hand.”
“As I’ve said before, I’m trying to be on your side. If things go according to my plan, you won’t get hurt.”
“…….”
“So don’t try anything foolish and cooperate with me. That would be the wisest choice for you.”
Half-lidded eyes languidly watching my hair slip through his fingers, he finally locked gazes with me.
His gentle, almond-shaped eyes, holding dark green irises, curved gracefully as he smiled.
“I hope you make the right decision before it’s too late. I haven’t given up hope for you yet.”
Hayden Roger, who had been stroking my hair for what felt like an eternity, finally stepped back.
Only then did the stifling air feel like it had cleared.
“Well then, Your Grace, the wise Grand Duchess.”
“…….”
“I’ll be waiting for your response.”
Gone was the sinister tone and chilling expression from moments earlier. Once again, he had perfectly transformed back into the polished and composed “Duke Hayden Roger,” wearing a mechanical smile.
I could do nothing but watch his retreating figure, frozen in place, until he disappeared from sight.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Could it be that Duke Hayden Roger secretly harbors unrequited love for His Majesty the Emperor?”
Cough!
Kyle, who was setting down a thick report and reference materials on my desk, choked.
Resting my chin on my hand, I had been staring blankly at a random spot on the desk. At his reaction, I raised my head.
Kyle met my gaze with an incredulous expression.
“Your Grace, how can you say such blasphemous things while I’m in the middle of putting down a report?”
“If we’re talking about blasphemy, you’re undoubtedly the most talented in that area.”
“At least I wouldn’t dare utter His Majesty’s name in vain.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t, if you value your life.”
I dismissed him lightly, and Kyle’s face twisted into a half-pout.
“But Your Grace, you’re the one who brought up such an absurd topic out of nowhere!”
“I don’t know. It just crossed my mind. Haven’t you heard anything about it?”
“About His Majesty and Duke Hayden Roger? Please, don’t say such things. His Majesty is already…”
“Alright, enough.”
Seeing where this was headed, I quickly waved a hand to cut him off before he could go on endlessly and turned my attention to the documents Kyle handed me.
They were materials on “sorcery” within Levant, something I’d asked him to gather before.
I hadn’t expected much, but the results were far more sparse than I anticipated—barely over ten books and fewer than a hundred pages of reports.
“…Is this really all of it?”
For a nation as vast as the Levant Empire, I had imagined there would be at least ten times this amount.
Didn’t Eloise say she had spent an entire year researching sorcery?
Kyle scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Of course, this isn’t everything. But this is the best I could gather without borrowing the power of the Grand Duke’s household or exposing my identity.”
“Ah…”
“Last year, Your Grace wasn’t particularly secretive about your searches, so it was easier. But this time, it would be quite problematic if word got out, wouldn’t it?”
“True.”
The worst-case scenario would be Ian finding out.
Even so, the materials Kyle brought were of decent quality, ranging from spells that could make someone “disappear” to rituals for swapping bodies. However, there wasn’t a single mention of what I was specifically looking for.
‘As expected, there’s no detailed information here about the spell Eloise allegedly attempted.’
I’d need to examine everything more closely, though.
Flipping through the reports Kyle had compiled, I eventually set the papers down.
“You’ve done well. This time, the timeline was a bit tight, but if possible…”
Before I could finish my sentence, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Eloise.”
At the sound of the voice from outside, Kyle and I exchanged pale, alarmed looks.
• • •
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