I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

The Duke of Blair visited Fernan’s mansion about an hour before Julia arrived.

 

Next to the Duke, his daughter Cornelia stood.

 

Fernan said, “I didn’t know your daughter was coming with us.”

 

In contrast to his indifferent voice, Fernan’s eyes showed a somewhat annoyed look.

 

The Duke of Blair has repeatedly requested a face-to-face meeting since the founding of the country.

 

Since he expressed his intention to visit the Archduke in person, there was no reason to refuse, so he obediently accepted, but he never thought he would come with a needless hump.

 

She said, “I came because I wanted to see Your Highness once again. “I think you misunderstood me on the day of the banquet.”

 

Cornelia laughed lightly. After seeing that snake-like smile, Fernan vaguely remembered meeting that woman on the terrace on the day of the banquet.

 

Then He felt uncomfortable, and at the same time, he felt like he knew why the father and daughter came here.

 

“Let’s sit down first.”

 

Fernan, who had been staring at them impassively, nodded and guided them to their seats.

 

As soon as Duke Blair sat down, he smiled with a solemn expression and opened his mouth.

 

“Marquis Elodie’s feet are probably on fire by now. “How did he know that I was leaving here? He went crazy like a crazy person.”

 

The Marquis was a man adept at gathering information by putting his feet up here and there. He was probably fully aware of Duke Blair’s current situation.

 

“It would be easier to deal with it if the Grand Duke knew in advance.”

 

Fernan narrowed his eyebrows slightly, as if annoyed. He was pictured running to the emperor to report the situation.

 

He would offend the Emperor by saying that the Archduke had evil intentions and was in contact with another family.

 

“Well, but. “I heard from my daughter the other day that the Archduke is already considering divorce.”

 

At the duke’s subtle words, memories of the banquet day flashed through Fernan’s mind again.

 

The words that Julia kept coming towards me were annoying.

 

‘Do you think this marriage will last forever?’

 

When he recalled that moment, Fernan, who felt somewhat depressed, looked up and answered in a cold voice.

 

“It seems like your daughter is quite soft-spoken. “I never thought you would relay the conversation you overheard like a rat.”

 

Cornelia visibly flinched at the cold words. Without even looking at her, Fernan continued his words indifferently.

 

“So, the reason you came here isn’t just because you’re curious about my divorce.”

 

“Oh, of course.”

 

The duke, momentarily embarrassed by the bad mood, soon cleared his throat and began to get to the point.

 

The reason the duke approached Fernan was to attract him to the aristocratic faction.

 

Currently, Fernan was in a neutral position, not belonging to any party, but his shell belonged to the emperor’s faction.

 

In addition to the fact that he was the emperor’s nephew, the biggest reason was that he was betrothed to the Marquise Elodie Daughter.

 

“You are currently in a relationship with a marquis, but… Well, isn’t divorce something you can do at any time?”

 

“… … .”

 

“Of course, making a hasty move is enough to raise His Majesty’s suspicions. But that is only when there is no reason.”

 

Duke Blair added in a meaningful tone.

 

“If the Grand Duchess had a major flaw that made divorce inevitable, the story would be different.”

 

The duke continued speaking with a calm expression on his face.

 

“Even if you don’t have anything to complain about, it’s okay to force a defect like that. Yes, it would be nice to spread a few fatal scandals to a young and beautiful lady.”

 

At the Duke’s next words, Fernan unconsciously clenched his fist tightly. Blood sprouted on the back of his hand.

 

Fernan, who was staring at the duke with a somewhat sad gaze, soon returned to his expressionless face.

 

“I don’t know what to do, since you even made plans for my divorce.”

 

Even though he was being sarcastic to the fullest, the duke skillfully brushed off his words and continued.

 

“Because the Archduke’s divorce is an essential element of the plan I am proposing.”

 

When Fernan tilted his head as if to tell him about his grand plan, the duke lifted his mouth.

 

“After the divorce, please join our family.”

 

“… … .”

 

“Don’t you know? “If you carry my family on your back, Your Majesty will not be angry for long.”

 

Fernan, who had been quietly listening to the Duke, let out a small sneer.

 

Fernan guessed it, but it was so funny that was really the purpose of their visit.

 

An obvious rip-off to force her daughter to fall for him. He was no different from the Marquis of Elodie.

 

“This is your chance to escape from the shadow of the imperial family. “Wasn’t it an unreasonable marriage in many ways that the Grand Duke never wanted from the beginning?”

 

What the duke said was not wrong. Fernan never wanted this marriage, and could have ended it at any time if the opportunity presented itself.

 

But why, at this moment, does the question Julia asked come to mind?

 

‘When are you planning on divorcing me?’

 

When Fernan thought of her face as she asked in her quiet voice, his mood instantly sank to the bottom.

 

For some reason, He felt like his heart was sinking heavily.

 

The truth about her is that whenever he thinks of her these days, he always gets this feeling.

 

why… .

 

Fernan, lost in thought in front of the duke, narrowed his brows. The endless afterimage of Julia completely engulfed his mind.

 

I trip, fall, and get hurt every time. She is a woman who keeps getting on my nerves even though I try to ignore her.

 

Even if he hurts her with rude words, she still worries about him, and is a strange woman who does not show a single ounce of anger even when she is treated by those under her.

 

It was annoying to look at him with her clear eyes, so Fernan tried desperately to push them away, but she was always the same.

 

She was like that in her heart. She didn’t know when or why.

 

She couldn’t admit it, so she looked away, but her face would always pop up, and she would completely confuse his mind.

 

‘… ‘Have I finally gone crazy?’

 

Yeah, it must have been crazy.

 

“grandee?”

 

At the sound of a voice calling him, Fernan finally raised his head. And he stared at the Duke and Cornelia who were looking at her.

 

He know that joining hands with the Duke of Blair would be convenient in many ways. But he didn’t have the slightest desire to do so.

 

Rather, he and Julia… .

 

Fernán, whose eyes were consumed with confusion, raised his gaze and opened his mouth.

 

“The Duke of Blair.”

 

Fernan, putting aside his tangled mind and calming his expression, continued speaking in a voice that suddenly became firmer.

 

“I have no intention of getting divorced. So, don’t come to me for things like this anymore.”

 

The Duke, who sent Cornelia out, tried to persuade Fernan for a long time.

 

But when he didn’t get any results, he returned to the capital, promising to do it later.

 

She knew the duke wasn’t a great man who would give up easily, but that didn’t matter anymore. Because Fernan had no intention of going back on his will any longer.

 

He still didn’t know the identity of this uneasy feeling he felt every time he thought of Julia.

 

If I look at her face and listen to her voice, will I be able to find out what this restless heart is?

 

Fernan returned to the castle earlier than usual and headed toward Julia’s room, passing by all the servants who greeted him.

 

He stopped in front of a large door and knocked on it without hesitation.

 

Not long after, the door opened and Julia appeared.

 

Julia looked up at him without saying a word. Her pale face was expressionless, and Fernan didn’t even hear her say hello as usual.

 

Fernan looked at her quizzically and then opened his mouth.

 

“What were you doing?”

 

Julia lowered her gaze and softly pursed her lips.

 

“I was just sitting there.”

 

Her voice was subtly  muffled. he was also subconsciously checking to see if she was in pain, and at that moment, she took out something of her own.

 

“Here is a letter addressed to Your Highness. I was going to drop it off herself, but something came up… .”

 

Fernan took the letter, glanced at the sender, and roughly stuffed it into his arms. He saw that it was an urgent letter from the marquis, so there was no need to read it.

 

Uncharacteristically, Fernan hesitated for a moment and then blurted out in passing.

 

“Have you eaten yet?”

 

“yes.”

 

“Then let’s go down together now.”

 

Julia looked up at him quietly, then lowered her gaze to her street clothes.

 

She answered calmly after seeing that his clothes were the same as he had worn them in the morning.

 

“You’d better change your clothes first. “I’ll go down first and wait.”

 

With those words, Julia passed him by. For some reason, the sight of her back as she walked seemed different from usual.

 

Fernan looked at Julia as she walked away for a long time, then turned away from her.