I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

“Now you have one more reason to divorce me.”

Recalling the past she wanted to forget, a weary tone automatically escaped her.

Fernan slightly furrowed his smooth forehead as he looked at her, muttering resignedly.

Julia continued speaking undeterred.

“My background will be a legitimate reason for divorce. You have the right to demand substantial compensation from my family.”

A deep sense of emptiness spread across her face.

At least to him, she didn’t want to reveal the fact that she was an illegitimate child. She was afraid he would reject her even more.

But now, it didn’t matter. No, it might even be for the best.

A woman who hid the fact that she was an illegitimate child and took the position of Grand Duchess. There was no way that noble man would accept someone like her.

He never wanted her as his wife from the beginning, so it was only natural.

“So, if you decide to divorce me again, I’ll accept it without a word.”

As Julia kept talking about divorce, Fernan’s face twisted with complex emotions.

Julia, unaware of his reaction, lowered her gaze.

When he remained silent for too long, she looked up at him again and involuntarily flinched.

His eyes were different than usual. They were always calm and cold, but now they seemed to be boiling with something.

“If I divorce you…”

“…”

“Where could you go?”

Despite his intense gaze, his question came out calmly, making it hard for Julia to answer easily.

She hadn’t yet planned where she would go or how she would live.

“That…”

As Julia trailed off, Fernan took a step closer to her.

“If you return to your family after being exposed as an illegitimate child, there’s no guarantee that things will be better than now.”

Fernan suddenly reached out and touched her cheek.

Startled by the unexpected contact, Julia’s eyes twitched.

Meanwhile, his hand, which had just brushed her cheek, gently stroked her disheveled light brown hair.

The touch was faint, but his voice gradually filled with intense determination.

“Even in the same hell, you might think being by my side was better.”

Julia’s gaze began to waver at his words.

Hell… As she chewed over his words, his hand, which had been stroking her hair, moved down to her delicate jawline.

“I can’t give you a divorce.”

Staring at her trembling lips, Fernan slightly tightened his grip on her jaw.

“So stay here and pay for daring to deceive me.”

With her chin lifted, Julia found herself looking directly at him, hearing her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

His eyes, burning like fire, held a strange emotion she couldn’t fathom.

Julia bit her lip and turned her face away from him.

Even if this place was hell, he was telling her to stay quietly.

To pay for daring to deceive him…

Repeating his words, Julia murmured in a faint but clear voice.

“Why… why are you doing this?”

She was just beginning to feel like she could move forward, but this man was so easily blocking her way.

Julia put a bit more strength into her soft voice.

“You said I was annoying and that you disliked me.”

Despite her clear ending, Fernan gave no answer.

He just kept looking down at her for a long time.

Finally, Fernan, who had been lingering in the air, placed his hand back on her cheek.

“Didn’t you say you loved me?”

His words made her heart drop.

“Then don’t ask for reasons and stay quietly by my side.”

His low voice continued to penetrate her ears from the now closer distance.

“If what you want is love, I can give it to you.”

His long fingers slowly stroked her lower lip. Startled by the hot touch, Julia involuntarily held her breath.

As she lifted her disoriented gaze, she saw an unfamiliar heat mixed in his eyes.

It was a heat that didn’t quite fit the situation.

Then he lowered his head deeply, staring at her with just a word’s distance remaining.

Julia, coming to her senses too late, tried to turn her face away, but his hand on her cheek held her face firmly towards him.

Their eyes met again.

“Let… let go…”

As she weakly tried to push him away, he lowered his lips onto hers.

Her words were swallowed entirely by their meeting lips.

Julia, unable to grasp the situation, felt the unfamiliar sensation of his lips against hers.

Her body froze completely.

‘What is this…’

Without giving her a chance to push him away, the solid touch of his tongue parted her lips.

Julia, twitching, tried to turn her head, but the firm hand on her jaw immediately stopped her.

As the hot sensation continued to invade her mouth, Julia froze, unable even to close her eyes.

The sound of saliva mingling grew louder, and their breaths grew heavier. Julia’s neck began to tremble.

As if to give her a moment to breathe, his lips slightly parted. She finally managed to take a deep breath.

But soon, his lips came crashing back, blocking her breath again.

She pushed hard against his chest, but his solid body didn’t budge.

Her legs suddenly gave out. His arm around her waist held her firmly as her body wobbled.

Through her increasingly blurred vision, she saw Fernan’s face, different from usual, with a different warmth.

Julia, trembling, clutched his collar tightly. In the meantime, her body was suddenly lifted.

Even as she instinctively placed her hands on his shoulders, their lips did not part.

She felt the soft surface of a bed under her back without needing to check.

The kiss that had continued for a while finally stopped.

In the still-close proximity, his hot breath brushed against her. The ribbon behind her was swiftly untied by his hand.

Cold air touched her exposed shoulders.

Julia, struggling