Episode 15

“Grand Duke Elzerian, are you serious?”

The Duke, realizing too late what he had said, stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“……”

I could practically hear the gears turning in the Duke’s head as he stood there, lips pressed together.

We both knew we were from enemy families, and this was right after such an incident.

He must be wondering why Chris was suddenly courting me.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised too.

‘Though I hoped Chris would act for the future…’

I hadn’t expected him to go so far as to offer his brooch. I stared at Chris, but his thoughts, as always, were unreadable.

“Ahem. I’ll hold onto this for now.”

The brooch ended up in the Duke’s hand instead of mine. The Empress Dowager, observing the situation, gently interjected.

“Haha. It seems the Grand Duke has feelings as well. How delightful.”

A satisfied smile spread across her face. She acted quite boldly, arranging a match between enemy families.

“Could it be a meeting of a handsome man and a beautiful woman?”

“…If it happens, Grandmother.”

I blushed to match the Crown Prince’s mocking tone. Half of it was feigned shyness, but the other half was genuine. I could feel the heat rising to my ears. There was a strange tickle inside my chest.

The Empress Dowager continued with a kind smile.

“Perhaps this will be welcomed even in the North. The Grand Duke has never shown interest in women.”

“Exactly, Grandmother. There were even rumors about potential issues with his succession.”

The Crown Prince added sarcastically.

‘Ridiculous.’

This man, who constantly flirted everywhere, should be more worried about catching some nasty disease. He should worry about his succession. Instead of pointing this out, I quietly observed the situation.

The Crown Prince continued to taunt the Grand Duke.

“If this works out, it will clear up that dishonor. It must be unfair for the Grand Duke, as he is surely a capable man.”

“……”

“Indeed. How could he not be stirred by such a beautiful lady?”

His gaze was quite blatant as he looked at me. He probably found it amusing to toy with the Grand Duke’s potential future woman.

‘He’s savoring the soup before even getting the bread.’

Just then, the Empress Dowager intervened.

“Calm down, Crown Prince. There’s a young lady I wish to introduce to you separately.”

“Hmm.”

“Yes, Duke Reinhardt. There is another daughter in the Reinhardt family, isn’t there?”

“Indeed. I had intended to introduce her today.”

From his trailing words, it seemed that things hadn’t gone as planned. No wonder the Crown Prince wasn’t with Aria.

My collapse had caused a bigger stir than expected.

‘Well, they had to clean up quickly to avoid suspicion falling on the Duke’s family.’

Instead of introducing Aria to the Crown Prince, they must have been busy covering things up. I had unintentionally interfered with Aria and the Crown Prince’s meeting.

“I’m sure there will be another opportunity to introduce her.”

“This young lady here seems like a gem as well.”

The Crown Prince’s gaze lingered on me as he continued. The Duke cleared his throat uncomfortably.

‘He’s just interested in the new toy in front of him.’

Once he properly meets Aria, he’ll become infatuated with her. If there was one constant in my three lives, it was this.

Once the Crown Prince met Aria, he would lose his head over her. Not just the Crown Prince, but nearly every man.

‘They call it the force of attraction.’

A kind of compulsion created by the original story, a force that shapes the world.

The Crown Prince would inevitably fall for it.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said,

“Then, we’ll arrange for the two of you to have a proper conversation once the young lady’s punishment is over.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Duke’s punishment for me wouldn’t be severe. If they wanted to pair me with the Grand Duke quickly, the punishment had to end soon, and I had to be in good health.

“I will guide her well. A few days of confinement should suffice.”

Confinement? How lenient.

I almost laughed. What punishments had I faced before for lesser offenses? Like the time I was caught stealing bread from the kitchen because I hadn’t been given any food all day? Seth had beaten me for half a day.

Or the time I made a mistake while speaking to a marquis’s daughter at my first social event? Serbi had made me balance a dozen books on my head for hours to teach me proper manners.

I glanced back to find Chris watching me intently.

“See you soon, Your Grace.”

I pretended to be ecstatic, and half of it was genuine.

Chris studied my face before turning away.

* * *

“Your Grace.”

Chris slowly exited the antechamber of the grand temple. Jade, who had been waiting outside, rushed to him, looking pale.

“Are you alright?”

The other guards quickly followed, their expressions grim. Jade burst out in frustration.

“I tried to retrieve the cup you were supposed to drink from, but they refused, saying it was temple property. Those vile people…”

“Leave it. It’s a hard-to-detect poison anyway.”

Chris clearly remembered the symptoms Mindia Reinhardt displayed when she collapsed.

‘Mild convulsions, fainting, the tips of her fingers and toes turning cold and red, then changing to purple.’

The Grand Duke murmured to himself as he narrowed down the list of possible poisons.

“Heavenly Celandine doesn’t leave much evidence.”

Hearing this, Jade ground his teeth. The other knights were equally agitated.

“How could this happen? This was a holy communion!”

“It was supposed to be a ceremony celebrating our victory at the northern border! How could they treat the Grand Duke, who led us to victory, like this?”

The knights’ discontent grew louder.

“This isn’t just disrespect. The Grand Duke could have been in grave danger!”

“Heavenly Celandine isn’t fatal. Lady Reinhardt survived, didn’t she?”

“……”

At the mention of Mindia’s name, everyone fell silent, their expressions uneasy. It was unsettling to think that a woman from an enemy family had taken the poison meant for their lord.

“What a bizarre coincidence.”

“I don’t think we need to be too grateful.”

As the Grand Duke listened to these remarks, he quietly recalled Mindia’s eyes.

He knew those eyes well. They belonged to those who outwardly seemed foolish but secretly carried a hidden blade, always fearing a knife to the throat.

He saw it every time he looked in the mirror.

‘But truly…’

Had she really intended to take the poison for him, or was she in league with the Duke? Either way, how could she treat her life so lightly?

What was she thinking?

There was already a long history of bad blood between the Duke’s family and his. Given that, he should have dismissed Mindia Reinhardt the moment she approached him.

But he couldn’t. From the moment she spoke, it felt like he was entangled in the voice from his dreams.

He wanted to reject her, but a part of him kept listening to her voice. For some inexplicable reason, he found her voice comforting and wanted to hear more.

Especially when she had said:

‘Did it hurt a lot?’

The strange thrill in my heart intensified. Chris quietly whispered to his knights.

“…Let’s observe for now.”

He would keep her close, and if he detected any ulterior motives, he could cut ties or deal with her then. Even as he calmly reached this conclusion, the knights continued to grumble.

“Aren’t the priests in on it too?!”

“Just how much do they look down on the North…”

“Everyone, calm down.”

The Grand Duke’s stern gaze silenced the knights. Some royals were still nearby.

Reading the room, the knights fell silent. At that moment, the Crown Prince approached Chris.

“It must be nice to receive such affection.”

“…Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince made no effort to hide his disdain for the Grand Duke as he tilted his head.

“She pushed herself to the point of collapsing just to impress you.”

“…….”

“Quite the convenient faint, don’t you think? Especially with the Grand Duke’s wine. Anyone would think she took the poison for you.”

Chris stared directly into the Crown Prince’s eyes.

A threat or a warning?

“Are you really going to proceed with the engagement? Was it just a moment of impulse? I’m quite curious.”

“Your Highness, I simply…”

“I’m serious. I sincerely hope Grand Duke Elzerian finds someone dear to him.”

Chris immediately grasped the unspoken meaning behind those words.

‘So I can take it away and ruin it.’

The Crown Prince, a few years younger than Chris, had always seen him as a rival. This sentiment was often reinforced by those around them. The fact that they were cousins added to the rivalry.

Chris had lost his parents, the former Grand Duke and Duchess, early on and had grown up quickly, effectively managing his territory. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was a reckless thunderbolt.

It was clear which of the two would develop feelings of inadequacy. As a result, Prince Albert Alathes had an instinct to seize and destroy anything Chris valued.

“Do me a favor.”

The Crown Prince smiled, raising only one corner of his mouth.

“Make sure to give me something entertaining, will you?”

A cruel smile followed. Chris quietly responded.

“There will be no such thing.”

“Really? After making a promise? The young lady will be disappointed.”

Chris did not elaborate further. He hadn’t fully recognized it himself yet.

He simply meant that he had no intention of letting the Crown Prince destroy Mindia Reinhardt.