Grand Duke Estin frowned.
Tia Bluea, chattering beside him, paused.
“Um, could you give me some privacy?”
He tried to sound gentle, but it was clearly an order.
Tia Bluea, with her lips trembling in front of Estin, couldn’t resist and eventually stepped outside.
Estin didn’t hide his irritation. The slight embarrassment of being chased away turned Tia Bluea’s small face bright red.
‘This is a different story!’
Duke Bluea said that all she had to do was enter the Grand Duchy and she would be treated with unconditional favor.
While saying so, he also talked about Mary Conler.
The one and only princess of the Grand Duchy. It is said that the Grand Duke of the Empire, a cold, icy flower, melts in front of her.
Moreover, she was the youngest who received excessive protection from her three older brothers, the fiancée of the 2nd prince, and a close friend of the empire’s only princess.
‘That was supposed to be mine.’
At first, when she heard about Mary Conler, she was envious. However, the more she heard, the more she felt a sense of resentment. She couldn’t understand why this man, Duke Bluea, kept talking about her.
Duke Bluea spoke in a hushed voice.
‘Perhaps if you had come here a little earlier, Mary Conler could have been you.’
Duke Bluea said that if she just listened to her words, she would help her regain that position.
Jung Seulbi, now Tia Bluea, realized that Mary Conler had come from where she used to be.
Perhaps they could become friends based on that common ground.
And finally, when she met Mary Conler at the Grand Duchy, Tia Bluea thought of a cat as she looked at her.
Her eyes were like those of a cat. And somehow, that made her feel uneasy.
She resembled someone she knew. Tia Bluea dismissed that strange discomfort by attributing it to the fact that she was originally supposed to be in her position.
“Where did things go wrong?”
She did what she was told. She didn’t understand why she was asked to talk next to someone unconscious, but she did anyway.
While telling nonsensical stories, she couldn’t help but think that it might be a waste of time, as this person might just die. But still, she did as she was told.
Eventually, Grand Duke Estin woke up from his sleep and immediately found the child who had been telling him stories by his side.
The man named Lucas’s expression said, ‘I don’t like you,’ but he had no choice because she had won the heart of Grand Duke Estin.
Grand Duke Estin treated Tia Bluea with such affection that she wondered if he could really be this sweet. However, Grand Duke Estin became strangely cold towards Tia Bluea after she secretly entered his room and slept in the same bed.
She had unwittingly done so after hearing that Mary Conler had a habit of climbing into Grand Duke Estin’s bed whenever she had nightmares.
And at the right time, Mary came to Grand Duke Estin’s room. At that time Mary looked like she was about to collapse when she noticed Tia on the bed.
Tia Bluea felt a sense of pleasure..
The next day, when Grand Duke Estin found Tia Bluea sleeping in his bed, his expression was grim. He was not pleased that she had entered his bedroom without permission.
Moreover, the man named Lucas subtly insulted her by saying that she hadn’t learned proper manners after she was given the surname Bluea.
Grand Duke Estin seemed to agree. This is the man who didn’t do anything when Mary Conler entered his bedroom? She can’t believe it.
Then she heard that Mary Conler had disappeared, leaving a letter. She thought that things were going too smoothly.
Now that the only princess of the Conler family was herself…
Looking at Grand Duke Estin now, Tia Bluea couldn’t help but wonder if his initial affection towards her was just a fleeting infatuation.
Even though she knew that Grand Duke Estin wasn’t called Britina’s ice flower for nothing, Tia Bluea didn’t leave his side for no reason.
In the end, what returned was a gradually chilling gaze.
“What will happen to me?”
She hated Mary Conler so much.
Duke Bluea did not give her any advice on what she should do in the future, as she didn’t expect Mary to run away.
He simply told her to treat Grand Duke Estin as she always had.
Suddenly irritated, Tia Bluea kicked an ornament in the hallway, unaware that Lucas was watching.
“It seems Lady Tia Bluea is quite angry.”
“Did she go back?”
When Lucas roughly described the situation he had seen before entering Grand Duke Estin’s study, the Grand Duke’s brow furrowed, as if he was sincerely annoyed.
Looking at that expression, Lucas felt as if the Estin he knew had returned.
It was also because right after Grand Duke Estin woke up, it felt strange, as if his soul had changed.
“Have you found any clues about Mary Conler?”
“I’m looking for the person who came with her to the Grand Duchy that day.”
“I guess you haven’t found anything yet.”
Estin’s expression crumpled mercilessly.
If anyone else saw that grim demeanor, they would have felt suffocated. However, it was nothing compared to when he first heard that Mary had run away after leaving only a letter behind.
Some of his servants, who had grown accustomed to his aura, could barely contain themselves and left the castle for a while.
‘Does his memory of Mary Conler returned?’
He had hoped so, but to his dismay, Grand Duke Estin still hadn’t remembered a single memory of her.
Nevertheless, despite that, he was raging to this extent. Lucas trembled, realizing once again how terrifying his master’s instincts were.
“What about Rex Bluea?”
“He went to the Imperial Palace today.”
“Still not talking?”
“Yes…”
Mary Conler would not have disappeared alone. The most likely accomplice in the current situation was the guest whom Mary brought to the Grand Duchy that day.
None of the servants knew anything about him.
It had been a tumultuous day, with the awakening of Grand Duke’s Estin, and the news of Baron Bruno’s suicide.
The only person who knew anything about that guest was Rex Bluea. However, he only repeated that he didn’t know anything himself.
“Then spread a rumor around the Empire.”
“What?”
“Spread the word that Grand Duke Conler has regained his memory. You said that was her wish. If it’s known that the issue has been resolved, she’ll come back.”
Lucas had the impression that he was scolding.
When Lucas said nothing and looked at him with sad eyes, Grand Duke Estin said he was joking and moved to the window.
His figure from behind looked incredibly lonely. Lucas discreetly left the study, giving him some time alone.
“To long for someone he doesn’t even remember…”
Could someone yearn for someone like that?
***
Returning from the palace, Rex Bluea immediately wanted to collapse on his bed. He had exhausted himself too much..
Despite nearly passing out on the carriage and sleeping through the journey to the Grand Duchy, his energy hadn’t recovered.
“You’re back.”
As Rex was about to quickly go back to his room, someone grabbed his arm tightly. Weakened as he already was, Rex was pulled by that force. Gilbert, who held onto his arm, looked at Rex Bluea with a bewildered expression.
Rex, who had no strength, was dragged along by the force. Gilbert, who held his arm, looked at Rex Bluea with a puzzled expression.
“Are you okay? Did something happen at the palace?”
Gilbert approached with a serious expression and grabbed Rex’s cheeks, inspecting them closely. Rex’s pale face, almost translucent, looked like a ghost.
Meanwhile, there were dark circles under his eyes. With a face that clearly indicated something was wrong, Gilbert urged him for an answer. Despite his exhaustion, Rex made an effort to smile affectionately, trying to lighten the mood.
“Brother, didn’t you look in the mirror?”
“What?”
“Brother’s face is pretty bad, too.”
In response to Rex’s nonchalant joke, Gilbert burst into a dry laugh. Well, everyone in the Grand Duchy seemed to have a pale complexion right now.
Gilbert didn’t realize that the estate could be such a desolate place. No, perhaps he had lived like this for nine years before finding Mary again.
“So why did you visit the Imperial family?”
Gilbert’s question only elicited a wry smile from Rex.
It was a habit that Rex did when he didn’t want to talk about it or tell the truth.
Gilbert knew that he had to go out strongly, but his heart continued to weaken due to Rex’s quiet complexion.
“Brother, I’m really tired…”
It was a half-hearted excuse to leave this place, but it was also the truth.
“Then let me ask you one question. Can you answer me?”
“……Yes.”
Gilbert offered a compromise as if he understood Rex.
Rex nodded, but was thinking that he should avoid answering if asked directly.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now.”
“…….”
“It’s not something dangerous, is it?”
With Mary gone, Rex was so desperate to do something.
“No.”
So he lied.
Well, he didn’t explicitly say that he would only answer with the truth.
Advance chapters are now available on ko-fi. Check it out!
