《The Marriage Life in the Grand Duke Family Is Too Easy, Though》 CH 1 Translated by lipzoldyck Edited by When I died, I possessed the ex-wife of my favorite character in my whole life. For a moment, I thought it was completely good, but I realized that the ex-wife was dying. Of all times, even at the time I possessed her body, this couple¡¯s relationship was still cold after a year of marriage. But giving up is a forbidden thing! This would be an opportunity given by God. ¡®Oh, whatever. Since I¡¯m living as an extra, I want to see my favorite¡¯s face as much as I can before I die.¡¯ How could a successful fan¡¯s life come true so easily? In the first place, I wasn¡¯t afraid that I died because I had no lingering feelings about life, but it rather felt like I had a bonus life. If I¡¯m going to be a fan anyway, let¡¯s be a happy fan. That was my goal in this life. *** I heard a loud noise from Akid¡¯s study room. I nervously inserted a master key that I had copied in advance, opened the door, and stormed into the study room. And I got upset with what I saw in front of my eyes. ¡°Wife.¡± Akid looked like he was in trouble. He was pressing his forehead with a handkerchief that, at a first glance, seemed to have turned red. Then a feather pen and an ink bottle were lying on the floor. I could figure out the cause of that noise just now with that only. ¡®How dare he touches my Akid¡¯s face? So, rather than the one I read in the book about this, he is a much ruder bastard?¡¯ I glared at Baron Locke, who was standing with his hands held together behind his back, while trying to calm myself down. He seemed somewhat bewildered by my sudden appearance, but he soon skillfully hid his expression. ¡°Grand Princess, the class hasn¡¯t finished yet, though.¡± Even at a glance, he didn¡¯t seem to like me who intruded into the class. Without caring about that, I answered with my eyes fixed on Akid. ¡°I came because I heard a strange noise from inside.¡± ¡®There can¡¯t be any scars, though¡­ Although his face is like a national treasure.¡¯ I wanted to quickly apply disinfectant and ointment on that white face. ¡°There was a small accident. It was nothing, so please go back.¡± He comforted me while leisurely smiled. Nevertheless, his words made me angrier. ¡®A small accident, he says?¡¯ I even forgot to pity my man¡¯s torn forehead and glared at Baron Locke. ¡°Are you saying that that¡¯s called a small accident with your place who dares to put a scratch on the Grand Prince¡¯s face?¡± ¡°Oh, my. You misunderstood me. That was a simple accident that happened during a corporal punishment.¡± ¡°A simple accident that happened during a corporal punishment?¡± ¡°Yes. The Grand Prince refused to be punished without dignity. He fell by himself and injured his face with a feather pen.¡± ¡°Do you think that makes sense, Baron Locke?¡± ¡°So you think I¡¯m lying. Now, let¡¯s have the Grand Prince say something. Am I wrong?¡± Baron Locke looked at Akid with an insidious smile. He didn¡¯t answer and bit his lower lip hard. For Akid, who had suffered all kinds of verbal abuse and assault by the Baron, he was a scary being. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d try to hide what the Baron had done so far. ¡®That can¡¯t happen. Do you think I¡¯ll look at this again as I live?¡¯ I shouted as I hit it right away. ¡°This isn¡¯t a corporal punishment, it¡¯s an abuse!¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Baron Locke showed displeasure by picking up his glasses. He seemed to be angry when I raised my voice to him, who wasn¡¯t a woman, and not to mention my intrusion in the sacred class period. ¡°Are you confident you won¡¯t regret that?¡± The Baron tapped the floor with a cane, acting as if he were a judge. He looked like he was trying to scare me at a glance. It was possible for him to treat me and Akid recklessly because his younger sister was Akid¡¯s biological mother, and the lover of Akid¡¯s father, Grand Duke Hadelus. The Grand Duke was very generous to his lover and treated her older brother, the Baron, nicely. The Baron didn¡¯t even know it¡¯d disappear like a fantasy overnight. ¡®Hmph, anyway, my father-in-law¡¯s lower part is free-spirited, so he¡¯ll fall in a month.¡¯ I grinned with a corner of my lips raised, recalling the original story that I already knew. The Baron saw it, and his face hardened. He was ignoring me, I would¡¯ve considered it. Eitherway, I raised my head sternly without being intimidated by the Baron. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± At a 12-year-old girl who acted overbearingly, his face turned red. He looked like he had a fever as he tried to ignore the sudden interference of the Grand Princess in the study room. ¡°It¡¯s not a threat, it¡¯s an advice.¡± He replied growling. He was very unhappy with my behavior as if I contributed greatly to the public on my back. Behind the tiger, the fox spooks, thinking that people are scared of it. At the same time, foolishly, it often mistakes itself for being greater than the tiger. Overlooking that the tiger can hit the fox on the neck with its claw at any time. Then, what should I do? Grand Duke Hadelus was a fickle human being. Right now, he¡¯d give the Lady of Locke his liver and gallbladder, but if he loses interest anyhow, it¡¯s all over. The Baron didn¡¯t seem to be aware how serious the current situation was. Grand Duke Hadelus was merciless to those who disregarded his authority. It was the Grand Duke of Hadelus who could behead them, even if it¡¯s his beloved lover. And Akid was the only heir to the Grand Duke. Although he had the disgraceful label called illegitimate child, it was clear that he was the one who would succeed the Grand Duke. Just because the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess ignored Akid, it didn¡¯t mean that the Baron could ignore him too, yet he was foolish. ¡®I¡¯ve been patient enough. But you dare to scratch my Akid¡¯s face?¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to just skip this one. Baron Locke made a mistake. I¡¯m a very smart and vicious villain who even knows about the future! How dare he touch a villain¡¯s favorite? His liver is out of his stomach, huh? I swallowed my anger and asked, pointing to Akid¡¯s forehead. ¡°What kind of tutor breaks the Grand Prince¡¯s head under the pretext of corporal punishment?¡± Akid¡¯s eyes were full of confusion due to my yelling. It was surprising that his wife, who usually hated him, suddenly stood up for him. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, Akid. I¡¯ll protect you.¡¯ I winked only at Akid, which made him flinched and shivered at such sight. ¡°What do you mean break his head? Your speech is very rough, Grand Princess.¡± The Baron was fired up. I laughed as I thought so. He was confident that he could easily overpower me. The Baron then spoke proudly. ¡°I admit that my corporal punishment today is a bit rough, but the Grand Prince hasn¡¯t pre-studied all of these¡­¡± This time, it seemed like an excuse for him to study in advance. ¡°Pre-study? Are you talking about this?¡± I cut off his words and beckoned to the maid, Hannah. I didn¡¯t need to listen to the words of the tutor who didn¡¯t even treat me like a Grand Princess, anyway. You have to say nice words in order to get nice words. On the contrary, it is reasonable to say that if you say harsh words, the words that you¡¯re going to get are also harsh. Hannah pushed the moving bookshelf with my signal and brought it in front of the Baron. It was too much to study in a day at a glance. Fortunately, Akid was smart enough to study them all. The problem was that the Baron told him to memorize all of them without missing a single piece of thing. With my body weight on one leg, I asked. ¡°Does the Baron think this is the amount he can read per day?¡± ¡°Most nobles study this much. I guess the Grand Princess doesn¡¯t know because you¡¯re still young.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I know? I have a brother too.¡± I cut his words off again. The Baron¡¯s expression hardened. I already knew. He was very displeased with getting stopped halfway. I knew it and purposely triggered him. So that he could be angry and make a mistake. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You must know it well because there¡¯s Marquis April¡¯s successor.¡± The Baron pressed down on his wriggling eyebrows. So far, it was bearable. Well, I didn¡¯t think he could endure my hellish snout to the end. I grinned viciously. Looking at this, the villain in the original story wasn¡¯t bad either. Even if I talk recklessly, I think that¡¯s what he¡¯s supposed to be. ¡°Okay, now I understand. The Baron can¡¯t understand it, so I wonder if I should buy the Baron a hearing aid.¡± ¡°H-Hearing aid¡­¡± ¡°I often saw my brother¡¯s class before I got married. Obviously, he is overwhelmed with less than half of this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad. Most nobles do this, though¡­¡± The Baron insisted, didn¡¯t want to break his stubbornness. But that was the response I wanted. I shouted, covering my mouth with exaggerated gestures. ¡°Whoa! Did you just curse at my brother because he¡¯s such an idiot?¡± ¡°Yes? When did I¡­¡± ¡°You did that just now. Most of the nobles do this much, but Marquis April¡¯s successor is overwhelmed, so he¡¯s definitely an idiot!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ Isn¡¯t he still young? It¡¯s enough for him¡­¡± ¡°Right. My brother is only 15 years old, so he¡¯s still young. Baron Locke, doesn¡¯t that apply to my husband?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Are you pretending to be stupid because you don¡¯t know or are you just stupid?¡± ¡°What¡­!¡± ¡°You must be stupid because you didn¡¯t know. Then I¡¯ll kindly let you know. How old is my husband this year?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 14¡­ Ah.¡± Only then did Baron Locke shut his mouth, recalling Akid¡¯s age. When I poured out the repeated words such as hearing aid and idiot, I showed him a loophole for a moment. I smiled and said, while being sure of my victory. ¡°Once again, my brother, the idiot that Baron mentioned, is 15 years old this year.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°According to the Baron, shouldn¡¯t we first praise that the Grand Prince who¡¯s still young has read all these books?¡± ¡°However, the Grand Prince is the one who¡¯s going to be Grand Duke in the future. One day is not enough to fill 13 years of learning gap¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my! Are you cursing that my husband has nothing in his head?¡± ¡°Grand Princess! When did I do that!¡± He jumped and tried to explain, but I immediately continued. ¡°I¡¯m so disappointed, Baron Locke. I thought you were pretty smart.¡± Then I looked up and down in turn, sighed deeply. ¡°Now I see that you¡¯re a stupid teacher who don¡¯t know your own shortcomings and can only blame your students.¡± Having made such a fuss, I finished with an exaggerated gesture. Then the Baron approached me with a reddened face. ¡°Are you done talking?¡± He was about to hit me with the cane he was holding right away. ¡®Oh, things are going better than I think, right?¡¯ I opened my eyes as I waited for him to grab my shoulder. Touch any of my fingertips. I will show you exactly what destruction really is. It was then. Akid, who had a bewildered expression on his face the whole time, stood out for me. ¡°Get away from my wife.¡± CH 2 Translated by lipzoldyck Edited by Akid pushed me back and widened the gap between us and the Baron. The Baron seemed to have nothing to see as he was already heated up. He commanded overbearingly. ¡°Get out of the way, Grand Prince.¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t touch even a single hair of my wife, Baron Locke.¡± ¡°The Grand Princess has insulted me. You saw it all.¡± ¡°Is it called an insult to reveal bluntness through one¡¯s mouth?¡± ¡°What is that¡­ ¡± ¡°I knew it all along. The baron deliberately forced me to learn an excessive amount.¡± ¡°¡­That!¡± He jumped as if he weren¡¯t the said Baron Locke. I stared blankly at Akid¡¯s protest against the Baron. ¡®I¡¯m so proud of you, my baby!¡¯ Why am I so happy that Akid confronted him? However, his shoulders were shaking a little, probably because he was afraid of the Baron. I held his hand tightly to give him courage. I wanted to tell him that he wasn¡¯t alone. Fortunately, he mustered up the courage to continue as if it was helpful. ¡°I¡¯ve endured it enough. So far, you¡¯ve only done that to me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you do to me, but not to my wife.¡± There was a sense of intimidation in Akid¡¯s voice. He was like a man who would become a second male lead in the future. Baron Locke flinched. He looked even more surprised because the usual Akid was docile and never disobeyed him. He seemed to have calmed down his anger belatedly. He must have known that he was the only one who lost shape even if he was angry about the young Grand Prince and Princess. ¡®Aish, it was a chance to finish it at once.¡¯ In fact, if he touched me, I was going to scream exaggeratedly, cry, scream and make a fuss. Unlike Akid, I wasn¡¯t the type to endure being beaten. As I smacked my lips, Baron Locke smirked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the Grand Prince misunderstood me so much. All of this is probably because of my immorality as a teacher.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I apologize for my harsh words and actions.¡± He bowed gracefully like a gentleman. I wanted to knock him out by pushing his head, but Akid was blocking my front. The Baron then said. ¡°I will leave for today. Next time, I hope there will be no interruptions in class.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I cursed at the baron for being an idiot.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll accept your apology¡­ ¡± ¡°Originally, no matter how much I tell an idiot, they wouldn¡¯t know that they¡¯re an idiot. Right, Hannah?¡± When I asked innocently with a bashful smile, Hannah pursed her lips inward, holding back her laughter. But the Baron must have seen it all. ¡°T-This¡­ !¡± The Baron grunted and grinded his teeth again. Yet he wasn¡¯t as reckless as before. Now that Akid has stepped up, he must have felt that the situation wasn¡¯t good for him. He fluttered his jacket wildly with his hands as he was in anger and left the room. Maybe he was going to get to his younger sister. ¡®Hmph! This is what I was hoping for!¡¯ I snorted and exhaled. Then Akid turned around and asked. ¡°How long are you going to hold my hand?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I flinched at his cold attitude and took my hand away. He said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you helped me because of a sudden whim, but he did something wrong.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay to help my husband?¡± ¡°Your husband. Have I ever been Wife¡¯s husband?¡± He turned around with a bitter expression on his face. His mind seemed complicated. I shouted at Akid¡¯s back as he was about to leave. ¡°Heal your wounds! Otherwise, I will find you!¡± Akid wanted to pause for a moment, then he said with a low voice. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll hide it well so you don¡¯t get in trouble.¡± I stared blankly at the empty spot of the disappeared Akid and muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that¡­ ¡± It seemed that it would take more time for Akid to regain his mind. *** Unsurprisingly, in the evening, Grand Duke Hadellus called me. I headed straight for the Grand Duke¡¯s study. When I entered the room, three people greeted me. Akid kept his head down and didn¡¯t say a word. Grand Duke Hadellus looked very sick, perhaps because of the whining of Lady Locke by his side. As soon as Lady Locke saw me, she smirked even more and pretended to be the pitiful victim. After I had roughly grasped the situation, I spoke plainly. ¡°I heard you called for me.¡± ¡°Yes. I called you because I have something to tell you.¡± Grand Duke Hadellus crossed his legs, nodded his head, and instructed me to sit next to Akid. I lightly lifted up the hem of my dress to be polite and sat down next to Akid. Then he whispered quietly. ¡°I will figure it out.¡± That meant that he would take the wrath of Grand Duke Hadellus in my place. ¡®Why are you so reliable? My heart, calm down!¡¯ I licked my lips, liking the fact that Akid was taking care of me. But I had no intention of passing on what I had done to Akid. I carefully whispered in his ear, examining the Grand Duke¡¯s expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of it.¡± He stared at me blankly as he forgot to whisper back. Akid smiled bashfully, wondering if he was just being deceived, so he bit his lower lip and avoided my gaze. Then Grand Duke Hadellus said: ¡°What are you whispering about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. More than that, why did you call for me?¡± As I changed the subject, the Grand Duke wiggled one of his eyebrows. However, he didn¡¯t want to catch the tail, so he brought up the subject right away. ¡°I heard you interrupted Baron Locke¡¯s class today.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I let out a shallow exclamation as if I had just found out. ¡°Even if you are the Grand Princess, Baron Locke is the Grand Prince¡¯s tutor. You did something reckless again this time.¡± He clicked his tongue, emphasizing ¡®again this time¡¯. Perhaps he was saying this because I created only complaints, incidents, and accidents since I got married in this house. Actually, I felt it was unfair. It¡¯s all because of what Loena Hadellus did before I possessed it. But there was no way anyone could believe this, so I just worked hard to clean up the shit Loena had sprayed. ¡®Yeah. It¡¯s not unusual to clean up shit like this in the yard where you¡¯re welcoming your favorite.¡¯ I straightened my back and smiled softly. The arrow wasn¡¯t Grand Duke Hadellus, but Lady Locke. ¡°Lady Locke, did Baron Locke really only say that I interrupted class?¡± She showed a sharp reaction as if I didn¡¯t know how to ask questions. ¡°Do you mean that my brother hides his faults and says only favorable things?¡± ¡°Um, I never said that, but there seems to be a point that makes you feel stabbed.¡± ¡°That, that¡­ ¡± Lady Locke was trembling and couldn¡¯t continue his words. However, I had obtained the desired reaction, so my gaze turned to the Grand Duke. ¡°I did disturb you. But I was rude because it was deserved.¡± Grand Duke Hadellus asked, tilting his head when I showed an overly confident attitude. ¡°What do you mean deserved?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Baron Locke was abusing my husband under the pretext of corporal punishment.¡± ¡°¡­Abuse?¡± He raised one of his eyebrows at the word ¡®abuse¡¯. ¡°Yes. Today I heard the sound of something falling from Akid¡¯s study.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I was worried that something urgent had happened, so I told someone to bring me the key.¡± ¡°And then?¡± Grand Duke Hadellus hurried his words, I sighed and then exhaled. After a while, I shivered lightly, as if I didn¡¯t want to remember again, and then continued. ¡°When I went in, I found my husband lying on the floor with blood on his head. A sharp quill and an ink bottle were beside him.¡± Of course, it was a bit exaggerated because it was seen from the perspective of an omniscient fan, but that didn¡¯t need to be explained. ¡°It is true that I was so surprised that I made a rather fierce defense toward Baron Locke. But if anyone had seen it, they would have acted like me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When my eloquence was over, the Grand Duke¡¯s gaze naturally turned to Akid¡¯s forehead. Then he immediately reached out his hand and lifted his bangs. Once his forehead was exposed, there were traces of the wounds sewn and treated. ¡°This¡­¡± When he saw Akid¡¯s wound, he blurted his words. As if he didn¡¯t know that Baron Locke would hit him. He didn¡¯t even care what his son was doing, so he probably didn¡¯t know his forehead was injured. ¡°¡­¡± Grand Duke Hadellus¡¯ expression hardened at once, and Akid said. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Blood was dripping! He threw him so hard that my husband couldn¡¯t get himself up from the floor.¡± As I made a fuss, Akid looked at me with a face asking what I meant. It was because I kept exaggerating and making things bigger. It seems that he wanted to quietly finish on the line, but I had a different idea. Because in the first place, I deliberately waited for the right time and then interrupted Baron Locke¡¯s class. ¡®I won¡¯t let Baron Locke touch my husband again.¡¯ As I was trying to strengthen my will, I suddenly heard a sob. It was the cry of Bestia Locke. CH 3 Translated by lipzoldyck Edited by Bestia pretended to be weak with tears streaming down her face as her brother seemed to be cornered. Her fine blonde hair glided down her shoulders. ¡°Hic! Please stop it.¡± ¡°Bestia, don¡¯t cry.¡± When the Grand Duke soothed her, she continued. ¡°Your Grace, my brother is a person who is more passionate about teaching than anyone else.¡± ¡°Yes, I know the Baron¡¯s character very well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding. The Grand Princess must have come in late and blamed it on the outcome without knowing the situation.¡± ¡°Misunderstand¡­ ¡± ¡°My brother told me that the Grand Prince didn¡¯t study well and lied. It can be embarrassing to refuse corporal punishment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps it was meant to be a simple corporal punishment. Everyone is like that, right?¡± The Grand Duke was speechless. She assumed that he agreed with her. That¡¯s stupid. ¡®You dig your own grave.¡¯ I asked her sensibly. ¡°Do you mean that it is natural for a tutor to beat a student?¡± ¡°If necessary. When I was young, I was often beaten by my Madam, but I never thought of it as abuse. Because it was a love hawk!¡± Lady Locke vomited a dramatic voice like the main character in a play, sinking deeper into the Grand Duke¡¯s arms. The skill that was combined with my experience was superb. Unfortunately, she doesn¡¯t seem to know that it stimulated the Grand Duke even more. ¡®Yeah. Goodbye, Grand Duke¡¯s Passing Lover 1.¡¯ I expressed my condolences lightly. After a while, he gently separated her from himself. ¡°Your Grace?¡± Bestia looked at him in surprise. It was because the Grand Duke¡¯s face had hardened all of a sudden. ¡°Go for today. You¡¯re tired.¡± When he gave a congratulatory order, Bestia only blinked her eyes. She hadn¡¯t even seen him scolding me yet, but she was dumbfounded when he told her to go back. ¡°Hold on a second, Your Grace. Am I going like this? Really?¡± Normally, she would have been happy if Locke would tremble, but not now. Grand Duke Hadellus coldly dismissed it. ¡°You should go.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to! You promised that you would punish the Grand Princess!¡± His gaze changed as Bestia shook her head and begged. ¡°Lady Locke, since when did you vomit and reject my words?¡± ¡°That, that¡­ ¡± At the changed atmosphere, Bestia flinched. But she already spilled the water. ¡°I must have liked the Lady too much.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to enter my castle from now on. I¡¯ll clean up the rooms you used to live in every time you come here.¡± ¡°L-Like that!¡± She trembled like a person who heard a sound like a thunderbolt. When the Grand Duke shook his head, his aide, who was waiting near him, spoke politely to her. ¡°Come on, Lady Locke.¡± ¡°Not allowed to enter the castle? What does that mean, Grand Duke?!¡± It means, I¡¯m going to stop having fun with you now. I twitched the corners of my lips as if I was watching a house on fire. ¡°Take her out.¡± ¡°Yes. Your Grace.¡± The servants, who had been floating around, responded quickly and drew out Lady Locke. ¡°Grand Duke! How could the Grand Duke do this to me!¡± Bestia pleaded with her tears, but he didn¡¯t listen. I hummed inside as I watched Bestia being dragged away by the servants. She just made a huge mistake. She only knew how to decorate her face, but she had been standing on the precarious blade of a sword since she didn¡¯t care about what the Grand Duke was doing. Even after witnessing the recent incidents of child abuse and corporal punishment, the Grand Duke wouldn¡¯t be able to condone it under the pretext of being his lover¡¯s brother. Perhaps he was afraid that this would leak out, that¡¯s why he shut the mouths of Locke siblings and tried to get them out. Love is love, work is work. No matter how free-spirited the Grand Duke¡¯s lower part was, he didn¡¯t need a lover to interfere with his work. In addition, the fact that Lady Locke¡¯s whining had become too annoying recently also played a part. It was like he was getting tired of it, and he provided a place to sit on his own. ¡®Phew, this will solve one thing for those siblings.¡¯ In the original story, the Grand Duchess learned of Akid¡¯s abuse and threatened the Grand Duke to obtain the mine. But now, the Grand Duke found out first by chance. Originally, the Grand Duchess had planned to mess with the Grand Duke, but what does it matter? At the moment, my husband was being beaten and I had to stop it. I giggled inwardly, hiding the corners of my lips that were about to go up. Akid looked at me strangely, but he lifted his hand. Then the Grand Duke called me. ¡°Daughter-in-law.¡± ¡°Yes. Father.¡± ¡°This matter¡­ ¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t even open my mouth.¡± When I responded cleverly, the Grand Duke shrugged. ¡°Then both of you, go away.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go out, then.¡± Akid greeted him politely and stood up from his seat. ¡°Yes, Father! Have a good night!¡± The Grand Duke¡¯s eyes narrowed at my cheerful greeting. Suddenly, he wondered why I was so friendly. I thought he would be terrified if I even gave him a goodnight kiss like this. I shrugged my shoulders, grabbed Akid¡¯s hand and exclaimed cheerfully. ¡°Come on, Honey!¡± Then again, Akid stared blankly at his grasped hand. The Grand Duke also seemed very surprised by my actions. ¡®Oh right. Our concept of a bad couple.¡¯ I was happy that I had dealt with the Locke siblings, so I acted friendly without thinking. Besides, Honey. Loena never called Akid that much. ¡®I just said what came out of my mouth.¡¯ Even before I met him, I couldn¡¯t fix my habit of saying ¡®honey¡¯, ¡®you¡¯, and ¡®mine¡¯. It was also a little strange to let go of the hand I was holding now. So I decided to act as if I was wearing an iron mask. Rather than pulling my hand out, I fixed it correctly. Then, smiling bashfully with an innocent expression, the Grand Duke said: ¡°Since when did you two¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s no wonder since you¡¯re a couple. Just go out now.¡± The Grand Duke waved his hand dryly. I bowed once more and left the room with Akid. He was silent as he walked down the hallway. And when we arrived at the bedroom. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Akid asked me with a hard face. ¡°What do you mean what am I thinking? Is it a problem for me to protect my husband?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ ¡± He frowned, unable to continue his words. It was very incomprehensible that I was suddenly trying to protect him. Well, I didn¡¯t mean to cause my character to collapse in this way. I was going to approach him slowly, but what should I do when the Baron made me angry? After a while, Akid asked calmly. ¡°Did you do that on purpose?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The way you provoke Lady Locke.¡± Akid made a point as if he didn¡¯t want to change the subject. But I blinked my eyes and pretended. ¡°What do you mean by provoke? Didn¡¯t I just act as usual?¡± Normally, Loena used to do this kind of bullying when she was bored, right? When I responded to him as he was asking why, he was unable to continue. A confused expression was evident in his eyes. I felt a little sorry for him, who doubted the other person¡¯s intentions despite such small consideration. ¡°Are you okay where you got hurt? Fortunately, I think you treated it as I said.¡± As I tried to reach for his forehead, he grabbed my hand lightly to stop me. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see and decide whether it¡¯s okay or not.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this all of a sudden? Didn¡¯t you hate me, Wife?¡± His blue-grey eyes fluttered shallowly through his black hair. His hand was so careful that it seemed to fall off with the slightest movement. His tone of voice was cold, but he thought of his wife more than anyone else. Because he had a sense of debt to marry a young child through an unwanted arranged marriage. Loena Hadellus knew his weak heart, and she strayed around at will and tormented him. ¡®If it were me, I would have understood his heart well¡­ ¡¯ It was rather suspicious to deny that I had never hated anything throughout the year after marriage. I immediately admitted it. ¡°That¡¯s right. I hate Akid¡­ I did.¡± Seeing him with a hard expression on his face when I said I didn¡¯t like it, my heart ached. And before he opened his mouth, I made a clear explanation. ¡°But not anymore. I hope you believe this.¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you try to drown yourself because you hate me? Because your husband is an illegitimate child, and you don¡¯t want to be around me.¡± Akid muttered words that were difficult to put into his own mouth. It looked very difficult that his lower lip trembled. He was right. Loena Hadellus hated him very much as he was. Just because he¡¯s an illegitimate child. And the day she drowned, I became Loena. Even though I possessed her, the truth hasn¡¯t changed. ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°How do you think I felt when I saw my wife in the water?¡± Akid clenched his fists as if he was angry at my reaction. ¡°Even my wife hates me although I don¡¯t want her to. Yet now she wants to kill herself. How miserable are you planning to make me feel?¡± Akid lifted his head vividly, covered his eyes with his hand to catch his breath. ¡°Hold on, Akid¡­ ¡± I was bewildered that he seemed noticeably agitated. He stretched out his hand to calm the somewhat overheated atmosphere, but he pulled himself back. He didn¡¯t stop talking. ¡°Don¡¯t confuse people like you did today.¡± I thought he was going into his bedroom with those words, but he came back and held out a document. ¡°I will do as you wish. Take it. It¡¯s what you wanted, Wife.¡± ¡°This is¡­ ¡± ¡°Divorce papers. Any amount of alimony you want¡­ ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± I tore apart the divorce papers before he could even finish speaking. I forgot to chop it up into small pieces to avoid recycling. White paper fell to the floor like snow. When Akid saw my actions like that, his eyes widened. I declared to Akid, who couldn¡¯t say anything in embarrassment. ¡°You can never get a divorce. I don¡¯t want a divorce.¡± Emergency alarms began to sound in my head. Non-refundable, non-refundable, against divorce! CH 4 ¡°¡­¡± Akid couldn¡¯t keep up with my aggressive behavior. He gave me what I wanted so much, but the reaction was fierce. I managed to calm down and began to persuade him. ¡°I admit that I have troubled you many times during that time. But now that won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°How can I believe that?¡± He asked, biting his lower lip. From the bottom of his heart, there was a sign that he didn¡¯t trust me. ¡°Didn¡¯t you protest every day asking for a divorce?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s.¡± ¡°I thought it would take time. But you hate it enough to risk your life, that¡¯s why I have to let you go.¡± Akid said quite firmly. ¡®It can¡¯t be this way.¡¯ I swept my soaked forehead as Akid kept digging endlessly. I couldn¡¯t help but lie because it could be a great shock to say Loena died ¡°Actually, that day, I didn¡¯t want to die. I just stumbled on my foot.¡± ¡°But the maid definitely¡­¡± ¡°Hannah was wrong. That kid usually reacts loudly to anything. Sometimes I am surprised too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It is true that I hated Akid, but it wasn¡¯t that I hated you with my whole life. I never wanted to die.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I was really scared that day¡­ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll die.¡± As I lowered my eyebrows sadly, Akid licked his lips. He seemed to be speechless when he encountered the unexpected truth. I dug into the gap without missing a beat. ¡°If Akid hadn¡¯t saved me that day, I would have died. After all, I couldn¡¯t say goodbye. Thank you so much, Akid.¡± Akid flinched as I bowed down to my waist and showed my manners. He quickly got me up and said. ¡°No. It¡¯s natural for me to protect my wife.¡± ¡°Nope. It¡¯s not obvious. Not everyone can act that fast. It was a very cold day with a depth of hesitation.¡± As I made eye contact and smiled bashfully, Akid gave me a blank expression. Then he asked ¡°¡­Did you change your mind because of that?¡± I shrugged and said. ¡°To some extent.¡± This kind of answer was appropriate for now. Remarks such as saying that I suddenly liked him would only increase his alertness. It is important to approach an unfamiliar cat step by step. Then, if you give up the seat next to you, the game is over. Hehe. I approached him cautiously and grabbed his hand. ¡°So please stop talking about divorce.¡± ¡°¡­You will regret it. This will be your last chance.¡± Oh, nice to hear that! ¡°I don¡¯t need that opportunity. I¡¯m not going to do it even if Akid sings, asking to get divorced.¡± It¡¯s an opportunity that I somehow grabbed on, but do you think I¡¯ll just lose this chance? Do you think it¡¯s easy to possess as your favorite character¡¯s wife? Just bring those damn papers back again! At my firm words, Akid stared at me for a long time. The sudden change in my attitude seems quite strange. After a while. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Akid muttered softly without letting go of my hand. He seemed to be trying to believe me. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. So please this hand¡­ ¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± I grabbed him even more as he was about to withdraw his hand, and shook it with excitement. After all, I was even happier because I was anxious about getting kicked out of this house. I got the day I die anyway, but I want to see Akid¡¯s face one more time and die. As I waved more and more, Akid opened his mouth. ¡°How¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± Akid sighed deeply without speaking. I laughed out loud like that. Anyway, it seemed that the big hurdle had been overcome. *** I possessed Loena Hadellus about a year after Loena got married. She also fell into a lake in the middle of winter while shaking her head as she wanted to go back home. Delus was located in the northern part of the Empire as the Grand Duchy of Hadellus. The weather is generally cool and very cold in the middle of winter. So falling into a lake in the middle of winter was like saying, ¡®I¡¯m going to die!¡± Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t deep because it was an artificial lake in Hadellus Castle. I heard that Akid, who ran to Hannah¡¯s scream, saved her. Although she was a wife who had always looked down on him, he unconditionally protected her. ¡®Perhaps Loena thinks of me as her family.¡¯ Akid was originally such a person. He has a high sense of responsibility, and he tried to respect his wife even if she was a mean person. After all, because she was also his family and wife. ¡®Maybe at that time, Loena really died.¡¯ Hannah said that I laid in bed for a full month. And I suddenly woke up because I was weeping for breathe. ¡®Strange, Loena wasn¡¯t the woman to die now¡­ ¡¯ In the [Please Embrace Me] I read, Loena later had to die of an infectious disease. It wasn¡¯t the time for her to die yet. ¡®Or did our souls change when I had an accident?¡¯ If that was the case, I was somewhat convinced. Loena used to treat him like an evil on a daily basis. The reason she fell into the lake must have been to torment Akid. In fact, it could have happened because of the coincidence of the accident with me at that time. ¡®Because possessing is already nonsense, such a thing is possible.¡¯ Akid suffered every time Loena did something reckless. Because he thought his wife kept going off due to lack of confidence. And she enjoyed his pain. It was all more so because she hated him so much. She was the youngest daughter of a marquis who raised her as an unashamed woman. Therefore, she didn¡¯t want to see Akid properly, just because he was an illegitimate child. ¡°Well, whatever. Now I am Loena, anyway.¡± I stamped my feet in the bathtub and smiled lazily. The rose petals gave off a subtle fragrance and spread softly in the bathroom. Actually, I was very happy when I found out that I possessed Loena Hadellus. Because [Please Embrace Me] was my all-time favorite, and Akid was my favorite character. I was an adopted child in a previous life. My foster parents were good people. No, or so I thought. But once my adoptive parents gave birth to a daughter, I was no longer part of their family. I was just a mouth that had to be fed. And it was like that. The life of an illegitimate child, Akid, who was recognized for his blood and entered the Hadellus family at the age of thirteen touched my heart. It was similar to my life in that I was constantly threatened for survival between my biological father and stepmother, and I had to be vigilant about my surroundings. ¡®Maybe God gave me time to help Akid.¡¯ I really thought so. I was supposed to be already dead. I decided that there must be a special reason that made me live for a few more years. Loena died seven years later. Seven years was plenty of time to help Akid establish himself in the Grand Duchy. I won¡¯t tremble like how Loena did in the original story, but rather, I will work hard so that Akid can be recognized by his parents. I have no regrets about life. In my past life, I died after suffering endlessly, so this life is a bonus from the Lord. ¡®After all, the thing about that I¡¯ll fangirling, and also the life of being a happy fangirl, it¡¯s not bad, is it?¡¯ The problem is that Akid and my parents-in-law are very displeased with me¡­ ¡°Hmm, who should I start with?¡± My husband has only a strong sense of responsibility, so he has a lingering desire to carry anything alone. My father-in-law is a free-spirited prince who lives in his flamboyance, a terminally ill patient, the Personality Breaker 1. My mother-in-law is the Personality Breaker 2 who was once called ¡®Haint¡¯s Mad Dog¡¯. ¡®Now, who is easier to attack?¡¯ Neither one was easy. It was when I got out of the bathtub and dried my hair with that thought. My handmaiden, Countess Aria, came and said. ¡°Little Madam, Madam is looking for you.¡± Wow, Personality Breaker 2 is coming to me? *** After drying my hair properly, I headed to Elena Hadellus¡¯ bedroom in pajamas. I was puzzled when she suddenly called me. She was quiet all the time, so I thought it would just pass by, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be like that. I was a bit worried because she was usually a mother-in-law who had no interest in Akid or me. ¡®Did the beaten up Lady Locke tell her? She thinks I messed things up?¡¯ In the original story, Elena wasn¡¯t a wife who unconditionally tolerated her cheating husband. She had a duck tongue, and she would use it to screw the Grand Duke or to gain economic benefit. Perhaps Elena even knew that the Grand Duke was considering a bill to ban child abuse and corporal punishment. In the original story, after the bill was signed, Elena pressured the Grand Duke by presenting evidence of Baron Locke¡¯s abuse. In return, she received one of his mines. It later became a bonanza, and Elena had benefited greatly. Because the protection of the spirits appeared in the mine. The land that received the protection of the spirits became fertile land. This world is ruled by such supernatural powers. After receiving the protection of her spirit, more than five times the normal amount of mana stones were mined in the mine, so Elena was plentiful with her treasure. I arrived in front of Elena¡¯s bedroom, and Countess Aria announced that I was here. ¡°Madam, the little Madam has come.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± After the Grand Duchess¡¯s permission was granted, the door opened. CH 5 There was a beautiful woman sitting elegantly in the bedroom. She has blonde hair and red eyes. Her platinum blonde hair, the characteristic of the imperial family, gave off a brilliant color. The red eyes were sharp as if they were going to make one¡¯s body stiffened when their eyes met. I tried to be a little scared of Her Majesty, yet I greeted her politely without being intimidated. ¡°Did you call me, Mother?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a big deal. You even call me Mother. Didn¡¯t you usually draw a line saying that I¡¯m Her Majesty the Duchess?¡± Ah, really? I didn¡¯t know. You should¡¯ve told me earlier. I rolled my eyes in embarrassment. Come to think of it, when the Grand Duke heard the sound of ¡®Father¡¯, he seemed to have his eyes wide open. I thought he was staring at me like that just because I was suddenly behaving differently than usual, but it was because of his nickname. It hadn¡¯t been long since I had become a Loena, so my investigation was less completed. I met Akid pretty much in the space connected to our private bedrooms, but it wasn¡¯t like that with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess couple. I heard that they ate together regularly, but it was not often. I was a little embarrassed because I hadn¡¯t thought of the naming issue. ¡®Hmm. But since I already said ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯, wouldn¡¯t it be strange to reverse it?¡¯ After all, my role as a daughter-in-law was important to make Akid into the beloved son of the family. If I leave the Grand Duke¡¯s couple like Akid, there will be no progress. ¡®Originally, if you put an iron plate on your face, the other person would say nothing.¡¯ I said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s because I just want to get along well with you from now on, Mother.¡± [Read this only at travistranslations.com] ¡°Get along with me? I don¡¯t have any intentions to get along well with you, though.¡± The Grand Duchess drew a firm line with a bright smile on her face. There was nothing to say when she responded with a smile on her face. ¡®She has a thicker skin on her face than mine.¡¯ Even though I was awkward at the merciless attitude of the Grand Duchess, I didn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re still in a hurry. Come here, sit down and talk.¡± The Grand Duchess eye gestured at the chair in front of her. Chamomile tea was prepared for her to drink before bedtime. She seemed to have taken care of her sleep. I sat down in front of her, and the maid followed with the tea. I was exhausted as I had already soaked myself in the bathtub. So drowsiness flooded in regardless of the chair. I tried to hold back my yawn that was about to come out, but the Grand Duchess opened her mouth. ¡°You were called to the Grand Duke¡¯s study yesterday. What happened?¡± ¡°He was just calling me to know if I was doing well.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? I heard that that day, Lady Locke was dragged out of the study room crying, though¡­¡± ¡°Yawn. Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sleepy?¡± When the Grand Duchess asked sharply, I hurriedly jumped. ¡°I¡¯m nawt.¡± ¡°You look sleepy. Your pronunciation is amazing.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m actually sleepy.¡± I couldn¡¯t stand the pouring drowsiness and yawned loudly. After all, since I¡¯m 12 years old, I got tired easily. Upon seeing this, the Grand Duchess clicked her tongue and spoke quickly. Even if I die soon, I don¡¯t just go and grow up. ¡°Did anything happen in the study that day?¡± I hit both cheeks hard, slap! After beating my cheeks to get a hold of myself, I answered. ¡°No. There was none.¡± The Grand Duchess had a surprised look for a moment, but what should I do if I was sleepy? In fact, the Grand Duke told me not to tell anyone, including the Grand Duchess. The relationship between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess was so bad that even in the same bedroom, they used it with the room divided. Of course, it was the same with me and Akid. When you open the bedroom door, a lobby and two other doors appear. On the right side was my room, and on the left side was Akid¡¯s. In the meantime, there was a door leaving the lobby. [Read this at travistranslations.com pls] Since it has been a place of political marriages from generation to generation, the castle structure itself could be said to be designed to suit a business couple. Of course, it¡¯s a very cumbersome structure for me. ¡®Please let me see the face of Akid, who has just woken up, just once.¡¯ The Grand Duchess looked at me tenaciously when I pretended to be innocent. She didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on in the library yet. Come to think of it, there was only the Grand Duke in the study that day. No one outside could hear the conversation inside. ¡®She didn¡¯t call me knowingly, she called me because she felt left out. It¡¯s clear that she doesn¡¯t know the exact story yet.¡¯ Maybe she called me because I had a lighter mouth than Akid. Usually, Loena had a snout like a feather that fluttered when someone flirted with it. In particular, there was no hesitation when it was related to Akid. She did it because she liked to spot my flaws. Again, the Grand Duchess asked, as if she tried to soothe me. ¡°Then, why did Lady Locke go away crying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ ¡± As I turned my eyes and mumbled, she urged. ¡°Anything is fine.¡± Well, there wasn¡¯t much I could say. I rolled my eyes and melted her sorrow. After a while, I thought of something to say, and I answered. ¡°Ah! The Grand Duke ordered Lady Locke not to come again. It seems like that¡¯s why she cried.¡± What the Grand Duke was talking about was related to abuse. He never said not to say that Lady Locke was kicked by the Grand Duke. Elena blinked her eyes in surprise. Lady Locke was a favorite of the Grand Duke for quite some time. She seemed quite surprised because she wasn¡¯t the kind of woman who could be thrown away with such a single stroke. I was deliberately giving a clue to dig behind them. It¡¯s not that she got dumped, but that she got kicked. ¡°Hmm, come to think of it, Lady Locke didn¡¯t come today.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because her pride is hurt? Usually, Father would come to visit her when they had a fight.¡± He did. My father-in-law¡¯s heart was as wide as the Pacific Ocean, as much as his lower back was free-spirited. Even if his ex-lover came over crying, it was the Grand Duke to comfort her and then send her back. There weren¡¯t just one or two women who were sobbing with that as an excuse. ¡°So, what do you think the Grand Duke will do?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Do you think he is serious?¡± The Grand Duchess continued to ask the question as if she was thinking about it again. From the look on her face, she seemed to expect that Lady Locke would lose and fry again after three days. ¡°Lady Locke seemed to have regrets. Maybe she will be back soon.¡± ¡°I guess so. Should I stay still because I was notified of the breakup without any special reason?¡± Elena sneered and tapped her finger on her table. I said naively. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. The Grand Duke will never search for Lady Locke again.¡± ¡°How are you sure?¡± ¡°Father¡¯s eyes were torn like this.¡± As I raised the corners of my eyes with both hands and made a ferocious expression, Elena laughed softly. ¡°You will be the only one who expresses the Grand Duke that way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Elena¡¯s mood seemed better than before. Is it a pleasure to hear that Lady Locke, who was a thorn in her eye, has been abandoned? Phew, as soon as I felt relieved. ¡°But what part of Akid is hurt?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I heard that the Grand Duke sent a doctor right away. The maid said he went to Akid¡¯s room.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Apparently, the Grand Duke had brought a doctor to check Akid¡¯s wounds. He must have seen the bruises all over his body. As his forehead wasn¡¯t the only thing Baron Locke had touched. It was clear that the Grand Duke was angry when I saw that Baron Lorch was cut off the next day, which was today, without observing the progress. ¡®How far can I go?¡¯ I glanced at the Grand Duchess. Judging by the look on her face, it was as if she didn¡¯t know that Akid was still being abused by Baron Locke. If she had known, she would have gone straight to the Grand Duke instead of asking me questions. In the meantime, Baron Locke applied the corporal punishments to places where they couldn¡¯t be seen, so no one would have known unless they observed carefully. Even the original Loena, who was in the same bedroom area, didn¡¯t know that Akid was being abused. It was the Baron¡¯s mistake that his forehead was torn. If I hadn¡¯t stopped them, Akid would have lowered his bangs to hide it, and it would have passed without anyone knowing. After that, Baron Locke got bolder and eventually got caught by the Grand Duchess by his tail. However, the Grand Duchess, who wasn¡¯t interested in Akid from the beginning, wouldn¡¯t have been able to grasp the change in his bangs. ¡®She doesn¡¯t know yet. The fact that Akid was being abused, and the real reason why the Grand Duke threw out the Locke siblings.¡¯ ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± She looked at me coldly when I didn¡¯t answer. If it was originally Loena, it wouldn¡¯t be strange as she would say it out loud, but it was because I kept my mouth shut. However, speaking without notice here may lead to me being hated by the Grand Duke. My relationship with the Grand Duchess wasn¡¯t even close enough to give her information at a risk. Contemplating for a while, I replied innocently, blinking my eyes. ¡°That, because I was in Akid¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°The doctor came to see me. He wanted to see if there are any aftereffects of drowning.¡± As I proudly told my lies, her eyes frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve never been together since you got married, have you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± But isn¡¯t that the same with Mother? I held back what I wanted to say. The Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess only have one second after the wedding, and they go inside and out of their respective rooms. I quickly beat her up before she launched a counterattack. ¡°Actually, after drowning, I look at Akid a little differently.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I heard that Akid was very worried about me. It was him who saved me.¡± ¡°¡­So what do you want to say?¡± Elena asked nervously. Like she wanted to know what¡¯s up. I smiled broadly at her. ¡°From now on, I will be faithful to my role as a wife!¡± CH 6 At my delightful reply, the Grand Duchess looked puzzled. After a while she snorted. ¡°Your role as a wife? You mean it?¡± She had a face as if she didn¡¯t believe me at all. Well, I had an accident since I got married, but it was a natural reaction because I had never taken care of Akid. Rather, she looked like she wanted me to stay still. Well, whether it¡¯s real or not, she¡¯ll find out when she sees it in the future. I shrugged and answered. ¡°Of course, Mother.¡± ¡°¡­So, what are you going to do? Are you saying you know what the role of a wife is?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± I was just about to open my mouth. Someone came in without permission with a knock. It was Akid. I widened my eyes at his sudden appearance. ¡®At this hour, what matter does he have?¡¯ Akid glanced at me once and spoke politely to Elena. ¡°I apologize for coming so suddenly.¡± ¡°I never allowed you to come in, though.¡± The Grand Duchess gave off a full-blown look of displeasure. Akid resembled the Grand Duke so much that he was called the mini version of the Grand Duke. Unlike the Grand Duke, he was a pure man, but his image itself was very similar. The Grand Duchess didn¡¯t really like such Akid. Akid said, sneaking in front of me. ¡°I heard that my wife was called.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I even call my daughter-in-law at will?¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t yet fully recovered. She needs to take a rest.¡± He grabbed my hand and pulled me back. As if he was trying to protect me. The Grand Duchess looked at our clasped hands. I, too, was startled by the situation that Akid came to rescue me. ¡®Even if he doesn¡¯t do this, I¡¯m fine, though¡­ ¡¯ The corner of my lips kept going up as he came. The feeling of being protected, it¡¯s the best! The Grand Duchess wiggled her eyebrows, revealing her displeasure. ¡°If anyone hears it, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m devouring my daughter-in-law.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯ve asked everything I want to ask anyway, so please go away.¡± She waved her hand. It was a gesture that she had got everything she could get anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Akid dragged me. I stood still and suddenly thought of something. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± I sprinted towards the Grand Duchess, leaving Akid behind. The Grand Duchess said with a sullen face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go?¡± ¡°Mother, listen for a moment¡­¡± She flinched as I approached her closer. Whether she did that or not, I whispered softly. In a voice that was as sweet as a child¡¯s as possible. ¡°Mother, have a nice dream. It will be better if you dream of Loena.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Grand Duchess looked at me with a puzzled expression. At first, pretending to be friendly seemed ridiculous. Regardless, I kissed her cheek, whispered more and greeted brightly. ¡°Then, have a good night, Mother!¡± ¡°You, you, what is this¡­¡± At the surprise kiss, the Grand Duchess pulled her upper body back, her face blushed. Behind me, Akid¡¯s eyes also turned round like a surprised rabbit. I giggled, whether they were surprised or not. The Grand Duchess actually liked children. She wanted children more than anyone else, but she actually had problems with her health. Since it is said she could die if she gave birth to a child. That¡¯s why the Grand Duchess hid it and lived a life drawing a line with the Grand Duke. It was for this reason that she closed her eyes to the Grand Duke¡¯s affair and accepted her illegitimate son, Akid. ¡®If Loena had a more gentle personality in the original story, she might have been loved by the Grand Duchess.¡¯ Unfortunately, since Akid was brought to the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle at the age of 13, he has always lived in a depressed state, unlike a child. It was close to living as if he was dead. As he was a child brought by the Grand Duke after an accident, he was scared and held his breath back as he was worried about being hated by the Grand Duchess. Even her daughter-in-law, Loena, had a bad temper, so the Grand Duchess didn¡¯t even care about the Grand Prince and his wife. ¡®But now everything will be different.¡¯ I clenched my fists inwardly. I have already gone through everything in my previous life. Ever since I became independent from my adoptive parents, I was always on the run. ¡®I don¡¯t go anywhere while eating and growing up.¡¯ For the sake of Akid¡¯s future, I could curry favor even with my eyes closed. ¡°I will go now, Mother.¡± I put my bracken-like hands together and bowed my head to greet her. Then I approached Akid and grabbed his hand. The Grand Duchess unconsciously laughed in vain behind the scenes. ¡°Come on, Akid.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Akid bowed to the Grand Duchess with a blank face and left the room. He looked like he had lost his soul. After that, I went to the lobby in front of the bedroom. I deliberately walked slowly, wanting to spend a long time with Akid, but unfortunately, there was no magic of increasing the distance. It was time to go back to each room. I bowed my head to say goodbye, leaving my regrets behind, and went to my room. It was then. ¡°Wife.¡± Akid called me as he entered. When I turned around, his expression hardened. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Wasn¡¯t there any big deal earlier?¡± Akid licked his lips and asked cautiously. ¡°What do you mean a big deal?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you always get angry when you were called by Mother?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± A scene from the novel came to mind at Akid¡¯s words, and I let out a shallow sigh. It was the day that Loena came back after being severely scolded by the Grand Duchess. [Wife, are you okay?] [Do I look okay?] [¡­] [This is all because of you. I met you and my life was ruined.] [Did Mother scold you a lot? Instead of me¡­] [Clang?!] [Don¡¯t touch my body, you trash!] [Wife¡­ ] [Don¡¯t even call me ¡®Wife¡¯. I didn¡¯t do it because I wanted to marry an illegitimate child like you.] When Akid spoke up, Loena was furious. She turned around only after spewing out a bunch of dagger-like words. Perhaps it was strange that I was quiet today. ¡®Come to think of it, he must¡¯ve taken courage to support me.¡¯ For him, who had a particularly hard time with the Grand Duchess, to go to that place was a tremendous courage. I liked his consideration and reassured him with a bashful smile. ¡°Nothing happened.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course. If anything had happened, I wouldn¡¯t have kissed Mother a goodnight kiss.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Akid flinched at the word ¡®goodnight kiss¡¯. He seemed to be reminded of the situation earlier. As if he had just been blown away until recently. He rubbed the back of his head several times and hesitated. Because Akid would be hesitant about the end, I said goodbye first. ¡°Thank you for coming. You thought of me, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s late already. Have a nice dream, Akid.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± As I entered the room, he let out a shallow exclamation. Like someone who has more to say. ¡°Why?¡± As I wondered and tilted my head, he quickly mumbled. ¡°No. As long as nothing happened. Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± Akid nodded his head and slipped into the room. Somehow it was a bland reaction, so I shrugged my shoulders as I was left alone. *** Late at night. The Grand Duchess came to visit the Prince¡¯s private bedroom. ¡°What is the Grand Duchess doing here?¡± Damian looked at Elena with a wry smile. She first found two doors between the bedrooms. The difference between the two doors is that one is always locked. Of course, the locked door was on Elena¡¯s side. And it was very rare for her to open the door and come into his bedroom. Mostly it was a visit to fight. That¡¯s why Damian was very interested when she opened the door with a smiling face and came What made her try to scratch my stomach this time? He was very curious. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m coming to a place I can¡¯t come?¡± ¡°Is that possible?¡± At Elena¡¯s sharp reaction, Damian smirked in denial. She clicked her tongue to see if she didn¡¯t like his languid laugh. Then, leaning against the door, she took out the goods. ¡°I heard you cleaned the guest room. Are you tired of Lady Locke now?¡± Damian¡¯s lips twitched at the sarcastic tone. He had already expected that from the time she came to see him, she would talk about Lady Locke. It¡¯s because it was this morning that he ordered to clean up the place where Lady Locke often stayed. But was it something that would upset her enough to even come to her bedroom? ¡®I thought you¡¯re not interested in my relationship.¡¯ Damian carefully observed Elena¡¯s face. Her cheeks were a little more red than usual. But it didn¡¯t seem like she was particularly happy about his lover¡¯s banishment. Because it seemed to belong to a more pleasant side than that. ¡®What if? Why are those cheeks so red?¡¯ Damian answered, looking at Elena with his slender eyes as she kept touching her cheek. ¡°Yes. Bestia will no longer come to Hadelus Castle.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­Since when have you been interested in my love affair?¡± ¡°You are misunderstanding. I am very interested in the Grand Duke¡¯s every move.¡± Of course, only for your unfortunate events. Elena smiled softly, hiding her hidden words. Damian wiggled his eyebrows at her playful face. ¡°I see. I didn¡¯t know that the Grand Duchess is so interested in my business.¡± ¡°Do you know now?¡± Elena answered with a grin and let out a sly smile. Damian answered the face more slowly for a while. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Why would you cut her off in front of the Grand Prince couple?¡± Damian smirked when she slowly twisted the question. Then he got up and approached her. Elena boldly looked at him to see if he was willing to avoid, and she gave a hint of, ¡®Would you like to make an excuse?¡¯ Suddenly, the two grew closer enough to be blocked by one person. Damian raised his chin and spat it out at Elena, who was watching him. ¡°Do you want to know? Why did I do that?¡± CH 7 ¡°You¡¯re a little nervous, aren¡¯t you?¡± Elena widened the distance by squeezing Damian¡¯s shoulder with her hand. Damian easily stepped back and grinned. ¡°It has nothing to do with the summoning of Lady Locke, the Grand Prince couple.¡± You¡¯re going to come out like that? Elena let out a cold smile. ¡°I heard that the Grand Princess broke into the Grand Prince¡¯s class.¡± She was certain because the maid secretly told her after seeking Loena out. It was clear that the Grand Duke had silenced her from the fact that Loena didn¡¯t say it herself. ¡®I know she¡¯s a little girl, but she turns out pretty great.¡¯ Since she is Loena¡¯s maid, it must have been Loena¡¯s order. Elena was delighted with the situation in which she gave her clues while cleverly keeping her promise to the Grand Duke. To the extent that she just reflected on the past when she thought Loena was just a bad-tempered daughter-in-law. Damian shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly and said. ¡°Oh my, did you even know that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretending you don¡¯t know. Did you call the person who tried to hide it from me so openly to the study?¡± ¡°Well, the Grand Duchess thought I¡¯m indifferent.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Elena let out her snort as if it were ridiculous. At that moment, she suddenly remembered Loena, who had kissed her cheek a while ago. She pretended to give a kiss and gave some very good advice. [Why don¡¯t you ask Father directly instead of me? Father is an attention whore, so if Mother gives him the attention you didn¡¯t give before, he¡¯ll be blunt.] With a smile on her face, she said, ¡°Father is an attention whore.¡± It wasn¡¯t clear what the word ¡®attention whore¡¯ meant, but it didn¡¯t seem like a very good word. However, it was interesting enough to move Elena¡¯s heavy footsteps to the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom. As she was quite curious about the archduke¡¯s reaction. ¡®Tch, kids these days make up their own words. They seem to be subtly enjoying things that adults don¡¯t understand, don¡¯t they?¡¯ Elena treated it simply as slang for young people. However, there was more joy than an expression of displeasure on her face. Certainly, as Loena said, she was definitely getting her bite when she gave the Grand Duke attention. It was close, as if he would pour it out with just a little bit of pressure. After a while, Elena shifted her gaze to him as she thought of questioning Damian again. But? ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Elena looked at Damian¡¯s expression and crumpled her face. He wondered if he was making a stupid expression, and frowned at her words. Then Damian said firmly. ¡°Why did you laugh just now?¡± ¡°What do you mean by laughing just now? Oh, my.¡± Elena withdrew her laughter and responded coldly. Damian then narrowed the distance again and leaned one of his arms against the wall. ¡°I asked why you laughed, Wife.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention the word ¡®wife¡¯, it doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± Elena replied somewhat sharply and pushed his shoulder back again but it wasn¡¯t pushed back this time. ¡®Behaving like a child.¡¯ When Damian didn¡¯t want to move, Elena came closer to him. As she approached him until they almost kissed, Damian stepped back in surprise. ¡°W-What the hell is this¡­!¡± ¡°No, you kept coming closer to me, so I thought you wanted to kiss me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like that¡­!¡± Damian couldn¡¯t continue his words, his face reddened. Whether he did or not, Elena spread her distance again, and put one of her legs on another leg. It was funny how the person who met several women trembled with just a kiss, anyway. Elena said with her cold face. ¡°I know. That you hate touching me as much as I do.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°No one in the Empire would know. The fact that we are perfectly strangers who haven¡¯t even spent the first night.¡± Elena scoffed and she whirled around Damian. He remained silent without making any excuses. Elena asked as she raised her hand as if she was about to touch his shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be kissed, tell me. What happened in the study?¡± Then she tapped Damian¡¯s shoulder playfully. *** ¡°Are you back?¡± I welcomed Hannah, who secretly returned. ¡°Yes, Young Madam.¡± ¡°How did Mother react?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t look upset. But I can¡¯t figure her out at all. Did you understand it right?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± As I was extending my words, Vivian, the maid, entered the room. ¡°Miss! The Grand Duchess has just entered the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom!¡± ¡°Shh! Vivian, what are you going to do if someone hears you? Besides, what do you mean ¡®Miss¡¯? It¡¯s been a long time since she became the Young Madam.¡± When Shuli, who was next to her, scolded Vivian, Vivian¡¯s lips twitched. I asked Vivian with bright eyes. ¡°Did she really go in? Hm?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s a special thing for people who never go into each other¡¯s bedrooms at all.¡± Vivian¡¯s voice was lower than before. ¡°If they sleep together and have a child¡­¡± As Hannah spoke anxiously, I shook my head firmly. ¡°They can¡¯t be sleeping together. She will definitely come back.¡± ¡°Why are you so sure about that?¡± Hannah, Vivian, and Shuli looked at me at the same time. ¡®How do I know? I saw it in the book. Those two are a thorough business couple.¡¯ I didn¡¯t have to say this and just laughed bashfully. I was the one who enticed the Grand Duchess into the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom anyway. Akid only knew I kissed the Grand Duchess, but he didn¡¯t know I had whispered to her. The kiss that followed made the Grand Duchess blush in embarrassment, but she must have thought a lot while chewing on my whispers. ¡®In that sense, the relationship between my parents-in-law is very strange.¡¯ Even in the original story, the two continued to have a bad relationship. Should I say that they¡¯re busy growling when they encounter each other without talking? But when they work together, they get along so well. ¡®Well, that¡¯s why they¡¯ve been a business couple for so many years.¡¯ I erased the thought of my parents-in-law. I ordered Hannah in advance to give clues to the Grand Duchess, so that the rest will go on its own. At first, I had no intention of choosing between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess. ¡®I¡¯d rather get both.¡¯ In order to please both the Grand Duchess and the Grand Duchess, it wasn¡¯t necessary to take the form of taking either side. So I didn¡¯t speak directly and made the Grand Duchess hear from the Grand Duke ¡®This is enough. The two of you should take care of the rest.¡¯ I smiled viciously like a man who had done a bad deed. Then Vivian said. ¡°Oh, Young Madam, you¡¯re smiling strangely again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my smile?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve been smiling like this with your mouth wide open since last time.¡± ¡°I-It could be like that.¡± Seeing the face Vivian mimicked, I backed away in awe. Then she grinned and muttered. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s nice to see you smile a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I like the Young Madam¡¯s smile the most.¡± At this, Hannah responded with a grin. ¡°Even money can¡¯t buy our Young Madam¡¯s smile, of course.¡± Shuli rambled. ¡°Why is everyone doing this, all of a sudden?¡± I became very unfamiliar with the attention focused on me, so I reacted a bit shaky. Hannah, Vivian, and Shuli were all maids who followed me from April¡¯s Castle. Of course, it hasn¡¯t been long since I knew them, but Loena¡¯s most reliable people remained unchanged. It was the maids who worked hard enough to please Loena, who had a filthy personality. At first, I was worried that anyone would find out that I wasn¡¯t Loena, but it turned out to be too much. Rather, they rejoiced, saying that I seem to have regained my former self. In the meantime, it was strange as if puberty came early. Of course, it was their standards, but maybe Loena wasn¡¯t just being sarcastic from the beginning. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t understand at all if she became more wicked because she failed to adapt to the newly changed environment. Obviously, I still can¡¯t forgive Loena for harassing Akid. I suddenly got a sense of playfulness and opened my mouth. ¡°If you are really curious, come spying on the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom. I voted for Mother to go back to her bedroom.¡± The three people¡¯s eyes widened at the sudden bet offer. After a while, Hannah asked. ¡°Young Madam, are you going to rob our pockets now?¡± ¡°Who wants to pay? Let¡¯s make a bet.¡± ¡°Ey, how can we slap Young Madam on the forehead?¡± Shuli trembled and dissuaded me. I provoked them with that vicious smile of courtesy. ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°How¡­!¡± Vivian¡¯s desire to win was activated and she became dreary. Shuli said with a smile. ¡°Alright. I have no choice but to do it because the Young Madam wants it. You can¡¯t cry later because you get hurt, though?¡± ¡°Shuli might be going to see the stars.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s scary.¡± Shuli grinned with a face that showed she wasn¡¯t afraid at all. After the bet was made. Hannah, who returned after quietly spying on the Grand Duke couple¡¯s bedroom, answered with a sullen look. ¡°The Grand Duchess has returned to her own bedroom.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I clenched my fists and jumped. Then, with a mean smile, I prepared to let go of the night. ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Young Madammmm¡­ ¡± Let¡¯s make Shuli scream in pain. ¡°Hey, Madam, how spicy are you trying to get your hands to be?¡± Vivian tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. ¡°Should I go first?¡± Hannah went first without fear. ¡°Whoo, whoo.¡± There was no way to let it slide in the bet. I said with a sly smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go see the stars, guys.¡± On the next day. On the foreheads of Hannah, Vivian, and Shuli, red chestnut marks were evident. Even when other servants are puzzled and ask, they just make strange noises and say, ¡°I saw a star¡­¡± It was like that. The Young Madam had no mercy. CH 8 After the Baron Locke siblings were removed, peace came to Hadellus Castle. What¡¯s a little disappointing is that the Grand Duke condoned Baron Locke¡¯s mistake. ¡®The bill is still under review, this is it.¡¯ If an abuse case occurred while the case was being reviewed, it would be difficult to hide it on purpose. So the Grand Duke is still leaving the Baron alone. But he won¡¯t just stand still. Wouldn¡¯t the Grand Duke have warned the Baron that he would crush him on the day he visited the Baron and made fun of him? It was clear from the silence of Baron Locke¡¯s personality so far. Apparently, it is said that Lady Locke didn¡¯t take a single step out of her room. She must have been very shocked that the Grand Duke had abandoned her. After all, she has been dating the capricious Grand Duke for three years. She was also his lover before he got married. ¡®So you didn¡¯t know that you would be thrown away so easily because of me.¡¯ Well, anyway, after the Locke siblings were removed, Akid¡¯s future became a little brighter. The Grand Duke seemed to be sorry, so he secretly took care of Akid after that. What did he say this morning? I remembered a conversation we had at breakfast with the four of us after a long time. The Grand Duke said indifferently during the meal. [Next time, if someone is rude to you, don¡¯t stay still.] I glanced at the Grand Duke who spoke without hesitation even in front of the Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess¡¯ complexion was carefree, no different from him. ¡®As expected, it seems that the two of them have reached an agreement yesterday.¡¯ Like in the original story, even if the Grand Duchess didn¡¯t receive any deposit, he must have made some kind of deal. Akid blinked his eyes in response to the Grand Duke¡¯s unexpected remark and responded firmly. [Didn¡¯t you tell me to live like a dead rat at that time?] The Grand Duke wiggled his eyebrows at the remarks that subtly blamed himself. [That doesn¡¯t mean you have to stay still.] He added as it was still not enough. [I¡¯d rather you hit him. It¡¯s much easier to deal when you hitting someone than you getting hit.] [¡­I will keep that in mind.] ¡®You¡¯re teaching him something very good. What the hell are you telling my innocent Akid to?¡¯ As I recalled the Grand Duke¡¯s ridiculous advice again, I was speechless. Of course, I don¡¯t like him being hit, but him hitting someone because he doesn¡¯t like it is just too much of an asshole. Akid was very similar to the Grand Duke in appearance, but his personality was different. The Grand Duke is a free-spirited man and very narcissistic. On the other hand, Akid had a bad habit of interpreting anything negatively because he grew up reading the situation and behaving from a young age. ¡®It¡¯s okay. As long as I am here, Akid¡¯s childhood will not be miserable.¡¯ A smile spread across my lips when I thought of Akid for no reason. Then Hannah came into the bedroom with a basket of flowers. ¡°What are the flowers for?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s soon the day of the flower festival, so I brought it to change the mood.¡± ¡°Flower festival? In this weather?¡± I blinked my eyes as I pointed to the cold wind blowing outside. Although the cold season had passed, it was still early spring. Even though the flowers were sparsely sticking out their heads, the weather was unreasonable to hold a flower festival. Seeing my stupid expression, Vivian smiled softly and said. ¡°You haven¡¯t been in Delus for a day or two, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a flower festival only in mouth, but it¡¯s actually a day to sow seeds.¡± ¡°Sowing seeds?¡± ¡°Hey, is our Young Madam sleepy today? Why do you keep pretending not to know?¡± When Vivian asked with her eyes wide open, I squinted and turned my eyes. Then Shuli explained. ¡°Yes. Since the land of Delus itself is so difficult to flower, there are even events where we voluntarily sow seeds.¡± Hannah also trimmed the flowers and put them in a vase. ¡°When you first came to Delus, you ran away because it was a cumbersome event, so you don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°Ah, right. It was last year. Hmmm, then you won¡¯t know.¡± Vivian stuck out her tongue as if she had just remembered it. Shuli, who was beside her, sympathized. ¡°Actually, it must have been even more hectic at the time since you had just gotten married.¡± ¡°Yes. I guess so.¡± I evaded this crisis by putting my words on a situation that the maids took care of and understood. Hannah looked at me and said seriously. ¡°You can¡¯t run away like last time. You might be harshly scolded by the Grand Duchess again.¡± ¡°O-Of course! I¡¯ll make sure I listen to her now and do well as a wife.¡± ¡°Oh my, really? You don¡¯t mean to embarrass the Grand Prince on a whim again, are you?¡± I shouted out in annoyance at Vivian¡¯s provocation. ¡°No, it¡¯s not! How much I like Akid!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, our Miss. Now it seems that you are going to acknowledge the Prince!¡± As Hannah was listening, she spoke brightly, as if it was good news to hear. ¡°Are you pretending to be interested and not grumbling all this time? Oh my gosh.¡± When I couldn¡¯t say anything, Vivian shrugged her shoulders and continued. ¡°Tsk, tsk. How careless. If it had been someone other than the Grand Prince, would he have run away right away? These days, if you act like that, he¡¯ll have more desire to go away.¡± ¡°Sheesh, Vivian you¡­¡± I trembled when I heard that Akid would have run away. I got even more annoyed because I remembered that I was trying to run away last time, saying that I would divorce him. Then Shuli lightly patted my back and spoke softly. ¡°Fufufu. How cute. Ignore Vivian. Because she¡¯s jealous of Sir Akid.¡± ¡°Shuli, what do you mean?¡± Vivian jumped and shed her eyes, yet she didn¡¯t make any excuse that it wasn¡¯t like that. I ignored them and fell into deep agony. Anyway, it¡¯s a big deal because there¡¯s a lot of shits here and there. Even the children I brought from April Castle believe and act like this, but Akid will believe in my change. ¡®It will take quite some time to convince the people of the Grand Duke.¡¯ Feeling a bit tired, I shook my head. After a while, I brought the flower festival back to the topic. ¡°So what should I do that day?¡± *** Akid was sitting on the terrace reading a book. After the disappearance of Baron Locke, his life returned to normal. He no longer had to go through the night to study and prepare, and the new tutor was pretty good. Besides, the Grand Duke had even given him a swordsmanship teacher. ¡®Did he really mean to tell me to hit someone?¡¯ Just as he was thinking about it, he heard the clear laughter of a girl from beyond the terrace. It was the sound he heard from Loena¡¯s bedroom, which was right next door. Akid immediately recognized that the laughter was Loena¡¯s laughter. ¡°She seems to be talking to the maids.¡± It was the sound of a particularly clear laugh, which kept him paying attention. Akid got up from his book and walked closer to Loena¡¯s bedroom terrace. He was desperate, something he wouldn¡¯t normally do. Even in the bedroom with the lobby in between, they could see each other through the adjacent terrace. Of course, it was a bit far-fetched. Perhaps the window was left open, so the whispering voices subtly crossed over to Akid¡¯s terrace. It wasn¡¯t clear what exactly they were talking about. He could only guess that they were having a pleasant conversation. ¡®Aren¡¯t those the maids who came together from April Castle?¡¯ Akid roughly guessed anything other than Loena¡¯s voice. It was Loena, who had been very close with the three of them since she came to the castle. Although she didn¡¯t open her heart to other servants, they were the one whom she relied on. Akid decided to go back again, not wanting to eavesdrop on her private life. Just then, Loena¡¯s strong voice was heard. ¡°How much I like Akid!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Akid held his breath at the sudden confession. She shouted so loudly that it was heard so clearly. Akid choked and let out a cough. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± Akid leaned against the wall, barely holding back his cough. He was so startled that his heart was pounding. He covered her mouth tightly in case she could hear him and took his breath. ¡®Did I just hear that wrong?¡¯ Akid was confused. It was definitely Loena¡¯s voice. However, the content was too unexpected to be called her remarks. It was something she would never have said if she was the girl he knew. [I really really hate you! Don¡¯t even come close to me!] Every time she opened her mouth, she was the wife who said she didn¡¯t like him. Not only with her words, but with her actions, she also showed her dislike for him. It was like that. [Come on, Honey.] When Akid recalled the nickname Loena had uttered implicitly, his face heated up. It was such a shocking remark that it took him a long time to recognize it because it came out so naturally. But after that, he felt a little sad when she called him ¡®Akid¡¯ again. ¡®Is she upset? But why?¡¯ Akid was confused as he messed up his thoughts. It just made him even more embarrassed because Loena kept showing new sides. Moreover, it was strange that she suddenly said she liked him now. Is she trying to lie again? ¡°Haa¡­¡± Akid sighed deeply. He tried to understand her, but he didn¡¯t quite understand. She didn¡¯t see his parents because she abused him like she used to. The problem is that, on the other hand, she treated him so kindly. ¡®What is Wife thinking?¡¯ Naturally, Akid¡¯s head was filled with Loena. Then he suddenly remembered what she had said. [It is true that I hated Akid, but it wasn¡¯t that I hated you with my whole life.] At that time, Loena seemed to change the subject. Her voice was all quivering, especially when she said ¡®I hated Akid¡¯. Like a person who tells a lie she didn¡¯t want to. As a quick-witted Akid, her change was just strange Akid stood there for a long moment, leaning against the wall on his side of the terrace for a long time. After a while, he tumbled back to the table and sat down on a chair. But he never again thought he would open the book. Just fiddling with its cover and biting his lower lip. After a while, Akid mumbled a little. ¡°When she said she hated me¡­¡± Akid lowered his head, his face reddened. He didn¡¯t know how many times he had heard someone say ¡®like¡¯. Embarrassed, he patted the back of his head for a bit and let out a deep sigh. He felt pathetic that his heart melted at just that single word. How long had he been doing that, when his heart calmed down. Knock, knock. ¡°Akid. It¡¯s me, Loena.¡± Loena knocked on Akid¡¯s bedroom door. CH 9 A leisurely afternoon. I kept smiling in the carriage. I went out on an outing with Akid as an excuse to prepare for a flower festival. At that time, Akid, who felt my hot gaze, asked. ¡°Why do you keep looking at me like that? Is there anything on my face?¡± Yes. There is something on your face. Handsomeness. I wanted to say it right away, but I thought Akid would be surprised, so I thought of something else. ¡°Since it¡¯s reassuring to know that Akid is helping me.¡± Akid blinked at my answer. I guess he didn¡¯t know that such a word would come out of my mouth. After a while he said. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect you to ask me for help.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Because you didn¡¯t want my help before.¡± Akid, who said so, looked devastated. Since he lived while listening to his wife¡¯s harsh words for a year, it¡¯s only natural that my actions were stupid. Even if I had removed Baron Locke the other day, I would still be an uncomfortable wife for him, nothing more, nothing less. It was even more so when I saw that he was doing my duty as a husband but still didn¡¯t get treated kindly. I replied with a bashful smile. ¡°I thought I would get some help from now on.¡± Akid still had an expression as if he didn¡¯t understand the situation.. On the day I made an appointment with Akid. I heard from the three maids about Loena¡¯s atrocities during the flower festival last year. [So what should I do that day?] [Whatever you do, you can¡¯t do it like last year, Miss.] [What? What the hell did I do?] [Don¡¯t you remember¡­?] I tilted my head as Hannah sighed and exhaled. For some reason, I had a strong feeling that last year¡¯s Loena did something firmly wrong. Sure enough, Vivian, standing next to her, frowned and said. [Last year, you ignored the words of the Grand Duchess and prepared just any seeds haphazardly.] [That¡¯s all? After all, only the seeds with the worst germination rate were selected, so the flower harvest that year was only 80% lower than the previous year.] Shuli trembled as if it was dizzy just thinking about it. Hannah, who was by her side, added her words. [It was fortunate that Sir Akid ??changed the germination rate to a proper seed later and set the germination rest. Otherwise, the harvest might have been less than half of the previous year.] [Akid ??helped me?] [Yes. Of course, Miss ran around and said he did something useless] [At that time, we thought it was a bit too much¡­ Um. It¡¯s nothing. Hohoho.] Hannah made an excuse with a stern expression. I shook my head at the anecdote that Akid had helped Loena, yet she only cursed for nothing. There was no other truth like this. If it were me, I would have kissed him as an excuse to thank him! What a waste! While I was thinking about how to be with Akid with such nonsensical thoughts, this date came to my mind. ¡®Is it okay if I ask Akid for help this time?¡¯ Thanks to that, I will choose good seeds, and I won¡¯t be scolded by the Grand Duchess. As a bonus, it was a great opportunity to go on a date with Akid. The outing thus obtained was now. I struggled to hide the corners of my lips that kept rising. As a result, I think my expression was very strange. Akid, who was watching me closely, asked. ¡°Are you nervous because Mother was upset about it last year?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ah, the corners of your lips keep trembling, so I asked.¡± Akid tapped the corner of my lips and said. I stared blankly at him and answered casually. ¡°Yes? Ah, yes, well, like that. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a little scary when Mother is angry.¡± ¡°Besides, you were very kind to my mother last time. At the cheek¡­ ¡± When Akid paused and hesitated, I spoke instead. ¡°Good night kiss?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ That.¡± He patted the cheek with a bewildered face. I spoke skillfully. ¡°I can¡¯t make friends if I¡¯m afraid just because it¡¯s scary.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making friends¡­?¡± His eyes widened. Those clear blue-gray eyes gleamed like silver beads. His eyes calmed and he opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to understand Wife. Not long ago, you were very edgy.¡± ¡°Just, look at me the way I am,¡± I spoke calmly. ¡°You mean by the way you are?¡± Akid answered in a slightly trembling voice. I said with a bashful smile, pointing at myself with my fingers. ¡°Yes The me in front of Akid right now. Not the past me.¡± His lips twitched at the words that were spat out without a break. It was as if he was a little embarrassed by the words that came out of my mouth. Of course, it was a pretty word limited to Akid. ¡®I will always return to the merciless snout of hell at any time for the bullies who torment my Akid.¡¯ I was determined to do so when he patted his lips and muttered a little. ¡°Is that so. It seems that I have misunderstood Wife.¡± ¡°No, you only saw a part of me rather than misunderstanding. It¡¯s like how I misunderstood Akid¡¯s background.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I found out later that Akid was a good person.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m¡­¡± Akid reflexively denied and blurred the end of his speech. He seemed to be choosing what to say. His voice was heavy and he looked nervous. ¡°In the meantime, I have been under a lot of stress since I came to another place, and I caused you trouble for nothing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to do really well now. Sincerely.¡± As I lowered my gaze with a sad expression on purpose, he licked his lips. Come to think of it, even in the novel, he was very thoughtful and used to be very careful with his words. He was suddenly brought to the unfamiliar Hadellus Castle. An indifferent biological father and a cold-hearted stepmother. And even his young wife who hated him. There must have been nothing but the tension between them. ¡®Akid must have been lonely.¡¯ I also had a past when I lived under my adoptive parents, and I sympathized with Akid¡¯s shadow. He wanted to be loved, but a child who didn¡¯t get it often became rigid like that. Perhaps that¡¯s why. Without realizing it, I raised my upper body and gently grabbed his hand by the corner of his lips still. Akid called me in surprise. ¡°Wife?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try too hard and say it comfortably, Akid.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now that I see, it¡¯s Akid who is nervous, not me.¡± As I reassured him with a soft smile, Akid¡¯s eyes shook stronger than before. An unfamiliar face was reflected in the blue-gray eyes. Curly red hair, raised eyebrows like a cat, and blue eyes. ¡®I still can¡¯t get used to my beauty.¡¯ It was about time to think about such nonsense. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The carriage stopped and the driver announced the arrival. I said, naturally biting his hand. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Wife.¡± I wondered if Akid had a blank expression on his face, but he responded slowly and got out of the carriage. *** Meanwhile, after being kicked by Grand Duke Hadellus, Lady Locke, who had been living in her home, took in a guest after a long time. It was because Lady Marnier, whom she had been close with, came to visit her. Lady Marnier said. ¡°The Grand Duke is very indifferent. How could he cut you down like a piece of firewood?¡± She blamed the Grand Duke on the outside, but in reality, she was referring to Lady Locke, who fell out of his arms. It was only natural that she had been campaigning in the social world with the Grand Duke on her back. Lady Locke answered as if nothing was wrong. ¡°It¡¯s done now. Is he the only man in the world?¡± However, her composure was cut short by the words of the Lady Marnier that followed. ¡°I heard that he already has a new lover.¡± ¡°A new lover?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure, but I saw Hadellus¡¯ wagon going towards the seed farm today.¡± After finishing her words, Lady Marnier glanced at her. As expected, her face was very dark. At the unpleasant circumstances of Lady Locke, who usually, was supported by Grand Duke Hadellus¡¯ favor to her, and had always treated Lady Marnier disrespectfully, it was a very fun matter. ¡®Hmph, isn¡¯t it too pathetic to see you look down alone?¡¯ Lady Marnier thought so and broke the corner of her lips as they were about to rise. It was true that she had seen Hadellus¡¯s carriage. On the way here, she saw a colorful carriage with the pattern of the Hadellus family. Of course, she didn¡¯t even know who was in her carriage. She only recalled that it was the two-seater wagon that the Grand Duke loved, so she brought out her words. Lady Locke asked, furiously, when she heard that the Grand Duke had a new lover. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yeah. I told you so. Since it¡¯s the flower festival soon, it seems like he¡¯s going to see flowers with his lover using seeds as an excuse¡­ Hm?¡± Lady Marnier let out a shallow exclamation, not speaking. It was because Lady Locke had set down the teacup noisily without any culture. But her expression was so gentle, she just coughed in vain. She was careful because she was afraid that fire would fall on her for nothing. Lady Marnier glanced at her and read the air. ¡°That¡¯s what a man is originally like. No matter how pretty Lady Locke is, like a flower, if he keeps looking at you, he¡¯ll get used to it. It¡¯s instinctive for him to have an eye for new flowers.¡± ¡°What do you want to say, Lady Marnier?¡± ¡°Oh my, I just want Lady to overcome the pain of broken heart as soon as possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I apologize if I offended you.¡± At Lady Marnier¡¯s elegant nodding head, Lady Locke laughed in vain. ¡®He just found a new lover?¡¯ CH 10 The eyes of Lady Locke were already full of speculation. She got all worked up that if the Grand Duke was by her side, she wouldn¡¯t even think of her honor, and she would want to grab his hair and shake it. It was just three years. Isn¡¯t it right for him to be prudent, just for at least a month? Finally, the impatient Bestia sprinted from her seat and stood up, she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady Marnier, but I have to leave today. I forgot I have an outing schedule.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s too bad.¡± Lady Marnier gently shook her head and tried to break off of her seat. Still, she listened quietly to the voices of Lady Locke and her maid who were muttering. ¡°I¡¯m going to the seed farm. Prepare for the carriage.¡± Again, Lady Locke was unable to control her anger and seemed to go to meet the Grand Duke. Lady Marnier achieved her desired purpose and got into her carriage with a delightful pace. It was several hours later that Lady Locke met the Grand Prince and Grand Princess. *** As I entered the seed farm, the farmer greeted me and welcomed Akid and me. ¡°I heard the news that you were coming. My name is Mac, the manager of the seed farm here.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Mac.¡± ¡°We came here so suddenly, but thank you for the hospitality.¡± As Akid and I took turns speaking, Mac said to me. ¡°Last year was your first time visiting here, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hm? Did I visit here?¡± I tilted my head at the story I heard for the first time. Akid also asked me if I was a beginner. ¡°Have you been here last year?¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess so. It¡¯s faint.¡± Mac opened his mouth as I spoke vaguely, pretending that I don¡¯t remember because it¡¯s been a while. ¡°Perhaps you didn¡¯t remember because you followed Her Grace the Grand Duchess here for a while.¡± ¡°Yes. I guess so.¡± ¡°Did something happen that day? The Grand Duchess¡¯s expression was very bad, so I was very worried.¡± ¡°Mother¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yes. That day, the Grand Princess went away without a word, and Her Grace the Grand Duchess was very angry.¡± ¡°Gosh, did I go without a word?¡± I screamed without realizing it, and covered my mouth in surprise. ¡®Loena you, really were diverse.¡¯ No, no matter what, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m talking nonsense. I couldn¡¯t figure out what happened last year, so all I could do was listen to Mac¡¯s words. It seemed that it was true that she had come to check the seeds with the Grand Duchess. She couldn¡¯t have been in this boring place for long due to her nature. ¡®Perhaps she saw the opportunity and ran away. Because of that, the Grand Duchess had to do the work alone.¡¯ Plus, she even messed up the flower festival that year, so it was only natural that she would be hated by the Grand Duchess. ¡®I have to do really well this time.¡¯ I made up my mind to do so and said to Mac with a ferocious expression on my face. ¡°This time, I have plenty of time to spare, so I would like to introduce myself without exception.¡± ¡°Of course. Then, would you like to see the flowers we have grown first? These are flowers grown in advance in a plastic greenhouse for demonstration purposes. If you want, I can also explain in between.¡± ¡°Ooh, thank you for the explanation!¡± ¡°This year, the colors of the Delus flowers came out particularly well. If you plant it, you will probably see the Delus flowers in full bloom around the middle of this year. Obviously, it is possible to advance the flowering time with magic.¡± Mac guided me to the place where the flowers bloomed with a warm smile. He pointed to each flower garden and explained about the flowers. ¡°The seeds of this flower are very light. Sometimes there are rounded ends, but they are defective and must be removed separately.¡± Whenever Mac explained the seed, I diligently wrote it down in my notebook. Akid was puzzled by my noticeable enthusiasm, but added a comment in between from time to time. He also studied a lot and knew quite a bit about seeds. ¡°I have heard that the Grand Prince is very versatile, but you seem to have a lot of interest in landscaping like this.¡± Mac happily complimented him, and Akid shyly avoided his gaze. After a while, Mac guided us to a certain door and caught the wind. ¡°Now, this is where we grew the Delus flower I mentioned earlier.¡± I pricked up my ears at the word ¡®Delus flower¡¯. It was a flower I knew well. ¡®If it was a Delus flower, it was the first flower that Archid gave to Mabel.¡¯ The Delus flower is a rare species that only blooms here, and it¡¯s also a flower that symbolizes Delus, the territory of Hadellus. His gift of Delus flowers wasn¡¯t just a sign of affection. ¡®It¡¯s a flower that the Grand Dukes or the Grand Princes give only to their wives.¡¯ But Mabel had never been to Delus, so she didn¡¯t really understand what it meant. ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡± I wanted to touch them, but I only looked at them with my eyes because I thought I might hurt them. Then Akid came up to me and said, ¡°I thought Wife didn¡¯t like the Delus flowers.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? I was told to throw the flowers I gave you as a gift at last year¡¯s festival in the trash can.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I thought you didn¡¯t like flowers¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate it!¡± I was startled and made excuses. It was a gift from Akid, so it seemed like she hated it and told him to throw it away. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I went too far back then.¡± I muttered mournfully because I was in a situation where even prayers weren¡¯t enough I wondered if Akid would blink his clear blue-gray eyes at that sight. ¡°If you don¡¯t hate it, I¡¯m glad.¡± He had a soft smile with a kind consolation. For an instant, a shade seemed to appear behind his back. ¡®He really isn¡¯t the beauty from this world.¡¯ I stared at Akid with a scruffy look. I still couldn¡¯t believe I was his wife. Then he asked with a slow smile. ¡°If there is a flower you like, please tell me. I will send it to Wife¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Ah, for me, of course, Del¡­¡± I was excited to hear that he was going to give me a gift and I was about to choose the Delus flower. ¡°Wait a minute, Lady! We have guests here now, so if you go in¡­!¡± On the other side, there seemed to be a commotion, and a familiar woman came in full-dressed. ¡°Lady Locke?¡± I was stunned by the unexpected person and muttered a little. Lady Locke was looking around with her ax-eyed eye, but she found Akid and me and strode towards us. ¡°Where is the Grand Duke?¡± ¡°You¡¯re rude.¡± Akid pushed me back and spoke low to Lady Locke. But Bestia, who had usually ignored Akid, snorted at his warning. ¡°Now, does he even use his children as blackouts?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Tell me the right thing. I came because I heard that the Grand Duke is here now!¡± Bestia shrugged and screamed. I looked at her, who appeared out of nowhere and shouted at Akid, with an absurd look. Hmm, is it my turn, I wonder. I had made up my mind that I was about to break her spirit with my main skill, speech, with a lot of flair. ¡®What?¡¯ Suddenly, my eyes began to spin. Piiiii? Soon after, I heard a ringing in my ears, causing it hard for me to hear what Akid and Lady Locke were talking about. ¡®Why is it like this? Did I eat something wrong?¡¯ I was bewildered by the sudden abnormal signal from my body. A buzzing sound pierced my ears, as if someone was talking to me. I got dizzy and rested my face on Akid¡¯s back. ¡°Wife?¡± Akid called me in a tone of dismay at the sudden contact. But I couldn¡¯t afford to answer. ¡°A-Akid¡­¡± It was the moment I managed to call his name. My body shook violently, and my legs relaxed. Akid grabbed me as I fell and shouted. ¡°Wife!¡± ¡°Kyakk! Grand Princess!¡± The clerk who was trying to stop Lady Locke screamed. ¡°Wif¡­ Stay cons¡­!¡± Akid yelled at me, but he was cut off. Eventually, even that sound couldn¡¯t be heard. ¡®What is it, is Loena dying like this?¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m not Loena¡¯s soul, so her body is rejecting me? In the original story, Loena, who was in good health before she got infected, is said to have fainted. I tried to pull myself together, yet it wasn¡¯t enough I glanced at Akid, who was urgently shouting out of sight, and Lady Locke, who had been contemplating. After that, it was dark. *** Akid arrived at the Hadellus Castle carrying Loena on his back. ¡°Asil!¡± At Akid¡¯s urgent cry, the butler, Asil, came out. ¡°Grand Prince, what happened¡­ Gasp!¡± Asil became contemplative the moment he saw Loena who collapsed. ¡°H-How did this¡­¡± ¡°Asil, call the doctor. Right now!¡± Akid gave a brief order as if he didn¡¯t have time to explain. ¡°Yes, yes! I understand.¡± Asil rambled and rang the bell to search for the doctor. Akid headed straight to Loena¡¯s bedroom. Loena¡¯s breathing was very rough. Her body was like a fireball, and she was sweating profusely. ¡®Was she not feeling well before we went to the farm?¡¯ Akid was in a state of confusion at Loena¡¯s fainting. He hadn¡¯t noticed any signs of pain at all. It was like a first date, and the atmosphere was very good. Besides, Loena, who blushed as she exclaimed in the Delus flowers¡¯ garden, didn¡¯t look like a sick person. ¡®Why all of a sudden? What is the reason?¡¯ Akid had just opened the door, asking a question for which he couldn¡¯t find the answer. ¡°Grand Prince?¡± Hannah put on a puzzled look as she was tidying up the bedding. Soon after? ¡°Miss!¡± She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of Loena, who had collapsed, as she screamed. CH 11 Akid asked as he lay Loena on her bed. ¡°By any chance, did Wife have any chronic diseases?¡± ¡°Yes? Ah, no¡­ She was a healthy person, though¡­¡± Hannah stuttered with tearful eyes. Akid said slowly, even though he was sweating from carrying Loena on his back. ¡°I gave her first aid because she couldn¡¯t breathe well, but¡­ First of all, she needs to be diagnosed by a doctor¡­¡± ¡°Kyakk! Miss!¡± Then Vivian, who had gone to change the seat, screamed as she saw Loena struggling. She immediately placed a bottle of water roughly on the table, then walked over to the bed and looked over at Loena. ¡°H-How did this happen¡­¡± ¡°Suddenly she collapsed and I¡­¡± It was around the time when Akid frowned and licked his lips. ¡°Where is the patient?¡± The doctor opened the door and wanted to come in, and he hurriedly checked her condition. Akid sighed in relief that the doctor had arrived on time. Then he sat down on a nearby chair. ¡®Phew, that¡¯s a relief.¡¯ Then only Hannah was surprised once more to see the condition of Akid. ¡°Grand Prince, your shoes¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Akid looked at his feet at Hannah¡¯s words and let out a groan. He had lost a shoe somewhere, so he was wearing only one shoe. ¡®Was it that urgent?¡¯ Akid laughed in vain at his non-aristocratic behavior. Don¡¯t run even if you¡¯re in a hurry. Don¡¯t show your expression in every matter. Don¡¯t walk with your back bent like a scoundrel. It was the advice that Baron Locke used to give out when he was a tutor. At the same time, he secretly gave insults that he didn¡¯t look like a noble because he was an illegitimate child. He lived with caution, but it seems that his old nature leaked out and came out in the middle of Loena¡¯s fainting. When Akid was silent, Hannah carefully opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you another pair of shoes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hannah disappeared quickly as Akid nodded his head, wiping his face. After a while, the doctor who finished the examination said. ¡°Fortunately, thanks to the good first aid, her life was saved.¡± ¡°Why did she suddenly faint?¡± ¡°That is¡­ It appears to be an allergic reaction.¡± ¡°What?¡± Akid¡¯s eyes widened at the word ¡®allergic¡¯. Vivian, who was beside him, remarked. ¡°Is it possible? Our Miss never had such a disease¡­¡± ¡°But this symptom is shock from an acute allergic reaction.¡± When the doctor answered firmly, Vivian said to herself, not knowing what to do. ¡°It¡¯s strange. When we were in April¡¯s Castle, she was able to get around even during the changing seasons¡­¡± ¡°Has she ever been to a place where there is a lot of dust today?¡± Vivian answered the doctor¡¯s question. ¡°Ah, she went to the seed farm to see the seeds. But our Miss isn¡¯t allergic to pollen, though?¡± Akid paused the moment she said that she was fine when she was in April¡¯s Castle and that she wasn¡¯t normally allergic to pollen. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ Akid instantly remembered Loena, who was smiling softly in the garden of Delus flowers. He thought it was a good thing that her cheeks were redder than usual. ¡°It seems that her immune system has weakened since she came to Hadellus. I will prescribe some medicine for her health.¡± It was the time when the doctor was about to leave after completing the diagnosis. Akid asked as he got up from her chair. ¡°Is there any Delus flower in April¡¯s Castle?¡± Vivian¡¯s eyes widened at Akid¡¯s sudden question. ¡°There¡¯s no way there¡¯s any Delus flower in the warm April¡¯s Castle. We all came here and saw it for the first time.¡± Vivian frowned and responded that it was something she didn¡¯t know at all. Akid pondered her words and asked the doctor. ¡°Did Loena show similar symptoms around this time last year?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I should check the chart¡­¡± It was the time when the doctor was about to stop talking in an evocative manner. Vivian said, clasping her hands. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right, last year she was sick like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I think it was on a mild level back then¡­ Her cheeks were very red like now.¡± Vivian shivered and looked at Loena sadly. She seemed to blame herself for not understanding her master¡¯s physical condition properly. Akid asked, biting his lower lip. ¡°Is that the day she went out with Mother and came back alone?¡± ¡°Gasp, how did you know? She told me to keep it a secret¡­¡± Vivian opened her eyes and muffled her words. Then, Akid wiped his face and said to the doctor. ¡°It¡¯s because of the Delus flower.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± When the senator suddenly asked a question as if he was wondering what he was talking about, Akid replied coolly. ¡°She passed out in the garden of Delus flower.¡± ¡°Why is that¡­¡± ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for the nonexistence of Delus flowers in April¡¯s Castle, I wouldn¡¯t have known that she was allergic to delus flowers.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The doctor then found a blind spot and exclaimed. Akid grabbed his arm at the doctor¡¯s complacency. ¡°If you had made a similar diagnosis back then, shouldn¡¯t you have done a thorough examination at least once?¡± ¡°It was at a mild level at the time, and it was very difficult to find the cause of allergies¡­¡± The doctor was sweating profusely and didn¡¯t know what to do. Akid tried to get a little angry at the doctor¡¯s insolent behavior. He was well aware of his place in Hadellus Castle in the first place. Since the Grand Duke couple were openly indifferent, it was only for a moment that even the servants became indifferent. Akid was used to that indifference. Rather, it was rather inconvenient and awkward to be given attention. But he never imagined that they would be so indifferent to Loena. ¡®Nope. In the first place, she is my wife, so I was wrong to expect that they would treat her differently.¡¯ Akid let out a self-conscious laugh. He couldn¡¯t believe that it was so bad they didn¡¯t even take care of the Young Madam¡¯s health. He clenched his fists involuntarily. [Just, look at me the way I am.] He remembered Loena¡¯s words with a bright smile. He thought he knew her well. He evaluated that it was impossible to fix because he was proud of himself, and never showed respect for the elders. Therefore, it was his job to stop her, and he focused only on the minimum duties as a husband. ¡®Did she not want to be found out that she¡¯s allergic to Delus flowers, because she¡¯s going to be the Grand Duchess of Hadellus?¡¯ If it was the Loena he knew, it was enough. Rather than revealing her secrets, she must have deliberately chosen to destroy it. Akid sighed inwardly. He felt pitiful for himself for not being able to grasp her immature behavior. Of course, he didn¡¯t even notice that he was too young. The position of the successor to Hadellus was always severe for him to be tolerated because he was ¡®young¡¯. Akid spoke to the doctor, unaware that he was angry with himself. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let this go.¡± Then he slammed the door and walked out. He was planning to go straight to his father. ¡°Grand Prince¡­!¡± The doctor panicked and tried to follow him, but Vivian caught him. ¡°Where are you going without doing the treatment?!¡± *** My whole body was itchy. When I slowly opened my eyes, I was already in my room. My body was paralyzed and tingling, but now I¡¯m fine. My head was still pounding, but my condition wasn¡¯t that bad. Rather, I felt refreshed because I was sweating. Then the familiar scent of incense reached the tip of my nose. ¡®Oh my, I can smell it now?¡¯ Even my shriveled ears could hear even the small noises of life every time the servants moved. ¡®Wow, I thought I was going to die.¡¯ My body trembled at the sensation of paralyzing all five senses for the first time in my life. I was scared for nothing, so I clenched my hand and tried to open it, but one of my hands was heavy. It¡¯s like being caught by someone. As I slowly turned my head to the side, I saw that black hair. ¡°Akid?¡± He flinched at the startling remarks. After a while, hazy gray eyes stared at me. Unlike the usual clear light, it looked a little dull. Should I say that he looks like a person who has been taking care for someone for a long time? ¡®What? Have I been lying down for quite some time?¡¯ Akid blinked his eyes as if he was half asleep. Seeing the sun beating behind his back, it felt like it was morning. Akid¡¯s appearance in the sun was truly fantastic. ¡®Ah, isn¡¯t this really heaven? An angel named Akid came to meet me.¡¯ My heart was pounding at the sight of Akid who had just woken up in the morning. Oh my gosh, I never thought I¡¯d be lucky enough to see the face of Akid who just woke up. If this opportunity comes often, I won¡¯t curse you no matter how many times I give up, Lord. That time when delusions naturally creeped up. Suddenly, I realized that he had been sleeping in my room. What do you mean Akid who took care of me all night? It was a great development when I remembered the time he built thorns like a hedgehog. ¡®I think my excuses worked quite well.¡¯ I forgot my pain and couldn¡¯t hide my joy. I was so happy to be recognized that I even greeted him brightly. ¡°Good morning. Um, is it morning?¡± ¡°!!¡± Akid, who finally came to his senses, jumped up his upper body belatedly. His hand naturally also fell off, and I clenched and opened my fist with regret. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I nodded quietly as Akid asked in a worried voice. ¡°Are you sick somewhere?¡± Hm, my heart hurts. Because Akid is so handsome. CH 12 Translated by lipzoldyck After making a lot of silly comments inside, I got up and leaned against the bedhead. Then I tried to answer quietly. ¡°I¡¯m okay. At first, I was very surprised because my sense of hearing and smell were all paralyzed, but fortunately, I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Akid opened his lips as if my answer was absurd. Come to think of it, even though I said it was okay, when I passed out, the symptoms were quite serious. I bit my lip and asked carefully. ¡°By any chance, were you worried?¡± I tilted my head to meet his gaze, and Akid¡¯s eyes shook as I asked the question. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have asked him a question, there¡¯s no way Akid should worry about me. That was when I was just about to shut my mouth. He spoke slowly. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I thought my heart was pounding. Akid was worried about me. What is today¡¯s date? It should be an anniversary! ¡°I see.¡± When I heard that he was worried, I lowered my head and rejoiced. Akid might run away, startled by the ugly sight of my nostrils bulging in excitement with my head raised. I hate being sick, but I like that he cares about me. Because that¡¯s part of affection. ¡®Has anyone ever been cared for by your favorite? Yes! Here!¡¯ As I was celebrating in my head, he suddenly put a hand on my forehead. Seeing the coolness, the heat didn¡¯t seem to have gone down yet. ¡°You have a slight fever left.¡± ¡°I know, right. I really thought I was going to die, but it¡¯s strange that it ended in one day.¡± Akid shook his head as I took the words, pretending to be cool. ¡°Not a day.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It was ten days.¡± ¡°!!¡± I couldn¡¯t keep my mouth shut the moment he said ten days. Akid mumbled, unable to properly meet my gaze with an anguished expression on his face. ¡°You asked if I was worried? I can¡¯t help but to worry. I¡¯m your husband.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How I felt when I was by your side for ten days. Wife won¡¯t know that.¡± How did you feel? Why am I curious about that the most? I struggled to keep my nostrils free. I wanted to ask him that right away, but I couldn¡¯t talk to him because of the atmosphere. For some reason, he looked very dangerous. Akid bowed his head and murmured as if he were a sinner. ¡°Wife really didn¡¯t wake up, so I wondered if I did anything wrong¡­¡± ¡°Akid.¡± ¡°If I really did something wrong, where should I apologize¡­¡± ¡°Akid!¡± I shouted at him, who kept looking dark, and grabbed his hand. He finally came to his senses and met my eyes. No, why is there a rain-drenched puppy here? The corners of Akid¡¯s eyes were very pitiful, as if he was a puppy shivering in the rain. I felt so sorry that I wanted to hug him impulsively. However, I held on to my reason and said. ¡°Akid, you did nothing wrong.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now, look. I¡¯m right in front of you.¡± I put his hand to my face and said, and he nodded silently. He seemed a little more genuine than before. ¡®Perhaps he got scolded by the Grand Duke because I fainted?¡¯ After all, why else would I fall down while going out with Akid? I should have just stood alone and came back to my room then collapsed! I was upset because I thought I had harmed Akid for nothing. Then all of a sudden I wondered why I had collapsed. ¡°But why did I collapse?¡± Akid licked his lips and hesitated at my question. ¡°I thought you already knew.¡± ¡°Not at all, why?¡± As I tilted my head, he said with a hot breath. ¡°You¡¯re allergic to Delus flowers.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± What is this nonsense? Isn¡¯t Delus flower widespread in the Hadellus Territory? Even in the garden of Hadellus Castle, there was a separate garden with only Delus flowers. He calmly explained to me, who had lost my mind. Suddenly, his expression hardened. ¡°Don¡¯t think about pretending not to know.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you collapse in a similar incident last year?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I let out a shallow exclamation at the word ¡®last year¡¯. Even more so because it¡¯s the past I don¡¯t know. ¡®This is really surprising. How the hell did Loena survive in Delus?¡¯ Come to think of it, in the original story, when Akid saw the Delus flower, he thought of his ex-wife. It was because his ex-wife hated that flower so much that she didn¡¯t allow any of it to bloom in the castle where they were staying. ¡®It must have been because of allergies.¡¯ He continued as I pondered over what to say to the unexpected truth. ¡°So that¡¯s why you told me to throw away the Delus flowers when I gave them to you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°You should have told the truth.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°In the end, Wife almost died. Why on earth did you hide it?¡± Akid bit his lower lip and swallowed his anger. He didn¡¯t seem to want to get angry with a patient who had just woken up. He was making a scary face, but somehow I felt sorry for him. It didn¡¯t seem like he was angry with me. His face looked like he was angry with himself. ¡®Why did Loena hide this from everyone?¡¯ She hid it even from her maids. In this place where the Delus flowers are everywhere, it was like whining blindfolded. ¡®It seems that the reason she ran away from the flower garden last year wasn¡¯t intentional.¡¯ However, contrary to Loena¡¯s intentions, it was an act that would look bad to the Grand Duchess. She actually got hated for that. ¡®It must have been difficult to say since she was young and had a lot of pride.¡¯ A child fell into a remote place she had never been before. The only people she could rely on were the maids who followed her from her hometown, April¡¯s Castle, and everyone called her the Grand Princess and forced her to do her duty. Yet, apparently, she had an allergy to the Delus flowers, the symbol of the Hadellus. Of course, she must have tried to hide his weakness. It seems that she immaturely responded to that because she was young. After all, that¡¯s what made the relationship worse. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Then he muttered while clenching my hand that was holding Akid¡¯s. ¡°Even though it doesn¡¯t mean that you hide that¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying, so I turned around and looked at him. Those gray eyes were staring straight at me. There seemed to be an indescribable feeling. My lips naturally opened as my eyes seemed to be sucked in. After a while he hesitated and asked. ¡°Is it because of me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± I was startled by Akid¡¯s sudden accusation and countered. Yet he showed disbelief. His long black eyelashes trembled. Strangely, his eyes sparkled as if they were wet. ¡°If I were a more trustworthy husband, would Wife have told me honestly?¡± ¡°Akid¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to do with his crying face. There was a time when I wanted to see his crying face, but I wanted to cancel it right away. I just want him to laugh. I was upset that it was me who made him sad. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Akid shook his head lightly as I apologized in tears without realizing it. His eyes were sweet and warm. It made me cry even more. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. So that Wife can depend on me.¡± ¡°Me too. I¡¯ll tell Akid everything from now on. I won¡¯t deceive you.¡± ¡°Yes. Alright.¡± He smiled faintly and gently wiped my eyes. Tears that had been hanging on to my eyes touched his fingers and burst out. ¡°By the way, what happened to Lady Locke back then?¡± When I changed the topic in embarrassment, his face cracked. His face hardened as if he didn¡¯t want to think about it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°Akid?¡± I opened my eyes wide at the momentary cold face. For a moment, it seems to resemble the cold expression of the Grand Duke. Akid laid me back and covered me with a blanket. ¡°Wife just has to focus on recovering.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied rather timidly as there were so many pricks. After that, Akid stayed by my side until I fell asleep. *** ¡°Y-Your Grace the Duchess.¡± Lady Locke looked at Elena with a pale face. Elena elegantly crossed her legs and motioned her to sit down. She sat on the sofa opposite Elena, trembling. It was the first time Elena had come to Locke Mansion. Even when Bestia was settling in the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle, she had never visited her. Elena looked at Bestia, who was frightened at first glance, and snorted. [Please help me, Mother.] [Help you?] [Please don¡¯t let Lady Locke appear before the Grand Duchess again.] [My daughter-in-law collapsed, I guess it was because of Lady Locke.] [Of course, there was a bigger reason, but it is true that the first aid was delayed because of Lady Locke.] Her stepson, who had never asked her for any favor in her lifetime, suddenly came and begged for help. It was also for his wife whom he was famous for having a bad relationship with and despised him. Besides, Elena had never seen Akid¡¯s eyes so bright. It was much better than how he always looked discouraged and unable to make eye contact. That¡¯s why she came to visit Lady Locke at Akid¡¯s request. ¡®Well, I didn¡¯t like that woman either.¡¯ How dared she do this to the Grand Prince and his wife without knowing her place. Elena spoke bluntly with a bright smile. ¡°I want you to get out of the territory of Hadellus right now.¡± CH 13 When it became known that I was allergic to Delus flowers, the Hadellus Castle was noisy. It was because the Young Madam, who only knew how to be ruthless, hid her allergy. Everyone seemed to be a bit bewildered because they thought I lived by spitting out all the words inside. ¡°Why are you hiding that kind of thing?!¡± Hannah poked her eyes with her handkerchief and uttered a weeping voice. The expression on Vivian¡¯s face, standing next to her, was terrifying. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you just live alone? Don¡¯t even think about the concerned maids! I knew you were a fool, but I thought it wasn¡¯t this bad!¡± ¡°Vivian, somehow there is power in the back words. Do you think it¡¯s an opportunity to curse because of the mood?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s the mood!¡± Vivian frowned with a prickly expression on her face and then blew her nose. I deliberately pretended not to know and smiled bashfully. Anyway, it¡¯s true that I surprised everyone. As I was unexpectedly gentle, Shuli gritted her teeth and wentssips at someone. ¡°If that doctor had been a little sharper, you wouldn¡¯t have been so sick.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Sir Akid, we would¡¯ve passed it this time too. What a quack doctor!¡± At Shuli¡¯s words, Vivian also burst out in anger and shook off the folded clothes. Hannah joined in and took the word. ¡°Nevertheless, I¡¯m glad that Sir Akid immediately informed His Grace the Duke and a new doctor was assigned right away.¡± ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t like that doctor before. He did a rough check every time. No matter how picky our Miss is!¡± I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that cute to be called picky, though? I watched the scene where Vivian¡¯s arms were bent inward, and my gaze was slightly blurred. In any case, it was true that the Doctor was negligent. If Loena had been properly diagnosed when she was ill last year, I wouldn¡¯t have been wandering around in the garden of the Delus flowers, saying, ¡°Ooh la la.¡± Most of all, the story of Akid visiting the Grand Duke for me touched my heart. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Sir Akid would visit His Grace the Duke.¡± Hannah said as she fiddled with the blanket shyly. ¡°It was the first time it happened. We were surprised too.¡± Perhaps even the Grand Duke would be surprised. It was the first time Akid had visited him first. ¡°Still, it seems that the only person who loves our Miss is Sir Akid.¡± ¡°Vivian, you once complained that he was being an iron wall to our Miss.¡± ¡°Shuli, be quiet.¡± Shuli burst into laughter as Vivian acted softly. Anyway, thanks to Akid, the doctor who enjoyed the monthly salary lupin was kicked out. The new doctor, Martha, was very passionate and took good care of me. Maybe it was because she didn¡¯t know that I was called the spout of hell, so-called ¡®property¡¯. ¡®By the way, the flower festival is just around the corner, will it be okay?¡¯ I looked down on the date and pondered. No matter how allergic I was, I was the Grand Princess of Hadellus. I couldn¡¯t keep avoiding the Delus flower. And resting like this was like passing on all the flower festival related work to the Grand Duchess. We¡¯re already in a bad relationship, but since they¡¯ve pushed her to work, the Grand Duchess must be in a very bad mood. ¡®What can I do?¡¯ It was around the time I was thinking about it for a while. Hannah and Vivian were in the midst of talking about the flower festival. ¡°Did you think about what seeds to plant? The last plant I planted died quickly.¡± ¡°Well. I think I¡¯ll do the same thing as last time. I¡¯m just too lazy to sow seeds first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cool at all. If you¡¯re going to do that, just shake the dandelion puffs.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good, though?¡± As I clapped my hands and cheered, Vivian looked at me curiously. Either way, I jumped off the bed and she followed. ¡°Huh? Miss, where are you going?¡± ¡°To Mother.¡± ¡°I heard she¡¯s going to the seed farm today¡­¡± ¡°Uh, the carriage is just coming in.¡± Shuli just finished tidying up the curtains, and announced that the Grand Duchess had arrived. I grinned and ran down the hallway at the thought of striking while the iron was hot. Since Elena was on her way back from the seed farm, it seemed like the right time to tell me about my plans. ¡°Come with me, Miss, no, Young Madam!¡± Vivian looked around and corrected my name while following me. I walked down the stairs to her without waiting for her. The Grand Duchess, who had just entered the castle and was about to climb the stairs, widened her eyes. ¡°Mother, how are you¡­ Agh!¡± I stopped running and tried to be polite, but I ended up getting caught in the hem of my skirt. Since it was a staircase, I jumped as if I was rushing to Elena. With her bewildered face, I embraced her and collapsed. ¡°Gasp!¡± Vivian, who was following me, heard the sound of breathing in surprise. I broke into a cold sweat while hugging Elena. I didn¡¯t mean to give a warm welcome like this, but my damn legs didn¡¯t follow me. Don¡¯t I look like a puppy wagging its tail and waiting for its owner to come? Elena was also surprised, and her body stiffened. Still, she didn¡¯t forget to hold me tight in case I fell. Huwaa, I want to die. I hugged her tightly in shame. Then Elena said. ¡°The welcome is very warm. My neck hurts a little.¡± ¡°¡­Y-Y-You¡¯re back?¡± I hurriedly backed away with a blushing face. No, to be precise, it was closer to say that she gave it off lightly. In fact, if she hadn¡¯t accepted, I would¡¯ve hugged the floor. The feeling of being held in her arms wasn¡¯t that bad. Then Elena asked with her arms crossed and a relaxed expression. ¡°What kind of wind is blowing this time that makes you make the fuss?¡± ¡°Ah! I have something to discuss about this flower festival.¡± I wondered if Elena¡¯s expression would harden as soon as I brought it up, yet she said coldly again. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Are you free?¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m not, you¡¯ve already come to tell me, though?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± As soon as I was granted permission by Elena, I quickly stuck to her side. Her pace was quite fast, and as I followed her, I could feel her slowing down. ¡®She has a surprisingly meticulous side.¡¯ I thought that it would all be over because she took over all the work, but there was no sign of anger than I had expected. When we arrived on the terrace, light refreshments were arranged neatly on the table. The macarons were shining brightly and saying, ¡°Eat me.¡± Come to think of it, it was close to snack time, so I was quite hungry. I was contemplating whether to eat it or not, but Elena said softly. ¡°Someone might think I¡¯m being conscious of what you¡¯re eating if they saw this. Why are you being so tricky all of a sudden.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy this food!¡± I ate the macaron without being nervous after being told not to be so sly. Yeah. When did Loena ever live looking around for things like this? This allergy incident led to the perception that she was a child who was conscious of others, but in reality, there was no one who cared. The pink macaron boasted a texture that was as sweet as its color. It was so chewy that it melted in my mouth. The filling in it felt like I was eating a cloud that melted. It was like heaven even when I soaked it with milk. I was focused on the macaron eating show for a while, but belatedly, when I felt Elena¡¯s deep gaze, I flinched. Ah, it was so delicious that I forgot my duty. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Were you such a good eater in the first place?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even eaten as much as a bird so far, so I thought you weren¡¯t interested in eating.¡± Elena frowned as she mumbled unknown words. For some reason, she looked very bad. ¡®Ah, is it because I ate up even the Grand Duchess¡¯ portion!¡¯ It was then that I realized that I had eaten all the four macarons on the plate blindfolded like a crab. ¡°Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to eat it all by myself.¡± ¡°I brought it for you to eat it all by yourself.¡± Elena said bluntly, sipping tea. I mean, she looks upset, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessarily my fault? Anyway, since it¡¯s not because of macarons, she must¡¯ve filled her stomach, so I brought up the main point. ¡°I heard that Mother is suffering because of my allergies this time.¡± ¡°What crazy maid said that to you? Say their name.¡± No, why is my mother-in-law in crazy dog ??mode again? I just said it roughly because I thought it would be like that, yet she even roared with her eyes open. If someone got caught wrong, she would rush like a dogfight. I felt a rush of sweat, and said politely. ¡°No. No one did that, I just guessed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. It¡¯s nothing you need to care about. After all, I did it alone last year. I¡¯ll be more tired if you come here to help.¡± This mother, she has a knack for hitting the bone. In the beginning, the preparations for the flower festival were the responsibility of the Grand Duchess and the Grand Princess. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing that all by myself anyway, so don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said. It¡¯s as if the leader, tired of the group assignments, declared that they would lead the entire group alone. It feels like I¡¯ve become an inconsequential member of the team who¡¯s arrogant in an instant. If she did that on purpose, she had a talent for arguing, and if not, that was a problem. I said with a smirk to prevent the Grand Duchess from doing the monopoly assignment like this. ¡°I also want to help Mother. I just have a good idea, would you like to hear it?¡± CH 14 ¡°You¡¯re saying you have any?¡± Elena snorted as if she had heard a ridiculous sound. She also looked as if she was wondering what the wind was doing. Yet she didn¡¯t say no. She seemed to want to hear where I was. I talked about my thoughts as if the plan was being reviewed by my boss. My heart was pounding. ¡°I heard that many people buy seeds every year, but few sow them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone must have thought that sowing was a job. Digging and planting is quite laborious, but just because you sow it doesn¡¯t mean it will all grow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, how about making the seed sowing an event?¡± I glanced into Elena¡¯s eyes. She tilted her head at the story of the event. It was because they were still holding a seed sharing event. ¡°There are already enough charity events in place, but are you saying to add something more here?¡± At first glance, there was a nuance of refusal to stop working for nothing. But I couldn¡¯t pull out the main battle like this and back down.. ¡°The seed sharing event doesn¡¯t lead to the engagement of sharing to sowing.¡± ¡°But it is a long-standing tradition. Thanks to that tradition, the Hadellus Flower Festival is famous.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s famous because the flowers in the snow have a magnificent scenery.¡± As I pointed it out, Elena¡¯s eyebrows twitched. But she did not object. Actually, the seed sharing event was just a show-off event. The reason for gathering at the festival was to make life shots and build memories. If you take advantage of events where families, couples, and friends can make memories together, you will be able to increase the participation rate in seed planting. ¡°So what do you want to say?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rule that says that flowers must be planted in the ground. It can also be planted in the sky.¡± ¡°What kind of weird sound is that? Where are there flowers that aren¡¯t being planted on the ground?¡± Why isn¡¯t there any? ¡°Bring me some paper and a pen.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Madam.¡± Vivian, who had been waiting by my side, often walked out, and soon she came with a paper and pen. I drew the balloon under Elena¡¯s gaze. A balloon containing flower seeds. ¡°This is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a balloon.¡± ¡°I also know that. I want to ask you why you are drawing this. It¡¯s not like you want to do a talent show all of a sudden.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we put spore seeds in a balloon like this and spread it. The spores that are blown in the wind will be very pretty.¡± In dandelion, when the yellow petals fall, the pure white spore becomes round like a flower. It felt like a gathering of stars, so when I went to the pure white dandelion field, my eyes were easily taken away. That¡¯s all? It was also very pretty to see the white spores floating in the sky and taking root on the ground. Everyone must have had the experience of blowing a dandelion that bloomed white in childhood. ¡°I heard that the Delus flower is a spore. If you let a balloon filled with spores float on the ground that has been cleared in advance, they will plant seeds and build memories, won¡¯t they? Of course, in order to realize this, we will have to discuss it with the vassals¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Elena only then showed interest. I got the courage to add my words. ¡°At the same time, the Delus flower is rainbow-colored, so we make different colors of balloons. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay for a one-day event?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a pretty cool idea. A bit raw, though.¡± Elena grinned and folded the paper, putting it in her arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you cared about your intelligence that much. Especially the thought of sprinkling Delus flowers. I thought you were going to make a fuss to burn them all.¡± ¡®I¡¯m not even some damn trash¡­¡¯ To say that, there were too many evils that Loena had been engaged in. ¡°Ehm! Anyway, if you designate a space, I don¡¯t have to go there, so that¡¯s fine. We can¡¯t ban everyone¡¯s beloved Delus flower because of me.¡± Yeah. I didn¡¯t want to get sick like last time. Just because the Delus flower is a symbol of the Hadellus territory, what if we could hold a small event in line with it? Then Elena hesitated and threw the preface. ¡°Anyway, that flower allergy.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm, no. First of all, I¡¯ve heard your opinion. I will discuss it with the vassals, so know that and go.¡± Elena swallowed her words and gave me a congratulatory message. I implied that my idea had been accepted. ¡°Then, is my offer accepted?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not very useless.¡± Elena flapped a fan, making a sound whether it was a compliment or an insult. Well, I feel better because she said it was roughly good. ¡°Hehe. Yes! I¡¯ll see you then, Mother!¡± ¡°Now it seems that ¡®mother¡¯ voice has stuck in your mouth¡­ Go.¡± Elena looked tired and waved her hand. ¡°Yep!¡± I politely bowed and walked out of the terrace. Somehow, I felt like I had done my part. Anyhow, I had to attack my mother-in-law and father-in-law for the bright future of my Akid. Because I don¡¯t want Akid to live with a painful past like in the original story. Was it because I was thinking of Akid? Just in time, I ran into Akid who came out of the bedroom. ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°Oh, from Mother.¡± ¡°Why is Mother¡­ Did she perhaps get mad at you?¡± When Akid spit out in a worried voice, I quickly waved my hand. ¡°No! I think it¡¯s just that we¡¯re just having a lot of fun at this flower festival. I asked if there was anything I could do to help.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Then, where are you going, Akid?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Ah! You are going to train. After all, it¡¯s time to go to the training hall.¡± I said it as Akid¡¯s schedule wasn¡¯t only in my diary, but in my head as well.. However, Akid, who didn¡¯t know what was going on, looked surprised. ¡°How does Wife know that?¡± ¡°Yes? Well, because every time you go to the training hall at this time¡­¡± I peeped through the window. I was going to say that, but I stopped. I thought it was like a stalk, obsession, and Akid would find out that I¡¯m a fan of his. Akid looked at me with an expression wondering why I wasn¡¯t talking. I quietly avoided his gaze and muttered. ¡°I took the picture because the outfit was just for swordsmanship training.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes! Of course. Do you think I¡¯ll follow you around and peek on your way? I¡¯m not a pervert.¡± ¡°I never thought of it that way.¡± ¡°R-Right. That¡¯s very bad. I¡¯m not watching anyone¡­¡± The more I spoke, the more I felt like I was digging my own grave. As I gibbered and made a bunch of excuses, Akid said. ¡°No. I mean, even if you do that to me, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a pervert, spy, or whatever.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I mean, do whatever you want. Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± After saying those words, Akid left the lobby in the middle of the bedroom. As the door closed, I turned my eyes. If I did everything I wanted to, he would definitely be terrified. Somehow, I got shy and fiddled with my cheeks. How could he break my heart like this when he didn¡¯t mean anything? Akid didn¡¯t know. How much I passionately like him. If this was Korea, I would already display all kinds of goods in the room, and spend every morning and night with Akid videos. Is that all? I must have wanted to know in detail what my kid is wearing, what he is eating, and what he likes, after signing up for a fan cafe and keeping up with all the schedules. ¡®Making a fan cafe at this time?¡¯ I shook my head while thinking such a dangerous thought. I can¡¯t stir up such a scandal in a dignified society, can I? Rather, if my inclination is discovered, I may be buried. Surprisingly, however, the society was also a place for people to live. At that time, I never really imagined that I would be able to do something like that in the future. *** In time for the festival, a simple banquet was held for the distinguished guests who came to Hadellus. After possessing Loena I had no choice but to attend the meeting, having been completely passive in outside meetings. It was because I couldn¡¯t tell who knew and who wasn¡¯t as I had no memory. Since the flower festival is held during the warmest time of the Hadellus territory, there were many nobles from far away as well as nobles from within the territory. There were even meetings for young ladies and gentlemen who were already in the territory. This time, a party of sweets was held separately for young children because children of the age of Akid and I came to the Hadellus territory to play. I was escorted by Akid and headed for the party. He looked very nervous as he didn¡¯t know I was going to ask for an escort. The main thing was that my hands were getting a little damp. In fact, as we acted separately each time, it was very awkward to go somewhere together. When the door opened, all eyes were on us at once. They looked quite surprised when I came alongside Akid. Perhaps it was because he escorted me. ¡°Loena!¡± Then someone smiled and waved my hand. And at that very moment, a memory I didn¡¯t even know flowed into my head. CH 15 [It was around the time when Akid came out of the suffocating party hall and was breathing for a while. Clatter! With the sound of something being poured, ice water was poured over him. ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m sorry! I was going to water the flowers. So why do you have to pass by there?¡± He heard a sound that he didn¡¯t know whether they were apologizing or teasing him. When Akid lifted his head, there was Loena and her friend, Diana Riche, giggling and laughing. Diana said this. ¡°Are you alright, Grand Prince? Phew, what should we do. His clothes are ruined, so he¡¯ll have to go back to the castle again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Grand Prince. Entering a party like that would be a laughing stock. You can¡¯t disappoint the Grand Duke, can you?¡± As Loena responded and giggled, Akid clenched his fists, quelling his anger. ¡°I guess so. I¡¯ll be going ahead.¡± He turned around with those words. As if he wasn¡¯t interested in the party anyway. Loena, who didn¡¯t like his dull look, bit her lips and turned around at the same time.] ¡°Ugh!¡± I took a deep breath at the memories that hit my head hard. That¡¯s why, when I grabbed Akid¡¯s forearm so hard unconsciously, he put on a surprised expression. ¡°Wife?¡± What is this? Is this the novel? Or Loena¡¯s memory? My lips trembled at the sudden, vivid memory that entered my mind. This wasn¡¯t my memory. Since I possessed Loena, I¡¯ve never bothered Akid even once. Rather, if I dealt with the hordes of evil that made Akid suffer, I would punish them, but I¡¯ve never bothered Akid. ¡®Then is this Loena¡¯s memory?¡¯ I looked at Diana, who was new to me. As the memories of her were engraved in my head, I felt Diana¡¯s anecdotes take its place in my mind. Diana was Loena¡¯s friend. She was the first friend Loena made after she came to Hadellus Castle, and the person who harassed Akid together with her. I don¡¯t know why the memories of the past suddenly came to mind, but she wasn¡¯t a very pleasant person. ¡°Loena, are you okay?¡± Diana opened her eyes wide, naturally took me from Akid and crossed her arm around mine. Staring at Akid, it seemed like she thought I was forced to escort him. He backed away without rebellion. Somehow, his face didn¡¯t look good. As soon as I saw it, I knocked Diana out and grabbed Akid¡¯s hand. It was because if I didn¡¯t hold onto him, Akid would turn around without hesitation, just as I remembered earlier. ¡°Wife?¡± His eyes widened as I suddenly grabbed his hand. The blue-gray eyes trembled shallowly. ¡°Loena?¡± Diana also looked at me with a puzzled face. It¡¯s like, ¡°Why did you do that?¡± as if I did something wrong. I was a bit confused by the memories in my head. Loena obviously had fun harassing Akid. However, when he left without even responding, she was rather angry. Why? Did she find it boring because his reaction was minimal? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Did he catch any of your weaknesses?¡± Then Diana looked at Akid and me alternately with her sullen face. At this, I cleared my messy thoughts and looked at Diana. ¡°Weakness, you say?¡± ¡°Um, you¡¯re with the Grand Prince¡­¡± ¡°Is it because he caught my weakness if a couple comes together?¡± ¡°Huh? No¡­¡± Diana stuttered, chewing her lower lip. It was a completely different reaction from the Loena she had known before, so her thoughts seemed to have increased. I put Diana aside and told Akid. I was holding his hand tightly in case he ran away. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You said you would be by my side today. Who would walk away like that?¡± Akid alternated between his grasped hand and my face, then replied lightly. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I was just going to back out while you were chatting with your friend.¡± Then he grabbed my hand and held it tight. I was a little relieved by that slight pressure. But that wasn¡¯t enough, so I clasped my hands. ¡°Our talk is over. Diana, you can go.¡± My cold reaction gave Diana a look on her face, and she hurriedly disappeared. But I didn¡¯t follow her. As I didn¡¯t want to be friends anymore with someone who bullied Akid. Moreover, most of the memories that came to my mind told me that she encouraged me to bully Akid. In particular, she played a huge role in Loena¡¯s dislike of Akid. ¡®That¡¯s why you should choose your friend wisely.¡¯ I shook my head, shaking off Loena¡¯s immature past. I should do well from now on. If I give Akid unconditional love for the rest of the 7 years, his wounds will heal a little. That was then. Akid pulled his hand towards me. Then he whispered in my ear. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Pardon? What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking whether it would be fine to send Lady Riche like that.¡± Akid glanced at Diana¡¯s side. She was sniffing among the crowd. I¡¯m sure she was talking about me while pretending to be a victim. In the beginning, among young children, friends were everything. Because children throw unreasonable numbers so as not to break out of the group. Perhaps Akid was concerned about it. Loena had only a few friends. She was also an outsider, and her personality wasn¡¯t very docile, that¡¯s why there weren¡¯t many people attached to her. Among them, it was Diana¡¯s group that was kind to Loena. Loena naturally melted into the existing flock. That method was gossip. I shrugged and reacted cynically towards them. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be friends with them any more.¡± I noticed several acting leaders looking at me with their sharp eyes as if it had already started. If so, what harm can they do to me, the Grand Princess? I would be grateful if they could do it. I will cut off the buds and repay them for my viciousness. ¡®Fufufu. I can¡¯t stand those who torment my boy.¡¯ It was when I was responding to the staring of my opponents with such determination. ¡°Wife, you really have changed.¡± Akid¡¯s soft whispers tickled my ear. As if that had been a signal, my body relaxed. How come even his voice is so good? I was startled as I slowly moved my head to meet his gaze the moment I felt it tickling in my ear. ¡°¡­!¡± Blue-grey eyes were staring at me right in front of me. It was closer than I thought. He was whispering, so it was natural for him to be close. Akid stared at me stiffly, as if he didn¡¯t know I would turn my head all of a sudden. He was like a startled rabbit, and I endured with all my weak will to not make my nostrils flutter. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± He backed away belatedly. It seemed to me that his earlobes were blushing and he was very embarrassed. ¡®H-How cute!¡¯ I managed to hold back the desire to spit out a fist-cry. After that, we talked frantically with others approaching The eyes of Diana and her flock, who were looking at me and Akid strangely, were ignored. *** While the party was in full swing, after Loena had been away for a while, Diana¡¯s group came in front of Akid. As Diana crossed her arms with a sassy expression on her face, she pushed Akid away. ¡°What did you do to Loena?¡± At first glance, it seemed that they had been waiting for Loena to go out and leave her seat. Akid looked at Diana without an expression and responded. ¡°You¡¯re talking as if I had done something to my wife.¡± ¡°Yeah, Loena is so different from usual, obviously¡­!¡± It was time for Diana to reach and shoot as usual. Akid cut off her words. ¡°Do you want to say that you¡¯re sure I have found her weakness?¡± ¡°T-That¡­¡± Instead of looking down at him in anger, Diana stared at Akid with a puzzled expression on what he was about to say. Then she curled her lips towards Akid¡¯s cold expression and asked. It was a completely different expression from the fragile Grand Prince she had ever seen. There was no warmth in Akid¡¯s eyes, just like the wild beast that had been hiding its fangs among herbivores. Today, the blue light in his gray eyes felt like a dark blue blade. As Diana backed away from his intimidation, Akid took a step closer. Akid was taller than her peers, so she had no choice but to look up at him for a long time. He said coolly. ¡°The reason I¡¯ve only been watching Lady Riche for so long is because you¡¯re Loena¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m still Roena¡¯s friend!¡± ¡°My wife said no.¡± ¡°W-What did you say?¡± Diana stuttered with a bloated face. It was because there was a clear smirk on Akid¡¯s lips. Somehow it was so creepy that her fingertips trembled. ¡®W-What is this. Is this the Grand Prince I knew?¡¯ It was as if he had become a different person. So Diana couldn¡¯t push Akid back as easily as before. ¡°Who knew that the Lady had been ignoring me and felt a subtly superior feeling?¡± ¡°I-I have never¡­!¡± ¡°You say you¡¯ve never done that.¡± Akid cut Diana¡¯s words and muttered under high pressure. ¡°Then you¡¯re trying to blame me, the Grand Duke now?¡± Would she dare? Diana stepped back from Akid, trembling at his low-pitched voice. Then she tripped over her dress. Even at a distance that he could be held, Akid only took a step back. Crash! With a loud noise, Diana fell on the floor. Seeing her terrified, Akid smirked. Then he tilted his upper body and whispered softly so only she could hear it. ¡°This is the only time I can put up with your rudeness. So get out before my wife comes¡­¡± That was then. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Loena¡¯s voice came from behind her like a savior. Diana looked back at her, with tears welled up in her eyes and a pitiful expression on her face. ¡°Loena. Huwaaaaaaa.¡±