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Marianne looked back at Owen sitting next to her while biting her lower lip angrily.
Her eyes seemed to want Owen to say a word to Grace, who dared to mention the imperial family and spoke cheekily to her, but Owen pretended not to notice Marianne’s gaze.
“Marianne definitely made a big mistake. But didn’t even that ‘Duke Felix’ drive my mistress to commit such vile things as poisoning?”
“……”
“In a way, we’ve committed a mistake of a similar size. Don’t you think so?”
It was Duke Alberton who actually sided with Marianne.
Obviously speaking to Arthur, while looking at Grace, Duke Alberton continued.
“So, in order to cover up the offences committed by each other… Duchess Grace Felix, I think you should eat the cake yourself and prove that there is no poison in it.”
“……..!”
“What do you think?”
Having that said, the face of Duke Alberton, looking back at Grace, had a strange smile.
The moment she saw the smile, Grace could see that the smile was not just made out of courtesy, but that a certain dark intention inside was hidden.
*Get afflicted*
It was the first thought that entered Grace’s mind.
To what extent did her father, Duke Alberton, have expected? Did he know that she would be surprised to see the cake?
What if, is it possible, Duke Alberton even knows that she came back alive after her death?
‘How far does my father know? …. No, he can’t possibly know about that. Never.’
Grace felt her head go blank in an instant and looked down at the cake in front of her with a confused expression.
Soon, Arthur snorted and glared at Duke Alberton and said.
“Ha. That’s funny. Duke Alberton. Why should my wife apologize to the Duke? It’s Lady Marianne who was even ruder. And isn’t it even ruder to forcibly recommend the food, not enough to grab the person who wants to go in the first place and drag her to this place?”
“Is it a sin to not want to let go of the daughter I haven’t seen in a long time?”
The face of Duke Alberton, who rarely smiled at Arthur’s rebuke, clearly meant that he would not step down.
Grace noticed that his attitude came from the confidence that Crown Prince Owen and the emperor behind him would stand by his side. In fact, Prince Owen was observing the sharp arguments between Arthur and Duke Alberton with a strange gaze.
‘Are you going to come out like this, father?’
If so, good. No matter what, she will have to act imprudently willingly in front of him.
At this point, she thought It is a case of kill or cure. Grace clenched her teeth, picked up the fork, and scooped up a spoonful of cake in front of her.
“Let’s all stop there.”
But at that time, Owen, who had been watching the situation all the time, threw out a word. Then, staring at Grace with strange eyes for a moment, he soon turned and said, looking at Duke Alberton.
“We’d better call it a day, Duke Alberton.”
“Your Highness!”
“Duke Felix will take Lady Grace back to his territory. I think we should share the rest of the conversation later.”
Arthur and Grace slightly opened their eyes wide at Owen’s completely unexpected words. Soon, however, the two got up from the sofa as if they had waited and bowed to Owen.
“Then, Your Highness, I’ll leave now.”
“I hope you’ll generously forgive us for our rudeness this time.”
“…….”
It was Arthur who first said goodbye and then Grace who apologized.
Grace pretended not to notice Owen’s gaze at her with stern eyes for a while, and placed her hand on Arthur’s arm that was out for the escort.
Arthur then, affectionately patting Grace’s hand on his arm, turned his head and said, staring at Duke Alberton with a cold gaze.
“Duke Alberton. I will never forget this day.”
With that last greeting, Arthur quickly escaped from the drawing-room with Grace.
Following him outside the Alberton mansion, Grace looked up at the Odd-Eye in Arthur’s mask, blazing with chilling wrath for her.
Arthur, who felt her gaze, bowed slightly and said, looking back at Grace.
“Why are you looking at me like that, my lady? Is there anything you want to say to me?”
“….No.”
Grace quietly shook her head and smiled.
Yesterday’s drawing-room, where no one was on her side, was just frustrating and sad. But today, would it be too childish an accident to say that when he stood up for her and got angry in her place, that sadness disappeared and she just felt better?
Grace realized once again that she had truly become the Duchess of Felix, and that she had a real ally on her side.
And she thought at the same time.
She shouldn’t hide anything anymore from this person who was angry enough to try to pull out his sword. And was sincerely worried about her strange fuss that others might wonder why she was doing.
Grace said, staring at Arthur’s masked face, who was still looking down at her affectionately.
“…Arthur.”
“Um? What’s wrong, my lady?”
“When we get back to Felix Castle, let’s talk.”
“……Did I do something wrong?”
When Grace said let’s talk, Arthur looked at her with a slightly bewildered look and asked.
Ah, maybe her expression was too wretched a while ago. Grace smiled slightly and shook her head.
“No, just. Ummm.”
“……just?”
“No, I’ll just tell you after going to our mansion.”
Saying so, Grace laughed like a naughty child. It’s strange, the only topics to bring out when she gets back to the mansion are all heavy things, but she keeps smiling.
It was possible because she was somewhat sure that he would laugh, cry, and hurt with her words.
Looking at him, scary things were no longer scary. And even when she wanted to run away because she was afraid, she was no longer afraid if she was with him.
The reason she escaped from the terrible memory of death a while ago was only because he called her.
‘When did my heart grow like this again?’
[T/N: Because it’s love… (^///^)]
Grace was surprised and excited about her own heart that had grown again in just a few days. And Arthur, who had a dull expression for a moment at her words and smile, followed Grace and smiled brightly.
He doesn’t know what in the world she was trying to say, but for Arthur now, it was just important that Grace was smiling brightly in front of him.
Arthur hurried his steps out of the mansion, sticking a little closer to Grace.
───※ ·❆· ※───
Meanwhile, as Grace and Arthur went out of the door, a heavy silence fell among the people remaining in the drawing-room.
Owen still stood up from the sofa and only looked still at where Grace was standing a while ago, and Duke Alberton observed him.
Marianne bit her nails in annoyance that Owen’s eyes, which had never reached her before, was persistently following Grace’s afterimage. And Duchess Alberton was wary of her daughter.
“Then I’ll excuse myself too.”
It was Owen who broke the heavy silence.
He glanced arrogantly at the Alberton family sitting on the sofa, and soon walked toward the door of the drawing-room without a word of greeting. Duke Alberton called him, bewildered by Owen’s attitude.
“Your Highness. I think we still have a lot to talk about.”
“Let’s go with the carrier pigeon for those conversations that we couldn’t have today. I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for a long conversation with the Duke today.”
There are still a lot of things to talk about “the matter,” but Duke Alberton only stared at the back of Owen with a cold gaze at his attitude to cut it so that he couldn’t speak anymore.
It was Duchess Alberton who was anxious by that attitude. Looking at the momentum now, Crown Prince Owen is likely to return to the Imperial Palace right away, and if so, Marianne will be humiliated again. Duchess Alberton wanted her husband, Duke Alberton, to say one more word, but Duke Alberton only remained silent with a terrifying expression on his face.
Meanwhile, Owen opened the door of the drawing-room and left. Then Marianne, who had been glaring at Owen with dissatisfaction all along, got up from the sofa at the same time.
“Excuse me too, father. Mother.”
“All right.”
“Yeah, yes! See you later!”
Marianne briefly bowed to her sympathetic parents, as if waiting to get up, and immediately followed Owen.
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