TRGDP 14

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Chapter 14: Spear and Shield (1)

The next morning, I woke up with the memories of the last night still fresh in my mind.

I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed.

Everything I had done in the Grand Duke’s room replayed in my head like a vivid nightmare. Buried under the blanket in embarrassment, I was startled when, instead of a maid, Whitely himself came to my room.

“The Grand Duke is asking for me?”

My voice trembled helplessly, like a lost lamb.

“Why?”

“Well…”

Instead of giving me a well-deserved scolding like “Obviously, because of the mess you made yesterday,” Whitely simply smiled, looking as elegant as ever.

“Your Highness has requested to see you today. Since the Grand Duke will be staying in the castle all day, he asked me to let you know he is available if you have time.”

“Hmm… Right, I should see him. I need to go and apologize for my grave mistake as soon as possible…”

Whitely maintained his calm expression, even as I mumbled like a crazy person.

There was no way the Grand Duke was summoning me for a warm welcome. But I was prepared to be thrown out if it came to that.

He wouldn’t actually kick me out, would he?

I didn’t think he was that heartless, but just in case, I secretly stuffed a few bags under my bed before following Whitely.

***

“Your Highness, Lady Annette has arrived.”

As the office door opened, I saw the Grand Duke, now dressed properly, looking completely different from last night.

Yesterday, with only a robe draped over him and water—no, blood—dripping onto the floor, he had looked dangerous and almost deadly.

Today, however, his cravat was neatly tied up to his neck, giving him a refined and noble appearance.

Still, he was just as intimidating as before.

Don’t be scared, Annette! You can do this!

I straightened my back and walked into the office. At the same time, the Grand Duke stood up and approached me.

“Lady Annette, it is a pleasure to meet you for the first time.”

Wait—Lady Annette?!

I wasn’t expecting to be treated as his wife right away, but wasn’t this a bit too much? I had been called the Grand Duchess for nearly two weeks now! And “for the first time”? Did he erase last night from his memory?!

But thinking about the bandages wrapped around his arm, I decided to be generous and overlook his rudeness. Instead, I raised my hand slightly.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Grace.”

His sharp eyes narrowed slightly. I could see his jaw tighten at my bold gesture.

Now, let’s see—could he refuse to shake my hand?

Would he dare to refuse?

A few seconds passed.

As my hand hung awkwardly in the air without a response, I started feeling embarrassed.

Still, I held my ground, refusing to lower my hand.

This is a battle of wills.

Surely, he wanted to confirm it too. To see if he could really touch me without feeling any pain.

The Grand Duke finally lifted his head and met my gaze.

His piercing, beast-like stare made my shoulders tense.

After a long moment, he slowly reached out and took my hand.

His palm was large enough to completely engulf mine.

His fingers were long and slender, but calloused from years of wielding a sword.

Despite his cold expression, his touch was unexpectedly gentle, as if he were holding a piece of fragile glass.

And then…

Nothing happened.

He must have realized it too.

I could feel the subtle tremor in his fingers, as if he was suppressing a reaction.

Slowly, he tightened his grip around my hand before carefully bringing it to his lips.

Even as he kissed the back of my hand, his gaze never wavered from mine.

It was an intense, almost predatory look, as if he was carefully observing my every reaction.

A shiver ran down my spine.

His warm breath brushed against my skin for just a moment before fading away.

Now, there was no doubt.

The energy that had flowed into me through our hands—it wasn’t just my imagination.

I was the only woman who could touch the Grand Duke without consequence.

Or rather, one of two—since there was also Kristine.

But technically, Kristine wouldn’t meet him for another year.

Until then, I was the only one who could ease his suffering.

Just as carefully as he had taken my hand, he now let it go.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

His deep voice resonated through the quiet room.

For a moment, I hesitated. Was he asking about a physical injury or about the pain from his curse?

“Your hand was injured yesterday.”

“Oh, that? I just got a small cut on my palm. It’s fine now.”

I lifted my hand to show him.

The bandages the doctor had wrapped around my hand last night had been removed as soon as I woke up.

The wound had only been a thin scratch—not even worth bandaging.

The Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the faint red line on my palm.

“Please, have a seat.”

A moment later, Whitely entered with a tea cart.

The room was so silent that the soft clinking of teacups sounded unusually loud.

The Grand Duke said nothing until Whitely poured the tea and left, closing the door behind him.

That was fine. If he wasn’t going to talk, I would.

After all, the desperate one is always the first to dig the well.

“How is your arm?”

The Grand Duke, who had been silent the whole time, flinched slightly—almost as if he had forgotten I was there.

“It’s fine.”

I glanced at the spot where he had been injured last night.

“It seemed like you were bleeding a lot…”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“Still, I entered your room without permission. That was completely my fault, and I sincerely apologize.”

Barging into someone’s room in the middle of the night was unacceptable, even between close friends. And considering how he had been actively avoiding me until now, I was practically an uninvited guest.

Even a hundred apologies wouldn’t be enough.

The Grand Duke took a deep breath and finally spoke.

“Lady.”

It was strange how quickly I had gotten used to being called Grand Duchess.

Hearing him address me as Lady felt foreign now.

Was it because the words came from my husband’s mouth?

“I won’t beat around the bush. Return to the capital.”

The Grand Duke’s blunt statement caught me off guard.

Of course, it wasn’t an unexpected request. I had already prepared for this interrogation. My predicted questions were:

State your reason for coming.
Go back to the capital.

But…

You just held my hand, didn’t you?

I was probably the first woman he had ever touched without pain. Shouldn’t he be holding onto me, not sending me away? Especially since I was the only one who could ease his suffering.

“Why would you say that?”

Although I was confused, I had prepared a response. Putting on a hurt expression, I said,

“I am officially married to you, Your Grace. Blenheim is my home now. How can you tell me to leave?”

The Grand Duke pinched the bridge of his nose.

“We both know this marriage isn’t real.”

He had such pretty lips. A shame they were being used to say such cruel things.

“I will arrange an escort for you. The carriage will leave tomorrow. Pack your things. If necessary, I will even provide attendants for your journey.”

So much for playing the sympathy card.

Pouting, I pressed on.

“Do you despise me because I’m the daughter of Marquis Fasie?”

He remained silent.

“Or… is there someone else you’re waiting for?”

His brow furrowed at my unexpected question.

“What are you talking about?”

“For example, Princess Pellianess of the Kingdom of Londoris?”

His lips hardened at my words.

Bingo.

His reaction said it all.

“Are you planning to annul our marriage so you can wed her instead?”