Your Grace, It Was a Mistake! - Chapter 26
“Wh, what is the meaning of this?”
Viscount Sudley asked in a flustered voice. The Former Grand Duchess smiled serenely as she spoke.
“I believe I mentioned that our Vivian possesses an extraordinary talent?”
“No, I mean, what exactly is this talent?”
“Well, as for what that talent is,” the Former Grand Duchess intentionally raised her voice, scanning the hall. She seemed to be fueling the crowd’s curiosity. What on earth was this talent?
‘I have an extraordinary talent?’
Of course, I certainly have an extraordinary talent as the Grand Duke’s fan! I’m a decent artist, and the novels I’ve written are quite popular among the young noble ladies.
‘But do I have any other talents?’
If almost tripping over my own feet counts as a talent, then maybe I have one. Haha.
“Vivian, you see,” the Former Grand Duchess said, her words clear and deliberate. “Has likely been chosen by the spirit of House Glenn.”
“What?”
Viscount Sudley asked again in shock, and the guests in the hall began to whisper fervently.
“The spirit of House Glenn?”
“The one that hasn’t chosen a contractor for two hundred years?”
“Lady Lewis was chosen by that spirit?”
“If that’s true, it’s truly incredible”
I stared blankly at Viscount Sudley. She looked dazed, but her expression also held a hint of surprise. Was it just my imagination? The way she looked at me seemed to have changed significantly.
‘Wait, I was chosen by the spirit of the Grand Ducal House?’
I thought I had no talent for spirit arts! When I tilted my head and looked at the Former Grand Duchess, she gave me a warm, affectionate smile.
“As everyone knows, the spirit of House Glenn is a high-ranking spirit directly descended from the Great Spirits.”
I nodded slowly. Come to think of it, I recalled reading something like that in a book about the history of House Glenn.
“Being a high-ranking spirit, it has a strong ego and selects its contractor based on special criteria. Exactly what those criteria are isn’t well known, but”
The Former Grand Duchess’s eyes narrowed into a smile as she looked at me.
“The important thing is that the spirit has shown interest in Vivian. Once the engagement ceremony is successfully concluded, we intend to go to the lake and confirm it.”
The murmuring among the crowd grew even louder. I wasn’t sure if it was just my feeling, but the gazes of some people now seemed to hold a sense of awe.
‘Being chosen by the spirit of House Glenn must be a very big deal’
I knew the spirit’s power was immense, but the situation felt surreal.
“Now then, Aunt.”
“!”
When the Former Grand Duchess addressed Viscount Sudley in a low voice, the Viscount flinched visibly.
“Do you have any further intentions to object to Vivian’s qualifications?”
“No, I do not.”
Viscount Sudley answered the question with a somewhat discouraged attitude and stole a glance at me. It felt strange to see the attitude of someone who had disliked me enough to openly insult me change so suddenly. Is this the taste of power?
“That’s good news, Vivian.”
The Grand Duke, his arm wrapped around my shoulder, leaned down and whispered.
“With this, no one will be able to treat you carelessly.”
“Grand Duke”
“Of course, I won’t stand by and let anyone treat you poorly anyway.”
As he finished speaking, he gave a smirk that looked almost scary; or was that just my imagination? But he was still handsome. I clung tightly to his arm.
“Grand Duke, it still doesn’t feel real to me.”
“What doesn’t?”
“The fact that I’m getting engaged to you; it feels like a dream.”
“Hmm, that’s a problem.”
“?”
“I can’t exactly make it feel real for you here.”
“!”
I immediately understood what he meant by “making it feel real,” and my face turned bright red. Grand Duke! How can you say something so embarrassing when everyone is watching!
“I hope we can be alone soon. You feel the same, don’t you, Vivian?”
The Grand Duke whispered with his lips pressed close to my ear. I could feel his warm breath clearly. I bit my lip, not knowing what to do.
“You brat, Nox! Stop teasing Vivian and focus on the ceremony!”
At that moment, the Former Grand Duchess landed a sharp smack on the Grand Duke’s back. He turned to her with a grumpy face and asked:
“When do you plan on going to do this ‘confirmation’?”
“Hmm? Well, I think it would be fine to go before the evening party starts.”
“With a whole crowd following us?”
“Hehe, wouldn’t it be fun? Everyone here will get to see just how special Vivian is.”
“That Vivian is special; everyone here”
The Grand Duke muttered, as if mulling over her words. His expression, well, it didn’t look great.
‘I wonder why?’
I watched him curiously, and he looked at me before speaking.
“I wish I were the only one who knew how special you are, Vivian.”
“!”
Gr, Grand Duke, is that jealousy?
“I wish you were mine alone”
There was a hint of possessiveness in his blue eyes as he looked at me; that was definitely not my imagination. I felt a strange mix of fear and heart-fluttering excitement.
“But I suppose there’s no choice. If I want to show that Vivian is the only one who can become the Grand Duchess.”
“Yes, yes. Think calmly and don’t lose control, my son. Understood?”
The Former Grand Duchess stroked the Grand Duke’s hair as if he were a large dog. Watching them, I thought:
‘They look like a dog and its owner.’
She looked at me and smiled.
“Vivian, please understand. Even if Nox seems a bit out of his mind sometimes.”
“Ah, I”
The Grand Duke’s gaze turned toward me. Glancing slightly, I noticed the Crown Prince, who had been standing behind the Former Grand Duchess, was also watching me. He wore an unreadable smile.
‘Why is he smiling?’
I swallowed hard and answered.
“I like everything about the Grand Duke, no matter what.”
I squeezed his arm even tighter.
“I like the scary Grand Duke, and, um, I even like it when the Grand Duke’s eyes look a bit crazy sometimes”
A silence fell over the room. Everyone was so quiet that I felt a bit anxious and slowly lifted my head. Did I say something wrong?
I saw the faces of the three people. The Former Grand Duchess was looking at me as if she were seeing something fascinating, and the Grand Duke had an indescribable expression.
And the Crown Prince, his lips twitching, suddenly burst out laughing.
“Pffft, Hahaha!”
His voice was a beautiful, refreshing tenor, but I found it annoying. It felt like he was mocking me. Wiping away tears after laughing so hard he held his stomach, the Crown Prince said:
“Ah, you truly are a rare specimen, Lady Vivian Lewis.”
Was that a compliment? Or was he being sarcastic?
“I’m becoming more and more interested in you, Lady Lewis; oh, don’t look so guarded.”
The last part was directed not at me, but at the Grand Duke. Looking up at him, I saw that he wore a truly terrifying expression. If looks could kill, this is what it would feel like.
The Crown Prince smirked and threw in one more line.
“Surely, I wouldn’t go as far as to seduce your fiancée?”
“You”
It was the moment the Grand Duke gritted his teeth.
“Enough! If you want to fight, do it later! We are in the middle of an engagement ceremony.”
The Former Grand Duchess stepped in to mediate again. When she gave the Crown Prince a sharp look, he immediately looked dejected and feighed a pitiful expression. I was impressed.
‘Wow, how pretentious!’
I had never used the word “pretentious” to describe someone before, but it suited the Crown Prince perfectly.
“Asmode, if you keep being arrogant, I might just show you hell after the ceremony.”
When the Former Grand Duchess spoke with a cold smile, the Crown Prince gave a hollow laugh and raised both hands.
“Ha, haha, Aunt, please calm down. It was all my fault”
“If you know you were wrong, then behave yourself. You know how scary I can be, right?”
“Of course”
The Crown Prince, with his hands pressed together as if in prayer, looked as cunning as a sycophant.
“And Nox, you should react more gracefully now. You’re going to marry Vivian soon, so how long are you going to lead with your fists?”
” ”
“Is this the first or second time Asmode has acted like this? Poor thing, he’s surprisingly inflexible. If it were me, I’d find a way to get back at him secretly”
The Former Grand Duchess shook her head, and the Grand Duke looked like he had chewed on a bug. I patted his back and thought:
‘Poor Grand Duke, anyway, I think the Crown Prince is making a big mistake’
Should I say something? Hmm, I pondered with my hand on my chin before finally speaking.
“Um, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Lady Lewis. You can just call me by my name, ‘Asmode.'”
“?”
Why would I? I tilted my head and spoke again.
“I will just call you Your Highness. More importantly, about what you said regarding seducing me”
I felt the Grand Duke flinch. I thought to myself that he has a surprisingly delicate side as I continued.
“I apologize, but I would appreciate it if you would refrain from saying such things.”
The Crown Prince’s straight, black eyebrows arched. I thought it might be a bit overstepping since he was the Crown Prince, but since I was now a person with a fiancé, I felt I had to be clear about this.
“It doesn’t sound good to others; and above all, there isn’t the slightest chance that I would fall for you.”
“Ho?”
“Even if Your Highness were to seduce me just to torment the Grand Duke, I’m telling you it would be useless. So”
I gave a polite bow to the Crown Prince and led the Grand Duke toward the balcony. I felt eyes burning into the back of my head the whole way, but I didn’t look back once, so I didn’t know what kind of expression he was making.
Coming out onto the balcony, the cold, fresh air felt like it was clearing my head. The blowing wind carried the faint scent of winter flowers blooming in the garden.
‘As expected, it was a good idea to come out to the balcony.’
Hehe. Wouldn’t the Grand Duke’s mood improve here? I popped a sweet chocolate into his mouth and said:
“They say eating something sweet is good for when you’re in a bad mood.”
” ”
The Grand Duke froze with his eyes wide, but soon began to munch on the chocolate. After seeing him swallow it, I asked:
“Would you like another one?”
“Yes.”
I smiled and put another chocolate into his mouth. But for some reason, he didn’t eat it right away and stared at me intently.
“?”
I tilted my head and took another chocolate out of my pocket to check the wrapper. Was this dark chocolate? It was too dark to see the writing clearly.
‘Should I try one myself?’
As I wondered, the Grand Duke slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I instinctively looked up at him. His blue eyes, darkened in the shadows, looked like the deep sea. Just as I thought I was being sucked into those eyes, our lips met.
“!”
I flinched reflexively, but my eyes widened at the sweetness of the chocolate that invaded my mouth. Our tongues tangled, and the melting chocolate rolled around. I felt sweetness and a thrilling sensation at the same time. A tremor ran down to my toes, and a moan escaped my throat.
“Mmm”
The Grand Duke finished with a light, pecking kiss and let me go. As the cold air hit my heat-flushed skin, I shivered.
“You’re right,” he said quietly. “Eating something sweet does seem to improve my mood.”
” ”
It didn’t seem like the “sweet thing” he was talking about was the chocolate. I gave him a sharp glare.
“Thank you, Vivian.”
The Grand Duke smirked, gave me a tight squeeze, and let go. His hugs always felt good; his body was large, solid, and warm. He look dashing in his formal attire today, and I felt a sudden surge of embarrassment as I realized I knew how beautiful his body was under those clothes.
‘I really, why do I keep having such shameless thoughts?’
Am I the only one who thinks this way? I wonder if the Grand Duke has shameless thoughts when he looks at me too? If it’s just me, I’ll feel like it’s unfair!
I groaned, squeezed my eyes shut, and turned my head away.
“?”
The Grand Duke, looking puzzled, gently tilted my chin toward him. I avoided his gaze, my lips trembling.
“S, shall we go back to the ballroom now? We have to exchange rings”
“Hmm”
He let out a meaningful hum and asked:
“Vivian, do you have any more chocolate?”
“I don’t!”
I shouted the answer reflexively and quickly put the chocolate in my hand into my pocket. The Grand Duke leaned down slowly and whispered:
“I think you do”
“N, no, I don’t. Really.”
I was so nervous that I was speaking like a soldier.
“Vivian, be honest. You have more.”
“I do not.”
“If I ask for more, you’ll give it to me, won’t you?”
“I, I won’t.”
When I tried to push his shoulders away with both hands, the Grand Duke pulled my hands so that I was embracing his neck. We were so close that our lips were about to touch. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
“Even if you don’t have any more chocolate.”
” ”
“I still have your lips, Vivian.”
“!”
His lips lightly brushed over mine. Even though it wasn’t a full kiss, I felt a strange tension, and goosebumps broke out on my skin. Tilting his head slightly, he whispered:
“Vivian, you’re sweeter than chocolate.”
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