Your Grace, It Was a Mistake! - Chapter 34

Is there no way to just burn that paper bag?

I looked at my bag on the floor with teary eyes. Inside the ring, Undine whispered.

‘I’m a water spirit, so I can’t burn things, Master.’

Can’t burn things, huh? Well, obviously. But!

‘What about soaking the book in water to smudge the ink? You can do that, right?’

‘I could, but wouldn’t that put you in a tough spot, Master?’

‘Me?’

‘Yeah. If you don’t show him that book, I feel like Lennox might just eat you up instead.’

‘!!’

Aaaaah!

I screamed internally. He hadn’t found out what the book was yet, but I was already dying of shame!

‘That, that book is… that novel is!’

It’s the kind of content you can never show your boyfriend!

‘But getting eaten by the Grand Duke is also a problem!’

We aren’t married yet, Grand Duke! Surely you haven’t forgotten that?!

‘Besides!’

I grabbed the Grand Duke’s collar and said, “G-Grand Duke, no! Undine is watching!”

“Ah, come to think of it.”

The Grand Duke’s gaze slid toward the spirit stone ring on my right hand. He snatched my hand and said, “Then we can just take the ring off.”

“!”

‘What?!’ Undine shouted in a horrified voice. ‘Trying to separate Master and me just to satisfy your own greed!’

Undine vented her frustration, saying Lennox Glenn had been a lost cause since he was a child and that I was far too good for him. I put calming Undine on the back burner and tried my best to persuade the Grand Duke.

“Grand Duke, do you really have to see that book?”

“Yes, I really want to see it. Is that not allowed?”

As I started to tear up, the Grand Duke made an equally pitiful face. When did he learn to make an expression like that? I was appalled, yet my heart fluttered at this new side of him.

Ugh, I hate that I’m such a hopeless fan of his face!

‘Which will it be: getting caught with a smut novel or getting eaten by the Grand Duke?’

To live or to die, that is the question. Would saying something like “Grand Duke, I don’t taste good” even work? Probably not. But should I try anyway?

“Grand Duke.”

“Yes, Vivian.”

“I, I don’t taste good.”

“ ”

“Don’t I look untasty at a glance?”

I began to explain my “specs” in detail. I have the kind of metabolism that doesn’t gain weight, so I’m too thin; and I’m short, so don’t I look like I’m just a single bite?

The Grand Duke’s lips twitched, and after a moment, he smirked.

“Whether you taste good or not,”

“ ”

“is something I won’t know until I try.”

Aaaaah! As expected, it didn’t work at all! In the end, there seemed to be only one way.

“Fine. Then let’s do this.”

“?”

I pushed the Grand Duke with all my might, knocked him over, and climbed on top of him.

“!”

The Grand Duke’s eyes widened in surprise. I cupped his face with both hands and shouted boldly:

“I, I’m the one who’s going to eat the Grand Duke! Get ready!”

And then I pressed my lips against his forcefully. I felt his body stiffen. Actually, my plan was this:

Daze the Grand Duke → Escape while he’s distracted → Catch any carriage home → Lock myself in my room → Don’t meet him until he begs for forgiveness.

It was a perfect plan in my head. The problem was… I trusted myself too much? I overvalued my own capabilities?

“Mmm.”

An strange sound escaped my throat involuntarily. The Grand Duke gripped the back of my neck with his large hand, using the other to stroke my back as he kissed me deeply. My hands, which had been cupping his face, were now pressing firmly against his shoulders. Or clutching his clothes and sliding down.

My toes curled on their own, and a mysterious heat rose throughout my body. A minty flavor lingered in my mouth where warm and moist air mingled. The floral scent of the greenhouse tickled my nose, making my consciousness hazy.

While I was subconsciously trying to push him away, I was also frantically chasing his movements. He swept through my mouth, stole my breath, and sucked on my lips so skillfully it made his claim of having no previous lovers seem like a lie.

Only after a while was I given a moment to breathe. I caught my breath and stared blankly at him. His blue eyes seemed to have darkened. He picked me up carefully, sat me on his lap as before, and buried his face in my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath directly on my skin. My face flushed as I gripped his clothes tightly.

“Vivian.”

“ ”

“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to do any more than this?”

Raising his head slightly, the Grand Duke whispered with a very seductive expression.

“So show me. What’s in that book?”

“Ugh.”

“What Vivian likes, what her tastes are.”

“ ”

“I’m incredibly curious.”

He gave a soft smile to the hesitating me and spoke in a slightly pleading tone.

“I told you I wanted to get to know more about you, didn’t I?”

…He did say that. But I didn’t want him to find out about my secret hobby! As I dropped my head in embarrassment, the Grand Duke coaxed me, gently caressing my face.

“Hmm? I want to see it, Vivian.”

“ ”

“It’s just a book, isn’t it? Won’t you show me?”

“But”

“If you show me that book, I’ll tell you one of my secrets too.”

“!”

The Grand Duke’s secret? My ears perked up. A secret of the Grand Duke, what could it be?

‘Right, he’s human, so he must have secrets!’

I felt the “Grand Duke fan” inside me going wild. It was pounding on my heart, telling me to collect this new piece of hidden lore immediately. For the past seven years, I had worked hard to gather and organize everything about him. But there was still so much I didn’t know. Naturally so; I had liked “Lennox Glenn,” but I was only just beginning to learn who the man truly was.

‘I’m curious!’

My heart throbbed with curiosity. As I stared at him with my hands clasped tight, he wore the satisfied smile of a fisherman who had just made a catch. Fine, I lost.

‘Sob.’

I spoke with a tearful voice. “I’ll… show you. The book.”

“Wow, really?”

“B-but, don’t be too surprised! And you have to tell me the secret!”

The Grand Duke smirked. “Of course, I promise.”

I made a pinky promise with him and picked up the bag. My hands trembled as I took the paper bag out. I wanted to die of embarrassment. But to find out his secret!

‘This much is nothing!’

I squeezed my eyes shut and handed him the paper bag.

“Hmm.”

The Grand Duke let out a meaningful hum as he took the bag. I sat a distance away from him and stole glances. He looked at me and said, “Vivian? Why are you sitting way over there? Come here.”

“I don’t want to.”

“If you don’t come here, I’m going to act out every scene in this book today.”

“!!”

In the end, I had to sit right next to him. But that wasn’t enough for him; he pulled me onto his lap and opened the book.

“The title is The Duke’s Secret Tastes? This sounds suspicious.”

“ ”

My whole body trembled with genuine shame.

“Hmm… ho.”

“ ”

“Oh?”

“ ”

“Haha.”

The Grand Duke’s reactions were relayed in real-time. I gripped my dress tightly with my trembling hands.

‘This is insane.’

I felt like I was going to faint. This was the most shameful moment of my life. As I kept my eyes shut, refusing to even look at the book, the Grand Duke whispered in my ear.

“Vivian, why are your eyes closed? You have to read too.”

“!!”

It’s no fun if I’m the only one reading, he whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear. I bit my lower lip, gripping my hands so hard my knuckles turned white.

“Now, open your eyes.”

“I don’t want to”

“Before I act out exactly what’s written here.”

“Huu.”

Waaaah! This demonic Grand Duke! He was so mean that I snapped my head up and glared at him. The Grand Duke was laughing with a very joyful face.

“I didn’t realize Vivian had these kinds of tastes.”

“I-I don’t! It’s just a novel!”

“Do you like it when I do it like this, as written here?”

He held the book up so I could see the scene. I accidentally read the words that filled my vision and screamed internally.

‘Aaaaaah!’

N-no! Was it really this intense?!

‘I haven’t even read it yet, I only knew the summary!’

A poor daughter of a Baron works as a maid in a Duke’s castle… and one day she accidentally glimpses the Duke’s secret tastes. And those tastes were…

“I see, so Vivian likes it when I tie her up.”

“Ack! I said I don’t!”

I jumped. It was maddening.

“To say you don’t, you did tie me to the bed when you kidnapped me last time.”

“T-that was because I wasn’t in my right mind”

“Malice Enchantment is black magic that stimulates deep, dark desires, isn’t it?”

“Ugh! I didn’t know I had those kinds of desires either!”

I grabbed his collar and shook him. He laughed out loud, seemingly enjoying himself.

“Vivian… be honest.”

“W-what!”

“You want me to eat you up, don’t you?”

“!!”

“Just like it says here, like this without a break, all night long.”

I hurriedly covered his mouth as he tried to read that passage aloud. Damn it! How can I make him shut up?! He easily brushed my hand away and continued.

“And you want to eat me up too, right?”

“!”

He pulled his lips into a wide, bright smirk. It was a smile so handsome my heart nearly stopped. Leaning his head close to mine, he whispered in a seductive voice:

“I’m going to be very delicious.”

His blue eyes sparkled playfully.

“You can look forward to it. It’ll certainly be a satisfying night.”

“ ”

Then, the Grand Duke pushed the book aside, laid me down carefully, and kissed me.

“Goodnight, Vivian.”

“…Get home safely.”

After dropping me home and successfully delivering the gift to my mother, the Grand Duke looked quite happy.

“It was a very rewarding day. Don’t you think so, Vivian?”

“Yes… I liked it too.”

Even though I felt like I was dying of shame, then embarrassed, then ticklish, then so hot I could go crazy.

“It’s a shame to only enjoy the appetizers every time. To enjoy the main dish, we should get married as soon as possible, right?”

“I… think we can take it a bit slow.”

“…Hmm?”

As I subtly avoided his gaze, the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“Don’t you want to marry me quickly, Vivian?”

“I do, but…”

I want to, but… I’m also a bit afraid. What on earth is this ambivalence!

“I think I know what you’re worried about.”

“…You do?”

I shot him a look. He rested his chin on one hand, seemingly lost in thought.

“But we’ll be newlyweds; isn’t it natural to want to stay in the same bed every day?”

“N-no! You can’t stay in bed all day long!”

“Maybe for just one day…”

“I’ll tell the Grand Duchess!”

When I played my final card, the Grand Duke licked his lips as if disappointed.

‘Hoo, as expected!’

The Grand Duke, who is third in the hierarchy of this wolf family, cannot beat the Grand Duchess, who is first.

“I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll have to compromise.”

“R-right?”

“Yes, let’s compromise and… remain newlyweds until the day we die.”

“?”

Wait, how is that a compromise?!

“That way I can tease you steadily, little by little. Goodnight, Vivian. I’ll tell you my secret next time.”

The Grand Duke kissed my forehead as I stood there frozen in absurdity and then made his escape. I watched his retreating figure in bewilderment. That, that Grand Duke is truly…!

‘A total sadist!’

Returning to my room, I took out my frustrations by punching my life-sized Grand Duke cushion. Until I fell asleep, his annoying face kept flickering in my mind.

Meanwhile, at a top-tier hotel in the capital. A place where foreign royalty visiting the city usually stayed. The guest who had taken the best room in the hotel, Eunice Evron, was being scolded by her subordinate.

“Princess, you said you lost the check.”

“Ah, yes. A cute young lady found it for me, but then I lost it again.”

“Honestly, you!”

Eunice’s aide, Melanie Simon, pounded her chest in frustration. “You are the first in line for the throne of the Evron Kingdom! Please, pull yourself together!”

“Haha… what can I do about my severe forgetfulness? I’m glad you’re here, Melanie.”

“!”

Melanie’s face flushed at those words. She bit her lip but eventually sighed as if she had no choice. “Fine. Since I’ve served you since we were children, I suppose I have to take care of you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Sigh. Melanie let out another sigh and began to organize Eunice’s belongings. As she took clothes out of a large trunk, Melanie asked:

“By the way, did you find out about that woman?”

“Hmm?”

“The Grand Duke’s fiancée.”

“Ah…”

Shifting her gaze to the window, Eunice smiled slightly. “She’s from a family with little power, and she’s not a legendary beauty. Still, she seems to have a cute personality and is well-regarded by those around her.”

“An ordinary person, then.”

“An ordinary person.”

“Then she’ll be easy to handle.”

“Indeed.”

Eunice’s blue eyes reflected the night view of the capital. She had come to this city to meet the Grand Duke who had rejected her marriage proposal. But upon arrival, she had heard unexpected news.

‘Engagement.’

Eunice let out a laugh. Was it just an engagement staged to create an excuse to reject her? Or was the Grand Duke sincere?

‘Well, either way’

Eunice had no intention of backing down easily. For her country, Evron, she had to marry the Grand Duke. Eunice muttered as she looked away from the night view:

“Releasing a Cinderella lady who luckily became the Grand Duke’s bride from her magic will be as easy as pie.”

Melanie nodded, saying that would likely be the case.

‘Anyway.’

Eunice flopped onto the bed, recalling the events of the afternoon. ‘That lady who found the check, she was really cute.’

“She was my type.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Eunice gave a small laugh and closed her eyes. She would surely meet that lady again someday. ‘Next time, I’ll be sure to ask for her name.’ A soft smile played on Eunice’s lips.