Abandoned Maid of the Grand Duke - Chapter 27
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There is such a thing as love at first sight. And then there is love that grows over time. In reality, the latter tends to be more common.
For Ernst, it was a young maid from his household. He had known her since they were kids, but one day, he found himself drawn to her.
‘Why? Why on earth?’
They say love needs no reason, but that’s easy to say when two attractive people fall for each other.
When one side is notably more interested, it’s natural to question the situation. Maybe the less attractive person got charmed by the good-looking one, or the attractive person is just playing around. But unfortunately, this wasn’t the case here.
The more attractive one tried to charm the less attractive one but failed miserably and didn’t even play with her. It was a failure from the start.
Not only that, but he went to the extent of acting like a madman, following her obsessively, and even declaring he would give up everything for her. He wasn’t in his right mind. To throw away honor, family, and his entire life for a woman he was infatuated with.
“No, absolutely not. I’m not saying this because I know your secret, but as a friend who is like a brother, I must say this is crazy.”
He admitted that he was attracted to her the moment he saw her.
Attracted to whom? The family maid.
After graduating from the academy and meeting her again, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He noticed her as a little maid before, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about her, even at the sight of her fluttering ribbon. There she stood, a freckled red-haired girl.
So was she a great beauty? Absolutely not. If she were, she would fit into the first example.
Her indifferent green eyes might be charming, but they couldn’t compare to someone as stunning as Luina. Of course, saying this out loud earned Kainri a punch.
“I’m not doing this with your permission, so stay out of it.”
How do you stop a crazy person like him?
Unable to control his raging teenage hormones, he volunteered for the battlefield. Society wouldn’t accept his love, so he thought he’d throw himself into hell instead.
He charged into bullets, ready to die, but survived and came back a hero. Not because he was brave, but because he was lovesick and thought dying in battle was a way out.
But when he came back-
“She’s gotten prettier.”
‘No, in what way?’
From any angle, she was just an ordinary maid.
Unlike the other servants who trembled before nobles, she stood out with her serene demeanor. But this wasn’t some noble family scenario where she’d slap someone and say, ‘Damn it, you’re the first to slap me!’ — and get away with it. (For the record, a maid who’d slapped a noble would only get her head chopped off — that’s reality.)
She avoided him whenever she saw him, perhaps that’s what intrigued him. He tried to get her to talk by getting her drunk, creating a good atmosphere, and gently coaxing her, but she wouldn’t open her mouth.
At that point, Kainri gave up trying to stop him. He gave up trying to understand the guy too.
And Ernst, in turn, gave up on giving up.
Instead, he began to pursue her like a madman.
The more uncomfortable and evasive she became, the more obsessed he grew, chasing after her. Even Luina, witnessing this, clicked her tongue and said that he must have truly gone off the rocker.
“When he suppresses that awful temper and acts all sweet, you know it’s serious,” she added, feeling sorry for the girl.
Ernst, twisting his lips in response, shot back, “And you think marrying your cousin is any better?”
“And you think marrying a maid makes any sense?” Luina retorted.
“And you think running away will work?”
“And you think you can achieve universal equality?”
“Enough, enough, enough!”
Kainri intervened, wondering why these two always fought when they met, yet somehow ended up supporting each other.
True to form, they made a decision without consulting Kainri.
“We’ve decided to get married,” they announced.
In the form of a proxy marriage, no less.
“I never agreed to this,” Kainri protested.
Kainri didn’t want Luina to belong to another man, even if that man was his trusted friend for whom he’d sacrifice his own life willingly.
Seeing my displeasure, Luina raised her hands to clarify.
“It’s okay. In a few years, Ernst will be dead.”
Kainri quickly covered Luina’s mouth, shocked.
“Please, Luina! I told you not to say things that could come true.”
Ernst, having just been awarded the title of Grand Duke for his contributions in suppressing the recent civil war, continued nonchalantly,
“As Luina said, I’ll be leaving.”
Quietly, without a sound, as if dying from an illness.
“There’s no other way for us to be together.”
As he said this, his voice was tinged with a hint of bitterness.
