I Was Adopted by the Villain Grand Duke Who Killed My Favorite Character - Chapter 18
The next day, it became quiet in front of the door.
When I asked Sen, she said all the nobles had gone to attend the upcoming meeting. Sen gave me unwelcome information as I was rejoicing.
“The Grand Princess will also attend that meeting.”
“…Why me?”
“Well, this meeting is to introduce the Grand Princess to the nobles!”
“Is that necessary?”
I wondered why they were making such a big deal when there wasn’t much time left until Gerard’s return. Unlike my reluctance, the maids showed unprecedented enthusiasm.
Especially fierce was the process of deciding what clothes I would wear.
“The dress must be pink!”
“No. You’ll wear this yellow dress. You’ll look like a chick!”
“You all don’t know the fresh charm of green.”
As I watched the maids’ squabble, I recalled the contents of the chronology I had secretly read last night.
‘I knew about Luke’s family.’
The chronology had the date when Luke was appointed as the heir to the Heidus Marquis family. While Luke himself didn’t appear in the original story, the ‘Heidus Marquis family’ was different.
It was because in the original story, it was the Heidus family that helped the Crown Prince escape on the day of the rebellion.
‘The traitor family.’
The Heidus Marquis family would later betray the Grand Duke and help the Crown Prince. Although a minor character, Luke’s father, Marquis Heidus, was quite popular in the original work.
The dialogue he shared with the male lead, the Crown Prince, was a famous scene in the original.
[Crown Prince Michael couldn’t trust Marquis Heidus, a vassal of the long-standing Grand Duke’s family. When asked why he helped, the Marquis said,
“I simply wished to live without being threatened. Isn’t anything better than a world ruled by fear?”
“You are a loyal subject.”
Michael resolved to create a peaceful country.]
I used to find this part quite moving.
But now, thinking that it was Luke’s father who said those words, I felt doubtful. Was the Marquis family really stepping up for the greater good?
‘Wasn’t it personal revenge?’
If I hadn’t stopped him yesterday, the Grand Duke might have killed Luke, the Marquis family’s son. What if that was the reason for the Marquis’s betrayal in the original story?
I had unknowingly changed the original story.
Feeling complicated without knowing why, I sighed deeply. Sen seemed to think I looked depressed because of the dress.
“I’m sorry I didn’t defend the purple dress to the end, Grand Princess.”
“The pink is pretty too, Sen.”
Sen tied purple ribbons on both sides of my braided hair with hands full of lingering attachment.
After finishing the grooming from head to toe, I twirled in place as the maids requested. The fluttery pink dress fabric spread out fully.
The dress, layered in petal shapes, showed off its vibrant color.
“My goodness, you’re like a flower fairy.”
“So cute.”
“What if all the nobles fall for the Grand Princess when they see this dress?”
“I wish we could keep you to ourselves, it’s a shame.”
Embarrassed by the maids’ exaggerated praise, I walked to the prepared mirror.
‘I guess it is cute.’
My once dull red hair now shone with proper care.
Rosy cheeks that had clearly gained weight and snow-white skin. The two eyes that took up most of my face sparkled with a bright purple color.
Although still on the thin side, the delicately pretty face looked like that of a nobly raised young lady.
“…It’s amazing.”
When I was first rescued, my body was a mess and I was starving. The reflection in the mirror looked so different from then, it almost didn’t seem like me.
Sen urged me, as I couldn’t seem to leave the mirror.
“Shall we go now?”
“Yes.”
I held Sen’s hand and went to the conference hall where the nobles were said to be waiting. Remembering how I suffered at the hands of nobles in my past life, my steps slowed.
‘I don’t want to go.’
Even though I had seen the nobles who gathered yesterday trying to impress me, the anxiety didn’t fade. A commoner Grand Princess in a noble society that values bloodlines.
I could clearly see myself becoming a laughingstock in the conference hall.
‘Let them criticize as they please.’
I just needed to ignore them on my part.
Sen, who opened the large door leading to the conference hall for me, gently pushed my back. I blinked at the light seeping in from inside the door.
Standing outside the door, Sen waved at me with a bright smile.
“Then, have a good time, Grand Princess.”
As I stepped boldly into the light, I covered my face at the sound of something bursting.
Bang! Pop! Baaang!
Strings of various colors fell on my hands that had reflexively protected my head. I pulled down one pink string that had landed on my wrist.
This string made of the finest silk, could it be…
“Party string?”
As I grasped the situation, the scene inside the conference hall came into view.
“Welcome to the Grand Princess’s entry!”
“You! Didn’t I tell you to raise your voice by a sol? Your voice sounds too harsh!”
“That’s what I’m saying. Will you take responsibility if the Grand Princess is displeased?”
What am I seeing right now?
Vassals wearing animal ears like bears, rabbits, and squirrels, and balloons decorating what should be a solemn conference hall. Some were even wearing fur coats in this weather.
‘Why such attire?’
A yellow banner hung from the marble ceiling of the conference room fluttered from side to side.
[Congratulations! Grand Princess Arrives at the Grand Duke’s Residence! From All Nobles.]
This was madness.
***
I gathered my bewildered senses and followed the Count wearing rabbit ears into the conference hall.
“We hope the small gesture we prepared pleases the Grand Princess.”
“…Small gesture?”
“Haha. We wanted to make it grander, but the preparation time was short.”
“Next time, we’ll do it bigger.”
They’re going to do this even bigger?
I rubbed my forehead as I looked at the nobles, conveying a “Are you in your right mind?” meaning. In the center of the conference room was an elaborately decorated child-sized chair.
I guess they want me to sit there?
The chair adorned with gold and jewels made me dizzy just looking at it. It was an incredible design that would capture everyone’s attention as soon as I sat down.
It seems even more lavish than the emperor’s throne, is it okay to just make something like this?
“The chair is a bit shabby, isn’t it? We apologize.”
“No. Not at all.”
“Shall we fan you from the side?”
Even a sycophant, no, not even the leader of sycophants would do something like this.
I sat in the lavish child’s chair and tried to gather my scattered thoughts. I wondered how the Grand Duke, who would arrive soon, would react upon seeing this situation.
The nobles did their best to entertain me.
“I had a servant learn some lively songs from town, would you like to hear them?”
“Instead of that, how about playing children’s chess with me?”
“I brought lots of candy, would you like to try some?”
I looked with subtle eyes at the vassals who were each taking out items they had brought.
From nobles waving finger puppets to those who brought chess boards, and even those doing dance moves.
I started to sweat more and more at the nobles’ antics, which showed not even a hint of dignity. I was at a loss for how to deal with them.
What was certain was that they were sincerely trying to flatter me, a child.
“How about playing peek-a-boo with me?”
“I…”
“The Grand Duke is coming!”
When the servant standing outside shouted loudly, the nobles tidied up their clothes. I looked worriedly at the Grand Duke entering the conference room.
The Grand Duke, dressed in ordinary knight uniform, stood at the entrance and furrowed his brow.
“What are you doing?”
Please do something about this.
I looked at the Grand Duke desperately, making a pitiful face.
The Grand Duke’s gaze, which had been wandering without settling in one place, finally landed on me sitting in the chair.
“……”
For a while, a strange sense of empathy flowed between us as we looked at each other silently. Fortunately, the Grand Duke didn’t seem to have contributed to this chaos.
At that moment, a noble who couldn’t read the atmosphere rashly addressed the Grand Duke.
“We’ve prepared a modest welcome party, would you like to join?”
“Join, you say?”
“Yes. The Grand Princess will surely enjoy it too.”
The noble’s eyes didn’t seem to see the Grand Duke’s gaze growing colder in real-time. The conference room fell silent in the precarious atmosphere.
The noble who had invited him to participate, undeterred, took out a cat ear headband from his chest and put it on the Grand Duke.
“With your good looks, even the headband suits you well!”
The surrounding nobles stirred in shock at the audacious noble’s actions.
“…Pfft.”
I quickly covered my mouth with my palm as laughter escaped. The white cat ear headband matched very well with the Grand Duke’s silver hair.
The problem was that it matched too well.
‘His deadpan expression is incredible.’
The Grand Duke glared at the vassals who were just eyeing each other and muttered ominously.
“Have you all gone mad together?”
Despite emitting a sinister aura, he wasn’t scary because of the cute cat ears.
The funny point was that the terrifying villain Grand Duke just looked like a bad-tempered cat.
“…Ha.”
“Grand Princess?”
“Hahaha! Grand Duke… hic.”
Only after laughing until my stomach hurt did I notice the gazes around me.
“…Hiccup.”
“Are you done laughing now?”
The Grand Duke, who had thrust his head towards me as if to say ‘Look all you want,’ raised one eyebrow.
Detecting a faint killing intent in his darkened eyes, I squeezed my eyes shut.
When I opened my eyes after a while, the Grand Duke was ruffling my hair. A faint smile formed on his face, which had been full of displeasure.
“Now go.”
“Huh?”
“You there, take the Grand Princess to her room.”
Knights rushed in and lifted me up. After being respectfully escorted to my room, I reached out to touch the soft sensation on my head.
“…This is.”
It’s the cat ears the Grand Duke was wearing earlier.
How petty of the Grand Duke!
Sen told me later.
She said that the nobles who attended the meeting that day ended up recuperating from various injuries, big and small.
After that day, the nobles began to launch more blatant offensives to impress me.
Before long, my room became filled with bribes sent by the nobles. Among them was a necklace sent directly by Luke from the Heidus family.
‘He’s doing the same thing as the Grand Duke.’
Remembering that the Heidus family had betrayed him the original story, I felt uneasy and secretly kept the necklace.
