I Was Adopted by the Villain Grand Duke Who Killed My Favorite Character - Chapter 23
“Stay put.”
Left alone on the sofa, I looked up blankly at the Grand Duke. Without hesitation, he pulled back the hood of the robe he was wearing.
As the silver hair, symbolic of the Grand Duke’s family, was revealed, a murmur spread among the staff.
“If you have any sense, you’ll understand what today means. Keep this a secret.”
“Yes! I’ll bring the person in charge right away.”
Although flustered, the staff moved quickly as if accustomed to such situations. Soon after, a woman in a red dress walked in.
The woman, who appeared to be the owner of the clothing store, gave a smooth smile towards the Grand Duke. Her actions exuded nobility, suggesting she might be an aristocrat.
“It’s an honor to meet such an esteemed guest. I’m Emily Stern, the owner of this place. What kind of clothes do you need?”
“I need clothes embroidered with the family crest.”
“And who will be wearing them…?”
“That child.”
As the Grand Duke’s finger pointed directly at me, Emily’s eyes lit up with intrigue. I, who had been watching as if it were someone else’s business, stood up in surprise.
‘Clothes for me to wear?’
If it were just ordinary clothes being tailored, I wouldn’t have been this surprised. But clothes embroidered with the family crest held a different meaning.
‘It means the wearer is under the protection of the family.’
Because of this significance, those who could wear clothes with the crest were limited to direct blood relatives. It was too much for an adopted imperial princess meant for rebellion.
I must stop this at all costs!
Unlike my anxious state, the Grand Duke was calm. As he carefully examined the displayed fabrics, he asked Emily, “Isn’t this fabric too thin?”
“It has a warming spell, so it can be worn regardless of the season.”
“That’s good. The north gets cold even in summer.”
“With this special fabric, you won’t have to worry about catching a cold.”
Knowing the astronomical price of the magically enhanced fabric, my mouth fell open. It would be cheaper to receive a building in the capital than that dress.
Thinking I should stop this before it was too late, I ran to the Grand Duke and tugged on his pants.
“What’s wrong?”
“Grand Duke, we don’t need that. Let’s get a refund.”
“Don’t you like it?”
At the Grand Duke’s signal, the staff moved quickly. The existing fabrics were cleared away, and new ones were spread out.
The Grand Duke offered to buy all the fabrics without even properly examining them.
“If we buy them all, you’re bound to like at least one.”
Is that supposed to be reasoning?
My vision went black at the Grand Duke’s absurd spending. I blocked the staff trying to wrap the fabrics and waved my arms.
The Grand Duke remained indifferent to my desperate attempts to dissuade him. Only the troubled-looking staff watched me cautiously while trying to coax me.
“Could you step aside so we can move the fabrics?”
“Absolutely not!”
“If you sit on the sofa, we’ll bring you some special snacks prepared by our store.”
“Not eating!”
Judging it urgent to move the fabrics, the staff moved around me. At this rate, it seemed I would be forced to accept the Grand Duke’s gift.
I didn’t want to use this method, but…
Gritting my teeth, I threw away my pride and flopped down on the floor. Then I started screaming at the top of my lungs and flailing my arms and legs.
“Not buying! Don’t want it! Going to refund!”
“C-Customer.”
My face reddened at my own undeniable disgraceful behavior, but I endured it.
‘It’s all for the future.’
I was afraid of the consequences if I just went along with this and accepted clothes with the family crest. Who knows if he might regret giving them later?
“Don’t need any of it!”
“What a spectacle.”
The Grand Duke grabbed me under the armpits and lifted me up from the floor.
I felt frustrated and annoyed at how easily I was lifted without any resistance. As I was gasping for breath, my strength drained, a soft touch met my cheek.
Smooch.
“…?”
The Grand Duke’s lips briefly pressed against my cheek before pulling away. I froze in that state, holding my cheek.
‘What just happened to me?’
A kiss on the forehead and one on the cheek had different meanings. Usually, a kiss on the cheek meant…
“It means affection.”
I swallowed hard, startled by my own words.
I wasn’t the only one surprised; shock swept through the eyes of the watching staff.
“As Gerard said, it’s quite effective, isn’t it?”
The Grand Duke set me down on the sofa, now docile, and walked over to the staff, packaging the fabrics.
“I’ll leave the design to you, so make as many clothes as possible and deliver them.”
“Yes! Understood.”
“Send all the fabrics the child disliked to the Grand Duke’s residence as well.”
Following the Grand Duke’s orders, more staff members began to steal glances at me. My mind went blank from the shock that hit in waves.
Where am I? Who am I?
Just then, a red dress hem appeared in my confused vision. Emily, who had quietly sat down next to me, spoke in a pleasant voice.
“Esteemed guest, may I have your wrist for a moment?”
She fastened a platinum bracelet with a gray gemstone to my wrist.
“This is what the Grand Duke reserved. We didn’t know it was the Grand Duke when he made the reservation.”
“A gift for me?”
“Yes. It’s a bracelet with magic enchantments.”
The gray gemstone on the bracelet was crafted in the shape of a ribbon. Seeing its form, I suddenly recalled a conversation I had with the Grand Duke.
“This ribbon is the reason why you and I can’t become family.”
I thought he hadn’t paid attention to it since he was going to burn it as soon as he received it. Feeling a tightness in my chest, I clutched the wrist where the bracelet was fastened.
‘I should be the one giving gifts.’
Although it stemmed from a misunderstanding, the Grand Duke was doing his best to open my heart. I had to respond definitively to his feelings.
‘I need to reject him clearly.’
That he and I could not become family. I had to put an end to this excessive kindness now.
I bit my lip and looked at the Grand Duke’s back as he gave instructions to the staff. The question was whether he would accept my rejection.
***
After leaving the clothing store, the Grand Duke headed to the most famous dessert shop in the city. It was a place that always came up when the maids talked about desserts.
‘They said it was famous for cakes.’
Thanks to him renting out the entire shop, I could take off my robe and be comfortable. After pondering how to start the conversation, I opened my mouth.
“Grand Duke, I’m not a pig.”
“I told you to take one bite and throw away the rest if it’s too much to eat. What’s the problem?”
In front of the Grand Duke and me were all the cakes from the shop. As I looked down at the cakes, speechless, the Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed.
The Grand Duke, who had been resting his chin on his hand, elegantly picked up a cake plate.
“You should have said if you wanted to eat.”
He pushed the strawberry cake that had been in front of him towards me.
Who said I wanted to eat that!
As I was huffing, I put the cake the Grand Duke had passed me into my mouth and chewed earnestly. Misunderstanding or not, the strawberry cake was innocent.
‘Why is this so delicious again?’
My lips trembled at the sweet taste of strawberry cream melting on my tongue. The Grand Duke, who had been watching me eat the cake with a resentful face, suddenly blurted out.
“Shall I buy this shop for you?”
“…Gulp.”
The strawberry piece I was swallowing got stuck in my throat at the outrageous offer. He patted my back with an indifferent face.
It gave me goosebumps, as his gaze was like that of a butcher looking at a plump pig.
“Eat slowly, I’m not going to take it away from you.”
No! That’s not it!
Even though the strawberry piece had safely gone down, I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. As I was pounding my tight chest, the Grand Duke asked languidly.
“But why don’t you beg me for things you want?”
As he said this, the Grand Duke seemed to be hoping that I would ask him to buy something for me. When our eyes met in mid-air, the Grand Duke’s eyes suddenly curved gently.
“You’re not like a child.”
The moment I heard those words, countless things I had heard in my previous life came flooding back. My thoughts and emotions, influenced by a child’s body but with an adult’s memories, always made me stand out.
Being different was always a reason for rejection.
“You call that a child? It’s creepy.”
“I gave birth to it, but I can’t understand what it is. We must do something.”
“A witch! It must be a witch!”
What does it even mean to be childlike?
Feeling a surge of defiance, I stabbed the cake hard with the fork I was holding. The forcibly suppressed emotions heated up my chest.
I wanted to ask the Grand Duke why he said such things. But today, I had to bring up something more important than that.
The Grand Duke leaned back in his chair and muttered indifferently.
“You don’t want anything. You don’t want to do anything. You don’t even throw tantrums.”
“Because there’s no need to.”
“But I wish you had something you wanted. So that you won’t die.”
The Grand Duke’s words, which had only sounded unpleasant before, took on a different meaning. Perhaps the reason the Grand Duke had insisted on accompanying me on this outing wasn’t for a different purpose, but…
“…Perhaps the Grand Duke wanted to make me happy today?”
“I just hoped you could learn to enjoy life.”
Is that all this behavior was about?
As I realized this, my heated head cooled down. I stared blankly at the delicious cakes filling the table.
This can’t go on.
Right now, I have nothing, and I can’t give anything back to the Grand Duke. And it’s happening right before it’s revealed that I’m not the imperial princess.
The guilt I had been ignoring shook my mind.
The Grand Duke, who had been observing my face intently, slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
“…Liat.”
I, who had been wavering, unable to understand my own feelings, couldn’t believe my ears. Did the Grand Duke just call my name?
Even after hearing my name before, he had always called me the Grand Princess.
The Grand Duke wiped his mouth as he looked at me, blinking in surprise. The unbelievable words didn’t end there.
“Call me Dad.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, call me Dad…”
Clank.
The fork I had been holding fell to the floor, and everything around went quiet. The Grand Duke’s expression hardened as he read the rejection on my surprised face.
