I Was Adopted by the Villain Grand Duke Who Killed My Favorite Character - Chapter 24
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When it came time to speak, I hesitated.
Did I even have the right to reject the Grand Duke? I couldn’t do anything except receive his kindness.
Remembering that I couldn’t postpone it, I put down the fork and met the Grand Duke’s eyes. When we first met, those blue-tinged purple eyes of the Grand Duke had been a comfort.
They felt like they were consoling me, who was dying miserably, with eyes that showed no pity.
“Grand Duke, do you remember the day we first met?”
“What nonsense are you going to say now?”
“You saved me on the day I was about to die. That’s all you could do for me.”
So leave me alone.
As I spoke sincerely, a slight crack appeared in the Grand Duke’s solid expression. The Grand Duke, whose mood had visibly sunk, remained silent for a while.
Tap tap, he drummed his fingers on the table and spoke with a hesitant voice.
“I understand that I might be unfamiliar to you. But someday you’ll get used to it…”
“No. That’s not it.”
“I thought you were quite enjoying the time you spent with me?”
“I never enjoyed it. The Grand Duke is always uncomfortable.”
I knew this contradicted my initial attempts to gain the Grand Duke’s favor. Still, the statement itself wasn’t a lie.
The kinder the Grand Duke acted, the more guilt I felt towards him.
“I don’t need the Grand Duke.”
“Do you understand the weight of what you’re saying? You’re refusing to be the Grand Princess right now.”
“I don’t want to be something like a Grand Princess. You never asked for my opinion anyway.”
The life forcibly gifted to me had seeped in like rainwater, bringing many emotions. Picturing the faces of warm people in my mind, I continued.
“Grand Duke, I should have…”
Perhaps I should have died that day.
Instead of taking the place of someone precious and being greedy.
The Grand Duke pressed his brow with a troubled expression. His voice carried a faint resentment for my sudden words.
“How can I believe you won’t die when you say such things?”
“Yeah. I won’t die, so please leave me alone.”
“What do you plan to do alone?”
“I just need to exist, don’t I?”
At my nonchalant words, the Grand Duke seemed to be getting angry too. Though he appeared expressionless on the surface, I had become familiar enough with him to tell.
“…Haa.”
The Grand Duke’s soft sigh sliced through my tiny conscience. I didn’t have the courage to look up and check his expression.
The Grand Duke spoke in a voice forcibly suppressing his anger.
“If that’s truly how you feel, you shouldn’t have shown me any kindness. Aren’t you just scared?”
What am I supposed to be scared of?
I understood his anger, but I didn’t want to be misunderstood like this. I glared at the Grand Duke who was making me out to be a coward.
“I’m not scared.”
“Why don’t you just be honest? Say that you want to be loved.”
“I said that’s not it!”
To me, who had endlessly lived because of the desire to be loved, those words were like a curse.
Without even knowing what I was thinking or what I wanted. Sometimes, the kindness bestowed based on such misunderstandings was irritating.
Unable to contain the boiling anger, I forgot my fear and shouted.
“You’re not my Dad!”
“I feed you, shelter you, raise you, so what am I then?”
“A fool.”
At my words, a vein popped on the Grand Duke’s forehead.
“Fine. So that’s how it is.”
The Grand Duke, who I thought would finally get angry this time, covered his face with his palm. Below his rolled-up sleeve, a threatening forearm was visible.
If he, a Sword Master, were to unleash his killing intent in earnest, young me wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Even in this moment, he was being considerate of my young self.
I thought he was a foolish person.
“It’s okay to get angry, Grand Duke.”
“What would you do if I really got angry?”
The Grand Duke’s face became rather calm at the words telling him to get angry. There I was, checking his reaction after shouting, and the Grand Duke maintaining silence.
‘Why isn’t he getting angry?’
The first outing, which was originally meant to buy a gift for the Grand Duke, ended in the worst atmosphere. Silence prevailed throughout the carriage ride back with him.
Perhaps bothered by me stealing glances at him in the carriage, the Grand Duke opened his mouth.
“I won’t get angry or hit you. I’m different from those you’ve met so far.”
But you’re the villain, Grand Duke.
The occasional glint in his eyes beneath the expression that pretended nothing had happened. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed hurt somehow.
***
Upon returning to the Grand Duke’s residence, I had to endure a barrage of well-meaning questions from the maids. They were all very curious about how the outing with the Grand Duke had been.
“Did you eat a lot of delicious food with the Grand Duke?”
“What kind of conversation did you have?”
“Please tell us what gift you bought for the Grand Duke!”
I didn’t buy a gift; we just argued.
Aware that I had said harsh things to the Grand Duke, the burden on my heart doubled. I vaguely answered that it was good.
Unable to do otherwise, I was out coaxing the maids to go outside so I could at least give herbs as a gift like before.
“Was I too harsh?”
Right in front of the garden where I was standing was the building with the Grand Duke’s office.
‘The Grand Duke must be working.’
After peeking towards the slightly open office window, I sat down under a large tree. A cool breeze blew, cooling my sweat-soaked body.
As I was spending time leaning against the tree trunk, a rare medicinal herb caught my eye.
“It’s rice mushrooms.”
They’re good for energy when boiled and eaten.
Small mushrooms, about the size of a fingernail, were clustered near the tree trunk. While I was picking the adorably sprouted mushrooms, I sensed someone’s presence.
A woman wearing an old robe approached me, pushing through the grass. As she examined me closely, a sigh escaped her lips.
“…Ah.”
Is she a new employee?
Her hooded appearance, concealing her face, seemed suspicious for a noble.
The woman smiled at my bewildered self and bent down to meet my gaze.
“Hello, little one. Did I startle you?”
“Not really. There’s not much in this world that surprises me.”
“I see. You’re a clever little one.”
I turned my attention away from the woman and focused back on picking mushrooms.
Contrary to my expectation that she would soon be on her way, the woman showed interest in what I was doing. Crouching down, she pointed at the mushrooms.
“Rice mushrooms, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what they’re used for? They’re delicious when boiled.”
“Yes.”
“Can you say anything other than ‘yes’?”
I almost reflexively answered ‘yes’ again but closed my mouth. The woman suddenly approaching and striking up a conversation was bothersome.
‘What’s this, is she bored?’
In a few dozen minutes, the maids would come looking for me, and this time would be over.
Despite my obvious annoyance, the woman tirelessly continued to talk.
“Actually, the child I’m looking for also has red hair.”
“Red hair?”
“Let me see.”
The woman took hold of my hair, examining it in the sunlight from different angles. She bit her lip for a moment as if holding something back, then smiled gently.
“It’s a different color after all. Your hair has a pink tinge to it, it’s very pretty.”
“Are you looking for someone?”
“Yes. Your hair looked like the red I’m searching for under the sun.”
Red hair wasn’t common in this world.
Apart from Juno, I hadn’t seen much red hair either. Even while admitting her mistake, the woman couldn’t take her eyes off me.
Her gaze, filled with obvious disappointment, made my heart feel heavy for no reason.
I picked a handful of rice mushrooms and handed them to her, speaking in a softened voice.
“Everything looks the same when it’s reflecting light.”
“Oh my, are you comforting me?”
I shook my head. I didn’t have the energy to comfort anyone when I could barely take care of myself. It’s just that the person the woman was looking for seemed important.
‘I think I understand that feeling.’
I couldn’t bear to see her self-reproaching gaze for her mistake. Although I didn’t know who she was looking for, I hoped she would meet them.
“If you wait, you’ll probably meet them.”
“Yes. I suppose so.”
The woman’s lips curved slightly as she carefully held the mushrooms I had given her. Even though her face was covered, I felt I could understand her emotions.
“Actually, I’m glad you’re not the one I was looking for.”
“Why? Don’t you miss them?”
“I do miss them, but I’m a bit scared. What if they pour out resentment for my late arrival?”
I understood the woman’s words filled with loneliness. I, too, had imagined reuniting with Juno someday in the distant future.
In that imagination, Juno sometimes poured out resentment for my late arrival. But the resentment always faded quickly.
“They’ll surely forgive you.”
I knew that no words could overcome longing. If someone was precious enough to wait for, the other person must have been eagerly anticipating the meeting, too.
“You’re a kind child. Do you come here often?”
“Occasionally.”
“Is that so? I wonder if we could meet again.”
“If you’re lucky.”
Although my response was curt, I secretly did want to meet the woman again. I was curious to know if she had met the red-haired person.
‘Will we be able to meet again?’
Gerard, bringing the person who wants to see Juno, is just around the corner. If the Grand Duke finds out a little later that I’m not the imperial princess.
If that allows me to continue this peaceful life a bit longer.
Then, meeting and talking with the woman once more would be pleasant. My world, consisting only of conversations with maids, was indeed quite limited.
“I’ll comfort you. Come again. When we meet next time, tell me then. If you encountered them.”
I should gather some good deeds before my time ends.
At my permission, the corners of the woman’s mouth turned up happily. She crouched beside me, observing me for a while before leaving.
Not long after the woman left, Sen came to the garden looking for me.
“Grand Princess, were you here?”
“Yes. Did you wait long?”
“The Grand Duke said he wants to have lunch together.”
“I’ll be right there.”
As I walked following Sen, my attention was directed towards the bushes where the woman had disappeared.
I hope she meets the person she’s looking for.
But after that, I never met the woman again in the promised garden. Later, I reunited with her in an unexpected place.
