I Was Adopted by the Villain Grand Duke Who Killed My Favorite Character - Chapter 26
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Time passed, and the day of the anniversary arrived.
I had successfully learned the location of the Duchess’s burial place from Sen beforehand. The soft-hearted Sen couldn’t refuse my request.
Especially with Sen, the word ‘family’ worked better than anything else.
“Since I’m family now, I want to know.”
“The grave is in the back garden. But how did you know the Duchess had passed away?”
“Um… Intuition?”
Perhaps because the event was cancelled, the anniversary day passed very quietly.
The mansion became silent as most of the servants had taken leave and were absent. While I was eating snacks and reading fairy tales with the maids as usual, the Grand Duke didn’t show himself at all.
I thought he had visited the grave early in the morning, but he was said to be holed up in his office.
“His Grace won’t be coming out of his office today.”
“But it’s the anniversary?”
“If there had been an event, he would have shown himself, but otherwise, probably not.”
I could read what Sen had left unsaid. It seemed that even if I waited at the Duchess’s grave today, I wouldn’t be able to meet the Grand Duke.
‘What about the gift?’
I thought I could meet him if I waited where the grave was, even if the Grand Duke didn’t come to my room.
“I wonder if there will be a chance.”
Sen, who had been with me recently, said that the Grand Duke would be busy after the anniversary.
While pondering how to give the gift, a good idea came to mind.
If it’s impossible to give it to the Grand Duke, how about offering it at the Duchess’s grave? Some of the herbs I had dug up were of the type that couldn’t be used after a certain time.
The decision to give a gift was ultimately to alleviate guilt anyway.
‘Let’s make it a form of gratitude.’
Regardless of who the recipient became, the fact that I felt grateful to the Grand Duke was true. If I could lighten the burden on my heart, that would be enough.
I munched on the cookies Sen had given me while waiting for night to fall.
***
In the night, when everyone was asleep, I carefully slipped out of my room.
Thanks to the holiday, most of the guards who usually protected the mansion were also absent. I moved along the dim corridor where no one was in sight.
‘It should be around here.’
After walking down the corridor for about 30 minutes, I came across the wall marking the boundary with the back garden.
When I was an herbalist, I was confident in climbing steep areas. I rolled up my sleeves and skillfully climbed up the wall.
The moment I finally stood on top of the wall, the scent of flowers rushed into my nostrils.
“Amazing.”
The back garden was filled with Kal flowers.
The purple star-shaped Kal flowers were famous for being difficult to cultivate. To see tens of thousands of these flowers, which are hard to find even a single bloom of!
After staring at the flowers in a daze, I slowly descended from the wall.
‘It’ll be troublesome if I’m caught.’
The maids thought I was sleeping quietly in my room. To avoid being caught sneaking out, it was important to return as quickly as possible.
“Found it.”
In the center of the back garden, I reached, there was a large grave.
Even though it was the night of the anniversary, the altar placed in front of the grave was empty. It seemed that with the cancellation of the memorial service, the altar had been left neglected.
‘This is a bit too much.’
Instead of holing up in his office on the anniversary, the Grand Duke should at least place some flowers.
“Well then……”
I placed the herb bouquet I had carefully made on the altar and prayed for the deceased’s peace. It felt strange trying to commemorate someone I had never met.
“May you be happy in your next life.”
Nameless Duchess and your daughter, the Grand Duke is very healthy.
So please help me die without pain.
I raised my lowered head and opened my eyes.
At that moment, something like a shadow rippled in the darkness where no one had been. Judging by the presence, it seemed like a skilled swordsman was approaching.
“Who’s there? Answer if you’re there.”
I had just heard that there were thieves who raided nobles’ graves, targeting burial goods.
‘Come if you dare.’
It would be difficult to defeat an adult thief with a child’s body. But I could at least buy some time and call for help.
With a determined expression, I picked up a branch lying nearby. The branch I was about to swing at the intruder stopped abruptly in mid-air.
“You shouldn’t come to a place like this alone.”
The voice I heard was that of the person I had been longing to meet.
I dropped the branch I was holding with a deflated expression. Gerard, who had revealed himself, knelt on one knee in front of me.
His pink hair, swaying like cotton candy, was a welcome sight. Gerard, wearing a splendid smile, greeted me politely.
“It’s been a while, Grand Princess.”
“Oh, it’s Gerard.”
“You should be glad it’s me. What were you thinking, being alone here if it had been a bad person?”
“How did you get here?”
“Someone was worried that the Grand Princess wasn’t in her room.”
It seems my secret outing had been discovered!
Sen was the only one who would make such a bold request to Gerard, the Knight Commander. Gerard’s eyes were gentle as he looked down at me, who had flinched.
Prepared to be scolded, I grabbed the hem of Gerard’s cloak and asked.
“Are you not angry?”
“How could I be angry with you, Grand Princess? If anything, I’m a bit embarrassed now.”
Gerard’s gaze briefly rested on the altar.
The herbal bouquet looked particularly shabby placed on the luxurious marble altar. Perhaps I should have tied it with a more expensive ribbon.
Gerard picked up the bouquet I had clumsily put together, examined it front and back, and smiled faintly.
“As an adult, someone else should have taken care of this.”
“I just did it on my own.”
“I didn’t know the Grand Princess was concerned about the Duchess’s grave. May I ask how much you know?”
That question was a bit difficult.
I couldn’t confess that I knew the Imperial family was responsible for the Duchess’s death. I wanted to avoid being pressed about who told me.
The only answer I could give was set.
“I don’t know anything.”
“You don’t have to know, do you?”
“No.”
“I know that the Grand Princess is an amazingly clever and kind person.”
Gerard’s hand reached out to me, catching a strand of hair that had fallen. He gently pressed his lips to the end of my ribbon-tied hair and then released it.
As he looked up at me, his green eyes were filled with a warmth as vivid as a spring breeze.
“And I’m very happy that such a Grand Princess has come to the Grand Duke’s residence.”
“I’m happy that Gerard is here too.”
“I’m sure the Grand Duke is also happy. That Liat has become the Grand Princess.”
Hearing my name from his lips again felt strangely ticklish. It was a different sensation from when the Grand Duke first called my name.
Gerard turned his body slightly to glance behind the grave, then shook his head.
“He’s not an honest person, though.”
Is there something over there?
Even as I stared intently into the darkness, following his gaze, I couldn’t see anything.
“Would you wait a moment, please?”
Gerard plucked a Kal flower and placed it next to the herbal bouquet I had put down. I added another Kal flower on top of it.
“This is for the Grand Duke.”
“The Duchess will like it.”
“That’s good, then.”
In fact, I could guess why the Grand Duke hadn’t visited the grave on the anniversary.
‘He must feel sorry.’
The stronger one is, the greater the anger at not being able to protect loved ones. He probably would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.
So, praying for her peace was the maximum kindness I could offer the Grand Duke. Beyond the swaying flower bed, a fleeting image of the longed-for red hair crossed my mind.
“I also have someone I want to give flowers to.”
“Who is it?”
“Someone I can’t meet anymore.”
Instead of offering clichéd consolation, Gerard gently stroked the top of my head. His careful touch on my hair made my chest ache.
His low voice that followed was filled with complex emotions I couldn’t fathom.
“I think I have someone like that too.”
“Yes. Everyone probably does.”
Everyone has people they’ve lost and tomorrows they must live through despite that. No matter how much time passes, the wounds don’t disappear.
That’s why, for some, the tomorrow they must endure might approach unbearably frightening.
Looking at the flowers, I deliberately spoke in a cheerful voice.
“I think I’m getting sleepy. I want to go to bed.”
“Yes, let’s go back. Then…”
Gerard took off the cloak he was wearing and wrapped it around me like a cocoon. Unable to move a finger, I was forcibly embraced in his arms.
“This is the end of dangerous outings, understood?”
“This is suffocating.”
“I’m letting it slide just this once. You understand, right?”
“…I understand.”
Behind Gerard’s smiling face, I saw an eerie aura. I, who had grown accustomed to his always puppy-like smile, was greatly shocked.
‘He’s really scary.’
His eyes became sharp, as if the warm gaze from just moments ago had been a lie.
“First, I’d like to hear how you managed to sneak out on your own.”
“I picked the lock?”
“There’s no way that lock could be picked so easily.”
If I only picked easy locks, I wouldn’t have been a phantom thief.
When I unconsciously showed a proud expression, Gerard’s lips trembled. Covering his mouth with his palm, Gerard burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha. The more I see, the more surprised I am. You’re certainly different, Grand Princess.”
“Have you seen someone different from me?”
“No. I thought you were similar, but you seem completely different. You are a strong person.”
“That person was probably strong, too?”
When I said that everyone has their own strength, Gerard laughed again.
“I can see why the maids are so taken with you, Grand Princess.”
“They’re just weird.”
After laughing for a while, Gerard escorted me back to my room.
He skillfully washed my feet instead of the maids and laid me on the bed. His hands, arranging the blanket and bedding, seemed accustomed to this kind of work.
“Gerard, do you have siblings?”
“Does it look like I do?”
When I nodded, he smiled and extinguished the lamp he was holding. Even the magic lights on the wall were turned off, and suddenly, darkness settled in the bedroom.
“Bonne nuit, Grand Princess.”
Although I ended up giving the gift to the Duchess instead of the Grand Duke, I had no regrets.
‘I’m glad I went.’
I wonder if this was enough to repay the Grand Duke for saving my life that day. As I closed my eyes with a sense of relief, I opened them again at the sound of movement.
‘Did Gerard come back?’
But contrary to my thoughts, the one who entered the room was the haggard-looking Grand Duke.
