The Past Life of the Arrogant Archduke - Chapter 5
‘W-What the heck?’
They say knights have incredible physical abilities—could he have heard her say ‘Ray’ from that distance? Did he think she was calling him by a pet name? Was that why he’s angry?
‘No, I was calling out to a different Ray!’
Yulia felt wronged, but she had to admit—she had said ‘Ray’ while looking at the Grand Duke’s heir, so if he misunderstood, she didn’t really have an excuse.
Flustered, Yulia tried to back away, but behind her stood a table full of food, blocking her retreat.
The heir’s sudden movement stirred unrest in the crowd. But the moment he came to a stop in front of Yulia, everyone fell silent and watched.
Beneath the wide hem of her gown, Yulia’s legs trembled violently.
In the vast ballroom, only soft music could be heard.
He stared at Yulia for a moment without a word, then took a step back with one foot.
Someone whispered, “No way…”
As the Grand Duke’s heir placed one hand behind his back and gave a subtle bow, a chorus of barely stifled gasps rippled through the women around them.
Finally, when he extended one hand toward Yulia, the ballroom filled with an uproar of excited voices.
“No way!”
“Do you know who that woman is?”
“Why must it be someone so unremarkable!”
“The Grand Duke’s heir must have… unusual tastes.”
“So the rumors were true…”
Yulia felt the same urge to scream.
‘Why is he asking me to dance? He really did misunderstand! Is this his way of torturing me? Is this what counts as elegant bullying among high-ranking nobles?’
Yulia had absolutely no desire to dance with the heir. But under the burning stares of those around her, she was left with no choice but to place her hand atop his.
The moment her hand touched his palm, the heir subtly moved his hand so that their contact was minimal. And they were both wearing gloves!
‘Ahh… this is definitely punishment.’
As she was led to the center of the ballroom, Yulia searched desperately for a chance to apologize during the dance, but the heir’s cold expression kept her from saying a word.
From afar, she’d thought handsome, charming, and all that, but up close, he was absolutely terrifying.
Yulia trembled and danced stiffly, miming the steps as best as she could, doing everything she could to avoid touching him.
And so the dance, which felt like it lasted an eternity, finally came to an end. Yulia shouted her apology and bolted from the ballroom.
She could feel the heir’s gaze clinging to the back of her head, but she never once turned around.
‘High-ranking nobles are terrifying. The heir is terrifying. All this over calling him ‘Ray’ by mistake? So petty. So devious.’
But… surely he won’t come all the way to her house to torment her, right? No way. He can’t be that bored.
Inside the carriage headed home, Yulia firmly resolved to marry a commoner. And preferably, not one with black hair.
But the next day, Yulia would come to regret her naïve optimism.
Early that morning, an envoy arrived from the Grand Duchy. They brought a chest of betrothal gifts—and a formal proposal of marriage.
‘Are you kidding me?! Is he planning to keep me by his side just to torment me forever?!’
Yulia was stunned into silence, while Sophie was beside herself with joy, warmly welcoming the envoy.
“So, the Grand Duke’s heir…”
“Yes. The Young Master says he fell for Miss Yulia at first sight.”
“We were so worried since he’d never shown any interest in women before, but now that he’s found his destined match, look at how decisively he’s acting. Hohoho.”
The butler acting as envoy dabbed tears from his eyes with a handkerchief, and the knights standing behind him wore proud expressions.
‘Listen. You’ve got the wrong idea about your master…’
“Her Majesty the Empress is also overjoyed.”
“The Empress? How would Her Majesty in the capital even know about this?”
“Ahaha. As soon as the Grand Duke heard from his heir, he contacted her via magical communication. As your sponsor, she had to be informed of such a happy occasion.”
“Of course, of course. Naturally!”
Sophie beamed and nodded enthusiastically. Tears streamed down Yulia’s face.
‘Was it really so wrong for me to say ‘Ray’? Huh? I wasn’t even talking to you. I wasn’t!’
“Oh dear… Are you crying because you’re thinking of the late Baron and Baroness?”
No. I’m crying because my life is tragic.
‘Sophie… if I say no here, I probably won’t be able to keep living in this empire, will I?’
