The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 52

Episode 52. A Special Experience

At that time, Louid was overseeing the repair site of the outer castle all day long. It wasn’t something the Grand Duke needed to supervise personally.

“Your Highness, Her Highness the Grand Duchess was looking for you.”

Alex, who had come to the outer castle, informed Louid.

“Tell her you didn’t see me.”

Before going to the outer castle, Louid had already told Alex that if Emilia came looking for him, he was to say he hadn’t seen him.

“Hmm….”

With his arms crossed, Alex narrowed his eyes and watched the Grand Duke’s back as he walked away.

It was the last day of the festival. Today was the day of the concert.

“Your Highness, His Highness the Grand Duke said he has an urgent matter and asked that you head to the concert hall first. He’ll be following afterward.”

When she finished getting ready, the head butler Philip came to her bedroom and relayed the message.

“Alright.”

He hadn’t shown his face once the previous night, so he must’ve been busy with work.

‘He could’ve at least told me if he was busy.’

A faint sense of disappointment washed over her, but she couldn’t show it outwardly.

Emilia boarded the carriage with Helen and headed to the concert hall.

When Emilia arrived at the concert hall, she greeted the director and then went to the waiting room alone. Everything felt unfamiliar, but she was determined to fulfill her duties as the Grand Duchess to the best of her ability.

In the waiting room, Bella and the boutique staff were there to prepare for the fashion show. They were busy unpacking the clothes they had brought and getting the models ready.

Emilia planned to hold a fashion show showcasing the outfits she had designed once the concert neared its end. Louid had no idea that she was a designer or that she was planning to hold a fashion show.

“Bella, are the preparations going well?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thanks to you, everything’s progressing smoothly.”

Together with Bella, she carefully checked that everything for the show was ready.

Even when the bell signaling the start of the concert rang, Louid still hadn’t appeared. Emilia had no choice but to go to the VIP seats and sit alone.

From afar, Lina quietly watched her from a seat along the middle wall of the hall. She had arrived earlier than Emilia.

But Emilia, busy exchanging greetings with people around her before the concert began, didn’t notice that someone’s eyes were fixed on her.

Soon, the lights dimmed and the performance began.

Musicians holding instruments and vocalists stepped onto the stage and bowed toward the audience.

The musician began playing what seemed to be a traditional instrument of the Grand Duchy. A refined, beautiful melody filled the hall.

Then the vocalist began to sing. It was a song about longing for one’s homeland. Hearing it, a single tear slid down Emilia’s cheek. It wasn’t because she missed her homeland; the song was simply so beautiful that she couldn’t help but cry.

While the first piece was being performed, Louid arrived and sat down beside her, but she didn’t even notice he was there.

In the darkness, Louid saw the tears sparkling on her face. Clear, transparent tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall.

Louid’s hand started to reach toward her, but he froze midway. In the dark, he looked at his own hand with a conflicted expression. Lately, he had found himself constantly distracted by thoughts of Emilia, his heart in disarray.

After a moment, he quietly placed his handkerchief in her hand.

“…Louid?”

Only then did Emilia realize he had come. With a slightly embarrassed smile, she wiped her tears with the handkerchief he’d given her.

After watching her dry her eyes, Louid turned his focus to the song again, and the lyrics reached his ears. It was a song about missing one’s homeland.

‘She must be longing for her family’s estate.’

That made sense. She had lived comfortably and safely at the ducal estate, and now she was here, even facing threats to her life… it was only natural she’d want to go back. His expression darkened slightly.

‘I’ll have to tell her to visit the duchy sometime soon.’

Or was she thinking about that man Simon? Was he her first love?

As the name Simon crossed his mind, Louid’s expression grew sharp.

He didn’t know why he felt irritated every time that name came to mind.

A moment later, the vocalist’s song ended, and the orchestra began playing. It was a bright waltz. Emilia’s expression turned cheerful, as if she had never cried.

‘Her emotions change so quickly.’

Louid looked at her with a curious expression.

As the concert neared its end, Emilia tugged at his arm.

“What is it?”

Louid mouthed the words silently, making sure no sound escaped.

“You know the drawings I’ve been doing as a hobby?”

“Yeah.”

He knew she drew dress designs diligently every day.

“I decided to hold a fashion show with them.”

The reason she had gone looking for him was to talk about the fashion show, but she finally got the chance now. At her words, Louid fell silent for a moment.

“I’m not doing it to make money. I’ve just loved drawing clothes since I was young.”

Mistaking his silence for disapproval, Emilia nervously started to explain herself.

“Congratulations. I told you to do whatever you wanted.”

Louid spoke indifferently. It was just a hobby. How much money could she possibly make from it? There was no reason for her to be wary of him.

“Thank you.”

When Emilia’s expression brightened, he found himself feeling better too. It was a strange, unfamiliar sensation for him.

When the concert ended, soft music began to play, and just as Emilia had said, the fashion show began. Models wearing commoners’ clothes walked onto the stage one by one.

They weren’t professional models but residents of the grand duchy that Madame Bella had recruited for the show.

“Oh? That’s Mr. Robert.”

“Mrs. Maria’s there too.”

Joyful voices echoed from the audience. The models walked around the large stage in pairs, slowly circling it.

After dozens of male and female models had finished walking, child models appeared on stage.

“Wow, those clothes are so pretty.”

“They’re adorable!”

Applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

‘They’re not dresses?’

Louid’s eyebrows rose slightly. As far as he knew, Emilia mostly drew dresses. But the models on stage were wearing simple commoners’ clothes.

Though he usually preferred only black clothes and had little interest in fashion, he paid close attention to the models’ outfits since Emilia had designed them.

The clothes looked different from typical commoners’ garments. The fabrics were brighter in color, and the designs slightly varied, probably tailored for easier movement.

‘Well made.’

I should increase my support for fashion.

Even though he had little personal interest in the arts or fashion, Louid had always provided generous funding for such fields. As a result, even though the Grand Duchy was located in the far northern region, the organizations under its territory had earned renown across the entire Empire.

He had thought Madame Bella’s Boutique only handled dresses and formal attire for nobles, but Emilia’s new concept of designing commoner clothes was refreshingly innovative. He decided to greatly increase his patronage for the fashion sector.

The fashion show ended successfully. The residents who had participated as models were paid for their work and even received the outfits they had worn as gifts. However, none of them knew that the clothes they received were designed by the Grand Duchess herself.

After the fashion show ended, the two went to the VIP room to talk with the director of the music academy. When the director left after their discussion, Bella entered.

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you for giving me such a special experience.”

“It’s all thanks to the generous support of Your Highness the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess. And of course, Your Highness’s dedication to designing the clothes.”

Emilia and Bella stood aside, talking together while Louid sat on the sofa.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

After finishing her preparations to leave, Emilia turned toward him.

“Alright.”

Louid rose from the sofa and walked to the waiting room window. Outside was a pitch-dark night without even a sliver of moonlight. He could see the people who had come to watch the concert now heading home: some boarding carriages, others calling for their families. The area outside the building was crowded with people.

Resting one hand on the window frame, he rhythmically tapped the glass with his long fingers.

Since it was the last day of the festival, he had asked Eddie to make a reservation at a famous restaurant.

‘Dinner, tea, and then stargazing.’

In his mind, he went over the plans with Emilia in order, and the more he thought about them, the faster his fingers tapped.

How long had he waited like that? After a while, he realized Emilia still hadn’t returned.

‘Should I go look for her?’

He turned, slightly puzzled, at that very moment.

Helen, who had gone with Emilia, burst into the VIP room without even knocking, breathless. Her face was completely pale.

“Your Highness! The Grand Duchess is missing!”