The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 56

Episode 56. The Woman in the Greenhouse

The next morning, the kidnappers were found dead in an abandoned house in the village at the foot of the mountain. It was the same place the Grand Duke’s knights had already searched once.

Jamie, after seeing their faces, confirmed that they were the same merchants who had sold skewers and roasted corn at the festival.

‘Meticulous. To kill them so soon.’

At the news of the kidnappers’ deaths, Louid couldn’t hide his frustration. It was a serious problem since he still had no clue who the real culprit was.

The fact that it was done so carefully meant there was a powerful force behind it, someone with considerable influence.

‘They were targeting Emilia.’

Unlike the previous two incidents, this time it was clearly directed at Emilia. It had to be someone who bore a grudge against Duke Berthe or someone who wanted to remove Emilia from her position as Grand Duchess.

There were plenty who held grudges against Duke Berthe.

If not that, it was the work of someone trying to make their own daughter the Grand Duchess.

“Eddie, make a list of noble families with unmarried daughters between the ages of twenty and thirty.”

That afternoon, as soon as he returned to his office, Louid gave Eddie the order.

“Yes, understood.”

Louid decided to investigate all noble families whose daughters were of the right age to covet the position of Grand Duchess.

***

‘The Grand Duke’s banquet is soon.’

A few days later, Lina visited Madame Bella’s Boutique. Despite having caused such a huge incident, her demeanor was as composed as ever.

“Welcome, Lady Carrion. We’ve been expecting you.”

The boutique staff greeted her warmly. With a smug smile, Lina walked over and sat gracefully on the sofa.

“I’m here to try on the dress I ordered last time.”

“Yes, it’s almost finished. Please try it on so we can make sure it fits you perfectly.”

“Alright.”

After having a cup of tea, Lina put on the dress with the help of the boutique staff.

It was a luxurious ivory gown embroidered with silver floral patterns. It matched perfectly with her silver hair.

“Oh my, you look stunning.”

“My lady, the silver details suit you beautifully.”

The staff surrounded her, showering her with endless compliments. Lina, too, looked at her reflection with great satisfaction.

At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before the Grand Duke falls for me.

A sly smile crossed her face as she looked into the mirror.

‘Just wait, Emilia. I’ll take care of you myself.’

‘Who could be trying to harm me?’

Emilia was troubled. There shouldn’t be anyone in the Empire who knew her or bore any grudge against her, so she had no idea why someone would want to hurt her.

‘Either way, I should be careful.’

Since Louid was investigating, the culprit would soon be caught.

‘He’s such a dependable person.’

Even though he’d acted annoyed, Louid had come to rescue her and was now leading the investigation. Emilia believed the culprit would be captured soon.

A few days later, she recovered so quickly that everyone was astonished. She looked as lively as if she had never been sick at all.

While she had been bedridden, Emilia carefully wrote a business proposal for the fashion academy she planned to show Louid. By the time she finished, the proposal looked quite complete and convincing.

“His Highness is out at the moment, Your Highness.”

When she went to the office to show him the proposal, Louid wasn’t there. The attendant standing guard informed her of his absence.

“Is Sir Eddie with him?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Alright.”

She had planned to hand it to Eddie if Louid wasn’t there, but since he was away as well, she had no choice.

‘If I leave it here, he’ll read it when he returns.’

She placed the business proposal neatly on Louid’s desk.

That afternoon, Louid returned from his outing, picked up the document on his desk, and began reading.

“A business proposal….”

His expression grew serious as he read through the pages.

It was much better written than he’d expected. It seemed feasible enough to proceed without any major adjustments.

Taking the proposal with him, Louid went to Emilia’s bedroom.

“Where’s the Grand Duchess?”

Inside the room, the maids were changing the curtains, but Emilia was nowhere in sight.

“Her Highness went to the greenhouse.”

Helen answered, and Louid immediately headed for the greenhouse.

Inside, the flowers and trees in full bloom for summer made the greenhouse look like a paradise. Louid began searching for Emilia.

The Grand Duke’s greenhouse was so vast it seemed endless.

If he called out her name, he could easily find her, but Louid walked quietly without making a sound, taking his time as he wandered through the greenhouse.

Thanks to its mistress, who loved plants and flowers, the greenhouse was filled with various trees and blooms brought in from all over the continent.

‘Hyacinths, daisies, daffodils, ….’

He didn’t know the names of the flowers, but each one had a small name tag written in cute handwriting. It wasn’t hard to guess who had written them.

“….”

Louid’s steps slowed.

“Hydrangeas….”

He softly read the name written on the tag. There, among a sea of pale blue hydrangeas, stood a woman with platinum blonde hair.

Her eyes resembled the color of the flowers. The papers in Louid’s hand slipped to the ground.

“Louid…?”

The woman who turned toward him ran over with a bright smile, her arms full of hydrangeas the same shade as her eyes.

“….”

“When did you get here?”

“Uh… just now.”

Pretending to be unfazed, Louid bent down to pick up the papers from the floor. But the image of the woman running toward him with that radiant smile remained vividly in his mind.

“Come on, let’s have tea together.”

“Hmm….”

Emilia led Louid to the table set inside the greenhouse. On the table were a teapot, teacups, and various drawing tools.

“You like this tea, don’t you?”

Somehow, Emilia had brewed the tea he liked and handed it to him. It was a bitter tea with not a trace of sweetness.

“Hmm,” Louid replied curtly.

“What’s that?”

“The business proposal you left behind. It was well written. You can proceed just like this.”

Only then did Louid remember why he had come to the greenhouse.

“Then you’re really going to establish the fashion academy?”

Emilia’s eyes, the color of hydrangeas, widened like full moons.

“Yes.”

“Thank you so much.”

“No need for that.”

Still, he felt pleased. Sitting here with her, surrounded by flowers and trees, sipping tea… it felt like being inside a painting.

“You seem to like flowers.”

“Yes, I like flowers, and trees, and rainy days too. I wish it would rain in the greenhouse sometimes. It would be so beautiful.”

‘I wish it would rain in the greenhouse….’

Louid repeated her words silently to himself. As always, he quietly drank his tea while listening to Emilia’s gentle chatter.

***

The annual Grand Duke’s banquet was only a week away. Emilia helped with the preparations. There were many things to handle: food, interior decorations, and table arrangements.

As the Grand Duchess, she couldn’t simply leave everything to the servants and relax. Whenever she didn’t know something, she asked the head butler or the head maid for help and worked diligently.

To Louid, it seemed that although Emilia hadn’t been recovered for long, she was already busier than ever. After all the incidents she’d been through, she must have been shaken, yet she showed no sign of it. Every night, when he finished his work and went to the bedroom, she was already fast asleep with an exhausted face.

“Emilia, let Philip handle the banquet preparations. You should rest.”

“It’s the annual banquet. How could the hostess just stay idle? Don’t worry, I’m completely fine now.”

He had said it casually during dinner after a long time, but Emilia replied with a determined look.

“Alright. Then take breaks in between.”

He couldn’t win against her stubbornness and had no choice but to allow it. She seemed to be keeping her promise from their divorce contract—to fulfill her duties as Grand Duchess—but he no longer tried to stop her.

“Yes. But, Louid, I have a favor to ask,” Emilia said cautiously, watching his expression.

“What is it?”

“Will you teach me how to dance?”

What’s this now? Louid’s expression turned puzzled. A noble lady asking him to teach her to dance? He looked at Emilia in disbelief. Noble ladies learned ballroom dancing from a young age and began attending parties in their late teens.

“You’ve never danced before?” he asked with a curious look.

“I told you I was sick when I was young, remember? That’s why I never learned.”

At times like this, using her frail health as an excuse worked best.

“The Grand Duke’s banquet is coming up soon, and it’d be a problem if the Grand Duchess didn’t know how to dance.”

She lifted both her hands to her sides as if making an excuse.

“Alright. I’ll teach you then.”

Louid had no choice but to agree to teach her. It wouldn’t be difficult since he only needed to show her a few simple steps.

That night, he went to her bedroom earlier than usual.