The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 61

Episode 61. Louid’s Rage

“Is that so?”

“It’s an honor to meet you for the first time, Your Highness. I’m Lina of the House of Carrion. My father’s unwell, so I’m attending the banquet in his stead.”

The silver‑haired woman lifted the hem of her dress with an exaggerated gesture and bowed politely.

“Lady Carrion.”

Louid already knew that the Marquess of Carrion wouldn’t be able to attend the banquet because of his illness. A letter had arrived from the marquess a few days earlier.

The Marquess of Carrion had always sent letters claiming illness whenever a banquet was held at the Grand Duke’s castle. It wasn’t unusual, but it had been curious that he sent his daughter this time instead.

“I’ve been longing for the day I’d finally meet Your Highness.”

“…Is that so?”

Louid raised one eyebrow and answered half‑heartedly. His eyes were scanning the lobby quickly, searching for Emilia.

Meanwhile, Lina was unsettled. The grand duke had appeared in the lobby much sooner than she’d expected.

She needed more time if the grand duchess was to suffer injuries severe enough that she wouldn’t recover. But Louid had arrived too early. She had to divert his attention.

“My father couldn’t attend due to his condition, but he hopes to meet Your Highness soon. Would you grant him an audience?”

Lina spoke politely, bringing up the Marquess of Carrion.

“Young Lady, you said you saw the duchess, didn’t you?”

Louid didn’t hear anything Lina said. He was focused solely on finding Emilia.

“Ah… yes…. That’s what I told you. Her Highness walked that way, Your Highness.”

If she delayed any longer, the grand duke would become suspicious. Lina hid her displeased expression and spoke courteously, then pointed toward the corridor that led to the stairs where Emilia had fallen.

“Thank you for telling me, Lady Carrion.”

Louid nodded lightly, then brushed past her. His gaze was fixed on the corridor she’d indicated.

Lina maintained a polite smile until the grand duke completely passed by, then her face twisted. She glared at Louid’s back as he quickly disappeared down the corridor.

‘He doesn’t even spare me a glance….’

It was humiliating. But she would make sure he never forgot her name.

“Emilia, Emilia!”

A moment later, the grand duke’s shout echoed from the end of the corridor. Lina smirked faintly and returned to the banquet hall.

“Emilia, wake up. Emilia.”

Louid lifted Emilia into his arms from the bottom of the steep underground stairs where she lay unconscious. Blood was running down her forehead.

He scooped up the unconscious Emilia and ran up the stairs to the third floor as if flying. Lina was standing near the entrance of the banquet hall, watching him.

When they reached the third‑floor bedroom, Helen and the maids rushed over with panicked expressions.

“Bring the physician. Hurry.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

One of the maids sprinted out to fetch the physician.

“Your Highness… what happened?”

Helen cried out as she removed Emilia’s dress.

“Bring a clean cloth.”

Louid ordered the maid who was helping Helen undress Emilia.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Louid pressed a cloth against Emilia’s bleeding forehead to stop the blood. Looking more closely, he saw cuts and scrapes all over her arms and legs. They seemed to be injuries from rolling down the stairs.

A moment later, the physician arrived. Relief washed over Louid’s face as soon as the physician appeared.

He stepped back to let the physician examine her, then looked down at Emilia with a puzzled expression.

Why had Emilia, who was supposed to be in the banquet hall, fallen down the underground stairs?

He’d been told she’d been looking for him, but he couldn’t guess why at all.

“Since she injured her head, we’ll need to examine her again after she wakes. Please make sure she rests quietly.”

The physician finished treating her as he spoke. A white bandage was wrapped around Emilia’s forehead. The same went for the wounds on her arms and legs.

“Alright. I’ll call you when she wakes.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

When the physician left, Louid sat in the chair in front of the bed and watched Emilia. His eyes caught the sight of her hand sticking out from under the blanket.

He reached out and held her white, slender hand. The back of her hand was scraped in several places and covered with ointment. Bloodshot lines appeared in Louid’s red eyes, and anger surged through him. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before.

‘How dare someone touch the Grand Duchess….’

His hand trembled violently with rage.

Knock, knock.

Just then, a knock sounded from outside the door.

“Come in.”

Eddie opened the door and entered. He’d just heard from a servant that the grand duchess had been injured and rushed over.

“Your Highness, the banquet is about to end. Would you like to see the guests off? Or should I inform them that you’re unable to attend due to circumstances?” Eddie asked cautiously.

“…I’ll go now.”

“Yes, understood.”

Louid looked at Emilia briefly, then stepped out of the bedroom.

***

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, I hope to see you again next time.”

The silver-haired woman gave Louid a graceful smile as she greeted him.

“Thank you for earlier, Young Lady.”

Louid stiffly thanked Lina.

“It was nothing. Did you find Her Highness?”

“…Thanks to you, I did.”

“I see. I’m glad.”

Lina put on an innocent expression as if she knew nothing.

“Well then, have a safe trip home, Young Lady.”

“My name is Lina. Please call me Lina next time.”

“…Alright. I’ll remember.”

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Lina lifted her skirt with both hands, bent her knees in a polite bow, then turned away.

“Young Lady.”

“…Yes? Did you call for me, Your Highness?” Lina slowly turned back to face him.

“How did you know my wife went toward those stairs?”

“That’s… I saw someone who looked similar to you heading that way, and since Her Highness was looking for you, I told her. Then, when I happened to see you enter the lobby, I mentioned where she’d gone.”

“She went to the stairs, and I appeared immediately afterward?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Alright. You may go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lina bowed politely once more, then left the banquet hall. Red eyes watched her carefully.

‘Whew… He’s sharp.’

Inside the carriage, Lina let out a long breath. When the grand duke had called out to her, a chill had run down her spine.

She’d instructed the hired men to cause a commotion outside the castle gates, but she hadn’t expected the grand duke to deal with it so quickly and return.

But since she hadn’t been caught, it didn’t matter. Lina smiled brightly as she looked toward the grand duke’s castle.

***

Emilia, who hadn’t woken the entire night, opened her eyes the next morning.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“….”

Helen, who’d been watching over her at the bedside, cried out.

“Your Highness, can you see me?”

When Emilia didn’t respond, Helen called out again.

“Helen.”

After staring at Helen for a while, Emilia finally opened her mouth. Her voice barely came out, as if her throat were blocked.

“You recognize me. Thank goodness. The physician said we needed to monitor your condition after a head injury, so I’ve been worried sick.”

“Why am I here?”

“It seems you misstepped on the stairs. His Highness carried you back.”

Stairs? Ah! She finally remembered tumbling down the stairs.

“Is that so? Where’s the Grand Duke?”

“He watched over you all night, but because of state affairs, he told me to stay with you and left.”

“I see. What about the banquet?”

Emilia was more worried about the banquet than her own injury.

“It ended without any issues. Please don’t worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I’ll bring the physician. He asked to be notified the moment you woke.”

“Alright.”

It was a relief that the banquet had ended without incident. But originally, the grand duke and his wife should have seen the guests off together. As the grand duchess, this had been her first banquet and might even be her last, and she felt sorry that she hadn’t properly fulfilled her role.

A little while later, Helen and the physician entered the bedroom. The physician examined her carefully.

“Your Highness, it appears to be a mild concussion, but please don’t overexert yourself for the time being and get plenty of rest.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Shortly after the physician left, Louid entered the bedroom.

“They say it’s a concussion. Don’t move around and stay in your room.”

His expression wasn’t good. He probably was angry because she hadn’t been careful.

“Yes, I understand.”

“I heard you were looking for me at the banquet hall. Why were you looking for me?”

“That… I just… you suddenly weren’t anywhere to be seen, so I got curious and asked around.”

It didn’t make sense to say it was because she’d felt uneasy after seeing the marquess’s daughter.

“I see. Then why did you go to the stairs leading underground?”

“I was wandering around and got curious… It was my mistake.”

Emilia glossed over it as if the accident had been her own fault. In truth, she didn’t know whether it had been a mistake or someone else’s doing. She’d only been looking at the stairs when her body suddenly tilted as if she’d been shoved. She had no idea how to explain it.

“I see. Lady Carrion told me where you’d gone.”

“Lady Carrion did?”

Emilia, at a loss for words for a moment, barely managed to answer.

“That was kind of her. I’ll have to thank her the next time I see her,” she muttered without any expression.

“Yes. Do that.”

So the two of them had met. But thinking about it again, something felt off.

Lina would have known she’d fallen to the bottom of the stairs. After all, she’d pointed Emilia in that direction, and the accident had happened right away. But instead of helping her right away, she’d waited for Louid to return and then told him?

‘Could the marquess’s daughter really have done that to me on purpose…?’