The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 64

Episode 64. Farewell

“Yes, I went and came back safely,” Lina answered with a shrug. Her face wore the same expression as usual, as if nothing had happened.

“Did you pay your respects to the Grand Duke?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Oh? I see. What did the Grand Duke say when he saw you?”

“He hasn’t said much yet, but I think it was worth going all that way just to show him my face.”

Lina again answered with a shrug. Although she often attended banquets, it was true that she rarely had a chance to meet the grand duke, who almost never came to them.

At her answer, a faint look of disappointment crossed the marquess’s face. He had thought that if the grand duke saw Lina, he would fall for her at first sight, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

‘Is there a beauty in the empire who can compare to Lina?’

Lina was an extraordinary beauty, not just in a father’s eyes but by anyone’s standards. As far as he knew, there was no woman in the empire who could rival her.

The marquess fell briefly into thought with a puzzled expression, then soon nodded.

The grand duke had been reserved and poor at expressing himself since childhood. So even if he liked Lina, he wouldn’t show it outwardly.

“That’s true enough. You’ve worked hard. Go and rest. I’ll enjoy the tea.”

The marquess didn’t keep his tired daughter any longer and ended the conversation.

“Yes, Father.”

Lina gave the marquess a light bow, then turned away.

And the marquess, without another word, watched Lina leave the office with a gaze full of suspicion. According to the spy he had planted in the grand duke’s castle, the grand duchess had been kidnapped and the grand duke had rescued her. The incident had happened during the very period Lina was in the grand duchy.

It seemed likely that Lina had something to do with the incident.

‘Why does she insist on getting involved? Tsk, tsk.’

If she just waited quietly, he could safely put her in the position of grand duchess, but Lina wasn’t the type to sit still and wait. Since childhood, she had been greedy and always had to get whatever she wanted, no matter what it took.

The marquess was secretly anxious that at this rate, the grand duke might end up stepping on her trail.

***

“Thank you all for everything up until now.”

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess, please have a safe trip.”

Time flew by, and the day came for them to depart for the imperial capital.

Emilia said goodbye to each servant one by one, including Philip, the head butler, the head maid, and Mark the head chef. She had grown deeply attached to the people at the grand duke’s castle, and now that she was leaving, she found it hard to tear herself away.

‘I probably won’t ever have a reason to come back here again.’

The servants likely had no idea that she was saying a real farewell.

She had been truly happy and content during her time at the grand duke’s castle.

There had been an accident where she had nearly lost her life, and her relationship with Louid, whom she would soon divorce, was no different from that of a contractual couple, but the grand duke’s castle, filled with memories and warmth, had felt like a real home to her. With lingering affection in her eyes, Emilia looked back at the castle once more, then got into the carriage.

Helen and Eddie, Alex and Jamie were among the procession traveling to the imperial capital with the grand ducal couple. Aaron, the vice commander of the knights, was to remain at the grand duke’s castle and guard the border.

Those who stayed behind saw off those who were leaving.

Soon, the carriage she was in set off. The grand duke’s carriage was large and sturdy, so it was comfortable and stable even on the long journey. Emilia thought back to the carriage from the ducal house that she had ridden when she first came to the grand duke’s castle.

‘It had been so hard.’

At the time, her health hadn’t been good, but whether Duke Berthe had deliberately given her a poor carriage or not, it had jolted so violently the entire way that she had suffered from motion sickness.

‘I guess you really do have to ride a good carriage.’

While looking out the window, Emilia glanced at Louid, who was sitting across from her reading documents. He had been on horseback until just a little while ago, then joined her in the carriage, saying he had work to do.

“Do you have a lot of work?”

“Yeah, a little,” Louid answered casually without lifting his eyes from the documents.

“I see.”

Emilia’s gaze returned to the window.

‘Why does she look so sad? We are going to the imperial capital where the grand duke’s residence is. It would be normal for her to be happy.’

Louid stole a sideways glance at Emilia’s gloomy face. Her expression, steeped in melancholy, gave off a unique aura, like that of a model in a painting.

‘Should I have told them to paint a portrait of her…?’

He recalled Philip saying they ought to have a portrait of the grand duchess painted. He found himself wanting to capture Emilia’s current appearance on canvas.

‘No. We will be divorcing soon, so what would be the point of keeping a portrait….’

He shook his head and focused again on the documents in his hands.

The road to the imperial capital was long and took many days. When the sun set, they would stop at a lodging to rest, and when morning came, they would set out again.

“Emilia, get down.”

“Yes.”

As the sun was about to set, the carriage came to a halt. Louid held out his hand and helped her alight from the carriage.

They had stopped at a high-class inn in a small town. At the news that the grand duke’s party would be staying there, the inn’s staff bustled about in a flurry.

Saying that he had matters to discuss with Eddie, Louid headed for the tea room on the first floor of the inn, while Emilia, accompanied by Helen, followed an employee’s guidance up to their bedroom. The grand ducal couple’s room was on the top floor of the inn.

“Please rest comfortably. If you need anything, pull this cord.”

“Alright.”

The staff member, his face flushed, left the room. He was excited at the thought of having met such exalted people, whom he would likely never encounter again in his life. He wanted to tell his coworkers about it as soon as possible.

“Your Highness, I am staying on the floor right below. If you need me, please shake this bell.”

Helen pointed with a bright expression to the bell cord installed right beside the bed. She had been in high spirits ever since they departed from the grand duke’s castle, saying it was her first time going to the imperial capital.

“Alright. You must be tired too, so go and rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Since the inn’s staff carried up the bags and luggage and even brought food and tea, there was no need to make things any harder on Helen.

After Helen left, Emilia looked at the bed again. It was a fine bed, but the size was the problem.

Unlike the bed at the grand duke’s castle, which was large enough for five grown men to lie on with room to spare, the inn’s bed was only for two. Given how tall and broad Louid was, it would be barely one and a half person’s worth of space if he lay down.

‘We are not that close….’

They occasionally fulfilled their marital duties to produce an heir, but there had always been a distance between them as wide as the large bed at the grand duke’s castle. They were not the sort of couple who would sleep pressed together on such a narrow bed.

“Sigh….”

Letting out a sigh, she gave a resigned little shrug. They couldn’t change out the inn’s bed, so there was nothing she could do.

After some time had passed, Emilia enjoyed the dinner the inn staff brought up, then took a bath and got ready for bed. She was very tired, likely because she had spent the entire day riding in the carriage.

Louid still hadn’t appeared. He must have been busy.

‘Louid will take care of himself.’

Shrugging her shoulders, she lay down on the bed and tried to sleep, her mind at ease.

Late at night, the bedroom door opened. Striding inside, Louid came to a stop in front of the bed and looked down at the sleeping Emilia.

‘Why is the bed so small?’

A flustered look crossed his face.

The bed was small, far too small. It would be cramped even for him alone to lie on. When he turned his head to look at the sofa in the middle of the room, he saw that it was so small that even if he curled up, he wouldn’t be able to lie down on it.

‘They said this was the largest room in the inn….’

He had heard that because their party was large, there were no other rooms to spare. He considered sleeping sitting up on the sofa, but this was only the first day of their journey, and it might be too hard on his body for such a long trip.

He looked at the bed again. It seemed he could lie down without waking Emilia if he was careful.

A moment later, after showering in the bathroom and putting on a robe, he quietly lay down beside Emilia.

“Simon.”

Whether because the space was cramped or because she was tired, Emilia’s tossing and turning and sleep-talking were unusually restless tonight.

‘Enough.’

Louid wrapped one arm tightly around her and locked her firmly in his embrace. After that, she immediately settled down and slept quietly.

Good grief.

Letting out a dry laugh, Louid pulled the small woman who fit snugly in his arm closer and tried to sleep.

‘I can’t breathe.’

Waking up faintly at dawn, Emilia opened her eyes a sliver. Her body was trapped between a thick arm and a broad, solid chest. Not understanding what was happening, she blinked, then suddenly curled up in shock.

‘What is going on?’

She was in Louid’s arms. The bed was small, but why hadn’t he slept in another room instead of coming here?

His breath brushed against the top of her head. With his solid arm wrapped around her like this, they looked like a pair of affectionate lovers, which she couldn’t get used to at all.

Just then, Louid shifted his body. Emilia quickly squeezed her eyes shut. Louid kept turning, probably because the narrow bed was uncomfortable, and being caught in his arms was utter torture for her. Heat rushed up her face, which flushed bright red.