The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 68

Episode 68. Savior of a Life (1)

“Someone help us. The Grand Duke is… uugh.”

At that moment, a large hand covered Emilia’s mouth and pulled her body down into an embrace.

“Shh. Keep your voice down. Do you want the enemy to know the target is right here?” Louid whispered in a low voice.

“Mmff mmff?”

With her mouth covered, she could only widen her eyes.

“I’m fine, so don’t make a sound.”

Emilia hurriedly nodded. Only then did Louid remove his hand from her mouth. The two held their breath and didn’t move an inch.

Outside the carriage, knights holding shields had formed a circle around them, batting away the arrows with their swords.

Before long, the clamor died down, and Alex peered inside through the window and yelled.

“Are you alright? It looks like a few arrows came through the window. They flew in so suddenly that we couldn’t block them.”

“Alex, the Grand Duke is badly hurt… mmph.”

Louid immediately covered her mouth again.

“We’re fine. What’s the situation?”

His voice was as composed as ever.

“Assassins attacked from atop the canyon. The knights are pursuing them now.”

“Good. They might be hiding nearby, so search every corner.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Mmff, haa… Louid, you’re hurt. You need treatment right now. You’re bleeding a lot.”

After Alex stepped away, Louid removed his hand, and Emilia spoke in a panicked voice.

“I’m fine. This is nothing,” Louid answered with a nonchalant expression.

“….”

This is nothing? How many times had he been injured for him to act as if bleeding this much meant nothing?

And he had even lost consciousness just moments ago, yet he said he was fine. It made no sense.

“You lost consciousness just now! You need to be treated right away.”

At Emilia’s firm insistence, Louid summoned the physician who was riding in another carriage and received treatment. He had been grazed by arrows countless times before, but Emilia seemed deeply shaken.

“Treat the injured knights as well.”

After receiving treatment, Louid gave instructions to the physician.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Because the coachman and knights had donned armor in advance at Louid’s command before entering the canyon, none of them sustained severe injuries. Only a few had minor wounds. Eddie and Helen were also safe. After briefly stopping to check everything, the party set off again toward the imperial capital.

“Louid, please wake up. Louid.”

Emilia’s desperate cries echoed in Louid’s ears like a hallucination.

‘Did I really faint…?’

The moment he’d felt the heat in his shoulder, he had briefly blacked out, but he woke to Emilia screaming.

As the carriage continued forward, her shrill cries kept ringing in his head. He shook his head to drive her voice away, but it didn’t work.

***

By the time the sun was setting, they reached the grand duke’s residence on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

The carriage passed through the large arched gate and glided along the path lined with beautiful central gardens on both sides. Behind the manor stretched a low, green-covered hill, and beside it flowed a gentle river. It had been nearly half a year since Emilia had last seen this view.

“It’s beautiful.”

Even seeing it again, the manor was beautiful. At her soft remark, Louid simply gave a quiet smile.

Even after passing the gate, the carriage traveled for quite some time before finally stopping in front of the main building.

“Emilia, get down.”

Louid stepped down first and reached out his arm to her. But he suddenly frowned and lowered his hand.

“Come slowly.”

Emilia, who had casually extended her arm toward him, got out of the carriage with a dumbfounded expression when he turned and abruptly walked away.

“What? Wait for me, Louid.”

But Louid was already climbing the steps toward the entrance. Emilia quickly followed. At the entrance, Kevin and the servants were waiting.

“Welcome back, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”

“It’s been a while, Kevin.”

She greeted Kevin and offered a bright smile to the other servants as well. But she noticed a familiar face missing.

“Lucy is on extended leave for personal reasons,” Kevin said, catching her puzzled expression.

“Ah, I see. Alright.”

Exchanging greetings with Kevin, she looked toward Louid, and saw that he was already crossing the lobby and climbing the central stairs.

‘Why is he acting like that? He said it wasn’t a serious injury. Or is he angry at me?’

With a worried expression, Emilia watched his retreating figure. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anything she’d done to upset him.

“Guide Her Highness to the bedroom.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Before Emilia entered the lobby, Louid had already given Kevin instructions, then gone straight to the second‑floor office without looking back.

“Please follow me, Your Highness,” Kevin said kindly.

Emilia glanced once more in the direction Louid had gone, then followed the head butler. The bedroom was exactly as it had been before she left.

“Then, please rest.”

After the head butler left, Emilia flopped onto the bed.

“We finally arrived in the imperial capital.”

Her life at the grand duke’s castle was over, and now her life in the imperial capital was beginning.

Still… who ordered the arrow attack?

Was it the same person who had kidnapped her? Were they aiming for Louid? Or was the target her?

Why would they target me? Because I’m the grand duchess? Or does someone hold a grudge against me?

Questions tangled endlessly.

‘Is Louid alright?’

He had wrapped only a bandage over where the arrow grazed him and showed no sign of pain. Other than the physician and a few knights, no one knew he’d been injured.

Even earlier, when they arrived at the manor, he’d gone straight to his office as if nothing had happened.

“He doesn’t like me, but he’s someone I’m grateful to.”

If he hadn’t protected her when the arrows flew, she would have been hit. Louid had saved her life.

‘I need to do better. Even if he doesn’t like me.’

Until the divorce, she resolved to fulfill her role as his wife. It was, she believed, her duty to the one who had saved her life.

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought dinner. His Highness said you must be tired and ordered me to bring the meal to your room.”

The one who entered was Helen.

Honestly… who should be worrying about whom? Even a grand duke could seem foolish at times.

“Alright, thank you. Aren’t you tired too?”

“I’m sturdy, so I’m fine.”

Helen flexed an arm proudly.

“I’m glad we arrived at the imperial capital safely.”

“Really. When I heard the arrows hitting the carriage in the canyon, I thought we were going to die.”

Helen whispered as she set the meal on the table.

“Sir Jamie told me His Highness ordered the carriages to run fast in the canyon. Thanks to that, not a single arrow came into the carriage I was riding.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Not many arrows had pierced the carriage she and Louid were in either. His judgment amazed her.

“Please have your meal, Your Highness. I’ll prepare your bathwater.”

“Alright.”

After slowly finishing her dinner, Emilia soaked in the bath Helen had prepared. The fatigue of more than fifteen days of carriage travel seemed to melt away.

In the dressing room, the clothes she’d sent ahead in the luggage carriage were neatly arranged.

***

“Is the pain severe, Your Highness?”

“It is.”

At that moment, Louid was being examined by the physician.

Despite having endured far worse injuries before, this time, even though the arrow had only grazed him, breathing was difficult and the pain was intense.

“It seems the arrow was coated with poison,” said the physician gravely.

He continued, “Your Highness has built up immunity to most poisons, so you’ll recover in a few days.”

“Poison? What about the other knights? A few were injured, weren’t they?” Louid asked, startled.

“They were all wearing armor, so none were directly struck by the arrows. They only have bruises.”

“That’s good.”

After redressing the wound, the physician left the office to prepare medicine to ease the pain.

‘If Emilia had been hit….’

Louid felt dizzy. When he had raised his arm to help her step down from the carriage, he’d felt a violent surge of pain. Not wanting her to see him in pain, he had gone into the manor first.

From childhood, he had suffered from poison exposure many times and his body had adapted. It was a process that many members of the imperial family had to endure.

But Emilia had never gone through such things. If she had been hit by a poisoned arrow, even a light wound could have taken her life.

“Eddie, bring Alex.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

A short time later, Alex entered the office.

“The arrows were coated with poison. Find out what kind.”

“Yes, understood, Your Highness.”