The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 7

Episode 7. A Face That Keeps Coming to Mind

“Soon, you say? I begged His Majesty to have it in a week, but he insisted it should be held a month later to prepare for the wedding. Considering the Crown Prince passed not long ago, the ceremony could at least be simple. I barely persuaded him to set it for three weeks from now.”

The Duke complained with a displeased expression.

“Yes…”

Emilia’s expression darkened.

She had no choice but to marry the Grand Duke, yet she kept thinking about that man with red eyes. She wanted to see him once more.

“Ever since the Grand Duke started handling affairs of state, His Majesty has been rather dismissive of my opinions…”

Duke Berthe trailed off mid-sentence, realizing he had nearly spoken his mind in front of her.

“Did the Grand Duke consent to the marriage?”

Emilia pretended not to notice and asked another question. Though an agreement had been made between the Emperor and the Duke, she was curious about the Grand Duke’s thoughts. Someone of his status could easily defy the Emperor’s orders.

“No need to worry. The Grand Duke does whatever His Majesty commands. He would lay down his life for him,”  replied the Duke firmly.

“I see…”

The faint hope that the Grand Duke might refuse the marriage was utterly crushed. Emilia turned to look out the window again, her face filled with disappointment. If the Grand Duke had agreed, there was no way to stop the marriage.

A while later, the carriage stopped not far from the Imperial Palace.

‘Where is this?’

Emilia had assumed they were heading to the ducal residence, but the unfamiliar mansion made her eyes widen in surprise. It was slightly smaller than the ducal residence, but still a large estate.

“Get down. This is the Berthe family’s mansion in the capital. You’ll stay here until the wedding.”

“Yes, understood.”

Emilia answered obediently. She had heard from Simon that high-ranking nobles owned estates in both their territories and in the capital. Until she escaped the Duke’s grasp, she didn’t dare defy him.

“Welcome, Duke.”

As they got out of the carriage, a tall man with a mustache greeted them politely. He appeared to be a gentleman in his middle years, younger than Simon.

“This is the granddaughter I mentioned before,” the Duke said, pointing to her with his chin.

“I see. Welcome, my lady. I am Paul, the head butler of this residence.” Paul bowed respectfully to her.

“Nice to meet you, Paul.”

Emilia returned the greeting with a polite smile. The Duke’s servants seemed kind, unlike their master. She and the Duke followed Paul into the lobby, which glittered with gold and opulence.

As the Duke disappeared toward his office, Paul said, “This way, please. I’ll show you to your room.”

“No need. Just tell me where the room is. I’ll go on my own.”

“Very well. If you go upstairs, you’ll find a maid there.” Paul pointed to the central staircase lined with a red carpet.

“Understood.”

Lifting the hem of her dress, Emilia climbed the carpeted stairs slowly. As she looked around the second floor, a familiar voice called out.

“You’re back, my lady.”

“…Rosie?”

Turning around, she saw Rosie standing demurely with her hands clasped. Emilia’s face lit up with joy.

“Did Simon not come?”

Though Simon, as head butler of the main residence, wouldn’t be here, she glanced behind Rosie just in case.

“The butler is at the ducal residence. There’s a different one here.”

“Paul, you mean?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

If only Simon were here, it would’ve felt more reassuring. Though they weren’t close, she’d known him for many years, and he was easier to deal with than strangers. Still, it was a relief Rosie was here.

“This is your room, my lady.”

Rosie guided her to a bedroom similar to the one at the ducal residence. Both were far grander than the tower she used to live in.

Emilia looked around the room expressionlessly. Like the other bedroom, this one was filled with luxurious furniture. Yet both felt like someone else’s house.

“Did Simon give you anything of mine?”

She was wondering about the box that held her mother’s ring and the doll her father had given her.

“Yes, he did. I put it in the wardrobe of the dressing room.”

“All right. Thank you.”

“Would you like to eat first?”

Now that she thought about it, she had skipped breakfast while getting dressed and hadn’t had lunch either. Though she was hungry, she wanted to wash up after walking the forest path.

“No, I’ll wash up first, then eat.”

“Understood. I’ll have the meal ready while you wash.”

“Okay, thank you.”

That night. After getting ready for bed, Emilia opened the box in the wardrobe and took out her mother’s ring. She hadn’t worn it since Simon gave it to her, but today, for some reason, she wanted to.

“It’s beautiful.”

The ring fit perfectly on the ring finger of her right hand. It was old, but still lovely.

‘Who was that man?’

Suddenly, the man she met at the Imperial Palace came to mind. She was going to be another man’s wife in three weeks, so she didn’t understand why that stranger’s face kept resurfacing.

‘No. I need to stop thinking about him.’

Shaking her head, she put the box back in the wardrobe and lay down. The ring remained on her finger. Even with her eyes closed, she imagined the man with black hair, and soon, drifted off to sleep.

***

“Today, I’ll teach you table manners.”

From that day on, Emilia received short-term etiquette lessons from a private tutor appointed by Duke Berthe.

“You mustn’t hold it like that. That’s incorrect.”

How to hold a teacup, how to drink tea, how to use cutlery, how to greet guests—the more she learned about noble etiquette, the more complex and difficult it seemed.

‘Why is it so hard? Can’t I just eat?’

Although Emilia found noble etiquette challenging, she did her best to follow what her teacher taught.

“Well done. You’re getting better now. The etiquette lessons are complete, but there’s no time to teach you to dance. That’s not something you can learn quickly.”

Baroness Shane, her tutor, spoke with a regretful expression.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll learn it after the wedding.”

“Please do. You should also study history and languages. And you’ll need to learn how to manage accounts. The Grand Duchy will have a far larger household than the ducal estate.”

Baroness Shane already knew she would soon become the Grand Duchess.

“All right. Thank you for teaching me so well.”

She was a good teacher—sometimes strict, sometimes gentle—and thanks to her, Emilia managed to acquire most of the basic education in a short time.

Time passed, and the wedding drew near. The usually quiet ducal residence became busy with preparations. It was all for the young lady’s wedding. The maids tended to Emilia’s skin and hair every day, and clothing experts and jewelers came and went.

Of course, she couldn’t personally choose the clothes or jewelry she liked—everything was decided by the Duke.

“You look much better than before, my lady.”

Said the maid who was applying fragrant oil to Emilia’s long blond hair that reached her waist. She was a maid from the ducal estate.

“Really?”

With her eyes closed, Emilia opened them and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Even she could tell she had gained a bit of weight in the past few days.

“When I first saw you, you were so thin I thought you might collapse.”

Another maid chimed in with a sympathetic look. She too was from the ducal estate.

“I see.”

Back in the tower, it had always been cold and she was always hungry, so she hadn’t noticed, but apparently that was how others had seen her.

“You’re still quite thin, so please eat well.”

“I will. Thank you, everyone.”

She was still not able to eat much, as she had grown used to eating very little, but she was trying to gain weight.

Duke Berthe stayed at the ducal residence on weekdays and went down to the ducal estate on weekends.

‘It would be nice if he just stayed at the estate.’

Since the Duke worked at the Imperial Palace during the week, she had to have at least one meal a day with him, even if she didn’t want to see him.

“Put on more weight. That way, you’ll bear a child easily.”

“Yes, understood.”

At every meal, the Duke brought up pregnancy. Hearing talk of bearing a child even before the wedding made her feel like a tool meant only to give birth.

***

“My lady, the Duke is calling for you.”

One night, Rosie came into her room to inform her. Emilia had just finished bathing and changed into her nightgown.

‘At this hour?’

Duke Berthe would rise early to go to the Imperial Palace and return after sunset to dine with her. After that, he would spend a short time in the study before going to bed early.

He had already scolded her plenty during dinner about gaining weight, so what more did he want to say?

She couldn’t go to him in her nightgown, so Emilia tilted her head and changed her clothes again. As she stepped out of the room, Rosie followed behind.

“Ah!”

A sharp scream rang out moments later. Emilia lost her balance just as she placed one foot on the stairs. Then she tumbled down.

“Ahh, my lady!”

Hearing Rosie’s belated scream, Emilia struck her forehead on the floor and lost consciousness.