The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 70

Episode 70. Old Tombstone

“Ugh.”

But the one who let out a dying scream and collapsed was the king of Billiot. A long spear was lodged in his chest.

“Waaah!”

Seeing the enemy king fall, the imperial army’s morale surged. With loud battle cries, they drove the Billiot forces back.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

The one who had thrown the spear into the Billiot king’s chest was Dave. Dave lifted the fallen William and placed him onto his own horse.

“Dave, get away. Quickly.”

William spoke through ragged breaths. But Dave mounted with him and galloped away like an arrow, depositing the crown prince in a safe area.

“Protect His Highness!”

“Yes!”

Leaving William in the care of several soldiers, Dave sprinted back toward the battlefield. The imperial army, emboldened, cornered the Billiot troops who were thrown into chaos after losing their king.

“Your Highness, the Young Duke has been injured!”

But a short while later, as William was being treated for his leg injury, a panicked report came.

“Where is he? Dave, Dave!”

William limped on his injured leg as he rushed to where Dave was. Dave had been stabbed in the chest by a sword and was coughing blood.

“William… I have… to ask… haah.”

Dave gasped for breath in William’s arms.

“Tell me, Dave. I’ll grant anything.”

“I… have… ugh….”

“You have what? What is it? Dave, Dave, stay with me. Dave!”

Unable to finish his words, Dave breathed his last.

The Kingdom of Billiot, having lost its king, finally surrendered, and the war ended in the empire’s victory.

William tried to uncover the meaning of Dave’s final words, but he never learned that Dave had a child. Duke Berthe had concealed it completely.

William also knew that Duke Berthe was constantly trying to eliminate Louid.

But because Duke Berthe was his maternal uncle and Dave’s father—the man who had saved his life—William could not cast him aside easily.

He believed Louid wouldn’t be easily defeated by the duke anyway. Louid, in fact, was a child with more aptitude for rulership than even William himself, yet had no desire for power.

“You wouldn’t know much about your father. You were far too young.”

William spoke while gazing kindly at Emilia, who resembled Dave.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Dave was a brave knight. He saved me when I nearly died at the hands of the Billiot king, killed the enemy commander, and led the empire to victory. And he died from his grievous wounds. Neither Dave nor Duke Berthe ever told me you existed. If I had known earlier, I would have taken care of you myself.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Emilia replied, moved to the point her expression softened.

‘My father was such a great man!’

She was grateful to finally learn things she never knew about her father. She wanted to visit the palace often to hear more stories about him from the emperor.

“Now I feel a little less sorry toward Dave.”

William looked at Emilia with the expression of someone who had resolved a long‑standing regret.

Hearing all this for the first time, even Louid’s face showed faint surprise. He had been too young at the time to know the details of the war and only remembered that the empire had won the war against the Kingdom of Billiot.

“Is there still no news of a child?”

“Haha, a child? We’ve only been married a few months.”

Louid, who had been quietly listening to the emperor and Emilia talk, let out a laugh as he answered.

“What are you saying? It’s about time for news.”

Emilia didn’t know how to reply and simply blushed.

“You two must work harder.”

“Yes, Your Majesty….”

Emilia whispered in a small voice, face burning red.

“Hahaha. Drink your tea before it cools.”

At Emilia’s beet-red face, the emperor burst into hearty laughter and offered her tea. Louid slid his portion of strawberry cake in front of her. Since she loved cake, she quickly devoured both slices.

“You two never even had a wedding banquet. I’ll invite the young nobles soon and host one for you.”

“A banquet?”

Emilia and Louid’s eyes widened.

“Yes. You two will be the guests of honor, so make sure you attend.”

“Yes, understood, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Whatever their true feelings, they had no choice but to accept since the emperor himself was offering to host a banquet for them.

After chatting pleasantly with the emperor and sharing lunch, the two left the main palace.

***

“Louid, I want to see the prince’s palace. The one you lived in when you were young.”

As they left the banquet hall and walked down the corridor lined with portraits of past emperors, Emilia looked at him and spoke.

“Why there?”

“No reason. It’s my first time visiting the palace, and I’m curious what the prince’s palace looks like.”

In truth, Emilia was curious about Louid’s childhood. She felt that if she went to the palace he’d grown up in, she would see traces of the boy he once was.

Louid nodded. “Alright.”

The two headed straight to the prince’s palace where he had lived as a child.

“Welcome, Your Highness the Grand Duke. Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”

A servant who managed the prince’s palace greeted them courteously. After sending the servant away, Louid guided Emilia inside.

“You lived here until you were fifteen?”

“That’s right.”

Thinking about the memories of young Louid scattered throughout this place made her heart flutter for some unknown reason.

“Who is this child?”

Emilia pointed to a portrait she had seen earlier and asked Louid. She suspected it was his, but wasn’t certain. In the portrait, a black-haired child stood proudly holding a small sword.

“Ahem, hmm.”

Louid abruptly cleared his throat loudly, his ears turning red. Without saying a word, he walked off down the hallway.

‘Why is he acting like that?’

Tilting her head, Emilia burst into laughter. “Haha, so it really is Louid’s portrait.”

It seemed everyone felt shy about showing their childhood self.

She kept studying the adorable child in the portrait. The deep black hair, the high and sharp nose even for a child, the jewel-like red eyes, the slender jawline—all of it perfectly matched the Louid of today.

“How cute.”

Below the portrait was a small inscription written in a childlike hand.

“Louie….”

Murmuring the letters written under the portrait, Emilia smiled softly.

So his nickname was Louie.

His face was cute, and even his nickname was adorable. Although his face was the same, something about the atmosphere in the portrait felt different from the Louid of now. Today’s Louid was cynical and terse, with no trace of the childhood cuteness left.

“Louie, Louie.”

Emilia quietly said his nickname aloud. No wonder he’d been startled during the play at the grand duchy’s festival. She, too, wanted to someday call him by that nickname.

Louid didn’t reappear. Emilia wandered alone through the room he had lived in and the small garden he’d once played in.

There was even a small grave in one corner of the garden, one he’d made when a bird hatched from an egg he’d brought down from the mountain had died.

“Blue Dragon’s Tomb.”

She read aloud the words carved on the old tombstone. The handwriting looked adorably childlike. Judging by the fact that he’d even set up a tiny tombstone, he must have cherished that bird deeply.

Louid finally appeared after quite some time.

“Have you finished looking around?”

“Yes. Where were you?”

“I just had things to check here and there. Shall we have some tea before we leave?” Louid answered with a completely calm expression.

There was no way he could admit that he’d been wandering all over the palace because he was embarrassed to show Emilia his childhood self.

“Yes.”

The two of them had tea on the terrace of the prince’s palace, overlooking the small garden.

“My father didn’t seek me out often. So I never had the chance to grow close to him. I was always intimidated by him,” Louid said in a quiet voice, as if confessing.

“Then when you have children someday, you just have to become a dad who’s close with them,” Emilia said with a bright smile.

“….”

At her words, Louid’s heart lurched. It was something he had never once thought about.

A father who’s close with his children….

In his mind, a red-eyed child and a blue-eyed child appeared. One who resembled himself, and one who resembled Emilia.

But he quickly shook his head.

‘Why do I keep thinking like this lately?’

“That’s a good idea. I’ll do that.”

Louid answered calmly, as if he hadn’t imagined anything at all. When he looked at Emilia, she was cheerfully eating her cake, unaware of how flustered he was. He pushed his own piece of cake toward her.

Late in the afternoon, after finishing their tour of the prince’s palace, the two returned to the grand duke’s manor.

***

“Emilia, go visit the ducal house.”

A few days after their palace visit, while they were dining together, Louid spoke.

“What about you?”

“I won’t be going, so take your time and rest. You haven’t been able to visit your home for months, so you must want to go.”

“Yes…,” She answered reluctantly, her expression far from pleased.

There was no need to go…. Did she really have to see that stubborn Duke Berthe again? But she couldn’t exactly say she didn’t want to go.

“Please don’t tell Grandfather that I’m coming. I want to surprise him.”

Of course, she couldn’t reveal her true reasoning. Emilia continued pretending to be the beloved granddaughter. If the duke happened to be at the mansion when she arrived, she would deal with it; if he wasn’t, that would be even better. So it was best not to send word ahead.

“Alright.”

Louid didn’t find her request strange at all and readily agreed.

Two mornings later, Emilia boarded the grand duke’s carriage with the escort knights and departed for the ducal house.

From his office window, Louid watched Emilia climb into the carriage. For her safety, he assigned her three times the usual number of escort knights.

‘I hope nothing happens….’

He trusted the knights, but an uneasy feeling continued to gnaw at him.