The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 72

Chapter 72. Should We Go Back to the Grand Duke’s Manor?

“Your Highness the Grand Duke!”

At dawn the next day, the Grand Duke appeared at the ducal estate. He’d ridden nonstop for a full day to reach the estate.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, please wait a moment. His Grace the Duke is still….”

The soldier guarding the entrance of the main residence spoke in a flustered tone at the Grand Duke’s sudden arrival at dawn.

“That’s enough. Where’s the Grand Duchess?”

“Her Highness the Grand Duchess is probably still sleeping in her bedroom.”

“Take me to her bedroom. I don’t want to be disturbed, so don’t inform the Duke that I’m here.”

If the Duke learned he’d come, he would rush over in a panic. Louid had come to sleep beside Emilia, not to meet Duke Berthe at dawn.

“Yes, understood, Your Highness.”

Louid followed the soldier’s lead to Emilia’s bedroom. Jamie and the escort knights were standing in the corridor.

“Your Highness, you’re here?”

Seeing him, Jamie and the knights saluted with disciplined movements.

“Yes. You’ve worked hard.”

Giving the knights a short nod, Louid quietly entered Emilia’s bedroom. Emilia was fast asleep, breathing softly like a baby, unaware of the world.

‘She sleeps well even without me?’

Seeing Emilia deeply asleep somehow left Louid feeling oddly hurt. It bothered him that he alone had suffered from insomnia and headaches. But the moment he came near her, the headache that had been piercing his skull just moments ago vanished without a trace. Louid took a deep breath.

After quickly washing up in the bathroom, he opened the dressing room and found a robe. It was so small that it barely covered his elbows, but he didn’t care. As soon as he lay down beside Emilia, he fell asleep immediately.

***

Early in the morning, Duke Berthe headed straight to Emilia’s room the moment he woke.

At last night’s dinner, he’d forgotten to tell Emilia something important. She needed to conceive soon, yet there was still no news of pregnancy.

This time, he intended to reprimand her thoroughly and force her to become pregnant by any means.

“Emilia, you….”

Marching toward her room with determination, the Duke suddenly froze. The Grand Duke was standing in the corridor in front of Emilia’s bedroom.

“Y-Y-Your Highness the Grand Duke! When did you arrive? Had I known, I would’ve welcomed you properly….”

The Duke stammered, greeting Louid with a trembling voice.

“Mm… the Grand Duchess isn’t awake yet, but what brings you here at such an early hour?”

“I… I… was going to tell Emilia to eat properly. She’s always been a weak child, so I wanted to make sure she eats well. Ha ha….”

The Duke answered while breaking out in cold sweat.

“You must not know yet. She’s much healthier now. She eats well, so there’s no need to scold her about that.”

From what Louid had seen, Emilia had never skipped a meal. She had her own determination to grow healthier, but she was also someone who naturally loved good food.

If anything, Louid wondered why she hadn’t eaten well while living at the ducal estate.

“Is that so? She always had a small appetite, but thanks to Your Highness’s care, it seems she’s improved. Thank you very much, Your Highness,” the Duke answered with a guilty-looking expression.

“And what’s that tower?” Louid pointed to the two towers visible through the corridor window.

“That place… used to be a grain storage, but it’s no longer in use.”

“…I see. Where did Emilia grow up?”

“She lived in this bedroom since she was a child.”

The Duke broke out in more cold sweat under Louid’s barrage of questions. Louid carefully observed his reaction.

“Hmm….”

“Your Highness, would you like to have tea with me?”

The Duke cautiously offered. He was anxious Louid might ask further questions about the towers.

“Alright.”

After looking once more at the towers, Louid followed the Duke to the drawing room.

“Your Highness, I am handling the matter of appointing the Crown Prince well on my own. Before long, you will be installed as His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Why is a duke taking it upon himself to handle that? That is for His Majesty to decide,” Louid answered in a cold voice.

“….”

Under Louid’s sharp gaze, the Duke was struck speechless. The man standing before him was no longer the boy who had fled to the North ten years ago. He was someone like an immortal who had survived countless battles and ten years of assassination attempts.

For the first time today, Duke Berthe felt fear toward Louid.

“Y-yes, of course. It is for His Majesty to decide.”

His body trembling finely, he swallowed once and barely managed to answer.

At that time, Rosie was in the annex kitchen, preparing to secretly put poison in the tea she would bring to Emilia.

“They say His Highness the Grand Duke has arrived.”

“His Highness the Grand Duke? When?”

“They say he came alone on horseback at dawn.”

“My goodness. His Highness must really cherish Her Highness. He must not want to spend even a moment apart from her.”

“Seems so.”

The conversation of the servants preparing breakfast drifted to her from behind. Rosie stopped the hand that had been about to add the poison.

Rosie had taken leave not long before Emilia married the Grand Duke. While she was at home, a strange man had come to her house.

“Are you Rosie, the maid from Duke Berthe’s residence?”

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“You don’t need to know that. I heard you have a sick mother.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

The man who hadn’t revealed his identity knew all about her circumstances.

Rosie had a sick mother and young siblings. Her family scraped by on the maid’s wages she earned.

“There is something I want you to do. It is an order from a high-ranking person. If you succeed, you’ll be able to live without working for the rest of your life.”

“What is it?”

Live without working for the rest of her life. Rosie’s eyes widened. No, what she wanted wasn’t even to live without working. It would be enough if she could pay for her mother’s medicine right now and keep her siblings from going hungry.

“Push the young lady down the stairs and make it look like an accidental death.”

“Gasp… Lady Emilia?”

“That’s right.”

“….”

The man had given her a considerable sum in advance, telling her to use it for her mother’s medicine.

After agonizing over it, Rosie decided to carry out his instructions. She did push the young lady down the stairs, but she failed to kill her.

When the man came to see her again, he didn’t hold her responsible for the failure. Instead, he gave Rosie a little more money. Rosie used that money for her mother’s medicine and her family’s living expenses, and thanks to that, her mother’s condition improved.

After that, the man no longer sought out Rosie. So she thought that if she kept her mouth shut and lived quietly, nothing more would happen.

But a few days ago, Rosie had taken leave and gone home, only to find a strange carriage standing in front of her house. The man she had seen a few months earlier stepped down from the carriage.

“Rosie, get in the carriage. There is someone who wants to see you.”

Inside the carriage sat a noble young lady with silver hair. She was pretty, but her face somehow looked spiteful.

“Do you know who I am?”

The young lady looked at her with an arrogant expression as she spoke.

“N-no, I don’t.”

Rosie lowered her head, trembling.

“Good. You had better keep not knowing from now on too. Otherwise, I won’t let you live. Even though you failed last time, I spared you. I hear your mother’s health has improved a lot too?”

“Yes, I’m very grateful.”

“I need you to work for me one more time. This time, you have to succeed.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“You know that if you talk about this, your family will be in danger, right?”

The young lady glared at her with a vicious expression as she spoke.

“Yes, my lady.”

The young lady handed her even more money than last time. Rosie once again fell for the temptation of money.

But she hadn’t expected the Grand Duke to come here. If she accidentally made the Grand Duke drink the poison too, she couldn’t imagine how disastrous it would be.

After agonizing for a long time, Rosie finally slipped the bottle of poison back into her clothes.

***

After finishing tea with the Duke, Louid went to the dining room for breakfast. Emilia was waiting for him there. She had just heard from Rosie that Louid had arrived.

“Louid, when did you get here?”

Emilia asked brightly. She hadn’t wanted to face the Duke again, so she was relieved Louid had come.

“In the morning.”

“Ah… I see.”

She had no idea he’d arrived at dawn and slept beside her.

“But why did you come all the way here? You said you wouldn’t come,” she asked with a curious expression.

“Um… I thought it wouldn’t be bad to visit the ducal estate once. I don’t remember much, but I came here once when I was a child.”

He had visited Duke Berthe’s mansion once when he followed William before leaving for the North.

“I see. You like veal steak, right? I asked the chef to make it since you came.”

“Mm….”

“You like this tea too, right?”

“….”

For some reason, Emilia knew everything he liked.

Did Emilia know this much about me?

Louid felt a strange sensation wash over him. He couldn’t put into words what this feeling was.

In the end, he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he couldn’t eat properly throughout the meal.

After breakfast, the two enjoyed a morning ride.

Just a few months ago, Emilia had trembled while sitting in front of him on horseback, but now she rode alone while chatting comfortably. Louid felt proud of her progress, yet also strangely empty.

They left through the gates and rode across the wide fields. The wind brushing past, stirring the wildflowers, tickled them softly.

“You ride well now.”

“Right? I worked really hard. Haha.”

She laughed happily.

“Emilia, should we go back to the manor now?”

After they finished riding, Louid cautiously asked. Since they were in her hometown, she would surely want to stay longer. But without her, his headaches and insomnia returned, so he wanted to bring her back.

“Yes.”

He’d expected her to refuse, but her answer came easily. Louid wondered if he’d heard correctly.

“Then I’ll get ready to leave now.”

Looking unusually cheerful, Emilia said she would prepare for departure, then turned her horse and dashed into the estate at full speed.

“…Emilia?”

Louid blinked in confusion for a moment, then turned his horse and followed her.